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This is what the Lord says: "Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work will be rewarded," declares the Lord, "and (your children) will return from the land of the enemy." ~ Jeremiah 31:16-17, NASB 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, 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!” 
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” ~Malachi 3:1 Dear Friends, This week, I was working my way through a checklist as I prepared to welcome family and friends home for the holidays. As I went to sleep one night, I marveled at how quickly my list seemed to have been completed; there were only one or two items left for me to take care of. I was delighted to find myself two full days ahead of my own schedule! Then, early this morning, I was overtaken by the Fear of the Lord as I sat quietly with Him. As God's unmistakable Presence enveloped me I heard the Him say “The Master of the House is coming to visit His Vineyard.” 
Dear Friends, During a time of worship this morning, The Lord reminded me of David's words in Psalm 139:11-12: "If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,' even the darkness is not dark to You; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light with You." The Lord then spoke these words into my heart: “I will come and visit those who open the doors of their hearts to Me in this dark hour. As distractions fade and what seems like a demonic covering enshrouds you, I will enter as LIGHT: a covering of glory no man can restrain! Do not fear darkness, but welcome light just as Israel in Egypt welcomed light into all their dwellings. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart! You have nothing to fear when the Prince of Peace and the Ruler of the Kingdom of Light dwells within you!” I felt it was more important than ever to hear and obey the voice of the Lord, opening our hearts to His Word and relying solely on His counsel so that we can overcome present difficulties. In times of deep darkness, only supernatural power can protect and enlighten our paths. 
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!” 
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, We have arrived at what Dutch Sheets has called a "defining moment" - a demarcation point - for both the church and our nation. Significant changes in America's government and economy are imminent! I urge you to listen to the attached video message, which is also shareable from our His Inscriptions YouTube channel. In it, I release several important prophecies that will strengthen you as you navigate uncertain times. God bless you! Deborah 
Dear Friends, As I prayed about this coming year, 2021, I heard a proclamation in the Spirit: “We have liftoff!” The moment I heard these words, I looked at my clock, and the time was 3:21 AM. I understood that the Body of Christ was now in a ‘3-2-1- launch” time! I heard in the Spirit that a significant theme for 2021 was “delineation.” We will begin to see and differentiate between those who truly know God, walking by faith, and those who know or trust only themselves. To delineate means to define or describe precisely. We can expect God to bring fresh clarity this year where things have previously been obscured. 
Dear Friends,
Christmas blessings to every reader of His Inscriptions! In this joyful season I am celebrating the gift of Jesus Christ!
I have been meditating on the first chapter of Ephesians, which reminds us of our hope of heaven's promised blessings, our redemption through Christ's forgiveness, our adoption as sons and daughters of a heavenly Father, and our inheritance in Him. As someone who grew up partially deaf, I find it hard to imagine what life would be like hearing everything! Up until a certain point, there were sounds I had simply never heard: birdsong, for instance, the purring of a cat, the hum of a refrigerator, or the whisper of a friend. Not so with God! Praise God, we never have to wonder whether God hears the cries of our hearts, as this beautiful word illustrates. Perhaps these quiet-time whispers He shared with me will not be as revelatory to those who grew up hearing everything and wishing for silence. But for someone who heard mostly silence and wished to hear everything, these words are good news! I pray they will minister to your hearts as they did to mine. 
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.
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. Growth - both spiritual and natural - happens in the context of family. It is intimacy that brings healing, and accountability that promotes maturity. Romans 8 says we are all children of God, adopted into the household of God and part of a spiritual "first family." Amazingly, God's family is - like some of ours - a blended family, and God understands the unique challenges we face as we grow up into His image and learn to love each other along the way! While we will always be the children of a loving Father, our goal is maturity in God. God wants us to become mothers and fathers in the faith, just as He is! The way we do that is through our relationships with family. Today, listen in as I share both prophetic words and experiences that will encourage you as you grow to maturity in God. Click here to listen to the Podcast on Youtube. For a written version of the prophetic words I share in this video, click below: If Deborah's posts are a blessing to you, please consider sowing a seed into the ministry of His Inscriptions! Partners like you enable His Inscriptions to be published around the world daily, encouraging others to "Discover Life-Giving Communication with God." Click here to donate today. 
My oldest son came home from college last weekend. For me, his mom, it felt like Christmas! I cleaned the house, bought extra food (he’s 6-foot-1, folks!), and prepared a quiet place for him to sleep near his brothers. My heart, which felt such utter loss and lack when he left for school five weeks ago, now filled with joy as I anticipated his return. I couldn't wait to talk to him, to hear how his new life was unfolding, to celebrate his growth. As the day of his arrival drew near, I became almost restless waiting for him, like a child waiting for Christmas morning. Everything was ready; I longed to spring into action, to make the drive to pick him up, to hold him in my arms again. The appointed time could not come fast enough! When at last that moment arrived and my boy was home, it was as if a hole in my heart had been filled. All was well again. Everything about him – the new growth in his beard, his manly smell, even the overstuffed bag of dirty laundry he brought with him made me happy and complete! I am mom. He’s my boy. He’s back home. 
This morning as I prayed, I heard the Lord saying: "When you realize that I never leave you, it will change your life. Where you see separation, I see unity. Where you feel division, I feel only love. The measure of My love does not depend on the size of your container! I will pour until you overflow... you cannot contain My glory!" 
If you spent any time in Sunday School as a child, you know that God is love. You know the Christmas story and the Easter story, and you know that Jesus died for you. But when the harsh realities of life kick in, sometimes these stories can seem like fairy tales. When you feel disconnected from the Lord, or you feel like God doesn’t love you, what will help restore your trust in His goodness? What do you really need to know about Jesus that will keep you “on track” spiritually? Here are "5 Essential Things" you to know about Jesus, things that will get you through the tougher times in life. They are not EVERYTHING there is to know about Jesus, they're just some essential things I believe will help you hang on when the going gets tough. 
