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For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts; He who makes the dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth—the LORD God of Hosts is His name.
~Amos 4:13 AMP On June 1, I woke to the sound of the Lord’s voice saying, “The dominoes are going to fall. Let them! When they fall, I will catch you!” In the Spirit, I saw a vision of a winding line of dominoes that were about to fall, one triggering another until they all came down. I knew that a specific sequence of events had already been set in motion. It was unstoppable; the only response was to let the dominoes fall! At the same time, I understood that God had been preparing His Body for these very events and would "catch" us spiritually during that time of turmoil. He assured me that He was ready to strengthen and support those whose faith rested in Him alone. I sensed that the Lord was releasing yet another gentle warning to His children, that the structures and systems we’ve relied on for years are at their tipping point. The shakings we see happening politically, culturally, and economically are not accidental; in many cases, the Lord’s hand is behind them. The key in this hour is to let God have his way, toppling what needs to fall, and trusting that as we set our faith firmly on Him, we will not be shaken. WISDOM: YOUR SECURE PATH The Lord reminded me of an earlier encounter I had, where I'd seen a perfectly aligned, heavenly pathway of "stepping stones" in the clouds one clear day. Our Lord establishes ordered, sequential pathways of growth and blessing in the Spirit for His children to follow: “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” And: “The law of God is in his heart; not one of his steps will slip.” ~Psalm 37:23-24, 31-32 ESV In the same way, we know that the enemy intentionally sets up systems, processes, and relationships designed to be pathways of destruction. Yet like dominoes, these interconnected systems are falling. Seen from the Lord’s perspective, such demonic pathways have no power over the righteous: “They will be held guilty, they [and all men] whose own power and strength is their god” (Habakkuk 1:11, AMP). I hear the Lord urging His people once again to “come up higher,” watching from protected places in the Spirit, above the chaos. As you watch and partner with Wisdom, you will clearly see the demonic patterns the Lord is exposing. You will not fear, but will marvel at God’s precision, understanding in advance how these “demonic dominoes” will fall. “Many will be purged, purified (made white), and refined, but the wicked will behave wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are [spiritually] wise will understand.” ~ Daniel 12:10, AMP “They who are wise and have spiritual insight among the people will instruct many and help them understand; yet for many days some [of them and their followers] will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder.” ~ Daniel 11:33 PROPHETIC CONFIRMATIONS Later that same day (June 1st), I received news that cities across France were burning in the wake of celebratory soccer gatherings-turned-riots. While this is not the first (or the worst) incidence of the world’s unrest, the Lord used these particular events to confirm His word to me. My son Caleb was completing a mission trip in Grenoble, France, at the time, and I messaged him with concerns for his safety, since there was minor rioting in Grenoble’s streets and storefronts as well. He responded the following day with a video call - not from Grenoble's streets, but from the Bastille (fortress) at the top of Mount Chartreuse, overlooking the city and the beautiful Alps. When he called, I happened to be reading Amos 4, which celebrates the Lord of Hosts who created the mountains and “treads on the heights of the earth” (Amos 4:13, AMP). Whether Caleb knew it or not, God had prophetically brought him to Grenoble’s ancient defensive fortress, 'summiting' to a place of natural protection and heightened spiritual perspective. What a beautiful picture of the believer’s call to walk securely, in higher places of union with the Lord, during times of shaking and unrest! Only a few hours later, a trusted member of our prayer team called me and mentioned that he had been reading the first chapter of Proverbs that day, which confirmed exactly what the Lord was showing us: “But whoever listens to me (Wisdom) will live securely and in confident trust and will be at ease, without fear or dread of evil.” ~Proverbs 1:33 AMP WHAT IS GOD’S GOAL IN TIMES OF SHAKING? In perilous times, God does not give warnings to trigger fear; He warns us to build and strengthen our faith:
