Loved and Protected

In the same way that our wounds affect us, we often have snares into which we have stepped, either willfully or innocently. But either way they hinder us, preventing us from being all we can be in God. They are chinks in our spiritual armor, places the enemy can use against us, saying, “Look at you. What a pathetic example of a Christian you are if you can’t overcome______.” You fill in the blank.

Well, if that’s true, why aren’t we running to God and to the altar asking–begging God for deliverance? Because for the most part the church, even Pentacostal churches don’t preach deliverance anymore. Instead they preach accountability to each other, (note “each other” means “fallen men just like us.”) Does anyone else see the problem here, or am I the only one?

Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever and has not lost His power to deliver. So why aren’t we asking and believing for it? Because we’ve believed another of the devil’s lies, that God can’t set us free from anything anymore.

Because that’s a bold-faced lie, it’s up to you and me to preach the true Word whenever we get the opportunity, that Jesus is alive and well on Planet Earth and wants to set us free from every besetting sin. He wants us to be free to function in newness of life and in supernatural Holy Spirit power.

Another reason we often don’t ask for deliverance is because of the humiliation factor. We’ve tried it before and people shunned us when they knew our struggles. Well, let me emphatically state, “There, but for God go I.”

We dare not look down our noses or shun others because there is no difference between us, and if we act like we are superior, we are in iminent danger of falling due to pride. Let me repeat that last section for emphasis: If we act like we are superior, we are in iminent danger of falling due to pride.

So let’s reach out in love to our brothers and sisters, praying for each other and believing for deliverance and freedom, and not take no for an answer. We need each other. It’s going to take our combined efforts to win this world, and none of us are equal to the task alone, so let’s ask God to help us love and protect each other’s reputations, and encourage each other in the faith, believing for answers, victory and deliverance in every area. This is God’s deepest heart desire for His beloved–you and me.

I believe God wants to move right now to deliver us, if we will stand in agreement. Let me pray for us: Father, right now we are in desperate need of deliverance from every besetting sin. We come boldly to your throne, believing you can and WILL set us free to live in victory. Right now I pray for each one who needs a deliverance, that you will move in power and might, helping them renounce sin and, in Jesus’ name, take back the ground they gave to the enemy. We declare that right now You are shattering the power of darkness, lifting them above the circumstances, completely and permanently dead to that sin, and no longer subject to the siren song of the tempter. We thank you now for your delivering power, and believe that right now you are moving in a mighty way. In Jesus’ most wonderful name, amen.

I’d love to rejoice with you if God moved in your life today. You are precious to God and to me, a one of a kind, special vessel He wants to use to win your little circle of influence. Wow! What an amazing God we serve!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

Once more the Lord has added depth to the prophecy revealed in Wendy Alec’s Journal of the Unknown Prophet. It came from the book I mentioned the other day, Surviving the Anointing by David Ravenhill. And because this point is so vital it also bears repeating. In one section he mentioned the importance of emotional healing of the body of Christ. He agrees with what Wendy said–that if we who call ourselves believers do not avail ourselves of the healing God offers we will always have chinks, cracks in our armor that make us particular targets of the enemy. He knows our vulnerabilities and as I’m sure you’ve noticed, often uses them to whisper defeating messages into our ears.

The point that bears repeating is this: Today is the day of healing, and we dare not wait, because if, as we believe, the enemy has individually targeted God’s champions, those who love and serve Him with all their hearts, souls and minds, that should include you and I. And that means that we are in his gun sights with a giant bullseye on our backs.

If we have fallen in love with Christ, and are putting Him first in everything, we may think that’s enough to keep us from falling into the devil’s snare, but that is not necessarily true. If we have unmet needs, raw wounds from the church or others in our backgrounds, we dare not wait another moment to run to the cross for healing.
As I mentioned the other day, everything we do is influenced by the wounds we carry, which means we cannot possibly effectively minister as long as those wounds exert preconceived notions that hinder faith and use undue influence. And that’s the problem. We must be free to live without unforgiveness, bitterness, pain and unhealed wounds if we are to do anything in the supernatural.

So what’s the answer? Don’t wait another moment. Go into your prayer closet, pray and make a list of everyone and everything that ever left you with scars, and then cast them at the foot of the cross, asking God to heal them.

