Psalm 89:15-18 Message
15 Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of GOD. 16 Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do--they can't keep it quiet! 17 Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us-- you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! 18 All we are and have we owe to GOD, Holy God of Israel, our King!


Funny how God speaks to us sometimes!  This morning I got up early to spend some soaking time with the Lord and I found myself distracted by my cat Ginger.  We have two cats: one that we adopted two years ago named Bianca, and another we just adopted  few weeks ago named Ginger.  What a trip it has been watching two cats battle it out for the territory and for our affection.  I remember the first night with the second cat, my other cat who is a typical foreboding personality cat (affection on her terms alone) suddenly decides she is going to sleep with me, on my bed, right next to my head! I thought, "You little stinker, you never wanted to cuddle before ... jealous little thing!" As this relationship has developed over the last few weeks, things have been a roller coaster of funny events. You see, Ginger is the most aggressively affectionate cat I have ever seen, and Bianca still likes interaction with us on her terms yet is jealous of Ginger.  Even now, as I lay on the floor of my living room typing this on my iPad, Ginger is rubbing back and forth under my chin, across my arms, shoving her head into my hands to rub, and purring her little heart out. At the same time, I glance up and see Bianca sitting on the stairs, glaring at us with utter distress in her eyes! Ha!

What keeps this cat at bay, jealous as anything, while this new "predator" in her home steals our hearts with all this proactive affection???  Maybe there is a parallel here with our relationship with the Lord?  How proactive are we with showering our affection on Him? Are we leaning into Him? Are we seeking His cover, His embrace over our lives?  Do we go after Him so much that we "distract" Him from what He is doing at the moment?  Or ... are we distant and foreboding, sitting back and watching as others go after Him ... becoming embittered as it seems that God favors them with His presence and favor in their lives????

I love the Message Bible version of this scripture in Psalm 89:15 "Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of GOD!"  Do we really know the power of our praise, the proactive pursuit of showering our affection on the Lord?  It is literally a "password" into the depths of His presence!  We can daily unlock new dimensions of His presence and favor on our lives with this type of praise!  

The passage goes on to say in verses 16-17, "Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do--they can't keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us-- you've been so good to us! We're walking on air!"  When we pursue His presence in this dimension, our knowledge of Him increases continuously, we know Who He is and what He does!  We see things differently and we understand Him more fully because "He has gotten inside of us!"  Wow!  There is a new spring in our step that comes, regardless of what we are facing in our lives it is as if we are "walking on air!"

This is so much like my little Ginger, she is the happiest cat in town ... there is always a purr in her voice and a rub coming to you when you're in our house!  She was talking so loud yesterday that we all said it sounded like she was saying' "Mama!" Ha!

Verse 18 says, "All we are and have we owe to GOD, Holy God of Israel, our King!"  Our unfolding divine interchange brings us to such a beautiful, humble recognition that all we are and all we have is because of Him, because of who He is, what He has fashioned for us, and what He pours out upon us as we pursue His heart!  I call worship, "the divine exchange," for this very reason. In moments of true worship, we exchange all that we are for all that He is ... what a glorious, continuously unfolding revelation!

Both my cats were rescue cats, but Bianca has been in our home for 2 years now ... perhaps Ginger is so affectionate partially due to her gratefulness in having a family of her own for the first time.  It is a fresh experience to her.  Bianca was much like that the first few weeks we had her too.  I just hope this never grows old with Ginger! She has stolen our hearts!  All you animal-lovers out there understand what I'm saying .....

In the same way, may we never become so familiar, so accustomed to God's presence in our lives that we become numb, distant, and passive in our approach of Him!  He is worthy of sooooooo much more!!!!  Pull out your "password of praise" and go deeply into His presence! He is waiting for you!!!!!

Funny how God speaks to us sometimes ....
Aimee

Dressed to Kill!

