All The Way With Jesus

Though life's storms may batter me

And their flood water's deluge

I have a firm foundation

I am founded, my Lord, in You

You are the solid Rock

The High Place upon which I stand

I seek no other refuge

For I'm holding onto Your hand

We walk together in the daylight

And in the darkness, too

For You are the Light of Life

I draw my strength from You

When the times are difficult

And I seem in dread defeat

I will press in a little closer

Ever sitting at Your feet

You are always here to guide me

To teach me all Your Truth

No, You never will forsake me

While I dwell in You

When this day has ended

And time is no more

We will ever be Best Friended

As we walk along Heaven's shore

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8, NKJV

Leigh

3-26-2019

Satan is Out to Destroy America …

Take a Look at What He Has Planned

We all know that the abortion issue has long been a threat to our unborn children. But recent state abortion laws that have been passed go further than Roe vs. Wade ever thought of going. For now, they are espousing the murder of those who have survived an abortion procedure.
In fact, President Trump recently tweeted; 

"Senate Democrats just voted against legislation to prevent the killing of newborn infant children. The Democratic position on abortion is now so extreme that they don't mind executing babies AFTER birth. This vote will be remembered as one of the most shocking votes in the history of Congress. If there is one thing we should all agree on, it's protecting the lives of innocent babies." (Charisma Magazine, 12:00 PM EST, 2/27/19, This is Satan's Next Step for America.)

Also, every person that has already announced their candidacy for President in the 2020 election has supported legislation that makes it legal to murder children that have survived an abortion procedure. This includes Senators Cory Booker of NJ, Kirstan Gilibrand of NY, Kamala D. Harris of CA, Amy Klobluchar of MN, Elizabeth Warren of MA, and Bernie Sanders of VT.

As shocking as this is, it is just the beginning. Once this has been widely accepted, America will be allowing the murder of all children (… by medically sanctioned prescription for reasons such as proof of hardship, threat or inconvenience.) Literally, if they have a negative impact on our chosen lifestyle we will be able to choose to have them eliminated.quickly and easily. This shocks and grieves me, so much more so it grieves our God!

And this is just the beginning. NO people group is safe – Children, The Elderly, Christians (or any religious affiliation which offends), etc, from being eliminated if they become a threat to the lifestyle of their families or their government officials.

Do you think that Hitler and Nazi Germany was the first attempt at Holocaust? Think again. The book of Esther in the Old Testament of the Bible tells about the plans of one man (Haman) to have all of the Jewish people eliminated throughout the Persian Empire. It also tells of the heroic acts of Mordecai and his niece, Queen Esther, to stop this mass execution, which succeeded.

The book of Exodus, also in the Old Testament, tells of a Pharoah who tried to have baby boys murdered as their mothers delivered them. He feared that the Israelites were too numerous to control if they decided to rebel against his authority. But the midwives of that period feared and reverenced the Lord God, so they saved these baby boys' lives and lied to Pharoah when he called them out for their disobedience to his demands. But Pharoah then ordered his soldiers to murder them.

The Old Testament isn't the only place where a leader killed a people they were afraid of. In the book of Matthew, in the New Testament of the Bible, King Herod ordered the execution of all boys who were between the ages of birth and two years old. We all know this story well: Herod was afraid of the "New King of the Jews" that had recently been born … he was afraid of Jesus destroying his lifestyle as he wasn't even a Jew, but Ceasar had appointed him king over them. But now there was a new King on the scene. One who was a true Jew and met all of the prophetic qualifications. But here again, God protected His own, in this case His very own Son. For He sent Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus to Egypt until after Herod was dead. (Matthew 2:1-15)

With these long-ago examples of mass execution of the people who were a threat to the establishment, who are we to think we are safe?