This is what Love does; it prepares the hearts of loved ones for trials and deception in advance, so that when fear advances, faith is strong. Instead of retreating in fear, the Spirit-led believer can see divine order in chaos, walking in faith and persevering for its reward! In this season, God’s goal is not destruction, but restoration, growth, and expansion. As demonic systems crumble and fall, as the debris is cleared away, we will see more clearly how to possess the land He has promised us. In prayer, I saw a vision of wide open territory in front of God’s people, similar to what Psalm 37 describes: “Those who do evil will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land. For yet a little while and the wicked one will be gone; though you look carefully where he used to be, he will not be found.” ~Psalm 37:9 FEARLESS FAITH As I continued listening to the Lord’s heart, asking for a specific word of encouragement in light of this warning, He directed me to a portion of scripture well worth remembering: Hebrews 10:32-39. “But remember the earlier days, when, after being [spiritually] enlightened, you [patiently] endured a great conflict of sufferings, sometimes by being made a spectacle, publicly exposed to insults and distress, and sometimes by becoming companions with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy and deep concern for those who were imprisoned, and you joyfully accepted the [unjust] seizure of your belongings and the confiscation of your property, conscious of the fact that you have a better possession and a lasting one [prepared for you in heaven]. “Do not, therefore, fling away your [fearless] confidence, for it has a glorious and great reward. For you have need of patient endurance [to bear up under difficult circumstances without compromising], so that when you have carried out the will of God, you may receive and enjoy to the full what is promised. “FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE [the one justified by faith] SHALL LIVE BY FAITH …AND IF HE DRAWS BACK [shrinking in fear], MY SOUL HAS NO DELIGHT IN HIM. “But our way is not that of those who shrink back to destruction, but [we are] of those who BELIEVE … and by this confident faith preserve the soul.” (AMP, emphasis mine) The believer’s way is not to cower in fear, but to walk in faith, confident of better things! Yet the wise also understand that God’s way, especially in times of judgment and cleansing, is often IN the storm: The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. ~Nahum 1:3 ESV THE “SAULS” WILL FALL In the early church, it was fervent prayer that targeted threats from the religious establishment, leading first to a shaking, and then to God’s direct intervention against the chief persecutor of the church, Saul: “...Now, Lord, observe their threats and grant that your bondservants may declare Your message with great confidence… And when they had prayed, the place where they were meeting together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the Word of God with boldness and courage.” (Acts 4:29, 31) The man “whose own power and strength had been his god,” whose murderous threats terrorized the church for several years, was exposed and converted in an instant, resulting in GREAT PEACE, a time of BUILDING and walking in the FEAR OF THE LORD, and great COMFORT and INCREASED GROWTH in the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 9:31) These are powerful promises for today! Do not fear what your eyes see, as threats abound and dominoes fall. Instead, set your faith on the Sovereign One, whose Kingdom stands forever marked for increase! The Lord invites you to tread the mountains with Him, watching these storms from your ascended place in the Spirit, your faith secure and unshakeable in the knowledge of His love. ~Deborah “Listen! My Beloved! Behold, He comes, climbing on the mountains, leaping and running on the hills! …My Beloved speaks and says to me, ‘Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away… In the sheltered and secret place of the steep pathway, let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.’” ~Song of Songs 2:8, 10, 14 AMP As I listened to the LORD this week, He brought to mind a clear exhortation, meant to help you take possession of the new things God is giving you this season. This exhortation appears in the Bible in both negative and positive forms. It comes as a warning and as a promise. Isaiah prophesies the warning to King Ahaz in 734 BCE, saying, “If you do not stand firm in faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9, NIV) 100 years later, Jahaziel and King Jehoshaphat echo Isaiah's prophecy as a promise, saying, “Have faith in the LORD your God, and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets, and you will be successful.” (2 Chronicles 20:20, NIV) These exhortations, both containing the same play on words in Hebrew, are repeated in other biblical passages as well. To understand their significance, we need to examine the contexts in which they are given.