I’m going to pray right now. Father, we are desperate to be set free from our old scars, desperate for a new move of heaven to transform us. In our old man, we can do nothing to restore the old things, but You, Father, are totally capable of addressing those issues. Touch and heal, Father, restoring what the canker has stolen away that we may be free to move unfettered and without fear, knowing You want to use us in amazing ways. We thank You now, Lord, for what we believe You are doing, as we ask without wavering. In Jesus’ most worthy name, amen.

And as the Lord continues to reveal old scars take them to the cross and leave them there letting Him touch those places, making them like new baby skin. And I can guarantee you’ll feel light and free to soar in the spirit as they old things fall away.

Because of His great love,
Nancy

I hardly slept at all last night. I think that’s much like a line from an old song, but it’s also true for me. Last night the urgency to pray kept me up from midnight to seven AM. At those times I can actually feel the heart of God beating, anxious to move on the hearts of men, but, as we’ve said before, without the prayers of the saints, absolutely nothing happens.

Lately I’ve also sensed God’s intense level of love, His yearning after souls, and His deep desire to rescue them. I see Him moving to change hearts and send angels to intervene at pivotal moments in people’s lives.

As I said before I believe He wakes me in the night hours because my days are so full of distractions. If it took prayer during the day, it just wouldn’t have the same effect, partly because the hours of 3-6 AM are so powerful without the hindrances that come at other times.

What about you? Can you feel the urgency? Or do you go to work or shopping and scarcely see those walking past you? It’s easy to do, isn’t it?

But God wants us to see others through heaven’s eyes. He wants us to realize that each one is precious to Him; He died for everyone we meet, no matter how they appear to the natural eye. And it’s important to remember that even the worst of men can be transformed if the message of the gospel can convict them. Help us, Lord to see with your eyes and love the way you do and not discount a single one.

On another note: I have to marvel that as bad as things are going in our country I am not panicking as I would’ve a year ago. And I can only attribute this to the fact that I am called to pray for all I’m worth for our country, for revival, for our legislators and president, and as a result, God is pouring His peace out inside me.

You and I must not let our hearts fail with fear the way unbelievers do. We have a God who is sovereign, who has every move figured out, forming strategies that will trump the devil every time. But in order to be on the winning side, we must spend time meditating on the Word, getting into that secret place, basking in the incredible love of God, praying fervently and choosing to believe God is moving whether we see it or not with our natural eyes.

The other day I heard Perry Stone say something profound. Perhaps I mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. There are three kinds of prayer: simple prayer, praying in faith, and praying in faith without wavering. It’s only the last one that gets God’s entire attention. So let’s get serious about the things of God and move in the spirit, ready in season and out of season to obey the voice of the Lord. For Jesus is coming soon and there’s no time to waste!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

I recently came across a book called Surviving the Anointing by David Ravenhill, son of the late Leonard Ravenhill, and couldn’t resist buying it because the title was so intriguing. What on earth could he mean by “Surviving the Anointing”? Well, I had a chance to read it, and was blessed beyond my expectations.

In essence, he confirmed what Wendy Alec’s prophetic message had said–that soon there would be a great falling away. But he listed the reasons, the root causes, and how to avoid falling into the traps Satan has set for God’s champions. The book is, in essence, a handbook of wisdom with precious tools to help us make it to the end victorious.

He reiterated that many of God’s servants think they are strong enough to withstand the deceptions of the enemy, when nothing could be further from the truth. He said that Satan is custom-making deceptions for those who think they are strong. He will use tactics he has never used before, because his time is short, and his deceptions must be the best he’s ever come up with. And you and I would do well to keep in mind that he’s called a ‘master deceiver’ for good reason. I’m absolutely convinced that apart from humbling ourselves before God and holding tight to His hand, we will be consumed and will fall away.

I would urge you to read the book and buy one for your pastor. It’s a treasure house of information that is vital to the day in which we live, especially since Christian pastors and teachers are the the exact targets Wendy Alec mentioned in her prophecy.

Another thing the Lord is revealing to me through many sources is this: We humans don’t have the capacity to grasp the depth of God’s love for us. He is for us in every way. He is rooting us on, cheering from the sidelines, having already poured into us every single thing we need to make it. His Spirit is in us, people! He has equipped us with His Spirit, to empower us, to give wisdom, discernment, hope, the ability to move in the prophetic–absolutely everything we need to make it to the end victorious!

So will we believe Him, and stop limiting the spirit within us? It’s up to us to say, “Okay, Holy Spirit, I know you have plans for me. Things you want me to do, so speak, and I’ll listen and obey.”