God is angry at His church, for they have not followed His Commandments. Now I am not talking about the 633 that the Jewish Rabbis' acknowledge, the first five books of the Old Testament (the Torah), or even the 10 Commandments. No, Jesus gave us a much more condensed set of Laws to live by:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.Mark 12:28-34, NIV

Where this passage is quoted in the book of Matthew, Jesus also says: All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:40, NIV. For if God is loved above all else, we know how to treat ourselves and our fellow man. Loving God thusly makes us able to love our neighbors as ourselves. Without this all-encompassing love for our Lord, we cannot love others as we should for we know not how to love ourselves properly. God's Children need to find that all-encompassing love for God once more. 

We also need to find a place of fearful reverence for our God and heed His voice when it calls us to "stand in the gap." As God spoke to Ezekiel about the nation of Israel, God is saying to His church:
"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord." Ezekiel 22:30-31, NIV.

So many of us have forgotten how to stand up for what we believe! We have let our faith become watered down for convenience sake. For somebody might become offended if they know what we believe. By doing so, I believe that today's church has become the modern day church of Laodicea to whom God said:

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so

you can see.
Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:14-22, NIV
We, like Laodicea, have become lukewarm Christians. We have become complacent in our walk of faith. God is calling us to repentance so that He can once again come and "sit at meat" with us. He longs to be intimate with His church as He was in days long past.

Did you know that in ancient Middle Eastern Cultures sharing a meal is considered to be an act of intimacy? Sharing a meal in Jesus' day and age was a communal thing. Everyone lounged around a low table and ate from the same dish using their hands. They used pieces of bread to scoop up their meals … there were no individual plates, no eating utensils. Each family had knives to cut up their foods, but this was done before it was brought to the table. This is one reason that God commanded unclean persons were to live outside the camp in the Old Testament. He knew they could not even eat with their loved ones without exposing them to their uncleanness. But Jesus longs to share a meal with His repentant church.

The church of America has largely become people of unclean hearts and lips. And God is seeking our repentance. He longs for us to stand in the gaps and repair the breaches of the walls of our faith. He desires clean and contrite hearts as David of old spoke of in Psalm 51. This will make us ready to stand in the gap as He intended us to do.

~*~

I know that not many of you know that I used to be a very active political activist on those things I felt were important. In college, I protested in front of the Capital building in Sacramento CA on several occasions. Also 31 years ago this month I protested with Operation Rescue in front of an abortion clinic in Chico, CA. 

This Right to Life protest ended with many of us, myself included, being arrested, tried and convicted of preventing access to a business. Our protest in March of 1988 was in front of the Planned Parenthood Clinic in Chico, CA. This was the only abortion clinic in Butte County, CA where my family resided at that time. 

While my (now ex-) husband had asked me not to be arrested during the protest, I could not honor his request. For this death mill was right in MY backyard. I had to Stand In the Gap for those unborn children of my neighbors. Our pastor at that time was with me at that protest for life. As we drove from the rally to the clinic, I told him of Luther's request and asked him what he would do. He told me that his wife would not have placed him in that position but if she, had he would have to follow the Lord's leading in that moment ... even if it meant going to jail. So I followed my convictions ... if God asked me today to do it again, I most definitely would.

It cost that business a day's revenue. When we were sentenced, the judge initially fined us each $500, then said that it would be given to the clinic to replace funds lost by our protest blocking access to their place of business. Each of us, in turn, advised the judge that we refused to pay that fine. So, in turn, we were each sentenced to three days in jail.

Since that time, I know that my going to jail on this occasion was God's plan. For when we were put into the population we were asked why we were there. When I answered that I had been arrested for protesting in front of an abortion clinic to save the lives of unborn children it gave me the opportunity to share Jesus with about 20 women who were in there with me. We prayed with several of them to receive Jesus and shared the Bible with them throughout our three-day sentence.

~*~

Did you know that not taking a stand for Truth ... with God, but sitting complacently by and letting things just take their course, IS standing with Satan and what he has planned for our nation in the days, months and years ahead? He is out to anhilate the church and destroy this country in the process. How can we who have chosen to serve the Lord of Creation, Christ's Church, sit idly by and allow it to happen?

