In the course of ministry, people often ask me, "How can I hear from God better? Does God really want to speak to me?" The answer is a resounding "YES!" To illustrate this, I want to share a brief encounter I had with the Holy Spirit that convinced me once and for all that God speaks to His children without exception. One morning, the Holy Spirit awakened me, saying, “I am so much better than you think I am!” This was an unexpected early-morning conversation starter for someone who was still struggling to open her eyes! After that initial "teaser," He immediately brought one of my favorite scriptures, Ephesians 3:20-21, to mind: “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (NASB) Holy Spirit continued speaking as I pondered those words. He said, “Man reads these words in Ephesians and sees function: ‘I can DO more than you ask or imagine.’ But all that I DO is rooted in all that I AM, and I AM much better than you imagine I am!” The words “far more abundantly” (above) are an English translation of just one word in the Greek: perissos. I am not a Greek scholar, but Thayer’s dictionary* gives me a much better idea of what is meant here:
We serve the Man of Glory whose arms, legs, and feet are fire, like burnished bronze in a furnace. (Rev. 1:14-15 & Daniel 10:6) Think: glossy, bright, liquid sunlight! There’s fire all around Him, in His walk and His service. These external descriptors speak to His form and His function. This same Man is also described as having eyes like flaming torches and a glow-in-the-dark face that can’t be missed even when the lights go out! Those eyes reflect the fire within, giving us a glimpse into His character, which is equally glorious. The Lord wants to SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND our understanding of His character and nature so that we BELIEVE He will speak to us daily. He desires to give us, each day, our daily bread. Not only that, but HE IS our daily bread: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51, NIV) As manna fell daily in the wilderness and each man gathered up his provision for the day, so the Word of God is dropped like dew into believers’ hearts each morning as they meditate on Christ. (See Exodus 16; Numbers 11:8.) If you can receive it, Jesus became living manna, and the answer to Israel’s question in the wilderness, “What is it?” is that this “bread of angels” is Christ Himself (Psalm 78:23-25). Angels feast on and obey the Word of God. How much more should we do the same? Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” The bread He asked for was not just physical, but spiritual (See John 4:32). If Jesus expected the Father to give Him spiritual food, then we can expect Him to release revelation to us as well. Why would a good Father give us a stone instead of bread? Ultimately, “give us this day” is a prayer for daily encounters with God’s Presence. It's an invitation to communion and fellowship with a God who is so good, He wakes us up in the morning to remind us of His desire to be with us! Can you feel the excitement He has to be with you? To talk with you morning and night, just as He commanded you to do with your beloved children? (Deut. 6:7) But what does He want to talk about? How do we encounter this glorious, burning Son of Man? Many people are so afraid of the "unknowns" a prayer relationship entails that they hide behind religion instead. Rules, rituals, and regulations often feel safer. Yet if people knew how SUPERABUNDANTLY GOOD God is; how much better than all the joy they could imagine finding in a human being, they would run from religion, right into the arms of a wonderful, radiant, and joyful God! No true believer in Jesus’ time avoided Him. Children ran into His arms to receive their blessing. The sick didn’t blame Him, they craved Him! The poor were His best friends. The toughest types left everything to follow Him. And that was before He was glorified! HOW MUCH MORE, then, will this glorious Christ, whose blood opened the way into relationship with the Father, reveal His goodness to you? HOW MUCH MORE does He desire to give you peace, joy, fruitfulness, and glory? Listen to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:24: “Father, I DESIRE that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (ESV; emphasis mine) Hear Him say to you as He did to His first disciples: “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21 ESV Because God is so good, He desires to have fellowship with His creatures, satisfying our deepest needs with His life-giving Presence. HE IS the daily bread we pray for! John assures us that we can be CONFIDENT in God’s desire to speak to us. He writes: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” ~ 1 John 5:13-15 NASB Dear friend, settle once and for all that you are created in God's image and meant to hear from Him! That God DOES desire to speak to you. And that part of your inheritance as a believer is to ask for and receive manna. Daily bread. Those sweet-as-honey cakes, baked in the hot coals of Christ’s glorious Presence and delivered to you by messenger angels. God's words are the supernatural substance you MUST have to continue ministering on this earth. You don't need to convince HIM of this. He knows! You need to be convinced yourself. Daily bread: eternal, enduring provision, is there for you when all other supply is cut off. There is no fear of lack in the Kingdom. There is so much more than you can ask or imagine! You only need to BELIEVE, and to ASK. Right now, He's waiting to hear your voice. Ask for more! Deborah For more encouragement in daily prayer, read Why Pray? Reasons to Reach for God. Now available in our store. @Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com *Joseph Henry Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, 1841, 1996, Henrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA.
