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| Prophetess hilda arredondo |
ESTHER, A WOMAN OF PRAYER
Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him,
Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: And let the king appoint
officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all
the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto
the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their
things for purification be given them:
And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti.
And the things pleased the king; and he did so.” Esther 2:2-4. I want to share with you about precious Queen Esther.
Yet, I cannot share with you about her without first talking about Vashti, the
woman she replaced, and why. The above scripture says, “And let the maiden
which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti.” Oh what a sad statement to
the ears of Vashti. Vashti was the queen, and given such a valuable and
responsible position, but when she refused the order of the king “to come” it brought a
terrible change to her life. It displeased the king so much, that Vashti was
set aside as his wife and queen. You see, Vashti did not please the king in her
response. Rebellious people have a character trait that can be spotted a mile
away by those with a discerning spirit! That is, they never humble themselves
to please others. If you’re humble, you will be submissive. Submissive means to
be yielding to the authority power, etc. of another, obedience, and meekness.
Vashti was the exact opposite. To please means to gratify; to give pleasure to;
to be the desire of; to like or choose. The act of not responding when the king
called for queen Vashti was very disrespectful. Her disregard of his
commandment raised pubic eyebrows in protest of her behavior and revealed her
heart of rebellion and disobedience. Because of her position as queen over the
127 provinces of that day, King Ahasuerus and his close associates felt that
she had set a very bad example to the rest of the women in the provinces. They
decided that Vashti needed to be set aside as wife and queen. “And Memucan
answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath not done wrong
to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are
in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. For this deed of the queen shall
come abroad unto all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their
eyes, when it shall be reported, The king Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen
to be brought in before him, but she came not. Likewise shall the ladies of
Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of
the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.”
Esther 1:16-18 In other words, they
advised the king to put Queen Vashti away because many women would begin to
follow her bad example of rebellion, disrespect and disobedience in not obeying
their husbands. You see, the word of God is true, “…to whom much is given much is required!”
THE QUEEN IS SET ASIDE
Vashti and her improper rebellious behavior were in the spotlight
of all the provinces. Her position of influence upon the other women would
cause them to begin to follow after her bad example and this was not good. The
king was convinced by his close officials that putting her away was the best
thing to do; therefore, he put her away. Yet in a few days he began to miss his
wife, the queen, so his court officials decided to cheer him up and bring fair,
young virgins to him so he could choose a new wife a new queen! So far all
these “happenings” in the book of Esther began to point to the God of
Providence. The God of Providence is the God who times situations,
circumstances, and events perfectly to meet His future needs or plans. He is
the God of “timely care” or “advance
preparation”, acting with His divine foresight
in providing for future needs without any help from us.
Now, He doesn’t need
our help, but He does need vessels and chooses them very carefully. Most of the
time, those called are trained and developed to just move, do and obey. Their
sole trust is in an unseen God who is in control of their lives and affairs and
who is at work as the “God of Providence!” There is no room for rebellion, disrespect and
disobedience in the hearts of those chosen vessels that are being “especially” prepared
for the “God of Providence’s” purposes and plans on this earth. Vashti’s
character of rudeness, rebellion, and disrespect had disqualified her as the
woman needed to meet God’s need in a crucial time of planned destruction for
her people.
GOING HIS WAY
So many times, people want to be used in a great way by
God and try to incorporate God into the place where they are comfortable and
secure expecting no change in their familiar surroundings. But really it is the
other way around. God incorporates us unto His plans and purposes and most of
the time, the place that is comfortable and secure ceases to exist. We have to
come and follow Him as the “just” and learn to live by faith, just as Queen
Esther. As modern day Christians we hear so much teaching and receive so many
prophecies, thinking that God is going to use us as He comes “our way” in
accomplishing His plan and purpose.
Beloved, when it is “our way” nothing
really sacrificial is required, but when we go “His
way” there will be a disturbance to our
lifestyle and routines. When the true call comes to us as it did to Esther, we
can expect changes, just as the call did to her. Yes, it is so very true, that
we have a free will to choose Him or not and we also have a free will to come
follow Him. But, if we say yes, then it’s His way and He will disrupt our plans
so His purposes and plans for us can come to fruition. God had a great plan and
a purpose for Esther’s life but she would be required to follow Him. The place
she was at had sufficed for that spiritual phase of her life but now she had to
go to the king’s palace to accomplish the purposes and plans of the “God of Providence”.
Her lifestyle, routines, and familiar surrounds changed. “So it came to
pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many
maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of
Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of
Hegai, keeper of the women.” Esther 2:8.
