This is a letter to my brothers and sisters at my church, Renewed Life Outreach. It is current and true. It is a call for revival. For revival is truly built on the blood of martyrs. And we, in a small town of 800 are seeing many martyrs have shed their blood overseas and now at home in the US.
This is a declaration to the Enemy of our Lord that the victory is won and we are not afraid. Thank you Emanual AME for being a modern day cloud of witnesses to us at Renewed Life Outreach Center , Greenville Florida. To our God be all glory.
My most dearest brothers and sisters of common blood, of the Blood of Jesus:
I have been awakened in the night since we have met on Tuesday with Psalm 91. I am most certain I have been awakened by the Holy Spirit. He wakes me with the word we spoke to one another in the Haffee Hays Park. He has wakened me for four nights saying “ you will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day”. He wakens me with “a thousand may fall at your side ten thousand at you right hand but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked”. He wakens me with questions He wants to answer. He awakens me to write to you . He awakens me to a “secret place of the Most High . .
IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
On Tuesday we rejoiced in the Word of the Lord in the Park. We spoke of our secret place right there at the right hand of Daddy where Jesus gives to us any and every spiritual blessing we ask for. We spoke of how Jesus longs to draw us to his perfect Heart , under His wing. We talked of how we hear he weeps like he did over Jereselum also over Greenville. The Spirit called that we would come close to hear His heart to find refuge and from there we would see His kingdom.
Snuggled beneath His wing, we see so many great ways that He protects us and cares for us. We are never in want . We are never harmed. Rattlesnakes in our yard do not touch us. Viruses and germs stalk after us to no avail. Homelessness and hunger have no place for us. And gunshots. like arrows ,fly past us all day. We only look with our eyes, perhaps weeping like Jesus, for the recompense of the wicked. All because we hold fast to Him in Love. All because we hold fast to Him in Love, He delivers us.
In the park, we were distracted by children and cars and heat. Surely the 100 degree heat reminded us that everything withers. . . . Everything but His word. “ It is all that remains” we agreed. And Joseph opened praying, “God let your kingdom come, your will be done by your Word”
After our worship and study , we walked to RLOC in an awareness of the protection of our great Father . We heard that Pastor was not able to come to Bible Study. But we feared not for him because we believed Psalm 91 for him as well. We only missed him. We all missed him for He had led us for many weeks from Ephesians to Romans. Verse by verse , he equipped us with great words from Daddy.
Last Tuesday night , our souls were parked at Romans 12:1 where we were left weeks before “Therefore , in view of God’s mercy we present our bodies as Living Sacrifices Holy and acceptable unto God for this is our reasonable act of worship”. We had been in prayer for weeks after this verse.We were in prayer and study about the gifts that come to us to use to worship in this way to Daddy. Through prayer and fasting, The Holy Spirit had been putting fire under these Living Sacrifices. .Every soul at RLOC seemed to burn brighter. Daddy was teaching us the depth of this verse.
Daddy God did not cancel Bible Study. He kept it with Brother Roy as the leader because he wanted us to hear testimonies.Testimonies of Daddy’s work. In every testimony we knew all that was said came from the Word manifesting itself in the life of a lost child found by Daddy . We had learned this Word as we had been taught by Pastor. We saw how true the Lord had been to His word that says again and again to His children “I love YOU”
It was if Daddy Himself was giving testimony of His salvation for the most unlikely of all . . . US. He was saying in every testimony: I created you as my child. I created you for my glory. You exchanged the glory of God for a lie. You sinned and fell short to my glory.(Romans 1 &3) But , I the Lord ,came to rescue you.I came as Jesus the exact imprint of Me God. I came to buy you back to Myself, my purpose for you, for My glory.(Ephesians 2) I died to do this. I God , died for you through my son. I have bought you with a price . You are not your own, nor the devil’s nor any created thing’s . You are mine. Choruses of testimonies resounded: I once was lost but now Im found. . . therefore I give myself away that He who saved me may be glorified, magnified, and shown worthy!
Brother Roy ended the night in a prayer quoting from Revelation 12:11 “They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” He did not quote the rest of the verse but, in a day, it was displayed in a church not far away.
“Isn’t Psalm 91 awesome? And those testimonies. . . that was awesome” I said to Joseph on the phone the next night
“yeah, but did you hear what happened in South Carolina?” He replied.
“No . . . .”
