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Dear Friends, Both Christian believers and New Age adherents promote the idea that “every step should be a prayer.” Yet I hear the Lord summoning His children to a higher call than that. The Lord says, “Every PRAYER is a STEP, and to neglect to pray is to fail to advance in this hour!” To walk in the Spirit is to let prayer determine your steps, not the other way around. It is to see and hear prophetically where the Lord is taking you, then step into that trajectory to find victory awaiting you! Prayer is good, but it can be rooted in a works-based mentality that is not Spirit-led, bringing weariness. I hear the Lord saying, “It’s time to relearn how to walk! For there are some who have experienced new birth, but have not yet learned to walk in the Spirit. And others walk, but have grown weary in their walking. Work FOR Me has replaced rest IN Me, causing their strength to fail.” If you feel like every step you’ve taken lately is heavy and precarious; or if gaining a firm foothold seems difficult, I believe the Father is saying, “Come to Me, and I will show you how to walk with Me. Lean on Me, and your ways will be secure. Let Me refresh you, bringing stability and balance where it is lacking. For in many cases, the way you have been taught to walk is NOT the way I walk!” Today, the Lord wants to elevate the way you walk, so that you walk on firmer ground, taking secure steps in the higher realm of the Spirit. He wants to help you find a new path and a new momentum for a new season! VICTORY AT EVERY STEP Oh, the places you will go when you walk in the Spirit! There is rest and ease in being “carried along” in the current of the Holy Spirit’s movements, walking on higher paths your feet could not possibly travel! There’s an efficient fruitfulness in spiritual rest that is unattainable by human effort. The prophet Isaiah paints a picture [of anointed King Cyrus] that describes this Spirit-accelerated walk perfectly: "Who stirred up one from the East, whom victory meets at every step? He gives up nations before him, so that he tramples kings underfoot; he makes them like dust with his sword, like driven stubble with his bow. He pursues them and passes on safely, by paths his feet have not trod." ~Isaiah 41:2-3 ESV; emphasis mine. God is looking for believers who trample the enemy underfoot, yet to become this kind of person is to learn that your real ‘feet’ are not located at the lowest point of your body; they are located in your spirit-man! It is by the Spirit that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). ARE YOUR STEPS BEAUTIFUL? There is an ebb and flow to walking in the Spirit, much like the tides. First, the magnetic “pull” of the prophetic calls you higher and sets your sights. Then, the gentle “push” of intercession moves you forward. Prophecy and prayer partner together to lead you into the fulfillment of God’s promises for your life and the right timing and placement of His words in your world. As a believer, you will advance only to the degree that you pray.
Isaiah paints a second picture of the one whose feet are called “beautiful” as they carry fresh revelation from the Throne: 'How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"' ~Isaiah 52:7 NASBS News is, by nature, fresh revelation or information.