For the past week, the Lord has brought me into several encounters concerning His deep desire to give members of His Bride both a VOICE and a VISION.
Many in the Body of Christ went through severe trials and testing prior to Passover. Many battled the devourer at the gates of destiny and were victorious. Those overcoming ones now stand at the threshold of a new season with new opportunities! I believe the Lord wants to establish you and pour out power and anointing you have not experienced before as you begin to advance and conquer more of your promised land. He wants you to have a voice and a vision! 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. I admired the strength and poise of this waiting runner. Though I could not discern the runner's gender, their body was perfectly primed. Every muscle had been developed and every cell of their being was ready to run. They were positioned exactly where they needed to be, ready to receive the baton from the runner who would shortly approach them. I sensed instinctively the price that runner had paid to get to this point. As with any sport, their training had not been easy. My eyes then moved to the coach standing beside this waiting runner. The coach was leaning forward in an equally "ready" posture, with his left hand on his knee and his right hand holding a stopwatch. He leaned into the starting block area with anticipation, joy on his face, and I knew that the coach represented the Father Himself. The entire scene was full of energy, excitement, and movement. Speed, strength, and precision all mattered here. The runner was ready and waiting for the handoff. At that moment, the Lord highlighted the one element most people overlook. He showed me that the most crucial element was something that would either advance or disqualify this runner: self-control. If the runner moved too soon, they would be immediately disqualified. If they failed to exercise self control and wait for the “kairos” moment of exchange, they would forfeit all their years of training. As I meditated on the vision, I heard strong CAUTION in my spirit for those who are rightly positioned and ready for their next assignment in this season. Continue to WAIT upon the Lord right now. Let the Lord release you at the precise moment required for you to run! At a time when current events and culture inside and outside the Kingdom “excite” action, it is critical to be self-controlled. To move or advance too soon is to be disqualified, forfeiting the very mission for which you have been trained! OBEDIENCE RATHER THAN SACRIFICE To highlight the importance of this vision, the Lord brought me to 1 Samuel 10-13. Many are familiar with the story of young Saul, whom Samuel anointed privately as king as Saul searched for his lost donkeys. There were strong confirmations of Saul's call to governmental leadership, including a changed heart and a prophetic anointing (see 1 Samuel 10). At the ensuing public anointing, Samuel had to call Saul out of hiding, so timid (and seemingly humble) was this leader! Yet only days later, Saul lost favor with God. Why? Samuel asked Saul to wait for him for just seven days after his crowning before offering a sacrifice at Gilgal. Yet the enemy brought pressure through the Philistine army. 1 Samuel 13:8-9 reports that “Saul…and all his troops were gripped with fear. He waited seven days for the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the troops were deserting him. So Saul… offered the burnt offering.” Saul later told Samuel that he was seeking the Lord’s favor! But he was hasty, disobeying the Lord’s command. He forfeited his extended right to rule, and the Lord chose a more loyal servant, David, to carry on the Kingdom legacy. Timing is as important as training. Self-control is the final fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5, yet it is the first and most important fruit needed to keep in step with the Spirit. I believe the Lord is encouraging many in His Body today to exercise self control so that you do not forfeit your Kingdom destiny. No matter what your call or how anointed you are, there is a “kairos” moment to run your course. Like Samuel, God will come at the appointed time in this new season and will not delay. TRUST and SELF CONTROL are your keys to overcoming. Moving with the Spirit requires that even those final few moments of waiting are ENTIRELY surrendered to Him. Curious, at the end of my vision I asked the Father: "How much time is left on that stopwatch?" He replied: "Seconds, Deborah. Only seconds." I pray this vision will empower you to trust in God's timing and wait for the Holy Spirit to release you into the next leg of your race successfully, right from the start. Run well for your heavenly crown! Deborah Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Mark 11:23 ESV Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem… God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth.” John 4:21, 24 I had a dream this morning that I believe will bring hope to