Years ago, as I was writing, the Lord showed me something that helped heal a part of my soul. I pray you hear Him speaking to you as well. This scene is from my newest book, The Sacred Wooing (Discovering the Bridegroom Love of Jesus), which is scheduled for release by Kingdom Winds later this year.
For updates on the novel, join my FB group of Jesus lovers (I will be posting devotionals, prayers, worship sessions, and heartfelt questions in the next few weeks after Elise is born):
May you experience the ardent and curative pursuit of a God whose heart is vaster and wider and deeper than you’ve ever imagined!
The moon was luminous against the orange glow of the hemisphere, and the stars twinkled like polished gems. Each boulevard and street was like a gleaming portal to a new world, and I felt like a little girl during the holidays—full of excitement and anticipation.
Jesus asked if I wanted something from my favorite tea shop along the way. I nodded, and he made a left turn at Star Street.
I was quiet as he drove. Although no words were uttered, I basked in his healing presence. He didn’t have to speak; just being with him was enough. His very ambiance was like a sauna of internal ointment. He was my home, the embodiment of heaven’s love. I wanted nothing more than to be with him.
Jesus smoothly parallel parked the car. After unbuckling his seat belt, he looked at the twinkling sky. “It will snow soon.”
“That’s my favorite,” I said. “The first snowfall. It’s so pure and white.”
Jesus grinned, “I’m glad you like it, darling.”
A sheepish smile lifted my cheeks, “Thanks for making it. By you all things were made.”
“I like it, too.” He said, admiring his handiwork. Each snowflake was a tiny, frozen crystallized piece of art. No two were the same.
I chortled, “I imagine if you made it, you would.”
His smile became endearing, yet a faint glint of sadness gleamed in his vibrant eyes. “Then why do so many of my children feel bad about themselves and hinder themselves from receiving my love and affection?”
I fell silent. “An artist cherishes his art. If human artists who create care so much about their work, how much do you think I care about you?”
I wanted to stretch out my hands and give him a picture of what I thought the answer might be, but instead I voiced, “I could never describe how much.”
“Then perhaps you’re beginning to understand. It’s beyond human comprehension without divine interpretation from my Spirit. Noelani, the core of all insecurity is the belief that security lies in anything or anyone other than me. If people really knew how much my Father and I loved them, they would have no fears, no mental or emotional torment.”
His words brought questions to my mind.
Why did people feel bad about themselves? Why did I so often feel bad about myself? If all of the creation was art by the Master Artist, then shouldn’t we all rejoice?
When we reached the coffee shop, Jesus reached for my hand. When I grasped his, the feeling of his crucifixion scar made my heart lurch. Jesus squeezed my grip tighter. “My wounds no longer hurt,” he whispered. “I only keep them as a reminder of my love for the world.”
Scripture References:
-Ephesians 2:10, Revelation 4:11, 1 John 4:18
Book Synopsis
Heaven is prepared for the most joyful wedding feast, but only one thing is missing—the bride. Noelani, a mortal woman with the divine spark of eternity inside her, is troubled by an ancient evil plotting her downfall. Battle-worn, she begins to lose her only connection to her kingly groom, her faith.
All seems lost until her powerful groom knocks on her door and invites her to take his hand on a journey that will bring out her deepest fears and cause her enemies to double their attacks. Will her faith endure to the end?
The Sacred Wooing Front Cover
Worship
A beautiful song that illustrates how God shows His love to us through creation is: Love So Holy by Kari Jobe. I pray you enjoy this song and that the Lord ministers to you.
“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance, to seek him the greatest adventure, to find him, the greatest human achievement.” -St. Augustine of Hippo
The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness… This is what the Lord says: “What did your ancestors find wrong with methat led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols only to become worthless themselves.– Jeremiah 2:1-2, 5 NLT
The Bride of Christ is the most precious, beautiful, and valuable treasure Jesus owns. His church is his bride. To touch the natural bride of a king evokes severe punishment, for her stature is elevated by the love of her king. She is guarded by the power and authority of her kingly husband. If men, throughout history were punished because they touched a king’s bride, can you imagine the consequences of those who willfully harm, defile, or seduce the bride of Christ? To touch the bride of the King of kings and Lord of lords…the co-ruler of heaven and earth…is infinitely more dangerous. For our King is eternally devoted and sacrificially given over to his bride. You are a part of the precious bride of Christ.
