Deborah Perkins's Blog, page 20

You Will Run and Not Grow Weary!

How familiar and comforting are these words from the prophet Isaiah!

I have been quoting this verse all week, praying it over myself as I battled sickness that overtook my son and me. Weary and decidedly un-energetic, I knew I needed God’s strength!

Then a dear friend called me and said he had been quoting that same verse this week, as he was in severe pain and could not walk. It is a wonderful promise to those who love the Lord. The Bible promises renewal, not just in our minds, but in our physical bodies!

When I woke up this morning, however, it was as though the Holy Spirit were urging me to dig a little deeper. “Those words in Isaiah are not reactionary,” he said, “but preemptive.” Isaiah does not envision only a battle-weary tribe of godly people, clawing their way desperately back into God’s renewing presence! (Although historically, that is what happened.)

No, in fact, Isaiah’s words also envision a victorious people, whose “waiting upon the Lord” connects them daily to a God who is “Everlasting;” who never grows faint or weary Himself (verse 28).

In other words, we are not just the weary who hope to run again; we are runners with the potential to not grow weary in the first place!

Why? Because we pray.

Strength In the Waiting
We may begin in weakness, but our time with God enables us to persevere. Our waiting on God precedes our running and precludes our weariness. All our strength is predicated on waiting!

Waiting on God may seem like a slow start to your day when you see those java-loaded, caffeine-energized sprinters heading out the gate, leaving you in the dust of their wake! But the quiet peace and renewed energy you gain from those first moments alone with God will cause you to keep running when the golden hours come, overtaking those who have long since dropped in exhaustion by the wayside.

Not only that - but if you do fall - when you are wearied beyond belief and think God has forgotten you, Isaiah reminds: “His understanding is unsearchable.” (40:28) Compassion, not condemnation, is extended to you like a firm and sturdy hand, lifting you back to your feet.

No matter how you look at these verses - whether preemptive or redemptive - they carry tremendous hope. Either God will sustain us as we run because we waited on Him and received our sustaining strategy; or He will come to us and assist us when we fall. There is no situation in which you could find yourself where God cannot renew or restore you.

For this reason, Isaiah says, “Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my just claim is passed over by my God? Do you not know? (Hebrew yada, to know intimately) Have you not heard? He is your EVERLASTING God!”

In case you missed the irony of this verse, Jacob and Israel are the same person!  (Genesis 32:27-28). Jacob represents our fallen nature, the soul that cries out in desperation to God. Israel, however, is the victor who emerges after that struggle, the one who learns to run his race successfully in the strength of the Lord. No matter how you feel today, or whom you most identify with, God is still your God!

Wait a Minute!
God has said that this is the year of “recompense.” (Isaiah 35:4) Do you believe He is renewing and restoring all things to you, both physically and emotionally? Do you rely on Him to help you walk - even run - through situations that made you stumble before? Are you believing Him for the prophetic strategies and insights that come from having divine perspective - the eyes of an eagle soaring above? Most importantly, is your life and are all your movements founded on the directions you receive as you wait upon the Lord?

For Isaiah, prayer precedes our daily walks and runs for a reason. Waiting on the Lord is preemptive. It protects us from the burnout and weariness that others experience in their eagerness to run ahead. Prayer is also redemptive when we run ahead of Him ourselves. We could ask for no greater God than this, whose compassion never fails and whose strength towards us is undying!

Teach us, Lord, to wait!


© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com

Prophetic Word: God is Refreshing You on Your Journey!

​As I meditated on what to write to you this week, the Lord impressed on me that I should release the full prophetic word He gave me just before Thanksgiving. I shared some of the key thoughts from that word in last week's Thanksgiving post, but as I reread the word this afternoon I felt it needed to be shared in full. The focus of His message was this:

God's desire is to continually refresh you on your journey! ​
"Follow the thread of My Presence over time in your life to discover the magnificent way that I lead you! In and out, up and down through glorious places of ease and rockier places of challenge and growth. There is nothing like it! 

Be amazed and astonished at My provision for your journey, and draw from the strength of your history with Me in order to continue pressing onward. Knowing Me will take your joy to a a new level and keep doubting demons at bay. 
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Receiving My wisdom, even in the form of lessons learned historically, will empower you as you continue your journey. Draw from the rivers of refreshment you have already found in Me, returning there and experiencing their power to sustain you.

These rivers of refreshment are not located linearly along your path, but spatially in the Spirit, so as to be available at any time. You do not need to reverse your course to draw upon previous lessons learned or refreshment given. You have only to ask the angels who travel with you to open up that story once again, so that you might remember and rehearse My goodness to you and so be renewed. These angels are standing ready at all times, waiting for your command to "forget not all His benefits." 

