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Dear Friends, During worship this morning, I was overtaken by the Presence of the Lord. As I set my heart to listen, I heard Him whisper over and over, “I AM WITH YOU TO THE END!” Areas of doubt and unbelief seemed to vanish as His Presence saturated fearful places in my heart with His peace. Glory to God, there is nothing like the Presence of Jesus! Great reassurance surrounded me as Jesus spoke of His faithfulness and ability to guard the ones entrusted to Him, even to the very end. He is not leaving or abandoning His Body in these end times! He is with us now and will be with us to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20). While I know these words are familiar to most believers, I cannot emphasize enough how reassuring and essential these words sounded at the time. As I continued to rest in His Presence, the Lord expanded my vision, revealing His heart for several groups of people in particular. These words are not simply meant to comfort the Body concerning the end times. They are meant to impart much-needed life, health, hope, and endurance. I encourage you to read through this word to the end to hear what the Lord might be saying to you! As that wonderful phrase “I am with you to the end” continued to resound and echo in my Spirit, I was comforted by Christ’s awareness of the end-time struggles we are facing worldwide. As one of my pastors once put it, “the Creator became a creation and did not exempt Himself from suffering.”* Jesus understands it all and is with us in it all. THE ELDERLY In this encounter, I first saw the Lord sustaining the elderly, whose bodies felt weary and weak. He was comforting those who wondered whether they could make it to the end of their journeys. I saw Jesus speaking and releasing fresh strength to the aged. His words sustained their physical bodies, invigorating them from within and forming an unbreakable shield around them. I felt a tangible reassurance that nothing could happen to them apart from His divine will. If this is you today, know that you are both eternally and temporally SECURE in Him, no matter how your body feels. THE SICK After this, I saw the sick, especially those who had been fighting long battles with illness. I knew beyond a doubt that the power of Christ to heal had not been nullified. Healing was still readily available! I sensed a great desire in Christ’s heart to PARTNER with those who are sick. Jesus has not given up on the afflicted, but in many cases the enemy has caused them to partner with unbelief through multiple medical diagnoses and delays. Yet in this case, the source of healing was not in the medical treatments. As the sick turned their hearts to the Lord, choosing to trust in His Word, healing began to manifest from the inside out. Spirits and souls realigned with the power of God’s Word, wisdom was released, and illnesses began to vanish. In this encounter, ancient, unchanging truths about healing came alive, not from an external source or outpouring, but from internal emotional restoration, which was the key to the physical manifestations. VISIONARIES & KINGDOM-BUILDERS Next, I saw many believers carrying God-given visions and assignments in their hearts. They had begun to work or build correctly, but progress had stopped. Right in the middle, it seemed that the vision had suddenly dried up; future steps were unclear. Here again, I sensed the Lord saying He was with them “to the end.” He was just as near to those stuck in the middle as He was at the beginning! Yet He was looking for visionaries to return their gazes to Him. I saw the Lord watching and waiting until visionaries’ eyes were redirected from the blueprints back to the Architect. The goal was not as important as the relationship! These builders were building legitimate, godly designs, but the Master Builder was also still building hearts. The Lord wants to hold builders’ hearts as tightly as builders hold to their visions. He will make adjustments as necessary, using “downtimes” as an incentive to return fully to Him. I heard the Lord say He will see each vision to completion as these builders continue to partner with Him, prioritizing the relationship over any previously-assigned tasks. THE “FORGOTTEN” & DISILLUSIONED Finally, I saw a group of people who had begun their spiritual journeys with great encounters, expectations, power, and deep experiences in God. However, the excitement of early days had diminished, and now they felt they were living in a dry spell. They wondered whether God had forgotten them. For some, this spiritual desert had lasted not for months, but for years. Hope was nearly gone and disappointment made these believers wonder whether they would ever experience God like that again. The enemy had used the opportunity to condemn, and it was tempting to give up completely. To this group of disillusioned ones, I heard the Lord say. “I AM FAITHFUL!” Christ’s faithfulness eclipsed any human failures or temptations. I knew that He was eager to restore and renew relationships to the depth each person would allow. I saw a beautiful transformation of hearts taking place as believers chose to take hold of their faith again, rejecting rejection and disappointment. They were reawakened to the fullness and vitality of God’s life within. HE IS ALPHA AND OMEGA Above all, in all these scenarios, the Lord highlighted the need for continued TRUST in Him to reach the desired end. When the end is not clear; when we feel stuck in the middle of a trial or a process, it’s not reaching the end that is important, but leaning into Jesus step by step, with wholehearted trust that HE is the Alpha and Omega. He will bring it all to pass! I see an anointing for ENDURANCE being released among believers today, a “finishing” anointing not based on personal grit or human resilience, but on PURE FAITH in the One who will be with us to the very end of our journeys. Like us, Jesus has suffered. He has been faithful and has overcome all. He is revealing Himself once again as the Mighty Warrior, Faithful and True, who embraces linen-clothed saints when they worship, then leads them into victorious war (Revelation 19:6-8; 11-14)! May the Overcoming One release fresh empowerment to you today to finish well, whether you are finishing your race, completing a vision, weathering a trial, or rebuilding your relationship with the Holy Spirit. He is with you to the very end! ~Deborah
*Matthew 16:21; from an undated sermon by Pastor Deryck Frye, Connect Community Church, Ashland MA.
