Have You Been Wrapped?


Have You Been Wrapped?
Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com


Luke 2:7
“And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.” Amplified Bible Version

Our Heavenly Father speaks in His own time and in His own way.  In March of this year (2019) in the dawn of the morning, He began to speak to me about the “swaddling clothes” that Jesus was wrapped in at birth.  The celebration of Christmas had long gone.   But the messages of the birth of Christ are unending.  They unveil revelation knowledge anytime, anyplace, and anywhere to the listening ear.

Swaddling clothes are narrow strips of cloth In which babies are wrapped. This practice continues in some countries even until today.  Obviously, this was a custom at the time of the birth of Christ.  Swaddling clothes are used for two purposes.  The first is to restrain the movement of the child.  The second reason for the wrap is to quiet the nervous system of the child.

It is not by happenstance that our Savior was restricted in the natural at birth.  It foreshadowed the ultimate truth that He came to earth for a specific purpose.   He was bound to fulfill this purpose.  His purpose was to die for the redemption of man back to God the Father.  As Jesus grew in physical statue, He became laser focused on the purpose for which He came to earth. 

Jesus while here on earth stayed in tune with God the Father and announced that His sole purpose was to do the will of His Father. In John 5:30 He says, “I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders].  Even as I hear, I judge [decide as I am bidden to decide.  As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision}, and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [ I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me”. Amplified Bible Version

Do you follow in the footsteps of Jesus and allow yourself to be “wrapped” in His sole purpose for you?  Or do you freelance and pick and chose what you perceive is the will of God for your life?  Sometimes our loving Heavenly Father has to “wrap us in His swaddling clothes”.  This restriction sometimes shows up in our lives as a severe trial, an illness, the loss of a loved one or relationship, etc.  Yes, Believers we are sometimes restricted in our self imposed activities that we are so sure are God’s will for our lives.  The word of God says that there is a way that seems right, but the end of it is death (Proverbs 14:12).

Are you spiritually jittery?  Do you move from thing to thing seeking God’s perfect will for your life and circumstance from others (ministers, prayer partners, etc.)?  Are you in a quandary about a decision needed?  Do you need to know the next thing that you should do?   Are you crying out for help while being held by the eternal Helper? If you answered yes to any of these questions or if you just want to move closer to Him, you need to be wrapped.

The “swaddling clothes” wrap of God do not come to destroy us.  To the contrary, they come to heal us of the crushing maladies of a world that is under the curse of sin and death.  How can we see Him, and hear Him if we are not swaddled down by Him to rest in Him?  He wants us calmed, focused, and listening to Him for everything.  We sometimes engage too much with people, places, and things to enter into calm, and stillness.  These are the times when He steps in as Father with circumstances that gently (and sometimes not so gently) force us to be wrapped in His love, His peace, and His quiet.

There is quiet in your human spirit.  That is where the word of God is contained.  Your spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).  Your soul (mind, will, emotions) must be brought into captivity by you and led by your spirit.  Your body will then follow your soul and be led into “listening mode” when God the Father speaks. 

The baby when wrapped is calm and rests in the loving arms of the mother or father.  The Believer when wrapped by God is steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (not their own works).

God’s ultimate goal for your life is for you to conform to the image of Christ.  Christ listened to God and fulfilled God’s purpose, not His own (John 5:30).  We must listen and fulfill our purpose.  But first we must be “wrapped” to generate maximum focus, calm, and rest (Hebrews Chapter 4). “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).”

Got a trial?                   You are being wrapped.
Got a need?                   You are being wrapped.
Misunderstood?             You are being wrapped.
Lonely?                         You are being wrapped.
Got a tough decision?     You are being wrapped.

Have You Been Wrapped?

Post Script
God once gave me a Rhema Word: (“You are good at listening to Me.”).  I endeavor every day to hear His voice for my life. MDJ


2 comments:

Unknown March 25, 2019 at 11:41 AM  

Amen!!!!

Unknown March 26, 2019 at 9:43 AM  

Amen.
Some need to be cleansed first, then swaddled...closely. ~Ezekiel 16:4-14~

Blessings To You Always Dr. Marsha.
Apostle Eva

Post a Comment

Why "Hepzibah in Training?"

More than twenty five years ago I stood in a powerful praise and worship service. As I entered into worship weeping in the presence of the King, I heard the voice of Jesus in my spirit. He called me two names. The first name was Hephzibah and the second was Beulah. I was stunned and immediately sat down on the bench to ponder these two names. Neither of these names appeared flattering to me.



I left church and called my sister, a mighty warrior of God, and told her that God had called me two names. Her reply was “If God called me names; I needed to find out what they meant.” I searched scripture and found that the name Hephzibah means, “The Lord delights in her” and that Beulah meant, “Thy land is married (committed, spoken for, etc). Needless to say, I was delighted in the significance of these two names that my Savior has bestowed upon me. My goal and treasure in life is to fulfill the plan for my life on this side of Eternity and to train for the other side of Eternity.



I offer you the revelations, thoughts, and meditations that God imparts to me in this blog “Hepzibah In Training”.



I thank you for your comments.

Followers