As you rehearse My benefits and your powerful history with Me, you open up the way for Me to act that way again. Celebrating My goodness results in greater goodness. Rejoicing in healings received brings new healings. Reciting your deliverance encourages more deliverance to be released. Your remembrance is not only historic, but also prophetic.

There are cycles of goodness available to you as you meditate on the experiences you've had in Me. If you take the time to do so, you will become known for the very characteristics in Me that you are celebrating! One who experiences deliverance becomes known for deliverance. One who sees miracles can be a miracle worker himself. Let the stirring up of My goodness be a catalyst for future mercies in your life and the lives of those around you. 

P.S. - One who experiences answered prayer will become a prayer warrior as well!"

Praying for each of you to be refreshed during this busy time, knowing that His Presence is eternally near!

Deborah

© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com Read the Related Thanksgiving Post

Remember. Recount. Celebrate!

Dear Friends,  

As I spontaneously worshiped the Lord this morning I noticed that every song that came to mind seemed to center on the Name of Jesus. I simply couldn't stop singing about His Name! It was as if the Holy Spirit were gently reminding me: It's the Name that frees you. It's the Name that delivers you. It's the Name that heals you. It's the Name that sustains you. Every time you call on My Name, I answer!

On and on I sang, praising His Name and worshipping Him for all that His Name represents in my life. Without Jesus, I would not be here. Without His victory, I would not have my victories. His powerful Name empowers me! And the same goes for you. His Name is the only name that is worthy of honor, remembrance, and praise. He should receive all of our gratitude, especially at this time of year.

Here's what I want to share with you today: every time you remember your history with Jesus, you speak prophetically, knowing that He can do it again. Recounting God's ways opens the way for Him to act again. Celebrating His goodness releases MORE goodness in your midst! 

As you take time to recount the good things God has done in your life this Thanksgiving, I pray that your testimonies will draw others to that wonderful Name, too. I am declaring His wonderful Name over your families, over your Thanksgiving festivities, over all the complex "situations" that arise in your lives, and I encourage you to do the same. The Name of Jesus in your mouth is a key that unlocks freedom for you and those around you! 

If there are family members you're concerned about this season, please send me your prayer requests so that I can agree with you in prayer for them. I would be honored to bring their names before His Name, believing for greater things. You can contact me here or through a message on Facebook or Twitter. If you are in the area and would like to stop by our home, please do! 

May God's goodness be apparent to you as you enter this season centered on Jesus, and may your declarations of His glory open the door for others to enter in as well. 

Gratefully, 
Deborah 

P.S. - Need ideas for how to make Jesus the center of your Thanksgiving celebrations with family? Check out last year's Thanksgiving post!

Don't Stop the Flow!

The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry.
~Isaiah 58:11

I hear the Lord saying: “At present, you are more like a water spigot than a fountain. You are connected to your Source and can access My power, but you enjoy the ability to turn on or off the water at your own good pleasure. I would rather you be a fountain flowing continuously, not a spigot flowing sporadically. For this, you will need to yield full control to Me.”
​We hear much from leaders today about setting limits and boundaries; guarding our hearts from what is toxic; and carving out regular time to replenish ourselves. The Sabbath has come back in vogue, with many people realizing that the fast pace of life cannot be sustained at length without serious consequences to our well-being. In short, we are more aware of what taxes us and less willing to give up our rights to free time, me time, and down time.

This is not all bad. Those of us who have faced extremely stressful situations at work, debilitating diseases, abuse in the home, or drivenness in ourselves must learn, at first, who we are, what we need, and how to find a healthier way of living. We take control of our own “faucets” because others have run us dry. We do need balance.

But there comes a time when our fight for balance and control has the opposite effect: instead of freeing us, it restricts us. Here’s why: balance was never ours to find, but God’s to give.
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Healing Requires Boundaries
Those who have suffered harm need to learn that personal boundaries are acceptable; they need to find a place of safety in order to heal. We teach the wounded how to rediscover and retain personal peace by setting “restraining orders” against the things that have tyrannized them in the past, whether physical or emotional. In other words, we restore control by erecting temporary walls. Or, to stay closer to our analogy, we shut off our spigots.
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This is a good practice during times of healing, but a bad strategy for the long run. Why? Because control was never meant to remain in our hands, but in God’s. 
​Health Requires Trust
The ultimate goal of healing is that we learn to trust again. Because men fail us, we come to know that the most reliable recipient of our trust is God.

