declarations

Today was a good day – God is Good!

Categories declarations, Doug Addison, faith, God is Good!, Hope, John 12:32, joy, Lana Vawser, Peace, peace in the storm, Phil 4:4-8, Psalm 91, Selah, Uncategorized4 Comments on Today was a good day – God is Good!

Today was a good day!

We had a beautiful day of sunshine.

I cleaned, did some work, encouraged some people, took a call to help a friend (a pre Christian and we talked about Christian stuff amongst the other stuff), did some loads of washing, did some pro bono work, watered my garden (I am a garden person and these last few days I have got back into the garden after 6 years of never managing to due to ballet runs), had a coffee with my husband, encouraged my children … and …

did I mention it was a beautiful warm day of sunshine here in Melbourne Australia?

In a nut shell, the good is, aside from the above:

My husband has settled into working at home. My 16 year old daughter and my 12 (nearly 13) year old son have settled into online schooling with their respective schools. I work from home anyway … so the difference for me is a full house, and no running around doing ballet runs for children :-). School term finished today, and my son has his birthday this weekend – we will bake a cake, skype family and sing happy birthday and find the joy in it all.

There is a peace, it does feel like the peace in the midst of the storm, but there is peace.

Indeed, Lana Vawser (and others) have released words that it is a time of ‘Selah’, a time to pause, reflect AND a time to lift up Jesus above all, for as we do He will lift up all mankind to Himself, and that’s where we need to be (lifted up to Jesus) (see John 12:32). Check out the Psalms where this term is used, and try stopping, pausing for a moment and think, contemplate the Word you just read …

Better still read (and declare) Psalm 91 and contemplate our beautiful God.

And so I will continue to rest upon a life scripture of mine, Phil 4:4-8, which exhorts us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

So I will pray.

I will petition.

And, with thanksgiving I present my requests to God … and those requests are fierce and in line with Doug Addison’s prayer  to break the covid19 virus and …

I have peace, thank God I have Peace!

And I pray you do too …

Regardless I will focus and think on all things that are:

  • true
  • noble
  • right
  • pure
  • lovely
  • admirable
  • excellent
  • praiseworthy

even if my mind wants to go else where, I will train it back, purely and simply because …

God is Good!

Interestingly, I felt God ask me to post daily (which if you are a fellow blogger you know that is quite a lot of work, especially if you are rather verbose like I can tend to be ;-). So, if these posts are a little rough and ready – apologies!

It was therefore ironic when a fellow blogger (chrissblog11) today asked me to join other Christian bloggers and post an encouraging verse every day! Chrissblog11 wants to ‘start a hope movement to stop fear in these times.’ Well this is what I am doing too – releasing over the air waves that GOD IS GOOD! Declare it to the world, the world wide web … the WWW. that GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD!

Prayer releases Heaven’s bulls eye … God is Good!

Categories declarations, God is Good!, God's love, Graham Cooke, Hope, John 3:17, prayer, Prayers that hit the mark, praying, Rev 12:1124 Comments on Prayer releases Heaven’s bulls eye … God is Good!

The purpose of these posts is to declare and remember that God is Good!

This is something that I have resolved in my heart – that no matter what … God is Good!

In the storm – He is there.

In the calm – He is there.

And – He is Good!

God is ALWAYS GOOD!

Graham Cooke teaches this so well. In the midst of challenges and hardship, Graham teaches us that we should stop and ask (my summation of Graham’s teaching – Graham is so much more eloquent):

‘God what are You doing right now, I know your’e up to something, and it’s always good, it’s always for my benefit. God, who do You want to be for me right now? How do you see that person right now? How can I agree with you God for that person in prayer?’

Every challenge is an opportunity to grow, and every tough awful event is an opportunity to learn more about God, His character, and who He wants to be for us. And, the best part is, once we get it we can pass it on – it’s our inheritance to share with others!

In the midst of storms, our own storms or other’s storms, or in this case, we are all in the storm, we have an opportunity to ask:

‘God what are you up to? How do you see me? How do you see X? …’

It will always be kind, because He is a kind Father It will always be redemptive, because that is Who He is!

And so, I encourage you to seek Him first, see how He sees others, or situations, and pray it, declare it, release it … always blessing, always favour, always good, always redemptive – for Jesus did not come to condemn the world … He came to save it! John 3:17

It is God’s kindness that leads to us to repentance (the changing of minds) see Romans 2:3-4

So I will continue to post at this time, and declare the Truth that God is a Good God and He is in a Good Mood!

I will continue to post because it is by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of my testimony, your testimony, our testimonies, that the attack of the enemy is defeated (Rev 12:11) …

So, release your testimony and call on the blood of the lamb, and pray as God leads you, knowing that as you pray you are painting a target in the spirit realm on that person, over that situation, in that land, one that we may not see in the natural, but it is there, and God knows it’s there and He will hit the mark (and I want to hear about it when He does) because …

God IS Good!

