myemanna.org

Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Buns
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot Cross Buns
If you have no daughters
Give them to your sons
One a penny
Two a penny
Hot Cross Buns 

I am walking with Jesus down a cobblestone walkway.  The shops and houses we pass seem to be from the 1700’s.  We stop at a large, sturdy wooden building.  There is nothing lovely about it, but you knew it had weathered many storms.  It is early morning, and the sky is just beginning to lighten the horizon.  We enter, and inside the building is a solitary man.  There is only one large room, with simple wooden desks in perfectly neat rows.  The man is kneeling at the front, praying and worshiping the King of Heaven.  It occurs to me that we are standing in an old schoolhouse, and the man we’re observing in prayer is the teacher.  As he is praying he becomes aware of small demons on his left against the wall.  He takes decisive action against them, using his gun to blow them to pieces.  They seem almost in a drunken stupor because of his prayers - they were easy targets for him.

Outside the schoolhouse a baker is selling his freshly baked bread.  I can hear his cart rattling along the cobblestone street.  He’s singing out, “Hot cross buns - hot cross buns!  One-a-Penny, Two-a-Penny, hot cross buns!”  The teacher must have purchased some from him, because each of the desks in the room now had a bun on top.  The teacher took his sword and began slicing through each bun.  Some were full of worms.  They looked perfect on the outside, but inside they were full of defiling things.  His discernment brought about the revelation that things were not as they appeared.  He discarded those that were not fit for consumption.  The ones that were good he pinched small pieces off, and placed them on the now empty desks.  Instantly they became whole buns - fit for eating.  He then took what looked to be an ink well out of his pocket - filled with oil instead of ink.  With a paintbrush he “painted” each bun with oil - following the marks of the cross indented in the bread.  Satisfied that his room was now ready for the day ahead, he returned to his desk and waited for his students to arrive.

Moments later the boys burst though the door.  What was once peace and quiet turned into reckless pandemonium.  Boys covered in dirt, in unkempt clothing, hair sticking up in all directions - they were a motley crew of energy and boarish masculinity. 

And then at the back of the classroom the door opened again.

In walked Lydia, the teacher’s daughter.  Perfectly polished she stood in sharp contrast to the rowdy boys who had entered before her.  Her features were most delicate - but not frail.  Carefully she made her way to her father at the front of the class.  She held one smooth, red apple in her hand.  As she reached his desk, her father pulled her onto his lap in an unashamed embrace.  How proud he was of this precious one who held his rapt attention!  The whole room was quiet as they watched the interaction between the father and his daughter.  He whispered things to her that only she could hear.  Their great love was on display for the whole class to see.  The only response the boys could give was awed silence.

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Emanna, the teacher made preparations for his students - he loved each one well, and made sure that what he provided for them was wholesome and beneficial.  But did you see them eat?  They did not see the loaves carefully set before them.  They could not see how filthy and unkempt they were, nor how noisy they were being.  Their friends were all the same - they were no different.  It was only in the presence of purity that they finally fell silent.  It was only in the intimate presence of the love the father and daughter had for one another that a holy hush fell upon them.  Only then were their hearts ready to receive what their teacher had prepared for them that day.  Each boy craved the attention and affection of the teacher.  But they were just students - she was his daughter.  In order to enjoy the intimacy and love of relationship on display they would each have to be adopted as sons. 

This is what the bread on each desk represented.  Each loaf represented My sacrifice, My body - given on their behalf.  The oil on each loaf is the presence of My Holy Spirit.  It was painted onto the indentations of the cross because My Spirit was poured out for you as a result of My crucifixion.  The daughter came to her father with a simple gift in hand - a red apple.  It is a gift of love to her father.

“Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.”  Song of Songs 2:5

Daughter, she presents to her father the fruit of intimacy.  She gives back to him the love he has poured into her life.

“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men.  I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.  He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.”  Song of Songs 2:3-4

When you come to Me with a heart ready for intimacy, will I not reward you?  My desire is to walk with you each day and partake of the fruits of intimacy.  As you walk with Me and seek Me beyond all others, I will take you personally to the banquet table of My Father.  On His table is the richest of fares, and more besides.  His food is not of this world Beloved, but is given for your edification and spiritual strength.  Revelation is there, as well as wisdom and understanding.  Greater levels of intimacy are prepared and await you.  Authority is there, but you must allow Me to serve this dish to you.  Drink deeply from the cup of My favor.  Savor the fruit of My Spirit.  Partake of the delicacies of promises fulfilled.  These will delight your soul.  It is your Father’s good pleasure to share this meal with you.

“Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me.”  Revelation 3:20

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  No one comes to the Father except through Me. 

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I knew very little about hot cross buns until I had this vision.  Check out the cool info I found about them here.  How appropriate that He would show this to me before Easter!

As I was doing a name search on “Lydia” I found that it is a Greek name which means “from Lydia”, or “beauty”.  For some interesting information about the Lydia of the Bible go here.

After writing this post, I am aware that I have not fully explained each element in the vision.  I expect that I’ll have more revelation concerning each aspect in the days ahead, but I give it to you as it was given to me. I’d love to hear your thoughts if the Lord gives you further understanding concerning the above story.

Blessings,

Emanna

At that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, “Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  And He called a little child to Himself, and put him in the midst of them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn-about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].  Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  And whoever receives and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My Name receives and accepts and welcomes Me.”   Matthew 18:1-5 AMP

Jesus absolutely amazes me, just as I know He did His own disciples at the time.  I love the scenario in this scripture - the disciples in all their bravado walking up to the Lord and baiting Him with this question.  Who indeed is the greatest in the Kingdom?  His standards are so different from our own.  I wonder if He took a certain delight in turning the tables on His disciples, and shaking their core beliefs at every turn!  But look again at this scripture passage.  Jesus, as only He could, quickly cuts down to the heart of the matter.  He doesn’t turn around and say, “Oh, you want to know who the greatest in the kingdom is?  Why it’s you Peter, and you John, and you Luke.”  He knows the hearts of all men, so He went straight to their hearts and not only told them, but showed them who the greatest of the kingdom is…a little child.

“What!?” I can hear Peter gasp.  “I don’t understand…” says John.  And so begins one of the most important object lessons that Jesus would ever give His beloved disciples.

“Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn-about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all]” Jesus says.  It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “Just because you’ve walked with me and believe that you know me and even though I’ve chosen you - that’s not enough.”  Even Judas, the one who would betray him, could lay claim to those credentials.

Jesus had a similar conversation with Nicodemus.

Now there was a certain man among the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler (a leader, an authority) among the Jews, who came to Jesus at night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know and are certain that You have come from God [as] a Teacher; for no one can do these signs (these wonderworks, these miracles–and produce the proofs) that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again (anew, from above), he cannot ever see (know, be acquainted with, and experience) the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother’s womb again and be born?” Jesus answered, “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and [even] the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God.”  John 3:1-5 AMP

Jesus really is serious about this.  First we must repent, then be born again (completely trusting in His sacrifice for us at Calvary), and thirdly, we must remain like children.  The children that inhabit the kingdom of heaven are “trusting, lowly (humble), loving and forgiving”.  As children of the Kingdom we follow our Father wherever He leads.  We are born through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He bears witness with our spirits that we are truly sons and daughters of the living God.  It is through Him we cry, “Abba Father!”

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  Romans 8:15

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”  Galatians 4:6

Do you remember as a small child how you never thought about how to pay the bills, or fix a leaky faucet, or even what your next meal was going to be?  Do you remember a time when you completely trusted your parent(s) to entirely take care of you?  We had F-A-I-T-H in whatever they said.  We could bank on it.  It was only as we grew older that we began to realize that not all adults in our lives keep their promises.

I think this is why Jesus called a “little child” to Himself.  Little children trust, love, and forgive without really thinking about it.  They expect their needs to be met, do not hold back their reality from you and are entirely transparent.  If they are tired they fall asleep, or cry because they need to.  If they’re hungry they’ll tell you, if they’re lonely they’ll seek you out.  If they’ve done something wonderful they want to share it with you right away.  They are full of life, full of energy, full of questions and full of wonder.  They are eager to learn new things, and don’t pretend they know it all.  If they need help they ask for it.  Most of the time they walk around fearless, to the consternation of their mothers.  They believe they can fly, swim the deepest oceans, and climb the highest mountains.  Nothing is impossible for them.