Of all the series of messages I’ve taught at 3D on Tuesday evenings, this series, “Dressed to Kill” has been my favorite .... by far!  Perhaps it is because of the endless rich truths in this incredible Epistle, or perhaps it is because I have found in these pages the true source of my identity in Him.  Maybe it is the portion on worship, which is why I was created ... or the incredible provision and protection we find in taking up the armor of God.  Whatever the reason, these 24 teachings have changed my life as much or probably more than they did the ladies of 3D.  Here are some of my favorite truths we learned:
“We are to walk as divine, in human form!”  ALS
The Christian really operates in two spheres: the human and the divine, the visible and the invisible. Physically, he is on the earth in a human body, but spiritually he is seated with Christ in the heavenly sphere — and it is this heavenly sphere that provides the power and direction for the earthly walk. 
“If children, now heirs”
Membership in God's family brings privileges that boggle the mind. All God's children are heirs of God. An heir, of course, eventually inherits his father's estate. That is just what is meant here. All that the Father has is ours. And we are joint heirs with Christ – we share in His Finished work & in His Kingdom reign.
“Grace is lavished on us”
The original greek word for lavished means to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous; also to cause to superabound or excel!  This tells us that: we super-abound in the quantity & quality of grace; we have grace in excess & abundance,
no matter what, “we have enough to spare”; we are forever increasing in grace; we forever remain in grace … are positioned in grace!
Law vs. Grace
Paul’s epistles so clearly describe the difference between living under the law vs. living under grace.  Paul was given the task of “educating” believers on how to live under the New Covenant.  He put form to the results of the work of Calvary, and built the foundation of the New Testament church on “Grace”.  In our study, we charted the differences between law and grace, such as: under the law you had to achieve blessings, under grace the blessings are unearned and unmerited.  The law cannot be fulfilled be human effort, but Jesus came and fulfilled the requirements of the law.  The law is never a finished work, but Grace is a finished work.  The law demands righteousness, Grace imparts righteousness.  Under the law, there is condemnation, but under grace, Jesus paid it all to liberate us!  And perhaps my favorite: under the law we are dominated by its demands, but under the grace, we have dominion!
The Mysteries of God
The New Testament denotes the term “mysteries” being outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, can be made known only by divine revelation.  It is revealed in a manner and a time appointed by God and to those who are illumined by His Holy Spirit. Ordinarily the term is used of knowledge withheld, but Scripturally the term is used of truth revealed!  New Testament terms associated with the mysteries of God, “made known, manifested, revealed, preached, understand.”  Paul speaks of this mystery being hidden from past generations ... Why ???? Well, it is because of the Old vs. New Covenant!  