FullSizeRender

 

Crossing my chicken line…”the lame shall walk” because…God is Good!

Categories Christian, Crossing the "chicken line", declarations, God is good, Kevin Dedmon, Matthew 6:10, Obedience, Stopping for the one8 Comments on Crossing my chicken line…”the lame shall walk” because…God is Good!

In my last post I mentioned that we had headed off on a walk on our first day in a local sea-side town.  My husband had just stepped out and crossed his “chicken line” and I had the sense that I was to keep a look out too …

We wandered up the beach and across a rope swing bridge, over the town river, and as we wandered up the walkway I saw a figure fishing from the vantage point of a wheel chair …

As I walked I knew that he was for me to stop and offer to pray … wheel chairs tend to be my current “chicken line”, even though I have witnessed people “getting out of them”.

I watched as my husband and son, who were a little further ahead, walked straight past and, as I walked hand in hand with my eight year old daughter, I readied myself to offer to pray.

We came along side of the man and I opened up the “encounter” with a comment about fishing … as with all fishermen, they are always up for a chat about the fish … whether they were biting or not … easy opener …

He reported his catch to us and I casually asked him about the chair and asked how he had ended up in one. He said a car crash 22 years ago, and once he explained I offered to pray for him to be healed, recounting the story of the healing of the girl in the wheel chair I had met, explaining how seemingly nothing happened straight away but, over the days to follow the prayer, the girl had been completely healed.

He agreed to the prayer.  My daughter stood by my side, I gave my name and he told me his name was Michael.

He gave me permission to place my hand on his upper spine and I prayed … I then asked him whether he felt anything … He did not, but I explained that God was at work anyway, that people do not always feel anything and they are healed regardless and I rested in the fact that I could feel the anointing, God had asked me to stop, and I trusted it was God’s will that he be healed.

I prayed some more and he then mentioned his left leg and the numbness so I got permission to place my hand on his knee and I commanded feeling to return … for atrophy to leave, for strength to come … and declared his body to be “on earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10)… praying as Jesus taught us to pray.

I then thanked him for his time, gave him a number to call and report any change and encouraged him to thank God for every little bit of healing, every little bit of improvement he noticed, explaining that often the healing comes as a seed and as we water it with thanks and praise it will grow …

He promised me he would call with any improvement and I felt God prompt me to give him a kiss on the cheek. Now, I do not often kiss strange men on the cheek, or even give out my mobile (translate “cell”) phone number to men I do not know … to women, when prompted …yes … no problem … to men … no … but in this instance I felt to obey, sensing that it would show an acceptance and a love to this elderly man who in some way he needed and so, again, I asked for permission, this time to kiss him on the cheek …

I leant down, gave him a kiss and I wished this man, I wished Michael, well … wandering on to our destination of scones, jam and cream in the autumn sunshine…

What happens next to Michael I do not know. I just knew, I sensed that, I was to stop and pray … to cross my “chicken line”, again, as my husband had done before me… and to then rest in the knowledge that since the stopping was God’s idea, and God’s ideas are always good, that absolute good would come from stopping and offering to pray for this man, for Michael, because …

God is Good!

Post script: the “chicken line” is a phrase coined by Kevin Dedmon that describes the act of stepping out into a place of risk by offering God’s love, in whatever form that may take, to others around us …

I believe the “chicken line” is different for us all … but we are all called to cross over into that place, because in that place is where we experience risk which is faith in action (see Kevin Dedmon and Chad Dedmon’s book entitled the Risk factor: Crossing the chicken line into your supernatural destiny (2011 Destiny Image Publishers).

For some fun check out our church website and find the You tube videos of people at our church stepping over their chicken line …

Give it a go … its fun and God really does turn up because … well you know … God is Good! J

Fragrance, colour and freedom…God is Good!

Categories As you go, Christian, declarations, Depression, Freedom, God is good, God's love, open destinies, Stopping for the one, the Father's blessing, Word of knowledge11 Comments on Fragrance, colour and freedom…God is Good!

On my husband’s birthday my son and I decided to pop into his work and have a coffee with him.

We found a table at a local coffee shop.  It was a café that we had been to many times before, and I had always felt comfortable there, but this time, as I sat down I felt uneasy. 

I sat and as I waited for our orders to be taken I could smell a strong nauseating smell, a smell that was overpowering and made me want to leave … it was the same smell as someone who I know quite well that suffers from a mental illness … I pondered the smell and looked at the girl next to me and wondered whether she too was struggling with some form of mental illness.

We placed our order, and the two girls at the table next to us left to go upstairs.