Would that we would get this lesson and rejoice with exceeding great joy at the gifts God has given!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

As I mentioned the other day I’m excited, asking God to let me operate in words of knowledge even in the grocery store. Well, yesterday I had a chance, and to be honest, my timing was off. It was a very humbling experience.

In truth, my mind was overwhelmed. I had a last minute booking for my bed & breakfast and had to quickly shop (they would arrive in three hours!) and cook in preparation of their arrival, since I always put breakfast in the fridge so they can warm it at their leisure.

So picture this: I’m shopping as fast as my legs (and mind!) can make it happen and yet early yesterday morning I had told the Lord I really wanted to operate in the prophetic. And while pulling things into my cart I saw people and said, “God, do you have anything you’d like to say to them?” And then I saw a young pregnant woman walking toward me. And I said, “What about her, Lord? Do you have anything you want to say to her?”

We smiled at each other as she walked past me before the Lord could answer. My timing was definitely off. But the Lord, in his patience, said, “Yes. I’d like you to say that you know she’s had two miscarriages and she’s worried about a third, but this time she’ll have a beautiful, healthy baby.” Of course, by then I was really excited. The Lord wanted me to speak to this woman! And I turned ready to speak, but she was already gone. I had missed my chance.

How humbling this process is! How chaotic life can be with so much going on–to the place where we miss opportunities to minister to these precious people’s needs. What could be more important than that?

I’m just getting my feet wet in this area, and I feel like a beginner, a kindergartner, trying his wings and failing often, but I’m not giving up, because God is going to use me in this area, opening up windows of opportunity to share the wonderful love of Christ.

Pray for me in this area if you would. I struggle to keep a balance of doing my best when things are hectic, and yet I don’t want to miss a single opportunity to be light and salt for the Lord. I want to be Mary rather than Martha, though at times I’m not sure about the finer points–the how to.

I pray that we are all awaking from sleep to see what we’ve been missing–things God wants us to do that are out of the box, even out of our comfort zone. But guess what? We’ll never feel more alive then when we are moving in the spirit of God, letting Him speak and bless those around us in ways that only He can do.

Let’s ask Him to use us to minister like Jesus did. What could be better than that?

Because of His great love,
Nancy

Continuing the vision of Wendy Alec’s book, Journal of the Unknown Prophet, it says that those who have Martha’s gifts of administration, organization, etc., will be more easily targeted by the enemy than those who have Mary’s gift of worship.

Those who are gifted, busy about the Father’s work will struggle with the load so that they are weary. And that weariness comes from a failure to draw near to the source of their strength, God Himself.

If you and I can grasp this deep in our spirits, we will not be overcome by the enemy. God is our source of strength, and without spending time to refresh ourselves in the secret place of His presence, we will languish in our flesh, turning to human means to accomplish spiritual things. And this is exactly the weapon Satan will use to destroy us.

We must realize that just as literal vine gives life to its branches, we have no source of life or strength or ability without drawing life from our Vine. Without spending time in His presence, we are merely going through the motions of ministry withering inside, until at some point we die.

You and I were never meant to function outside of the marvelous relationship we have with God. He is our Source of life. His is everything we need. Sometimes we wrongly believe that because we once met Him we can do things on our own. But think about it. That’s like saying, “I once shook hands with a king, so now I can do anything I want.” It’s ridiculous to think that on our own we can accomplish anything, for Scripture says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.”

We must get this truth planted deep within our hearts and treasure it above all other truths, because without it, we are sitting ducks, targets of the enemy. Without our source of life, Jesus, we are like people walking around with giant red targets on their backs. And we have nothing with which to fight off the assault.

You’ll hear me say this a thousand times, but it’s only because it’s such a vital truth. We must stay connected to God in that secret place, for without it, Christian or not, we have nothing. Absolutely nothing.

On the other hand, once we grasp that truth, and stay connected and in the Word, we are not going to be defeated. Because God in us is everything we need. Let us grasp hold of our treasure and depend on the Vine, our wonderful, wonderful Lord!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

Another thing the prophecy (Wendy Alec’s book Journal of the Unknown Prophet) mentioned was this: that visions birthed in power and clarity and in the vigor of the Holy Spirit will become clouded. And the enemy will whisper words of doubt and confusion and unbelief into the hearts of the weary, who have not yet see the vision manifest.

