Taking A Look At The Song Of Solomon

TAKING A LOOK AT THE SONG OF SOLOMON By Irene McGough

Copyright © 2009 Irene McGough Disciples of Jesus Ministry www.discipleofjesussite.com

CHAPTER 1 Most of the ladies who read this will be able to relate to being the bride of Christ but if you men are anything like my husband you may find that difficult. Love is the key word here. This wonderful book of the Bible was included for good reason because it calls us to new levels of intimacy with our dear bridegroom the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Quote: The song of songs, which is concerning Solomon, who as the son and successor of David, on whom the covenant of royalty was entailed, as the founder of the temple, and as one that excelled in wisdom and wealth, was a type of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and yet is a greater than Solomon; this is therefore a song concerning him. It is here fitly placed after Ecclesiastes; for when by the book we are thoroughly convinced of the vanity of the creature, and its insufficiency to satisfy us and make a happiness for us, we shall be quickened to seek for happiness in the love of Christ, and that true transcendent pleasure which is to be found only in communion with God through him. The voice in the wilderness, that was to prepare Christ’s way, cried, All flesh is grass. (Matthew Henry's commentary on the whole Bible ) Son 1:1 Solomon's Song of Songs. Beloved Son 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouthfor your love is more delightful than wine. Can you feel the sweet kisses of the groom, the sweet, sweet passionate kisses of Jesus, oh how He loves you and I? Just one kiss from Him and I am undone, for His kisses are sweeter than any other kiss we could ever experience, and I am a woman who is in love with her husband of nearly thirty years. But the kisses the Lord gives to us are life giving, life changing, they breathe life, strength, hope, faith, joy, healing and peace into us His bride. They are sweeter than the sweetest wine. He gives us new wine, sweeter than any other. Psa 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

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My thoughts here also come to the communion wine, we are indeed remembering the Lord until He comes, but there is more to it than that, He is so very present with us as we partake of the bread and the wine. As we take the cup can you feel the Lord’s kisses upon your lips as he breathes life into you, the new life in Him that is yours because His love took Him all the way to the cross to shed His blood for you. And because He died you have been reborn, you are a new creation, there is life in the blood, life in the new wine which he gives, life in Jesus. There is healing in recognising the sacredness and blessedness of the moment as we participate of the elements, Jesus is there and He is kissing you and I to life. Communion is only one of those times when we can be aware of His sweet kisses, when we are hurting, He kisses us back to life, when we are afraid, He takes the fear away, when we are discouraged He whispers words of encouragement to us, when we read the Word He reveals His love, His compassion, His nature to us and blesses us so much with His Presence and when we spend time talking to Him He communicates with us, reveals more to us and guides on the way that we should go. How I love His Kisses! SWEET COMMUNION The bread and wine are set before us, As we gather to worship the Lord Jesus, This is no ritual without a meaning, It is even more than merely remembering. Jesus said “This do in remembrance of me.” But there is clearly more He wants us to see. For the one we behold is indeed the bread of life, And the bread is feeding our souls with health and life. Then we come to the wine knowing there is life in the blood, For that blood washed away our sins in a cleansing flood, And we come with thanksgiving and praise in our hearts, In deep reverence and awe we come in one accord. Thanking the One who is the true life giver, The One who we will throughout eternity live with, Who shed His blood on a cruel cross that we might be saved, Through that same blood we are healed, saved and delivered. 3

For there is power in the blood, full resurrection power, We must never forget the magnitude of that wonderful power, Words are unable to express the depth of our gratitude, For while we were dead in our sins Christ came and he died. And he has given us a hope that is certain and sure, That when we give our lives to the only one who is pure, We have a glorious heritage as sons and daughters of the King, So throughout eternity his praises we with the angels will sing. And now as we take the bread and the wine let us rightly discern, Just what we are doing and come humbly seeking new revelation, Our Lord and Saviour left heaven’s glory, a sacrificial offering to be, And the wonder of it all was that he done it all for such as you and me. So we will continue to come together partaking of the bread and wine, Until that day we with the saints from down through the ages dine, When we the bride, meet with our dear bridegroom at our wedding feast, And we look upon the glory of his countenance and fall at his feet. Even so come Lord Jesus…………….

Irene McGough © 2008 Do you have an awakened desire for an intimate life with the king because of his beauty, His excellence, His love and compassion so clearly seen? He wants us to reach a place of real intimacy, fellowshipping with Him in such a way that no matter what is happening around you it’s okay for Jesus is here. The love of this beautiful fragrant king is twice good (the word “good” appears twice in Hebrew in its plural form). I would say that means His love is good beyond all measure. The bride is rather tentative at first as though she sees her groom so far off but when she experiences his kisses, oh what a difference it makes. Cf v3-4

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Son 1:3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you! In Biblical times it was the custom to rub the body with fragrant ointments (oils) after a bath in preparation for a festive occasion (Ruth 3:3). The Shulamite here speaks of her beloved’s reputation as akin to a lovely aroma; he was an object of desire to young women everywhere. Our desire should be like this, we should be ravished with desire for our dear bridegroom, for Jesus. Son 1:4 Take me away with you-let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. Can you smell the sweet fragrant essence of the beauty of His presence? His Name is the Name above all Names and at His feet every knee will one day bow, What a glorious wonderful name that is the name of JesusYeshua , the Messiah, our dear bridegroom, our Lord and our Saviour and He is calling us up higher calling us up closer to be with Him.. We so need to develop a close intimate relationship with Jesus for He is the bridegroom and we are the bride. The chambers by my understanding are entering the secret place with Lord and even venturing right into the holy of holies, for the veil was rent in two that we the royal priesthood, the bride might enter into the holy of holies and be with Him. 4b.Friends We rejoice and delight in you ; we will praise your love more than wine. Beloved How right they are to adore you!

COME AWAY WITH ME Come away with me my sister my bride, A new wave is coming, it’s a changing tide. Come and see what I am about to do, For I am about to make all things new. For this to happen, you need to come up higher,

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I long for you my bride, my delight, to come closer, Then and only then will you see my plans unfold, Come and fulfil the destiny for which you have been called. It’s time for you to listen and hear my voice, For I have so much to say to you, just stop and listen, Do you know I adore you and want you in me to rejoice? It’s time for your ears to open wide and your eyes to fully open. Only then can I reveal to you sweet treasures of my kingdom, It is only in the secret place that you can truly learn of me, You have to enter my chambers to learn real wisdom, There is so much more my dear bride I want you to see. So come on up here, come away with me, it’s your time, The plans I have planned for you were made before time, Your destiny awaits you, so you just have to come up here, Can you see the longing in my eyes for you my dear? So my dear bride come away with me, Love from Jesus. Irene McGough © 2008

Mathew Henry states” A good name is as precious ointment, but Christ’s name is more fragrant than any other. Wisdom, like oil, makes the face to shine; but the Redeemer outshines, in beauty, all others.” THERE IS SOMETHING WONDERFUL ABOUT THAT NAME Yesterday, today, and forever Jesus is the same, There is something wonderful about that Name, For at the name of Jesus demons have to flee, He is the Lord Jesus Christ who died for you and me, He’s the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Our soon coming King who did to heaven ascend, He’s the Author and Perfecter of our faith, 6

He is the Word of God so listen to what He says. He is the eternal one and the way, the truth and the life. It is only through Him that we can have eternal life, He is the Lamb without blemish who gave His life for us, He’s the Good shepherd who cares for sheep such as us. Forever and forever He is faithful and true, He is holy and desires us to be holy too, He is Immanuel, our God who is with us, And we are so blessed with His Presence with us. He is the Wonderful Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, This bridegroom’s love for His bride will never cease. He is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings, So my friends let’s forever His praises sing. Irene McGough © 2007 Christian brothers and sisters our desire should be for our friends brothers and sisters in Christ to draw closer to Jesus, we should encourage them and prayerfully support them, jealousy should not come into the equation , we should not envy another’s walk with the Lord , instead we should encourage them and draw closer ourselves to the Lord, seek intimacy, that’s the most important thing. Son 1:5 Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, (NIV used throughout) dark like the tents of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon. Son 1:6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected. The Shulamite has spent a lot of time in the sun as a keeper of the vineyards. So she is tanned and dark, but lovely. Could it be that here she has a sense of feeling unworthy of her beloved’s attentions, hence the mention here of her colour? Vinedressers were among the poorer classes in the land of Israel (II Kgs 25:12) Yet this vinedresser was fit for a king. 7

What do you see here we who are in and of ourselves unworthy have been made worthy for our lover the King of Kings, our Lord and Saviour Jesus. How marvellous is this? Yes we in and of ourselves are unworthy but our groom has paid a ransom, for us, who stood guilty of sin and shame, and He has removed it from us, as far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions from us, and we who were once in bondage and slavery to sin and it’s consequences, have been gloriously set free. We who were afar off, we the gentiles have been grafted in and we are now the redeemed and a bride in love with a bridegroom who loves us so much more than we the bride can yet conceive. How often do we as believers feel inadequate and yet in Him we have everything. Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. NKJV Christ within us is the hope of glory. He wants to make His glory known among us and for that glory to shine through us and touch the hearts of the people. Son 1:7 Tell me, you whom I love, where you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends? The Shulamite did not like the idea of veiling herself, of staying at a distance, she was a stranger in the land Think of the isolation of a leper who dwells alone, outside the camp, in contrast to Israel’s shared life of covenant love. Jesus sent the disciples to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” with a command to “cleanse the lepers” who were outside the camp. His love and compassion for those who are considered to be the unfortunates of our society, those whom society shuns continues today.

The Shulamite loves her lover so much that she cannot bare to be apart from him. She has to seek him out. Do we seek to be with Jesus every

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moment of every day? Do we long for Him so much we cannot bare to feel at all distanced from him? Is He the object of our affections 24/7?

