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Dear Friends, A few weeks ago, the Lord asked me to set aside some time for Him, as I do several times a year, for a prayer retreat. Several days became a week, then two, of deeper encounters with Him, and I am now in the third week of intensely seeking His heart. I have never felt more of an urgency in the Spirit, especially for our nation and the world, and I know many of you are feeling the same desire to draw close to the Lord in repentance and prayer. I believe our prayers can change even the worst outcomes predicted by man! During the course of these weeks with the Lord, I was awakened one morning at 2 am. I often go downstairs in the early hours of the morning to worship, read, or pray, but on this morning I was led to go and share communion with Him with no Bible or notebook, just heart to heart. I feel strongly impressed to share with you what happened during this time because I believe it is an urgent call for all of us as His Body. A NEW HEARTAs I took communion, I entered into a deep encounter with the Lord. I saw the Father before me, and I was welcomed into His arms. I talked with Him about some things that concerned me, and then the Father showed me a vision. I saw that He was holding a human heart in His hands. I realized that it was my heart and that while my heart was alive and functional, it had on the surface of it black spots, like sunspots on an otherwise brilliant sun. These spots seemed ugly to me, and I knew that they represented sin, deception, or places where the enemy had gained access to my heart in the past. He and I both knew it would not do for these dark places to remain there! It would not be unusual for the Lord to highlight things needing my repentance, but in this vision, He did something different: He threw the old heart behind Him and then held out in front of me a new one. This new heart had no blemishes on it. It, too, was alive and functional, and reddish in color as you would expect a heart to be, but it was completely flawless, having no dark spots on it. I was reminded of Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” He took the new heart and placed it in me then, and I felt the impact of that deposit. I heard Him say that His intention was that His Body be known as “Healers of Hearts;” that we would carry HIS heart of compassion for the healing of people and nations everywhere. Only when our hard, sinful hearts are exchanged for His tenderness can we bring restoration to the world around us! JOY OF THE LORDThis powerful encounter with the Father would have been enough, but as I continued to be still before Him, the Father disappeared and the Lord Jesus appeared beside me. In His face I saw pure joy; it was as though He radiated happiness and peace, and His joy seemed such a stark contrast to the weightiness I had been feeling previously in my soul! I marveled at His demeanor; He knew what the Father had just done, had seen the new heart deposited within me moments earlier, and with the eager innocence and excitement of a child He said, “May I show you My heart?” There was not a trace of condemnation or condescension in these words or in His demeanor; He only wanted me to see what the Father had also done for Him. Of course, I agreed, and as I watched in the vision He parted His white robes at the chest to reveal His heart, which was the purest white color I have ever seen. It was iridescent and filled with light! At the moment of revelation, I heard Jesus say that His heart was “WHITE HOT.” There was, I saw, purity and refinement in Christ’s heart which made even a “new heart” from the Father seem unrefined and immature! The Lord had walked through a similar journey to ours on earth, but the result of His journey of pain and suffering was a glorious, radiant light and joy within Him - a burning passion for His Bride that is so beautiful! WHITE-HOT PASSION OF THE LORDThe vision ended, but as I prayed the following morning about what it meant, I was led to look up the phrase “White Hot.” Emotionally, to be “white-hot” is to be ardent, exceedingly enthusiastic, zealous, or even angry. It denotes a fervency of passion. In chemistry or physics, “white-hot” speaks of exceedingly high temperatures (above 2200 degrees Fahrenheit) which exist as a result of combustion. Red fire, by comparison, ranges between just 1112-1800 degrees. Orange-yellow flames appear at 2012 degrees. White flame can range from 2200 up to 2700 degrees, and blue flame - the hottest manifestation of fire - appears from 2600-3000 degrees Fahrenheit. The color of a fire’s flame is related to the frequency (or wavelength) of light as well as its temperature. The more energy impacting the atoms in an object, the greater the vibrations, and the greater the vibrations, the greater the light. “White Hot” means that the amount of visible light emitted by an object covers the entire visible spectrum of color equally so that our eyes perceive it as white. What an amazing picture of the desire of the Lord for us to be fully alive and passionate for Him! Revelation 3:15-16 reads: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Friends, the difference between the reddish-colored heart the Father showed me in this encounter and the Lord’s heart, which is “White-Hot,” is over 1500 degrees! The Lord is revealing Himself as the Lover in Song of Solomon, burning with passion for His Bride. He longs for His Bride to experience the same passion for Him! It is imperative that we as His Body move past our lukewarm condition. We are called to be burning, shining ones for the Lord in this dark time. Ask yourself: What do I need to do to turn up the heat in my own passion for the Lord? Sunspots - those dark places that appear on the photosphere, or surface, of the sun, represent the coolest places, where “storms” of magnetic activity produce solar flares. Like the first heart in my vision, these storms obstruct the brilliant light the sun produces and cause disruptions in the atmosphere. We are not meant to have any darkness in us, and by the grace of God we can have those dark places healed and removed. God IS light, and there is no darkness in Him at all. We are called to be children of light: sons and daughters of the Father of lights “with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” (James 1:17) May your spirit be awakened to the passion and power of Christ’s life within you. May you welcome the fiery trials that serve to purify your soul of all darkness, bringing you into a place of radiant flame and light that is evident to those around you. May you be consumed with His love for you, which demands everything, is worth everything, and fills everything in every way! Deborah  Deborah Perkins is a seasoned prophetic writer, teacher, and Christian leader with more than 35 years of ministry experience across denominations. At God's request in 2013, she founded His Inscriptions, an online ministry devoted to helping people worldwide “Discover Life-Giving Communication with God.” Through her website, mentoring courses, and a weekly blog, Deborah offers encouragement to those who want to grow their relationship with God. Deborah lives in New England with her hubby, 3 sons, one cat, and a coop full of chickens. You can learn more about Deborah’s published books on her Amazon author page. To request Deborah as a speaker, click here. |
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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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