Dear Friends, Early last week, the Lord gave me what I believe is a corporate word for the Body of Christ to illustrate the times we are in and to encourage those who are waiting on the Lord for their next assignments. In prayer, I saw a vision of a relay race. The race had already started and some runners were running their circuit. However, those running were not the focus in this vision. Instead, Father focused my eyes on the runner next in line: the one waiting at the starting block. 
Dear Friends, As I prepared to mentor a group of prophetic believers last week, I asked the Lord what His greatest desire was for them. In response, He said, “I want them to be WITH ME where I am.” (John 17:24) I sensed a deep longing in the Lord’s heart for His people - especially His prophets - to ABIDE in the hidden place where He lives, which is high above earthly chaos; far above palaces, politics, and powers. Dear Friends, Over the past few weeks I have been deeply moved by the heart of God for restoration and for the emergence of what is best described as a ‘Judges 4 Company’ of anointed Deborahs and Baraks. These believers are characterized by unusual partnerships with each other and with the supernatural. Before reading the rest of this word, I encourage you to stop and reread Judges 4 & 5 to familiarize yourself with the scriptures concerning this time period in Israel’s history, which closely parallels our own! Dear Friends, Two years ago while ministering in Tennessee, I had a middle-of the-night encounter with the Lord. In a vision, the Lord seated me at a student's desk and showed me a workbook soon to be published for believers in the "School of the Holy Spirit." The book's topic was spiritual leadership. I sensed it would be foundational to those wanting to grow in Spirit-led ministry. In this vision, the Lord asked me to turn the book over and read the back cover. When I did, I discovered that the author's name was my own. The vision closed. Today I am happy to announce that this very book - PROPHETIC LEADERSHIP - has just been published! 
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Dear Friends, In a series of encounters since Rosh Hashanah, the Lord has been speaking to me about what to expect in 2024 (Hebrew year 5784). Above all, I believe the Body of Christ will see significant EMPOWERMENT this year as we embrace our beautiful friendship and partnership with the Holy Spirit. 
Dear Friends, As Jeremiah 29:13 says, a wholehearted search for God is the key to finding Him. In the same way, consistent devotion to God's ways is meant to bring greater experiences of His overshadowing glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). Many believers are experiencing greater manifestations of God's glory, which are much needed at this time! Around the world, people are having increased encounters with the supernatural realm. Lately, I've been asking the Lord how believers can position themselves to receive all the fullness of His glory. What helps or hinders someone's interactions in the glory realm? The Lord showed me two things in response. Wholeheartedness helps. But a "heart with holes" is a problem! 
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. 
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Dear Friends, Early in the morning on 8.13.22, the Lord drew me into an encounter with Him. I heard Him say: “The scepter of wickedness will not remain over the land of the righteous.” (Psalm 125:3.) I was immediately shown a vision of a “scepter of wickedness.” It resembled a rough, brown branch or wooden staff, much like a walking stick. Carved into it were words like “slavery;” “debt;” “fear;” “poverty;” “borrower;” “bribery;” “money;” and “interest.” All the words on this scepter spoke specifically of economic oppression that was being inflicted worldwide through ungodly leaders. The Lord then highlighted three Scriptures. The first was 1 Timothy 6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” In context, 1 Timothy 6 warns believers about false teachers, greed and covetousness along with the need for us to guard the “deposits” of faith and contentment we have made for eternity. The second scripture was Matthew 19:21. Here, Jesus responds to a rich young ruler’s question, saying: “If you want to be perfect (mature; complete), go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” The third scripture was from Matthew 6:24: “You cannot serve God and mammon.” 
I know from experience that one of the most difficult transitions a Christian leader can make is to shift from an old model of ministry into a new one. In matters of faith, those who have been gloriously converted and are lovingly devoted to the ministries or missions God Himself led them to, may have trouble releasing the old to take hold of the new! In many ways, that is exactly what the Body of Christ is being asked to do in this season. Like a Master chess player, God has the right to reposition or refocus His people at will - HIS will - for a maximum benefit to all. The best response we can give Him in times like these is an unqualified “Yes, Lord!” 
“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.” 
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! 
“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, In a powerful encounter early this morning, I heard the Lord saying: "it's time to invest in the next generation!" I believe the Lord is beginning to show many of us specific investments we are to make in the next generation of believers in Christ. I heard Him say: "Mentor, sow, feed, nurture, and cherish these young ones whose hearts need direction right now. Don’t allow your own frustrations to quench their fresh hope!” It is so important that those who are "seasoned" believers in the Lord not allow the weariness and frustration from past and present seasons to color their attitudes towards youth who are arising now to take their places in God's army! Although the battles have been fierce and long, and many are still raging, the younger generations need guidance and wisdom from those who have experienced many years of challenges and victories in the Kingdom. “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) 
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: 
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. 
Happy New Year! This week I am continuing to release a Prophetic Word for 2019. I believe that this lengthier word will be easier to "digest" in smaller portions than as a whole. For those who prefer a "multi-course meal," click here to read the complete word for 2019! Today's portion - part 2 - concerns both strategy and spiritual government for the coming year. Just as Israel moved with the pillar of cloud and fire, which stood between them and their Egyptian enemies, it will be important to stay close to the Lord and move with Him to experience His rest and protection! 
The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry. ~Isaiah 58:11
I hear the Lord saying: “At present, you are more like a water spigot than a fountain. You are connected to your Source and can access My power, but you enjoy the ability to turn on or off the water at your own good pleasure. I would rather you be a fountain flowing continuously, not a spigot flowing sporadically. For this, you will need to yield full control to Me.”
 I am humbled by the extravagant promises the Lord is extending to His people for this coming year. I shared some of these prophetic promises last week (Click here to read them), and many other voices are echoing similar themes. 2018 promises to be a year full of expansion, growth, connection, and acceleration. But this growth is not automatic. 
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 
God said something unusual to me in a quiet time this week. He said: “Unusual miracles will happen when the church at large begins releasing people to do unusual things.” "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts 19:11, NKJV) 
Leaders in the Body of Christ are called, among other things, to be lifeguards. Watching is the key function of a prophet or intercessor. Rescuing is a priority for the evangelist. Guarding is elementary for the pastor. Warning is a main component of teaching. Vision is essential for the apostle. Believers in the Kingdom of God are expected to be on guard, or more specifically: to keep watch. My pastor runs a waterskiing ministry at the lake near his church in the summertime. On days when he is alone, the kids know that if he is out on the water training someone, no one swims until he gets back to the dock. |
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Deborah Perkins 
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July 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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