This great and mighty King acts with justice and has a heart perfumed with sweet mercy. This glorious King is chief among ten thousand (Song of Solomon 5:10). He is perfect in beauty, grace, wisdom, power, and holiness. He walks on transparent gold, and His gates are made of pearls (Revelation 21:21). He is worshipped and adored by majestic angels, and creation heralds his praises. He is incomparable and everything the bride could ever want. As omnipotent as He is, He doesn’t force Himself on his bride even though He created her for Himself. He has given her one of the loftiest gifts—free will. He asks his bride to respond to his call for a covenantal relationship, leaving it up to her to say “yes.” He has everything prepared, everything she needs for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He loves his bride with an undying, selfless love that is wholehearted. But this King has an enemy his bride is unfamiliar with.
Now, picture a husband on his wedding day, dressed up in finery, as he watches the aisle anxiously to see his bride. I’ve seen husbands so overcome at weddings that they cry or almost jolt back in surprise when they see their beautiful bride. Some men jump with joy or break out into a spontaneous little dance. There’s always a special kind of smile on their faces, a smile reserved only for their bride. Now, what would you suppose would happen if some crook came running down the aisle and grabbed the bride’s arm and attempted to drag her away? I bet the groom would start swinging his fists, giving that criminal a good beating until he released the bride. I imagine Jesus has more protective instincts for his bride than a natural husband who would readily defend his bride. Unfortunately, the enemy of the bride of Christ is a lot cleverer than that. He doesn’t often use physical force.
This pretentious swindler has one goal, and that’s to steal from his bride, destroy everything good in her life (including her relationship with the One who loves her most), and kill her. It’s the only way he knows how to hurt the holy Bridegroom.
This villain is running rampant on earth today using an excellent reconnaissance strategy. He has studied humanity since its inception. He knows humans were originally created with a spirit made for connection with the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but we were separated from our core relationship through the sin he inspired—this has left mankind thirsty for spiritual life. So, he maliciously disguises himself as Christ, the only One who can connect us again to God; without this unity, we can’t be whole. We are hopelessly incomplete with Jesus.
For such men are false apostles [spurious, counterfeits], deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah). And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light; So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. [But] their end will correspond with their deeds. -2 Corinthians 11:13-15 AMPC
He has many evil demon minions who do his dark bidding through knowing or unknowing humans. This swindler has made his way through countless churches and stolen the bride of Christ from her Bridegroom in the most surreptitious way. He comes dressed like her groom. He has known her groom for thousands of years longer than she has. He can quote the bridegroom’s words with such minute subtleties that unless the bride knows her groom closely, she can be fooled by him. Imagine how the King must feel when his prized bride is seduced and deceived by an imposter who claims to be the king she loves?
Lucifer has envied the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for eons. He has tried his best shot to usurp God and be like the Most High…but he failed miserably (Isaiah 14: 13-15).
However, he appears to be consumed with jealousy, for he has not stopped trying to be like Jesus (antichrist). One of his favorite cloaks is religion. He often uses religious spirits to leaven the faith of countless believers. He loves to pervert scripture with a forked tongue. He has been corrupting the Word of God since the garden, where he beguiled Eve. And he’s been slowly choking the bride with suffocating dead works, legalism, condemnation and an assortment of other traps in his cache. The religious spirit has abused the bride and made her believe that the inflicted pain was from God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). He has criminalized God’s reputation in her heart. He has acted like a masterful prosecutor as he defames Christ and the believer he’s influencing. His accusations are calculated. He has successfully smoldered the fire of first love that once burned brightly in her heart. He has left her inner soul a wasteland of bitterness, unforgiveness, shame, anger, guilt, and has loaded her down with unbearable burdens…
~To read the full chapter and purchase the book, click here.
The Sacred Wooing: A Novel based on the Bridegroom Love of Jesus
~I am currently in the process of publishing The Sacred Wooing, a novel based on the scriptural truth that Jesus is our heavenly Bridegroom. To find out more about this project and learn how you can become a part of this journey, click here!
~To join, The Sacred Wooing Facebook group, click here. My intent for this page is to share reminders, teaching, and short devotionals on God’s love with others, using snippets from the book and scripture.
Synopsis:
Heaven is prepared for the most joyful wedding feast, but only one thing is missing—the bride. Noelani, a mortal woman with the divine spark of eternity inside her, is troubled by a cohort of evil spiritual beings plotting her downfall. Battle-worn, she begins to lose her only connection to her kingly groom, her faith.
All seems lost until her powerful groom knocks on her door and invites her to take his hand on a journey that will bring out her deepest fears and cause her enemies to double their attacks. Will her faith endure to the end?
Video Teaching on Being a Prepared Bride for Jesus
You are loved more than you can imagine by someone who died to make his love known to you.
Have you ever thought about this, the Bible begins with a marriage relationship in a beautiful garden between Adam and Eve, and it ends with a divine marriage feast in Heaven between Christ and the church?