Dear Friends,
One of the reasons why prophetic ministry is so essential to the church today is that only words sourced in the Spirit of God achieve the purposes of God. Scripture supports prophecy, and all good prophecy is founded upon Scripture: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel, saying, ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) God must have a prophetic people through whom He can work effectively, lest He violate His own Word. For this reason, the Holy Spirit was poured out on all believers at Pentecost. Human reasoning is incapable of transformation. The mind of Christ must be accessed through faith, which is spiritual and relational trust, to tear down doctrines of demons and strongholds of deceit. We know the mind of Christ through the wisdom and teaching of the Holy Spirit. Revelatory words from God’s throne penetrate darkness and unlock secrets, bringing total transformation. Prophecy, like truth, may pierce the heart at first, but its goal is always to heal and restore relationships. In fact, one of the most beautiful applications of the prophetic is to facilitate healing. I want to share two illustrations of how healing comes through prophetic ministry. As I sought the Lord last week about this Fall season, the Father opened up a set of blueprints on a round table in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit spoke the words from Amos 3:7: “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” As the Holy Spirit spoke, a depression-era, cathedral-style wooden radio appeared in the Spirit above the blueprints. I heard the Father say the word: “BROADCASTS!” As He had said two years ago, the Lord confirmed that He intends to broadcast believer’s voices into many homes around the world to bring direction and reassurance in uncertain times. Believers are being raised up as prophetic evangelists, teachers, and creatives to BROADCAST a message of hope in Jesus through radio, television, and various other mediums. Despite censorship and broad-scale attempts of the enemy to MOCK or SILENCE God’s people, I hear the Lord encouraging His children to BOLDLY PROCLAIM the Word of God in this season. There is an open door in the Spirit to BROADCAST - to scatter abroad - His message by every available means! Some of you have a call to write books, create audio books, or start podcasts. Some have a call to broadcast truth through the arts or media. Others have a burning desire to write plays, musicals, or poetry that highlight God’s glory. NOW IS THE TIME to publish and proclaim what God has given you! There is a CREATIVE ANOINTING being released to birth these new expressions of His Word. As you sow your seeds, the Lord will activate them in their new destinations. Those who are “in tune” with the frequencies of the Holy Spirit will be set in place and “switched on” like that radio, releasing God’s heart to every generation.
During a time of prayer last week, I felt a grieving in the Lord’s heart over the deep brokenness in the Body of Christ that has come from man’s abuses of authority.
Whether through past traumas or recent trials, many mighty warriors are processing wounds inflicted on them by misguided parents, pastors, or other leaders. These deceived authority figures are people who should have shown the way to the Father, but instead threw away the key to intimacy. Demanding undue honor themselves, they failed to honor the Lord and His precious Body. I also saw that some of the most fervent believers who were praying for the fullness of God’s glory and power to come to earth, found themselves surprised by opposition within their own hearts when that same power actually began to manifest! This opposition stemmed from wounds buried deeper than they realized. I heard the Lord say that the enemy’s strategy here is to use these old, hidden wounds around authority issues to reconnect you to the fear of trauma and even to resist the power of God as it begins to increase in your life! The Lord is longing to restore those who are hungry for His manifest Presence on the earth. He wants to rebuild the trust and intimacy that was lost, removing all barriers to seeing Him as He is: a mighty, all-powerful, and GOOD God. Dear Friends, There are so many wonderful prophetic words concerning the amazing glory and vindication the Body of Christ is beginning to experience. My heart is stirred with faith and expectancy to see God continue to empower His Body in greater ways and with the fullness of His Spirit! At the same time, there is even greater resistance from the enemy, who continues to do everything in his power to stop the advance of God’s army. Today, I want to share with you a powerful vision the Lord gave me to show us how to overcome this resistance! Dear Friends, In a series of encounters over the past few months, Father God has taken me repeatedly into His heart, speaking of His desire for wholeness and healing in the Body of Christ. There has been a sustained emphasis on healing and restoration. For many this process is ongoing. This morning as I encountered the Father’s heart again, I saw His intense desire for union and communion with His children. Dear Friends: In this Jewish month of Tevet, I believe the Lord is challenging His Beloved not just to grow up, but to give up! He is looking for those whose hearts are fully surrendered, or given up, to Him. God's desire for your wholeheartedness is not selfish. In fact, it is your best form of protection. Your choice can be a matter of life and death. As a Christian, the war you fight against a satanic enemy is a war over your heart. All other wars are rooted in this foundational battle over the dominion and territory of the heart. (See James 4:1-4.) God wants you to win this war. Yet in order to win the war, you must humble yourself and surrender to God. To fail to surrender is to become God's enemy. The Lord once said to me: “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 all the answers; you may not even see the way ahead of you, but a simple surrendering of yourself once again is the yieldedness that will allow Me to move you forward.” Dear Friends, During a prayer retreat before Rosh Hashanah / New Year 5783, I experienced several profound encounters in the Glory of God. These are some of the things the Lord revealed to me during that time. Every word from our Lord’s mouth is like a cup of compassion. His life-giving words are liquid love, meant to sustain body, soul, and spirit! While this is a slightly longer word for the year, I encourage you to meditate on each portion of what He’s shared with me, allowing the depth of His wisdom and love to penetrate your hearts. The eight sections of this word are listed below. Feel free to read one section at a time, pausing to pray and allow Holy Spirit to minister truth to you at this significant time!