Now I am not saying to go out and do just anything to be arrested. I am saying is to take a stand WITH God. Especially in this turbulent time within our government. Make your voice heard and see how God will grow your faith and your scope of ministry! 

Trust Him and He will call you into arenas, political and familial you may never have dreamed of going into. Just remember He will never you there all alone, for He will never leave you nor forsake you. He also will never lead you there unprepared ... Always Remember, God May or May Not Call the Qualified, but He ALWAYS Qualifies the Called!

Though I am no longer physically able to take my protests to the streets, I AM willing and able to stand on my soapbox here in these pages and spout my religious and political views to all you happen herein. I pray that the number of views her will steadily increase. So please share these posts and share it often with your family and friends and on Facebook, too.

Take a Stand on the Abortion Issue ... God Has!

As I was praying this morning in my appointment with the Lord, I was reminded about the recent passing of abortion laws by various states across the country ... so I prayed thus:

Father,

As our nation sees the drawing to a close of an era devoted to the sacrificing of our unborn, each state is faced with taking a stand and drawing up sides in this battle for the fall of Roe vs Wade. New York was the first to set state abortion laws earlier this year; thus allowing for the continued murder of innocent lives when the federal abortion laws are overturned. Now Vermont and Illinois have joined with them in allowing for these murders to continue. In fact Lord, Illinois went so far as to boast that they would gladly choose to be the nation's leader in state-sanctioned abortions. Father, please "forgive them for they know not what they do!"

Lord, I am so glad that I live in a state that values all life and has chosen to stand on Your side of this line that has been drawn in the sand, so to speak. I pray that Tennessee doesn't have to stand alone with You on this matter. I pray that many, if not all, of the rest chose to join us and stand with You in this quest to preserve the lives of our unborn. For the majority of Americans are opposed to abortion, yet our leaders refuse to listen to our voices. Instead, they continue to listen to the lies that the enemy of our souls' whispers in their ears ... not the shouts of their constituents.

Father, I repent for the sin of our government officials in this matter. I pray that they will hear Your voice of truth, and that right soon!

Now, this was my personal prayer on the abortion issue. I hope that you will stand with me, chose to oppose the continued murder of our children, and pray this prayer as your own. 

As you consider your stand, please watch this video of Petra's song, Not Gonna Bow To Yout Idol. Just click this link to view it now.

In Support of Life

Christian Brothers and Sisters, this is a Call to Action … YOUR ACTION!

In my last article I spoke of our need for repentance in light of the many abortions that have taken place legally since the passing of Roe vs. Wade. Today, as I was listening to a Christian talk radio station, I learned that there is a bill set to come before the US Congress to protect the lives of children who have survived their mother’s attempt to end their lives by having an abortion. The presentation of this bill gives the church a new call to action on the abortion front.

Until today I had never heard that there were children who had survived an abortion procedure. But the lady (I will call her Lily) being interviewed on the radio said that she was connected to 250+ others who had survived. “Lily” also told the story of her survival.

Her birth mother had undergone a late-term, Instillation abortion. Per Wikipedia Instillation abortion is now rarely done late-term. “Instillation abortion is performed by injecting a chemical solution consisting of either saline, urea, or prostaglandin through the abdomen and into the amniotic sac. The cervix is dilated prior to the injection, and the chemical solution induces uterine contractions which expel the fetus. Instillation methods can require hospitalization for 12 to 48 hours.” You can read more about it here.

“Lily” said that her mother was injected with a Saline Solution, but that it didn’t expel her as it should have. She lay surrounded by that Saline Solution for five days before doctors had successfully induced her mother’s labor and she was born ALIVE. That she had survived totally shocked the doctors who were in attendance. Her birth mother put her up for adoption and she was raised by a loving and nurturing family. “Lily” did say that she is in contact with her birth mother to this day. They have a good relationship and that she is very supportive of “Lily’s” work with other abortion survivors and telling her story to anyone who will listen.

