Today marks Day 40 since Erica disappeared.
40 is filled with Biblical significance:
It rained 40 days + nights in Noah’s time; God’s tears overflowed from heaven as earth’s heart broke open.
Abraham began to barter at 40 when he pled for God to spare the righteous and Sodom.
Isaac + Esau were both 40 when they married; Joseph mourned 40 days after Jacob’s death.
Moses’ life spanned 3 40-year segments + he twice spent 40 days on Mt Sinai when he received the law.
Joshua was 40 when he, Caleb + 10 others spied out The Promised Land for 40 days, but then wandered 40 years in the wilderness because of Israel’s unbelief:
a year for each day.
In the times of the Judges, the land rested periodically for 40 years during times of peace.
Goliath challenged Israel’s armies for 40 days:
every morning + evening he bellowed out blasphemies.
The first 3 kings of Israel: Saul, David + Solomon all reigned for 40 years.
Elijah went 40 days in the strength of angel’s food.
Jonah called Nineveh to judgment in 40 days, but the entire city believed, repented + became history’s greatest revival!
Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert + withstood the devil’s temptations: turn bread for stones? worship the enemy? test Father God?
But Jesus rather proclaimed, ‘It is written!’+ defeated the devil here on earth to begin His revolutionary ministry!
40 days speaks of a time of testing to reveal God’s heart + kingdom through His followers here on earth + expose the devil as a defeated liar.
Yesterday - Day 39 saw the enemy strike a low blow. He replayed a déjà vu scene from 3 years ago + sent a ‘demon rat’ to chew a water pipe + flood our ground-floor bedroom. It was like Goliath ranting all over again + I must admit it felt like the last straw as I heard the destroyer’s taunts + viewed the chaos apparent in my house + home.
Can he rob, kill + destroy at will? Rob our goods? Kill my wife? Destroy our home?
But there are times when the enemy believes his own hype, overplays his hand, oversteps his boundaries, exposes himself + becomes victim of his own devices.
This was one of those times.
For the Lord sent angels in the human forms of Michael the Arch-demonslayer, Harry the Plumber, James the Renovator + Sammy his true son in the Faith, Ryan the Fix-it-all Man, Moncef the demon-rat-killer, Mark the Comfort-giver + Don the Testimony of Jesus.
Soon the breach was repaired, the furniture removed, the soaked carpet pulled up and fans began drying out our home.
The wound closed; the bleeding + tears stopped; the healing began.
Later, Amy + I sat sin our living room, our only light focused on The Prodigal Son still secure above the fireplace.
Brian Doerksen’s 'Will You Worship?' rose in my spirit, I answered ‘Yes!’ + ran for refuge into those loving arms of the Father’s embrace.
Enough is enough and Jesus is more than enough!
And suddenly the revelation came to me: Revelation 12!
I ran downstairs for my Bible, opened it + sure enough, the words were just like what I’d heard in my heart!
I felt the Spirit draw His Word off the page, like Arthur’s Excalibur, the sword out of the rock, and put it firmly in my heart and hand:
v13 the dragon persecuted the woman: now I knew this bad guy is the devil + I also knew he was fighting against Christ’s church, for a ‘woman’ in Scripture always symbolizes the Church; but I began to see in a new sense that the woman for me here is ‘Erica’.
v14 and she was given 2 wings of a great eagle: now you who know us can get really excited with me here, because that’s the heart of our message: ‘Our Identity in Christ’ = who we are with both wings in His Word + Spirit! + how this revelation releases us into Destiny!
that she might fly into the wilderness to her place: this spoke to me that the Lord has plucked Erica out of the enemy’s hands + He Himself is watching over her in ‘her place’ – she is not under the enemy’s control!
where she is nourished = God has been taking care of Erica;
for a time + times + half a time = 3 ½ = half of 7 = God’s fullness = a time of testing + preparation, basically parallel to 40 days
from the face of the serpent = the devil’s intentions are undone here + it’s ‘in his face.’
v15 so the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood = literally our basement flood, but also empty words of fear + torment = all he’s got left
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood = satan tried to drown + destroy Erica, our home + family, but his purposes have been undone at The Cross, Resurrection + Throne of Jesus!
somehow like Enoch or Elijah? I believe Erica has been rescued from the mouth of the dragon-destroyer!
v16 and the earth helped the woman + opened up its mouth + swallowed up the flood. = the world will suck up the words, taunts, lies, accusations, condemnations the enemy intends against Christ’s Church + drink in its own destruction
But you will know the truth + the truth will set you free!
Job lost everything he had in this world in the space of a few hours, yet he worshiped God.
He did not serve God for mere things, his own prosperity, motives or ends.
Peter replied to Jesus, ‘Where shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!’
God has given me a Sword of the Spirit + I must use it in all the strength He gives me to bring down those present-day goliaths that have no right to steal, flood + paralyze Christ’s Bride with fear.
The 40 days are done; the time of testing is completed. Time now for us to stand + having done all, stand + see the enemy’s goliaths fall + his captives released.
I am resolved: it’s time for the 100th sheep to be found, prodigals to be released,
+ ‘Erica, you can now come home, dear!’