Deborah In 2010 my husband and I had an angelic encounter in which the Lord revealed a progressive sequence of events that would take place in coming years. Although I have only spoken once publicly about this encounter, the Lord compelled me to share a few of the highlights with you again today. Dear Friends, I hear the Lord saying to His Bride: “You thought I abandoned you, but I have not forsaken you! You thought I left you in the wilderness, but you did not perceive what I was doing behind the scenes as you learned to depend entirely on Me. “For here I have given you the gifts of My Presence and provision, which will carry you out beyond the wilderness and into a world at war. I am taking My cup of wrath and placing it in the hands of your tormentors, who took you captive and made you like dirt for them to walk on. I am pleading your cause and rendering justice in your case. Your justice will become a testimony to your tormentors!” I see the Lord’s Bride emerging from the wilderness with spiritual power and authority that can come only from the Throne of God. This Throne is firmly founded on justice, holiness, and righteousness. Dear Friends, Can you feel it? There has been a significant SHIFT in the Spirit within the past few days, and a fresh outpouring of HOPE is here! I believe the Lord is STRENGTHENING His people and releasing a RESOLUTE spirit; a strong resolve in the wake of much reconstruction. Some of you have been standing in faith for a while, believing for change that has still not manifested. But as I spent time with the Lord this week, I sensed such a momentous shift in the Spirit. I heard Him say: “I WILL BE AN ENEMY TO YOUR ENEMIES AND A FOE TO YOUR FOES!” (Exodus 23:22.) I saw that some who have been flying with the Lord in a certain direction for many months, will suddenly see their plane take a hard right turn. You'll hear your heavenly Pilot announce your new destination. I prophesy to you that destinations that have been hidden or unclear to you will suddenly SHINE and become very visible against the night sky as you prepare to land. The names of your new destinations are written on the rooftops so that you cannot miss them! This past season of purging, pruning, darkness, and uncertainty is changing into a season of LIGHT and will come with CONFIDENT ASSURANCE of your new missions and assignments. Wisdom is entering your heart and knowledge will delight your soul! (Proverbs 2:10) Knowledge of HIM will be translated into the knowledge of your future. Some of you are being RELOCATED in this process of change so that you can fulfill your new orders from the Throne. This is so that God’s GLORY can be released in the exact locations and timings God has determined, according to a preset pattern. While you may have helped “steer” your plane at times, the Spirit has also had you on autopilot and on a precise schedule. You won’t fail, and you can't miss it! I hear the Lord saying: “Pay attention to what I’m showing you right now. Pay attention to the patterns and the order of things. Don’t move unless I tell you to. When you move, move in sync with Me and let Me order your steps!” There will be a PRECISE ORDER to your steps during this next sequence of events and you must be ready to move WITH the Lord. IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD AND THE WORD WAS WITH GOD AND THE WORD WAS GOD.In the early hours one morning this week, I heard Holy Spirit whispering the first five verses of John to me over and over again. As I meditated on these verses, the Spirit said: “Begin with the WORD. Stay in the WORD. Keep your gaze on the WORD, so that you abide WITH GOD.” The Word - Jesus - refers to a person, not just the pages of a Bible. Jesus is WITH GOD, and as we keep our gaze on Jesus we abide in Him and remain WITH GOD ourselves. The incarnate WORD OF GOD whom we celebrate this season is also EMMANUEL, GOD WITH US! As we abide in the Word we become demonstrations of the WORD ourselves (“the Word WAS GOD”); and the light that shines in the WORD begins to shine in us. This light is unquenchable by darkness: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5) The Lord has been highlighting Exodus 23 to me for many weeks. In this chapter, God promises Canaan to the Israelites, saying: “Behold, I send an ANGEL before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO HIM and obey his voice; do