Annual U.S. Abortion Statistics

Abortion is murder and God calls murder a sin, and so do I … do you? Are you appalled by how many children have been killed by abortion? Here are a few abortion statistics 

·         Based on the latest state-level data, approximately 881,000 abortions took place in the United States in 2017—down from approximately 885,000 abortions in 2016 and 913,000 abortions in 2015.

·         According to the Guttmacher Institute, an estimated 926,240 abortions took place in the United States in 2014—down from 1.06 million in 2011, 1.21 million abortions in 2008, 1.2 million in 2005, 1.29 million in 2002, 1.31 million in 2000 and 1.36 million in 1996. From 1973 through 2011, nearly 53 million legal abortions occurred in the U.S (AGI).

·         In 2014, approximately 19% of U.S. pregnancies (excluding spontaneous miscarriages) ended in abortion.¹

·         According to the United Nations' 2013 report, only nine countries in the world have a higher reported abortion rate than the United States. They are: Bulgaria, Cuba, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

You can read this entire article at: U.S. Abortion Statistics

So how are we as Christians to respond to this call to action? We need to contact our Senators and Congressional Representatives with any and every avenue available … snail mail, email, phone calls, etc. We also need to tell everyone we know of this upcoming bill and how they can help get it passed and to pray for those who have had or are considering having an abortion. And to repent for the passing of any and all abortion laws and the lives that have been lost due to their passing.

Below you will find a link that will assist you in finding the contact info for your Senators and Representatives. The passing of this bill is in our hands. Please don’t sit on them … answer this Call to Action. Reach out to others, including your Senators and Representatives, and let them know that you are in favor of the passing of the Born Alive act to protect the lives of children who have survived abortion.

God hates the loss of these innocent children … do you?

Find Your Representatives and Senators

America is Worshiping at the Altar of the Canaanite gods

When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 18:9-13, NIV

Sunday morning, January 27, 2019, our pastor, Pastor Eddie Reed, announced that on the 46^th anniversary of the passing of Roe vs. Wade, the state of New York had passed a law updating their abortion laws, and that even giving approval of late-term (24+ weeks) abortions. He went on to say that, if said abortion wasn’t completed before the baby exited the womb it could be completed upon delivery. Pastor also said that when it was announced in their legislature that Governor Cuomo had signed S2796 into law there was a standing ovation in the legislative hall.

Upon hearing this announcement I hear the Lord saying to me, “The worship of Molech and Chemosh is alive and well in the land.” Then the verses I have noted above were running through my mind.

The Canaanites practiced the sacrifice of their children to their gods in order to have abundant crops, fertile animals and prosperous business endeavors. But the Lord abhors these practices. Many times throughout the Old Testament He admonishes the Children of Israel against intermarrying with the Canaanites because He knew that they would adopt their gods and their worship practices.

I know that we don’t actually have “high places” with their altars in our country where we go to make sacrifices to these false gods. But we do allow popular culture and our government officials, instead of God’s Word, to dictate to us what our moral and ethical values are. For this we, as Christians in America, have a lot to repent of with the passing of laws that allow us to murder our children.

We also have much work to do with respect of the healing of families that have participated in these practices. Abortion causes great mental and emotional hardship for these families, and in some cases physical damage – even to the inability of having children in the future. The Church must stand in the gap for these families to aid in their recovery. For recovery IS possible with Jesus as our Source … our Guide.

When ministering to women who have had abortions we find that they know the names of these babies and grieve deeply for their loss. When they come looking for help, we walk with them through the grieving process and lead them down the road to repentance and wholeness of body, soul and spirit … that is their spirit working in unity with the Holy Spirit.

