Over the course of the next several posts, I am going to be sharing a book that my mother wrote called “Awaken the Sleeping Bride.”
Introduction
This book evolved through a personal journey with God. As I began to lay myself open before the Lord, He began to reveal and peel away things in my life by showing me roots of many of the customs that had been handed down to me through family traditions which had been perpetuated by the church and through American culture. In 1997, through tongues and interpretations, the Holy Spirit had been speaking to the local church I was attending. The message was presented over and over during a period of about six months. It was always the same, stating that we must turn from our idolatry. This was spoken so often that the local congregation began to grow tire of hearing this and many times the pastor would brush the message off and attempt to bring the atmosphere of the service back from one of repentance to one of joy and gladness. Each time I would be greatly disturbed in my spirit.
At that time I was not sure exactly what God wanting to reveal but I knew in my heart that God had a message for the church and it was falling on deaf ears. I am sure that most of the people that were present during these services had no idea that they had any idolatry in theirs lives, I know that I personally did not see any idolatry in my own life. .
Not long afterwards I had a disturbing dream that indicated that the church was allowing the enemy to cling to the very foundations and at the same time wanting to lull the Body to sleep and not to worry. This dream was used by the Holy Spirit to awaken me and begin a search for the truth regarding idolatry in the house of God and in His people.
Through the leading of the Holy Spirit and His divine connections, my family and I left the church we had attended and served in as leaders for twelve years. We became part of very small, independent fellowship. This body of believers had gone through a great deal before we met. God had been using several situations to develop character and humility through brokenness and repentance in each of the member’s lives. As we began to cry out to God for our community and nation He began to place His mirror on our own sins of idolatry we had inherited from our generations. I must tell you that not all the people in the fellowship could receive the truth nor could many of our family members understand. This is no different than in the time of Yeshua (Jesus’ Hebrew name), many could not receive the truth that He brought and considered much of what He said ‘hard sayings.’
Throughout the book I will be using the Hebrew name Yeshua rather than the Greek translation, Jesus. His mother and His friends called Him by his given Hebrew name. It was only as the New Testament scriptures were written in Greek text that He became known as Jesus. I am sure that when you travel to a foreign land you will still be called by your given name. I do not intend to offend by this. I know that our culture has become accustomed to knowing Him as Jesus. However, that is exactly what this book is about, revealing how we became accustomed to so much of what we say and do in our familiar customs and traditions.
As you read the truth about these things I know that you too will feel a mixture of emotions just as I did. I pray that you will have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to receive the truth regarding our most popular Christian holidays. However, I caution you, if you do not want to know the truth and will not be willing to turn away from idolatrous practices then this is not a book for you.