Until Christ died, there was no inward work of the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom within the life of the believer! But ... It’s a new day, baby!!!!  Paul declares that they are Manifested – to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown - To His Saints – the consecrated … identified as holy, holy ones, the Holy place, most holy, sanctuary, the Holy of Holies.  That’s who we are!  The Saints, the conscreated ones ... His mysteries are made manifested to those consecrated to His sanctuary!!!  The Spirit initiates the perception and apprehension of spiritual truths, they become visible and known to us as we consecrate ourselves in the Holy of Holies!
“For this reason, I bow ...”
After all this incredible revelation Paul pours out of our position in Christ, in the New Covenant, in chapters 1-3, He then moves into a passage on Worship!  I love the breakdown of Eph 3:14-21, here we discovered many “heart motives of the true Worshiper” such as:
     - A WORSHIPER UNDERSTANDS THE POWER OF BOWING HIS KNEE
     - A WORSHIPER HAS POWER IN THE INNER MAN
     - A WORSHIPER IS FREE
     - A WORSHIPER HAS HOLY CONFIDENCE
     - A WORSHIPER KNOWS THE POWER OF UNIFIED WORSHIP
     - A WORSHIPER HAS THE POWER TO GRASP
     - A WORSHIPER’S EXPERIENCE SURPASSES HIS KNOWLEDGE
     - A WORSHIPER IS ALWAYS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING FILLED TO THE 
        FULLNESS OF THE REVELATION OF GOD, EVERYDAY!!!
     - A WORSHIPER IS TOTALLY ABANDONED
     - A WORSHIPER HAS REALIZED THE POWER OF THE ASCENT
     - A WORSHIPER IS MOTIVATED BY THE EXPECTANCY OF GLORY
     - A WORSHIPER IS DEEPLY PASSIONATE TO DO ANYTHING TO ACCOMPLISH 
        THIS END ...  The Glory Revealed IN The Church !!!!
“In the Spirit”
As Paul proceeds with the second half of the book of Ephesians, he really plays out how to practically apply the revelation he taught in the first half of the book.   He begins with the priority of UNITY in the Body of Christ.  He tells us of the grace He gives to us that empowers us to walk in unity.  He gives us the grounds for unity, what truly unites us.  He reveals the gifts God has given to the body to guide us into a demonstration of unity ... the 5-fold ministry gifts.  Paul then closes this section with the growth and the evidence of unity in the body ... how we demonstrate that we have grown into unified body!  When we truly understand that this was Christ’s greatest desire for his people, we can see why Paul so emphasized this calling for us!
“Dressing to Kill”
We spent the last 2 months of this series really digging into our collateral textbook, “Dressed to Kill” by Rick Renner.  We discovered an incredible picture on what it means to put on each piece of the armor of God.   I loved the historical understanding we gained on each piece of weaponry and how it parallels the spiritual aspect of it’s usage and purpose.  We now know how to walk in everything from KILLER SHOES to a blinged out breastplate, to an intricate helmet!!!!  WE even know how to launch both a short range and long range weapon to annihilate the enemy and all his tactics!
I don’t know about you, but my goal in life right now is to expose the enemy’s tactics and equip a body to not only defend themselves but to offensively take their place as a new breed of people that will walk and live in a royal, victorious fashion ... knowing who they are IN CHRIST, in His grace and in His Kingship!  

