By Maria ML #3594 2/06

Dearest Family,

1. I want to share with you some encouragement from the Lord about a topic dear to His heart—the times of personal communion that each of us take with Him, lying in His arms and letting Him love us and fill us and satisfy our spirits.

2. There are many ways we spend time with the Lord—reading His Word, hearing His voice in prophecy, loving Him intimately, pouring out our hearts in intercessory prayer, singing to Him‚ etc. The messages that follow, however, are specifically about the aspect of meditating on the Lord and communing deeply with Him, times when you empty yourself of all your own thoughts and ideas and come to Him without an agenda or specific need for answers.

3. He loves these times with us‚ and they are so beneficial to our spirits‚ so feeding, so renewing. It's easy to get out of the habit of taking them when things are so busy, but as you hear the Lord's encouragement and promises about how much these times can benefit you, and how essential it will be in the future for us to have learned how to slip quickly into His temple‚ I believe you'll want to make quiet meditation more of a priority in your life and schedule.

4. "The keys of the Kingdom part the veil between your world and Mine, and in our times of intimate communion, I will reveal to you My secrets."

With much love in our Lover,
Mama

Learn to relax!

5. (Jesus:) I love it when you take time to just sit back in My arms and commune with Me. There don't always have to be words, prayers, or even praises involved. Our souls can commune in spirit if you turn your thoughts toward Me and let your mind and spirit dwell there.

6. We can be like two lovers who are happy at the thought of just being in each other's presence, no words passing between them. Holding each other and gazing into the other's eyes is communication enough. It's like their hearts are getting on the same wavelength. They don't even need to communicate verbally because the touches, the looks, the smiles, that closeness‚ lets them know what the other person is thinking, or at least helps them to be in the same frame of mind as their lover.

7. It can be the same with Me and you. You start out by praising Me or thinking about Me, turning your heart toward Me and meditating on My goodness to you, and as you do, we start to connect in the spirit. Then you can stay there and rest a while in My arms.

8. This communion of heart with heart is not something that can be worked up. It takes a real peace and contentment in spirit to create this link with Me. Often the connection won't happen if you are worked up in the flesh or worried about things, or if you are in desperate need of My answers on timely matters. In that case, too much of the flesh can stand in the way. The pressing urgency of all that you have to do will not allow you to enter into My presence empty, ready to be filled, if you bring it with you. So try this type of meditation when you feel rested and have been soaking in My Words, have already primed the pump of praise, and poured your heart out to Me in prayer.

9. This time of communion is a time for you to let Me guide your thoughts. It's not even time for you to make supplication of Me, but to just let your mind dwell on Me, and let My Spirit interweave with yours till we have a free flow of communication between us.

10. Think of this type of meditation as learning to float in water. It takes that amount of relaxation—not just in spirit but in flesh too (you need to be physically comfortable and rested)—in order to let My Spirit give you the buoyancy you need. If you struggle and try to poke your head up to see what's happening around you, the balance will be upset and you'll break the connection with Me. Whereas if you just lie back and focus on relaxing every muscle in your body, shutting out the noise of the world, you'll find that the water holds you up perfectly, and it's such a wonderful feeling.

11. I want you to learn how to enter that state of full relaxation of mind and body, your thoughts filled entirely with Me. That is where I can minister to your spirit more directly, guide you in important matters in your life, and give you major breakthrough solutions to problems that have been nagging you, because you're becoming one with My mind.

12. I want to give you a better understanding of how things correlate between the flesh and the spirit when you enter into intimate meditation and communion with Me—and what good I can help it to achieve. In many ways it's similar to the state you're in when you're almost sleeping, or just waking up. That time of relaxation when you're just drifting in or out of sleep, when your body loosens its grip on your mind and lets it travel upward to a spiritual heavenly dimension, is very similar to what I can do for your mind during this type of restful communion with Me.

