On January 22, 2020 I wrote that the glory of God had entered my home, igniting and electrifying the atmosphere before settling down around me with a holy hush. (Read the story here.) What began that night as a gentle stream has become a great flood! For the past 46 days, I have seen a steady increase in the Presence of God in my life, a rising of the River of the Spirit to "flood stage." I am not talking about being "baptized in the Spirit" or coming to know the Lord better. No; we know Him already, we are filled with Him already! What I am noticing is an increase of the manifest Presence of God. His weighty glory is rising to fill dry, empty places. This powerful Presence can be felt, seen, and heard in the Spirit. Friends, the River is rising, awakening has begun, and your overflow is coming! FLOOD STAGE = HARVEST TIMEWikipedia defines flood stage "...by its impacts to people, as opposed to the natural topography of an area." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_stage)
All land will flood when abundant rains come, but "flood stage" refers only to pre-existing bodies of water, like rivers, whose banks overflow. This can be a natural and even yearly occurrence.
Why is "flood stage" so important to notice? Because, as Joshua 3:15 states, "The Jordan is at flood stage ALL DURING HARVEST!" Those who live in the River of God in this season will see an increase in the water levels just like Ezekiel saw in his temple vision. (Ezekiel 47). Your crossover into the Promised Land is connected to Joshua's ancient miracle of a "flood stage" river, parted at harvest time! RIVER: FRIEND OR FOE?Those who have experienced a flood know that "flood stage" is not necessarily a good thing. The same beautiful river that courses and refreshes can cause extensive damage at flood stage, reaching surrounding areas to ruin houses, property, and even lives. For this reason, most people prefer a controlled river to a flooded one! Yet spiritually speaking, if the level of Christ's "living water" in us never rises above its banks, God's refreshing Presence will never reach others, either. There will be no harvest. I, for one, want to see the many prophecies about harvest come true! I pray into these regularly and I am believing for another Great Awakening. What I have not experienced since the days of the Torono Blessing and the Brownsville Revival (in the mid-1990's) is the corporate rising of the River of God. Until now. REVIVAL IS HERE!Two weeks ago, I was part of a team of 12 people from around around the US who ministered at the "222" conference in Rhode Island. Some of you were there and you know it was a powerful conference! The glory of God manifested, and we had a wonderful time in His Presence. The difference? This time, at least for me, the glory didn't leave! I released this prophetic word to our "222" ministry team at the conference: "I see the Lord giving gifts, and I believe He would refresh those among you who have labored and are weary from your work. For it sometimes seems that there is no time to breathe or even eat because the needs are so great in this hour. And the Lord wants you to know: those needs will only increase! "Yet as surely as the needs around you increase, so the grace to meet those needs is building in the Spirit, a great and mighty outpouring of GRACE to strengthen and guide My weary ones, that they may continue to minister before Me. There is not just an acceleration in My spirit, but also an increase, and a multiplication of grace available to those who will reach out and receive it. "This increase is like the swelling of a river at flood stage - refreshing streams of water overflowing your banks, and uncontainable by human hands. Do not resist the increase but YIELD to the work I am doing IN YOU, that the increase itself might become the ministry! "I will wash over you and out into the highways and the byways, and you will no more be able to control this overflowing grace then a man controls a flood! Let My abundant grace wash over you; revel in it as a child revels in the sea and sun, and I will take care of the MANY needs and circumstances you are facing right now," says the Lord. When one of our team members returned home to Alabama, he received a natural confirmation of this word: the river in his hometown had risen to flood stage! Friends, throughout the "222" conference, and now for the fourteen days following, I have often been awake for 20 hours straight, either ministering or praying. I have had days where I will lie down to sleep and the Lord will wake me again two hours later, at 2:22 or some such time, downloading revelation so quickly that I cannot capture it all with my pen. My schedule has changed; Many days I do not eat at scheduled times and I am being carried through each moment supernaturally, in the strength of God. THIS IS STILL HAPPENING! I have experienced times like this before. In 1994, in Toronto, when I was trembling under the powerful Presence of God, friends literally carried me out of the church after a meeting, dumped me in the back of their station wagon, and drove me back to my hotel! I would remain on that hotel bed, shaking and prophesying to no one in particular, until morning. My friends simply returned and carried me back to the next meeting. This is "flood stage," and this "overflow" of the Spirit in our lives is meant to reach others; it is to gather in a great harvest! RUINED FOR JESUSNo one relishes the ruin that comes from a flood. Yet from God's perspective, it is good to ruin what is not of Him! One of the hallmarks of revival - apart from a grateful and satisfied church - is a deeply troubled society around the church. What we long for, others dread. Just as the fear of God fell on all the nations around Israel as they entered the Promised Land, so an awareness of sin, unrighteousness, and impending judgment will fall on those who do not know the Lord during this time. We must be ready! Those who are prepared will know how to divert destructive streams from this river and use it to their advantage, rescuing the lost from death and restoring the ruins of broken hearts and lives. The ones who know how to do this are those who have been "ruined" for Jesus themselves! When God invades our hearts with His love, there is a simultaneous uprooting of all that would stand in His way. The waters of the Spirit wash away fear, filth, and unrighteousness. Only when we carry the holy ark of His Presence inside of our hearts can we stand in that "flood stage" river and continue on our journey into our Promises! Dear friends, I am utterly convinced that now is the time to get right with God. Stop putting aside the things He has told you to do in preparation for this incredible - and imminent - move of God! Let's be a Bride who carries His heart of compassion for the lost, those to whom the River might mean destruction. Let's be those who not only stand in the River without fear, but advance into our territories to settle the land! Just the other day, I asked a fellow "River-Dweller" about my experiences. "How in the world do I shut off this heavenly flow?" I asked. "I feel as though I am in the very grip of Almighty God, held tightly in this dimension of the Spirit, and unable to come back down!" So uncontrollable, so intensely wonderful, yet requiring everything in me! My friend did not answer me at the time. His silence spoke volumes. I found my answer later, in Revelation 3:12. Those who overcome are made pillars in the temple of My God. They never have to leave! 
When she's not being thrown into the backs of station wagons by her friends, Deborah's passion is to help people Discover Life-Giving Communication with God. Her weekly blog, mentoring classes, and online Christian Resource Library are all free to subscribers who want to grow their prayer life. Join the His Inscriptions community today! 
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Deborah Perkins 
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August 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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