There was still a “cloud” or a “heaviness” in the atmosphere … and I looked at the two girls serving, usually joyful … and thought that the girl making coffees looked “grey” … she lacked colour … and the other one swore angrily as she hit her head … a four lettered expletive came out of her mouth in front of my son and I flinched …

I felt grouchy and thought why did I bother and I went upstairs to the bathroom, having a chat to God on the way …

I sensed that He was showing me something, but I did not particularly want to offer to pray … to be quite honest, I just wanted to leave.

We finished up and my husband paid, leaving the shop to adjust my son’s car seat as I waited for my son to finish his snack.

As I did, the girls started to chat to me … and I thought “what the heck” and so I said “I want to pray for you both” …

They said “oh no, you have already paid” …

To which I responded “No … I want to pray for you both … can I pray a blessing for you both?”

They both agreed and so I leant over the counter and took the coffee makers hand and I stretched out and took the other girls hand … they told me their names and I began to pray …

For the coffee maker I prayed favour, I released colour and joy and hope, and I declared her destiny open … she visibly changed colour … her complexion suddenly filling with colour …

I then turned to the other girl and looked at her and I said to her that I felt things had been tough, but that the past was the past but that it was a new day … that the door on the past was closed and I declared her future open … I declared in “new beginnings” …

They both gasped … presumably because it was accurate … and I think that they realised that God had been released in their midst …

The second girl looked at me and said “wait, please wait …will you please do that for the girl upstairs?”

I said “sure but I have to check on my son” …

M had run out of the shop and on checking he was ok and seeing his was with my husband I shouted out what I was doing and disappeared back into the coffee shop …

I went upstairs and the second girl quickly explained in a very excited manner what I had done, how I had said stuff about her past, and that the door to the past was shut … and she said you have to get her to pray for you …

The girl looked at me and agreed.

I asked her name … noting that the strong smell around her had gone and I recognised that the smell had been a sign, a “word of knowledge” which had come in the form of smell, and I knew then, for sure, that I had been set up by God to release freedom upon this girl…

I asked if I could place my hand on her and I prayed … I said to her gently that I sensed she had been sad … very sad and she agreed.

I then said that I sensed that it had gotten so bad that it was now “clinical” … and she agreed … and so I prayed freedom, I told the depression to leave, and I released the joy of the Lord over her … I released peace and then I sensed or rather I “saw” in my mind’s eye an arrow shooting through the darkness and I felt that she had a great gift that had been turned against her and that it had gone bad for her … she needed God to show her how to walk into her gifts and in doing so she would be freed.

I explained that I felt she had a great gift, a gift of insight, that she knew things about people clearly and that she would be precise in her discernment, but that it had been misunderstood, and it had caused her to spiral down into depression … I said it was “time” … time for her to sit in her Daddy’s lap, in God’s lap and be loved and to, from that place, explore what her gift was …

All the while through she nodded in agreement …

I finished praying what I felt led to pray and I gently kissed her on the head, releasing the blessing of the Father upon her, and I told her that it was time for joy, great joy, that I saw her happy, joyfully skipping, dancing running down the street and that that was who she was created to be.

I gave her my number and told her the suburb where I lived … it was not far from her place … and I mentioned to her that we held our nights where she could safely come and sit in the lap of her Father God and learn what her true identity was … a much beloved daughter of the Most High God …

She said she would come … but that this next time she would be inSydney…

I left her, wishing her well … her smiling gently with hope on her horizon that she was not destined for the hopelessness she had been plagued with …

I went downstairs and said thanks to the two girls … saying what an amazing girl the girl upstairs was …

And the two girls stood and stared … the one behind the counter smiling broadly and the other saying earnestly …

“what can we give you … let us give you something … can we give you money … are you in ministry … we must give you something to say thankyou ..”

I looked at her and kissed her on the cheek and just said … “no you cannot give me anything, I am not in full-time ministry, just believe that God loves you and that will be payment enough”

She objected saying “but it was amazing … I felt it … “ and the girl behind the counter was saying “I never felt anything like that … the heat that came on me…”

I smiled and said “you felt the Holy Spirit …”  I said to them both “this is normal Christianity … you too can have a life like this if you believe … this is what Christianity looks and feels like … I am a normal Christian with a powerful God that loves you “ and I told them about our nights and left wishing them well.

I realised that the emotions I was feeling when I first walked in were not my own …the smell was not that girl’s smell … the heaviness was not my own … but it was all an invitation from God to pray for three girls needing a Father’s blessing, needing an encounter with a loving God … they needed to know they were loved …

I am glad I stopped, and had not run … I had nearly missed it …

The entire encounter was so rewarding … leaving them embraced in the afterglow of having been loved and held and kissed by a loving God …

I was in awe of the fact that God would use me … me so to impact them so powerfully and I was reminded that I must just step out … He does the rest …

I cannot concoct the power … I cannot heal the depression … I cannot change destinies … I cannot fix even a head ache … not without Panadol …

But, I can stop, I can offer to pray … I can release heaven and reveal His goodness … I can then step out of the way and let God do the rest … the rest is His job, and He does His job so very well, the rest is marvellous because …

God is Good!