13. It's as if your mind has a door that I can have complete access to if you let Me. During these moments when our minds are communing as one, I can give you so many answers, reveal to you deep spiritual truths, and take you farther in spirit than you have ever gone before. This time will also fill you with My power, strength‚ and energy like you've never imagined.

14. You might wonder, "How do I get to this point of intimate communion with the Lord? It sounds deep and complicated." I understand why you might feel that way, but the truth is that the beauty of meditation lies in its simplicity. You don't need props, activities, reading material, or anything of that sort. All you need is to place your mind on My mind. All you need is to relax and set down the weights that are burdening you—however you best do that—through praise, committing them to Me in prayer, singing to Me, reading My Word, or loving Me intimately, so that you can come into My presence empty, free, and ready to be filled.

15. Do whatever works for you and helps you to get into a restful state. Everyone has different needs, so ask Me what will work best for you. If you find it easiest to meditate a few moments when you first wake up, try that. Or if you can focus best right after or during your time in the Word, do that. You might find that while on a walk, or just before going to bed, or while lying down for a rest during the day, is ideal for you, and that's great too. Whatever works for you is fine for Me. I'm here all the time, ready and waiting for you to come to Me.

16. I love you so much‚ and can't wait to fill you with My thoughts, My solutions, and My heavenly perspective, which will really get you high in the spirit and take you places!

Learn to focus, converse, receive!

17. (Jesus:) Meditation and listening for My still small voice is important‚ because you're allowing your mind to be unfocused on everything except Me, which gives Me a chance to do just about anything for you. This kind of communication or time spent with Me is good for you because of the reasons listed in the Word, and the reasons you already know. It also gives Me a chance to punch through with feelings, thoughts‚ and ideas that might never have come through any other way.

18. When your Father David was leading the Family, I often spoke to him and guided him in dreams. This was the time when he was open for Me to punch through, and that's when he received many far-out yet down-to-earth revelations and ideas that helped shape the Family into what I wanted it to be. He had to be in that blank state, not thinking about or doing anything, in order to be ready for whatever I had to give.

19. Meditation and deep communion with Me‚ when you get quiet before Me without a question or thought on your heart, allows you that same channel and opportunity for Me to punch through with things that you wouldn't have been expecting or wouldn't have even known to ask for. It's not that you're going to come before Me expecting a revelation—because that would defeat the purpose of emptying your mind and just coming to commune with Me. But it's good for Me to know that you're there in case I do need to tell you anything, or put a feeling on your heart that wasn't there before.

20. It's not that this is a superior way to get My answers now; prophecy is still the method of choice for getting My mind on situations and receiving My words. But quiet meditation and clearing your mind of all else but Me does fill a special role. And it is through this practice that I'd like to start introducing thoughts and ideas to your minds that wouldn't have come through other means, or that would have been much more difficult for Me to get through to you any other way.

21. Sometimes when hearing from Me in prophecy, some of you have had experience with this, where you came before Me to ask a question or just to hear My words in general, and I punched through with something completely different from what you originally had in mind. I showed you something completely new and far removed from the things that had been on your mind up to that point.

22. But when seeking Me in prophecy, normally you have a question on your heart‚ or are coming before Me with specific feelings from the day, your work, or your personal life. You don't bother to repress these too much because when you come before Me with these feelings‚ it gives Me a chance to talk about them, comment on them, and show you what to do, which is very good and an important aspect of the gift of prophecy.

23. However, when you do have thoughts and feelings and needs on your heart, it makes it harder for you to truly be blank and ready to receive anything I may have to give—no matter how unusual, far-out, or unrelated to your current state of affairs and thoughts and needs.

24. But‚ My loves, I am sometimes going to need to show you things that don't have anything to do with the thoughts and questions currently on your heart, and don't have anything to do with plans you've been mulling over, whether short- or long-term.

25. These are the "great and mighty things that thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3). I can give you keys to your own life and personal situation, miraculous answers out of the blue that make problems melt away, or dissolve a long-lasting tangle in some area. Or maybe I'll highlight a problem area that you never even dreamed was a problem, but since I am able to show you, you're able to take steps to rectify the situation before it becomes a mess. Or maybe I'll just put a feeling of encouragement in your heart—that of being loved and secure in Me—when perhaps you weren't feeling that way before.