Friends Son 1:8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and graze your young goats by the tents of the shepherds. The court ladies, hearing her plea, bid her to depart and search for the shepherd. Most beautiful of women is probably meant in an ironical sense. They would be glad to see this rival depart. Are you ready to encourage others on their walk, to help them to draw closer to Jesus, to find intimacy? When we find a level of intimacy ourselves it is not meant to be kept like a guarded secret. What we have learned we ought to share with and encourage others even if it means they will surpass us and seem to reach greater heights than we ourselves have or will reach. Lover Son 1:9 I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh. Son 1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels. Son 1:11 We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver. Solomon begins to speak here. He first praises her beauty and gracefulness by comparing her to his stately chariot steed. Those steeds were dressed with costly harnesses and the most elegant of headgear. In return for her affirmative response to his advances, the king promises costly gifts. She is beautiful, but with the expensive adornments which he will give her she will have an unsurpassable beauty. She is to have necklaces of silver and gold and lots of jewels . Beloved Son 1:12 While the king was at his table, 9

my perfume spread its fragrance. Son 1:13 My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. Son 1:14 My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi. King Solomon was at the table with his circle of friends. Clarke says the bundle of myrrh is a scent bag or sachet worn in the bosom and suspended from the neck on a silk thread. The Shulamite confesses that her beloved is to her what this delightful perfume is to others. She felt that he was as close to her as the sachet of myrrh dangling from her neck that sat between her breasts . En-gedi is a beautiful oasis below a plateau overlooking the Dead Sea. Her loved one is like a beautiful flower. Henna flowers are from a privetlike shrub bearing small, inconspicuous but fragrant white to yellow blossoms. Do we express our love for Jesus like this woman did her love for King Solomon? BURNING DESIRE I have a burning deep within, For more of your fire consuming, Come Lord Jesus I know there is more, More than I have experienced before. I have tasted and seen that you are good, The spirit within me you have renewed, Holy Spirit keep filling me up to overflowing, May my zeal for Jesus be forever growing. Come consume me with your fire, For I long for you with deep desire, There is a need deep within my being, I'm hungry and thirsty, come satisfy my craving. Irene McGough © 2009

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Son 1:15 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. The language of love ends all hostile and divisive communication, for it speaks out of a shared life and magnifies oneness, togetherness, union, and intimacy. . Beloved Son 1:16 How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. Lover Son 1:17 The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs. The Lord wants us to constantly seek an intimate personal relationship with Him, not to view Him from afar off. Jesus looks at us His bride with longing for us to come closer. I really believe He beckons us like John to come up close, come up higher. Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." He is our bridegroom, He is our lover but we must not lose sight of the fact that He is King, We can have such beautiful moments of intimacy but we must exalt Him and worship Him, magnify His Holy Name. I’M COMING UP HIGHER I’m coming up higher, coming up closer to you Lord, As a deer pants for the water so my soul thirsts for you. This one thing I seek forever to dwell in your presence Lord, And I will enter the secret place to be alone with you.

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Just one glimpse of your face, is what I long for, My majestic, wonderful, marvellous glorious King, Holy, Holy are you Lord and your praises I will sing, Holy Spirit. reveal more to me as I read your precious Word. Lord I seek your face and I’m after your heart, Break me, melt me, mould me and change my heart, Refiners fire come and purify my entire being, Help me to increase in knowledge and understanding. Because He rose, I will rise up as a Mighty Warrior, The battle is won; the victory is yours my dear Saviour, I will press on to the heavenly calling, fixing my eyes on you, And I will listen to your voice and walk with you. I can no longer walk, except in your righteousness, For I have beheld something of your glory my King, So let me die totally to self, my life an offering I bring, For I am bought with a price, now my life you possess. Irene McGough © 2009 1Pe 2:2 Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, 1Pe 2:3 Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord 1Pe 2:4 Come to Him [then, to that] Living Stone which men tried and threw away, but which is chosen [and] precious in God's sight. 1Pe 2:5 [Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:6 For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen (honored), precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall never be disappointed or put to shame. 1Pe 2:7 To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is

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true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone, 1Pe 2:8 And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God's] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do. 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God's] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (AMP)

We who regard Jesus as so precious to us are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people who belong to God, a people set apart that we might be changed and go forth and do the wonderful deeds that are His and display the virtue and perfections of Him(His very nature being manifested in our lives as we are changed from glory to glory. For He our Lord and Saviour our bridegroom has called us out of the darkness and into His marvellous light, into the glory realm of His Kingdom. NIV used throughout unless otherwise stated. SWEET INTIMACY How he wants me to come closer, He says "Come on up a little higher," I love each little touch from Him, Each sweet caress from my King. Through Him I breathe, and have my being, And He has called me to spend eternity reigning, All eternity I will spend at His side, For now I am part of His Precious bride, And oh the joy that fills my heart, Forever I have been set apart, And I love Him so much more, Than I thought was possible before. For He saw that He was my greatest desire, 13

And He came and baptized me with fire, And I know there is so much more, For all He does is on me His love pour. How simply amazing is that? That He should love me as He does, Oh the joy deep down in my heart, In Him I place my faith and trust. I love Jesus and I love his sweet caress, Whatever comes my way I know I can rest, For He has given me a peace and joy that's unshakable, And I know that in all things my Lord is totally able. And He takes me into the secret place, And I go seeking to see Him face to face, And He is so beautiful and majestically wonderful to me. So now the desire of my heart is now to help others see. He says to me "Go tell others about me, Tell them that they can come to really know me, I want them to know that I so love them too, And I want them to come and embrace me too." Irene McGough © 2008

PRAYER: Dear Lord take me deeper unto you. I want to explore new heights of intimacy with you. I want to come up higher, so Lord I pray that I will open my heart and soul fully to you, that I might hear you more clearly and see you more clearly. I thank you for you love for me, I love you Lord and may that love cause me to live a life totally devoted to you, in complete surrender. In your precious name Lord Jesus, AMEN

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CHAPTER TWO The bride cannot understand why the Beloved considers her to be so special since she is a very ordinary person. He continues to reveal lovely thoughts about her from His heart. He demonstrates to His bride that He is in control and has conquered all problems she would ever face. The Beloved Bridegroom now asks her to go with Him but she hesitates; she only wants to have Him all to herself in private. He pleads with her, but she will not go with Him. This causes a division between them. This severing of the sweet fellowship with the bridegroom will cause her great spiritual pain. Son 2:1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Lover Son 2:2 Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens. He is the rose of Sharon and a lily of the valleys. In the New Testament Jesus is never actually referred to as the rose of Sharon. However, He is here though I believe symbolically referred to as the rose of Sharon. Sharon is a plain - it is one of the largest valleyplains in all of Palestine. Back at the time of Solomon, it was considered a wild, fertile plain that had a lot of beautiful flowers in it. Sharon was supposed to have been known for its beauty and majesty back in those days. The person saying she is the "rose of Sharon" in the above verse was a Shulamite woman who apparently was Solomon’s bride. It could be that people like to use the analogy of Jesus being the Rose of Sharon because the New Testament refers to Jesus as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride. So God is using the "lover" analogy to describe the relationship that He wants us to have with the Lord Jesus and Himself. The rose of Sharon is supposed to be considered the most "perfect" of all flowers. Jesus is the perfect one, the one without blemish, the one who came as a man and sinned not for He was and is and always has been God and infinitely perfect.

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“I am … the lily of the valleys.” This may be a reference to the valley of Esdraelon. This valley has beautiful flowers in it, too. Actually, there is a profusion of flowers in all the valleys—along the coast south of Joppa, in the Jordan valley, around the Sea of Galilee. What is the lily of the valleys? There have been questions as to which flower is meant. Apparently it was the iris. The iris grows wild over there, and one can still see a great many of them. I am of the opinion that it does refer to that humble plant, the iris. He is the beautiful, stately rose and the humble iris. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” [1] So why is it that the Shulamite woman refers to herself in this way? Not so long ago in chapter one we saw some confusion as to her standing, some insecurity, but here surely she is gaining in confidence, she knows she belongs to the King, that they are man and wife and have become as one. She was I believe being changed, becoming more like her lover, and showing others who it was she belonged to. We need to know who we are in Christ, can people look at us and see the rose of Sharon, the Christ living in and through us? Oh to be like Him, to reflect something of His glory to the people around me, that’s my desire. The bride the shulamite woman was pleasing to her lover, she was reflecting a beauty such as that of a lily among thorns. We should reflect the beauty and character of our dear bridegroom. Jesus is the lily of the valleys - He is pure, He is lovely, He is beautiful, so His bride is a lily also, should bears the image of His loveliness and reflect it to men. This is what we as the church are to do today. We are to reveal to a world that is filled with thorns, briars, and thistles, the beauty of Christ. Beloved Son 2:3 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. Like a fruitful tree in the midst of a forest that’s trees bear no fruit is the bridegroom here, Jesus surely bears pure fruit, when we allow Him to transform and renew us we will bear healthy fruit, the fruit of the Spirit for Christ will be reflected in us. When I think of sitting under the shade I think of sitting under the shadow of His wings where we can find healing of the whole person. There is surely also a sweetness in our spirit when we 16

we allow it to engage with the Holy Spirit and to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God. It is my desire to do this. Is it yours? Son 2:4 He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. The bride sings a joyful song for she has been taken into the banqueting hall, and his banner of protection encompasses her with love. We the bride of Christ have been promised a wonderful banqueting feast, we have all been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb as His bride. He has set a canopy of His grace, love and mercy over us, He showers love upon us, What can our response be to this? We become so completely in love with the Lord causing us to trust your whole being to Him including all our circumstances! Psalm 103:1 "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name." Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Rev 19:8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Rev 19:9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' "And he added, "These are the true words of God." This message in the following poem has touched the hearts of a number of people reading this poem, the same message is extended by Jesus to every reader. You yourself have probably answered His call with an affirmative yes to His invitation, but right now He desires you to come closer to a deeper intimacy. So you can freely copy and distribute this poem for non commercial use to use for outreach purposes.

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INVITATION TO A WEDDING (the Wedding Feast of the Lamb) My dear friend Hello there, I want to extend an invitation personally to you, I am so excited and looking forward to my Wedding Day, That day is coming soon and I would love for you to be there too, Come and follow me and throughout eternity with me you will stay. For I am so longing for you to come running into my arms, My arms are opened wide and I am calling out your name, Come to me I want you to be part of the true church, my bride, Dear one, this world has no answers, come and in me abide. I loved you so much that I came and died on the cross for you, And now I’m longing for the day you will say” I love you too,” This wedding feast will be like no party you have ever seen, Come to me and you will be happier than you have ever been. Dear friend I am looking forward with anticipation for your reply, Repent of your sins and I will remember them no more, And all heaven will be rejoicing as I will be throwing a party. I will prepare a mansion just for you as part of the bride I adore. People from every tribe and nation have answered my call, They have said yes to me and they have surrendered their all, I want to pour my love upon you and give you real peace, This love I have for you my friend will never ever cease. The Groom –JESUS CHRIST RSVP Irene McGough © 2007 Son 2:5 Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.

