2018 The Season of Miracles

“We’re in a season of miracles.” The words spilled out of my mouth to my sister Kim as we shared concerns about family members as the holiday season approached.

“I realize that Christmas is referred to in this way, but it is coming into my spirit that we have entered a season of miracles and that we will soon see them come to pass in our families,” I continued.

That was before Christmas, but then I found myself saying this again to a home fellowship group this past Sunday. Then lo and behold I started hearing it from other sources.

Paul Begley shared in his January 4^th Prophecy Alert: "18 Things To Watch For In 2018" that 2018 is to be a YEAR OF MIRACLES for the remnant church (those who truly love and live for Jesus Christ). He added that it is a time of EXTREME FAVOR towards the remnant church in the way of finances, divine healings, and loved ones coming to the Lord.

Now I have heard “the year of favor” prophesied before and did not see the manifestation of it but I AM EXPECTING TO SEE IT THIS TIME!

House Churches

Much of the remnant church is meeting in homes; and in countries such as Iran where Christianity is forbidden, they meet in secret. Millions—yes MILLIONS—of Muslims are making Christ their Lord. Tens of thousands are coming to Christ in Africa and millions in India! J. D. Farag in his Mid-East Prophecy Update – January 7th, 2018 reported that it is estimated across the globe followers of Jesus are increasing by more than 80,000 per day!!

Not all house churches move in the liberty of the Spirit of Christ, but most of them formed for just that reason—to freely worship, pray, and minister by the Holy Spirit and not be confined by man-made religious programs and controlling leaders.

If you do not understand what that is like, my sister shared with me an excellent video that explains what it means to walk by the Spirit by Chris Blackeby called Living from Heaven. I have never heard this young man speak before, but I highly recommend this particular teaching he did.

My favorite quote from him is: “Jesus hasn’t come to make you a better person—He’s come to replace you.”

Wow! That’s walking by the Spirit in a nutshell—to be so likeminded with the Spirit of Christ within you that it is as though He has replaced you.

One of the first times my husband Tom and I experienced being ‘replaced’ by Christ was when we were asked to minister to a couple in their home. Before leaving, we held each other’s hand to pray and immediately the Spirit of the Lord gave me a vision of a great fire. I shared the vision with Tom and said, “Our God is a consuming fire! He has gone before us to make way for His work.”

This was the encouragement we needed for we had been told some fearful things about the husband. Their little house was at the foot of a small mountain. When the door was opened, it was very dark inside but with my spiritual eyes I could see little imp-like demons scattering all over the place.

“Oh no! HE’S here!” they screamed, but only I heard them. That was when I realized the spiritual realm does not see us in our flesh when we come in the name and power of Y’shua Ha Moshiach, our Jesus—they see HIM!

This is our goal as disciples of Jesus Christ. This is how our God will go before us so that we will see this SEASON OF MIRACLES!

Oh, before I go I just remembered something. It was wintertime when Tom and I went to that little house. Because of our obedience to go (we were actually quite afraid to go), we saw remarkable deliverance and healing by our wonderful God AND the couple came to salvation. As we drove back home, I turned to look back at the little house now in the distance and it was snowing. Nowhere else was the snow falling—it was gracefully enveloping only the little house as though it were in its own glorious snow globe!

    

Caveat: I do not necessarily agree with all the beliefs of anyone whose material I reference. I seek to be led of the Spirit of God as to the sources I use, however, even Spirit-filled Christians only 'see in part' as it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12.

The Coming Wave of Glory II

Since I have returned to the American workforce (at least for the holiday season), I haven't had time to write; but after seeing this confirming prophetic word I knew I had to MAKE TIME to blog! Here is Garris Elkins' article which has the same title as my July 10, 2012, blog--THE COMING WAVE OF GLORY:

Garris Elkins:

The Coming Wave of Glory: "Run Toward the Shore of My Presence..."

