Listener: I had great difficulty hearing from Holy Spirit today…was awakened momentarily early in the Fourth Watch either dreaming or hearing a message which seemed to be about the armor, but I fell asleep again before I could record it. In the Fifth Watch I was awakened again with the same sense of having been in the process of receiving a message. I prayed urgently and, in some distress, “Lord, what was the message you were giving me? Was the need for armor the message or was there a core message which the armor was to protect? As I waited, Holy Spirit began to calm my mind and my heart. He came in a vision. I saw myself as a spooking horse, hearing His quiet whispers and feeling His gentle hand on my forehead… knowing that the horse had to be calmed before it could be used to deliver a message. Then I waited until I began to hear His Voice… coming as from a great distance. Holy Spirit speaks: I Am not far away, but you are. Come near so that you may hear. You failed to hear My Voice this morning because your desire to hear and to post a message for Daily Bread so that you could then proceed to carry out your plans for the day was greater than your desire to come into My Presence. And when you did not hear My Voice, you began to fear that you might not hear Me at all today, that you might receive no Daily Bread. Now hear and tell those to whom you write that coming into My Presence must come first… definitely first in your heart and, if possible, also first on your schedule for the day. This morning coming to the Mountain was first on your schedule but not first in your heart. Remind them that seeking Me does not mean searching for Me, it means desiring My Presence, asking Me to fulfill that desire, and then allowing Me to answer that prayer. Also, tell them to make certain that their full armor is in place. This morning you allowed self-condemnation for your failure to receive and remember My beginning messages in the Third & Fourth Watches to cause you to lower your shield of faith and to remove your helmet of salvation… which exposed your mind and your emotions to the fiery darts of Satan and allowed doubt and uncertainty to prevent you from beginning the ascent. I have told you that I protect your time on the Mountain, but you and all those who seek to come to the Mountain of My Presence must not only put on the armor but also be sure to keep it in place as you approach the Mountain. Listener: Later, as I was pouring the Wine and breaking the Bread for communion, I became aware of great quiet and peace in my spirit…not physical renewal, but definitely spiritual renewal. And then I heard the Voice of Holy Spirit: What you experienced when you first endeavored to meet Me on the Mountain this morning was, in addition to the attack of the enemy, also the burden of the “things” that you have scheduled to do today. You know that the time you spend with Me comes first, but the remainder of your day looms before you…all that you must do. This is the primary problem encountered by those who desire to hear My Voice… failing to remember that you must BE before you can Do. Listener, I allowed you to fully experience this today for two reasons. First, so that the account of your struggles might not only encourage others but also enlighten them regarding some of the reasons why they struggle. And Second, to give you a better understanding of the problems faced by those Believers who hear and read these messages so that you may intercede for their quiet time, entering into their struggles with them as you pray not only for them but also against the forces of evil which seek to rob them of the blessing of My Presence. Shalom.