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Raisin cakes were given by David to the people after the joyful return of the Ark of the Lord. The cry of our hearts should for the Lord to constantly strengthen and refresh us, as we seek after Him, as we cry out to Him expressing our love and devotion. Son 2:6 His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. The bride asks the bridegroom to sustain her. She doesn't attempt to strengthen herself. The bride yearns to be strengthened by His fruit! His fruit , the fruit of Jesus will always uphold and sustain you: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control. The Hebrew word for "stay" means to uphold, give support or to lean upon. The bride leaves the sustaining and refreshing entirely to Him! Praise God for the empowering of the Holy Spirit who makes us strong. We the bride are weak! Jesus is strong! What we need now are strong arms to support us. The bridegroom the Lord Jesus draws us His bride to Himself into the peacefulness of His embrace. Son 2:7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. The Bridegroom is teaching us that there must be a time of rest for His bride. We need time to be led by the Lord beside the still waters in order to have our souls renewed, refreshed and restored! Don't feel guilty about taking a rest. Remember, He wants it for us so that we can be spiritually more effective. The Bridegroom Jesus, tells those who serve her in the court to allow His bride to sleep peacefully. How gentle He is with her. He knows that there is still much for her to experience. Pause and praise Him that He knows the exact amount of progress we need at any given time. There is never a valid reason to become uneasy about the supposed "unknown" future when He is in control of our lives. He has our future planned. Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Psa 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. We need to enjoy His presence and leading in this moment and not be anxious, we just need to rest in Him, He has it all taken care of! Praise His holy name! COME ENTER MY REST “My child, come and cast your cares upon me, Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, Cast your burdens down at the foot of the cross, I want to bring you into my rest, no need for toil. I want you to incline your ear and listen to my voice, Stop now and listen, learn to recognize my voice, Child you keep going back to striving, busy doing, Yet it should be the rest I give, you should be pursuing. Don’t you see that in your weakness I give you strength? Child lean on me and you will do all things in my strength, For it was I who sent the Holy Spirit to empower you. Call upon me in your hour of need and I will hearken unto you. Trust in me, put your faith in me in all things to enter my rest. It’s time to stop wavering when you are put to the test, My dear child I see your heart and I see that it’s me you love, I want you to rest in my presence and let me pour out my love. Every tear I will wipe away, every hurt will be healed, Approach my throne of grace in this your hour of need, Repent and turn away from all that hinders perfect communion, My arms are open wide and I long for that sweet communion. Don’t look for the applause of men, rather fix your eyes on me, Put no confidence in your flesh but rely totally on me, Give your all to me, walk my way, serve me with your whole being, And you will know a joy and a rest which you have not yet seen. 20

I am jealous for your time, I know child that you long after me, You can be so busy trying to show others my love you lose sight of me, Yet to show my love you need that precious time with me. Look to me daily to help you win the race and learn to rest in me. Because you can run with me from the place of rest that I give, I will give you my strength to empower you for service, In my place of rest all your works will have fully ceased And you will discover what it is from striving to be released. So my child it is time for you to enter fully into my rest, There is liberty and freedom and joy in that place of rest, And I will direct all your paths and the way that you should go, And in that place of rest, you in me will really start to grow.” Love from Jesus

Irene McGough © 2009 Son 2:8 Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. Son 2:9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. Son 2:10 My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. Son 2:11 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Son 2:12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. Son 2:13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; 21

my beautiful one, come with me."

Are you aware of the deep longing in His heart for you to know just what the leaping and skipping mean? Our Bridegroom comes near and He says to us , “My bride, turn your eyes around and Look at me, look into My eyes. Listen to My voice! No matter what the enemy will bring against you; no matter how intense the problems and difficulties may be, look My darling bride, I have already conquered them! Every hill and every mountain - I like a young gazelle have leaped over them all. My resurrection power is greater than all of your troubles and I have put My Spirit inside of you to empower you. I have given you all of My precious promises! 2Co 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2Co 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 2Co 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 2Co 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. I have given you My Word! I love you with all of My heart and I'll be there with you when you face the mountains of fear, doubt, depression, failure and loss which will try to rob you of peace, joy and contentment. Just speak to the mountain in faith believing and it will be removed in My timing. Mar 11:23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Mar 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. When you speak to that mountain, stand on My promises and see the miracle of I Corinthians 10:13 fulfilled in you. You will know that I am alive in your heart as never before!” 22

1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Then He says to us His bride “I will be with you when you are depressed, hungry, mentally tired, having moments of physical weakness, and family problems! I will healer your sickness and diseases. I will meet your needs!” Psa 103:2 Praise the LORD , O my soul, and forget not all his benefitsPsa 103:3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, Isa 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Mar 8:4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" Mar 8:5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. Mar 8:6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. Mar 8:7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. Mar 8:8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. He has broken the power of sin, poverty, disease and lack. Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

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Gal 3:14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, Gal 3:29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. He has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Eph 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He has given us faith. Rom 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. He has given us strength Psa 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvationwhom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my lifeof whom shall I be afraid? He has given us wisdom 1Co 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Col 2:2 My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ. Col 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Jas 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

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He gives us everything we need Php 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. The Lord will bring us out victorious every time. God the Father will always cause us to triumph in Christ and we will be carriers of the aroma of His Presence. 2Co 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 2Co 2:15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. Our Bridegroom’s love will sustain you through the storms in life .He indeed calms the storm. Luk 8:25 He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." A young dear or gazelle moves swiftly abounding in leaps, can you picture the Lord Jesus coming to you in this way? How simply amazing is this? Why do you think the bride left the bridegroom to gaze at her through her window, she hesitated? How often do we do this with the Lord Jesus, how often do we distance ourselves? Yet he beckons “Come away with me, come closer.” This poem depicts what I believe He is saying to us. HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE MY BRIDE How beautiful you are my bride, Please do not try to hide, I have gone before you, And I have prepared a way for you. Every promise I will keep, For I have already made a conquering leap, No matter what comes against you, Know that I am with you. 25

My resurrection power is greater than your problems, You just need to claim the victory over them. Speak to your mountains and they will be removed, For that mountain of fear, grief or debt I have conquered. There is no temptation that you cannot withstand, Just come with me as I take you by the hand, I will lead you in the way that you should go, Stay by my side and my ways you will get to know. Oh my darling one, my bride come away with me, The beauty of my Kingdom I long for you to see, Winter is passing , we have the promise of spring, Come away with me a new song to sing. I look a leap upon the Mountain of Calvary, But on the third day I rose victoriously, And I did it that your sins might be forgiven, So that you my bride might be with me in heaven. Do you know that I want to heal your sickness, I want you to start to your faith release, For there is no circumstance where I am not in control, I want you healed up totally my bride and made whole. Do you know I will guide you and equip you always? You will carry the sweet fragrant aroma of my presence, I am with you every second of every day, And I have given you my Spirit to help you be me my witnesses. Ah, my, sweet lovely bride how beautiful you are, Please do not try to glimpse at me from afar, I have so much more to reveal to you, I long for intimacy, I want to embrace you with my kisses, come out of your complacency. Come away with me, my sister, my bride, my beloved ones. It’s time for you to come and enter into my throne room, Behold my glory and the beauty of my countenance as you gaze upon me, There is so much more I have to teach you from this place of intimacy. Irene McGough © 2009 26

Lover Son 2:14 My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Son 2:15 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. A moments hesitation and it is too late, she can no longer experience that sweet intimacy of the moment, and she starts to feel He is so distant for she did not respond with an affirmative yes right there and then and now her heart is aching. Oh how it aches because the lover of her soul seems so far off. Where is He going to take her? Her Beloved wants to meet her family. She needs to forgive her brothers for all that they did to her (1:6). She had retaliated with harsh words of bitterness and she needs to ask them to forgive her. The Beloved also longed to take His beautiful bride to fellowship with other surrendered lilies (6:3)! What joy she will experience! What fellowship! What an amazing presence of His will be felt! There are attacks and great spiritual battles coming, especially because of her love and surrender to Jesus. She needs the other lilies! She needs other members of the body of Christ (Eph.4:15,16). This will only come through unity with other surrendered believers. Satan will do anything to keep us divided in heart and from other members of the body of Christ. He doesn't mind us being faithful to church so long as we are at odds with something, someone or some group in the body of Christ. THERE IS TREMENDOUS POWER IN UNITY! [2] The Holy Spirit teaches us that there is nothing more important than love. 1Co 13:3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 1Co 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 27

1Co 13:5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 1Co 13:6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1Co 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1Co 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1Co 13:9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 1Co 13:10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 1Co 13:11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 1Co 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 1Co 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

PRAYER: "Dear Lord, Help me to clearly hear your voice. Open the eyes of my heart and let them be fixed on you alone. I am replying to you with a yes to your loving invitation to walk with you all the time, may I walk with you hand in hand Help me to move deeper into my relationship with you, fill me up afresh with your precious Holy Spirit into deeper revelations of who you are, of your wonder, your beauty, your love, your grace and mercy, that I might know you, really know you. I ask you to cleanse me, melt me , mould me, rid me of anything that would stop me from being able to go deeper so I am able to receive all that you so much want for me to have! I love you Lord Jesus, I ask you Lord to help that love to go deeper! Dear Lord my bridegroom, I love to hear the sound of your voice, your sweet whispering! I love your Word, I love your sweet touch! I don’t want to be like the bride in this passage, who does not initially respond to your voice pleading with her to go away with you, not to be distracted by fear of anything or anyone, and to stay on course with you. You are wonderful Lord, I see the beauty of the flowers, so much elegance and beauty in your creation, individuality in each flower, each insect,each animal and in each of us men and women and children. I hear the birds singing a beautiful song. I hear the voice of your precious Holy Spirit and I want to hear it even more clearly, much more clearly, I 28

want to be in tune with you Holy Spirit ! Take me to be a lily among your lilies Lord. Thank you for taking me by the hand and I am ready now, I am coming away with you! Let me never withhold anything from you again my dear Lord, my Saviour, my King my bridegroom, the love of my heart. In your precious name Lord Jesus, Amen! Picture the scene here as the Shulamite woman stood with tears in her eyes she was to afraid to step out with an affirmative yes, to go beyond her comfort zone. She wanted her groom to meet with her in her place of safety, she was not prepared to step out of her comfort zone, and yet inside she was so torn, for she was in love with Her King and she longed to be with Him. Jesus speaks to us here, "My love, look around and see the abundant supply of fruit purchased for you by my blood. Look at the fig trees and the vines with all the grapes. Fruit is already being produced in your life because of initial surrender but you must allow me to bring others into your life, so the fruit and seed planted can surely grow. Come with Me and have more glorious, spiritual fruit produced in you my beautiful one, my bride why do you hesitate? What else do I need to do to woo your heart to me so as to have you walk by My side in intimate, fruitbearing fellowship?" PRAYER: Lord I ask you to help me to act upon your promises, to step out in faith believing, to walk in unity and love and fellowship with my brothers and sisters, to walk in obedience to you, walking in step with you and Lord keep me humble. In your precious name Lord Jesus, AMEN! I was saved at the age of seven but for much of my Christian life, it has been about doing things for Him rather than seeking this intimacy. Infact, it is only in the past five years or so that I have started to learn what that is about. Sadly I have been through Bible School taught Sunday School, Bible Class, preached the Word, been a prayer ministry leader, worked with the homeless, been involved in outreach, been a church secretary, even taught an online small Bible School but lacked the real intimacy that 29

