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!” Dear Friends, Happy New Year! This word for 2022 can be viewed and shared on YouTube as well as on the blog for those who prefer to watch or listen. I believe what the Lord is sharing with me at this time will be a blessing to you as you set your focus on the new year! At the end of this post you’ll also find a link to a companion study sheet which you can download or print for free. On Christmas night, I was awakened by the Lord at 3:16 AM. Throughout that night, I was also given a series of three related dreams, which I will share below. When I awoke from the third dream, I heard this phrase ringing loudly in my ears: “2022 is the year of VISION and PROVISION!” VISION and PROVISION are significant themes for the Body of Christ in 2022. The Lord wants you to know He is releasing KEYS OF DELIVERANCE this year which will UNLOCK your ability to SEE more clearly and RECEIVE more abundantly! Using the “code” of 3:16, Holy Spirit highlighted a number of specific scriptures as He unfolded this word. The verses are included below, woven into the content of the prophetic word itself. “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, 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
[God] reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:22
Dear Friends,
Special thanks to those who have been praying for the ministry of His Inscriptions! I had the privilege, this week, of talking with Joel Yount from SpiritFuel on a live broadcast. We talked more about last week's "Puzzles" word (you can read that post here or on SpiritFuel's website). Watch the broadcast on Facebook or Twitter to hear our conversation. Or scroll down to read the summary. 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!” 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, 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, As I prayed early this morning I heard such encouraging words from the Lord for those who are struggling to see and understand what is going on around you right now. These words are a gentle reminder of what is always most important, which is our heart's total surrender to Jesus. I pray these words from His heart will bless you! “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 the answers; you may not even see the way ahead of you, but a simple surrendering of yourself again is the yieldedness that allows Me to move you forward.” Dear Friends, I hear the Lord saying: “These are as the days of Noah.” Like Reagan before him, President Trump has used the words “drain the swamp” as a catchphrase for how he will combat corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy. Yet in the Spirit, I see that what is happening today could be better described as a flooding. In a vision last week, I saw springs of the deep being opened up and water rising all across the earth. This great surge of water had the effect of flushing out evil in the government and in every sphere. I heard the Lord say: “This exposing (of evil on the earth) is a flushing out of the “swamps” by waters from My deep storehouses; people do not perceive this as glory, but I tell you it is the pure springs of glory pouring forth from beneath that are causing evil to be exposed in this day. "The rains will now also begin to fall in great torrents like you have never seen; think of the outpourings in Toronto and Brownsville, but MULTIPLIED in their force and effect.” The powerful outpouring I saw in the Spirit was not in one place alone, but covered the earth in its scope and dimensions. I heard the Lord say: “You have no idea HOW BIG I AM and how I long for a total immersion of My people in My Presence! Joy will be magnified as those who are rescued find great purpose and peace in this hour.” "Adjust and Trust!" This is what I heard the Lord saying as I sat with Him recently. Many people are going through a season of transition where God's promises are visible on the horizon, yet not fully realized or accessible. Flexibility and faith are essential in the midst of change. Do not be frustrated in the process but trust God to bring you through your transitions and into your promised land! Here is a short word He gave me concerning times of transition: A wise friend listened to me recently as I poured out my heart about a situation that seemed - despite all the promises of God - to remain stubbornly and decisively unchanged. You know the kind of situation I’m talking about: no amount of praying, prophesying, persisting or proclaiming makes even a dent; in fact, it sometimes makes things worse! I was fed up, confused, worn out and honestly annoyed at what seemed to be a brick wall I would never surmount. Sure, God had given me some terrific and specific promises, but it had been years - decades, even - and nothing had changed! What was I to do? 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. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His Counselor? - Romans 11:33 I am sitting by the sea today, as so many times our Savior must have done. It is chilly and windy during this off-season; more suited to snowboarders than sunbathers. Yet the sea still glistens, its waves crashing to the shore as they have done for countless seasons before. How vast an expanse is the ocean, mighty enough to unleash powerful destruction, yet faithfully contained within its God-ordained boundaries. The sounds of water, the song of birds, the beauty of creation - all of the sea's peaceful rhythms soothe and comfort me. As I watch, I remember that the very first city Jesus ministered to after His trial in the wilderness and rejection at home was Capernaum by the Sea of Galilee, a city whose name means “Village of Comfort.” Here among the fishermen is where Christ would find His first disciples. Here Jesus would walk on water, calm the storm, and feed the multitudes. Here, I am reminded again that faithfulness leads to revival. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8 There’s a catchy song being sung in our churches today called “Let Revival Come” (“Revive Me”) by Kevin Jones and Joshua Sherman. (You can listen to it here). It is the product of a generation that is seeking revival on a large scale. Not just ministries but entire movements of people are now gathering together to pray (like The Send gathering in Orlando in February this year), asking God to send revival. This in itself is amazing. In my lifetime, I have not seen such unity and focus all across the Body of Christ, and it inspires me! Unity carries the promise of God’s blessing (Psalm 133). Prayer almost always precedes revival. Yet we must be careful to avoid the flawed theology which believes revival is something only God does. The truth is, we have a part to play. 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. A very special benefit of working at His Inscriptions is that I get to meet all kinds of amazing people who love the Lord! One of my favorite people is Teresa DeMatos, who co-pastors Indian Lake Church with her husband, Lee DeMatos. Together, they have experienced some powerful encounters with Jesus and - even more exciting - some very personal answers to prayer! 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! Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
There I was: eyes closed, hands raised, completely absorbed in the worship and the amazing spiritual atmosphere of the church. A powerful move of God had hit this place, and I was determined to press in and get my healing. Full of faith, I prayed in the Spirit. Others also prayed for me. The Presence of God was so strong in that meeting. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. And then...
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June 2022
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. |