And by the way .... you are lookin’ good in those Killer Clothes!!!!!!!

The Covenant Life

My Life's Recurrent Theme
Pastor Aimee Reid-Sych

There is a calling within each one of us that beckons to us, “Come! It’s time to soar!  It’s time to be free! It’s time to truly live!”  It is a voice that draws us arising from within a heart that contains the Kingdom of God!  It is a heartbeat that produces … The Covenant Life!
Many times our lives are spent chasing the tail wind of a God that we perceive is “so far out there” that we’ll never catch Him.  We resort to prayer times that are spent “begging God” to meet our need, or to move on our behalf.  We strive to please a God that we think holds an account of our every wrong doing … that will not bless us unless we dot every “i” and cross every “t” in our own attempts at righteous behavior.  Our faith-walk may never exceed a list of positive confessions or Scripture quotes, and we wonder why our circumstances don’t change.  Is this all there is?  Is God so far away that we feel like we’re always reaching, never apprehending; always trying to please, yet continually falling; always trying to indoctrinate our faith, and never seeing Him move?
Please allow me to set your heart at ease!  He longs to live through you a life of Covenant fulfillment, a supernatural existence that I call, “The Covenant Life!” Finding this Covenant Life is not an external journey, to somewhere outside ourselves … but an inward journey, to the depths of who we truly are!  What we find at the core of that journey, is COVENANT!  And what we live from that point on is THE COVENANT LIFE!
There have been so many times that I have cried out as the Psalmist cried out, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?  My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalm 42:1-3)  We wonder, “Is there a cure for the drain of life, the worlds that we have created?  Is there a place where: Devastation becomes Peace, Fear becomes Security, Hurt becomes Healing, Disappointment becomes Trust, Doubt becomes Faith, Anger becomes Contentment, Failure becomes Hope, Lies become Truth, and Insignificance becomes Agape Love???
THERE IS! It is a place where we discover a full understanding of Covenant!  It is found in the depths!  The Psalmist continues, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and   my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.  Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.  By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life…” (Psalm 42:5-8)  The depths of who God truly is, is calling to the depths of who you truly are, a place where the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21)!
You may be thinking to yourself, “My life is so far away from the appearance of the Kingdom of God that you say is within me!”  And maybe it seems as if the Kingdom is perhaps unrecognizable in your current condition!   I would like to suggest to you today that the purposes and intents of your truest heart ARE after God, for He is within you!  That “will” that you feel tugging against you right now that takes you away from Christ is NOT the truest YOU … for the TRUEST YOU contains the purposes of the Kingdom of God within you! Those purposes are built on Covenant, upon a Covenant God!
The Message Bible in Proverbs 20:5 says, “The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.”  Let’s grab hold of some understanding today.  There is Covenant in your heart, and where there is Covenant, there is Covenant purpose, and where there is Covenant purpose, there is born, The Covenant Life! Take time right now to dig in to 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 to find that within your spirit man is the Spirit of God who longs to reveal through you this life that God has in store …
There is a journey we are called to take, right now before we spiral any further away from God’s design for our lives.  This journey is an inward journey, A journey of digging … to the depths within!   We dig past the ulterior motives, the external vices, the devastation, the fear, the hurts, the disappointments, the doubt, the anger, the failures, the lies and the feelings of insignificance …. We dig so deep that we finally find the core of who we really are.  
Again I’d like to quote The Message Bible, “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you'll find both yourself and me.” (Matt.10:39)  When we find the core of who we really are, we find CHRIST, the COVENANT!
Isaiah 42:6-9 proclaims, “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, And will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison, Those who sit in darkness from the prison house… Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them."  Do you see here that CHRIST IS THE COVENANT!  When we allow ourselves to journey inward, this is WHO we find, we find Jesus, the Covenant, and the source of the Covenant Life! 
Ladies, we have spiraled so far away from the purity of what “Christ in you, the hope of Glory” really means (Colossians 1:27).  He is within us, the magnificence of His Kingdom is within us!  He has a covenant with His children, and it is new, a holy promise, a gift written on our hearts!  It is not based on our own righteousness or congruence with the law, it is based on His grace! The journey inward begins with, seeking “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)  
Dig past the layers, the walls your life has generated.  Let time in the beauty of His presence heal your hurts, renew your thought processes, subject your will and surround you with His life.  It is at that point of abandonment to His glory that we find The Covenant, and the source of this Covenant Life He longs to live through us.  It is here that we find the place where: Devastation becomes Peace, Fear becomes Security, Hurt becomes Healing, Disappointment becomes Trust, Doubt becomes Faith, Anger becomes Contentment, Failure becomes Hope, Lies become Truth, and Insignificance becomes Agape Love … truly the evidence of The Covenant Life!
My heart as 3D Woman launched in Buffalo, NY

