IT IS TIME TO RETRACE OUR STEPS AND RETURN TO OUR FIRST LOVE

This moment in time, The LORD is going to help us in taking a spiritual journey as we retrace our steps as we return to our first love. In so doing we will be recognizing that indeed we went wrong i.e. went to the wrong path and thus need to return to Him whom we loved, cherished and obeyed from the beginning(at first): and that is The LORD Jesus Christ.

Someone may ask or say that they have never loved Him before, but I’m here to tell you that when you were a small baby whether physically or spiritually, you loved The LORD Jesus Christ so much and depended on Him for your present and your future and indeed your eternity. He was indeed your only hope. As a small child a few months old or years old, you were very innocent, at peace, helpless and you relied only on The LORD Jesus Christ. The LORD thus was your first love; He actually brought forth your mother, your father or your guardian to take care of you, and in your helpless, peaceful, innocence stage you relied on your first love for hope, peace and progress. This first love was The LORD Himself: The LORD God Almighty, The LORD Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit. He ensured you had food through your mother’s breast milk or your fathers love and care or your guardians care; both/all.

Remember we are also talking about your spiritual birth as well as your physical birth. So your spiritual birth might have come when you were already a physically grown up person i.e. being born again. At that time/moment when you became physically born or Spiritually born (born again) regardless of your condition, situation or surrounding at that time or whether your parents or yourself were/was in a false religion (like Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, free masonry etc) or whether you were an alcoholic, a drug addict, a pornographic addict, a prostitute, a sexually immoral person, a lesbian, an homosexual, a gossiper, a fornicator, an exam cheat, a devil worshipper, a liar, a hater, an arrogant person, a thief, a murderer, a smoker of cigarette, a masturbator, idolatry, committing adultery, envious, a wizard (night runner), witchcrafter, slanderer, involved in margic arts etc, the moment you Repented of your sins  and received The LORD Jesus Christ in your life as your LORD, Master and savior He became your love; yes indeed your first love, because all the others were actually not genuine love but a fallacy(illusion). But then you might have backslidden or became lukewarm.  So the message to you at this point in time is that it is time for you to retrace your steps and return to your first love; Him whom you loved so much when you were physically (and or spiritually) a small child, few days, few months or a few years old.

So you need to look how far you have fallen away/down and Repent of your sins and ask The LORD to have mercy on you and return to your first love: The LORD Jesus Christ. For therein lies your redemption, your hope, your deliverance, your salvation, your rescue, your eternal life. Someone may say: “But I’m okay, I got born again many years or months ago, why should I Repent of my sins?” Remember there is nothing wrong with Repenting many times a day or a week etc; Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be a way of life, and it does not mean that you knowingly go on sinning and Repenting after that, no. It means that you are continuously humbling yourself before The LORD, while being alert to the status of your garment because you might have sinned before The LORD but you don’t even know it. So a continuous (daily) Repenting is a form of humility before The LORD so that you keep on asking The LORD to cleanse you, purify you, refine you and sanctify you so that your garment of salvation is spotless, blameless and without wrinkles so that you continue to walk in Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ.

The Importance, The Need And The Benefits Of Retracing Our Steps And Returning To Our First Love Are Well Articulated And Captured As Below:

1-The kindness of The LORD, His deeds towards us for which he deserves to be praised.

The LORD is always kind to us, and His deeds towards us deserve praise of Him. He is very compassionate, very loving and kind towards us His children (The Holy Church, His sons and daughters, His servants and everyone everywhere). When we follow the truth of The LORD, the Righteousness of The LORD, The Holiness of The LORD then we get salvation; because The LORD will be our savior.

This is very well captured in the book of Isaiah 63:7-8 which states as follows: ‘“I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord,  the deeds for which he is to be praised,   according to all the Lord has done for us—yes, the many good things he has done for Israel,  according to his compassion and many kindnesses. He said, “Surely they are my people,  children who will be true to me”;  and so he became their Savior.”’

2-When we become distressed then The LORD also becomes distressed, so in our distress The LORD will save us.  This is because of His great love and mercy towards us. All The LORD requires from us is to follow His decrees and requirements so that we may know Him and continue to find favour before Him; because then we will be walking in Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ. The presence of The LORD will thus be with us all the days of our life, in our coming in and in our coming out.

This is very beautifully captured in the book of Isaiah 63:9 which states as follows: “In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”

3-We thus need to return to our first love (The LORD) and Repent of our sins and ask Him to restore us in our walk with Him through the anointing of The Holy Spirit. So that we may continue to enjoy and partake of His presence upon our life as we walk with The LORD, so that His light and power and the anointing of The Holy Spirit continue to be upon us. We thus need to come back to ourselves and look back to our first love and retrace our steps towards Him.

This is very powerfully captured in the book of Revelation 2:4-5 which states as follows: ‘“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”’

This is also very powerfully captured in the book of Isaiah 63: 11 which h states as follows: “Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people—where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set  his Holy Spirit among them?.”

Yet this is also well expounded on in the book of Luke 15:17-24  which states as follows: ‘‘“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father. “ But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”’’

4-The Holy Spirit once walked with us but we grieved Him due to our rebellion through sin. For The LORD to restore His Holy Spirit amongst us, we must embrace Repentance for the forgiveness of sins and walk in Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ.