So how can we guard against this? We must press in to that secret place, basking in the love of the Lord and worshiping in spirit and in truth, with everything that is in us. And when we do that He will refresh and encourage us, renewing our spirits and reviving the promises we’ve been holding onto. And we will not lose heart if we press in and refuse to doubt what God has promised.

When the enemy comes in to whisper anything in our ears we must choose to cast off those suggestions and quote Scripture back to Him. We must also be rested and living in the spirit, drawing power from God for what we must accomplish.

I have a strong sense that if it hasn’t already occurred, we will be easily overcome by exhaustion, simply because the load becomes so heavy to carry. But when that happens we must remember what the Word says–that His burden is light, when we cast all our cares at His feet. In fact, we weren’t mean to carry heavy loads at all. Rather, we are to be like little children, who dump all their petitions and cares on the Father, who is totally capable of handling the load.

What an awesome God we serve! He designed us for fellowship and to be His hands extended to those who need to know Him. He wants us to be light and salt, distinnctly different from the world, so we must ask ourselves this question: “Am I different? If so, how?”

We must be so sold out to God that we scarcely resemble who we used to be. We need to be transformed by the renewing of our minds according to God’s Word, for in it are His thoughts, dreams and desires for us. And not only that but as we snuggle into His presence, basking in His great love, He will personally reveal to us things we are otherwise never going to grasp from any other source.

I want to pray for us.
Lord, we so desperately need to draw near to You. Help us see how desperate, how weak and weary and wayward we are without You. Pour out on us, and open our eyes to see what we lack, then fill us and enable us to walk in Your power. Forgive us and heal us, and transform us into Your image, Father, that the world may see Jesus in us. Help us let go of the things that weigh us down to earth so that we can rise to live above the fray. Glorify Yourself in us, Father, for otherwise we have no reason to live. Amen and amen.

Because of His great love,
Nancy

Continuing the subject of Wendy Alec’s book, Journal of the Unknown Prophet, I want to expound a bit on what the prophecy said about how the righteous will fall. Many will fall to lust, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh, but the purpose will be to seduce His children away from the Father.

(Note: I am still paraphrasing here.) As I said yesterday many of the champions will be drawn away in pride. Many will be overcome by deep and terrible discouragement, which, in turn will lead to a delusion and in the end to a great blinding where they will no longer be able to discern truth from deception.

The prophecy continued, saying that many have been deceived by things, by material goods, and things like making a name for themselves or gaining power, all things God will burn–no more than wood, hay and stubble, and that it’s time to wake up and see that our true riches aren’t here at all. They are supernatural.

As I see it, we are living in a sort of fantasy land here on earth, believing this is the real thing, when it really isn’t. Not at all. It’s temporary, like a vapor. What is really real is the life and death struggle in the heavenlies that will determine our destiny–the place we spend the rest of “forever”.

Interestingly enough, I feel like I’ve personally been wakened from a deep sleep regarding the incredible reality of the spirit world. It’s like I’ve been sleepwalking, loving and serving God but at the same time not really “getting it” at all.

Now, however, it’s like the things of earth really have become “strangely dim” as the songwriter said so eloquently. It’s as if the supernatural world and the thoughts and feelings of God have been opened up to me as never before. I can feel the weeping of the Lord as He sees His beloved people, those He treasures, dying without Christ only to spend eternity in hell, forever separated from His amazing love.

I can feel the heaving of His breast as He shakes His head and grieves over those who still don’t “get it.” And I pray that they do get it, and very soon, before it’s too late.

This is a good time to admit that the enemy has tempted me with pride as well, and yet I dare not give in, because in my flesh there is nothing good. And if there is anything good it is because of the indwelling power of God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Forgive us, Lord, for stealing your glory, and help us realize that this will, in the end, be our undoing.

Help us, Lord, to have eyes and ears open to your spirit, so that we can see with the eyes of heaven what is real and true, and precious, and what is deception. Help us seek You with all our hearts and souls and minds and strength, nothing wavering, for without You, we are lost.

And as we seek You, Lord, help us reach out to those who are still lost, loving them with the arms of heaven, and bring them in, Father. Let us be your arms extended, and welcome them home.