THE PREPARATION OF ESTHER
Esther had to go into “preparation” and it could not be done at the place or the spiritual
level where she was. She had to be willing and obedient to follow Him through
Mordecai and Hegai’s instructions In Esther 2:4, it reads, “And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen
instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.” So on with the beauty pageant for King Ahasuerus. One of
the first things that happened, “And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s
daughter: for she had neither father nor
mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai when her father and
mother were dead took for his own daughter.” Esther 2:7. Esther’s name speaks
of her character and her date with destiny.
Esther in the Greek means “star” and the Jewish name Hadassah means myrtle. To see a star
in the heavens, you have to look up and a star can’t be hid, but rather is in
open view to all. Her name speaks of her destiny and calling—that others would
look up to her and her position would be a transparent one in open view to all.
A star in our modern day understanding makes us think of a movie star, a
performer, an entertainer in the world. God has stars in His kingdom and like Esther are meant to bring light to a dark and dying world, just as a real
star was created to bring light to the night season. Her Jewish name meant
myrtle. The myrtle tree gives out a sweet, wonderful fragrance. Esther was a
fair and beautiful woman on the outside, but her fragrance of obedience and
holiness inside the heart was far greater. The first person she pleased was
Hegai, the keeper of the women. I’m sure that Hegai had seen and dealt with
many women and knew with discernment how they could be but the minute he met
Esther, he knew she was not like all the rest, but rather there was something
special and different about her. She carried the "aroma of obedience" and the
fruit of being pleasing was evident. It is so important to be pleasing to God
and in doing so, we automatically please others. “And the maiden pleased him, and she
obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her things for purifications,
with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be
given her, out of the king’s house: and
he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.”
Esther 2:9.
THE BEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE
Esther got the best room in the house assigned with seven
(7) maidens who would assist her in her preparation for her commission. Just
think of the humility of these seven (7) women who were called to support
Esther. They were content in just serving and working with Esther so she could
accomplish her appointment with destiny—saving a nation! They were not jealous
or envious of her or her position, but rather loved her, supported her, prayed
for her and were simply satisfied to ride in the back seat, so to speak, with
much joy as they watched the plan of God evolve in saving a whole nation. These
women were also carefully selected to accompany Esther, God’s chosen vessel. If
not carefully selected, they could easily be used against her. Jealousy and
envy could make them compete for her position, interfering with God’s plan for
her; therefore, their hearts also had to be pure and pleasing to the Lord. Had
they not been tested and cleaned out of jealousy and envy, someone that close
to Esther could be used to thwart God’s plan.
Over the years, I have seen more
women pushing themselves forward manipulating situations and circumstances,
opening their own doors to make “their
ministry”. Others just copy and emulate
another ministry’s personality. The reason this happens is because we are not
waiting on God to make us in His image, so we can come forth with our own “shine” as a star for
Him. Rather we try to take shortcuts and rub that other person’s “shine” on
ourselves. What we don’t realize is that an outward “genuine spiritual shine”
that we see on another person comes from the heart of holiness that pleases
God. It is the result of their inward personal relationship with Jesus. That
personal inward relationship has been used to scrub, instruct and teach that
soul inward holiness and obedience and now the outside shine that is visible to
us is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit inside their heart.
ONLY ORIGINALS – NO IMITATIONS
I heard T.D. Jakes say one time that someone had given him a wonderful
compliment. The compliment was that he was
going to be the next Billy Graham to America. He thought about that compliment
for a minute and replied something along this line. “Thank you for that
wonderful compliment, but there is only one Billy Graham and he is an original,
therefore, if I become like him, then I would be only an imitation of the real
original.” So many people are satisfied to be an “imitation” of an “original”
because it is easier to sit at the feet of men,
emulating them, tapping into someone else’s soul power instead of the feet of
Jesus, who will help us find out who and what we really are, letting God work
on us—and as we do, an original will come forth in His image (Christ) and in
the power of the Lord of Glory and His Spirit.
THE WIFE OF A KING
Because Esther’s fragrance was one of obedience, she
pleased God and others. She found great favor wherever God placed her. Esther
gave much pleasure to the Lord and He loved her because of that obedience and
eventually she would be an obedient, submissive, and loving wife to the king. I
remember years ago, as God prepared me for ministry, He pointed out to me that
I was to obey my husband in the smallest chore requested by him and that I was
not to lead him anymore. Now, for some time I had done that, and he had allowed
it, but now God was taking over to teach and lead my husband. I realized that I
was always telling him what to do.
One day my husband was going to work and
asked me to do something simple like maybe taking his clothes to the cleaners.
Well, the day went by and as I looked at the clock, he would be home in a few
hours and I had gotten so busy that I forgot to take his clothes to the
cleaners. I started to shrug it off with the thought, “I’ll do it tomorrow.”
But the Holy Spirit reproved me, telling me that I was not honoring my husband.