Calling forth the destiny of the next generation…God is Good!

Categories As you go, breast cancer, cancer, Christian, declarations, God is good, God's love, healing, Identity, Love, prayer, Prophecy, Stopping for the one, Uncategorized12 Comments on Calling forth the destiny of the next generation…God is Good!

Last Tuesday I was at the local shopping centre with my two children on our last day of holidays … we had just finished shopping for my little boy’s kindy bag … and were on our way down some escalators to see a movie as a final holiday “hurrah” …

The following day I had a funeral to attend – the funeral of a friend’s mother.  She had fought off breast and bowel cancer years before and had been diagnosed and fought brain cancer last year but the fight had got too much and she went home to be with Jesus.

As I turned to go down the escalators, heading off to the movies … with just enough time to get an ice-cream and settle into our seats … I saw a woman with her three daughters follow us down the escalators, with the tell tale sign of a scarf around her head – I immediately thought of my friend’s mum and sensed it was breast cancer … I knew I needed to offer to pray …

At the bottom of the escalators I turned and spoke to the woman, indicating that I could see she was dealing with a serious illness.  She said she had breast cancer – it had been tough!  I offered to pray explaining that I had been praying for many people that were battling breast cancer recently … and she agreed. 

As I prayed she felt heat cover her body, she got very hot from the head down …

I finished and thanked her, looking to her three girls, and as I did I asked if I could pray for them too …

The three girls held hands and stood before me in a line … I held their joined hands in mine and prayed for them.  I prayed for courage, peace and joy and as I did I started to receive “insight” into each of these three beautiful girls … and I began to call forth their destinies …

I looked at the eldest and prophesied into her future, telling her that I sensed she was bold, strong and noble … a tower of strength (I looked at the mum and she nodded in agreement).  I suggested she needed to continue to walk to her own drum beat regardless of what others around her were doing … that she was created for greatness … to continue to stand tall and strong … regardless of peer pressure in the next few years …

I turned to the youngest and I could feel her sweet compassion … she was gentle and carried the weight of the world on her shoulders … the mum nodded again in agreement and I told the young girl that God had created her sweet and gentle, that she was very precious to God and I prayed for her to have wisdom in what burdens she picked up, and to find wisdom for the burdens she cast down … I then prayed and asked God for this wisdom, for protection and for the strength to know how to set boundaries and say “no” when she should …

The middle daughter was standing and I could feel the pull on me of her desire to be “seen” by God … I had a moment of panic, but then settled, reassured that God would not leave out one … because God never leaves any of His children out of His plans and purposes.  As I looked I laughed and said “you are a bold one and you have a mighty gift of healing …” and I turned to the mum and said “you should get her to lay her hands upon you and pray healing in the name of Jesus” … I could feel she was fiery, full of passion – her mum smiled in agreement …

I hugged the girls and turned and asked the mum if I could hug her, she agreed and I thanked her for permitting me to pray for her … and for allowing me to prophesy over her girls …

The three of us … we got to our movie … my little boy had prayed that the movie would not start without us … and it didn’t.  We got our ice-creams; we got to our seats and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on our last day of holidays together …

But, I may add, even if we had run late, and I discussed this with my daughter later on, what a privilege to pray and call forth the destiny of three beautiful girls … what a privilege to speak out Gods design and to pray healing for a woman, a fellow mum … a fellow human being … that is fighting for her life against a disease that we have the answer for … all in the name of Jesus …

Who am I not to stop?  Don’t we have the cure?

For there is healing in the name of Jesus … so … who am I not to stop?

We must offer what we have if we truly believe who we are …

There is healing in the name of Jesus …

We have the cure … we have the solution … if we will just believe and stop as we go and release … the cure, the answer is in the name of Jesus …

So, let’s co-partner and see Him receive His just reward … as His Bride, as His friend, as His servant …

We have the answer … we have the cure … in Jesus … SO let’s offer Him to the world so that they too may see that …

God is Good!

Pedicures and the Father’s Blessing…God is Good!

Categories As you go, blessing, Christian, declarations, faith, God is good, God Space, God's love, John 3:16, Love, Obedience, open destinies, praise report, prayer, Prophecy, Psalm 34:8, random act of kindness, Stopping for the one, the Father's blessing, Uncategorized2 Comments on Pedicures and the Father’s Blessing…God is Good!

While away a friend gave me a voucher for a pedicure as a gift … a pedicure that I booked in for last Friday morning. 