The Church in America must come together in repentance for the passing of this new law and every other law in our land that makes it legal to kill our children. We must stand together in prayer for the healing of those who have been afflicted with the grief of having lost children in this manner. And we must work in unity with the church at large to get these laws off the books and keep others from being passed. For God will hold us accountable for our in actions as well as our actions. As Matthew 24 states:

          ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

          ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

          ⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

Lord Jesus,

I repent for my inactivity in this matter of abortions in our land and ask for Your forgiveness for my lack of standing in the gap for the affected families. Show me what You would have me to do and where to go to lend a helping hand to those in need in this area.

And I will ever give You all praise and honor.

In Your precious Name,

Amen!

The Time Has Come for Your Sweet, Perfect Rest

In loving memory of my "baby brother", Kenneth Joel Morton Senior, AKA; "Kenn."

Kenn and his granddaughters (left side - Addie, Right side - Avery)
 8/31/2018 - his last good day with them.

Gone before his time, many would say

But God always chooses our perfect passing day

Our time of sorrow upon us, though it may be short it will be unsweet

But your perfect rest is now made complete

Time has now come to lay your burdens down

Time also to pick up your life's golden crown

A crown of recognition that your human sojourn has reached its end

Now resurrection life with Jesus in earnest begins

Eternal rest, perfect and sweet

Eternally to sit joyfully at Jesus' feet

Walking hand in hand with Jesus and Trish on heaven's golden shore

All the while joining others in singing His praises forevermore

Peacefully resting, no longer in pain

neither does fear or doubt linger, only pure joy and peace remain

Growing in relationship with Jesus, the King

Working in His Kingdom at whatever may a smile to Him bring

Brother, I do miss you more than I'd ever thought

For surely you gave me loads of brotherly harassing

But there will come a day we'll all be together again

 Our great God's eternal praises forever to sing!

Finding Joy In Light of Events Soon to Come

“...Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper! You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

Psalms 30:10-12, NKJV”

As many of you know, I traveled east with my oldest brother, Dave, last summer and fall so that I could visit with my mom and youngest brother, Kenn in Tennessee and then attend my grandson’s wedding in Kentucky in late September. I arrived back in Carson City, Nevada October 4^th.

In early November the Lord started telling me that I needed to go back to Tennessee because my little brother was dying of liver cancer. I knew that God was right, I needed to go, but I had no funds to pay the way and my RV van conversion was in need of some major repairs to make it roadworthy once more. So I began praying and preparing for this new chapter of my life. He didn’t give me a “leave by” date, so I planned for a spring departure in early April so that I could be there by my birthday on the 21^st. This would give me time to save some money to have the repairs done on the van and stock it with all the necessities of life for the trip.

Well, April came and went without bringing the funds needed for the trip east, so I continued to wait, pray and prepare. God had supplied the money needed to fix the van in early December, so I kept busy going through my things, deciding what I needed to take and what could be given away and stored for later.

December also lent itself to my seeking help from our local U.S. Senator to get my long-awaited Disability back pay released to me to finance my trip. With the help of Catherine Cortez Masto's office, I received this payment in mid-May … nearly two years after having been awarded my Social Security Disability. So I started making plans in earnest to leave Nevada for Tennessee. I set the date for Sunday afternoon, May 20^th, after church and our fellowship lunch.

I was able to travel through places I had never been and spend time with a friend in Branson, MO, too. I loved the time spent with Tina and the kids. I was blessed with a home cooked meal, shower and a comfortable bed in their home Friday, May 25th. The trip took me a week, I arrived at mom and Kenn’s home on Sunday afternoon, May 27^th.

I have been here helping mom with the house and meeting Kenn’s needs for nearly two months now. I am working on finding my place in the community and the local body of believers. But God is very, VERY good. He gives me songs in the night and eases my mind.