Soon I did hear. I heard that on the night after our bible study, in Emanuel AME church in Charleston South Carolina a few folks gathered with the same mind as the brothers and sisters at RLOC. Like minded brothers and sisters , by blood, by the Blood of Jesus gathered to worship their King. Reports say a young man entered the church for the first time. Reports say they welcomed the young man into their Bible Study. Reports say he listened to them for an hour. Reports say he almost received prayer. Reports say he said “they were so loving it was hard to do what I came to do”. He came to shoot them dead
. Had not Psalm 91 been written for them? I heard myself ask. Had not the Church of Emanuel of South Carolina who were dwelling in the secret place of the Most High been in the Shadow of His protection? Doesn’t Emanuel mean God with us? Where was God? Why could they not have just seen the recompense of this wicked young man? Why did they not get saved from the arrow that flew by day? Why did you not save them from the deadly pestilence that stalked into that church that night? Daddy why? And Daddy how can we sit in the park in Greenville and think we are any more safe? Or how can we be in RLOC and think we are in an even safer place? If your word is most true, and I know it is Daddy, show me , show me the glory of it amidst this tragedy.
“When we can’t see His Hand we TRUST HIS HEART” Pastor has told us again and again.
“WHERE IS YOUR HEART DADDY ? WHERE IS YOUR HEART JESUS? I MUST KNOW THAT I MIGHT SERVE YOU !” We all must know because there is a Louder voice saying what Brother Roy prayed on Tuesday night . . .”a Loud voice from heaven says “NOW the SALVATION and POWER and THE KINGDOM of OUR GOD and the AUTHORITY of CHRIST has come for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down who accuses them day and night before our God . AND THEY HAVE CONQUERED HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND BY THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY FOR THEY LOVED NOT THEIR LIVES EVEN UNTO DEATH”
UNTO DEATH IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
In World War II , the chaplains would quote Psalm 91 over dying soldiers. It did not make sense for that fact to be shared on Tuesday afternoon on the 16th of June.We were but Children of God hovered over by a Good Daddy. But now , on June 20th, I am compelled to think of us as soldiers. We must see we are soldiers in a battle that has already been won.
This psalm read over and over was shared to give the soldiers a hope. And eternal end. The psalm speaks of a current promise of protection for the believer and an eternal protection promised exclusively to the believer. In this life both unbeliever and believer are given protection. The unbeliever , a limited protection. The believer , an unlimited protection. The unbeliever is not protected from eternal damnation (unending death) and hell. The believer is protected from both death and hell. Though our bodies die , we live forever. This is not so for the unbeliever, Therefore there is indeed a limit on the protection THE Most High offers the unbeliever.
So, in WWII , when bullets and arrows literally flew by day and pestilence walked at night and ten thousand fell at their sides , there was comfort, great comfort in Psalm 91. There was great comfort in hearing the chaplin read to the dying believing soldier “Jesus covers you with His feathers and under the wings of God you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler”. This is the HOPE of a certain end.
As Angela said in the park “its like we are strapped to Jesus. Always Buckled to Him FOREVER”
“Sheild and buckler” I awoke in the night hearing the Spirit say again and again “Sheild and buckler”.
Awake, I saw in my mind the young man speak to the boy Roof: “you don’t want to do this” . It is said a certain young man at the Bible study stood before the shooter to try to talk him out of his planned assault. It is said that his argument failed in the mind of the boy and the boy proceeded to aim his gun at the believer’s aunt. In order to save his aunt, the believing man lunged in front of the gun. He was ready to take the bullet for his aunt. He was ready to die.
“NOW for a good man one might die, but God show HIS LOVE for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us”. Romans 5 preaches in the night to me. The young man could die for the body of his aunt but not for her soul. He is shot. Eight others are shot. But Christ remains the shield and buckler for the young believing man who went from life to life while saving the body of his aunt. His life testifies “The Lord took the bullet for you sinner”.
I remember again what Dylan Roof said “ It was hard to do what I came to do because they were so loving”. Love delayed the work of the enemy. A love poured lavishly into a surrendered heart delayed the devil. The Love of God poured down from heaven into the hearts of a dozen of believers halted a man equipped in mind and weapon and backed by Satan. He was held hostage to the Love of Jesus for over an hour!! Love almost stopped the shooting.