comes from that place of total surrender, walking hand in hand daily with my Jesus, thankfully He is now taking me on the most beautiful of journeys. Won’t you come along with me or more correctly come along with Jesus Christ, our sweet Lord and Saviour, our dear bridegroom? I have still so much more to learn, but the Lord is my teacher on this journey of discovery. . Beloved Son 2:16 My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Son 2:17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills The bride asks her lover, her groom to return, to turn back, for she knows best. Have you ever done that? Have you ever tried to tell the Lord that you know a better way than the one He has set before you? I know I have and I stumbled and fell, because it just doesn’t work. The bride thought nothing could possibly steal her joy, she was in such a place of complete euphoria in her love for the groom while she had been at the banquet, but we se clearly here how quickly this was stolen away. She did not go with Him when He asked her and that joy that had been hers at the banquet was indeed gone. The bridegroom never forced the Shulamite’s hand and forced her to go with Him, just as Jesus never ever forces us to do anything, and indeed He could but He has given us free will and He wants us to choose to love Him, to seek His face, to love Him with our whole hearts and to follow Him. PRAYER: Lord I pray that I will know real joy in you and that nothing can take way that joy, for I want to know you intimately take me into the secret place to be with you, nothing more will I withhold, I am coming up higher. Don’t let me walk away from your sweet presence, I long to fellowship with you, to be with you always, keep me free from sin that will interrupt my walk. Take me deep unto deep, closer and closer to you. In Your mighty wonderful name I ask this Lord Jesus, AMEN.

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[1]Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGhee [2] “I Love You With All My Heart!Always, Jesus”A devotional commentary on the Song of Solomon By Esher Shoshannah CHAPTER 3 Son 3:1 All night long on my bed I looked for the one my heart loves; I looked for him but did not find him. Now comes the time of pain and anguish, the Shulamite is alone in her marriage bed, and how she longs for the love of her life, but when he asked her to go with him and even promised to move mountains for her, she stepped back afraid of leaving the safe place which she knew. Can you imagine how she feels? I have been a Christian for a long time and I remember a number of occasions where I have done things my way instead of listening to the voice of God. Even prior to writing this I knew the Lord wanted me to write down what He was revealing to me, but I started taking the easy road full of quotations by established Evangelical scholars in my study of chapter 1 and He said no that was not what He wanted and I had to start again at the beginning and ask the Holy Spirit to help me write down what He wanted to reveal to me and in turn to the body of Christ. Why oh why don’t we learn? His way is best all of the time. God does want to take us out of our comfort zones, we may at times even come up a level in our walk with Him, but we establish for ourselves a new comfort zone which we don’t go beyond, and He beckons to us “ Come away with me, my sister my bride, I have prepared a path for you, I am even helping you move mountains, there is no problem you will face that I have not gone before you and prepared a way for you.” We need to learn the lesson of faith and simply trust the words of our Beloved Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus. If we did we 31

could keep our hearts from so much unnecessary pain. We Christians are so similar to the Shulamite bride. She dearly loves Him and longs for His presence more than anything else, yet she refuses to deal with the stuff “the little foxes” (see chap2:5) that have brought on this separation. The bride loved the private, personal relationship but was unwilling to step out with her bridegroom when He asked her to go with Him to those beautiful places He had in mind to take her too. Her love was not deep enough yet to move out with Him in faith. She had begun a life of surrender in chapter one. But now she is starting to realize how much she truly needs Him by her side twenty four hours a day for her to feel whole. Son 3:2 I will get up now and go about the city, through its streets and squares; I will search for the one my heart loves. So I looked for him but did not find him. I can imagine the bride here being afraid that her bridegroom would never forgive her, I can also see that what she was probably finding hardest of all was to forgive herself. Oh, the pain she must have felt now that she felt so distanced from the one she loves. Nothing else could satisfy her. Her longing for her dear bridegroom was so great. Have you ever got so close to the Lord and been so conscious of His Presence and then the little foxes have come along and stolen your joy, and the Lord has started to feel so distant from you? That longing was so deep she could not be satisfied with anything else except being in the presence of the King. But now He was so far away, would she ever find that close relationship, that sweet intimacy again? She must have felt so annoyed with herself, and indeed heartbroken, then she felt she must seek Him out diligently with every fibre of her being, she could not rest until she found Him. She must find that close intimate relationship with her King once again. Does your desire for close intimacy with the Lord have you seeking Him with every fibre of being? Do you feel you can’t rest until you find that closer walk? Does the desire for the Lord Jesus consume your whole being? That is the place the Lord wants us to get to, because only from that place can we start to walk fully into our destiny. We can go through our Christian lives and even do Christian work without

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reaching that place of real intimacy but we will lack the power. The Psalmist knew what it was to seek the Lord with all his mind and all his heart. Psa 42:1 AS THE hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. Psa 42:2 My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? Psa 42:3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, Where is your God? Psa 42:4 These things I [earnestly] remember and pour myself out within me: how I went slowly before the throng and led them in procession to the house of God [like a bandmaster before his band, timing the steps to the sound of music and the chant of song], with the voice of shouting and praise, a throng keeping festival. Psa 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, my Help and my God. Psa 42:6 O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the Jordan [River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar. Psa 42:7 [Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me. Psa 42:8 Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life. Psa 42:9 I will say to God my Rock, Why have You forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Psa 42:10 As with a sword [crushing] in my bones, my enemies taunt and reproach me, while they say continually to me, Where is your God? Psa 42:11 Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God. (AMP)

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I AM NO LONGER SATISFIED I am no longer satisfied for I know there is more, And I’ve got to come closer, I want more, I know that it’s only you, who can satisfy me Lord, So I come hungry, oh so hungry for you Lord, You came into my life and gave me a new start, And you dear Lord have captured my heart, You are beautiful Lord, you take my breath away, How I long for you, more of you this day. From the very depth of my being I am crying out, Lord I long to know you more is my shout, For I just long to see you face to face, just one glance And I will worship you forever in song and in dance. You’ve made a way for me to come up closer, The veil was rent into two and now I come up higher, I can enter the Holy Place just to be with you, Oh Lord, take me away into the Heavenly Places with you. And you have been waiting for me come closer, For you have wooed me, pouring your love upon me, And you have said to me “Dear one, come up higher, There are many things that I want you to see.” So I will come seeking, seeking to draw close to you, For I am longing after you, I’ve got to have more of you, And I will not be satisfied until I see you face to face, How I love your sweet presence poured out by your grace. I will not stop pursuing you Lord until I am satisfied, Lord you shed your blood upon that cross and for me you died, And I have to know you more, feel your very heart beat, Drawing closer to you caught up into the Heavenlies seated. So Lord continue to fan the flame, kindle the fire, more fire, For you are my Lord, my King, are the object of my deepest desire, Nothing else can satisfy this longing deep within, only you, And I know without a shadow of a doubt that you love me too. Irene McGough © 2008 34

The bride rose up from her state of depression and hopelessness and began to actively search for her Groom! There was a spark of hope and she acted upon it! When we have hurt the Lord deeply we shouldn’t ever entertain the thought the enemy feeds us of quitting. When we seek the Lord we will be found by Him. PRAYER: Dear Lord I pray that you will help me to put all depression, hopelessness, feelings of inadequacy behind me. Forgive me for I have not always sought you out the way I should, so often I have attempted to do things in my strength and go my own way I repent of this now and declare that from this moment on I want to constantly come along with you Lord, for you have a plan and purpose for my life and I want to fulfil it, for Lord I love you. Thank you for forgiving me and I ask you to help me to forgive myself for yesterday is gone and this is a new day with you. Let me live for you alone and teach me more ways of your Kingdom. In your precious name Lord Jesus, AMEN. Son 3:3 The watchmen found me as they made their rounds in the city. "Have you seen the one my heart loves?" Have you ever went to a pastor or a friend and told them how you were feeling, that you had a lost that moment of real intimacy and had not moved forward as you should, that in fact at that moment of time you felt there was a blockage between you and the Lord, maybe you were even finding difficulty praying and reading your Bible? This is the kind of scenario we find the Shulamite woman in, we do not know how many lonely nights she spent without the close intimacy with the one she loved. It could have been many, many nights. Her heart is crying out with a plea of desperation for she had to be restored to the one she loves, she just had to find him. Why did her bridegroom allow her to suffer so long? Those lonely days and nights of searching were for her to remember just how awesome her intimate moments with Him were. Absence is truly making the heart grow fonder and yearn more deeply for her groom. I am sure at this point she was thinking, "I will never, never take my Beloved nor take his love for granted again! I didn't realize how 35

important being in fellowship with him is to my own well being. I had declared in no uncertain terms that I was in total surrender to him and my love was so deep, yet I would not go with him when he pleaded with me." So she cries out from within, "My darling one, lover of my soul, my dear bridegroom, please let me find you once again. I am searching through the streets and I don't care what anyone else thinks I have just got to have you. Whatever it takes, whatever the humiliation, whatever I have to endure, I need you and you alone, I cannot live this life without you!” Are you in that place do you feel like this that you have just got to have a close intimate relationship with the Lord. There is only one thing important to a surrendered believer and that is with Jesus alone. Nothing else! I’ve been there so often, early on in this project the Lord spoke to me through a dream about keeping my focus on Him, not allowing confusion in, and not filling this book entirely with thoughts which He has given to others, quoting from every different source for He is the source of revelation for me. It was a very strange dream in which someone had a birthday and I had no stamp for the card, so could not post it on time, so I needed to travel thirty miles to give them their card if they were to have it in time and I got distracted by running about regarding a birthday card. Then someone I barely knew handed me their baby to take care off and when I went to give the baby back they were not ready to take him back. I got a call to go for an interview to nurse in a care home, so had to take this baby with me, the interview went on fairly long and I forgot the baby was outside the interview room at first and had to go back for the baby, and I had the baby in my arms when I found there was a search party out for me and this baby, for I had been away so long, even the police were searching for me and I had a lot of explaining to do and at this point my thoughts came back to the Lord Jesus and losing sight of Him, and accomplishing all that He would have me do in my study of this book and walking hand with Him at all times for the glory of His Kingdom. He continues to say to me right now, “Don’t get distracted I want you to come away with me, let me reveal all that I want to reveal to you, don’t take the easy route out and read half a dozen different commentaries and pick and choose thoughts which the Holy Spirit has given to others, you can use a quotation or two from others but this has to be mainly my revelation to you my child, and that means you need to spend time listening to me.” He is teaching me something new every day and it’s exciting, but I have to drink from the living waters daily, I have to come away with Him first thing in the morning, and walk with Him every second throughout the day. I can’t allow the little foxes to come along and steal my joy, my 36

