Remember, Forget, Trust

Revelation 2: 2-5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lamp stands, says this: 2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first;

I had an experience many years ago… that shook something in me and awakened me from a slumber I didn’t know I was in. I believe it is a word in due season

and I pray it blesses you.

Romans 8 tells us not to live by our sinful nature (aka human nature)… and that if we do, the result is death. The problem is we sometimes encounter warfare that requires us to go into“survival mode.” This is when human nature kicks in to “keep us physically alive” but the end result is unfortunately the opposite. Fight or flight response may protect us in the moment, but staying in that realm without submitting it to the Spirit

becomes a conflict of interests. Today Holy Spirit launched an all out special-ops “counter terrorist attack” against some things I have been wrestling with in my soul and this “experience” is the result.

As I worshipped and prayed, I found myself crying out in deep intercession, “Remember, please remember! Don’t forget!!!” It was as if I was pleading with someone to dig deep and remember something that had been erased from all memory. I was desperate. It felt like a life or death situation.

I then saw a bride and groom in a location of profound significance regarding their relationship, where they first began to trust one another; it was a safe and special place. I felt like it was a place where he had proposed to her or where they had their first date or first kiss. The enemy had caused the bride to forget these important milestones in the relationship and, as a result, she was lost and groping around in the dark. Her husband (with tears in his eyes) said to her, “I need you to trust me.”

She then asked him to retell the stories she had forgotten. Remind me…, remind me! I’m desperate to know who I am and who you are. Why can’t I feel or remember anything? I began to weep. I felt his desperation, his sorrow and her sense of being lost. She wanted to remember but her heart was having a difficult time. Soon after, another vision came of a much older bride and groom. They had been together for decades, yet, in this scene he was the lost one. He just couldn’t remember his wonderful life. His memory had been twisted by the enemy to such an extent that this man was unrecognizable to his loved ones. His recollection of information had been corrupted and confused to such a degree that a completely new reality emerged based on lies and misconceptions. Yet somehow, the “former” man would make quick appearances and his “former self” would shine like a flash of lightning and then fade again into fog. “Remember, please remember,” I cried. “Please don’t forget.” With tears streaming down my face I felt helpless. What could I do to jar their memories? What was the key? Something was hindering it all, but what? I felt the Spirit say, “the answer lies in the soul.”

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so

disturbed within me? - Psalm 43:5

The devil has been working overtime to appeal to our soul realm and take us back into captivity. He wants to immerse us in the sea of forgetfulness where our sins and failures are supposed to stay forever erased by the Lord. Somehow the evil one has tricked some of us into setting sail on this sea and now we are dangerously navigating it. Surrounded by swells of our own past sin and sins we have forgiven others, we brave the storm and are tormented by so many things we had already released to the Lord. Things that should stay forgiven and forgotten. Blotted out.

How did this happen?

Warfare, life, heartache and this fallen world have a way of taking us there. When all hell breaks loose, we tend to go into self preservation mode led by our soul and flesh, and start dwelling on the wrong things. The enemy makes sure history repeats itself and touches tender areas. We forget the goodness of God and remember our failures. Our passion dies and we get captured by despair, disappointment, regret, unforgiveness, guilt, shame, bitterness… and the like. Finally we desperately cry to ourselves, “Remember, please remember. Help us remember, Lord, because it’s slipping away. How could we forget? What are we supposed to remember and what are we supposed to forget? Remind us, Lord. Retell the stories… say it again, do it again, help us remember.”

And the sea of forgetfulness roars.

The devil wants us to worship him at the

altar of sin and past wounds…

The devil wants us to remember the wrong things - to recount the times he seemed to have won. The hurt, the tragedy, the heartache. The failures, the dead ends, the pain. The rejection, betrayal, & death. He is a prideful braggart that craves worship. He wants us to build an altar where he can take credit for the pain and heartache. He delights in our tragedy because he is the author of it. Sadistic, narcissistic and wicked - when we dwell on his actions he gets the glory. A glory he never EVER should receive. He steals worship from the Lord and causes us to rehash what God has washed away in the sea of forgetfulness.

Don’t set sail there.

The devil also wants us to forget the wrong things. Things like the blood of Jesus. The victories God has given us over the pain and the past… the love of God in the person of Jesus Christ… The fact that He laid down His life for us. The power over sin and death. The presence of Holy Spirit to transform lives and culture. The dominion over the devil. How could we not TRUST someone who is willing to die in our place? Yet, somehow we fall into the enemy’s trap that places us on the chopping block again and again, reliving the past and glorifying his sadistic nature. These are the things we MUST leave behind. They glorify the wrong kingdom. We must forget all that is past and press on… Let’s forget the right things and keep them where they belong.