[Article originally posted at The Elijah List]

 

A Vision of Waves and Lines Drawn in the Sand

Recently in worship the Lord revealed an image to me. The image was of a person standing on a beach looking out to sea. There was a sense of longing on his face. The scene changed where I could now look out through his eyes at the developing image.
Before me was the sloping sand of a shoreline that extended down to the ocean's edge. In the distant horizon I saw an approaching series of waves making their way toward the shore.

When I was a young man, I learned how to surf. I also learned how to read the ocean. The older surfers told me that waves move from the ocean to the shore in a series of waves called "sets". Many times the largest wave in the set comes at the end of one of these series of waves.

As I looked across the beach toward the shore, I saw lines that had been drawn in the sand. These lines looked like marks made by a stick, something many of us do when we visit a beach. As I pondered the image, I realized the lines were judgments made because of disappointments, assumptions, fear and unbelief. These lines had captions like, "I won't do that." "That is not of God!" "This is as far as I go!"

With each approaching wave some of the lines were erased by the water and foam that climbed up the beach toward where I stood. I knew the waves represented the different moves of God's Spirit that had taken place in the past. Each new wave that came onshore carried with it the power to erase these lines of judgment.

"Run Toward the Shore of My Presence..."

 

The Lord began to speak as I continued to look across the beach and out into the ocean:

"I see a sorrow in your heart – a sorrow of what could have been. I gave you revival to carry. What I gave you was dropped and broken through human failure and fear. This was not My plan. Why do you think I do not have another wave to break into your midst? I am not asking you to pick up the broken pieces from the past and try to reassemble them and call it "new." I always bring something new. What is coming is completely new and birthed in My presence.

"I will erase your unbelief, if you place your belief in Me, not in what you have demanded of Me. You have no idea what this wave will look like because it was created in a place outside of human fear and failure. When I move, it will not always be familiar. In that place of unfamiliarity I ask for your trust.

"I am asking you to leave behind a human wondering that is marked with unbelief – wondering if and when I will move again. I am calling you to a place of wonder where you will be like a child unwrapping a gift. My joy will become your joy and wonder.

 

"I will remove the pain of regret from among you. This regret has birthed a sorrow like a person who mourns a death. My joy is always before you. Only fear and disbelief would have you look and see death. Remove this blindness from your eyes and look up and out. See it! See what I have prepared. It is good and it is making its way toward you and it will break over your judgments if you run toward the shore of My presence and embrace the wave of My glory."

 

A Mighty Wave of God's Glory

 

As I looked out onto the ocean I saw the last wave in the set. This wave was huge and I knew immediately it represented a powerful move of God that was approaching our shores. The lesser waves that erased the lines of judgment were an opportunity to get our hearts ready in preparation to receive what God was sending our way.
Like a child would run toward an incoming wave and jump into it with joy and laughter, so will those who have allowed the lines of judgment in their hearts to be erased by God's presence.

Those who choose to continue to live trapped above the waterline, behind lines of judgment and disbelief, will not be able to run forward to embrace this new work of God. They will remain above the waterline immobilized in fear and judgment.

As this mighty wave of God's glory falls into our midst it will reshape the shoreline of our culture and more importantly, the boundaries of the Church itself.

Garris Elkins, Senior Leader
Living Waters Church – Medford, Oregon
Email: info@prophetichorizons.com
Website: garriselkins.com

Click THE COMING WAVE OF GLORY to read the article I posted in 2012!

Glory to God in the Highest!

DEADRAISER

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

These are the words Jesus, our Yahshua, spoke to His disciples as recorded in Matthew Chapter 10, Verse 8. This directive is as true today as it was then!

If you consider yourself to be a disciple, a follower of Christ, YOU HAVE BEEN ENDUED WITH THE POWER TO RAISE THE DEAD!(John 14:19; Luke 24:49; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 12:7-11 and more...)

A couple of years ago my husband, along with myself and a team of other believers, were inspired to visit a local hospital once a week for about a two-month period and act on this authority we knew we had through Christ in us.