40 is filled with Biblical significance:
It rained 40 days + nights in Noah’s time; God’s tears overflowed from heaven as earth’s heart broke open.
Abraham began to barter at 40 when he pled for God to spare the righteous and Sodom.
Isaac + Esau were both 40 when they married; Joseph mourned 40 days after Jacob’s death.
Moses’ life spanned 3 40-year segments + he twice spent 40 days on Mt Sinai when he received the law.
Joshua was 40 when he, Caleb + 10 others spied out The Promised Land for 40 days, but then wandered 40 years in the wilderness because of Israel’s unbelief:
a year for each day.
In the times of the Judges, the land rested periodically for 40 years during times of peace.
Goliath challenged Israel’s armies for 40 days:
every morning + evening he bellowed out blasphemies.
The first 3 kings of Israel: Saul, David + Solomon all reigned for 40 years.
Elijah went 40 days in the strength of angel’s food.
Jonah called Nineveh to judgment in 40 days, but the entire city believed, repented + became history’s greatest revival!
Jesus fasted 40 days in the desert + withstood the devil’s temptations: turn bread for stones? worship the enemy? test Father God?
But Jesus rather proclaimed, ‘It is written!’+ defeated the devil here on earth to begin His revolutionary ministry!
40 days speaks of a time of testing to reveal God’s heart + kingdom through His followers here on earth + expose the devil as a defeated liar.
Yesterday - Day 39 saw the enemy strike a low blow. He replayed a déjà vu scene from 3 years ago + sent a ‘demon rat’ to chew a water pipe + flood our ground-floor bedroom. It was like Goliath ranting all over again + I must admit it felt like the last straw as I heard the destroyer’s taunts + viewed the chaos apparent in my house + home.
Can he rob, kill + destroy at will? Rob our goods? Kill my wife? Destroy our home?
But there are times when the enemy believes his own hype, overplays his hand, oversteps his boundaries, exposes himself + becomes victim of his own devices.
This was one of those times.
For the Lord sent angels in the human forms of Michael the Arch-demonslayer, Harry the Plumber, James the Renovator + Sammy his true son in the Faith, Ryan the Fix-it-all Man, Moncef the demon-rat-killer, Mark the Comfort-giver + Don the Testimony of Jesus.
Soon the breach was repaired, the furniture removed, the soaked carpet pulled up and fans began drying out our home.
The wound closed; the bleeding + tears stopped; the healing began.
Later, Amy + I sat sin our living room, our only light focused on The Prodigal Son still secure above the fireplace.
Brian Doerksen’s 'Will You Worship?' rose in my spirit, I answered ‘Yes!’ + ran for refuge into those loving arms of the Father’s embrace.
Enough is enough and Jesus is more than enough!
And suddenly the revelation came to me: Revelation 12!
I ran downstairs for my Bible, opened it + sure enough, the words were just like what I’d heard in my heart!
I felt the Spirit draw His Word off the page, like Arthur’s Excalibur, the sword out of the rock, and put it firmly in my heart and hand:
v13 the dragon persecuted the woman: now I knew this bad guy is the devil + I also knew he was fighting against Christ’s church, for a ‘woman’ in Scripture always symbolizes the Church; but I began to see in a new sense that the woman for me here is ‘Erica’.
v14 and she was given 2 wings of a great eagle: now you who know us can get really excited with me here, because that’s the heart of our message: ‘Our Identity in Christ’ = who we are with both wings in His Word + Spirit! + how this revelation releases us into Destiny!
that she might fly into the wilderness to her place: this spoke to me that the Lord has plucked Erica out of the enemy’s hands + He Himself is watching over her in ‘her place’ – she is not under the enemy’s control!
where she is nourished = God has been taking care of Erica;
for a time + times + half a time = 3 ½ = half of 7 = God’s fullness = a time of testing + preparation, basically parallel to 40 days
from the face of the serpent = the devil’s intentions are undone here + it’s ‘in his face.’
v15 so the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood = literally our basement flood, but also empty words of fear + torment = all he’s got left
after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood = satan tried to drown + destroy Erica, our home + family, but his purposes have been undone at The Cross, Resurrection + Throne of Jesus!
somehow like Enoch or Elijah? I believe Erica has been rescued from the mouth of the dragon-destroyer!
v16 and the earth helped the woman + opened up its mouth + swallowed up the flood. = the world will suck up the words, taunts, lies, accusations, condemnations the enemy intends against Christ’s Church + drink in its own destruction
But you will know the truth + the truth will set you free!
Job lost everything he had in this world in the space of a few hours, yet he worshiped God.
He did not serve God for mere things, his own prosperity, motives or ends.
Peter replied to Jesus, ‘Where shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!’
God has given me a Sword of the Spirit + I must use it in all the strength He gives me to bring down those present-day goliaths that have no right to steal, flood + paralyze Christ’s Bride with fear.
The 40 days are done; the time of testing is completed. Time now for us to stand + having done all, stand + see the enemy’s goliaths fall + his captives released.
I am resolved: it’s time for the 100th sheep to be found, prodigals to be released,
+ ‘Erica, you can now come home, dear!’
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