I was blessed to be teach at Freedom Community Church on the sacred topic of being a “prepared bride.” I pray that as you listen to this, that your heart may be warmed, encouraged and uplifted by the personal knowledge of the love of Jesus. May my testimony of the way Jesus came for my heart and won me over, be an invitation to allow him to pursue your heart.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready. -Revelation 19:7
“Such an intimate encounter with our Lord and Savior… it has changed my relationship with Christ.”
I wrote “The Sacred Wooing” as an invitation to the church to rekindle her “first love” purity for Jesus and as a witness to the blessing of walking wholly devoted to Jesus while empowered by grace.
I warmly welcome beta readers who are passionate about drawing closer to Jesus to review my newest novel, The Sacred Wooing (Experiencing the Bridegroom Love of Jesus), before it’s published.
*Fans of Francine Rivers (Redeeming Love), Paul Young (The Shack), and Sarah Young (Jesus Calling) will enjoy the biblical parable style of The Sacred Wooing, which also captivates fantasy fans with its epic storytelling.
*The words of Christ in this story reflect the universal and eternal longing in every woman’s heart for everlasting love, while also emphasizing the ongoing spiritual battle for the allegiance of men’s souls.
*This story invites readers to experience Jesus’s love as their bridegroom and to reconnect with their First Love (Revelation 2:4).”
Qualifications for Readers:
Readers need to commit to reading the entire manuscript before its publication date. (Please be aware that publication dates can be more fluid than solid and require flexibility. This is usually to the reader’s advantage, as it often takes longer than predicted to finalize a book)
Readers understand that they are committing to write their review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, and a social media platform of their choice during the first two days of the book’s release. (It’s okay if it’s the same review. As long as it’s your honest and hopefully positive feedback <3)
Readers must not share any material from the manuscript with anyone unless given written permission by the author and/or publisher (this is copyright material).
Readers must love Jesus and desire to love others with His love.
Readers must be available to communicate with the author during the publishing process (I want to hear your thoughts and suggestions, and I will need you to be open, especially as the deadline approaches).
Opening Scene
The highest king sat with blinding light shining from him. Contrasting cumulonimbus clouds and radiant lightning swirled around him like a halo crafted from a tempest, subjugated by an unimaginably powerful force. His appearance was suffused with fiery amber gems. The clouds around him pillowed upward, creating vast, vaporous terrains rippling with the colors of the hemisphere.
Majestic flying creatures filled with spiritual power orbited the omnipotent king. Their multiple, feathery wings swayed across their celestial forms like silken curtains. The swooshing of their gargantuan wings caused the air to vibrate with tornadic winds. Their booming voices charged the atmosphere like thunder as they paid homage to the one they revered.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!”
Royal lords donned in flowing, priestly garments bespeckled with jewels bowed reverently as they circled the throne. Their transcendent voices harmonized into a swelling crescendo. The sound was akin to rushing waves, more resplendent than any music on earth.
“You are worthy oh Lord to receive glory and honor and power! For you created all things! And by your will they exist, and were created!”
Seven golden lampstands flamed brilliantly, and incense rose like a sheet of fragrant mist from the scintillating floor.
The omnipotent king sat on his immaculate throne and held seven gleaming stars in his hand. They glimmered like fiberoptic pearls. His robe cascaded down as the clouds canopy the Amazon forest. His clothes shone whiter than fresh snow and a regal, sash hung like sunlight from his shoulder to his waist. The golden floor was transparent glass, mirroring everything above it with an aureate glow.
To the left of the king sat his father. He was the creator of all. They were unified in purpose and in heart. Their resemblance in soul and features were so akin, that having seen one, you would have known the other. From the father’s mouth came the spirit of life—the most precious breath. A single exhale from this spirit could form planets.
The seated father and kingly son watched for the son’s bride to prepare herself fully. The son had waited patiently for eons and excitedly looked forward to the celebratory day, the day of his gladness of heart. He had prepared himself in the finest apparel. The wine he would offer was the richest created, and he had earnestly desired to drink it with her in the kingdom. A feast in the heavenly clouds, surrounded by a balcony of translucent rainbows and shimmering, fiery jasper stones, had been set. The table alone was lengthier than a galaxy. It would be a greater feast than all royal weddings in created history. Serving angels stood ready to attend to the king and his beloved wife. All that awaited her.
For thousands of years, the son had sent messages to her, and yet she was easily distracted and discouraged from her bridal preparations…
Story Synopsis
Heaven is prepared for the most joyful wedding feast, but only one thing is missing—the bride. Noelani, a mortal woman with the divine spark of eternity inside her, is troubled by a cohort of evil spiritual beings plotting her downfall. Battle-worn, she begins to lose her only connection to her kingly groom, her faith.
All seems lost until her powerful groom knocks on her door and invites her to take his hand on a journey that will bring out her deepest fears and cause her enemies to double their attacks. Will her faith endure to the end?
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