Audio (17 mins)
In the course of ministry, people often ask me, "How can I hear from God better? Does God really want to speak to me?" The answer is a resounding "YES!" To illustrate this, I want to share a brief encounter I had with the Holy Spirit that convinced me once and for all that God speaks to His children without exception. One morning, the Holy Spirit awakened me, saying, “I am so much better than you think I am!” This was an unexpected early-morning conversation starter for someone who was still struggling to open her eyes! After that initial "teaser," He immediately brought one of my favorite scriptures, Ephesians 3:20-21, to mind: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (NASB) Holy Spirit continued speaking as I pondered those words. He said, “Man reads these words in Ephesians and sees function: ‘I can DO more than you ask or imagine.’ But all that I DO is rooted in all that I AM, and I AM much better than you imagine I am!” The words “far more abundantly” (above) are an English translation of just one word in the Greek: perissos. I am not a Greek scholar, but Thayer’s dictionary* gives me a much better idea of what is meant here:
We serve the Man of Glory whose arms, legs, and feet are fire, like burnished bronze in a furnace. (Rev. 1:14-15 & Daniel 10:6) Think: glossy, bright, liquid sunlight! There’s fire all around Him, in His walk and His service. These external descriptors speak to His form and His function. This same Man is also described as having eyes like flaming torches and a glow-in-the-dark face that can’t be missed even when the lights go out! Those eyes reflect the fire within, giving us a glimpse into His character, which is equally glorious. The Lord wants to SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND our understanding of His character and nature so that we BELIEVE He will speak to us daily. He desires to give us, each day, our daily bread. Not only that, but HE IS our daily bread: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51, NIV) As manna fell daily in the wilderness and each man gathered up his provision for the day, so the Word of God is dropped like dew into believers’ hearts each morning as they meditate on Christ. (See Exodus 16; Numbers 11:8.) If you can receive it, Jesus became living manna, and the answer to Israel’s question in the wilderness, “What is it?” is that this “bread of angels” is Christ Himself (Psalm 78:23-25). Angels feast on and obey the Word of God. How much more should we do the same? Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The bread He asked for was not just physical, but spiritual (See John 4:32). If Jesus expected the Father to give Him spiritual food, then we can expect Him to release revelation to us as well. Why would a good Father give us a stone instead of bread? Ultimately, “give us this day” is a prayer for daily encounters with God’s Presence. It's an invitation to communion and fellowship with a God who is so good, He wakes us up in the morning to remind us of His desire to be with us! Can you feel the excitement He has to be with you? To talk with you morning and night, just as He commanded you to do with your beloved children? (Deut. 6:7) But what does He want to talk about? How do we encounter this glorious, burning Son of Man? Many people are so afraid of the "unknowns" a prayer relationship entails that they hide behind religion instead. Rules, rituals, and regulations often feel safer. Yet if people knew how SUPERABUNDANTLY GOOD God is; how much better than all the joy they could imagine finding in a human being, they would run from religion, right into the arms of a wonderful, radiant, and joyful God! No true believer in Jesus’ time avoided Him. Children ran into His arms to receive their blessing. The sick didn’t blame Him, they craved Him! The poor were His best friends. The toughest types left everything to follow Him. And that was before He was glorified! HOW MUCH MORE, then, will this glorious Christ, whose blood opened the way into relationship with the Father, reveal His goodness to you? HOW MUCH MORE does He desire to give you peace, joy, fruitfulness, and glory? Listen to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:24: “Father, I DESIRE that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (ESV; emphasis mine) Hear Him say to you as He did to His first disciples: “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21 ESV Because God is so good, He desires to have fellowship with His creatures, satisfying our deepest needs with His life-giving Presence. HE IS the daily bread we pray for! John assures us that we can be CONFIDENT in God’s desire to speak to us. He writes: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” ~ 1 John 5:13-15 NASB Dear friend, settle once and for all that you are created in God's image and meant to hear from Him! That God DOES desire to speak to you. And that part of your inheritance as a believer is to ask for and receive manna. Daily bread. Those sweet-as-honey cakes, baked in the hot coals of Christ’s glorious Presence and delivered to you by messenger angels. God's words are the supernatural substance you MUST have to continue ministering on this earth. You don't need to convince HIM of this. He knows! You need to be convinced yourself. Daily bread: eternal, enduring provision, is there for you when all other supply is cut off. There is no fear of lack in the Kingdom. There is so much more than you can ask or imagine! You only need to BELIEVE, and to ASK. Right now, He's waiting to hear your voice. Ask for more! Deborah For more encouragement in daily prayer, read Why Pray? Reasons to Reach for God. Now available in our store. 
@Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com *Joseph Henry Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1841, 1996, Henrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA.
For the past week, the Lord has brought me into several encounters concerning His deep desire to give members of His Bride both a VOICE and a VISION.
Many in the Body of Christ went through severe trials and testing prior to Passover. Many battled the devourer at the gates of destiny and were victorious. Those overcoming ones now stand at the threshold of a new season with new opportunities! I believe the Lord wants to establish you and pour out power and anointing you have not experienced before as you begin to advance and conquer more of your promised land. He wants you to have a voice and a vision! |
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Deborah Perkins 
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May 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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