not rebel against him… for MY NAME IS IN HIM.” (Exodus 23:21; emphasis mine.) Many scholars believe that the “Angel of the Lord” who appears so frequently in Old Testament scriptures refers to Christ Himself - a God who, although He did not appear in our timeline until much later, is nevertheless not confined to time. The Redeemer of all reveals Himself to the likes of Joshua, Gideon, Moses, and Manoah even before His birth on earth, simply because He can! The Word - Jesus our Emmanuel - is ever-present, from the beginning and even before the foundations of the earth were laid, and the Word is still with us now. This is why the promise of the Lord “I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes” is so powerful today. GOD THE AVENGER is fighting for justice, to bring you into YOUR promised land. He is not slack in keeping His promises. Meditate on the MIGHT of God described in Exodus 23:27-31: “I will send My terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. I will not drive them out in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out… until YOU have increased and possess the land. And I will set your border from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates, for I will give the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.” (ESV) The Holman translation of that last verse clarifies: “I will place the inhabitants of the land under your control, and you will drive them out ahead of you.” I feel so strongly that these are promises for YOU to decree today over your own lives and situations. The work of the enemy in the past few years has been to oppress like the Midianites, and to use widespread fear as a means of controlling God’s people. I hear the Lord saying: “I have given these enemies into YOUR control, and YOU will now overthrow them and break their demonic structures in pieces!” Freedom does not come without a fight, and you must know that the enemy will oppose you as the Spirit brings you into your land. But it is time to TRUST that the Lord will COMPLETELY DESTROY them as you obey His voice and move with Him, unafraid, at this time. During the exodus, darkness fell over all the land of Egypt, but the Word says Israel had LIGHT IN ALL THEIR DWELLINGS!” (Exodus 10:23) Friends, because of the supremacy and preeminence of Christ, who was IN THE BEGINNING and still wants to disclose Himself to you now, you can EXPECT LIGHT to enter you and bring wisdom when things are shrouded or unclear. You can EXPECT God to fight on your behalf when you feel your strength is spent and you have nothing but weariness and tears to offer Him. GOD DELIGHTS in you, He is close to the brokenhearted, and He delights in revealing Himself to you! Let the KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST IN YOU delight your soul! WORSHIP is still a powerful key. Continue to cultivate the Presence of the Lord in your homes and your gatherings, saturating yourselves with the sound of HIS VOICE, which thunders against every enemy of your soul and causes even cedars to shake. There is NOTHING that is too hard for God. Everything that you see in the natural realm was made by the WORD: “Without Him NOTHING was made that has been made” (John 1:3). In the same way, WITHOUT HIM WE CAN DO NOTHING. I’m praying for your breakthroughs as you cling fervently to the Lord our Warrior and Deliverer! Believe in His unchanging LOVE for you. Stir up your gifts! Turn up your worship! Stir yourself up to faith and hope again, for God is giving the inhabitants of the land into YOUR hands! Deborah A war is a series of battles, not just a “one-and-done.” Satan, the enemy of our souls, is prepared to fight for the long haul. Believers today must be equally equipped in the knowledge of God and His Word to defeat him. Nearly two years ago, the Lord took me into a vision of His armory. He showed me exquisite swords and weapons hanging on the armory walls. Each sword represented a Scripture verse or strategy that could be used in spiritual warfare. Sadly, for the most part, they were not being used. This week, as many of us are taking a firm stand in very difficult times, I feel it is important to re-publish the vision. I want to encourage you to take up your swords for as long as necessary, believing in both the sharpness of each blade and the slickness of each anointing! Biblical warriors were as married to their swords as present-day prayer warriors can be to our cell phones. 