We simply went to the different waiting rooms and befriended relatives of the sick or dying and asked if they would allow us to pray for their loved one. We did not experience raising someone from the dead, BUT WE DID have the joy of seeing miracle after miracle. One woman had been told she was dying and that there was no hope for her recovery. What joy when we witnessed her healing after our team laid hands on her and prayed for her recovery!

So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn that a group of enterprising young adults put together a movie they've titled, DEADRAISER. Although I have only seen a clip of this documentary film, I believe it will act as a dynamite catalyst resulting in a wave of healing and miracles. To learn more about it, go to this link.




But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7

Soul Ties in the Church

When I write, I prefer to focus on writing all day. Many times before composing I take some time to worship and set my mind on Almighty Yahweh.

This morning as I worshipped, I began praying about holy connections within the Body of Christ. As I did, the Spirit of the Lord began to download something into my spirit about 'soul ties'. Although I had not planned on blogging today (I have another project on my mind), I knew I was to share this.

What is a 'soul tie'? My understanding of this phrase is that it is referring to a relationship with another person or group that is of an intimate nature. If you were to look up the exact phrase, 'soul tie', in the Bible, you will not find it. What you will find, however, are examples of holy and unholy soul ties.

David and Jonathan had a holy soul tie.

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit [qashar--to bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire] with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. - 1 Samuel 18:1 KJV

The Book of Ephesians shows that marriage ties two souls--they become 'one flesh'.

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined [proskollaō--from kolla ("glue")] unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. - Ephesians 5:31 KJV

 

This union is not only through a sexual relationship, but also through vows spoken to one another. I Corinthians gives an example of an unholy soul tie via sexual union:

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. - 1 Corinthians 6:16 KJV

So you can see that soul ties can be made in a number of ways. What hit my spirit this morning, however, was how we can actually have unholy soul ties within the Church. Because we fellowship with other believers in the Lord, we can innocently or perhaps more accurately, naively, form a union that is not Godly.  Sometimes we might have ulterior motives to connect with someone in a leadership position in the church body.

Our Heavenly Father created our physical bodies to be made up of interdependent parts or members. When even an individual cell within a part operates outside of its purpose towards another part, the brain is alerted. So it is with the Body of Christ. Just as human body parts were made to be interdependent, members in Christ's Body are to be mutually supportive of one another. BUT when an individual operates outside of how Christ the Head has ordained, they are in danger. This includes relationships we have with other members of the Body of Christ!

Do not confuse this with church leadership. What I mean is, just because your church is set up where a pastor or bishop is the overseer, does not mean he is the head of the church! Yes, an overseer has responsibilities towards the church body, but it is not to be a dictatorship.

Neither as being lords over [katakyrieuō--1) to bring under one's power, to subject one's self, to subdue, master; 2) to hold in subjection, to be master of, exercise lordship over] God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. - 1 Peter 5:3 KJV

Whenever we allow a church member--whether in leadership or not--to manipulate or control what we do or not do, this is an unholy soul tie.

It is only through an intimate relationship with the Head, Jesus our Yahshua, that we will know who we are to be in relationship with and how intimately we are to be connected, for He alone is the true lover of our souls.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love [chashaq--' to love, be attached to, long for']to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. - Isaiah 38:17 KJV

 

Genuine unity can only be accomplished through the Spirit of the Lord.

But he that is joined [kollaō--glued]

unto the Lord is one spirit. - 1 Corinthians 6:17 KJV

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:31-32 KJV 

 

To Beeeeeeee

It turns out that it was a wise decision for me to take a blogger break, for May was a very happenin’ month! It started out great with me hosting the women in my family at our home Mother’s Day Weekend. At the end of our weekend gathering, my sister Kim asked me to go to her home in Georgia. I spent the next two weeks trying to catch my breath as I followed her around and ‘helped’. Like me, she is fifty-something but has the schedule and energy of a woman decades younger!