When we look at the life of Jesus, we see a healthy human being entrusting Himself fully to God, even in the worst of circumstances. Christ lets God be His “wall” of protection, setting the boundaries and filtering that which comes to Him, instead of shutting Himself down when He feels entitled to a break!

In fact, even on the sacred Sabbaths, we often find Jesus healing and caring for others, not protecting His own “down time.” Jesus doesn’t turn off His flow when He feels entitled. God, not self, becomes the giver of balance and personal peace.

Did Jesus Have Boundaries?
Did Jesus even have any boundaries? A cursory reading of the Gospels shows that He was inundated with people; crowds followed Him everywhere. Whole cities brought Him their sick. The disciples needed continuous teaching and training. Religious leaders attacked Him at every turn.

Luke 6:19 reads: “And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.”

Matthew 14:6 says: men brought to Jesus all who were sick in the city, and “begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.”

What’s more, despite the growing demands of the multitudes, Jesus issued an astonishing invitation in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me! I will give you rest!”

This is nothing short of amazing. The busiest leader in history, a man without office hours, staff members or even a predictable calendar, summons the world to His doorstep, offering them peace! Faced with a similar situation, we would be more apt to cry, “What about ME?”

Jesus didn’t try to “manage” people, nor did He run and hide from those who intended Him harm. Instead, He relied on His personal relationship with God to bring Him the peace He needed.

Taking opportunities at night or in the early morning hours while people slept, Jesus escaped to the mountainside to pray. He drew deeply from His Source so that others could draw deeply from Him. Because He was human like us, I imagine He prayed something like this:
​ “Abba, Thank you for what You are doing among your people. I rejoice in Your abundant goodness to them! Please fill Me with Your supernatural strength to continue ministering today. I trust You to set up My divine appointments and shield me from that which is not in Your plan right now. Show Me Your strategies, and help Me to do only what You are doing. Amen.” 
What were Jesus’ boundaries? Where did He draw the line? In prayer. Christ yielded full control of His life and leadership to God, trusting that God knew best when to demonstrate His power or silence the crowds. Jesus wasn’t turning off His spigot at will; He was allowing the fountain of God to flow through Him, uninterrupted. Do we do that?
​ Spiritual Parenting: A Model for Life
​As I’ve meditated on the life of Jesus with this image in mind, the best analogy I’ve found is that of parenting.

Those who have children understand that for the first three years or so, children are very “clingy.” In fact, when my oldest son was around two years old, my husband took a picture of him in the kitchen with me, his little arms wrapped around my legs even as I bustled about, making dinner. It captured the comical connection that characterized that time of his life: he never let go of his mama!

Isn’t it interesting that scholars say Jesus’ formal ministry time on earth lasted about three years?

Like very young children, the people Jesus ministered to needed constant reassurance of His presence. They needed their wounds healed with magic kisses. They cried for food when hungry, and craved the comfort and protection that only a parent can give. They needed mothering.

The Father, whom they knew from ancient times, seemed too harsh to them. They had rejected His rules and perceived Him as tougher, stronger; perhaps even uncaring.

Jesus came oozing comfort and love, as only a mother would. To Jerusalem He said: “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.” (Matthew 23:46, NIV)

A mother does not decide when her child is hungry; her child does. A mother’s milk flows on demand, not by her control. She is at the mercy of her children’s needs, true, but she is not “taxed” by it because of the joy she has in meeting those needs.

By God’s grace, mothers are given the strength to bear children, the will to nurture them day and night, and the unceasing flow of nutrients they need to survive. Motherhood is miraculous.

A mother’s assignment comes from God. Her ministry is like the continuous flow of a fountain for the better part of three years, sometimes more. She sleeps when babies sleep. She prays even as she works. Not for her are long quiet times alone; she is her child’s servant during this intense period of initial growth.

Later, her children will walk and not need carrying. Later, she will turn the child over to a helper. Later, she will find time alone to do the things that refresh her. For now, all of her attention and energy is focused on one thing only: nurturing her babies. As she cares for them, God cares for her.

I believe that this image is a beautiful picture of what God desires for leaders. We are not called to shut off the flow of the Spirit within us, but to be fountains of life-giving water, as Jesus was. Remember the woman with the issue of blood? She turned on the tap, not Jesus.