2 Samuel 23:10 describes one of David’s mighty men, Eleazer, who “stood his ground and struck the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to his sword.” We’re told that the LORD brought about a great victory because of Eleazer’s perseverance with the sword. Psalm 30:5 says: “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” Psalm 12:6 expands on this thought, saying: “The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible; like gold refined seven times.” Jesus adds in Matthew 4:4 that man LIVES by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Every sword in God’s armory is available to believers today. Faith does not shrink back to destruction when weary! There is a weariness that has overtaken many in the Body of Christ right now, but the Lord is raising up warriors that are as captivated by the Word as David was, and as skilled at using it as Eleazer. As you read this vision, my prayer is that you will cling to the Word like never before and see continued victories. Whether you speak it, sing it, decree it, or pray it, the Word of God will NEVER return void. In September of this year, at the close of Rosh Hashanah, I had an encounter with the Lord Jesus in what seemed to be the throne room of heaven. The focus of the encounter was on specific sons and daughters who had felt pressured by the enemy to step away from their God-given callings or divine destinies. For a variety of reasons, these chosen ones had adopted a “wait-and-see” attitude concerning God's current Kingdom plans. I saw that the Lord wanted to reignite faith and boldness in these disillusioned leaders. He is breaking off demonic hindrances of apathy and reluctance, encouraging them to fulfill their destiny in His amazing Kingdom plan! Dear Friends, A few nights ago I was awakened by the Holy Spirit, who began walking me through the texts of Joshua 3 & 4, bringing them to life line by line, without my Bible! He wanted to reveal what it feels like to be “in the middle of a miracle.” This portion of the book of Joshua tells the story of Israel crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land. It parallels the miracle of the Red Sea crossing with Moses. I believe these words will be encouraging to those of you who are called to be leaders and prayer warriors for the Lord. “It happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island (of Malta) who had diseases also came and were cured.” Acts 28:8-9; ESV Dear Friends, I believe the Body of Christ is entering a “sweet spot” in time. Despite all evidence to the contrary, we are beginning a bright new Kingdom era full of miracles and favor! I believe that this will be a season of marked increase in healing and deliverance ministries that honor Christ and help bring in the harvest. Dear Friends, I hear the Lord saying: “I am solving the puzzles of your life, one piece at a time!” I believe the Lord is saying that there has been a massive attack of confusion: a demonic attempt from the enemy to send confusion over people's lives and over the directions that they should take. This morning I heard the Lord say, “Take heart, because I am solving the puzzles of your life one piece at a time. What the enemy has used to keep you in a maze of confusion and darkness will not stand. I am releasing light into tunnels of darkness, hope into caverns of confusion, and a new clarity to see how the pieces of your life should fit together to bring Me glory. I will not only show you how to solve complex situations with people on the outside, but I will show you how to connect the dots on the inside, so that you can see what I have been doing in the background all along. I have never stopped working on your behalf! I have never stopped moving the pieces together so that they can be assembled correctly. I have not forgotten you and I will not leave you until the puzzles of your lives are finished!” “Simon Peter said (to the disciples), ‘I am going fishing.’ They said, ‘And we are coming with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.” ~John 21:3
There was a time when the apostle Peter felt more like a defeated soldier than a fearless leader. He wasn’t “catching” much of anything! His Savior had just been arrested. A valiant attempt to defend Jesus with his sword had brought the Master’s rebuke instead of praise.
