GRIEVE NOT

Dear One,
    Grief is built on regret and regret means that you have lost something important to you or something has failed in your life.  Often grief comes along with bitterness because of a failure, a lost relationship or a lost cause or because of your losing something or someone important to you.  Grief comes into your emotions because you do not see the whole picture. 
    My children who can hear from My Spirit experience exciting replacements for all losses.  They are encouraged in the face of losses of any kind because of faith in Me.  Remember that Jesus spoke to His followers many times before He was crucified about not grieving for what was to come, which was His leaving them and His coming to live with Me. (John 14:1-2) He told them that somebody more exciting was going to come to live inside of them, My Holy Spirit. He said that they would be stronger and more empowered when they became the temple of My Spirit.  (John 14:25-29) He said that they would do even greater works than those that Jesus did. (John 14:12) 
    Jesus told them before He was crucified not to let their hearts be troubled, discouraged or dismayed.  That is what grief does to you, makes you feel troubled, discouraged and dismayed.  You cannot imagine why something happens and you feel a loss.  However, when you hear from Me, I tell you not to be troubled or dismayed like a person who has no faith.  
     The reason I want you to be encouraged instead of troubled and dismayed after a loss is that if you grieve too long a spirit of grief can enter into you and cause all sorts of problems for you.  Grief leads to depression because of the loss and it can make you hit rock bottom emotionally.  Because of the depression, you lose your joy, your hope and your faith.  You become stymied in the well of depression, unable to get your head above water.   Hopelessness invades you mind and faith leaves you.  You become bound to the loss instead of being bound to Me in faith that I have glorious things to replace the loss.
     Jesus knew that the tendency of His followers would be to grieve for being separated from Him, yet they had no idea that His replacement would be so empowering, so loving, so wise, so knowledgeable, so kind and so good.  That is why He encouraged them not to grieve for Him.  (John 16: 7-15)  He wanted them to expect more glorious things to come into their lives to replace any loss they felt that they might incur.  On the day of Pentecost they understood the glory to which  He referred when I came to live inside of them and empowered them with My own Spirit.  (Acts 2:1)  When Jesus was with them in the flesh, they were only empowered by My Spirit being with them in the person of Jesus; but, after their loss of His presence with them, they became supernaturally filled inside of them with My presence in the person of My Spirit.  It was My promise to them from the foundation of the world.
    When grief tries to invade your mind, refuse it.  Be expectant that there are exciting things to come into the lives of those who expect Me to enrich their lives with My goodness.  Refuse to become bound to a loss.  Be expectant of wonderful things coming into your life because you are My child.  Rejoice in My promises being fulfilled in your future instead of grieving a loss.
    Your FATHER of RESTORATION