Jesus didn’t worry about monitoring His flow or guarding His time; He simply yielded himself to God and trusted. Jesus didn’t see some people as worthy of love and others as needing tighter boundaries. They were all His children! Yes, they all wanted a piece of Him. Maybe He felt “touched out” at the end of the day. But it was His joy to give all He had to those He bore. 
​Yield Control! 
Like children, Jesus’ disciples protested vehemently when that initial three years of nurturing was over; they did not want to be left with a “mother’s helper,” even a supernatural one!
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Yet they grew more under the Holy Spirit’s tutelage then they ever could being “smothered” by Jesus. The milk of the Word had flowed freely; the time for meat had come. Wisdom knows when to release her children as well as when to hold them close.
 
I hear the Lord saying, “It is time to release control of that spigot!” Let go of old boundaries you once needed but which now restrict you. You are not meant to be “mostly off” but “always on!” Like Jesus, you can trust God to give you the balance, boundaries and rest you need even as you do the relentless work of ministry.

Healthy believers are flowing fountains of life, not sputtering spigots! They are always ready, always willing, always on.
© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com. Photo​ credits: Megan Johnston; Bryan Carlson and Vlad Bagacian of Unsplash.Read More on Leadership About Deborah

The Secret of Praying Like Jesus

​“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~Mark 1:35
In a world where there are so many different kinds of prayer and meditation, what is the right way to pray? Should we pray the Lord’s Prayer? Do we pray alone, or with a priest? Do we need rosary beads, or a tallit? Can we pray effectively at home, or does prayer work better in church?

What does the Bible  really  say about prayer? And how can we be sure that our prayers will be answered? Read Deborah's newest post, published by LivingBetter50 magazine, right here. 

The Mobilizing Power of Prophetic Vision

"Without a vision, the people perish..." Proverbs 29:18
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you, but there was a time when I got stuck. Really stuck.
 
A complex situation, one which had bothered me for some time, gathered its strength, reared its ugly head, and reminded me that no, I had not yet found a way to “overcome.” I did not know the answer, even after hours of searching my Bible, wondering “What would Jesus do?” I was not moving forward or making any real progress in this particular area.
 
In fact, if anything, the situation was becoming worse. My frustration level soared. My first response to the situation, which used to be tolerance, morphed into anger. It was as if this one situation, stirred up by some malevolent demon, finally depleted me of any remaining strength or willpower I possessed and convinced me that no, this was not worth my effort any more. I simply could not resolve it, especially since other people were involved.
 
Have you ever felt this way? 

Easier to throw in the towel. Walk the other way. Give up. For sanity’s sake, let it go.
 
Exasperated, I sat down with my husband to discuss the problem. As we talked it through, I finally found the answer.
 
I said to my husband, “If I could just see what to do here; if I could just get a picture of what love would look like in this situation, it would be fine. But all I see is anger. All I see is the unwillingness of others to change. And I just don’t want to do this anymore.”
 
I was stuck. Thankfully, my spirit knew – and voiced – that there was something essential missing, something that could actually propel me forward when a bad situation threatened to hold me captive. What was it? Prophetic vision.  
 
Proverbs 29:18 says that without a vision, people perish. Pre-believers need a vision of God’s goodness to bring them to salvation. Victims need a vision of what healthy relationships look like in order to heal and forgive. All people need to prophetically SEE a picture of their future in order to move towards it. As many life coaches and pastors have noted, it is vision that inspires action.
 
The downcast soul needs something to hope for, something to look forward to. (Read Lamentations 3:20-27.) The solution to a “stuck” situation is prophetic, and this is why people who pray and prophesy have the potential to be carriers of such encouragement.


John Graham, “Life on the Edge” author and coach, says this: “A vision is a mental picture of the result you want to achieve---a picture so clear and strong it will help make that result real. A vision is not a vague wish or dream or hope. It’s a picture of the real results of real efforts. It comes from the future and informs and energizes the present.”
 
I love Graham’s statement that vision “comes from the future.” As believers, we know that the giver of all vision is God. Without Him, we are blind!
 
Receiving a prophetic word from the Lord, or finding a relevant promise in the Bible that speaks to your situation, is the key to overcoming it. When I couldn’t see what love would do, I remained stuck. Yet as soon as I found a prophetic picture for future encounters, I also found the desire to get up and persevere again.
 
In short, we desperately need the inspiration and wisdom of God. When God speaks prophetically about our destiny, we arise from the ashes of our ruined lives and strive to become better people. When the Holy Spirit gives a vision for our future, we run with that vision and develop a plan for how to achieve it. When Jesus reveals to us that we have something of immense value to share with the world, we fulfill His vision and start making disciples. 
​

Let’s make this even clearer. Your mission is what you are currently doing; your “assignment.” The problem with mission alone is that it is possible to work on that mission day after day and lose the energy and excitement for it.
 