Even worse, Peter had watched Jesus willingly face death like a lamb led to the slaughter. On the darkest of nights, Peter matched Christ’s three bold identity statements (“I am He”) with three denials of his own (“I am not;” see John 18). Come to the sea of Galilee with me to understand how Peter must have felt at this moment - and what the Lord did to restore him. Dear Friends, Exactly eight months to the day since the glory of God entered my home (see this post for the beginning of the story), I was preparing to take communion with the Lord in the early morning hours before dawn. To my surprise, I heard the Lord say: “I want to lead our time of communion today.” As we shared the elements together He spoke these words: “My body, broken for you, is a symbol of My love. It is the international symbol of love for mankind. It is the standard for love upon which all other models of love are (or should be) based. To fall short of the standard of the cross - of a sacrificial life - is to fall short of true love. “Most people do not define love as “brokenness.” Yet a broken heart is one I can both fix and fill to capacity, for in its brokenness, all of self is poured out and there is room for My anointing of love to come in. “Many people will never know true love because they will not allow themselves to be broken and poured out for another. Yet I tell you, every time you yield to My anointing for brokenness, your capacity to love will expand.” "WILL HE EVEN MOLEST THE QUEEN WHILE SHE IS WITH ME IN THE HOUSE?" ~Esther 7:8 Dear Friends, Those who desire to live a life of prayer in the Presence of the Lord will eventually find that there is someone who seeks to interrupt intimacy and destroy identity. I believe that what I share today will set many people free from a demonic strategy of Satan used to steal peace and stop believers from abiding in their secret places with the Lord. I had a dream from the Lord this week which truly alarmed me. In the dream, I saw that the Church at large, Christ’s Bride, was being systematically seduced by a man who was familiar to her. He was a “believer” and an active participant in countless local and regional ministries. Because this man was working toward the same goals and supposedly serving the same Lord, the Bride willingly gave herself to his service in the deepest sense of the word. The Bride (represented in the dream by a variety of different women) bore his children and nurtured them as best as she could. However, once the children were born, the man returned to each one of the women, exposing himself as a liar, not a lover of God. Though operating within the Church, he was anti-Christ. My spiritual father has a favorite saying he’s used for years when things get tough. No matter how difficult the situation, he’ll put a big smile on his face and say, “We win!” As I listened to the Lord last night, I felt His heart of compassion and I believe strongly that He asked me to simply pray for you today. Prophetic words are wonderful, teaching and devotionals help us grow, but there is nothing like the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit in prayer! There is no distance in the Spirit (see Colossians 2:5; 1 Cor 5:3a). God is omnipresent and unlimited in His ability to reach anyone, anytime, anywhere. As I pray in the Spirit for you, and you agree with me, I believe I am effectively standing beside you, IN HIM. Our unity with the Savior means we are never alone! Please join me in agreeing for these very biblical promises and blessings to take place in your life today! Read them out loud over yourself; insert your name if you'd like to make them more personal. They represent God's heart for you! Evil roots bear bad fruit. Have you ever said to someone: “Well, that’s just the way I am.” “I’ve tried to overcome ______ (fill in the blank), but I’ve never been successful.” “It’s part of my personality; I’m a _________” (insert label here). “I guess some things never change.” Or has your spouse, parent, or close friend ever said to you: “You always do this….” “I wish you would stop ______.” (Fill in the blank) “Can’t you see that you’re the problem here?” I believe most of us have said or heard at least one of these statements in our lifetimes. I certainly have! Typically, comments like these stem from issues we or others have noticed about ourselves that don’t represent our best selves. You know what I mean: the nagging wife. The controlling husband. The angry child. The fearful friend. Ask any one of us why we do what we do and we’ll say, “It’s because _______ (name a situation or offender) made me do it. I was bullied as a child, so I never became who I wanted to be. My mother was always angry. My husband doesn’t help me around the house unless I nag him. You get the picture! Evil roots bear bad fruit, and while it’s easy for people to spot the bad fruit (and want to throw you out like a rotten tomato for it!), it’s not so easy to deal with the roots. Instead of thinking we are bound to bear bad fruit in some areas, we can take a more comprehensive approach to prayer and work with the Lord to destroy evil roots and establish righteousness. Here’s how. “There is a time for everything,” the Preacher of Ecclesiastes writes, yet one of the hardest lessons to learn is to watch and wait for God’s perfect timing! This week, as I listened to the Lord in the still of the night, I heard Him speak about timing, and the times we are living in. His insights helped me immensely, and I pray they will be a blessing to you as well. Here is what I heard Him say... |
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June 2026
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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