many who have been praying for “impossible” things to come to pass. In the dream, I was at home studying John 4 in depth. Then, almost instantly, I was taken to a mountaintop in Switzerland. For me, Switzerland represents both a neutral territory and a place of exquisite beauty, hope, and promise! The Lord ministered profound grace to me on a Swiss mountaintop 38 years ago. In the dream, it was either spring or summer. The mountain was green and rocky, and many people were with me at the summit in the late afternoon sun. Suddenly, the entire mountain began to move. In reading Mark 11 over the years, I had often envisioned mountains being “lifted up and cast into the sea,” but had never pictured it happening quite this before! The peak of the mountain became the crest of a wave. The ground just beneath the summit began to be pulled inward as the wave formed into a barrel shape. The earth buckled and the mountain bent with a flexibility that seemed naturally impossible! Then a large boulder fell from the top as if an avalanche were starting. In response, I moved down a few steps to the right to take shelter under a large rocky outcropping. When I reached this protected place, I saw a white gate that connected to an adjacent mountain. This gate was a Point of Entry (POE) to Switzerland, a border crossing. There were many people on the other side of the gate trying to get in. As a matter of life or death, it was considered safer to be on the Swiss mountain where I stood than on its twin peak. A young mother in the crowd pleaded with me to let her family in, but she had no documentation. I took her aside to explain that illegal entry was not possible. There were legal parameters for the immigration process and she simply did not fit the qualifications. She was of course upset by this. At that moment, however, the mother received a phone call; an old, black telephone handset was passed over to her, above the crowd. As she took her call, I was transported in the Spirit to see the person on the other end. He was a tall, kind, greying old man who stood in the middle of a nearby town in Switzerland. It seemed he had the credentials, authority, and goodwill to admit anyone he wanted as his friend. Smiling at me, the man granted the woman and her family permission to enter and to readmit me as well (I had crossed the border to speak with the woman). Here, the dream ended. MOUNTAINS ARE MOVING! When I woke, I heard the Lord saying: “THE MOUNTAINS ARE MOVING AND PERMISSION IS GRANTED TO ENTER YOUR PROMISED LAND!” The Lord then urged me to share this word, saying there are some of you who have been up against a mountain of impossibility that shows NO SIGN of movement. You have done your part; you’ve told the mountain to move, but it has stubbornly remained. Your decrees have felt ineffective; your faith has taken a hit. Yet in one day, everything can change. I prophesy to you that the very mountain you have felt “stuck” on all these years will become the very wave that accelerates you into your Promised Land. The Lord is SUDDENLY and UNEXPECTEDLY removing every curse and bringing you into the land of your blessing! There has been a divine timing to your release; it will not delay. I see legal obstacles being removed for some of you as a higher authority activates your call, releasing favor. I see whole families being granted access to promises where demonic “border guards” have kept you out. I see the joy of the Lord being released with such unwarranted favor and blessing that it will impact not only you but also those around you. I see a freedom coming that encompasses more than you dream possible! Yet I also sense a caution: the change you seek may not come in the form you expect or the way you desire! In an earlier part of the dream, as I looked out from the summit to a beautiful view of the other mountains, I noticed wide, paved paths on another summit miles away. I longed to hike there, but there was not enough time to reach it before sunset. Like all of us, given the chance, I would have chosen the easier path! Yet it was the more challenging mountain that brought a greater breakthrough in the dream. Interestingly, the name Switzerland in Germanic can mean "strength;" its Celtic name could mean "clearing." I prophesy that you will have CLARITY IN UNCERTAINTY and STRENGTH AND BREAKTHROUGH IN YOUR SUDDENLIES. You do not need to fear; you will know what to do and where to be at just the right time. Your obedience to what the Spirit of God tells you will result in freedom for others as well. JOHN 4: A SHIFT IN MINDSET In John 4 (the key text highlighteded in the dream), Jesus “had to travel through Samaria” to meet the woman at the well. He had a predetermined appointment with destiny in enemy territory. On the offensive, Jesus unlocked PERSONAL AND REGIONAL BREAKTHROUGH using the weapons of fasting, prayer, prophetic words of knowledge, compassion, and scriptural decrees to reach a woman who was by all accounts impossibly out of reach of the Father’s blessing!