In contrast, your vision is where you are going. The future you imagine, especially in prayerful partnership with God, is what will sustain and energize you morning by morning. Your vision sustains your mission.
 
Priests and prophets are traditionally the stewards of vision. Habakkuk 2:2 speaks of writing the vision plainly, with the result that the one who reads it will run. Why will he run? To both do and share the exciting plans God has for him!
 
Just as Roman leaders, before the advent of paper, inscribed edicts on wood tables for public display, so Jewish prophets used to write and display their prophecies publicly on tables, either in their own houses, or in the temple, that everyone that passed by might read them.
 
Several Bible commentators* explain that the idea of reading and running has to do with prophesying. “To run,” states Henderson, “is equivalent to ‘to prophesy’ in Jeremiah 23:21, on the principle that those who were charged with a Divine message were to use all despatch [or haste] in making it known.”**
 
Once we receive a vision through prayer, Bible reading, or a prophetic word, we want to publish and share it with everyone in our sphere of influence! Our “get up and go” comes back!
 
If you’ve ever asked the question, “Why Pray?” this is one of the most powerful answers I can give you. We need prophetic visionaries! Without vision, we will not move forward, either individually or corporately, into the destiny that God has for us. We will not reach the ones God calls us to reach because we have not “seen” them yet, envisioning them in our spirit as God intends them to be.
 
God has given us over 3,000 promises in the Bible, all of which are designed to help us move forward in faith. If you’re feeling stuck, I encourage you to seek God for a specific picture of what He wants your future to look like. Prayer is the doorway to receiving that vision, and prophetic vision is the key to overcoming every obstacle.
 
To finish my story, once I saw my difficult situation through God’s eyes, meditating on some specific biblical promises and envisioning a better future for these people, my anger and frustration disappeared. Peace was restored to my heart. I found the strength and energy I needed. Prophetic vision enables me to continue working towards the day when peace will reign in their hearts, too. 
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© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com
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*  See the commentaries on Habakkuk 2:1-4 by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Pulpit Commentary, and Gill’s Exposition, for example. Link here: biblehub.com/commentaries/habakkuk/2-2.htm
** From Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible: “…and make it plain upon tables, engrave it in plain legible letters on tables of wood; on box tree, as the Septuagint version; on which they used to write before paper was found out and used. Writing tables are of ancient use; they were used in and before the times of Homer, for he speaks (o) of writing very pernicious things on a two leaved table; wherefore Josephus must be mistaken when he suggests (p) that letters were not found out in the times of Homer. These tables were made of wood, sometimes of one sort, and sometimes of another; sometimes they were made of the pine tree, as appears from Euripides (q) but, for the most part, of box (r), according to the Greek version as above; and consisted sometimes of two leaves, for the most part of three or five, covered with wax (s), on which impressions were easily made, and continued long, and were very legible; and these impressions or letters were formed with an iron style or pen; see Jeremiah 17:1 this the Greeks and Tuscans first used, but was afterwards forbidden by the Romans, who, instead of it, ordered an instrument of bone to be used (t): hence these tables were wont to be called "wax", because besmeared with it; and so, in wills and testaments written on them, the heirs are said to be written either in the first wax, or in the bottom of the wax (u), that is, of the will, or in the lowest part of the table, or what we should call the bottom of the leaf or page: and it was a custom among the Romans, as Cicero (w) relates, that the public affairs of every year were committed to writing by the Pontifex Maximus, or high priest, and published on a table, and set to view within doors, that the people might have an opportunity and be able to know them; yea, it was usual to hang up laws, approved and recorded, in tables of brass, in their market places, and in their temples, that (x) they might be seen and read; the same we call annals. In like manner the Jewish prophets used to write and expose their prophecies publicly on tables, either in their own houses, or in the temple, that everyone that passed by might read them.” biblehub.com/commentaries/habakkuk/2-2.htm

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The Benefits of Communion In Prayer

"Sharing or exchanging intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a mental or spiritual level."

The above dictionary definition could easily describe the life of prayer. After all, prayer is the place where we develop "Life-Giving Communication with God" (our His Inscriptions mission), sharing our thoughts and listening to God's heart.

Actually, the definition above is not for prayer, but for communion! Far from just a sacred sacrament, communion is one of the most powerful ways to connect with God in prayer. 

I often take communion as part of my personal prayer time. It is a way of remembering the Lord's sacrificial death and renewing my commitment to the New Covenant. As I meditated on His death once again this week, the Holy Spirit highlighted these words: "The Lord Jesus, on the same night He was betrayed, took bread..." 


