To the “Stronghearts” who have chosen to continue and those just beginning this pilgrimage of Godly disciplines. The passed months of sunrises, the pre-dawn gatherings for morning manna, memorizing of Scripture, monthly fasting, the fellowship of accountability, the mutual servanthood and the growth of “Christian Table Talk.” All of which give testimony to the renewal we experience in our inner beings for Godly change of direction to our everyday lives:
None of us need to explain to each other why we continue to hunger for the strength of heart to walk in closer obedience to our Creator and Savior, Who dwells within us to teach and guide and counsel us in all things. Though there is such an immense diversity of personality between each of us yet, we are in more intimate unity of the “sanctification He calls us to. We are becoming less, that He be greater within us. And the ways of His good work in us is bringing us to completion so that the world will know His disciples by the love we have for one another.
Myself, through these six months, I have unexpectedly grown to be able to declare so much more boldly, as King David does in one of His Psalms, “As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” (Psalm 16:3.) I could shout it from the rooftops!!! Or, I can say, “Let all the earth hear the words of my mouth” (Deuteronomy 32: 1) and declare that to assemble with the “Household of the Faith” is an HONOUR.
The first six months ended by us being given to hear the heart plea of a handmaid to the Lord that took place before all this began. It was like a sister prayer of the prophet Daniel, who, after 21 days of deep travail, had the angel of the Lord finally breakthrough in coming to him, expressing the fulfilment of his own longing to bring the message of Divine intervention. We can bear witness that the movement of HEARTstrong is the Lord’s own longing of response to her and probably to many others of the saints praying with the same depth of heart and greatness of mind. This is the “gathering of the spirits of a just people being made perfect by God.”
And it’s not only the Life Centre saints in the Pacific zone who are included, for we know that as sin abounds globally, so does His Grace.
As much as we voice prayers to go up for the persecuted saints around the world, the hearing of such things provokes us to use the freedoms that we still have, not so much to fight to keep them but to pursue lives of intensive discipleship. While he was in chains, Paul declared himself to be in greater freedom than those who arrested him. And so, it’s appropriate that we take with more conviction the yoke of discipleship under Jesus.
During the first months, all the hosts and teachers have exemplified a standard in the integrity of heart and skillful hand, shepherding us through this pilot yet, model season. Now, more and more of us will walk the same path they have opened up for us.