I woke on Friday, not feeling the best, and thought about calling to cancel … but I then thought that the appointment may be a “God appointment” and so I took a deep breath, and went regardless, knowing I would enjoy the pedicure in any event … and the effect of fine feet afterwards …

As soon as I got to my appointment the feeling of being unwell lifted and I happily chatted to the gorgeous girl who had been assigned to me about colour …

As I sat and had my feet scrubbed I sensed that this was a God appointment and I felt that I was to pray, a little later, for this girl with whom I had struck up an immediate rapport. 

She is a mum of a four-year-old boy, and a step-mum to two teenage girls.  She lives in a large country town, not far from Melbourne, and the girls live in a Melbourne suburb, not far from where I live.  As we chatted I also discovered that her mum was a mid-wife, at the hospital where I had my two children, and as we talked even further, we worked out that her mum had helped me deliver my first child … on reflection (after the God encounter) I realised that this too was no coincidence … this appointment had been set up … way back in 2003!

As the pedicure came to an end I said “I would love to pray for you”.

She said “sure” and her eyes immediately filled with tears … the Holy Spirit was physically tangible around us.

I stood and took her hand in mine and invited the Holy Spirit to come (even though He was already there) and her eyes overflowed with tears as the anointing came even more powerfully …

I prayed as I felt led … I declared her destiny open, I declared open doors over her life, I blessed her and released favour.

I then felt to pray a Father’s Blessing over her and as I did, with my hand on her head she openly wept … and I gently kissed her on the forehead.

I asked her if she had asked Jesus into her heart – she responded “we’re Catholics, of course” so I said “just ask Holy Spirit to fill you up”. And she did … with tears running down her face.

I kissed her on the cheek and held her for a very long time as she cried, and I told her gently that she was beautiful, that God delighted in her, that she no longer had to do it on her own, and that although her natural father had not been there for her, God was, and it was time for her to go to Him … I said how she had been so very strong for so very long, but that now, it was time for her to go to Him and allow Him to take the load and, to hold her …

I briefly talked to her about going to where God was for her (her “God space“) and explained (aware of the time) that where that was would always feel safe, it would feel for her like she had felt as I had prayed … surrounded and filled with love – she nodded with me saying it had felt very safe and full of love.

I sat in the waiting room as she got me a tea and I asked if she ever came up to Melbourne on Tuesday nights … She said her partner visited his girls on a Tuesday night.  I explained I held a group on a Tuesday night for people to discover more of God … the timing another coincidence that she pointed out to me and … I gave her my details and said she would be welcome to come if she wanted … or she could just call …

Whether she calls or not, or comes or not, she has had an encounter with the Creator of the universe … she has had an encounter with God … she has had an encounter with a Father, with a loving Father, a God who is a Father who “so loved the world that He gave His one and only son … ” (John 3:16 – emphasis added) … she tasted and saw that God is Good (Psalm 34:8)…

I hope she chooses to call or email … I hope she chooses to come to our nights … where that will lead I do not know, but I do know that if she chooses to go on her journey with God, as her loving Father, as her Loving Saviour, as her Loving Friend … she will  see that …

God is Good!

Blessing businesses on holiday and a Praise Report … for God IS Good!

Categories As you go, blessing, Blessing Business, Business, Christian, declarations, Dreams, God is good, Love, Obedience, open destinies, praise report, prayer, Prophecy, Stopping for the one, Uncategorized, Word of knowledge4 Comments on Blessing businesses on holiday and a Praise Report … for God IS Good!

I am currently away at a beautiful sea-side town in Victoria, Australia (yes I am blessed!) and went wandering through some local shops with a friend yesterday.  We wandered into a local home wares store and as I passed by the counter I noticed what a beautiful looking girl was behind the counter.  I greeted her but she did not look up  … I tried again, as I purchased some soap as a gift, and she glanced at me briefly, … and, as I stood, I felt that I needed to offer to pray.

There were a few people waiting to be served, so I stood watching, knowing I was not to leave until I had prayed and so I suggested to my friend that she go on ahead and I would catch up …

I went back to the counter and, laughing, explained I was a Christian and asked if I could pray for her.  She said yes, engaging me much more directly, I asked her name, I told her mine and invited the Holy Spirit to come and glanced around the shop.  As I did so I felt God indicate that there was something about a contract or lease that was going on and so I asked her about it …

Se looked at me in astonishment and said “yes” asking me how I knew and I responded that He (God – and motioned upwards with my head as I laughed) told me … and so I prayed for favour … favour for the business, favour for the family business structure behind the business (and I asked for the name of the family business), favour for the family, favour regarding the contractual negotiations, favour regarding the lease hold, and lastly favour for her … a double portion …

As I prayed for this beautiful girl I sensed God indicate that she had deeply buried dreams in her heart, and it was time for them to be brought to the surface, and so, I prayed for this girl …I called forth her dreams and declared her destiny open in the name of Jesus, open doors to her future and favour … more favour …

I left after briefly telling a few testimonies of other businesses that had been prayed for in the area and in North Queensland, and how they had been blessed by God since … I said to her to watch for the favour to flow, I thanked her for allowing me to pray and left with her smiling and looking at me square in the eyes …