Anyway, weeks earlier Kim had had a vision of me being at her house for her annual garden tea party that she hosted for the women of her church and their guests. At the time, I did not see how it would be possible for me to be there (we have only one vehicle), but Yahweh made a way.

Kim shared with me that the theme of the party was centered around bees. She showed me interesting facts she had collected about bees and compared them to characteristics we as followers of Christ should emulate. As we conversed, The Spirit of the Lord showed us how it was important first TO BE in order TO BEE. By this He meant we must first practice being in the presence of the Almighty before becoming busy as a bee.

A couple of days later while brushing my teeth, The Holy Spirit brought something to my remembrance (has that ever happened to you?). He reminded me of a study I had done years ago on Deborah, a judge of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament, whose name means ‘bee’. When I shared this with Kim, she realized that I was to share about Deborah at the tea party and I was honored to do so.

And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she dwelt under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim: and the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. - Judges 4:4-5 KJV

A biblical judge differs from a modern-day judge in that they served as military leaders of their tribe and as Godly counselors knowing Yahweh’s laws and commandments. I like that the Word of God gives a picture of where Deborah lived…under the palm tree of Deborah. Her tent was probably pitched there, but I see her sitting under its shade and perhaps praying—simply BE-ing in God’s presence. Out of this place of being in His presence, she was prepared when a dispute arose and a tribesman sought out her wisdom for ‘the children of Israel came up to her for judgment’.

Deborah is described as the ‘wife of Lapidoth’. This phrase can be translated more literally as ‘woman of torches/lightenings’ or ‘woman of fiery spirit'.

Like a bee that can see ultraviolet rays (which humans cannot), I believe Deborah saw with spiritual eyes leading Israel with confidence and a fiery spirit!

Deborah was a mother to Israel and like a protective mother she flew at the enemies of her people and her sting was fatal! She must have been highly esteemed as a military leader; for in the clash with the Canaanites, her general, Barak, would not go into battle without her (Judges 4:8)!

When I shared all this with the women who gathered in my sister's home, I exhorted them to seek the Lord’s face daily—even if only for several minutes before beginning their day—and to do so throughout the day bringing their thoughts captive to Christ. We should remember Deborah and simply--

Practice bee-ing...

The Real Butterfly Effect

“Look, Mimi!” my four-year-old grandson trumped as he and his dad marched into the kitchen. My son Matt held a large pickle jar stuffed with milkweed leaves up to my face so that I could peer in. “Oh! Did you find a Monarch caterpillar?” I asked trying to match his enthusiasm. In truth I was probably as excited as he was for indeed there was not just one but two of the black and yellow striped crawlers.


It had been many years since I had shared in the wonderment of the metamorphosis stages of this beautiful butterfly. When my children were little, every autumn we would hunt for a Monarch caterpillar. It was a family tradition. Even today the process continues to amaze me. As many believers probably do upon finding one, I automatically think of Romans 12:1-2 KJV~ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [metamorphoo-to change into another form; transform] by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.


The entire family was enthralled with the new crawler-vision displayed on the kitchen counter. Munch, munch, munch. The two creepers seemed to be in a race to see who could eat the most. The smaller caterpillar (I’ll call Beta) went into chrysalis mode overnight attaching itself to one of the leaves. “Why did she stop eating so soon?” I wondered to myself, for she was almost half the size of her jar mate. As Alpha (my name for the bigger worm) continued to devour another entire stem of milkweed greenery, I could not help but be concerned about Beta. A lesson was forming in my spirit and mind. You know—one of those old teachings that the Spirit of the Lord desires to re-instill, but somehow it goes deeper than when you first learned it.

Finally, Alpha did her magic and hung upside down onto a horizontal stick and formed her chrysalis.