close relationship with him, until He feels afar off. Do I fail in my walk? Do I get it wrong, oh yes I do, I am a work in progress, but I can’t bear to feel at all distanced from my Lord and Saviour my groom, He brings me back to the foot of the cross, and when I remember all He has done for me and continues to do for me, I want to please Him, I long to have close uninterrupted intimacy with Him, I long to be holy as He indeed is Holy and I am so thankful that although I have failed Him many times He loves me and says as He says of you, for child of God He remembers your sins and my sins no more “Look isn’t she( the bride) [male or female] beautiful my precious bride, how I love here and long for her to stay close to me.” Do you like me desire to get there too? Is that the longing of your heart? Do you want the longing within you to increase? Here was the poem and prayer of my heart back in 2007. AWAKEN UP A REAL PASSION FOR JESUS Awaken up a real passion for Jesus , Right from the depths of my heart, Anointed and on fire for Jesus, The fire of God consuming my heart. I raise my hands up in your presence, I smell your sweet fragrant essence, My beloved , how I long for you. I’m so glad you delight in me too. Reveal more and more of yourself to me. Spirit pour the love of God into my heart, I love the way that you love one such as me, I want to love you with my whole heart. Control my whole being, free me from sin, The Word of God going deep within. Spirit of Elijah, show me your power, Release your glory, release your power, I want to dwell in your secret place, I am longing to see you face to face, I’m amazed at the wonder of your grace. 37

Lord, you died for the whole human race. Lord give me your heart, that I might see. People around me, just what you see. Help me to reach out with your compassion, For You Lord, are the object of my passion. Irene McGough © 2007 Have you prayed that as a prayer along with me? If so it’s time for us to go deeper? There was repentance in the bride’s heart already. She now puts feet to her repentance and begins to search for Him whom her soul loves so deeply. Hear the cry of the Psalmist. Psa 30:7 LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. Psa 30:8 I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication: Psa 30:9 "What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? Psa 30:10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!" Psa 30:11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, Psa 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. (NKJV) He moved from a place of despair from being troubled and down in the pit for he cried out to the Lord in his hour of despair and the Lord came and rescued him and now his mourning has been turned into dancing, he is now clothed with gladness and singing praises to the King of Kings.

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I underlined the word cried because we need to conceive that this was a cry from the depth of his heart, this was cries of desperation and repentance, turning back to the Lord. The bride’s heart is absolutely focused on restoring her first love and seeing it grow even stronger. She must have Him. The promise found in Jer. 29:13,14 kept coming back to her, if she would keep seeking He would allow Himself to be found. The Holy Spirit knows just how long it would take to strengthen us the bride in our spirits and see our stubborn rebellious will defeated. The lesson we need to learn once and for all, is never to take our eyes off the Lord. God’s watchmen have a deep, Spirit-filled understanding of the Word of God, warning us of impending danger. We live in a season on this earth where the Prince of darkness temporarily rules. No matter how dark it gets we have the light of the world within us. Joh 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Col 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, Sometimes we need to seek and hear instructive counsel! How important it is for us to listen to those who are in spiritual leadership and have been given a charge from God to watch over us, but check what any man or woman say aligns with God’s Word. Heb 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for your pastors and your leaders as they carry out their God-given gift and responsibility in the power of the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord for pastors and leaders who truly care for, the sheep's welfare! Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 39

Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. We need to fix our eyes upon Jesus. You may know the words of this old chorus I sung as a teenager. It was actually a hymn but by the early seventies somehow it was only the chorus that was sung. TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS By Helen Hemmel 1922 Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

Son 3:4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found the one my heart loves. I held him and would not let him go till I had brought him to my mother's house, to the room of the one who conceived me. What a gloriously wonderful moment the bride has found the one whom she loves. She can once again know His sweet embrace and she was going to hold on to him as though her very life depended on it. She had learned something from that period when she had felt so lost and alone in the world and she never ever wanted to lose sight of her bridegroom again. Can you imagine that first moment when she goes running into His arms? And she takes him to introduce him to her family, that they might know the love of her heart, and come to love him too. Has Jesus made such a significant change in your life that you just have to introduce others to Him, and you want them to see how happy and changed you are because you know Him?

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MY HEART SINGS WITH LOVE FOR YOU. Oh Lord, my heart sings with love for you, How many days and nights has it ached for you? Yet I lost sight of you darling one, my first love, You came and brought me home by the power of your dove. I have found you now and I can never let you go again, Without you Lord I cannot find happiness in this world of men, For many days my heart felt as though it was breaking apart, For the rest of my days I want to walk with you for you have my heart. And you found me there and wrapped me in your arms once again, Joy and happiness are filling every crevice of my heart, Although I am unworthy I know great joy for I have been forgiven. Please don’t let me spend another day from you apart. How I love you, my heart and soul cries out to you, And I am so thankful that you love me too. For it’s joy unspeakable to be under the shelter of your loving arms, And I know that when I am with you I will come to no harm. My dear bridegroom will you come and introduce yourself to my family, I want them to see you as I see you, to see you so clearly, I want them to know the joy of knowing you and loving you, For you are so beautiful to me and I long for them to know you too. Irene McGough © 2009

Son 3:5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires. See how tenderly the Lord cares for us, He will not force us to go up a level until that time which we are indeed ready, he will not force us into a greater level intimacy until we ourselves are ready for it. He wants us to come with such earnest intent, just seeking Him alone, when nothing else can satisfy us more than being in His presence, more than being in a close intimate

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relationship with Him. He says, my bride come and seek my face, when you seek me I will be found by you. Pro 8:17 I love those who love me. And those who seek me diligently will find me. AWAKEN IN ME A LOVE SO DEEP Awaken in me a love so deep, Let me no longer slumber or sleep, A deeper level of intimacy with you I seek, That you become the earnest desire I seek. Lord you have searched me and known me, Cleanse me, create a pure spotless spirit within me, To behold your face Lord is all I long for, Help me now above the eagles to soar. May my love for you deepen day by day. I cannot live one moment without your presence, Holy Spirit I ask you to come and have your way, May I see and hear more clearly in the spiritual realms. Irene McGough © 2009

S on 3:6 Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense made from all the spices of the merchant? Dear reader, can you smell the fragrance of His sweet perfume as you read through this passage? Are you getting a picture of how much He loves you as you read through Songs of Solomon? His love is so beautiful, it is pure and perfect, are you ready to come to come out of the desert place, if you are still even partially in it to be with Him? He is longing after us His bride, you and I are the desire of His heart, how wonderful and marvellous is that? We are meant to be carriers of His fragrance as I mentioned previously, we are meant to be so like Him that His reflection and fragrance is seen in us throughout this world of darkness. 42

2Co 2:15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. The fragrance of Jesus ~ come find these gifts in Me. All perfumed scents are found, the rose and sweetest lily. My robe is all anointed, precious calamus flow. From every fold ~ pure spices, lo! I am the mountain of high and holy love. My robe is drenched with goodness dripping for My dove. Come near and live within this place! The anointing of the Beloved you would daily taste. So much more would I give! The world I want to know! All the world would belong to Me if My Bride would overflow, the goodness of compassion, My deeds poured out like myrrh. The fragrance of Jesus, sweet mercy does incur. Life instead of death. The eternal fragrant spring. The broken seal, the fragrance poured, all the loveless bring!" -Jesus

(My friend Amy used with permission)

YOUR LOVE Dear Lord there is no other love like yours, A love that is so constant, steadfast and sure, Love so amazing and so totally pure, The love that is surely sinful man’s cure, You came and you wooed me with that love, For you saw me hurting and reached down from above, There is no other love quite like your love, You endured the cross to make a home for me above. You came and you healed me and saved my soul, And now I am rejoicing feeling I am made whole, Your love touched deep into my heart, And your love gave me a fresh new start. 43

Your love alone is pure and righteous, Your arms stretch out wide for prodigals to come, They move your way and you run to them with forgiveness, You welcome them like a son who has wandered far from home. Your love is love beyond all measure, Your love is my greatest treasure, How I love you Lord, I must come closer, The desire of my heart is to come up higher and higher. I love to behold the beauty of your countenance, You are so beautiful to me as I gaze upon you, As I gaze upon you there is such a sweet radiance, Then I see your expression knowing how you love me too. Yet throughout my journey there have been many days, When I have attempted to do things my way, Oh, how can I forget that your way is always best? For it’s only when I walk closely with you I find rest. So many sleepless, restless nights in my past, I could have most surely been saved from, If instead of feeling lonely and forlorn, My fears and anxieties on you I had cast. Yet your love so me there in that place, And you said “My bride seek my face, Come away with me now and I will show you the way, What seems like a mountain can be removed today.” “I am coming your way, now dear Lord, And let this be the voice of your bride in one accord, For you have laid out the best path for us to take, That we need not needlessly wrong choices make. Yet you never ever force us Lord to go your way, We have a choice to make each and every day, Will we choose to go with you Lord today? Or where we are in our comfort zones stay? Yet you pour out upon us your love, Salvation’s plan was wrought with your love, 44

Your love speaks of love poured out for us, What wonderful amazing love is yours Lord Jesus. So Lord let us your bride say yes to your call, And lovingly respond by giving you our all, Teach us to love the way that you love, That we in turn might show others your kind of love.” Irene McGough © 2009 Son 3:7 Look! It is Solomon's carriage, escorted by sixty warriors, the noblest of Israel, Do you see here how Solomon’s carriage offered such protection for His bride, they were escorted by sixty warriors, the finest and noblest in Israel. He had to have the best to protect his bride. The Lord has sent His angels to watch over us from before we were born, He sends His warring angels out to watch over you and I. Psa 91:11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. Gain confidence now in the knowledge of what the Lord is doing for you. Psa 103:18 To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them. Psa 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. Psa 103:20 Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. Psa 103:21 Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Psa 103:22 Bless the LORD, all His works, In all places of His dominion. And the angels in heaven do rejoice in the Lord, for He indeed has established His throne in heaven and those angels are obedient to His command. 45

Son 3:8 all of them wearing the sword, all experienced in battle, each with his sword at his side, prepared for the terrors of the night. Child of God, the bride of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ you and I need not fear, He is protecting us and He has infact, given us a coat of armour ourselves as weapons of our warfare. Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psa 91:3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. Psa 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. Psa 91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Psa 91:6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. Psa 91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.