We later walked through another shop, one of my favourites in the area.  It had a lovely atmosphere and as I wandered and chatted to the owner, I noticed a wooden crucifix over the desk where the owner sat. I instantly asked “are you a Christian?” and she responded with a smile and a “why yes I am, are you?” I answered in the affirmative and said the shop had such a lovely feel to it and asked if I could pray for her.  She responded “absolutely, yes” and so I took her hands in mine and prayed blessing and favour on her business.  As I did I sensed that times had not been tough and said so I said what I felt I was hearing … she agreed … I then said “in fact times have been good” and she agreed again and so I prayed greater blessing, for more favour, for an abundance of favour, blessing prosperity, declaring that since our God was abundant let there be an abundance in her life … a greater prosperity in all things good.

She looked at me and said “I felt that!”

So, I asked “what did you feel?”

She replied, “I felt that go right up my arms” and she thanked me…

As we chatted some more in light of a place or thing having a lovely atmosphere I told her the story of the beanie knitted with love – how we had bought a beanie a while ago down the street and it felt like it had been knitted with love … and how it so turned out it had been … knitted with love by a lovely Christian woman who wept as I prayed for her … as she felt God’s love flood her body …

I said she could read about it on a blog … and she excitedly said “do you blog?” I said “yes” and gave her the details …

As she wrote them down I told her how God’s Presence had come so strongly in the second-hand book shop that I had not wanted to move and the Christian woman I had prayed for had wept as I declared God’s favour and blessing on the sale of her beloved business and leasehold …

I said I never found out what happened to the end if the story …

She told me she knew the end of the story …

She said that the woman had sold her business and lease hold, instead of just walking away from it … the story had turned out well, for the woman in question was living near her other little second-hand book shop, in a nearby town and was living a very happy life indeed …

I was delighted … I felt so blessed … I had got to pray for a beautiful woman of God, and she in turn was able to share how a prayer story (one that had intimidated me) had turned out and how God’s goodness had yet again shone through a supposedly desperate and hopeless situation …

I left full of joy, having given this woman the blog details with her excitedly (or so it seemed to me) planning to read more stories of God’s goodness because she knows, as well as I know, that…

God is good!

And she stood weeping … because God is good!

Categories As you go, blessing, Christian, declarations, God is good, God's love, Identity, Love, open destinies, Power of the testimony, praise report, Stopping for the one10 Comments on And she stood weeping … because God is good!

After church today we popped into a service station to fill up the car and to purchase a couple of items for a lunch we were heading to. I collected my items and as I went out to the car to get a discount voucher I felt certain that God wanted me to offer to pray for the girl behind the counter.

I finalised my purchase and offered to pray for her … explaining I was a Christian and I wanted to know if she needed prayer for anything.  She looked at me puzzled and so I repeated my question, explaining that I had felt God prompting me to offer to pray for her as I had walked out and so I wanted to know if there was anything I could pray for her about …

She looked at me and lent forward earnestly and immediately said “yes, a job, I am a qualified pilot and I want a job” … I looked at her and said I would pray for her and I stepped aside so she could serve the next person …

To follow was one of the longest waits.  The customers poured in.  One would leave and another would come in … (it often happens) … so I waited … but as I did I checked my watch noted my husband and children waiting in the car and prayed for an opportunity because we were due to get to a lunch … regardless, I knew to wait, because this was a God assignment and therefore important …

She looked at me and suggested that I could go … I looked and said “no, this is important” …

Eventually we had a break in the flow of customers and I introduced myself.  I noted her name and said hello, took her hand and invited the Holy Spirit to come … an anointing immediately flowed.

I recounted the testimony of a friends husband who I had prayed for, who had waited for 9 months for a contract to come through from a major bank, and for whom the day after I had prayed an open destiny, a contract came the following day by email … he quit his job and started the new job in less than a week (praise report click link here) …

I then prayed “God what you did for B, do for A” and I declared her destiny open in the name of Jesus, I released blessing and favour, and doors to be open to her destiny … as I did I could feel the anointing flow.  Someone came and waited to be served as I prayed and I felt the Holy Spirit say “that’s enough”.  I left quickly and as I ran out she again asked my name, I told her as I ran out and left calling out “bless you”.

As I left the store, I felt that I needed to give her the name of our church and so I ran to the car, scribbled the churches name and my name and number on a scrap piece of paper and ran back in to give it to her … I saw that she was standing behind the counter holding back the tears as she served the next customer …

I ran up to the counter and gave her the details, explaining them briefly to her and as I did the flood gates opened and she started to weep.  I looked at her and said “you felt Him didn’t you?” she nodded … I asked if she needed a cuddle, she said she was fine, and so I encouraged her to feel ok about calling me, and explained that this was my church …

I left marvelling at how powerfully God had touched her.  As I climbed into the car I mentioned it to my husband, explaining how I usually do not get to go back to see the impact of God on the people I stop for “as I go” … but this time I had, and how powerfully He had touched this beautiful girl … she was obviously moved, and had felt the touch of God first hand … I know her destiny is open now … I have seen it happen over and over … I know that good things are on their way for this lovely girl because …

God is Good!