My family and I were surprised when a few days later Alpha’s gold-speckled celadon case became transparent revealing the trademark black markings of the Monarch.
Although Beta had cocooned first, Alpha was transforming sooner. Beta’s tiny chrysalis remained pale green with only a smudge of grey showing. I wondered if she was going to live or not.

Matt took the marvelous pickle jar display out to the back deck with the rest of the crew following. He wanted to let the morning sun welcome Alpha into the great outdoors. The chill of the morning ushered us back into the house. At lunchtime we were happy to see Alpha had broken through the chrysalis shell and was hanging upside down showing off her new wings. She didn’t move much, though, for it was too cold to flap her wings; so she remained in the jar to allow the sun to dry them. Beta looked the same. Would she ever emerge?

The next day I peeked out the window just at the right time. “Alpha is spreading her wings!” I announced. We tumbled out the back door. Matt slipped his finger under Alpha and lifted her up out of the jar. She had truly transformed into the largest most magnificent Monarch butterfly I had ever seen.


Immediately she stretched her wings and fluttered to the nearby ornamental pear tree. Beta, I was glad to see, had made progress showing the black and orange through her pupa. Maybe she would make it, I hoped.

When Beta did finally hatch, her wings were crumpled. They never straightened out.


Matt tenderly placed her onto one of the blossoms of the butterfly bush that grew tall enough to overhang our back deck. I checked on her a couple of hours later and she was gone. Did a bird find her? Did a breeze cause her to fall to the ground?

Our Creator makes lessons evident in that which He created all around us.
For what can be known about God is plain to them [men], because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Rom 1:19-20 ESV

The transforming stages of the butterfly reminded me of how we need to hungrily pursue renewing our mind—putting on the mind of Christ everyday. It is only as we diligently seek Him that we are transformed. When the enemy comes at us, the battle always begins in our minds.


Without taking every thought captive to Christ, as it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, our fleshly thoughts take precedence and we falter. When we walk by the flesh, it is like being bound to the earth with crumpled wings.

Rom 8:11 KJV - But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Rom 8:12 KJV - Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 KJV - For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
Rom 8:14 KJV - For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 KJV - For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

As we walk by the Spirit, we glorify God. We FLY! Rom 8:18 KJV - For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

There are many lessons He teaches through the life of this majestic butterfly. Too many for one posting. From this let us learn we should not hesitate to bask in the loving presence of the Son in the secret place, and as the wind of the Spirit lifts us ~

Let us not be afraid to FLY!

The Vine

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

My husband Tom and I went to a winery recently. The day was perfect. We had a simple picnic in the shade near the grapevines which were still bearing their deep purple fruit. There is something about the setting of a vineyard that is so satisfying.

As our Messiah walked and talked with the people of His time, He used many agricultural analogies such as this one from John chapter 15 because Israel was an agrarian society. One does not need to be a farmer, however, to understand that a branch of a plant or tree must remain connected with the main stem or trunk in order to survive. If we as God's people could only grasp this truth and retain it!

One morning after moving into a new house I was in the bedroom praying. I felt the pressure to hurry, but pushed it aside as I knelt down among the stacks of still unpacked boxes surrounding me.

My manner is to simply take time to be with Him in the morning. To seek the Lord's face. Sometimes the Spirit of the Lord will lead me to read a specific section of scripture or to intercede for a certain person or situation. Or we simply love on one another heart to heart. I never know what will happen.

"Lord, here I am."

Almost immediately I heard, "Daughter, I want you to go see Carol this morning."

I popped my head up above the boxes and said out loud, "Really?!" I was so delighted with my 'assignment' that I didn't ask why I was to see this new friend. I simply went. It turned out that my new neighbor was badly in need of encouragement and I had the privilege of ministering to her.

Just as the children of Israel were to follow the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, we are today to follow the Spirit of God in all we do. As we continue to take every thought captive to Christ, we abide in His presence--we are allowing Him to be the vine.

Abiding in His presence--now that is satisfying--and fulfilling. The promise that goes along with this is amazing~~

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,

ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.