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Song of Solomon 2 – His banner over me is LOVE

Aug4

Good evening y’all. Today we are studying chapter 2 of the Song of Solomon.

Be  blessed 🙂

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I fell in love with verse 4.

“He brought me to the banqueting house,
And his banner over me was love”(NKJV).

God has brought me to a place of abundance; a place of fulfilment in Him and His banner over me is love. I’m overwhelmed by His love 🙂

I stumbled on the points below from an expository on this chapter done by Mike Bickle and it helped me understand the verse better. I thought I’d share them –

A. In the ancient world, an army would march in battalions under a specific flag or banner. Each unit had their own banner that was meant to clearly identify them. The banner or flag over our life that identifies who we are and where we are going in our life is Jesus’ good leadership (wise, loving, and powerful) that leads us to grow in love and in our identity as His inheritance (Bride).

B. We are called to feast at God’s banqueting table. The fulfillment of this ultimately occurs at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev.19:7). Jesus wants us to enjoy tokens of that “wedding table” in this age by the power of the Word and the Spirit. This is translated by some as the house of wine because it refers to the celebration of God’s love.

C. Jesus has a good and specific plan for each believer. He wants to bring us to His banqueting house, where we celebrate His love. His primary goal in His leadership over our life is to bring us to the banqueting house to celebrate His love for us and our love for Him. We may not know the details as to where Jesus is leading our ministries. Make no mistake about it; He is first leading us so that we feed at the “wedding table” (truths about our identity as the Bride of Christ).

D. Jesus’ goal in His leadership over us is to lead us in a way that reveals His love to us as well as imparting it in us. He is determined that we grow in love, meekness, and revelation. God’s plan and first priority for our life is much bigger than our comfort or our function in ministry. There is great confusion in many because they think His banner over their life is comfort in this age.

E. Jesus wants us to be strengthened in the revelation that we are His inheritance, with our primary identity in being a lover of God. This occurs as He feeds us on His Word related to the “wedding table.” He may “bring us to the table” by giving us a dream or a vision that excites our heart about His love. He may give us the joy of a new friendship that ministers God’s life to our heart.

F. Jesus manifests His banner of leadership over us in various ways. First, His banner over us is His lovingkindness (mercy). When we fail, the banner over our life is confidence in His mercy, not the fear of being rejected by God. We confess, “His banner over me is love, even when I fail.” Second, His banner over us speaks of His ability to overrule the negative circumstances in our life by working everything for our good (Rom. 8:28). The banner over us is His goodness in that we are not neglected by God. Third, the banner over us is to be exhilarated in God’s love instead of being deceived with the false comfort of sin.

G. He brings us to the table using both positive and negative ways because He is jealous to remove everything that hinders love in us. First, the positive way in voluntarily following His leadership to the banqueting house by feeding on and obeying His Word. Second, the negative way is seen in resisting His leadership as He seeks to take us to the banqueting house. Thus, He is forced to discipline us by exposing our sin, taking things from us, and shutting doors that frustrate us.
(extract from –  Song of Solomon 2, The Brides Identity and Life Purpose, Mike Bickle, www.mikebickle.org )

I pray we have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep God’s love is. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then we will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Thanks for joining today.  Pls feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter 🙂

Have a blessed evening 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Songs of Solomon 1 – He is mine & I am His

Aug3

Good evening y’all. Happy Monday 🙂

Today we’ll begin our study of the book of Songs of Solomon. Excited much about this book 🙂

Be blessed 🙂

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In today’s chapter, verse 4 – 6 stood out for me. I approached the verses from the angle of being the Shulammite woman and God being the King. I am His bride and He my bridegroom.

“Draw me away! We will run after you.The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine.Rightly do they love you” (V4 NKJV).

In this verse, you see the Shulammite woman is eager to be with her lover. She is ready to steal away with him. She even compares his love to wine, though his love tastes better than wine 🙂 .
In the same way God is inviting us to come closer; to get to know Him. He is inviting us to His palace to reign with Him. His love for us is so amazing and unconditional. It’s pure and sweet 🙂

Jeremiah 31: 3 says :
“For long ago the Lord had said to Israel: I have loved you, O my people, with an everlasting love; with loving-kindness I have drawn you to me”  (TLB).

The Message version even better 😉 . It says:
“God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love, and more love!” ( God is saying that to you and me today 🙂 )

“I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon. Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept” (V 5- 6 NKJV).

Here you see the woman is self conscious. She’s not sure if she’s beautiful enough for the king. Oh, how I can relate with the Shulammite woman. I know what it is like to feel like I’m not good enough. For a very long time, I believed those lies from the enemy telling me I’m not beautiful enough; “no one cares for you; you are too fat” ; “your nose is too big”; “your voice is too husky”. Not only did those lies affect my relationship with family and friends, it also affected my relationship with God. I struggled to understand how God could love me. I honestly believe I wasn’t worthy of love. I was a christian, went to church regularly, even sang in the choir, but I just didn’t believe in my heart that God truly loved me. I got my liberation the day God by His grace allowed me a glimpse of Psalm 139. It was what you would call a light bulb moment. It just hit home. God loves me inspite of what I look like or the things I have done or will do. Truth is, He has predetermined to love me. Nothing that I am now or ever will be, is a surprise to Him.

Psalms 139: 1- 18 sums it up well….

“1 O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit or stand. When far away you know my every thought. 3 You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am. 4 You know what I am going to say before I even say it. 5 You both precede and follow me and place your hand of blessing on my head.
6 This is too glorious, too wonderful to believe! 7 I can never be lost to your Spirit! I can never get away from my God! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there. 9 If I ride the morning winds to the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your strength will support me. 11 If I try to hide in the darkness, the night becomes light around me. 12 For even darkness cannot hide from God; to you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are both alike to you.
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. 15 You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! 16 You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
17-18 How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me.[a] And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!” (TLB).

I pray the reality of God’s love will wash over us and quiet every doubt or fear in our hearts. In Jesus Name. Amen

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed evening 🙂

***With God all things are possible***