My daughter and I attended the most beautiful wedding this past Sunday.  It was filled with everything one would expect to enjoy at such a glorious event!  We could see that much preparation went into each detail of the ceremony as well as the reception.

This wedding brought back many memories. Prior to becoming a counselor, I spent a large portion of my adult life doing bridal makeovers.  Those of us who have worked with brides and bridal parties understand the importance of fulfilling the vision that the bride has for her day!  Most brides want to look as perfect as they can.  They want to look back at those photos with nothing but feelings of joy.

When I re-dedicated my life to Jesus and was baptized in my 30’s, a friend prophesied over me that I would not only make people look beautiful on the outside but would be helping others feel beautiful on the inside as well.  Fast forward a few years and as a counselor and inner healer, that prophetic word is fulfilling itself on a weekly basis.

As I laid down to rest Saturday night, so excited for this upcoming wedding, it occurred to me that I am still working with brides. This time around I am working with the Bride of Christ.

John 3:28-30  28 You yourselves are my witnesses that I stated, ‘I am not the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed),’ but, ‘I have [only] been sent ahead of Him [as His appointed forerunner and messenger to announce and proclaim His coming].’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens to him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this pleasure and joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase [in prominence], but I must decrease.

Here we see John the Baptist explaining that Christ is the bridegroom, and He (Jesus) has possession of the bride.  I love that John states he, himself, must decrease so that Jesus can increase.  That is exactly what I believe counseling and inner healing are designed to do. In a counseling setting, we take all of those years that we put ourselves and our own selfish desires first and we lay them at the feet of Jesus.  We allow Him to come into our hurting hearts, minds, and physical bodies and release healing into us.  We are preparing ourselves as His one and only bride!

Revelation 22:16-17

16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you and to give you assurance of these things for the churches. I am the Root (the Source, the Life) and the Offspring of David, the radiant and bright Morning Star.”  17 The [Holy] Spirit and the bride (the church, believers) say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take and drink the water of life without cost.

Jesus paid such a high price for us!  There is still a part of the bride (body of Christ) that has salvation, but they are not walking in freedom in their minds, emotions, and physical bodies.  So many remain completely unaware of the power and authority that Jesus left them when He ascended to the right hand of the Father.  We can be healed and set free.  The bridegroom has already paid for it.  It’s available now.  You don’t have to beg God to do it for you or wait until you get to heaven!  As one of my favorite local pastors always says, “Jesus is not coming back for a bloody, bruised, and beat-up bride.”  

Revelation 19:7

Let us rejoice and shout for joy! Let us give Him glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb has come [at last] and His bride(the redeemed) has prepared herself.”

This Scripture indicates that the bride has prepared herself. She has made herself ready for the bridegroom. How do we make ourselves ready? We take responsibility for ourselves. Most of you know that reading God’s Word is huge. Spending time with God in prayer, worship, and thanksgiving is vital as well. We should also be staying connected to a body of believers. All of that is basically Christianity 101. Getting counseling and inner healing is great if you seem to be experiencing the same issues in your life over and over again or if you are struggling with bitterness and unforgiveness from the past. There are a few popular pastors and speakers in the body of Christ right now who are proclaiming that we don’t need inner healing or counseling once we are saved. I think it is wonderful if you do not, but for the people who desperately need assistance, this type of blanket statement condemns them even further and makes them feel like something is wrong with them if they can’t get healed on their own. Our current Christian culture has made pastors with a big social media presence into celebrities. We risk making the same mistake that the world does with Hollywood. If we put the opinions and personal experiences of a Christian celebrity above God’s opinion, then their experiences can become our new theology. We need to let God’s Word coupled with our own Holy Spirit experiences speak for itself!

There are many prophetic words for the body of Christ right now that indicate major breakthroughs in all areas of our lives. The timing for breakthrough is now! We must show up and take responsibility for stewarding the breakthrough and not just hope that God shows up in our living rooms and makes everything all better for us. We also need to grow in endurance and strength as the bride. I have attached a link to a recent post from a prophetic voice whom I admire greatly. This word is a beautiful word on endurance.

https://lanavawser.com/2019/09/03/i-heard-the-lord-say-i-am-establishing-you-in-endurance/

Approximately 8-10 years ago I began to smell flowers while I would be doing inner healing sessions with people. After this happened a few times I asked God about it. He clearly conveyed this lovely smell indicated that He had handed the bride (us) her bouquet and that she was about to walk down the aisle. We are in such an intense time of getting cleaned up and pressing in so that we are fit to attract the unsaved to us. If we are still triggered by every little thing that offends us because of our past or lack of spending time in His Word, we need to change that. It is up to us.

Meditating on Song of Solomon will give you a greater insight into God’s relentless pursuit of our affection. Ask the Holy Spirit today what you can do as a part of the bride of Christ to contend for everything He has for you in this season!

Isaiah 61:10

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom puts on a turban, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For the Kingdom,

Donna