I believe some of you are about to see your prayers and decrees turn a long-standing curse into a blessing. Heaven is on the offensive to set captives free! Your faith is the catalytic converter that breathes new life into toxic situations. As He did in Samaria, God is now releasing fresh revelation that turns weary believers into active reformers. The new testimonies coming forth now will impact families, cities, and nations for the Kingdom of God. Finally, I hear the Lord saying: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” (Acts 18:10) Keep worshiping, keep speaking, keep decreeing that your mountain WILL MOVE. Build an altar of worship to the Lord on your "Mount Ebal" (Deut. 27:3; Josh 24:1) The enemy has hindered your testimony, but God is on the move. God has already provided for your protection and release. “For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU.” Matthew 17:20 ESV PRAY & DECREE WITH ME: Father, thank you for the blessings that overtake me! (Dt. 28:2) I believe that my decrees are powerful and effective against this mountain the enemy has used against me. I repent for the times I have doubted Your goodness or despaired of my breakthrough. By faith, I say to this mountain of opposition, “MOVE ASIDE! IMPOSSIBILITIES ARE BECOMING BREAKTHROUGHS AND MY BREAKTHROUGHS ARE MY TESTIMONIES!" I command all resistance to be broken in Jesus’ Name. All legal loopholes blocking my progress MUST YIELD to the Word of the Lord. Stubborn fear and arrogant pride MUST FALL. I will not be ashamed or disgraced because the LORD is on MY SIDE! I bind spirits of deception and self-protection in the mighty Name of Jesus. I will continue to worship God in Spirit and truth. I agree with YOUR ways, Lord: TURN THIS CURSE INTO A BLESSING! Thank you, God, that unbelief is being converted to faith and impossibilities bow to the One who makes all things possible. I ask You to shift every demonic mindset that opposes You - including any ungodly mindsets within me - so that those who have been kept from their destiny can now cross the border and enter fully into their call. (Philippians 3:12-15) Thank you that You never leave us or forsake us. I pray for every reader of His Inscriptions to be BLESSED with BREAKTHROUGH! Amen. Deborah Dear Friends, As I encountered the Lord in prayer today, I felt great encouragement in the Spirit. I could see the battles raging in the Spirit, yet I heard the Lord say that in these times of turmoil, those who LISTEN will hear His voice LOUDER and MORE CLEARLY than ever before. The enemy's warfare is substantial; even relentless. Yet I saw that believers who responded with INSTANT OBEDIENCE to the words, strategies, or instructions the Lord gave personally would find places of DEEP REST and SUSTAINED STRENGTH that were available no other way.
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face - even Jacob. Selah. ~Psalm 24:3-6 NASBS Psalm 24 is a powerful psalm of David for the year 2024. It teaches us how to ascend above the chaos and collisions to enter into promised encounters with the Lord. Spiritual encounters happen more easily as we consecrate ourselves to lives of purity, rejecting rampant deception. Hebrews 12:22 also confirms that spiritual ascension is not a new-age concept but a biblical, mystical reality. God longs for you to live in the Spirit, experiencing heavenly places with Him! To help you ascend spiritually, the Lord asked me to take a prophetic word from 2021 and expand it into a book. The new 40 page book: CALLED TO ASCEND: A Prophetic Mandate to Soar in the Spirit, is now available on Amazon as a paperback and an e-book. I invite you to purchase a copy of the book to use in your personal quiet time or small group study. Each chapter contains study questions to help you apply the prophetic words to your life. The Lord urged me to send this particular book far and wide; please help me share the message with friends and churches who are seeking deeper encounters with the Lord. You can also leave a book review on Amazon, which helps boost its reach. Click on the image above or the button below to purchase. Thank you!
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Dear Friends, If you long to experience the depth of God's love for you this Passover season and cross over into the fullness of your appointed destiny in Christ, I invite you to join me Saturday April 20th for a special online event with Gary Beaton!* Gary is the Founder and President of Transformation Glory International. He has traveled extensively around the world preaching the gospel and bringing a life-changing message of the Father's heart, intimacy, and friendship with God. His passion is to prepare the Bride of Christ in purity for her soon-coming Bridegroom and to impact lives by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. He’s well known for imparting a greater understanding of prophetic intercession, the reverential Fear of the Lord, and hearing the voice of God. After meeting Gary four years ago, I’ve come to know him and discover his beautiful heart for intimacy with God. He carries sharp prophetic discernment balanced by rare integrity of character which is much needed at this time. If you are hungry for more of God's Presence or desire greater intimacy in your relationship with the Father, please make plans to join us online that Saturday afternoon! Gary will speak on "Becoming a Friend of God" and we will make time during the webinar for questions and answers, prayer and impartation. *Note: WEBINAR HAS ENDED BUT REPLAY IS AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY/APPLE PODCASTS HERE! Blessings, Deborah REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR PROPHETIC MENTORING COURSE!
Live, online teaching on prophetic ministry via Zoom with Deborah Perkins
Dates: MONDAYS, FEBRUARY 19th - APRIL 1st 6:30-8:30 PM Eastern / 3:30 Pacific Purchase of course curriculum workbook strongly recommended; not required. (Material may also be accessed in PDF format) Optional 8th week available for individual coaching Link to join sent upon registration prior to start date
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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. |