26. Whatever I give, I need that forum to speak to you about things that you're not necessarily asking for or sucking for, but that are the extras, the far-out, the things you wouldn't have thought to ask about, because maybe you don't even know the questions. And meditation is one way that I can give you those answers.

27. Meditation isn't only about hearing My answers, nor is it the only way to receive those unexpected truths. But that is part of it‚ and it's an important part that I wanted to touch on. Having that time where you're just thinking on Me, listening to Me, and focusing on Me gives Me a very special forum to speak, guide, and inspire, and it's something you shouldn't go without.

28. Maybe you thought meditation was just about relaxation and resting in Me, or an exercise in spiritual concentration and learning to block out other thoughts. Or maybe you thought it was a variation of loving Me intimately, where you're not thinking about anything else but Me and how much you love Me; or maybe one of the aspects of heavenly thought power or full possession. (See pages 10-11 of Link issue 2, as well as the New Wine Letters "Full Possession," ML #3376, and "The Gift of Heavenly Thought Power," ML #3377.) Well, it's all of those things to a degree‚ but it's also a time when your antenna is up, even though you're not specifically sucking for anything.

29. That's the way it should be when you're communing privately with Me and meditating on Me. You're on My channel and tuning in to Me, but not specifically asking for anything. You're just spending time with Me. Don't expect Me to start speaking a gush of words right away as I do when you're receiving My words in prophecy. Rather, just keep your mind stayed on Me, thinking about Me, focusing on Me or something that helps you to think about Me, clearing your mind of all other thoughts and just trying to be open to Me and receptive—empty and ready for Me to fill.

30. Work on learning to come into My presence and getting to a place where you can either feel Me closer, or at least know that your spirit is able to feel Me and has entered into My presence because you've shut out everything else. Not everyone has the touch of "feelings," but most of you will find that you will know when you've entered into this rest and into a special communion with Me.

31. Then, once you're there, stay awhile. Rest and have patience for whatever I'll send your way. Perhaps I'll say nothing and will let you benefit from the quietness and blankness of spirit. Or maybe I'll fill your heart and life with a refreshed feeling, a blast of the heavenly air from the dome. Or maybe I'll whisper one of those revelations or new ideas that I talked about. Or maybe I'll even strike up a conversation with you, which is something I love to do with My brides when they let Me.

32. Learning to converse with Me is a skill and gift you have to hone—that of being able to chat back and forth with Me without losing concentration or thinking that it's just in your mind. When you're receiving prophecy you usually don't do much talking—outside of your prayers and questions—and you're trying hard to block out anything else but the words that I'm giving you. But if we're having a conversation in the stillness of your heart and mind, it's not intended to be just a one-way affair, thus you need to be able to respond to Me, commune with Me, and hear My responses.

33. The things I give you in your times of deep communion with Me—whether casual conversation, meditation, or simply resting in My arms—may not always be big, heavy points; in fact, they may rarely be. But at least I'll know the opportunity is there should I need to get your attention about something vital that you wouldn't ever have hit upon otherwise.

34. It's important to come to our time together without expectations, except to get still and quiet before Me, because your mind and spirit needs this time. Don't come looking for anything; just come to Me empty and quiet and know that if I need to give you something, I will.

35. Being able to enter into that state of stillness more and more quickly is a goal that is good to shoot for as you practice your meditation times with Me. I want you to gain the ability to push your own thoughts away more quickly‚ and to be able to focus on Me faster and more effectively. It's a great way to purge away the thoughts of the day and the carnal before hearing from Me in prophecy‚ or before starting your Word time, or even before going to sleep. It's going to be a vital skill in the days to come—both the days immediately ahead of you, and those that are in the future.