Simply put, God’s beautiful footmen and footwomen proclaim the REST and VICTORY only Christ can give! ARE YOU HEARING THE LORD’S COUNSEL? EVERY believer is anointed to be a messenger of good news (Isaiah 61:1). Yet to attempt to advance apart from the Spirit is to err. Jeremiah puts it bluntly: "I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds." ~Jeremiah 23:21-22, NIV; emphasis mine. Likewise, Paul says in Galatians 5:16-18: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law." ~NASBS And: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” ~Ephesians 5:15-17, KJV The King James Version’s use of the word “circumspectly” implies guarded caution and discretion in movement; the kind of “looking around” in all directions that is only possible through the Spirit of Wisdom. (See Revelation 5:6) It is better to remain standing in the council of the Lord, watching and waiting for the fresh word of the Lord, than to run with yesterday’s news! Many Kingdom-minded people rightly believe we need prayer before movement. Not many believe prayer IS the movement. Prayer is the higher path, an ancient one covered up by the simulated speed of society. Ask yourself:
COMMISSIONED THROUGH REST: TWO ENCOUNTERS The Body of Christ has entered a new season of increased healings and miraculous deliverances. Yet hearing and healing are found only in places of stillness and peace. Two recent encounters underscore the importance of this Presence-based rest. First, in a dream, I entered the house of a pastor’s wife, whose name meant “Resurrection.” The wife (who represented the Bride of Christ, with Jesus being her Chief Shepherd or ‘Pastor’), was busy nearby, doing the work of the Kingdom. In the dream, I was often sent to her house to assist in cleaning and organizing her household, since this was one of my gifts. Entering the Bride’s bedroom, I knew that the bedsheets needed to be changed. There were at least four or five sets of previously-used sheets in muted grey or yellow colors, but as I went to put them on the bed, I found that all the fitted sheets were too small! The bed had an extra-deep mattress. No amount of “stretching” the old would work; new sheets (for deeper intimacy) were required. As I watched in the Spirit, I saw the new set of sheets which was to be put on. They were a lovely raspberry color whose deep red tones, I knew, represented the fruitfulness of the Holy Spirit. God was highlighting that living from that place of “deep rest” and guarded intimacy is now a key to the Bride’s success! In the same dream, I was warned by the Father that the enemy would try to hinder the place of deeper rest and fruitfulness through a large-scale attack, similar to COVID. But the Father’s hand was upon the Bride as He tested and prepared her faith, making sure she could withstand the challenges ahead. SURRENDER YOUR WALK: PUT YOUR FEET UP! In a second encounter, I heard the Lord saying that some are so weary from walking in their own strength or at the world’s hurried pace that they need to “put their feet up” spiritually. I saw a picture of the Father holding the feet of one of His children in His hands, rubbing them. If that’s you, stop right now and put your feet in the Father’s hands! Surrender your own works, and allow the Lord to massage His oil into your soles and your soul! Rest until He releases fresh wisdom for how and where to walk and speak again. The apostle Peter wrote, “With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8.) Yet I hear the Lord saying, “People desire the second part of that scripture (for its promise of quick acceleration) far more than they desire the first! I am Lord over time! My ability to multiply the time in each day means that as my children surrender each day to Me, their peace is multiplied, and they are free from the tyranny of the enemy’s pressure.” I feel a keen desire in the Father’s heart for those who will commit as much time in prayer as He requires in this season, trusting that extended rest will yield the very “acceleration” most tend to prefer. The phrase “put your feet up” is also a play on words, with yet another reminder to walk in higher realms! PRAYERS FOR YOUR STEPS
I pray that as you pray, your prayers will become your steps and you will partner with peace, not chaos! May you reproduce what you see happening in heaven, bringing heaven to earth in practical, prophetic ways. One word or picture from the Spirit of God is all it takes to set you back on the right course. And the good news you announce to others will bring victories only heaven can give! Deborah  Dear friends, For several days the Lord has urged me to release words of COMFORT for those who are struggling at this time. I believe there is a deep work of healing and restoration taking place in the Body of Christ to counter the brokenness and grief so many are feeling. I hear the Lord saying He wants to bring an end to present trauma and tears. This is a time to receive heaven’s comfort in exchange for your sorrow. 
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, In a series of encounters over the past week, the Lord has been speaking to me of His “Eagles”: those believers and warriors who have taken the time to rest deeply in the Lord, heal, listen, and prepare themselves for the future. These Eagles are trained to soar! Like great birds perched on the Master Falconer’s arm, they are awaiting His signal and ready to be released. I believe there will be a time very soon when these Eagles are corporately released. They will know by the Spirit what they are to do, both individually and in collaboration with each other. Their visionary leadership and heightened perspective in stormy times will be a great asset to the Body of Christ! Dear Friends,I hear the Lord saying to the weary: “I am your Lifeline and your Rescuer!” In a vision this week, I saw the Lord Jesus holding a thick rope which extended from heaven to earth. His desire was to rescue His people by drawing them up higher with Him in the Spirit. The ones who took hold of the Lord to ascend in this way were deposited on a cloud in the heavens. All around them was darkness. I heard the Lord say that He was a “Lifeline” and a “Rescuer.” When I asked the Lord about the cloud, which was very high above earth and surrounded by a vast space, He spoke into my ears a verse from Psalm 18:19: “He brought me out into a spacious place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.” 