Perhaps the #1 reason why we pray is because we need God. We come in great need to Someone who suggests that He might meet our needs for us, something no man has ever done before. We have not seen this kind of love this side of heaven. We discover God’s amazing goodness and generosity, and we are compelled to love Him more. But prayer is not meant to end at the meeting of our needs! We begin here, but soon realize that our needs are meant to be a gateway into greater experiences with God. It is always relationship that God seeks with us. He means to be Father, not just Provider! To focus on God as Jehovah-Jireh alone is to miss the myriad other aspects of His character and Names, to miss the greatness of Him. The short story that follows is meant to illustrate our passage from beggars to sons and daughters. Our story unfolds like that of a weary traveler: 
For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the Gospel. ~1 Corinthians 4:15, NKJV  This week, I hear the Lord speaking to us of His enduring love. In the midst of a season that seems to derive its energy from excitement, anticipation, and creating special experiences for loved ones, I feel the Lord is reminding us of a love that is constant and enduring, one that doesn't depend on emotional "highs" to validate itself. The love of God is true and sure, constant and unchanging. Listen in to what He shared with me, and let the peace of God settle in your spirit, filling you with a hope that is far more exciting than what lies under your tree! 
In prayer this week, I felt the Lord's desire to know His people - really know us, intimately. Sometimes we think this isn't possible because it seems so hard to hear Him. Into this difficulty, God desires to speak hope, because from His perspective, things look VERY different! The following words are what He gave me to share with you.  "Children should be seen but not heard." Do you remember your parents or grandparents correcting you with these words? Popular from Victorian times, this phrase is still used today to correct or silence children. I distinctly remember hearing this from adults in my childhood, especially around the dinner table! Harmless? Maybe on the surface. I highlight the phrase today because it epitomizes a deep wound between the generations that needs healing. I know of a family whose father would not allow his children to appear downstairs until he had left for work in the morning or gone to bed at night. These children rarely ate meals together as a family, since their father and mother ate in peace - alone. It made for a peaceful home on the surface - and angry children who grew up essentially fatherless. Not one of these children ever had a decent relationship with their father, and even as adults, only a fraction of the anger with their mother has been resolved. You might think this is a rare exception, or just a sad story I chose to illustrate my point. Older generations might even feel justified; after all, if we cater too much to a child's emotions and demands, they'll never make it in this world, right? Actually, the opposite is true. The world is tough enough on its own, and impossible to survive without some kind of family support. In the absence of their fathers, children turn historically to their peers. Devoid of wisdom and real love, they flounder. Not because they're not tough enough - they are, in fact, much tougher than their parents - but because they lack mentors and do not trust authority. I do not have room to cite the statistics of escalating suicides, self-mutilation, alcoholism, and addiction. These are children whose behavior has been modified by rules, but whose hearts do not trust their fathers. What Does God Think? God has harsh words for those who ignore the brokenhearted: "They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace. "Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down," says the LORD.…  Today's younger generations have largely rejected God, believing that He does not want to see or hear them, either. Thankfully, He does see, and He does hear. He saw Ishmael when Abraham and Hagar abandoned him in the desert. His response was: "What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 21:17-18, NKJV; see also Genesis 16:8-15). Through Jesus, God revealed Himself as one who gladly welcomed children when adults turned them away. The healing of a daughter (Mark 5) was as important as the healing of a disciple's mother-in-law (Matthew 8). God heard a little boy who had the boldness to offer his meager lunch to Jesus. He honored the boy's generosity and sat down with him to the biggest family dinner ever prepared! (John 6). A New Anointing of Glory Is Here It is interesting to me that when Moses asked God to reveal His glory on Mount Sinai, God revealed the heart of a father. He stood Moses up on a rock (almost like a kid who needed to be lifted up higher), saying: "Here is a place by Me!" (Exodus 33:21). Then He covered him protectively with His hand as He passed by in all his wonderful glory. He declared Himself to be merciful, compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in goodness and truth, and forgiving generational iniquities and sins. Look at the similarities: Hagar was told to "lift up the lad, and hold him" with her hand, just as God lifted Moses up and covered him with His hand. As we reach out to the broken generations around us, this "glory" of God will envelop and heal every one we touch. We'll know the ones operating in the glory anointing when we see them taking extra children under their wings, as spiritual mothers and fathers. They'll be the ones repenting for the sins of their generation and praying for the addicts and the outcasts. Think about it: God definitely did not exclude Moses from what He easily could have called "adult" conversation! He didn't brush him off, saying, "My ways are higher than your ways!" Instead, He entrusted the plans for an entire nation to a timid man who was once a murderer. Incredibly, He expects the under-qualified to rise up and become great! I believe it would be impossible for God to fully release the anointing of His glory without turning the hearts of our fathers to our children. In fact, when God speaks in Malachi of turning families' hearts, He prefaces it by saying: "Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for Israel." Remember that first unveiling of My Presence! Remember the essential nature of who I Am! I am a Father who loves His children! It is my fervent prayer today that the older generations among us be softened to hear the heart cries of the children. And that the younger, fatherless generations be restored to their Father in heaven, who sees them, hears them, and loves them unconditionally c. Deborah Perkins, 2015  Deborah Perkins is passionate about helping others to connect with God. She writes about knowing God and hearing His voice at His Inscriptions.com. Follow her on Twitter@DeborahSPerkins, or Facebook at HisInscriptions. To subscribe to her blog, click here.  |
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March 2023
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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