Pastor Aimee Reid-Sych
“Living our lives as true 3 Dimensional Women …. Women of Determination, Distinction and Destiny!  Could it be that women of God would truly be able to grow past the issues and burdens that have weighed them down for so many years?  Is it possible that we would finally begin to SOAR in a life we were designed by God to live,” my heart began to resonate with such tremendous hope!  For years I have watched women try to substitute, a happy face, a positive attitude and confessions for a true inner work of the Holy Spirit that would forever change their very existence, and it was time, time to see a new day unfold!  At the launching of 3D Woman in Mobile, Alabama on 3-3-03, I knew that this ministry was a part of my DNA years before it actually began to take shape in our city.
Throughout my life I traveled extensively in missions work with my parents, Rev. Tommy & Wanda Reid, and saw God do supernatural miracles, signs and wonders, miracles of the heart as well as the body.  My heart would cry out, “God, why doesn’t this happen in my church, in my city?”  It seemed as if the more desperate the peoples’ condition on the mission field, the more God would move in a supernatural dimension. 20 years later, this burden has continued to stir in me, leading me into the very chambers of the King of Kings, finding Him personally in this same supernatural dimension through my own desperate condition of the heart. 
From that beautiful time with my sista’, Lady Delia, launching 3D Woman in Mobile, I began to look into the eyes of women like I have never done before.  I saw that same desperate condition that was on the mission field years ago.  It looked different on the outside, disguised with jewelry, new clothing, or just simply an “I don’t care” attitude of denial … but nevertheless, it was the same desperation.  The heart for women that was forming in me, met with my 3D Woman DNA in the Fall of 2006, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me that the same supernatural power I saw before my eyes as a teenager that healed the destitute conditions on the mission field, would meet these women here in my city; if I would have the faith to step out and launch the 3D Woman vision in Buffalo.  And in January 2007, 3D Woman, Buffalo was born.  
At The Tabernacle, we have a 3D Woman weekly Bible Study that runs every Tuesday during the course of our school calendar year.  We have taught deep discipleship study series for Woman such as: “Seeds of Destiny,” “Protocols of the Palace: the life of Esther,” “Eternity in Our Hearts,” “The Covenant Life,” "Passionate Faith," "ESP - Extraordinarily Supernatural Perception," "Awesome Wonder - in Awe of the Word," “Dressed to Kill - Ephesians,” and “This Defines Me.”  Each week we take time to worship together, have one of our girls share a “Kairos Moment” testimony where God has met in a supernatural dimension, dive into the Word together, and close with a designated time of prayer with the ladies for the deepening of the Holy Spirit’s work in their lives.  This Bible Study has touched so many women in our midst and through our live-streaming each week on the web.  What incredible testimonies have come in ...
“3D Woman has been a place of rest for me, 
where I can come with my sisters and worship at the feet of Jesus.  
I love the teachings, as they touch the deepest part of who I am,
 and give me truth to carry through the week.”
Erin
Our goal is to impact women’s lives through the testimony of our faith and the ministry of the word by prophetic revelation; and to provide an atmosphere filled with the transforming presence of God, where ALL women will be accepted, loved and find a place to BELONG.  3D Woman truly represents a melting pot of women from all backgrounds and environments who find healing and wholeness in their relationships with each other and in the presence of God.
“In this setting, I have been given the opportunity to be honest about my past, 
without any judgment.    It is a place where I feel safe.”
Sandy
“3D Woman has opened the door for me to step out into a new level of God’s love.”
Wanda
“3D Woman has brought me to a new level of healing.
It has brought out issues I had buried inside me that I didn’t know existed.”
Patricia
In addition to the weekly Bible Study, we have a number of large events throughout the year that are outreach focused.  Our favorite was what we called a “Girls Nite In.”  Our Family Life Center and gymnasium were transformed into a girls fun nite!  We had a variety of activities of interest to women: scrapbooking stations, one-stroke painting classes, cake decorating classes, gourmet cooking demos, color profiling, and even business demos like “Heritage Makers,” “Once Upon a Family,” “Party Lite” and more.   Not to mention our ladies pampering services such as: massages, manicures, pedicures, hair cuts and styling, make-up and skin care stations.  And, who could forget the Starbucks Coffee and dessert?  The event was such a huge success that we’re already in planning stages for it to be a yearly event!  It brought out the gifts in our girls and we have seen so many rise into a call of leadership in the body!
“3D Woman has shown me I have a place here in God”
Danielle
Our annual Deeper Dimensions Conferences have made a tremendous impact on women of all ages and walks of life.  We have had guest ministers such as Lady Delia Knox, Jana Alcorn, Michelle McKinney Hammond and Marilyn Hickey.  Through the worship, the Word, the stream sessions, and the time spent together in His Glory ... we have seen 3D have a deep influence and affect on the women in our region and throughout the world through media.
“I’ve found a place to be used beyond what I ever imagined.  
Christ is the center of this ministry.  He is good!”
Mary
The local women’s ministry activity options are endless for this type of ministry, but the uniqueness of its focus is what makes it a supernatural adventure.  We are truly becoming 3D Women together … Women of Determination, Distinction, and Destiny!
“It is a privilege to come together as women and share the same desire and passion 
for the depths of who Christ is.  You can feel safe and open to lay it on the table at 3D.  
Knowing that we have all shared many experiences and being able to encourage 
those facing something we might have overcome, is motivation to press forward.”
Amy