At the very height of our rebellion, betrayal, and utter worthlessness to the Kingdom of God, Jesus was broken for us. Christ’s broken heart led to His broken body. His own compassion drove Him to provide an answer for our broken-heartedness, and all the sin that proceeded from it. Oh, what a Savior!

When my children act up; when they are at the height of their selfishness and rebellion; when they cannot see any value in what I teach or what I require of them, I am far less inclined to do anything of such magnitude for them. No – in fact, humanly speaking, I feel just the opposite. My innate reaction is to turn away, to judge or punish them, to refuse my fellowship with them in such a state!
 
Yet Jesus does the unthinkable. He looks upon our sin with pity, not judgment. He expands His heart instead of closing it down. He “throws His pearls before swine,” so to speak, making the greatest sacrifice of all in the midst of our greatest betrayal of all!
 
Peter says it this way in Acts 2:36: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” When Satan unleashed his most murderous strategy to date against God, God released His most loving sacrifice of all time.
 
Having poured out His blood to seal the New Covenant with us, Jesus now poured out His Spirit to empower us. Those who, like Peter, betrayed Him, He restored. Those who doubted Him, He strengthened. Those who sold Him into the grip of death, He forgave and did not allow us to judge, saying that even this betrayal was simply a part of God’s plan. What a Savior!
 
In some way, in some fashion, this One who is so greatly deserted and most unfairly treated manages to include everyone, even the worst of us, in His encompassing love! No one is exempt; no one is unworthy. There can be no better Shepherd and Overseer, whose love for our broken souls results in His broken body. He loves us at the highest price when we place upon Him our lowest value.
 
I find that the practice of taking communion - breaking bread together with Jesus – brings restoration of my soul, revived hope for my spirit, and healing for my physical body. To take communion is to enter into a supernatural experience of fellowship with the one Person whose friendship with me is the most unlikely. 


We do not deserve this high-quality friendship. We have not always listened to our chief mentor; worse than that, we have not submitted to the One who is Master and Lord. Yet He still calls to us: “Come up higher! Leave the pettiness of your flesh-thoughts aside and see Me as I truly am: Love incarnate.”
 
To take communion is to remember that in this world that continues to rebel, deceive and betray you as it did Christ, you have one enduring and eternal friend: Jesus. He did not count His life dearer than yours, although He, as it turned out, was truly God!
 
Christ overcame evil with good. He acted in the “opposite spirit” of what we would have expected Him to do. When evil increased, He matched that demonic donation with an even greater gift. And He calls us to do the same: 
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Why? Because the most beautiful masterpieces ever made are based on this principle of contrast. Light shines brighter against a backdrop of darkness. Love goes deeper when injuries seem fatal. It is your contrasting spirit that marks you as sons and daughters of a heavenly Father. It is your effort to win souls instead of wounding them that perfects you. It is the one acceptable sacrifice you can give to the One who gave all for you. 
​Pray with me now:
Father, I come to you humbly, knowing that it was my sin that nailed you to the cross. I receive Your sacrifice of love for me and Your forgiveness, though I know I am not worthy of it! Thank you for loving me. Not just once, but continually, even when I turn away. Thank you for restoring me personally and showing me the amazing power of overcoming evil with good.

I pray that in all my interactions on this wounded planet, you will empower me to love. Help me to act in partnership with the Holy Spirit when the spirit of this world threatens to unravel me. I know that as evil increases in these last days, hearing You speak will be even more important for me. I believe You have a victorious plan. I choose to walk inside of Your will, doing my part to bring others into life-giving communion with You. Amen. 


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​© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com. Cover photo credit: James Coleman of Unsplash

Welcome Home

My oldest son came home from college last weekend. For me, his mom, it felt like Christmas! I cleaned the house, bought extra food (he’s 6-foot-1, folks!), and prepared a quiet place for him to sleep near his brothers.
 
My heart, which felt such utter loss and lack when he left for school five weeks ago, now filled with joy as I anticipated his return. I couldn't wait to talk to him, to hear how his new life was unfolding, to celebrate his growth.

As the day of his arrival drew near, I became almost restless waiting for him, like a child waiting for Christmas morning. Everything was ready; I longed to spring into action, to make the drive to pick him up, to hold him in my arms again. The appointed time could not come fast enough!

When at last that moment arrived and my boy was home, it was as if a hole in my heart had been filled. All was well again. Everything about him – the new growth in his beard, his manly smell, even the overstuffed bag of dirty laundry he brought with him made me happy and complete!

I am mom. He’s my boy. He’s back home. 


