And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev. 22:17)

February 2004

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are fine, and rejoicing in the wonderful things that God is showing us for this new year. This year we look forward to a greater depth of knowledge and understanding of the things of the Spirit, as we seek the face of our Heavenly Bridegroom. As His bride, how much to we want Him? How much do we thirst for His Presence in our life? How thirsty are you?

Our cry is that as we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us, bringing us to an intimacy with Him, and out of that intimacy He will reveal His heart to us. This is His will for us, as a Bridegroom seeks intimacy with his bride, He seeks intimacy with His bride, the church. The world celebrates Valentine’s Day, and everything is revolved around love, but there is no perfect love other than that of Jesus Christ. No one could ever love us with such a pure and everlasting love. His mercy and goodness live forever! Jesus stands there seeking a pure, spotless bride who desires an intimate relationship with Him. Some of us have responded to His call, and are heading towards intimacy, and others are still drifting along not knowing where they are going. Our world is in such chaos that even the church is in neglect of the deeper call of God, and many are just going on their way by rote. Neglect hardens the heart! My friend, there is more to this life, and more to behold! Jesus calls out to us, and we must decide if we will listen and follow! He wants to walk with us, and fellowship with us, and reveal His heart to us as He did with Enoch. He calls out “Come to Me!” He longs for communion with you. He wants to birth His purpose and destiny in you and through you. He wants you to drink of Him, and be refreshed and restored.

As Christians, if our eyes are open, we can easily see the signs of the times. Have you noticed how the world, and that includes the church if it is not sold out and on fire for God, has been brainwashed by the media and desensitized to think that what is good is evil, and what is evil is good?  As we read the newspapers, or watch the news on TV, it is easy to find our thoughts on other things, and not of the things of the Spirit. These things can depress us, or cause us to focus on the evil around us, but God has a better way to deal with it. We read in Phil. 4:5, “Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report.... meditate on these things.”  When we meditate on these things, we can be drawn close to the One who loves us so perfectly, and thus enjoy sweet fellowship with Him. God is the supreme example of love. He loves you! True love edifies. True love builds up!

The heart of Jesus is the heart of a lover. When He calls out “Come!” it is not because He has something for you to do, it is because His desire is for you! He is saying “Walk with me, I love you, you are precious to Me. Do not be afraid of the sights around you, do not be afraid of the dark. I am the Light of the World, and in Me you will find liberty!” He calls out to us saying,  “Fear not, let Me touch your inner being, and bring forth life and liberation from the things that have bound you. Come to the intimate place where I can tell you My secrets. I want to share them with you. My heart burns for you with passion. Come!”

Jesus is calling His bride to passion for His Presence and purpose. His will is for all to be saved, and non to perish. When we pray and travail His purpose to birthing as an army with its marching orders set to win the battle, nothing can hold back the victory! Yes, we are in a warfare, just look around and watch what is going on. The Holy Spirit  compels us to pray, it is of utmost urgency! As the bride of Christ, we have been given all that we need to win this battle! This is not just a season to pray, it is the time to see the heart of Jesus for the souls that we must intercede for. We are in the End Times, and time is growing short. It is not business as usual anymore, just look around and see and hear the drumbeat. Jesus is looking for a pure, spotless bride willing to go the distance for Him, and take the signs of the times seriously with a broken heart for those who are lost.

Holy Spirit fire and wind is poured out upon the earth, anointing the bride to preach His Word in Spirit and in Truth. This is revival fire! We must pray now! Now is the time to enter the secret place where God will reveal His hearts desire, where we will look upon the scars on His hands and feet, and understand the price that He paid so that we can live forever with Him. How could we ever doubt Him? He shed His blood and died for you, and for me! His mercy and suffering were all for us! Paul writes “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:16). Just think! It is truly finished! We should be like Paul, and be bold about sharing the message of Christ dying on the cross so that sins can be forgiven! We should be praising God for providing a way to be saved!  We should be crying out “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chron, 16:34).

Let us look this month to the One who truly loves us, Who is the lover of our soul. He is our security and our peace. Let Him be our desire, “With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;...” (Isaiah 26:9).

God bless you.

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino

BACK