I WANT TO DWELL IN THE SECRET PLACE I want to dwell in the secret place of the most High, And I long to live under the shadow of the Almighty. My Lord is my refuge and my fortress, I trust in Him, He is my deliverer and my healer, there is none like Him. He protects me under the shadow of His Wings, Of His truth and His faithfulness I will sing, I will not be afraid of the terror of the night Nor any harm by day for I will keep Him in my sight. I shall not live in fear of sickness, disease or even death, For though many fall by my side, to my right or my left, 46

“So I will stay strong in the knowledge that my God protects, I praise you Lord for you are my refuge and strength. I will spend my days dwelling in the secret place with you, No evil will fall on me, nor will calamity come near me. I can rest in the knowledge that your angels protect me too, And because of Jesus I can trample all things under my feet. I long after you with passionate love, thank you for saving me, Forever I will praise your name, the one who first loved me, When I call upon you; you answer each and every prayer, I go through life’s trials with confidence that you are there. And you will raise me up and take me out of the miry clay, You are my deliverer and I will serve you all of my days, With a long fulfilled life, will I be satisfied, living for you, For you have saved my soul, setting me free to dance with you Irene McGough © 2008

The Whole Armour of God Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Eph 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[3] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph 6:13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, Eph 6:15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Eph 6:16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

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Eph 6:18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-Eph 6:19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, Eph 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. DESIRING TO BE A MIGHTY WARRIOR Here you are running towards Abba Daddy Do you see his loving arms outstretched just for you, So come like a little child with eyes only for Daddy, For deep down inside you long for him to embrace you . And he takes you on his knee wiping your tears away, He calls you his child and speaks with words of love, He says your sins are forgiven, Jesus washed your sins away, And now the Holy Spirit has come to you like a dove. And he is stripping you of the stuff that gets in the way, All, the pretence, all the pride and the intellectualism must go, For behind the façade your heart cries “Daddy I need you each day,” The truth is you can’t manage in your own strength, any more. It is only when you come like a little child in perfect submission, That you can be raised up as a Mighty Warrior of God. And you say “Strip me of self and raise me up in this generation, Not by my might, nor my power; but Holy Spirit I need you. For I need you to come empowering me for battle, For I want to be a warrior equipped for battle, Abba Father, Daddy total surrender to you is my intent, That I as your child may as a warrior slay all my giants.” Irene McGough © 2008 I AM A SOLDIER I am a believer and a soldier in the army of God, To spread the good news my feet are with gospel shoes shod, Upon my head I wear my helmet of salvation for all to see, 48

For I know with assurance that I am saved and set free. This armour the Lord has given me is thick and battle worn, But after many years of use it is now mighty and strong, The enemy may come trying to bring me down, A defeated foe because Christ has gone before me and already won. So because Jesus shed his blood I, my breastplate of righteousness adorn, For holiness and walking in righteousness is my longing, And I need not worry though I am surrounded on all fronts, For Satan has already been defeated and Jesus the victory has won. Around my waist I wear this beautiful strong belt of truth, Not compromising, I will proclaim that Jesus is the way, the life and the truth, And when I go into battle I am protected by my huge shield of faith, I will not be beaten by attacks in the spiritual realm or from the human race. I have the Spirit who empowers me so I need not walk in fear. I shall walk in might and power protected by heavy armour gear, I will keep my armour intact and be sure to carry my sword, The Holy Spirit himself wields this sword which is God’s Word. So I will pray at all times staying in touch with the battle commander, For I need to be alert and watchful and in prayer persevere, Interceding and upholding my brothers and sisters in prayer, That they with me will keep fully intact their battle gear. For when the army are fully united in the task in front of them, Together we will function as the King’s men, And together every foe, every enemy we will defeat, For with one purpose we have learned at our Commander’s feet. So as of now I am staying alert in prayer keeping my armour intact, For I desire to walk boldly in righteousness and that’s a fact, I will listen to the voice of my Commander and obey his commands, I will follow the cloud by day and the fire by night and stay standing. Irene McGough © 2008

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Son 3:9 King Solomon made for himself the carriage; he made it of wood from Lebanon. Son 3:10 Its posts he made of silver, its base of gold. Its seat was upholstered with purple, its interior lovingly inlaid by the daughters of Jerusalem. Son 3:11 Come out, you daughters of Zion, and look at King Solomon wearing the crown, the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, the day his heart rejoiced. King Solomon had made this beautiful carriage and a beautiful couch within for him and his bride. Even more special, s much more special, our Lord has gone to prepare beautiful mansions in His Father’s house, beautifully adorned rooms especially for His bride, where the fullness of His glory will be revealed to us, and we will behold clearly the beauty of our dear bridegroom, the one who first loved us. Can you picture in your mind’s eye what it will be like when on that glorious wonderful day we behold our Lord and Saviour in full majestic splendour, for He is the glorious one, He is our groom but let us never ever forget He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords , the Alpha and Omega, the one who first loved us and gave His life for us, yet He is the Spotless Holy Lamb of God, let us never forget that we need to revere Him as King, stand back in awe and wonder for He the Lord is Holy. When we see Him as He is, even get just a glimpse we cannot but get a glimpse of who He is and how we must honour Him in all we do, we should have such a holy reverence and awe for our Lord and our God that we have fear of doing anything that displeases Him, yet we should know that we are truly forgiven, but He calls us to walk in obedience, to listen to His voice and follow Him in all that we do and all that we say. Our desire should be to be like Him, that He might clearly be seen in us, to all we come in contact with. Joh 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. Joh 14:2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 50

Joh 14:4 And where I go you know, and the way you know." Joh 14:5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" Joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. MY LORD AND MY GOD My Lord and my God, I find it so hard for me to comprehend, How the Lord of heaven and earth could love me like you do? Yet you love me without measure, a love that will never end, The desire of your heart is to have me really love you too. You long for me to know real intimacy with you, And you have birthed in me a longing for you too So here I am once again moving on into the secret place, Where I might draw ever closer, and come face to face. With you my dear Saviour the one whom I adore, For I come thirsty and hungry seeking more and more, And as I draw closer I am overwhelmed by your presence. Holy Spirit come, teach me Godly wisdom and revelatory lessons. So Lord I give you permission to sift through all the dross, My whole life might be submitted to you, who died on that cross, And may I live the rest of my life for you and you alone, Until that glorious marvellous day when you call me home. Irene McGough © 2008 PRAYER: Dear Jesus, lover of our souls, how we love you and we praise you and thank you for your amazing love for us, we have been at times an unfaithful bride, infact we were at one time dead in our sins and you came and rescued us, as only you could. Now you are preparing beautiful mansions just for us, because we are the object of your desire. Lord we ask you to increase our desire for you, make us so hungry we can be satisfied with nothing else but you, we long after you Lord, take us deeper and purify us, cleanse us deep within. In your precious Name Lord Jesus, AMEN. 51

I AM NO LONGER SATISFIED I am no longer satisfied for I know there is more, And I’ve got to come closer, I want more, I know that it’s only you who can satisfy me Lord, So I come hungry, oh so hungry for you Lord, You came into my life and gave me a new start, And you dear Lord have captured my heart, You are beautiful Lord, you take my breath away, How I long for you, more of you this day. From the very depth of my being I am crying out, Lord I long to know you more is my shout, For I just long to see you face to face, just one glance And I will worship you forever in song and in dance. You’ve made a way for me to come up closer, The veil was rent into two and now I come up higher, I can enter the Holy Place just to be with you, Oh Lord, take me away into the Heavenly Places with you. And you have been waiting for me to come closer, For you have wooed me, pouring your love upon me, And you have said to me “Dear one, come up higher, There are many things that I want you to see.” So I will come seeking, seeking to draw close to you, For I am longing after you, I’ve got to have more of you, And I will not be satisfied until I see you face to face, How I love your sweet presence poured out by your grace. I will not stop pursuing you Lord until I am satisfied, Lord you shed your blood upon that cross and for me you died, And I have to know you more, feel your very heart beat, Drawing closer to you caught up into the Heavenlies seated. So Lord continue to fan the flame, kindle the fire, more fire, For you are my Lord, my King, are the object of my deepest desire, Nothing else can satisfy this longing deep within, only you, And I know without a shadow of a doubt that you love me too. Irene McGough © 2008 52

CHAPTER 4 Son 4:1 How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead. The Shulamite woman had refused to go with Solomon , but he still saw her eyes as though they were "dove’s eyes". All she wanted was her groom the King to herself, so she had difficulty responding to King Solomon’s request for her to go away with Him. Can you see here that even when we have not been in the best place with the Lord , when we have not responded to His call to come closer straight away when we seek after Him He sees His Dove - the Holy spirit shining through our eyes, He knows we belong to Him and is so happy to have us once again turning to our first love, in those moments when He sees we are truly the object of His desire. The bride here like us sometimes did not fully realize that the King wanted to take her to higher levels of intimacy. The Saviour though looks deep into our eyes and says “I see the Spirit at work within you and your eyes are so beautiful when me you are seeking for me with longing in them, I can see in those moments how you feel that only I can satisfy that longing deep within you.” How He loves when He sees us ready to surrender our all to Him. Solomon loved the Shulamites hair, but have you thought how the Lord has counted every single hair upon your head and mine. Mat 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Son 4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone. King Solomon describes His bride’s teeth as being like a flock of sheep just shorn, just coming up from cleansing and each one has it’s twin none are on their own. Now what does that mean to the bride of Christ? The body of Christ the church- the bride- has many members and each is inter- dependant on one another. We are washed clean by the blood of the Lamb and follow my way of thinking here we need mature adult teeth to digest the strong meat, milk teeth won’t do and 53

the Lord wants us the Bride to digest the meat from His Word with our new cleansed teeth- teeth of righteousness, move on to full maturity, and as a body work together for the glory of His Kingdom. Son 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. And Jesus would say to us the Bride “My blood has cleansed you and changed even the way you talk, you are constantly being renewed and changed as you seek to spend time with me, I love when you praise my Name in Word and song, it was I who put that song in your mouth.” Psa 40:3 He has put a new song in my mouth-Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. What do we find beyond the veil? The holy of Holies can be entered into because when the body of Jesus was broken for us. His blood was shed for us and the veil was rent into two giving us access to press right on in to this sacred Holy Place., we now can tabernacle with our God, know His presence with us each moment of every day. Pomegranates produce a red juice, beyond the veil the blood of Jesus paved the way for us His bride. We are blood washed sinners, made righteous only by our standing in Him, because He first loved us. Our identity has been changed because we are His, we belong to Jesus, He is our King and we are His bride. 1Pe 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Heb 10:20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh

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MY SOUL DOES MAGNIFY YOU Oh Lord my God my soul does magnify you. And my Spirit will rejoice in Christ my Saviour, Generation after generation have been blessed by you, You saw my need and gave me a new life to savor. Lord you are mighty and you have done great things for me, And Lord Your name is Holy and I want others to see, That you shower grace and mercy on those who love You. Generations have known your strong arm upholding them too. So Lord I cast down my pride and my imagination, I pray, "Oh Lord, make me humble for I am a new creation." The desire of my heart is to be a humble servant of Yours, Yet I long to be Mighty for the Kingdom, so Lord let me loose. I came to My Lord in my time of hunger and He fed me, I came With a thirst and he quenched it with living waters, My Lord has blessed me indeed and met all my needs, For on days long ago He planted His Word as a precious seed. And I will rejoice in my merciful King who saved me by grace, And I love to spend time with Him in the secret place, All the days of my life I will praise you name, Oh Lord, Raising a standard proclaiming "You alone are God." Irene McGough © 2007 Son 4:4 Your neck is like the tower of David, built with elegance; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors. When we the Bride submit ourselves to the Lord we become strong in Him like our maker who is a strong tower, so our necks our stance, our appearance has a new elegance because He can be seen in us. We can stand tall for we are God’s Warrior’s surrounded by angels who are sent to protect us and from this position of submission we find a new strength for our armour cannot be penetrated. The problem is for us to have such a neck we need to get to that place of total submission, we

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need to submit our whole selves over to the Lord, holding nothing back. Why a thousand shields, and not just one? A "thousand" represents blessing the Lord with multiple sacrifices. 1Ch 29:20 Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless the LORD your God." So all the assembly blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD and the king. 1Ch 29:21 And they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the next day: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. When the people of God gather together in unity for the purpose of prayer and praise we are offering up a multiple sacrifice of prayer and praise when we come with one mind and heart seeking the Lord with submitted hearts multiple sacrifices are indeed offered up. We together in unity are all members of the body, the bride of Christ. Let us offer our hearts in submission to our Lord and we should not forsake assembling together with our brothers and sisters who are also part of His bride. Son 4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, like twin fawns of a gazelle that browse among the lilies. Okay it’s time for us to get over any view of this as being purely sexual in context as regards the two breasts. That is not what we should see here from this verse. In the verse quoted below we see the two functions of the breastplate being that of faith and love. 1Th 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. Tabitha means gazelle and it was Tabitha who was raised from the dead. Act 9:40 But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.

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A spiritual gazelle is one who sees a need and quickly and quietly rushes to meet that need. Here we have mention of the lilies again. When one is truly surrendered to the Lord they long to fellowship with like minded believers. When we meet together we can strengthen one another in the faith. We can encourage one another. We can learn from one another. PRAYER. Dear Lord Jesus thank you for your blood shed for me, to wash away my sins, thank you that the veil is rent in two and because of this I, as part of your bride can enter right into the ‘Holy of Holies’ to that place of real intimacy with you. May my life be a living sacrifice unto you, wholly submitted, to you. Fill me with faith and love, strengthen me and may I like a young gazelle see needs and quickly run to meet them In Your Precious Name Lord Jesus I pray, AMEN. Son 4:6 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense. Myrrh represents the death of our dearly beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus, our King, upon the cross for us so we shall once again visit Mount Calvary where He died for us. Do you dream of Jesus in the middle of the night, does He inhabit your thoughts and dreams 24/7? I do sometimes dream of Him in the midst of the night but I cannot yet say this is my experience nightly, but this is what I desire, for I want to know Him more, so much more. The shadows are dispelled by the blood of Jesus, all that can come against us is overcome by the blood of Jesus. Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. TAKE ME BACK TO THE CROSS Father, take me back to the cross that I might see, More of what it cost for my Lord to die for me, 57

From heaven’s glory He came to a lowly birth, Born in Bethlehem as Micah had prophesied this. One among the twelve betrayed Him with a kiss, Giving His master up for thirty pieces of silver no less, What anguish of heart the Lord Jesus must have felt at this? For Judas saw Him as Master, but He was never His Lord. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus sweat drops of blood, As he contemplated the bitter cup he must drink, He must go as a lamb to the slaughter as prophesied in the Word, The mental anguish of this must been horrific I think. The agonising scourging He took was that I might be healed, For by His Stripes my sicknesses and diseases are healed, It was my sins that took my Lord to the cross on that day, He died that his blood might wash my sins all away . And what excruciating pain he bore for one such as me, The scourging alone would remove layers of skin. His nerves would be exposed and damaged can’t you see? Oh the agony, that my Lord endured and He did it all for me. Pilate asked the crowds who to release, would it be Jesus Son of Man? But the crowds wanted release of the thief Barabbas the son of a man. So Pilate gave Jesus up to the crowd, washing his hands of this dreadful deed, The King of the Jews wearing a crown of thorns, this would be agony indeed. Beaten, bleeding and in excruciating pain Jesus must go up Mount Calvary, The cross on His back He must bear so God sent Simon His cross to bear, And all around the crowds did jeer as Jesus proceeded, their sins to bear. A bitter cup of gall they offered Him to drink at Golgotha on Mount Calvary. But the bitterest cup of all was that which He swallowed on the cross, When He took your sins and mine on His body on the cross, They nailed Him to the cross piercing His hands and his feet, And they made His grave with the wicked, He who knew no deceit. 58

My Saviours words to You Father were “Forgive them for they know not what they do,” Then as He was taking the sins of the whole world on Himself, He cried “It is finished.” And now I gaze upon that cross and get an inkling of what He suffered for me and you, I’m so thankful that He has forgiven me for it was for me His blood was shed. The temple veil to the Holy of Holies was rent in two making way for me to enter in, A once for all sacrifice by the precious Lamb of God, Messiah, had been paid for my sin The grave couldn’t hold Him and on the third day the King of Kings rose again, Now He sits at the Father’s right hand on His heavenly throne, and soon He’s coming again. Irene McGough © 2007 Son 4:7 All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you. King Solomon no longer sees the faults of the Shulamite woman, his bride and isn’t it amazing for this is how Jesus sees us for He remembers our sins no more. 2Co 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Heb 8:12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Isa 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD . "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

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It is only through Him that we are made righteous, we cannot boast of anything in and of ourselves. By the grace of God we are saved, the blood of Jesus has washed us white as snow. And He looks upon us today and sees us as something beautiful, for despite the fact that we are as yet in the process of sanctification He sees us without fault and blemish, for we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Son 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions' dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards. Once again King Solomon beckons His bride to come away with Him, this time the answer must surely be “Yes, I will come away with you.” THE BRIDEGROOM Come see our bridegroom with outstretched arms, His eyes search deep and piercing into His beloved’s eyes, He says” My beloved I long for you to come up here, Rise up my bride, my fair one come away with me,” Let the bride in unison with the Spirit say “Come.” Longing for your sweet presence we come, We come thirsting and drinking from the living waters, In passionate pursuit of the One who we adore, Feeling that longing from down deep within, For our dear Saviour who has freed us from sin, We enter your courts with thanksgiving in our hearts, Yielding wholly unto Him we make a new start. The glory of the Lord transcends from His throne room, Our beloved Saviour and King, the one coming soon, We take our place caught up in the heavenlies with Him, Moving right on into the Throne room with Him. We gaze in wonderment at that wonderful glow, 60

Like a glorious rainbow encircling the one we adore, We see that beautiful compassionate love as He gazes upon us, His bride, the one He adores, as He pours love out upon us. Face to face with Christ our Lord, our bridegroom, The one who has pursued us from the beginning, Now here we are coming all the way home to Him. Throughout all eternity His praises we will sing. Holy, Holy, Holy are you, Lord God Almighty, you call us your own, Singing with the angels and elders around your throne, “You’re worthy, oh Lord to receive all glory, honour and power, Lord there is none like you, how we long for you in this hour.” Irene McGough © 2007

Avoid the dangers of the lion’s dens. Leopards like to hide among the flowers and shrubbery. Their spots act as a camouflage but they are dangerous to any creature who are unaware of them lurking there. In the same way satan will try to throw things into our path that will stop us from keeping on course going away with our Lord to those higher places. At Calvary though that battle was one our dear bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ defeated every demonic force that can come against us. Satan and his angels are on their last rampage and they are getting desperate for their time is getting so short. Our bridegroom is coming sooner than we think. Eph 1:22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, Eph 1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Because all things are under the feet of Jesus and He is the head of us the church, the body; we who are in Him, His body have all things under our feet spiritually. In this day and in this hour the Holy Spirit is crying out to us the words Jesus has for us, “Come out, and be set apart for me” 2Co 6:17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. 61

Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." He is calling us to be wholly set apart for Him, for us to be holy for He is so Holy. Lebanon was a beautiful country bordering Israel but it also was a compromising nation. Let it never be said of us that we have in anyway compromised our faith. Let us heed the voice of our bridegroom and give a loud resounding “Yes” to his cry. YES LORD Lord I have to say yes when you call my name, I can no longer try and hold on to the reigns, You are asking me to put all aside and follow you, It is time for me to put aside all compromise too. I know that where you are taking me is the safest place to be, And I want to go to new heights and see all you want me to see, Here I am Lord I’m ready to surrender all to you, For I can’t live another second apart from your presence now. Irene McGough © 2009 Son 4:9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. Can these words really be in God’s Word? Could it be that the Lord would utter those words from His soul about me? This is amazing. When we are willing to go with Him to the mountain tops, He says and I like what the NKJV says here best “You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse.” He loves for us to spiritually walk with Him, hand in hand throughout our lives. This is the same heart which was broken and pierced for our sin and now we as the bride are being told in this scripture that His heart is so ravished by us in overwhelming love in what He sees in us! It is as if we totally steal His attention so that He can think of nothing else. We are His new creation! What does Jesus see in us? He sees us being changed to 62

become more like Him to show the beauty of holiness as we are coming to Him as His surrendered blood bought bride. YOU RAVISH MY HEART How beautiful you are my sister, my spouse, Such passion in me you do arouse, You have ravished my heart, Now you are a beauty set apart. I love to see your eyes dancing, When joyfully you at me are glancing, You proudly display the jewels I gave you, That let the world know you belong to me now. My heart is filled with joy when you draw close, How I love to see that longing deep within you, Before you were even conceived it was you I chose, For I saw then how you would embrace me too. I saw you rising up to come away with me, Becoming more beautiful each and every day, Transforming into a bride only fit for me, And now you are letting me guide you along life’s way. Your Bridegroom,