Receiving some sunshine and releasing some “Son-shine”…God is Good!

Categories Christian, declarations, God is good, healing, Malachi 4:2, Power of the testimony, prayer, Pregnancy2 Comments on Receiving some sunshine and releasing some “Son-shine”…God is Good!

God loves my local hairdressers … He turns up there on a regular basis …

I was at the hairdressers on Saturday 5th November 2011 getting some “sunshine” put into my hair for summertime …

I have been going to see the same girl for nearly 8 years now, and she knows my own story, as well as many of the stories of others who have overcome known or suspected infertility …

My hairdresser is beautiful, clever, smart, kind, very very sensible, courageous and was their youngest manageress ever!  She is very self-sufficient and has managed life well…

She has known for a very long time that I am a Christian.  She has watched as I got frustrated with everyday Christianity and how I recently decided to step out and believe what God’s word says about Himself … and me.  She has personally watched some of the early stories unfold in the salon, watching me pray for people while there.  She watched one of my earliest and biggest challenges in The nose that could not smell, she then saw the story of a baby with a toothache  unfold, and she knew about the salvation story.  God has been very busy in this salon! 

She has gradually become more open to me and to my faith and has asked questions, not just ones about the God stories, but about life in general … she says she watches my children and is interested in my views about life … and when she asks me these questions I take a deep breath ask God to give me wisdom and I answer them as best I can … for we are witnesses where ever we go, even without saying a word …

A few months ago she quietly said to me that she would like me to pray for the same miracle of fertility and conception that I and others I have prayed for have experienced … I vaguely recall having just finished telling her a story about a girl getting pregnant after prayer and she told me that it was time for her and her husband to start a family … and she wanted me to pray.

Touched, I gently reached around the chair and I prayed for her.  I didn’t feel anything much, but I believed by choice that God would honour the prayer as He had so many times before with women (and men) who wanted to get pregnant and I had prayed for.  I have continued to pray for her, and even called, when I felt to, just to encourage her in her conception journey.

Well, as I mentioned, last Saturday I was in the hairdressers getting some “sunshine” and B quietly let me know that she had been diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance – she needed higher levels of progesterone!

She came around and sat before me and said that she was planning to take me up on the “coffee and a chat for a prayer session” offer I had made many months ago … I looked and said “that would be great, and I am happy to do that, but lets quietly pray now?”  I took her hand, invited the Holy Spirit to come and … well, He did … He overwhelmed me, His presence was so strong, I started to cry in the middle of the salon!

She looked concerned, so I quickly explained that He had come very strongly, and I prayed declaring hormonal balance, declaring fertility and asking God to do for her what He had done for me … I knew not to pray double portion – the last person I did that for ended up pregnant in her next cycle with twins!

When I stopped, and it was only brief, I asked her if she had felt Him come.  She gasped and said “I did, I felt warmth flow all over and through me, and it was amazing, it went right through me!”

… the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings (Malachi 4:2)

Jesus had turned up in a magnificent way!  I was there to receive some “sun shine”; but I was in fact set up to release some “Son-shine” … and what a privilege it was!

Greatly encouraged I said that what she felt was the healing power of  the Holy Spirit and that I believed she would be fine now … and as I did my brain was screaming at me “what if the test results she’s having in a month show that the hormones are still unbalanced? …”

It has been a relationship of 8 years with this girl.  It has not been a relationship “to convert” but a relationship between two girls doing life … one a Christian, and one that is not … yet … and the time came when she was open to His influence … the time came for me to step out and pray … she knew my faith, she had heard the stories and when she was ready she received … and boy did she receive! She was so open as I prayed and I am sure it was her hunger that drew Him so powerfully … her hunger and His desire to prove Himself strong for her, I just had to effect the introduction, He did the rest …

I later came home, and thought of the immediate fears I had of failure, even though she felt the heat surge through her body (much like what had happened to me all those years ago).  I reminded myself that the issue was now with God – I would continue to pray as prompted by God, and I would continue to believe … and who knows, she may even get pregnant in the next cycle, she just may, and if she does not, I know she will conceive at just the right time … and I will keep you posted … because …

God is Good!