By not taking him seriously enough to run the errand he requested—I was being
disobedient. Quickly, I jumped in the car and off to the cleaners I went.
Another time it was a request about his mail, or an envelope I was wasting that
I didn’t take seriously. I thought, “This is
so minor” but the Holy Spirit reminded me
that “little things” done in the form of disobedience form bad habits of
disobedience and are displeasing to God. Yes, my beloved brethren, I was
learning some great lessons in obedience.
A SEASON OF PURIFICATION
Now, Esther stayed in the place that God had placed her
until she was called upon and the work was completed in her. She spent a season
in purification and preparation with oil of myrrh, sweet odours and with other things for purifying the women. Then it
was time for Esther to stand before the king. She dressed according to Hegai’s
instructions for he knew what kind of apparel would please the king. Sometimes
the apparel we wear is not fit for a king’s court and we need to be taught to
dress modestly. Dressing for God is very important when we are being prepared
to stand in the king’s court, representing Him as the bride of Christ.
Today,
many women dress seductively and indecently, imitating and copying the styles
of the world, many times exposing their bodies, when rather we should be
covering our bodies with modest clothing. Years ago, as I sat in the "school of
holiness" of the Holy Spirit, He taught me His way is a highway of holiness, and
modest clothing is part of that highway. He showed me that the world’s designs
are to promote sex the majority of time. He said, “The world’s idea of beauty is "sexy". Sexy promotes sensuality, but My way is "Holy" in all things, including dress. I want
to show you My way. When a man looks at you,
my dear daughter, I don’t want you to turn his head because you are dressed
sexy. Rather, when a man looks at you, I want you to provoke this thought in
him with the way you are dressed, “There goes a
holy woman of God”, therefore, promoting
purity in his heart”.
WHAT’S IN MY HEART
I remember years ago Mr. Farrakhan, while visiting New York
City, had an article in the newspaper. I remember reading his comments about an
immoral America who claims to be a Christian nation, yet promotes her shameful
sensuality, with its almost naked women. In so many words he was saying that
the American woman was taught to dress the whorish way. He went as far as to
point out that the popular American Barbie doll promoted ungodliness of dress.
There was no way that the Barbie doll would be allowed in his country, teaching
women that womanhood was all about figure and dress that reveals a woman’s
body. He said that in his country (one of the dolls from his country was shown
in the newspaper article) they taught their women how to dress properly by
covering their bodies. Although God has never spoken to me about being dressed
from head to toe (as their women dress), but he sure was making a point on how
American women dress so immodest.
Church, just because it is proper dress for
the world does not mean that it is proper for the women of God. Four things the
Holy Spirit taught me in dressing for the King of kings. It is a simple “rule
of thumb” for me—too short, too sheer, too tight, too revealing, does not
please the King of kings in my life! Esther,
a woman of honor, knew how to dress properly. “Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter
of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come
to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai, the king’s
chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in
the sight of all them that looked upon her.” Esther 2:15. Here in this
scripture, Esther required nothing, meaning that Esther did nothing extra to
her appearance and dress, other than what was required by Hegai-the minimal
requirement. Esther radiated a beauty from inside that was irresistible, not an
outward beauty, although she was a natural beauty, but the inward beauty of
holiness and obedience captivated any audience. “And the king loved Esther above all the
women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the
virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen
instead of Vashti.” Esther 2:17.
SEXY WOMEN vs. HOLY WOMEN
Esther was chosen over all the women, not because she
looked sexy, but because she had traveled the highway of holiness with the Holy
Spirit. This is the kind of woman that our God is looking for to empower with
great favor in her prayer life. Now the hour of deliverance had arrived and God
had a vessel of honor that He would use to help Him spare His people. In
Esther 3:13, it reads, “And the letters
were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to
cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in
one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month
Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.” God’s
people were going to be destroyed by the enemy and God needed Esther. Now she
was in a key position—like a spiritual pawn in the Hand of the God of
Providence!
A PAWN IN HIS HAND
God’s love for His people cannot be underestimated. He had
prepared a woman for the hour of deliverance and the man that would support her
all the way—Mordecai. Esther was now in the position to petition the king—she
had found favor and was a pleasing wife to him. Just when Haman’s plan looked
as if it would come to pass any moment, Esther steps into the picture. “And Esther
spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him
with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that
he had devised against the Jews. Then the king held out the golden sceptre
toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, And said, If it
please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be
written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the
Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces: For how can I endure to see the
evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction
of my kindred?” Esther 8:3-6
She was a
woman of compassion, mercy, and action!! The tables were turned on Haman; what
he planned to do to the people of God came upon him. “Then the king
Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have
given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows,
because he laid his hand upon the Jews.” Esther 8:7. What this evil man wanted to do to the people of God
instead came back upon him, and the good people of God had a celebration and
rest. When Paul journeyed on the road to Damascus with plans to kill the
Christians of that day, a light suddenly shined down from heaven and Jesus
asked him, “…Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Acts 9:4. When Satan rises up against you and I, the attack is not
against us, it is against Jesus, the Son of God, who lives and dwells in us.
