Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
and let his banner over me be love. | Song of Songs 2:4

Recently, while in worship, the Lord gave me a picture of Jesus and I dancing together. Jesus was overjoyed, and I was overwhelmed by His great love and adoration for me. Then, the picture suddenly changed, and we went from dancing together to standing on a shore. Together, hand and hand, we began to walk out into the deep waters. I saw joy in Jesus’ eyes, even as we left the shore. Though I did not know where He was leading me, I was completely unafraid; I knew that my Savior was by my side, holding my hand. It was then that I knew what the Lord was showing me: It is more safe to be in the deep waters with Jesus than to remain on the shore—confined to our comfort zone—without Him.

The Lord is Calling Forth His Bride to a Greater Season of Intimacy

As I have been pondering on what the Lord has shown me, I sense that He is not only speaking to me through these pictures, but to the Bride of Christ in her completeness.

I hear the Lord saying, “My Bride, I am calling you forth to arise from your slumber and enter into a time of intimacy with your Bridegroom. Let go of the distractions that so easily entangle you, and come away with Me.”

 “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.
 See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
 Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me” (Song of Songs 2:10-13).

Just as I could feel Jesus’ absolute pleasure over me as we were dancing together, I believe that the Lord wants to reveal to His Bride that same pleasure that He has for her. I believe that the Lord is showing me the heart of love that He extends towards His Bride. Song of Songs 4:7 says, “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” This verse so clearly illustrates how your Bridegroom—Jesus Christ—sees you. You have no spot or blemish in His eyes, and He says that you are altogether lovely. Wow! How He is ravished by us! Even in our weakness, this is how the Lord sees us.

I believe that the Lord is wanting His Bride to come into the full revelation of the depth of His great love for her. As it says in Zephaniah 3:17, in His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Do you realize that the God who created the universe sings over you? He is the One who designed the mountains and crafted the seas, and He is the same Lord who was, who is, and who is to come. 

And this same God delights in you.

What an amazing and intimate love that your Bridegroom has for you, His Beloved. Regardless of the season of circumstances that you are facing, His love for you is fierce, steady, unchanging.

I sense that the Lord is awakening weary hearts back to life. Those who have been hard pressed on every side, listen closely: the King is singing His love song over you. His beautiful love is healing hearts, awakening them once again. As we spend time in the secret place, cultivating our intimacy with our Bridegroom, we will truly discover that He, alone, is all that we need.

Walking out into the Deep

It is in the place of abiding in intimacy with the Lord that He will reveal His strategies for breakthrough in our lives. As we take time to be with Him and align our will with His, our God will show us the answers and solutions.

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3).

The Bride of Christ will receive deeper revelation, as He will release the very blueprints of heaven into your spirit. The Lord will show you the steps that you need to take in order to walk into the greatness that He has prepared for you. Just as I had pictured Jesus and I walking into the deep waters without fear, I sense that we as the Bride are about to walk out into the deep unknown with Him. In this season of transition and change, Jesus is beckoning us to leave our comfort zones and, hand in hand, walk out in faith with Him.

The Lord continues to remind me, “Where I lead is the safest and best place to be.” Even as Abraham was told by the Lord to leave what was comfortable and familiar and go to the land that the Lord would reveal to Him, we as the Bride are being called to trust in the guidance of our Bridegroom. Do not fear, for Christ will be faithful, as you obey Him and follow where He leads you.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land-like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise (Hebrews 11:8-11).

There are exciting adventures and surprises in store, as you continue to follow the Lord’s leading! “‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’—the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Awakening to the Fullness of Our Identity

The Lord is rooting out His Bride’s deep fears and insecurities: the very things that have been strongholds in people’s live. Indeed, He is ridding her of any entanglements that have been holding her back. Jesus Christ is jealous for His Bride, and He is bringing her into a new-found place of freedom that she has not previously known or experienced before! Hindrances are being removed, and grave clothes are coming off. Look and see! The beautifully adorned Bride of Christ is arising and coming forth victoriously!

I believe that the Lord is saying,

“For far too long, the enemy has kept My Bride living beneath her true potential. But now, she will arise and come forth as the beautiful, overcoming, fearless warrior that I have designed her to be. My Bride is the head, and not the tail; she is above, and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).”

“It is Time to Unsheathe Your Sword!”

He made my mouth like a sharpened sword,
    in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me into a polished arrow
    and concealed me in his quiver (Isaiah 49:2)

“My Bride, it is time to arise and unsheathe your sword! You will rise from the very circumstances where the enemy had sought to keep you trapped in defeat. Now, you will come forth, wielding your sword of victory. My Bride is not defeated; she is an overcomer, and I have given her the spirit of a warrior. She will slay giants, and she will take back the ruins of former generations (Isaiah 61:4).

“My Beloved, I am giving you all the spoils; I will give you riches and treasures stored in secret places (Isaiah 45:3). You shall fling wide the ancient doors that have been previously closed off. You will set the captives free, and bind up the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1).

“The enemy has tried to plague My Bride with fear and insecurity, in hopes of slowing her down. But do not fear, because he knows that when My Bride comes into the reality of who she in Me, she will be fearless and unstoppable! Even now, her praise will torment the enemy.

“I am now calling forth the Bride of Christ! I am awakening her to the fullness of her identity in Me. She is My radiant, overcoming, warrior-Bride, and she will be a force to be reckoned with.”

I see the glorious Bride of Christ, beautifully arrayed in all of her splendor. She will be found coming up out of the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved (Song of Songs 8:5).

Your wilderness season has not been in vain; it has prepared you for the victory you shall now walk in. It is time to eat the fruits of your harvest!

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you” (Isaiah 60:1).