36. It's just a good all-around practice both for your spiritual man and for your physical mind and body. It's not the most important of your links with Me or the most vital of your spiritual weapons, but it is something that will be a benefit to you and something that you shouldn't skip. The more regular and practiced at this you become, the more you'll find yourself benefiting from these times. Once I know that this is a time in which I can get your attention or refresh you, I'll start to take advantage of it to enrich and guide your life.

37. Of course, I'll try to give you some special things even if it's just your first few tries. But the real benefits start to come with practice as you regularly enter into My presence in this way.

All day long, His presence did linger...

38. (Maria: ) This next message is on a different aspect of meditation—about how, once you've made that deep connection with the Lord, you can carry it with you through the day. This cannot be substituted for the times when you're solely His and focusing on Him. In other words, you can't think, "I don't have time to meditate quietly on the Lord today‚ so I'll just commune with Him as I do my work," and expect that that will be the same thing.

39. Of course, communing with Him as you go about your labors will make for a much more productive and fruitful and blessed day, but it's different from just sitting quietly before the Lord and meditating on Him. Both are needed! And once you have that connection with Him from your quiet time with Him, it's much easier to carry that spirit of communion and peace and connection with Him into the wings and throughout your day.

40. (Jesus:) My dear ones, you're so busy! You have so much to do that your mind is always full of the work, while your body is occupied in doing it as well and as quickly as you can, and of course as prayerfully as you can. I am happy that you have a zeal for My work, but I would be happier still if I was more of a presence with you while you did it. I want to be a very present help, companion‚ counselor, friend, shepherd and husband throughout each day—not just an advisor that you consult from time to time.

41. I want to commune with you all day long, to converse heart to heart‚ to talk things over, to take counsel together. I don't want to just be consulted from time to time when you have a decision to make‚ to be asked for a yes or a no or a little guidance as if I were some sort of outside expert. I want us to commune as a husband and wife would—talking things over, discussing matters‚ sharing things that are on our hearts, and reaching a joint decision in the end as to what seems best to both of us.

42. I'm sorry to say that some of you fall a bit short in this area. Rather than communing with Me as you should, you're more likely to commune with your own mind as you forge through your day—thinking things over, being led by your experience, by what you know to be right, by the Letters and publications and godly counsel—and I am more of an extra or a rubber stamp on your decisions rather than your constant counselor and guide. You mean to do well and you try to do well, but you could do better. The heart-to-heart communion I would like to have with you is extremely important to Me‚ and I would like to have much more of it than we have right now.

43. You have the heart of Mary but the mind of Martha (Luke 10:38-42). And when the mind of Martha butts in and reminds you that you need to do this or that—make this phone call, send this e-mail, talk to this or that person, or do this one little thing—then Mary often gets left behind for the rest of the day while Martha takes over.

44. You may even start off with this Mary time, time at My feet learning of Me and talking with Me, but then the rest of the day is devoted to Martha. Sometimes the Mary time, the time in the temple with Me, is left so far behind that it's almost as if you'd never been in the temple at all that day. And, while I value your work for Me and I appreciate the times we have together, I would like to be with you more—and I will be, if you'll let Me.

45. Start your day off with sweet time with Me, and then let that time and My presence linger throughout the day. Before your day begins, lock Martha and her busy mind and many duties out for the time being, and commune with Me in quietness and confidence. There you will find your strength, your peace, your power and love and anointing for the day (Isaiah 30:15).

46. Take time with Me first of all, and if Martha keeps knocking on the door, reminding you of all that you have to do and asking how you can just be sitting there taking "so much" time with Me, insert spiritual earplugs by praising Me, or loving Me intimately‚ or focusing on My Word, or singing a song to Me, or speaking in tongues.

47. You must get quiet before Me, seek Me and find Me, if I am to go with you throughout your day. You must stop‚ look, and listen at the beginning of your day so that you will be able to do so throughout the day. So keep at it until Martha gives up her knocking and goes away, so that you can be renewed in heart and spirit.