This morning, July 17, 2018, my mother shared with me her prayers for Kenn. She said that she has been praying that if God was going to heal him, to do it soon. But if not, to let him begin his rest and be at peace. Listening to her, I thought of my recent prayers. Mine centered on her. I have been asking the Lord to give my mom peace and comfort.

This afternoon, as I was running some errands in town, I prayed again for my mother. I prayed that the Lord hear and answer her prayers and give her peace and rest.

This evening, as I was doing my daily Bible reading in [Isaiah 51:1-Isaiah 54:3, I couldn’t read these verses without singing the choruses contained therein.

As music is a part of my very being, I couldn’t help myself … I sang what I heard echoed deep in my soul and my heart filled with Great Joy in Jesus my Lord. The songs in this portion of the book of Isaiah [Therefore the Redeemed of the Lord, Put on the Garment of Praise, and Our God Reigns] and one not found in these chapters, but is a theme that runs throughout the Bible [Arise and Sing, you Children of Zion] are still ringing in my ears, especially the last one. Let me share those words with you:

                                    Arise and sing, you Children of Zion

                                    For the Lord has delivered thee.

                                    Arise and sing, you Children of Zion

                                    For the Lord has delivered thee.

                                    Open up your hearts and rejoice before Him

                                    Open up your hearts and rejoice before Him

                                    Open up your hearts and rejoice before Him

                                    For the King is our God!

 

It was in the singing of these scriptures that I felt God impress upon me that it was time. Time to let Him turn my mourning into His precious joy.

After reading the words and letting them flow through my mind, through my soul, way down deep into my very heart of hearts – into the very throne room where Jesus reigns; how could I allow sorrow and mourning back in?

The passage in Psalms that I quoted above states that He, Jesus, turns our mourning into dancing. He has ripped off our “sackcloth” and clothed us in His joy and gladness. But, He can’t do these things if we tie His hands up in our grief. We have to “let Him in.” We have to allow Him to access to our grief, pain, and suffering so that He can share the burden and give us His peace (Ephesians 2:14) and rest (Deuteronomy 5:14, Matthew 11:28-30).

Have you ever thought about the words Matthew used in the passage I referenced above? I have. Let me share a few things I have learned from this setting of scripture:

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30, KJV.

Jesus is calling all those who labor under a heavy load or burden to ‘take up His yoke.’ So what is a yoke and how do you take it up? In agricultural cultures, before mechanized farm equipment was invented, farmers used teams of cattle, horses, or mules to pull their plow and other equipment used to prepare their fields for growing crops. They would place them in pairs, hooked together with a yoke. Jesus is asking us to share OUR load … OUR burden with Him.

When farming was so primitive, and a farmer bought a new ox, etc. to pull his plow, he would yoke an older animal to the new one so that it would learn how to read the farmer’s signals from the older animal’s experience. Thus, Jesus, our Head Shepherd, has requested that we take up our position in His yoke so that we can learn from Him our position in the team and how to ‘hear’ the Father’s signals and commands.

When we walk with Jesus as our teacher and yoke mate, we have opened our hearts to hear from the Father all that He wants us to know. We also allow His joy to lift our burden and lighten our hearts and minds … thus our mourning can now be turned into dancing and He is able to clothe us in His Great Joy. Yoked together with Jesus we can …

            Break forth into joy, oh my soul

            Break forth into joy, oh my soul

            In the presence of the Lord, there is joy forevermore

            Break forth, break forth into joy, oh my soul!

AND

            God has turned my mourning into dancing for me

            God has taken my sackcloth

            God has turned my mourning into dancing for me

            I will ever praise His name.

Yes, as Solomon once said,

“To every thing, there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance …” Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, KJV

As David said in Psalm 30:12, NKJV, “To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever. “

So when your burden is heavy, take the time to mourn. But remember Jesus is waiting for you to take up His yoke and allow Him to help you to shoulder your load. He will lighten the burden and turn your mourning into dancing, filling your heart with His great Joy in the process!