©HisInscriptions.com/Deborah Perkins 
Dear Friends, Many times, people feel frustrated that they don’t hear clearly from God, yet they never take specific steps to cultivate a listening ear. Since we have biblical promises that believers can hear from the Lord (John 10:27), it’s up to us to listen, lest we drift from God's good plan for our future! 
Dear Friends, Two weeks ago the Lord asked me to call a dear friend, a watchman/intercessor I highly respect, to deliver a very simple challenge: "Just Jesus." Those two words, the Lord said, were an invitation for my friend to close the doors temporarily on all external sources of "noise" or information-gathering in order to recalibrate the ears to just one sound: the voice of God. I knew this would not be easy; turning off phones, news, YouTube, and even the Kingdom sounds of other prophetic voices is a daunting task today! Yet I saw the Lord sitting patiently and quietly nearby, waiting - as any good guest might - for His Brides' full attention. 
Dear Friends, In repeated encounters over the past few months I have heard the Lord encouraging us to “open the door” to welcome His harvest. I hear the Lord saying: “Open the door! Go, stand at the door and watch: your harvest is coming in!” 
The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. 1 Corinthians 12:23 
If you are someone who loves to pray or desires deeper intimacy with the Lord, you have undoubtedly made room for Him somewhere in your heart or home, a place where you can be alone and quiet with Him, undisturbed. I know many His Inscriptions readers who have created special places in your homes, offices, or prayer cottages where you warmly welcome the Holy Spirit to come and abide with you. I have been blessed to visit or pray in some of these places over the years, and there is nothing on earth like them; they represent holy ground! Some of us, though, especially during the pandemic, have found that the private spaces we once had became crowded with other people! Dear Friends, As I prayed early this morning I heard such encouraging words from the Lord for those who are struggling to see and understand what is going on around you right now. These words are a gentle reminder of what is always most important, which is our heart's total surrender to Jesus. I pray these words from His heart will bless you! “A surrendered heart is all I need. No matter what you are going through, your surrender to Me is the key to victory. You may not have the answers; you may not even see the way ahead of you, but a simple surrendering of yourself again is the yieldedness that allows Me to move you forward.” 
Twice in the past few weeks the Lord has allowed me to see from His perspective the advancing of His Kingdom during these times of trial. The first was in a dream, but last night as I listened, the Lord began to speak more specifically of what is happening today. I believe that applying these very personal strategies will help you receive your harvest! “Never before has there been such hostility to the truth, and never again will there be such an engaging witness to the same. “Even as the world exerts pressure on My people, so that very pressure is releasing a great cry for justice and mercy, one that would not be so passionate and heartfelt were it not for the pain the pressure is producing. “I am extracting the precious from the vile. “Only 14 percent of young adults (ages 18-35) say they attend church because someone in their worship community cares deeply about them.” ~Barna Research What are you doing to reach the next generation? Take a look around your church or small group fellowship. How many of your regular attendees are from the “next generation” following you? 10%? 20%? 50% or more? If you see a healthy crop of young believers growing and being discipled in your church, congratulations. You’re a rarity! As research shows, the majority of young people in our culture are suffering from serious neglect. Notably, they don’t feel anyone in church “cares deeply” for them. (Barna, 2019) "Adjust and Trust!" This is what I heard the Lord saying as I sat with Him recently. Many people are going through a season of transition where God's promises are visible on the horizon, yet not fully realized or accessible. Flexibility and faith are essential in the midst of change. Do not be frustrated in the process but trust God to bring you through your transitions and into your promised land! Here is a short word He gave me concerning times of transition: 
