Brideship is the Destination | Decisions
The Picnic

Brideship is the Destination
The Picnic

Years ago the Holy Spirit gave me a scene in the night. In the scene I was looking down from above at my wife, my son, and myself sitting on a blanket having a picnic in a beautiful park. The blue van I was driving at the time was sitting beside us. We had simply stopped to have this picnic. Then I was lifted up higher to see a road map that revealed where we had started from, where the Lord wanted us to go, and where we were having the picnic. It is a symbolic picture.

I thought it strange that I was looking at a road map revealing that I was not where I was supposed to be in the Lord. That was about all I understood then, but through the years I have come to understand much more about the scene. One should understand that when the scene was given I knew nothing of how to use a Flow Chart, which is a key element of being able to really get to the place the Lord wants us to be as individuals and as a corporate body. (A Flow Chart is simply the mechanics of how to bring the “things of the Spirit” together that are given here a little and there a little, line on line precept on precept.)

Remember we are looking at a picture presented by the Holy Spirit to help us better follow the Lord. Our ways are not His ways so we have to learn His ways. I just picked a map of a place in Texas for the picture. The names mean nothing as far as towns go or what was happening at the time. It is just a picture, but I would like for you to look at it as a mural with a lot of little pictures that make it what it is. As I talk about these little pictures I’m sure the big picture will become more meaningful.

God has a plan for us and a place He wants us to come to, in Him and for Him. (All this is also for us because the Lord said, “If you will take care of My business I will take care of yours!”) This destination is represented by the gold star and the gold path to get there is that narrow, obedient, path the Lord wants us to take from wherever we are at the moment. The green star is where my family and I were having our picnic and we took the green path to get there. It was obvious to see that we were not close to where the Lord wanted us to be. In this picture I have added a golden path leaving the picnic area. This represents a new path that is revealed through the “things of the Spirit,” that it now takes to get to that same gold star destination. When we miss it, God will set up a new path to that same golden destination but only He knows how to get us there. We might even know the end destination, but we don’t know how to get there. I placed four question marks at a point in the road where there are four ways to go if you count going back. All of these intersections on the map represent points of decision. I will talk more about these points of decision later.

We must also realize that the Lord cares for us and our families. It should be noted that the Holy Spirit could have revealed that I was off path, but He revealed my whole family was off path because I was off path. When we are off path it affects our whole family and when we are on path it affects our whole family.

In the picture you see the golden path the Lord intended for us to take to our destination. Each intersection on the intended golden path represents a decision on our part, an opportunity to veer off the path the Lord wants us to take. The enemy wants us wandering around off the golden path, so he is always setting snares on/by the golden path. It should be noted that we can see that one wrong decision can lead to more and more wrong decisions, but more importantly there are a multitude of decisions out there that we don’t even have to deal with if we are on the Lord’s golden path for us.

These decisions at these intersections have to do with our daily lives (Song). Sometimes, if not always, they have to do with information that comes to us down the River of Life. That word, that information, for our daily lives is always buffeted by Satan as the Lord revealed In the parable of the sower. Jesus says our adversary comes to steal that word, that instruction.

Luke 8: 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Because we keep records of the “things of the Spirit” it has been easy to recognize and learn the tactics of the devil in snaring people/us off the path that God was leading them/us down. God is for us and knows what is going to happen in every situation, so He gives us instruction for our own good as well as His purpose for our lives. Obedience is the key to success in every situation and certainly how one is able to progress up the golden path to that golden destination. From this we see that if the devil can snare us in any way, causing us to be disobedient, he has changed our future and hindered God’s plan. It is like dropping a pebble, an act of disobedience, into still water and watching the ripples go out for ever. Now I can even see the effects of disobedience that occurred years ago in the lives of people I know, as well as the effects from my own disobedience back then. God forgive us, You are our counselor.

Likewise we can see the act of obedience dropped in the water like a pebble and see the ripples going out for years and years. This is very apparent when we look at the life of Jesus. Jesus overcame the devil through obedience! Jesus had victory through obedience! We can have the victory the Lord wants us to have concerning all the calamities, plagues, and such that are to come on the earth in these last days. How? Through obedience! The obedience Jesus manifested in the earth took faith. The same goes for us; it takes faith to be obedient to the “things of the Spirit “ that come down the River of Life because they do not usually line up with our own spirit, our own ideas.

It should be noted here that at the time of the picnic scene, I figured I was fine because the Lord had sent me to churches where the gifts operated through me and in fact were operating with me almost every day. We must understand that the Lord is always there, but that does not mean we are on His golden path for us. I have heard it said that a pastor was told that Paul the Apostle was used more by God because he knew the difference between his spirit and the Holy Spirit. Both are spirits and it can be hard to discern between them. The lack of this understanding has led many off path. Our spirit has a voice and this is why the Lord said to me in the beginning, “That’s your spirit, not Mine!” In that particular instance, my spirit was interpreting instead of letting God reveal His thought on the “thing of the Spirit” He had given me. I have shared this here because the Lord said this problem (self) is just as big in leading us off path as the enemy’s ability to do so. When our spirits get into those points of decisions that I mentioned above, they very easily lead us off path. Satan uses what looks good to us to lead us off path and so will our own spirits.

Matthew 4
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

The Gold Star Destination in the picture has to do with Brideship (Spotlessness) for the Lord’s church. I know this because the Lord said, “Tell them to set their eyes on Brideship.” At the time of the picnic I didn’t understand the Brideship destination. I hope you do.

Pure Forgiveness

Boot Camp for the Bride index.