America needs a modern day Esther who can stand before the King of kings in
this crucial hour on behalf of our nation.
A PRAYER THAT MOVED
HEAVEN
There are four things
that are very important and powerful in Esther’s prayer that moved heaven.
- Number one, Esther’s prayer was full of humility as she approached the King’s throne.
- Secondarily, she said, “If I have found favor in your sight.” She knew she had to have favor; therefore, she requested favor. Favor means kind regard, good will, to advocate, approving, and pleasing.
- The third thing was her request, “Does my request please the king, or am I asking amiss in this situation?” She gave God room to move in the situation. So many times we lock God into a selfish prayer that is only our desire to please ourselves or the solution that we feel is needed to perfect the situation, not allowing the God of Providence to have His perfect way. As a modern day Christian, we hear so much about coming boldly before the throne of grace, thinking that it means that we are to dictate to God what to do and how to do it.
- And last, but not least, Esther asked, “If I be pleasing in your sight?"
Today, as praying
people, we could ask the same question, “Lord, Jesus, are my ways pleasing to
you, or do I have a rebellious way in me?” We know as we read this book, that
Esther found great favor. She had the care and concern of others and because
she obeyed and pleased God – the plan to save a whole nation was put in her
hand. How can we endure to see our nation destroyed through abortion, murder,
violence, pornography and the throwing out of our Ten Commandments? Let us take
our prayers boldly before the throne of grace and find help in time of need, as
Esther did. Esther had an audience with the king and today you and I need an
audience with the King of kings. Besides our nation’s problems, many are the
problems with our families, children, marriages, and churches. Let us learn from
Esther and get results from our prayers as we pray our victories in! Our Lord
wants to turn the tables on our enemies of our lives.
THE FRAGRANCE OF
OBEDIENCEY
Years ago, I used to have my favorite fragrance that I
would splash on daily. As soon as I ran out, I was running to get another
bottle. One day, I ran out and I was going to buy another bottle of perfume as
usual, when the Holy Spirit stopped me and said, “I don’t’ want you to get
any.” My immediate response was, why” Is it wrong or have I done something?”
But the Holy Spirit very clearly said, “I want to give you a new fragrance."
So time went by and on occasion I would secretly smell my flesh on my arms to
see if I was going to smell some supernatural fragrance, but the smell was just
simple flesh.
About six weeks or so went by, and one morning the Holy Spirit
and I were conversing about my new fragrance and when it was coming. The Holy
Spirit softly whispered, “Yes, you have a
new fragrance.” And I said, “I do? Why can’t
I smell it?” He said to me, “It is the fragrance of obedience! It is the
sweetest aroma to the Father’s nostrils. You obeyed me and I needed that
obedience from you so that I can continue to prepare you for my work of
prayer.” He said very gently, “You can go now and buy your fragrance if you so
desire—you have My permission.” Well, I knew that I had used that same perfume
for many years and it was time for a change.
I started looking and could not
seem to find one. One evening upon coming home (I always left my front door open)
I found on my kitchen table a bottle of perfume with a small offering. A good
friend in the Lord had dropped it off to me. I knew that this was heaven sent.
The name of the fragrance was “White Linen.” I couldn’t believe it, I was so
thrilled because this was a prophetic answer; God was speaking! White Linen is
the righteousness of the saints. Revelation 19:7-8 reads,
“Let
us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him:
for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself
ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.” That fragrance would mark my spiritual walk for the next “ten (10) year season”
of my life where I would stay in constant prayer for the saints, the lost, and
our nation. Here I am today, writing to you and sharing God’s grace with you.
All of you are so special to me and as we continue our battle in prayer for the
nation, the lost, and the church, God will hear and answer. And as we continue
to work on our "fragrance of obedience" we will also have an audience with the
King of kings. To God Be the Glory!
Written October 2004—Reprinted 2009
Thank you so much for reading this Prophetic Message. If you would like to make a copy or copies of this
newsletter, you are welcome to do so. Make sure your copy is in its entirety
and the message should not be changed. Judgment messages are very serious and
those declaring them carry a big responsibility.
Hilda Arredondo's name and her website http://NDCPrayer.com/ and e-mail address ndcp@att.net should accompany this message as you print it. If you have any
questions or comments please e-mail us. At this point we have no representatives outside this ministry
and all business for the ministry is handled by hilda arredondo, 195 El Shaddai
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