The Lord cupped my face and kissed it all over: A nice vision to have first thing in the morning, eh? The next one that followed some time later came when I heard the Lord say: “Arise!” and watched hundreds of worms pop their heads up from the ground and then turn into butterflies. I asked the Lord: ”How can this be?” as they were not caterpillars, but were the slimy kind that had no legs to stand on. His reply was: “The CUP,” and He let me know that it was because I had drunk the cup of suffering.

The worms represent the gnawing, troublesome memories of the past which would spring up at occasionally marring my appearance in “Self”’s eyes of judgment. But NOW IS the time for them to be changed by the Lord’s kisses, for did He not say: “ALL things work for the good for us “who love Him and…. ” Yes, even all our experiences that continue being lived through present day thoughts and remembrances. I have several of them, but I shall spare you now as I share only the three brought to my recollection as I walked down “Memory-Uprising Lane” this morning.

From the time I was 13 until I became a believer in Jesus Christ, I was called by my nickname “Mickey,” and yes, I did a lot of “mickey-mousing” around in those days. I sigh now, because the first memory that rose up from the ground of buried memories had to do with my couch. After my first husband and I settled in our new home, I told my mother-in-law about the sleeper sofa I owned that was stored in another state. She always wanted a couch like mine, and I liked the modern one she had, so we did an exchange. Little did I know that mine contained a surprise for her when it was delivered and placed in her house-…. A mouse was in it! Yikes! People of God, know that every outstanding memory has a divine message in it for us and mine in regards to this one is being revealed to me right now as I write: The couch represents the place of rest, and to be sure, when there’s a mouse in a couch, there’s NO rest.

While my mouse was a shock to my mother-in-law, what it represented was a worse one, but before I reveal it, tell me: Have you fully reconciled with the person you were who did foolish and sinful things when you were young? I believe that you and I, on one level, did so when we became believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that we know everything in our past is forgiven: We’ve got a new couch-… even a new resting place in Him, but the memories are still in our cells and it’s time that these memories became transformed into new life.

We all have to be taught by mothers… both by natural mothers and by a church mother, but after we learn the law, it’s to be replaced by grace and truth, just like old Jerusalem was replaced by New Jerusalem. THEN the curse will not be able to operate in us. Can you hear Jesus saying: “What have I to do with thee, oh Woman?” He didn’t do away with her though, but rather her position changed with the result being that she became subservient to Him. As a young child, His mother was over Him and likewise our mothers are over us, but when it’s time for the wedding… time to turn the water into wine,… even the time we’ve come into NOW, all I can say is “Bring out those barrels of wine, oh ye servants of the Lord!” These cells of ours are going to be so changed by the activation of our new genes, that our negative memories, even all the gnawing worms that the curse brought with it, are going to be totally transformed.

According to Ira Milligan’s book: “Understanding The Dreams You Dream,” a mouse represents “a curse,” and the curse comes with breaking “the law,” eh? A “mother-in-law” is symbolic of the legalistic church or the disapproving voice in our heads and everyone of us until we’re dead to the law and out from under it, has curses operating in our lives along with condemnation that isn’t supposed to be there. Verily, we have no place of rest because of unbroken ones. Oh yes, our mind knows the truth, but grace worked in our hearts changing us takes time.

Two other memories were brought to my recollection today: One of me dressed in a Halloween costume when I was a little girl as a black cat and the other was of me and my mama on vacation in the Catskill mountains. Notice that “cat” was in both instances which according to Ira, represents “self-willed.” I believe the message is clear: Truly, “Self-will” is like a black cat bringing a curse on all of us, but after we’ve drunk the last dregs in the cup of suffering, we get kissed all over and more than blessing becomes ours…. even TOTAL transformation.

Hear it: God’s people SHALL BE WILLING in the “Day of His Power”! (Psalm 110: 3) So come now, all you who have drunk the cup and have been kissed by the sweetest lips of all: Kick self-will out and let’s get on with it: This is THAT day! Hallelujah!