So as a result of our wickedness and fall, the presence of The LORD went away from us, we thus no longer walked with The LORD because we took another path, where the presence of The LORD does not dwell at, a path that is contrary and in conflict with The LORD: The path of sin and wickedness, the path that leads to destruction (eternal).

This is very beautifully and powerfully captured in the book of Isaiah 63:10-11 which states as follows: “Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy  and he himself fought against them. Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people—where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set  his Holy Spirit among them?.”

This is furthermore well captured in the book of Ephesians 4:29-32 which states as follows:  ‘“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”’

5-The LORD always releases and sends forth His glory and power to His servants for the glory and honour of His name. He will perform exploits and miracles through His servants. And these includes healings, prophesy, speaking in tongues, discerning Spirit, Knowledge of The word etc. The LORD will thus as a result of His sons and daughters returning to Him (their first love) empower them by restoring upon them the anointing of The Holy Spirit, for then they will become His servants, and they will serve Him very powerfully for the glory and honour of His name. These will thus be the fruits of Repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Returning to our first love) and walking in Righteousness, Holiness, Truth and Complete Surrender to The LORD Jesus Christ.

This is very well captured in the book of Isaiah 63:12 which states as follows: “who sent his glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for himself everlasting renown.”

This is also very powerfully captured in the book of Joel 2:28-29 which states as follows: “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.”

The same is also very beautifully captured in the book of 1st Corinthians 12:1-11 which states as follows: ‘“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”’

6-The LORD will thus launch into the deep with His children, sons and daughters and servants. He will take them from one level of anointing to another. He will thus move powerfully through them and in them: The Great Move of The LORD.

They will thus serve The LORD faithfully as the LORD empowers them for His work; all for the glory and honour of His name.

This is very powerfully captured in the book of  Isaiah 63:13 which states as follows: “who led them through the depths? Like a horse in open country,  they did not stumble.”

The same is also very well expounded in the book of Ezekiel 47:1-6 which states as follows: ‘“The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in—a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river.”’ 

7- The peace, joy and rest of The LORD will thus be upon His children, sons & daughters and servants; for The LORD will be their guider, controller, counselor, comforter and helper. And this will be through the anointing of The Holy Spirit.

This is very powerfully captured in the book of Isaiah 63:14 which states as follows:  “like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord. This is how you guided your people  to make for yourself a glorious name.”

The same is also very beautifully captured in the book of Haggai 2:6-9 which states as follows: ‘“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the Lord Almighty.  ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty.  ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”’

This is furthermore is also very well expounded in the book of Psalm 51:10-14 which states as follows: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence  or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation  and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.”

8-The LORD is Holy and He calls upon everyone everywhere to be holy. He in essence is calling upon His children, sons & daughters and servants to be Holy and to serve Him in Holiness, because He is a Holy God. And only those who are Holy will dwell in His presence.

Infact when and if we forsake to walk in Holiness before The LORD, then His glory and presence departs from us both at individual level and as a church. The altar thus becomes desolate because the presence of The LORD will no longer be with us. He will withhold His blessings (Spiritual plus other associated blessings-Seek yee first the kingdom of God and its Righteousness and all these things will be added unto you) upon us). This is because of the defilement through sin, wickedness and disobedient.

This is very powerfully and beautifully captured in the book of Haggai 1:7-11 which states as follows: ‘“This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.  “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”’

This is also well captured in the book of Hebrew 12:14-16 which states as follows: ‘“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.”’

The same is also very well captured in the book of Isaiah 63:15-19 which states as follows: ‘“Look down from heaven and see, from your lofty throne, holy and glorious. Where are your zeal and your might?  Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us. But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us  or Israel acknowledge us; you, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. Why, Lord, do you make us wander from your ways  and harden our hearts so we do not revere you? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance. For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary. We are yours from of old; but you have not ruled over them, they have not been called by your name.”’

The same is also well expounded in the book of Mathew 6:25-34 which states as follows: ‘“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”’

Hasn’t The LORD Taught Us This Moment About The Need For Us To Retrace Our Steps And Return To Our First Love (The LORD Jesus Christ); And The Need, The Benefits And The Importance Of Doing So?

SHALOM!!!

PREPARE THE WAY FOR THE COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IN ABSOLUTE REPENTANCE, RIGHTEOUSNESS, HOLINESS, TRUTH AND COMPLETE SURRENDER TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (YAHUSHUA HA MASHIACH). TIME IS ABSOLUTELY OVER; THE MESSIAH JESUS CHRIST IS IMMINENTLY COMING TO PICK HIS BRIDE!!! 

REPENTANCE PRAYER:

Precious Jesus, 

I acknowledge today that you are LORD and savior of all mankind, 

and today I have recognized my shortfall,

I repent and turn away from all sin. 

Please cover me with your precious blood, 

and establish your word in my life,

that I may be found in righteousness and holiness

and write my name in your book of life 

and baptize me with the power of the Holy Spirit 

in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 

Amen. 

Shalom!!! Shalom!!! Shalom!!! 

Kevin Mirasi