His Inscriptions readers are an amazing group of leaders in your local churches, families, and communities! It is you I want to encourage today with this special focus on ministry. As I sat with the Lord in prayer this week, He gave me a picture of three doors. With the exception of our quiet times, these three doors are meant to remain open, the Presence of God accompanying us as we pass through each door into different spheres of influence. The first door was the door to our heart, or our "innermost room." Jesus called believers to go into this innermost place and close the door so that we could commune with the Father in secret. The Passion Translation describes this place as the "resting place of His love" (Ephesians 3:17), the source and root of all that we do. Our first and primary ministry as priests will always be to the Lord. This sacred space in our hearts is like the "Holy of Holies" - a place where there is a divine exchange of our sin for His righteousness, our unworthiness for His love, and our humanness for His supernatural Spirit. It is the only place in Scripture I know of where we are told to close the door, seal ourselves off, and be alone. We "cap our wells," so to speak, for the sake of replenishment and stillness before the Lord. The second door opened to those closest to us: family and friends with whom we live our daily lives. The places we walk on a daily basis present us with the opportunity to love those around us as an outward expression of our inward love for Christ. This represented our secondary ministry, second only to God. The third door opened to the world of our communities, churches, and nations; our "metron" or expanded sphere of ministry. While many believers place this sphere first, that is not the biblical pattern. (See 1 Timothy 5:8.) What exactly is our ministry? It is the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). The beautiful truth of the New Testament is that God's "door" is always open. The veil that separated us from intimacy with Him was torn at Christ's death, and we are now able to boldly approach His throne through Jesus's righteousness! Hallelujah! Paul said he "resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) The message of Christ is our ministry! For our message to be authentic and powerful, we must ourselves be ministered to by the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3, 4, and 5 describe a new perspective on ministry. Ministry at its best is not an "office" or a title, but a position of servanthood. Here is what one of the most qualified Jewish leaders of Bible times thought about Christian ministry once he was converted: 
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. I am writing to you this week from about 35,000 feet - roughly 7 miles up - in the air. Two of my children and I are returning from a visit to North Carolina with my sister and her family. My younger boys have never flown before, and one of the most wonderful parts of our journey is showing them what it is like to soar above the clouds, in a place where bright daylight is radiant no matter what the weather below. We took off in a fog; we now soar in a luminescent sky with pillow-like clouds that beg us to somehow step out and walk upon them! The contrast is amazing. My boys have loved every minute of their flights to and fro, with the change in perspective they bring. To be "above and not beneath" (Deuteronomy 28:13) is a blessing indeed, and it started with a simple choice to shift our focus. 
Not many Christians will admit to being angry with God. It seems unholy somehow, against the "rules" of Christianity that we have been taught. After all, if God is no longer angry with us, then what right do we have to be angry with Him? Yet simmering beneath the surface, even the best believers have some level of anger towards God, anger they often won't admit even to themselves. Why? Because most of us, no matter how holy, deal with unmet expectations.
One of the greatest breakthroughs in how we understand God can also lead us to one of the greatest difficulties: God is a person! We can have a wonderful, personal relationship with God, yet that very same truth can become a stumbling block to us when we transfer natural human expectations over onto Him and forget He is also divine.
Living a godly life is actually quite simple: In every situation where you honor God, He honors you in return. One choice made for God, in the midst of many other potential choices, can mean the difference between a victory or a defeat in your personal battles! So many of us long for more of God. More love, more intimacy, more security. I do, and I have talked to some of you who desire the same thing. The Holy Spirit is drawing us into a deeper relationship with a Father who SO loves His children! At the same time, the enemy is launching wide-scale attacks to challenge that love. He’s presenting more options than ever to keep us from entering the secret place of God’s Presence, where we are renewed. As I contemplated this, I heard the Lord emphasize one single truth: the power to fully comprehend God’s love begins with a life of consecration! Far from a religious ritual, and beyond the obvious biblical requirement for priesthood, the Lord’s heart is to communicate how simple and how powerful our consecration to Him really is in our quest for more of Him. Take a moment to listen to His heart; to understand how HE sees consecration and the blessing it can be for you. 
