Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

As I shared in the previous post, my gift of feeling was birthed from the Lord using pain in my stomach to get my attention to pray. The more faithful I become in prayer, the more ways He uses to communicate how to specifically pray.

One of my dear friends with a similar gifting laughed and said all she could think about was the song head, shoulders, knees and toes. Which is funny in itself because those are actually some of the first things He used to train me in this gift. As I started to feel different pains, I asked Him to reveal to me the meaning behind the pain.

I had to learn if the pain was mine, someone else’s’, or if it was a stronghold. If it was someone else’s pain, then I needed to discern if it was spiritual or physical. Once determining this, then I had to ask if He wanted me to pray silently or go and lay hands on them for healing.

To give you the shortened version of how He communicated to me during the beginning: if my head was aching it meant suppression, my shoulders aching meant yoking, my knees referred to pride, and my toes cramping up it meant crippling. As I have grown, He has shown me other things each can represent, but it’s up to me to discern which one it specifically is.

As I have grown in the gift, He also speaks to me through the 5 senses. Or as the song goes…through the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose! 😉 Eyes – He has been giving me dreams and visions. Ears – He has been downloading words of knowledge I can declare and decree (mouth) into existence. I have heard of people being able to taste in the spiritual realm, but I have not as of this entry. Nose – He has been allowing me to smell things in the spiritual realm such as a beautiful fragrance if it’s of Him and a fowl/sulfur smell if it’s demonic.

What I do know is each time I think I have something figured out, He gives me something new. I love this, as it keeps me humble and totally dependent on Him and not self! Oh, what a journey it’s been and I can’t wait for Him to reveal even more!

Celebration!

Today I felt led to go through my old recovery literature and give away what I haven’t used or read in years. It doesn’t seem possible that today marks 17 years that I had my last drink. I was able to donate these items to a local recovery house with the prayer they will help many brave young ladies find freedom from addiction as I have through Jesus! During this anniversary, I was reminded of the memorial stones that are mentioned in Joshua 4. I reflected back to the baron place the Lord brought me from and into the life that is more beautiful than I could have ever imagined…Just as He did the Israelites. He brought them out of the wilderness/slavery and into a land richer than they could hope for.

God is Good!

A few days ago, I ran into a mother and daughter at Wal-Mart who I introduced to a friend of mine over 5 years ago.  They reported our friend had just been moved to Sanctuary Hospice.  I was shocked, as the last report I heard was of her being in remission.  The mother daughter duo stated they didn’t have the courage to go and see her.  I volunteered to go with them when they decided to go.

I left thinking I would probably not hear from them.  However, a few days later I got a text saying they were heading to Sanctuary Hospice and asked if I wanted to meet them there.  It was a very sweet and precious time.  She was still alert and able to tell us she loved us.  I got to pray for her peace through the transition and for her boyfriend’s strength and comfort.  It was dear as I felt she had picked up the torch from me 5 years ago to mentor this family and today she passed it back to me.

My friend is not just my sister in Christ, but also a sister in recovery.  We both share the same sponsor.  I reached out to our sponsor to assure she knew the severity of her condition and she said they had already said their “see you laters.”  It brought back numerous memories, as I am also about to approach 17 years of sobriety.  The Lord used this experience to gently remind me how quickly time passes, how I need to make each moment count, and how good He truly is!

Please listen to the song that the Lord stirred up in my spirit while writing this.

Reconnecting!

I haven’t seen this precious sister in way too long! We got to catch up on the latest and then watched Blind Eyes Opened.

It was neat as I knew Sherri from when I worked at S.A.F.E., Inc. and she worked in the office at DHS. She is currently taking classes and well on her way to getting a degree in social work! Love how He still is growing us in our fields so we can help protect and point the hurting to Christ.

Hunger and Thirst

For the first 21 days of the year, the ministry called a corporate fast.  I asked the Lord how to do this, and I heard fruits and vegetables.  I was so relieved He was going to allow me to eat food as He called others to only consume liquids like juice and broth.  I believed it was going to be a breeze!

The first few days were relatively easy.  However, the longer I was just eating fruits and vegetables, the more my attention focused on how hungry I was.  I asked the Lord about this and He released me to eat as much as I wanted…as long as it was fruits or vegetables.  Even though I was eating as often and as much as I wanted, I still never felt full.  I caught myself complaining.  I said “if only I could eat protein…I miss eggs, I miss hamburgers.”  I miss being able to eat dairy and grains, what I would give to eat a bowl of cereal…Oh, how I want to be filled.  For my belly to feel full. Ugh!”  I was out of town during part of the fast and didn’t have access to a car.  I ran out of my favorite Dasani lemon water and began obsessing over how I could get to the store for more…as I felt I wasn’t ok without it.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I had become just like the Israelites who complained about their manna.  The Lord just delivered them out of bondage and out of slavery.   He provided them with everything they needed. He promised and gave them daily manna.  They were never hungry, but complained about the Lord’s provision…about how He provided.  That sounds just awful, but you know what…I was doing that very thing!

