This word is submitted by Susanne Hocker (iowagirl1974@hotmail.com)

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                              It was empty...



(The following is an interaction that happened between the Lord and I 
some time ago.  As all of you know, when God speaks to us, Spirit to 
Spirit, we don't forget.  I am seeing this again today as if for the 
first time.)

~~~~~~~~~

I am walking with the Lord Jesus Christ inside a house.  He takes me to a 
door in what seems to be a basement or secluded/unused portion of the house.

The door is covered with cob webs and has yellow "Crime Scene" tape across
it.

Instinctively I know that behind that door is every awful, horrible thing I 
had ever done in my life.  Pictures of some of the worst things were going 
through my mind.  I started to cry, so ashamed of the things I knew were 
behind that door.  I begged Him to leave.  To go anywhere else, to open any 
other door.  But He insisted that this was the room that He wanted to enter.

I said ok and asked Him to go in without me.  I tried to give Him the key 
that was in my hand.  I begged Him to go in without me.  I couldn't go in 
there, not with Him.  What filled that room was too horrible for words.  I 
just couldn't do it.

He lifted my chin until I looked into His eyes.  He handed me back the key 
and said, "You hold the key.  I can not open the door.  You must take me in 
there yourself."

I knew He was right.  There was no other way.  I loved Him so much, it hurt 
to think of Him viewing all of it at once.  But I could not deny Him.  
Ashamed, defeated and scared, I unlocked and opened the door.  He urged me 
into the room first.  As I stepped into the blackness of the room, I wept as
all of the sins came flashing back through my mind.

But then Jesus stepped into the room.  And suddenly a bright light filled 
the room.  I opened my eyes and looked around.  To my shock and disbelief, 
the room was empty!  EMPTY!  I looked at the Lord and He said to me, "Only 
you carry the burdens of the past.  Only you allow them to have power over 
you.  I have removed them as far as the east is from the west.  They are no 
more."

I ran and hugged Him, feeling true freedom for the first time in my life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of you need to be set free from the memories of your past.  The 
tormentor keeps reminding you of the things that you have done.  You feel 
guilt and the need to repent again and again.

But today, the Lord would say to you that you are free.  Just as His tomb 
was empty the third day, so is the room that holds all of your secret sins.

We are set free when we face our past and allow the deep healing of Christ 
to touch us in our most vulnerable places.  It takes courage and strength to

face the deepest darkest places in our hearts and minds.   All that is 
required of you, is to take Him there.  Once you do that, it is finished.  
Jesus Christ does the rest.