48. Then carry Me with you throughout the day, conversing with Me as you go, making it a natural part of your life. Don't just ask yourself, "What should I do now?" or "What should I say?" but ask Me, "Lord, what should I do now?" or "Lord, what should I say?" Talk things over with Me. We can carry on a conversation, just as you would with anyone else.

49. If you're having a battle or a trial, don't just tell yourself what a mess you are or how bad or discouraged you feel—explain it all to Me and tell Me why you feel bad or discouraged or like a mess. I can provide help and comfort and reassurance and overcoming power as we discuss the problems of the day. Come unto Me, you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

50. Listen for My still, small voice throughout the day. Remember the lesson I taught My servant Elijah in days of old. I was not in the tempest and winds as he stood on the mountain, nor in the earthquake and the fire, but in the still, small voice (1 Kings 19:9–12). Although you may feel as if you are going through tempests or earthquakes or fires on some days, or all three, you can listen for the still, small voice that follows—My voice—advising you how to calm the storm, ride out the earthquake, and quench the fire.

51. So begin your day with praise and prayer, Word and time with Me, and then carry Me with you into the day. You cannot do My work without My power, and to do it you must spend time with Me—and continue to spend time with Me if you are to continue to have the power you need and not get run down or run over by all the cares and duties of your busy life.

52. Abide in Me, and let Me abide in you continually. Talk to Me, sing to Me, converse with Me‚ listen to Me, commune with Me. You can't make it without Me. We have a little time together in the morning before the day begins, but that's not enough. We need time together throughout the day as well.

53. Some of you may be thinking that this sounds good, but that you don't know if you can do it, that it's a bit too spiritual, and you're not really that spiritual. In reality‚ it's a very practical matter, and you can do it once you establish the habit of doing so. After all‚ you think all day long, don't you? Don't you always have thoughts going on in your mind, considering how to do this or that, when or where to go, considering what to say, and so on? You talk to yourself continually. Well, talk to Me instead. After all, why talk to yourself when you can talk to Me and share your heart and thoughts and desires and questions with Me?

54. As we talk, I can give you the right perspective on your work, your relations with others, or even your attitude toward yourself. As you allow Me more entrance, then you take on more of My mind, My attitudes, My thoughts, My possession. I can get through to you easier, you can hear My voice clearer, and I can guide your actions better. I can remind you of things to do, give you new ideas or new ways of doing things‚ and provide the answers you need. Come to Me in quietness and in confidence and you will find the strength and power you need. Draw nigh to Me and I will draw nigh to you. Those are My promises to you.

55. Start the day off right with praise and prayer and Word and communion with Me‚ and continue praising and praying and communing with Me throughout the day. You can do it; you can pray without ceasing‚ in everything give thanks, and commune more frequently. If you do your part, I will do Mine, and will meet you more than halfway. Faithful is He who calls you, Who also will do it.

56. I long to be a more constant presence in your life every day. Won't you let Me? Won't you talk to Me more and talk things over with Me more as you go about your day‚ sharing your heart and thoughts and desires with Me? I long to share My heart and thoughts and desires with you, to develop a sweetness and a love and a bond and a fellowship with you that you can't even imagine—to be a constant companion to you, My dear wife, because I love you.

*

(Maria:) Occasionally we get certain articles from secular and religious writings brought to our attention, such as the one below, that confirm principles that the Lord is showing us. In general we don't feel the need to delve into Christian writings to any great extent‚ because we are blessed with such an abundance of new wine to help us in living our discipleship—and there is a big difference between Christian writings that are good and true, and those that specifically strengthen you in discipleship.

Many mainstream Christian writings are good and inspiring‚ and if your goal is to simply be a good Christian, they will be helpful and feeding for you. But if your goal is to be a disciple, a missionary, a professional Christian who is a serious threat to the Enemy and taking territory away from him every day, then you need the meat of the Word and the application that the Lord gives us for today. You need the strong messages from the Lord to keep your convictions strong and give you the strength to remain dropped out and living the difficult life of discipleship. It's the meat of the Word and the new wine that will strengthen you against the intense attacks of the Enemy—which he will be sure to throw at you if you're threatening him by living all out for Jesus!