Most Christian leaders I know, including myself, have a desire to see the Kingdom of God expand. Some want to grow their churches, some want to send missionaries to the field, some evangelize the lost and heal the wounded, and some pray for revival. Each of us has a part to play, and every one of us will have a different vision. At the moment, I am called to write, while you might be called to share Jesus in your workplace. God invites ALL of us to help build His Kingdom, yet we ALL need to invite God into our processes first to see His Kingdom expand! If you’re longing to bear more fruit for the Kingdom of God, these words the Lord shared with me recently will encourage you. 
An unusual thing happened the other day. The Senior Pastor of my church called me, out of the blue, to say hello. No agenda. No problems. No church business to discuss. Just a “Hello, how are you” kind of call. That call was a HUGE blessing in my day! Most leaders I know are pretty busy people. Heck, I am, too! When I hung up the phone after our call, I sat for a moment wondering: when is the last time a leader called me and didn’t need something? Wanted to just connect, for the sake of the relationship, not the “mission” or the shared purpose, whatever that may be? Apart from a handful of very dear friends I know in leadership, I couldn’t remember. Leaders who lead with love are a rare and special breed. 
Change is inevitable. Many people in the Body of Christ are going through intense changes right now: the loss of a friend, a spouse, or a child. A transition into a new job. A feeling that God is calling you to do something different in the next season than what you have done before, accompanied by a disconcerting sense that you aren’t sure yet how to do it! A new Jewish year, 5779, begins this Sunday, September 11 at sundown – Rosh Hashanah. Spiritually, the number nine speaks of fruitfulness, harvest, birthing and creation. Politically, a new government is being shaped as we vote in the primaries this week and watch the “dethroning” and reseating of key justices in the court. Personal, political and religious seasons are shifting, for better or worse. Why? A new season is here! It is important that we understand our place in the “new,” releasing the past and realigning ourselves with God and others for the future. But how do we do that? 
The first time I ever heard someone speak on prayer was when I was around 25 years old. I was helping to coordinate a large conference for Christians in New England, and I had a few minutes free between responsibilities. I slipped into a workshop on prayer with a speaker I had never met, and those few minutes changed my life. 
Let me be the first to admit that sometimes, my prayers don't get answered. It happens to everyone. We're all on a journey, growing in the knowledge of who God is and how He works. No one - not even the most "spiritual" believer you know - has his prayers answered all the time! But in 30+ years of growing in the Lord, I've discovered that there are some prayers that are powerful. More powerful than others. One such prayer is asking God for what we call "Divine Appointments." 
Dear Reader, I have a confession to make. There are days when I just don’t want to pray. Or write. Or do anything “spiritual.” I’m not alone. Pastors have days when they just don’t want to deal with another person, or another problem. Moms and dads just can’t fathom dragging their kids through another tedious family devotion. Don’t get me wrong. I love prayer. I love all things related to the Lord and His Spirit. I love celebrating what He has done for us and getting to know Him, and His people, better. But I am just tired sometimes. My flesh cries out for “downtime,” for a place where I am relieved of responsibility and free to just “be.” 
This week, I had the honor of interviewing Pastor Jason McGee, Senior Pastor of One Family Church in Shrewsbury, MA, for His Inscriptions readers. My husband and I have known Jason for several years, and helped him plant his church in Shrewsbury. One of the things that most impressed me during the church plant was his emphasis on prayer. I was curious to know, several years later, how he views prayer and what priority he gives to prayer in his growing congregation. Here are his thoughts. 
Ever attended a prayer meeting, only to find record-low turnouts? This may be the reason: 82% of American adults prefer to pray silently, by themselves. A new study just published by a Christian research organization, the Barna Group, gives insight into exactly what is happening in Americans' prayer lives. Who is most likely to pray? What do we pray for? To whom are we praying? The answers are intriguing to me, and I'm guessing they will be to you, too! Today's post contains a link to an informative Barna Group article, which every Christian leader and layperson should read. Are we missing something by not praying together? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. © Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com 
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Having a “Type A” personality has become synonymous with being perpetually occupied, moving quickly from one task to the next, or prioritizing tasks at the expense of relationships. Type A’s are typically happier when busy, value efficiency, and maximize the use of their time. I know what I’m talking about. I am one. |
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November 2025
AuthorA severe hearing loss from childhood caused Deborah Perkins to develop what she now calls her secret weapon: tuning in to God's voice. A Wellesley College graduate and an award-winning writer, Deborah is now a wife and mother of 3 boys. Deborah has devoted over 25 years to professional and lay Christian ministry in New England and beyond. Her passion is inspiring people to cultivate greater intimacy with God. 
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