Dear Friends, Times of stress can make us feel as though we have been thrown overboard, tossed from the safety and comfort of our ships into a tumultuous sea. Traumatic events - whether injuries, losses, wars, or relational fractures - shock our systems like a plunge into cold water, momentarily destabilizing us. All we can do, it seems, is watch as waves and wind batter and shatter the only sources of security we have ever known! We are living in a time of unprecedented trauma, when storms of epic proportions are being unleashed against our world. It’s a time of compounded trauma: each event triggers another. Stress is emerging like bands of a storm, wanting to draw us into the very center of its turmoil. King David expressed so well how this feels. He wrote: “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.” (2 Samuel 22:5-6) It is important for the Bride of Christ to remember that her security is in Christ alone, not in things she might hold dear. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Although it may seem like the Lord Himself has cut your lifeline and detached you from the safety of any “ship” you have relied on in the past, I believe this SEVERING from the old is what’s necessary for a stronger TETHERING to your empowered, new-creation life! Christ in you is the hope of glory! I hear the Spirit saying: “We have this hope as an anchor for our souls.” 
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, I’m sending a brief post today to let you know that during the month of September, His Inscriptions will be offline as I spend extended time in prayer. One of our His Inscriptions readers, a longtime friend and intercessor herself, has graciously shared her home with me while she and her husband travel to Europe. My amazing family has also released me to rest and focus exclusively on the Lord during this time. (Give them some love if you're nearby!) It’s interesting to me that Christians call prayer times like these retreats. I’d much rather call them advances! When we take time to rest from labor and seek the Lord’s face, we tap into spiritual empowerment like no other. Not even an expensive vacation can recharge the human spirit the way time with the Lord can - because it’s the ministry of the Spirit that gives life to both body and soul! As I “advance” to a more private location with the Lord, I’ve asked my dear friend and board member Elizabeth Cartier to share her thoughts with you on the importance of rest, in hope that you’ll join me in focusing more deeply on the Lord this month. Special thanks to those who have sent me encouraging words lately. I value your prayers for protection, refreshment, and clarity as I tune my ears to our Good Shepherd’s wonderful voice! Blessings, Deborah Dear Friends, On 7.27.21 I had a vision of the Lord Jesus, followed by two encounters in the Spirit which the Lord asked me to describe to you exactly. Please know that it is not my desire to call attention to the encounters themselves, but to the messages contained within. I saw the Lord comforting those who were suffering from trauma. We are living in increasingly difficult times, and as trials increase, the manifest Presence of the Lord is also increasing to release grace and peace to His people! I believe the Lord wants to impart hope and healing to those who face trauma and opposition for His Name, and I am praying that these words will impress you as deeply as I was impressed when I heard them. At the end of this post you will find a recorded prayer you can use to receive ministry yourself or share with a friend. (Click here for audio podcast or scroll down for YouTube podcast) 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!” In a vision early this morning I saw the Lord overturning tables in the temple. (Matthew 21:12-13.) The tables in the vision, He said, represented "trading tables;" places in people's hearts where the enemy had caused them to "trade" God's ways and God's goodness for demonic agendas. I felt the Lord's zealous desire to overturn those places where the enemy has taken over and "set up shop" in peoples' hearts. He longs to restore purity, peace, and prayer to His Bride! 
