by Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries

In the Song of Solomon, we discover a sincere prophetic view of the Church in our day:

"I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam;
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Eat, friends; Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers."
I was asleep, but my heart was awake.
A voice! My beloved was knocking:
'Open to me, my sister, my darling,
My dove, my perfect one!
For my head is drenched with dew,
My locks with the damp of the night.'
I have taken off my dress,
How can I put it on again?
I have washed my feet,
How can I dirty them again?
"My beloved extended his hand through the opening,
And my feelings were aroused for him.
"I arose to open to my beloved;
And my hands dripped with myrrh,
And my fingers with liquid myrrh,
On the handles of the bolt."
Song of Solomon 5:1–5, NASB

The Bride is awakened by the prophetic voice of the Lord. She is awakened, but she is not aroused, not moved to a place where she is more concerned about fulfilling the desire of her Lover than her own self-comfort.

Notice the pitiful excuses she gives for not quickly rushing to the door, and giving Him access to her bedchamber. It seems all she is concerned with is her comfort and convenience; however, as the Lord extended His hand into the lock, it was enough to totally arouse her, releasing deep within her the desire to fully follow the Lover of her soul wherever He would go. It is at this point that she was allured to the wilderness in search of the Lord. There, He will speak to her heart-to-heart.

Countless numbers have been walking in this wilderness experience, not knowing this is a time of training and preparation for what is coming. Without question, Christ will have Himself a people powerful and productive. If you are experiencing these wilderness journeys, take heart because God is refining you and preparing you for advancement and promotion.

It is from this wilderness experience of beholding the Lord in His beauty that we will be brought forth as a bridal company: awakened, aroused, allured, and now adorned with His majestic splendor. We are to arise and shine. We are called to become the plantings of the Lord so that we may display the splendor of His glory (Isaiah 61:2-4).

The Command is Clear We are To Arise and Shine

What a wonderful goal to display the glory and splendor of Christ. This is only accomplished as we behold the Lord in His majestic beauty, then we will be changed into His image (2 Corinthians 3:18). Becoming more like Jesus is our highest quest. Only as we take on more of His likeness will we be equipped to fulfill the command to arise and shine. God's goal is that we bear the image of Christ Jesus (Genesis 1:26). The Spirit of God announces the plan: awake--arise and shine.

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth And thick darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in their arms. Then you will see and be radiant, Your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD." Isaiah 60:1–6, NIV

For the awakened Bridal Company will be known as A Kingdom Company, there will be outstanding doors of evangelism opened. We stand on the verge of a great harvest of souls for Christ. We will first behold the harvest or gathering of the harvester; the Holy Spirit will release a call to the called, and they will answer, coming to the Kingdom to be the harvester of this outstanding gathering of souls in these last days. It is time to share the good news--hold back nothing--let your light shine bright, and let your witness be clear during these days.

A New Way for A New Day

Just as Joshua was instructed to prepare the people to go where they had never been, we too must prepare (See Joshua 3:4). In the realm of the Spirit, we truly are going where we have never been. The Spirit of God is releasing overwhelming victory, delivering the saints from a mundane spirit, awaking a deep exciting expectation, and causing the Body of Christ to arise to excellence. We are moving from theory to execution, from mere words to outstanding displays of God's power. (See 1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

What is coming will be much different from anything we have seen until now. We must prepare to go where we have never been before. Don't be misled thinking-–been there, done that. Now is the time to pack your heart full of the Word of God.

"Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it." Joshua 3:1–3

Notice it was after three days of waiting and watching as the Jordan roared over its banks, when it seemed there was no possible way of crossing this obstacle that stood between God's people and God's promise. At this point, God spoke: Now is the time. He gave them strong instructions to follow the ark of God. The greatest advice one can receive is to fully follow the Lamb wherever He leads. Just as the people were instructed to follow the ark, we too must be prepared to fully follow Christ.

Follow The Ark of the Covenant

It is crucial that we fully follow the (Ark of the Covenant)-- Word of the Lord. Only then can we be assured of gaining the promised victories. However, just as we see in the following verses, we must maintain order.

"Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before." Joshua 3:4

This verse deals with our presumption. We must understand the difference between familiarity and true intimacy. Have we become too familiar with a God we barely know?

"And Joshua said to the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you." Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, "Take up the Ark of the Covenant and cross over before the people." So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went before the people. Joshua 3:5–6

This is the pattern for true leadership. We must lift the Lord high, so all who see can clearly follow. What a sight it must have been to see the Priests as they lifted upon their shoulders the Ark of God.

And the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. You shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.'" Joshua 3:7–8

Leadership in the Body of Christ must instruct God's people to prepare for a brand new conquest. Just as Joshua was instructed to prepare the people for a place, we too must prepare our hearts for a new place in God.

These will be days of swift and radical change. Your spiritual tomorrow will not be like your today. Just as in the days of Joshua, in one day, forty long years of "no" became "yes". This is going to happen in our day.

Just because one generation forfeits the promises, the next generation is not disqualified. We, too, must follow the Ark of His presence. Only then will we be successful. As priests and ministers of the Lord, our highest goal must be to lead God's people to Him and the victory that He has planned for them.

Our goal is not a place but a person, Christ Jesus.

by Bobby Conner

Eagles View Ministries
Posted on February 1, 2006