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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) THE VISIONI saw the Lord standing at the head of a stretcher in an operating room where surgery was being performed. I saw that the patient; a believer, was lying face up, looking into the bright white lights above. As the surgery took place, I saw that the Lord remained near the patient, guarding and protecting the believer’s spirit. Jesus said, “I am with my children even when their bodies suffer trauma.” How beautiful that the "Father of our spirits” (Hebrews 12:9) comes to His children not only to discipline, but also to heal! THE FIRST ENCOUNTER: FELLOWSHIP IN SUFFERINGAfter the initial vision, I had two deep encounters in the Spirit. In the first, Holy Spirit emphasized that Jesus Christ experienced in His own body every pain that His people endured. Everything that was suffered then; everything that is suffered now, He also suffers Himself, as if it were His own body. I then saw a vision of Jesus on the cross: stripped, humiliated, and displayed publicly for all to see. His precious body was harmed and his soul was shamed. The prophet Isaiah writes: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed Him not.” ~Isaiah 53:3 The measure and burden of Christ’s sacrifice is beyond anything anyone can imagine; to voluntarily take on the sins of not just one, but all, is beyond our ability to grasp. Isaiah tried to put into words something of the agony of this “Suffering Servant,” yet during this encounter I found that words were inadequate. After this, I heard the Lord say: “My Body keeps the score.” (For context, earlier in the week the Lord had sent me to a bookstore to read a secular book with the same title as I completed a trauma responders’ training course.) Now, the Lord reminded me of the book’s title and impressed on me this truth: what is done to HIS Body is felt, recorded, and will be either rewarded or penalized on the last day. When Saul persecuted the church in Acts, Jesus asked him a piercing question: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?” Later, a reformed Saul (Paul) wrote: “Let no man trouble me, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” Paul came to the place where he understood that what was done to him was also done to Christ, because Christ lived in him. I believe the Lord wants His people to know beyond any doubt that He takes it personally when we are oppressed, harmed, or persecuted. We are individually and corporately the temple of God and the very Body of Christ; those who attack or harm this Body are attacking Christ Himself. Christ receives both the honor and the dishonor we receive as members of His Body. He feels what we feel. DIGNITY, AUTHORITY, AND UNITYSeveral weeks prior to these encounters, I heard the Lord say He desired to release DIGNITY and AUTHORITY to His Bride. While this is His ultimate desire, the truth is that on earth, the opposite seems to happen! True dignity and authority do not come from the world. The dignity Christ bestows is spiritual; the authority believers carry will be mostly unrecognized - and even opposed - by those who live in the world and walk in the flesh. This fact does not nullify the truth of a believer’s honored position in the Kingdom! A dear believer in England once had an encounter with the Lord in which He allowed her to see how truly beloved His servants were. She saw them as royalty. It was such a weighty revelation of Christ’s compassion that she could not be in the same room with a believer without being brought to tears! In a similar manner, turn of the century writer Hannah Whitall Smith described a time when she was so overcome by the revelation of man’s sin and suffering that she had to cover her face with a veil in public, so as to shield herself from seeing the horror of what it did to them. The Lord later showed Hannah the depth of His love in delivering humanity of its sin. He used the illustration of a mother; someone whose love would compel her to willingly give up her own life for her beloved child. The Lord is releasing not only dignity and authority, but also the knowledge of UNITY; how very CLOSE He is to His Body at this critical time. Christ in us is the hope of glory! There is a sacred oneness and closeness Jesus shares with the Body He died to redeem. The communion and fellowship we have with Jesus is not only found in our sharing His sufferings, but in Him sharing ours! The “man of understanding” Proverbs 20:5 describes is also the Spirit of understanding found in Isaiah 11:2. Christ longs to be known not just as Savior, but as Counselor and Friend; the friend who is “closer than a brother.” Just as a human being is intricately created in the secret place of its mother’s womb, so the Spirit of Christ is intricately woven into a believer’s spirit when he or she is reborn at salvation. There is nothing that separates you from His love! THE SECOND ENCOUNTER: COMFORT MY PEOPLE!I heard the Spirit say: “‘Comfort, comfort my people,’ says your God. ‘Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.’” ~Isaiah 40:1-2 The Lord who revealed Himself first as suffering then began to reveal Himself as comforting. I felt the tenderness of the Lord envelop me as He said: “I will give rest to those who come to Me!” Jesus does not break the bruised or put out the weak; instead, He reignites the weary! God does not condemn people for their innate desire to soothe themselves when in pain; He designed us this way! He has provided a Comforter to minister peace and healing to all those who will receive Him. He is acutely aware of the troubles you have walked through because He has been there through them all. I heard the Lord speak of His desire for people to turn to Him for that comfort, instead of temporary (unsatisfying) things. Proverbs 13:12 describes a fulfilled desire as a “tree of life.” To know the Lord is life, and Christ will release hope and life to those who turn to Him in this hour! There was such tenderness in the heart of the Good Shepherd during this second encounter, along with strong hope for the future. As the Lord identifies with our suffering, and through His compassionate comfort and understanding, we receive strength to stand in persecution, trials, or sufferings of any kind - because He is forever with us and within us! A RENEWED CALL TO LOVE AND HONOR
In the wake of these encounters with the nearness and love of God, I hear the Lord issuing a renewed call for increased love and honor within the Body He has made His own. As end-time persecution against the Church increases, it is essential for Spirit-led believers to love, honor, and support one another to counteract the fear, hopelessness, and discouragement the enemy is releasing. There is no room for judgment! Romans 12:10 encourages us to love one another with brotherly affection. The ESV adds: “Outdo one another in showing honor.” As we do so, we honor Christ Himself. God is looking for courageous men and women who, like Joseph of Arimathea,* will deny self and defy religious and political oppression to care for those members of His Body who have been persecuted for their faith or held with little esteem. These secret lovers of God will display the kind of honor that embraces the weak and broken, wrapping them in garments of tender love and compassion. God is raising up an army from those who have overcome rejection and oppression through the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. Like David’s mighty men, these worshiping warriors will recognize, defend, and even die for the Anointed One. They have found the strength of a love that will not forsake them! Are you one of them? In 1976, the Lord asked through prophet Bob Jones, “Did you learn to love?” Today, as faith is perfected in greater times of trial, the Lord is asking, “Do you love ME?” Praying for you, Deborah RESPOND TO THE WORD:~ If you are struggling to overcome grief or trauma, please listen to the ten-minute recorded prayer I’ve created for you below. (Click image.) Allow the Lord to minister His peace to your places of pain and loss. 
~ If you are able, take a few moments to celebrate communion with Christ. Honor the Lord for the costly sacrifice He made to be forever close to you. Meditate on His broken body, which has power to release healing and deliverance to you. Linger in love with Him before continuing on with your day. ~ Take a moment to pray for someone you know who is struggling with physical or emotional pain, knowing that “you have brothers and sisters throughout the world who are undergoing trials and suffering.” (1 Peter 5:9). ~ Praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit, your Comforter, who comforts you in all kinds of afflictions so that you will be able to comfort others. (2 Corinthians 1:4.) © Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com. * Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy but secret disciple of Jesus, is mentioned by all four of the Gospel writers. A prominent member of the Sanhedrin Council, he courageously asked Pilate for Christ's crucified body to honor Him with a burial. In a striking parallel to Old Testament Joseph, who provided for "remnant" Israel during a time of famine, Joseph of Arimathea provides for the Anointed One in death, so that all might have life. |
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Deborah Perkins 
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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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