When I woke up the next morning, just the thought of him being here stirred me. I couldn’t wait to jump out of bed and embrace him, to see his face and hear his voice, this one who has been such a part of me!
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Before I did, though, I wanted some quiet time with the Lord. Here is what I heard Him whisper:

"This is how I feel about you." 
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Suddenly, it was as if all the emotions surging in my heart for my son found expression in the heart of the Father. I realized experientially: there is no greater joy for a parent, human or divine, than to hear their child say, “I’m coming home. I want to be with you. At this moment, I choose you.”

In this one "snapshot" of my son’s return, I saw the joy of the Father when a prodigal returns. The utter contentment when a child simply comes and sits near you, to be with you. The parental longing that comes not from a selfish need, but a rejoicing in whatever time your child willfully shares with you.

Oh, how wonderful our Father must feel when we say, “Daddy, I’m coming home! I want to spend time with you today!”

As I reflected on this, I heard God whisper more: 
​
"Do you feel this way about Me?"
​This time, God turned the scenario around.

*Do you make yourself ready, prepare yourself for HIS coming, anticipate with joy the fullness and contentment He will bring when He comes to dwell with you as promised? (See John 14.)

*Do you yearn to embrace Him, long to abide with Him again, allow Him to make His Presence known in your humble home?

*Do you seek His companionship daily with as much love and anticipation as you would welcome your own children?

Is God welcome in your home?
​ Final Thoughts
It is parents who meet the needs of their children, not the other way around. Nevertheless, a parent is deeply satisfied when a child they have created and nurtured returns freely to them. Such joy! In the same way, we are called to return to Father and embrace Him, make room for Him in our lives.
 
It is a wise and discerning child who recognizes his need for the counsel of a father. As God’s children, we will never outgrow that need. By virtue of age and precedence, our Father will always have more experience and more wisdom than we.

Should not the Ancient of Days be worthy of our audience?

Should not He who created not just us, but all things, be honored above all counselors?
​
My son’s return taught me this: Prayer is an advent, a journey of coming home to the One who knows us and understands all things, who loves us with inexpressible love and longing. And our quiet times with God can be as rich as Christmas morning – full of the wonderful feelings of joy, belonging, and gift-giving that empower us to go forth boldly again, knowing we are inestimably loved. ​
​ God is Father. You’re His beloved child. Welcome home.
​© Deborah Perkins / www.HisInscriptions.com. Image Credit: Jude Beck from Unsplash.

Prophetic Word for Black Americans

“The black community will ‘come of age’ in this hour, throwing off their shackles and seeking Me like never before. Their time has come.”


"I am in the process of bringing things to maturity and exposing ALL that stands in the way of the growth of My people,” says the Lord. “ No longer will petty issues keep cropping up, for I have a mind to deliver you! There is a time and a season for everything, and the time for maturity is NOW.

Wait and watch for My deliverance, and do not trust those who say there is no deliverance, for the work I will do in your day will amaze you. You think you have seen it all because of what you went through personally. But I will now show you a corporate move that will amaze you and prove the skeptics wrong. Do not listen to those who say it can’t be done, but watch for the alignment of those who believe it can. Mighty things are about to occur on the earth that will impact future generations and restore hope to lost and wounded souls.

Fear not the arrival of catastrophe, even on a large scale, for it will stir up the hearts of those who are ready to take action. My MERCY is about to be seen en masse: a great movement of mercy that will humble the naysayers and awaken the lazy. For there are those sitting on the fence now who have not entirely given up on Me, but who have longed for this move and been disappointed. These I will use also for My glory, to restore hope to wounded souls even as they see their own wounds heal.

The black community will ‘come of age’ in this hour, throwing off their shackles and seeking Me like never before. Their time has come. What has been hidden is being exposed, and they will go in the light of that new freedom from shame and proclaim mercy to their next generation also.

Forget not that they are a “nation within a nation,’ separate and unique although blended to a degree within the mix. Without them, the flavor and balance would be missing from the completed whole. Their contributions to America are indisputable and essential. It is time they were recognized by ALL as carrying the weight of My glory and the essence, or flavor, of My heart!

The black community’s passion for Me has not died; no, in fact it has grown stronger over time as disappointment with man and his processes has overtaken them. Collectively they have sought Me and collectively they will see My vindication. Watch as I raise them up higher, elevating many black leaders in this hour who will bring sharp words of truth and light where others have sown only darkness. Like the lawyers and scribes who withheld the keys of knowledge, so there are people today who have shut the doors against this nation (ethnos) of people within your nation. I am “raining down keys” that will seem like keys of freedom to open the spiritual jail cells of bondage for them. One will have a key to a certain industry that has oppressed them; another a key for a church or a denomination; a third will hold the keys for families to be released from curses of the generations. All will work, all are valid because they are freshly cut and perfectly suited to the unique conditions in which they find themselves.