She was called to be artistic, and salvation was hers in Christ Jesus …

Categories Christian, declarations, God is good, open destinies, praise report, prayer, Prophecy, salvation, Stopping for the one, Word of knowledgeLeave a Comment on She was called to be artistic, and salvation was hers in Christ Jesus …

Last Friday night felt very much like the end of something … it felt like the end of term, even though it was only a mid-term break for our 8 year old’s school.  With that feeling, I had the sense that we were to have dinner out … I was quite happy to have it at home, but there was this feeling that we were to eat out and it felt like a place down on the beach, close to where we live.

I called my husband and he agreed so we booked a table as the heavens opened and the torrential rains came …

We ran into the establishment through the rain and there was a beautiful young blond girl who met us at the door.  I laughed at my dishevelled look, and mentioned to the girl that we had left a message.  She replied that the storm had stopped all calls coming in and out and that she had not received the messages … she was stressed.  I motioned to the storm outside and mentioned my dishevelled look, laughing at the fizz and curls, she readily agreed saying she had stood under the hand dryer for ages, trying to dry her hair into some semblance of order … I told her she looked absolutely gorgeous (she really did) and she seemed to relax somewhat, smiling as she got us our menus and glasses of water … and laughing as our 4-year-old said something funny …

As we talked and laughed as a family, I sensed that God had a word for someone, and as I questioned it I sensed that it was for the beautiful girl who had first served us.  I got the serviette, found a pen and started to write the word I got.  It included that she had a gift for making people comfortable, but that was not all she was created for, it said that God wanted her comfortable too … for He loved her and created her for greatness …

I sensed she was artistic in what she did, that she needed to step into her destiny and it had something to do with being artistic, and I thought “oh no not a destiny word” and felt somewhat intimidated about stepping out and prophesying it … what if I got it all wrong about her?  

We ate out meals and as we were about to leave I saw where she was in the room and went over to her with my serviette. 

I explained that I was  a Christian and that sometimes I felt  got “words” from God for people, and I asked her if I could share what I felt I had heard about her …

She agreed and so I started to read …

As I read she nodded, and then I got to the destiny bit and I took a deep breath and said that the next bit frightened me a bit to say, but that I would read it and she could tell me what she felt about it … I then went on to say I felt she was artistic and that it was time for her to step out into what she was called to do … she was artistic and creative … I stopped and asked her whether any of it made sense to her and tears were in her eyes …

She went on to explain that her entire family were artistic, but she had never seen herself that way … but that she hated what she was doing, and was considering stepping out and doing interior design … and as she spoke I looked at her and said what came to me, as a knowing filled me for her and her circumstances …

I said to her, “you have been comparing yourself to your family.  You think you do not measure up.  You think you are not artistic, because of how remarkable they are, but oh, you are artistic, you were created to be artistic, you were created for greatness and I sense that God is saying no more comparison, no more comparing yourself to others, for you are created as an original and you were created to shine …” and the word went on and on about her God-given artistic ability and that the pathway was before her that she just needed to step out into with courage …

As I spoke into her destiny, tears filled her eyes … I then asked if I could pray for her, quickly telling her the testimony of an open destiny for one of my friend’s husbands (see below for links to testimonies) and she said “yes” and so I prayed and declared her destiny open, I rebuked the lies of doubt, closed the past and released her into the fullness of who she was called to be … and the tears glistened as she dabbed at her eyes, and her eyes locked onto mine, with me trusting that she would see only God, not me, and hear the truth of all I was declaring over her  …

I then sensed God say to ask her if she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart … so I did …

She said she had been raised a Catholic.  I said, “you have never asked Him into your heart have you?” … she hadn’t and wanted to and so I led her in a very simple prayer of salvation.  She then asked Holy Spirit to fill her up.  I asked if I could hug her, and as she nodded, I wrapped my arms around her and exclaimed how incredibly special she truly was …

I then felt Holy Spirit say … “that’s it” so I said my goodbyes looking back at her as she stood in the dining room …

I wanted to fix it all for her, be her encourager, be there for her in the journey, but my part, for now, was over … it was the end of something, it was the end of the lies of deception that she had believed for so long, and it was the beginning of something new and amazing …

I saw a beautiful young girl full of promise, touched and filled by a great God, a loving God, an all-knowing God, a God who wanted her to see herself the way that He saw her … she had been touched by a God that loved her so very much that He sent us down there as a family to have dinner so He could let her know the truth about herself, so she could be released into a destiny she was born for because …

God is good!

Links:

First time declaring destiny open: http://godisgoodstories.com/2010/11/11/declaring-destinies-%e2%80%a6-last-month%e2%80%99s-prayer-is-an-open-door-into-a-family-and-their-destiny-%e2%80%93-wednesday-10th-november-2010/ 

And for associated praise report: http://godisgoodstories.com/2010/11/18/door-to-destiny-opens-%e2%80%a6-answer-to-prayer-%e2%80%a6-and-inviting-god-to-%e2%80%9cdo-again%e2%80%9d-and-%e2%80%9cagain%e2%80%9d-monday-15th-and-wednesday-17th-november-2010/)