Oh, Jesus, we worship You! You are life and breath and health and power. You are the air we breathe, the water we drink. You are truth, and hope and comfort and wisdom! And most of all, You love us when we are unworthy. You see the potential in us when we submit to You, but You know best of all that without that submission we are but dust, worthless, powerless and empty. But when we cling to You, our Vine, we are complete, filled up to overflowing, and can do amazing things all to the glory of God! We worship You! You are worthy of all our praise, and words fail to express what we feel about You, Lord!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

To continue from where I left off another prophecy from Wendy Alec’s book, Jouranl of the Unknown Prophet, spoke powerfully, warning us of what is to come.
On page 259 in the book she said, (and I paraphrase here) that God’s champions, His generals, leaders and priests, those who have powerfully served God up until now, are being targeted as never before. And many of them think they are ready for whatever the enemy hurls at them. They are the most vulnerable to the enemy because they rely on their own strength, their own integrity and their own valor. They will easily be deceived because of their pride.

The truth is, we will only be trumphant as we see ourselves, no matter who we are or what we have accomplished, as inadequate without God Himself. He is our source of power, and nothing we have in ourselves will keep us from the clutches of the enemy. In fact, he will use every deceptive device in his arsenal to deceive and defeat us. And many will be overcome, because he will simply tell us what we want to hear.

Why is this happening? What is the enemy targeting God’s people? Because Satan cannot get to God any other way, he will target and defeat and destroy those God loves–you and I, human beings. But if we let Him, God will make us victorious. But not if we attempt to do it in our own strength.

In fact, God is grieving right now, watching His champions puff up their chests and say in pride, “Nothing can defeat me.” And that very thing will be their undoing (or our own). It is only as we cling tightly to the Vine, knowing we have nothing in ourselves, that we will be able to stand, because God is our ONLY source of power.

Let’s humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord so that He can lift us up and sustain us!

Because of His great love,
Nancy

I’ve been away for a week, so I’m glad to be back.
I was reading Wendy Alec’s book Journal Of the Unknown Prophet the other day and several of the prophecies struck a chord with me. One said that we as the church have often worshipped the Word rather than worshipping its Author.

And I can’t agree more. We can read and memorize and meditate on the Word, and those are not wrong in themselves. And in fact, they are very good, but they should serve a higher purpose, to get to know and fall in love with the Author, our wonderful God.

If we do the things we do with that goal in mind, we will never go wrong. However, we can easily become distracted from true worship that we miss the mark entirely. Rather than drawing us into His presence, to soak and to bask in His amazing love and transforming power, we merely dig our hole of distraction deeper by majoring on the means instead of the Man.

So what does this mean? It means we need to put all things in their proper place, UNDER the Lord God Himself. He is our life, our breath, our hope for the future. He is our counselor, the lifter of our heads, our peace, the very bread and water of life. He is our comforter, the lamp unto our feet and the light to our path. He is the one who leads us into victory, who gives wisdom, who inclines His ear to hear our petitions. He should be EVERYTHING to us.

It should be perfectly obvious by now that we who are alive from this point on, just won’t be able to survive without the personal, involved move of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that without being spirit-filled and spirit led, we are going to be easily overcome and deceived by the enemy, who, as I said before, has planned an assault like no other on Christian pastors and anyone who moves in power, as well as on Christian marriages. And because that’s true we should want absolutely everything God has for us, in order to cope with what’s coming and stand. So why would we refuse the empowering presence of the third person of the trinity? If we are truly sold out to Christ, we should ask God to reveal Himself in all His glory, nothing withheld. But are we willing to do that?

Are we willing to set aside our preconceived ideas and say, “God, if I’ve been wrong or if I’ve misunderstood anything you tried to tell me, change my perceptions and correct my errors, because I want nothing standing between us when I need you most.”

Are we willing to set aside our petty differences and let the love of God transform us so we can love each other the way God does? So much of this I’ve never really understood before. But God says to renew our minds with the Word and to draw near to God, and at that point, He will respond and draw near to us, to meet the need of the moment in ways we’ve never even dreamed.
Why would we depend on our own finite minds at a time like this?

It’s time to get serious and fall in love with Jesus all over again. It’s time to take off the grubby garments of religious tradition and say, “God, I’m here. Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Time is a-wasting, and we must get serious, draw near to God in that secret place, basking in His very presence, letting Him speak and teach and heal and give revelation via dreams and visions, so that we will stand in the last days. I pray we are listening, ready to let Him take His rightful place in our hearts.
To him who has an ear to hear, let him hear the word of the Lord.

Because of His great love,
Nancy