Think here of Joseph, who despite a great calling and gifting was sentenced unfairly to prison and kept there well beyond his time. His “key” became his gift to interpret dreams and so he unlocked not only his own freedom, but also the freedom of a nation by using it. He secured not just personal deliverance, but corporate deliverance and provision in a time of famine.

I say to you, now is the time for the Josephs to arise in the midst of famine, using their keys to set people free! You will see a complex situation and realize by the Spirit that you hold the exact key needed to unlock it. You will be faced with catastrophe but know that your unique training and experiences have prepared you to take charge of the situation and rescue others. Those who do so I will bless and promote within My Kingdom, and you will see new faces of leaders who have been called for such times and such situations, prepared in the crucible of fire yet emerging as strong as brass and able to stand in the midst of the fire.

No longer will I delay deliverance for My people, nor allow spiritual segregation to divide, for the nation arising now will be used to embrace even their tormentors with grace, and will cause a unity between nations to emerge.

Look not to the former leaders and their ways of doing things, but look now to the innovators, who for all their time in the background, have developed essential tools and spiritual skills that will carry not only their community but also this nation into the future."

© Deborah Perkins /  www.HisInscriptions.com
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More Prophetic Words

The Word of a King

At the beginning of September, Jewish New Year 5779, I heard the Lord give a warning. The enemy, it seems, is bent more than ever on undermining believers in this hour. (One glance at the Kavanaugh hearings is enough to convince me of that!) This is the year, the Lord emphasized, to go deep in Him. To hold on to the Word of Truth as never before, to guard against deception, to seek Him for greater revelation. We will need it!

You would think that most believers spend at least some time in the Bible daily, but research consistently proves otherwise. On any given day, you are more likely to encounter a Christian who heard the Word in church last Sunday than one who read the Word for him-/herself that morning. (Click here for more on these statistics from Bible Gateway/Barna Research).

These statistics still disturb me, and I don’t think it would be a stretch to say it might trouble the Holy Spirit as well. After all, the Word is our primary source of information about God, revelation from God, and the power of God. To abide in Jesus is – if we agree with the Gospel of John – to abide in the Word. (See John 1) A powerless Christian life is usually a life devoid of God’s Word.


​Power to Rule and Reign
We are called to rule and reign in life with Jesus. It is by His authority that we overcome our struggles and win our battles. In a very real sense, we must be familiar enough with the “rulebook” to know how to fight and win this spiritual war. In fact, there is an oft-forgotten group of verses written to Jewish kings on this very subject:

“Also it shall be, when he (the king) sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law (Torah) in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, 
that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren…
that he may not turn aside from the commandment… 
that he may prolong his days in the Kingdom,
​he and his children in the midst of Israel.” 
~Deuteronomy 17:18-20, NKJV
As I meditated on these verses, it occurred to me that of all the kings in the Old Testament, I am familiar with the writings of only two of them: David and Solomon. Many other kings read the Word; Josiah, Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat were known to call upon their scribes to consult the Word in times of distress. Yet of all the kings, none seemed to love the Word as much as David and Solomon did.

This father and son duo both meditated on the Word of God and inscribed their own thoughts, as God commanded kings to do. We credit them with the Psalms, the Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes.

Solomon alone is said to have written over three thousand proverbs and one thousand and five songs. In a similar, almost Herculean feat, David wrote Psalm 119, assigning to every letter of the Hebrew alphabet a section in his Psalm!

Psalm 119 has been one of my favorite chapters in the Bible since I was a little girl. David’s love for the Word – whom we now know as Jesus Himself – shines through every verse. In response to the word God gave me at the beginning of this post, I mined this Psalm again to see what I could discover about the Word. The results amazed me.
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Today, as a special gift just for you, I want to share this PDF file (download below). It contains all the attributes, benefits and blessings David found as he meditated on God’s Word. As I created this list, I was again awed by how comprehensive and prophetic this Psalm really is! I pray this simple gift will encourage you to dig deeper in the Word.

Conclusion
The implication is clear. As kings and priests of a spiritual Kingdom, we are not made to rule and reign in this life apart from Christ. Where the Word of a King is, there is POWER! Far beyond Old Testament kings, who merely had a copy of the Torah, we now have the complete Word of God near us, even in our hearts. These words are words of power for every situation you will face. Dig deep. Know them well. They will sustain you. 

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.
​-Psalm 119:18

© Deborah Perkins /www.HisInscriptions.com