We grow up too quickly, and forget our childhood days and our childhood ways.  Through experience and hard-knocks we learn that it’s safer to be self-sufficient, and not to rely too heavily on those around us. We hide our true feelings, and say what others want to hear.  We eat when we’re not hungry because we’re lonely, sad or fearful.  We’re afraid to take risks.  We know we can’t fly.

Somewhere in the recesses of our minds we wistfully long for those long-gone childhood days.  Isn’t it marvelous that Jesus is calling us to do exactly that - to become children once more?  To trust Him without reservation, to throw our arms around His neck anytime of the day or night and lavish our attention on Him “just because”.  He can handle the temper-tantrums, the disappointments and problems of this world, and calm every fearful heart.  He is big enough to provide for every need, and lavishes His favor on the one who will just come and humbly be His child.  There is nothing that delights His heart more.  Remember, Jesus was to be the first of “many brothers“.

And unlike our earthly childhood, Jesus has called us to a heavenly childhood that is full of love, joy, and peace.  He keeps His promises, and is faithful to the uttermost to those who are His.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

Psalm 109:21-25 (NIV)

 But you, O Sovereign LORD,
       deal well with me for your name’s sake;
       out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

 For I am poor and needy,
       and my heart is wounded within me.

 I fade away like an evening shadow;
       I am shaken off like a locust.

 My knees give way from fasting;
       my body is thin and gaunt.

 I am an object of scorn to my accusers;
       when they see me, they shake their heads.

This morning when I first read Psalm 109 the thought ran through my head, “This does not apply to me…I don’t feel weak and sickly and needy today.”  Then I felt the Spirit gently nudge me to take a closer look.  I know that all scripture is God-breathed and “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

As I meditated on these words, the Lord began to give me His perspective.  I began to understand that even though I do not physically feel weak and needy, compared to the strength of God I am hopelessly weak.  It is only through the goodness of my Father’s love that I am not destroyed.  Just as David had physical accusers I have an invisible accuser that is no less real.  I am but a shadow to the one who would gladly take my life and everything the Lord has ever blessed me with.  After all, Satan’s job description is to “steal, and kill, and destroy”. (John 10:10)

Perhaps the “strength” I have in myself hinders God from working fully on the inside of me.  When I perceive myself as strong, and allow pride to reign in my life, I believe the false assumption that I am in charge.  I endeavor to do great things for God at the expense of relationship with Him.  I over-reach, over-extend, and over-draw in many areas of my life when I perceive I am strong.  But when I see myself as weak, I cling to Him as the only One Who can truly save me.  I open my heart to His love and provision for my life.  I begin to walk in the fullness of His Presence and His strength.  “He gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud.” (Proverbs 3:34)

Later in Psalm 109 David begins to declare:

“With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord; in the great throng I will praise Him.  For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him.”  Psalm 109:30-31

God’s protection and provision over David’s life elicits joyful praise.  God does not sit idly by, but stands at the right hand of the “needy one”.  The enemies that shook their head at David in his affliciton are now shaking in fear as the Lover of his soul rises up to protect His weak child.  Just as with David, His power and glory consumes our weakness, and we are able to face our accuser with boldness and confidence.  We must remove our “strength” to discover His.  We must remember that “no flesh will glory in His Presence”! (1 Corinthians 1:29)

The Apostle Paul had an incredible revelation concerning strength and weakness.  Faced with a “thorn” of adversity, the Lord encouraged him with these words found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

And Paul’s response:

“I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The accuser may shake his head at us in our weakness, but when our Father rises up in response to a heart of humility, His shadow replaces our own.  He stands in defense of His children even at their right hand.  How our accuser must shake from head to toe in fear!

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Father, help us to fully trust in, lean on, and entirely love You.  Remove the spirit of pride and self-sufficiency from our hearts.  Remind us again and again through the power of Your Holy Spirit that we are but a breath.  We have no true power apart from You.  Help us to understand that the strength of our flesh only serves to hinder the work and power You desire to give to us, and pour through us.  As we stand in humility in Your Presence, stand at our right hand and make our accuser tremble.  We choose to stand under Your shadow and rest under Your wings.  Pour Your strength into our weaknesses, and may our flesh never glory in Your Presence.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen

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“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.” 

1 Corinthians 1:25-29