Dear Friends, Thanksgiving is not just a holiday; it is a way of life for prayer warriors, prophets, pastors, and all who are members of God's family. This week, I am especially grateful that God Himself reminds us to be thankful to Him! The Bible says a grateful heart is an open door to seeing the manifest Presence of God. Dear Friends, In the past few months, I have been blessed to have several encounters with the Lord in which He revealed Himself to me chiefly as the Shepherd. In modern-day terms we might say he manifested Himself as a Pastor, or perhaps as a very wise and dear Companion. Whatever the terminology, I was reminded more than once of the scripture in 1 Peter 2:25 which reads: "You were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." I have been thoroughly captured by the gentleness, patience, and love I have seen as He manifested Himself to me this way! 
I took a long walk today before the snow came; before our governor announced a stay-at-home advisory for the next few weeks. In this time of worldwide sickness and pervasive fear, it was good to get out of the house, to reflect on God’s beautiful creation, and to focus on Him. As I walked, I listened to a beautiful worship song from Bethel Music called “The Blessing.” (Listen to it here.) This song was released just prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, and never has a song been more timely! The lyrics are scriptures which contain the priestly Aaronic blessing over Israel in Numbers 6:24: The Lord bless you and keep you The Lord make His face shine upon you The Lord be gracious unto you and give you peace. Worship is key for me in times of trial; it feeds my spirit and strengthens my “inner man.” Just as a dear friend sent this song to me as a blessing, I encourage you to receive this song as God’s blessing over you as well. He is truly FOR YOU! Most people turn to familiar scriptures in times like these: Psalm 23, Psalm 91, John 14, 2 Corinthians 4:3-10. We pray these scriptures and receive a measure of strength from them every time they are read. Yet this morning as I prayed, I encountered Psalm 91 in an entirely different way. 
“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... 
Around the world today, people are dealing with unprecedented levels of stress. Never before have we had such widespread fear, anxiety, and even terror. In response to this, I believe the Lord wants to release not just the grace to deal with stress, but strategies to overcome it. Keep reading for a prophetic word on this subject, and a prayer strategy you can use to eradicate stress from your life altogether! 
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…” Galatians 5:22, NJKV Jesus came to earth looking for a Bride. He is as interested today in a pure, spotless Bride as He was when He walked the earth. As any marriage counselor will tell you, the preparation of a bride’s heart is far more important to the marriage relationship than her preparations for an elaborate wedding ceremony. Spiritually, our wedding with Christ has yet to take place. (See Revelation 21.) The central question for us during this time of “engagement” is: Are we busier with our religious activities than with preparing our hearts for Him? Are we focusing on religious ceremonies, but neglecting the Kingdom of God within us? Are we living a life of peace and joy, rooted in intimacy with the Bridegroom? 
God speaks in the most unusual and unexpected ways! Sometimes we dream, and a person in our dream imparts wisdom to us. We don’t realize until we wake that it was Jesus, and we wish we had known it was Him at the time! Sometimes, He shows up in human form, in a conversation that leaves a mark on our minds and causes us to realize something deeper or receive something we need. And sometimes, He speaks from the mouths of babes… 
"It is time! It is time! It is time to rise up and fly! The season of flight is upon you, to stretch your wings and fly. In flight you will gain a new perspective, one you were always intended to have. You started on the ground but you'll end in the air! You begin in the flesh but you soar in the Spirit. Rise up, rise up my dove, and come away with Me into realms of the Spirit previously unknown to you. 
I had the unparalleled joy of running around my yard at 6:48 this morning, half-naked in my robe and slippers, chasing eight mutinous chickens who escaped, somehow, from their coop. I'm sure the neighbors thought I'd lost my mind.  'Tis the season for "peace on earth, goodwill toward men." A green wreath graces my front door, and the sweet smell of cookies fills my home, even this early in December. My kids have located the station that plays continuous Christmas music, so there are carols streaming from our radio in the background. I love the warmth and joy the holiday season brings. It feels peaceful and comforting, like a favorite blanket. |
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Deborah Perkins 
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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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