What to Remember then?

Whatsoever is right, good and true. We must fix our eyes on things above. How about remembering the empty tomb and our transformed and victorious lives? Why not recall that His brokenness makes us all whole, that we are NOW more than conquerors and more than mere humans. We break bread and drink wine in remembrance of our Jesus who redeemed us. He said, “Do this in remembrance of me…” Did He say that because He knew we might forget? How could we forget such things? They are written down for us in an epic love story. The Bible. Believe me, it’s a great read. It’s alive. But my encounter today wasn’t as much about reading the Bible as it was remembering a person. This husband - JESUS - was desperately looking into the eyes of His BRIDE, weeping, pleading for her to remember their life together. He asked if she would trust him even if she couldn’t remember. She then asked Him to remind her of their life together… that’s what the Bible does for us… Reminds us of what our husband looks like… but do you remember when you encountered this first love? When you personally met the God of the universe? Perhaps we should not ask “What to remember” but Who to remember?” Have we forgotten our first love?

“Remember, please remember!” That voice and those eyes look at us, pleading with our hearts, pleading with humanity. It strikes at the core of us in places too deep to explain. Groans that are too deep for words.

Then the voice gets louder and finally says, “Remember that the war may rage but I’ve already won it! Your job is to fill the whole Earth with the Glory of the Father, to enforce the victory, to bring Heaven to Earth. Remember where you came from - before the Earth was formed I KNEW YOU! You existed in a perfect place before this mission ever began. That’s what you crave, that’s what you groan for. Heaven on Earth. Remember that this isn’t your home! This deep longing comes from before time and, my child, you are homesick.” Finally, I weep and tell my Father… “Oh my gosh! That’s it! It still messes me up.

I’m homesick. I miss my loved ones who are no longer here, I miss innocence, I miss my family and I hate evil. I miss a place where there isn’t pain and suffering and I’m longing for home.” Wow, I finally DO remember. But not just in my head, I am literally in two places at once. It’s as if eternity connected with me for a bit and I really remember home. I remember what perfection feels like. It’s like I’m floating between Heaven and Earth. Suspended between two dimensions but aware of them both. I’m torn between a love of Heaven and a love of Earth.

A little bit of time passes and the Comforter begins to wipe my tears away, and after a long while I begin to remember something else. He sent me here and entrusted me with an

assignment for this particular moment in time. If you’re breathing and reading this, you’re no different. You, too, are on a mission. A mission that is opposed by violence, heartache and loss due to a wicked, narcissistic devil that gets glorified every time we forget the right things and remember the wrong ones. It’s beyond what I can even convey… but it is so very real. More real than you could ever imagine.

So… How do we remember and trust?

I believe a kiss may do the trick. A kiss from heaven. Perhaps that’s what this encounter was. My personal kiss from heaven. So many “fairy tales” receive their “happily ever after” when the handsome prince kisses the beautiful princess - and that kiss usually awakens true love from the poisonous slumber of the evil one.

What if a kiss from God can cause us to remember what it was like when we first fell in love?What if it breaks the “spell” of the wicked one? The kiss of our Savior is what brought us from death to life and redeemed all of mankind. Luke 15:20 tells of a loving and generous

Father embracing and kissing His prodigal son. The kiss of the Father is eternity breaking in to our “human” condition to remind us of home - where we came from to remind us of the covenant, the promises, who our family is, where we belong, and who our husband is-so that we can wipe off the kiss of betrayal and have no other lover! I am my beloved’s and He is mine. He alone is Faithful and True! Kiss me! I need to remember!

Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him & He will direct your paths.

Try to remember. Imagine a desperate husband or wife pleading with you to “go there.” Married or not in the natural, Jesus is our bridegroom and we are His bride. If we are Christians, we are His. Try to remember that and remember who He is. Go back to where you had your first date. Go back to where He proposed. Go back to where you said “I do.” Go back to where He rescued you, healed you and loved you unconditionally! Do it again and again!

Then… Forget the lies of the devil. Forget the events that give him glory - tear down the altars he built to himself and worship the King of Kings- your first and only true love.

Again I see the groom looking desperately into the eyes of his beloved and he is saying, “I need you to trust me.” Would a love that died for you ever let you down?