Jesus Irene McGough © 2009 Son 4:10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice! What is it the King sees here? He is seeing something in her love, a love that is deepening, becoming stronger daily, a love that is maturing, more pleasing than wine, and her perfume is so perfect. So what does this mean to us as the bride of Christ? He loves to see our love for Him grow, our devotion, when we cry out to Him with such longing in our hearts, when we come desirous of knowing Him more, when we are prepared to surrender our all over to Him, and give 63

Him our all, when He becomes more important to us than life itself, and He sees this as so pleasing , more pleasing than new wine, and He loves our sweet fragrance, because the fragrance that we are wearing is the sweet aroma of His Presence as we draw closer to Him. PRAYER: Dear Lord, lover of my soul, how I love you, I am so amazed that you can be ravished by one such as me, let me love you with my whole heart, I cannot find the right words to express the height, depth, and width of the love I have for you, but it was you who first loved me, it was you whose heart was pierced for my sake and it was your blood that washed my sins away. I can no longer withhold one iota from you, Take me away with you. In Your Name Lord Jesus I Pray, AMEN Son 4:11 Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride; milk and honey are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like that of Lebanon. The Lord just loves it when we praise Him, when we speak His Name with thanksgiving in our hearts and when we tell others about Him. He loves to hear us encourage others too. When our tongues are tamed by the work of the Holy Spirit within us and we speak Words of life and not death, He loves it. He loves to hear us when we commune with Him in prayer, when we enter the secret place seeking only Him and we are receptive to His kisses He loves it. He loves the fact that we have a new set of clothing, we are no longer clothed in rags but clothed in garments of praise, salvation and righteousness, to the praise of His glory. Honey and milk speak of abundance and I believe here the honey relates to His Word, we the bride need to allow the Holy Spirit to have His sway and eat manna from heaven, the Word of God. Psa 9:1 I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works. Psa 9:2 I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

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Php 1:11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. 1Co 14:3 But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them. Eph 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, Isa 61:10 I delight greatly in the LORD ; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Son 4:12 You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain. Jesus has created a new spiritual garden for the heart of every believer. The Holy Spirit has planted it by applying the precious blood of Jesus to our spirit man! Because He shed His blood for us we have become new creations in Christ Jesus. This wonderful garden would once again be a place where God could fellowship with us the bride intimately. There is so much more beauty in us the bride which Jesus sees, still locked up and yet untapped, He sees springs of living waters from the Holy Spirit ready to just burst forth from us. He sees such potential in us, He said we would do greater works than even He had done because He was returning to His Father. He wants to see those seals totally broken in us and let the springs of living waters gush forth from us with powerful force. 2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! Joh 7:38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." Joh 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Son 4:13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, 65

with henna and nard, Do you see the plants within the bride’s heart garden? It is surely not by accident that we firstly see an orchard of pomegranates, those fruits with blood red juice. The blood of Jesus has washed us the bride’s hearts clean, we are being changed because we have Jesus in our lives. How precious is the blood of Jesus? And we bear fruit because we have become new creations in Him, we are His bride and people ought to see Him in us. Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Joh 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Joh 15:2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Joh 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Joh 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Joh 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Joh 15:6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Joh 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Joh 15:8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Joh 15:9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. "Henna" means fullness of resurrection life and the joy that only the Lord can give us, the life that we as the bride should be experiencing. We the bride need to allow the Holy Spirit to take off the grave clothes of our old selfish ways. Lazarus came forth, he was coming to life, alive but he did not have it more abundantly until the grave clothes came off. When the grave clothes came off the new, abundant, resurrected life was being fully demonstrated for all to see!

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CHURCH ARISE, LIKE LAZARUS RISE UP FOR I AM CALLING YOU FORTH “Church arise like Lazarus I am calling you forth and raising you up, Your past is behind you, can’t you see my dear children, I have forgiven you, As far as the east is from the west your transgressions are removed from you, My son’s blood has set you all free to soar and the only way is up. So come my children and walk with me you are mighty warriors you know, Yesterday is gone and when you hear my voice you will be ready to go, Can’t you see my dear children the victory is already fully won. For you my beloved children will overcome by the blood of Jesus my Son. You are not only forgiven sinners you are victorious saints, And you will rise up now and you will walk and not faint, For I am here with you, to help you to win life’s race. So step out into the unknown, and I will increase your faith. I have some wonderful plans ahead for you can’t you see, From this day forth you will listen to my voice and hear me, You will walk hand in hand with me for the sake of my Kingdom, You will step into the miraculous and see many find freedom.” Love your Heavenly Father Irene McGough © 2008 Spikenard, or nard, was an expensive spice used to make perfume. This was the expensive perfume that Mary of Bethany used to anoint the Lord’s feet. Spikenard was obtained by crushing a root. Only when our own will is crushed and broken in realization that we cannot live this Christian life without Christ at the helm can we begin to properly carry the sweet fragrant essence of our King. Son 4:14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree, with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices. 67

Saffron is used in cooking for flavouring and colouring. It is obtained by drying the stigmas and parts of the styles of the autumn crocus. Approximately 4000 flowers yield about one ounce of saffron. So it was a timely process extracting the saffron. There is no shortcuts for us to knowing the fullness of God’s Kingdom, we must persevere and press on with intent to the things of God. Isa 43:24 You have not bought any fragrant calamus for me, or lavished on me the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your offenses. We see from this passage that calamus has a sweet fragrance. It was actually I believe a cane. When its leaves are crushed it gives forth a fragrance like that of ginger. It was used in the making of the holy anointing oil. See Exodus 30- 23-33. This oil was so sacred that the Lord gives very precise amounts to be adhered to. Cinnamon is extracted from an evergreen tree and this is accomplished by cutting away the bark of the lower branches. Calamus represents the power of God We the bride need to give Him the right to scrutinize our inner motives as well as our outward walk. The Holy Spirit begins to mix in the cinnamon and the work of Calvary concerning the crucifixion of the flesh and applies it to our attitudes and daily walk. Cut away from us the sin and bondage which has taken hold of us. Although it hurts to have this process take place we must keep our eyes fixed firmly on Him, "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith". With the cinnamon applied we can walk uprightly in the power of the Holy Spirit. In turn we will display the glory of God in our lives. Remember again the frankincense and purity, the bride has to become pure and white, to be holy as our King is Holy. Frankincense was used in the tabernacle worship and it was one of the gifts of the wise men worshiping the child Jesus. Purity must be in the heart for worship to be fully acceptable to the Lord. Son 4:15 You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water streaming down from Lebanon. The Lord looks upon the hearts of His bride as we seek after Him and sees us as pure and righteous. He loves purity for He is so totally pure.

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1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. PRAYER: Father we come before and confess that we have sinned because we have not sought the Lord Jesus as we should have at all times, we confess that we keep trying to do things our way and we come asking for your forgiveness now, cleanse us and purify us and take every evil thought and deed away from us now, make us more like our Saviour and Lord, our King, our dear bridegroom, our dear Lord Jesus. In Jesus Precious Name we ask it, AMEN Beloved Son 4:16 Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits. The bride now wants for the "north wind" to blow upon her garden. North winds in Israel were cold, bitter and harsh but necessary in order to fully develop the taste of fruit and the fragrances of spices. Jas 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, Jas 1:3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Jas 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. The Holy Spirit allows difficulties to come into your life and mine, we are not promised an easy road. Only when most of us have gone through some form of trials and suffering can we be fully used by God to minister to someone else who is going through the exact same hurt you experienced. We also need to receive inner healing from the Lord to help us do this.

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Rom 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; Rom 5:4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. When troubles come your way just snuggle up into "Abba Father's" arms. Rom 8:15 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." Gal 4:6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba Father." He takes care of us as the north winds blow. Heb 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. While His Spirit enwraps us, at the very same moment the Father’s hands are continually working in the garden of our heart (How absolutely beautiful all this is! Joh 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. We get frightened by the "north winds", yet in them His power and presence will be felt through those blasts of cold air. 1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Php 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Sometimes we bitterly complain about those times of testing and trials and we need to confess that sinful attitude. The bride then asks that the "south winds" be allowed to blow upon her garden. These are the gentle, warm south winds of special revelation of

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God Himself! These are the winds of a true Spirit-filled Christian, receiving revelation of God. Joh 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." Joh 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. Joh 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. The winds of the Spirit comes and ministers to the "household of faith" Gal 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. These south winds are also the winds of His powerful presence falling upon us in prayer, worship, times of ministry and meditation of His Word. These are the caring winds which reach out to the Lost. They are the winds of our heart of worship and adoration for Him in the Holy of Holies (our private, intimate time with Him)! Do you see here that the "north winds" come first but, praise God, you will always end with the "south winds" if you are entirely surrendered to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God? She is thrilled that so much has been produced in her garden. Her Beloved is pleased that she wants Him to come and receive and be filled with joy. Act 20:35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " . She speaks the desire of her heart..."...Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits." May we be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit and hear the voice of our Beloved saying, "It is time for you to come apart and rest for awhile. Let 71

us go where I can sit with you and feast upon the spiritual delicacies from our heart garden." Mar 6:31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." The Lord always knows what is best. For us at any given time, are we prepared to trust Him with our whole lives, every detail? The eternal seeds have been planted and have grown into the wonderful fruit of the Spirit! With a heart garden filled with the Holy Spirit then you will feel free to invite the Lord Jesus in for fellowship where He just enjoys you alone. That type of garden is beautiful and pure. There is nothing then to hide from Him. Notice that she now calls it his garden! It was the King who created the garden in the first place. It is the Lord Jesus who has planted in us our heart’s gardens. PRAYER: Dear Lord, Plant in me a beautiful heart garden, a garden of joy, continually fellowshipping with you and praising you my dear Lord and King. Holy Spirit come and blow on me, Help me to flourish into a garden even more beautiful, to be more like you AMEN

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Copyright © 2009 Irene McGough Disciples of Jesus Ministry www.discipleofjesussite.com

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