Suddenly I saw RLOC, Daddy’s church in Greenville ,holding Satan’s minions hostage through the Love of JESUS. Still Nine believing children of God, servants of King Jesus , were killed. Murdered. In a moment amidst the Shadow of the Almighty., Nine saved souls murdered in the sight of three who looked with with their eyes.
IN scenes of WWII we see the blood of thousands drip onto and past the dying soldiers eyes. Meanwhile chaplains pray desparately from Psalm 91 “ a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but it will not come near you .you will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked” . They say that blood was everywhere in the church. They say not everyone was shot. They say Roof wanted to leave a witness to the crime because he said he was going to kill himself and he wanted someone left to tell the story. A few remained alive covered with the feathers of the Most High.
A few were there with Jesus weeping as Jesus said “ Roof, Roof, my created boy that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you. How often would I have gathered you a a hen gathers her chick under her wing but you were not willing. See now your house is left desolate. “ Matthew 24. With His wings outstretched , the shots fired. Only the victims found “refuge” in His wings.
SEEING SALVATION IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
Another night is interrupted. Aching for my church I pray the prophecy of psalm 91:14-16 that we spoke over each other. “ Daddy because they hold fast to you in love you say you will deliver them, you will protect them, because they know you name and when they to all to you You will answer them . . . You will be with them in trouble you will rescue them and honor them with long life. . . . . “ I weep for the church of Emanueal With long life Daddy. . . . what about with long life. . . . I ask Daddy. He answers with the last six words of Psalm 91.
“I Will Show Him MY SALVATION”. I cannot sleep.
Though I never watch TV , on Friday afternoon the whole town had TVs showing the bond hearing of the shooter , Dylan Roof. Broken children and parents spoke from hearts that knew deeply what the angel Micheal knew , vengenace and judgement are assigned only to God. Vengance belongs to the Lord to speak but Salvation belongs to us to speak.
Clips of family members speaking echo in my mind. They spoke so much forgiveness I could but hear my Savior from the cross speak to Dylan “Father forgive him , he knew not what he did” So the families spoke one after another of the work of God “we forgive you because He has forgiven us” “God forgive you and have mercy on your soul.” “Take the opportunity now ” Anthony Thopson said to the young man ” Repent. Confess. Give your life to the one wo matters the most, Christ, so he can change your ways no matter what happens to you and youll be ok. Do that and you will be better off than you are right now” Suddenly, salvation was spoken.
“When you can’t see His hand Trust His heart” Pastor says again and again to us
How His heart beats louder than His wrath. The murderer stands bound by shakles of both man and Satan. In my mind I see him standing with a youthful innocence yet staring with a haunting emptiness. The word of salvation lands on him like an arrow, an artillery against his captor, Satan.
Jesus calls “I came to seek and to save the lost”. I came for you Dylan Roof. It is no accident that you were exposed to the love of the saints. It is no accident that you were assaulted with Love and Forgiveness of Jesus.
“if there were but one sorry hamerknocker of a sinner in the world. If it was just you ” our Pastor shouted one Sunday “He would die for you!! He would die for one!!!” I pray for a chaplin like Pastor to preach to Dylan Roof.
I imagine Dylan saved . I imagine and I remember Brother Roy say ” Satan will look like the small wizard from the Wizard of Oz in the face of the Glory of God.” In righteous anger and godly hope, I read Isaiah 14:15-17 to Satan. ” How you are cut down to the ground oh Evil one who aims to be like the Most High!! You defeated foe!! You puny enemy who makes the earth tremble who shakes kingdoms who make the world like a desert who does not let his prisoners go home. Look what The MOST HIGH is doing!!! He is saving yet another through the testimony of the Redemened. ‘
Miss Ann reminds me “God is Good”
“yes, God is good ” I sigh
“All the time” She says convincingly.
“yep” I feel encouraged by Miss Ann ”
Aint the end of the story till God gets the glory” I say.
God is Good and Faithful to His Word. All the Time. Is not the Shadow of the Most High His Love for His people? His Love has saved us. His Love keeps us and protects us. AND His Love consumes us in the face of the Enemy. Finally His Love sustains us in death by the Enemy.
And in this War, His Love is Testimony. The testimony comes in the death of His saints. And testimony is to “SHOW HIS SALVATION” so that more and more will “DWELL IN THE SHELTER OF THE MOST HIGH AND ABIDE IN THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY”