So all that to say, the following article is inspiring and helpful, but please don't take it as a blanket recommendation from us to start reading other mainstream Christian or church writings. They're not wrong or bad, for the most part, but they also won't necessarily help you in your discipleship lifestyle and the heavy battles that you will face as one of the Endtime elite, and your time is so valuable, you should spend what little you have on reading and studying the things that will really help you go far for the Lord and be as strong as possible!

* * *

What 147 elk taught me about prayer

By Philip Yancey, Christianity Today

The author Brennan Manning, who leads spiritual retreats several times each year, once told me that not a single person who has followed his regimen for a silent retreat has failed to hear from God. Intrigued and a bit skeptical, I signed up for one of his retreats, this one extending over five days.

Every attendee met for an hour each day with Brennan, who would give us assignments in meditation and spiritual work. We also met together for daily worship, during which time only Brennan talked. Beyond this, we were free to spend our time as we wished, with only one requirement: two hours of prayer per day.

I doubt I had devoted more than 30 minutes to prayer at any one session in my life. The first day I wandered to the edge of a meadow and sat down with my back against a tree. I had brought along Brennan's assignment for the day and a notebook in which to record my thoughts. How long will I stay awake? I wondered.

To my great fortune, a herd of 147 elk (I had plenty of time to count them) wandered into the very field where I was sitting. To see one elk is exciting; to watch 147 elk in their natural habitat is enthralling. But I soon learned that to watch 147 elk for two hours is, to put it mildly, boring. They lowered their heads and chewed grass. They raised their heads in unison and looked at a raspy crow. They lowered their heads again and chewed grass. For two hours, nothing else happened. No mountain lions attacked; no bulls charged each other. All the elk bent over and chewed grass.

After a while, the very placidity of the scene began to affect me. The elk had not noticed my presence, and I simply melded into their environment, taking on their rhythms. I no longer thought about the work I had left at home, the deadlines facing me, the reading that Brennan had assigned. My body relaxed. In the leaden silence, my mind fell quiet.

"The quieter the mind," wrote Meister Eckhart‚ "the more powerful, the worthier, the deeper, the more telling and more perfect the prayer is." An elk does not have to work at having a quiet mind; it feels content standing in a field all day with its fellow elk, chewing grass. A lover does not have to work at attending to the beloved. I prayed for, and in a fleeting moment received, that kind of absorbed attention to God.

I never saw the elk again, even though every afternoon I searched the fields and forest for them. During the next few days, I said many words to God and also sat silent in His presence. I made lists, and many things came to mind that would not have come to mind had I not been sitting in a field for hours at a time. The week became a kind of spiritual checkup that pointed out paths for further growth. I heard no audible voice, yet at the end of the week I had to agree with Brennan: I had heard from God.

I've become more convinced than ever that God finds ways to communicate with those who truly seek Him, especially when we lower the volume of the surrounding static. I remember reading the account of a spiritual seeker who interrupted a busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. "I hope your stay is a blessed one," said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. "If you need anything, let us know, and we'll teach you how to live without it."

We learn to pray by praying, and two concentrated hours a day taught me much. To begin, I need to think more about God than about myself when I am praying. Even the Lord's Prayer centers first on what God wants from us. "Hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done"—God wants us to desire these things, to orient our lives around them.

How often do I come to God not with consumer requests, but simply with a desire to spend time with Him, to discern what He wants from me and not vice versa? When I did that in the elk meadow, I mysteriously found that the answer to my prayers for guidance was around me all along. Nothing changed but my receptors; through prayer, I opened them to God.

Some have called meditative prayer a useless act, because we do it not for the sake of getting something, but spontaneously, as uselessly as a child at play. After an extended time with God, my urgent requests‚ which had seemed so significant‚ took on a new light. I began to ask for them for God's sake, not my own. Though my needs may drive me to prayer, it is there I come face to face with my greatest need: an encounter with God Himself.