During one of my griping sessions, the Lord whispered in my ear, “I want to be the one to fill you.  I want you to HUNGER after Me like you do protein.  You keep looking to food, but only I can satisfy!  I want you to seek after Me like you did the lemon water. Whoever drinks the water I give them will never THIRST again.”

OUCH!  Conviction hit me like a ton of bricks!  I knew what He was after, I knew what I needed to do!  “Lord, I repent.  Forgive me for looking to things other than You to fill me up, for seeking after things of this world and not You for the answers.  Lord, forgive me for my lack of appreciation for Your provision, for not seeing and being thankful for what You have given me, but only focusing on what I think I am lacking…Lord, I repent for my ungrateful heart!  Lord, forgive me for looking to myself for the answers on how to be filled instead of putting my faith and trust in You and You alone!  Lord, You are worthy, You are enough, You are faithful!  Please forgive me for my doubt and unbelief.  For trying to handle things in my own strength and not relying and resting on Your power.  For not being patient in Your timing and in Your ways.”

When I was finished repenting…He put Psalms 100:4 into my spirit.  “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him and bless His name.”  He also reminded me of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  It was at that moment that I began listing everything I was thankful for and lastly I praised Him for who He is, for what He’s done and will continue doing, amen?!

 

Breaking Down Walls

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So how neat is it that Denise, Loretta, and their daughter Rebecca decided to dress like the English for the first time on graduation night?  They were the instigators for reviveINDIANA exactly 5 years ago!

Lela, Mary (also former Amish) and I got to take Rebecca shopping for her first English outfit!  The Lord is bringing about freedom of religion and legalism, amen?

reviveSCHOOL Graduation!

img_3011What an amazing experience!  There were about 200 of us that graduated reviveSCHOOL which consisted of us plowing through the Word for 730 days straight!  I believe I was more proud of that certificate than I was about the two degrees I earned in college!   Numerous students were Amish and had never had a formal graduation.  It was an honor to get to walk with them for their first time too!

The team’s prayer was for about 42 people to sign up for the next steps.  This consists of taking reviveSCHOOL to another country.  It’s a two year committment and agreeing to go to visit the school atleast once a year for about a week.  Instead of the 42 they were hoping for, over 90 people committed and said that they would do this!  The Lord is awakening the church and prepairing His Bride for His return!

Receiving my diploma from Kyle L. Martin!

reviveTUPELO

img_2856What a fun way to kick off the New Year!  I had three guys who resided at Broken Lives on my team.  Each shared a little about their testimony and the Lord gave me a word to speak into them.  For example, the gentleman on the bottom left shared how he wanted to be an example for his children.  When we entered the flea market, there was an athlete who shared how he had made poor choices in his youth, but the Lord brought him out of it and now he was able to sell his book and all the proceeds go to a program that helps youth!  Me and two other leaders pulled the gentleman standing behind me aside and prayed for his healing.  During that prayer, the Lord delivered him from guilt, shame, fear, and numerous other strongholds that had him bound, amen?  How humbling it is to get to partner with the Father and be about His business.

Misunderstood Feelers

Pain

In the spring of 2017, the Lord gave me a new gift. I began feeling in the Spirit. My stomach would ache so bad I would double over and sometimes it hurt so bad it brought me to tears. It didn’t take long to realize the Lord was trying to alert me that something was going on in the spiritual realm. As I began pressing into this gift, I began feeling pain all over my body and even began experiencing the emotional feeling of others. I often joke that the Lord has a funny sense of humor, as I cannot stand pain.  I am in recovery because I wanted to numb it or avoid it. Well, He now allows me to feel things and it won’t go away until I release it in prayer or to whom He wants to minister to. Through this journey, the Lord connected me to others with the same gifting and I have sought them out for their experiences as well.

I believe I inherited this gifting from my mother.  Until recently, she would dismiss what the Lord was revealing to her. However, when we feel the exact same thing at the exact time, it’s hard to rationalize away. Which is why I believe the Lord is wanting me to write this. He is trying to communicate with His children, but they are asleep, not paying attention, or dismissing His invitation for something they can rationalize away.

The Lord prompted me to begin journaling and writing down what He has been teaching me, so others who are new to the gifting can begin asking Holy Spirit if this too is how He is communicating to them. I believe the Lord is waking up His bride and He is going to use all who are willing to help Him prepare for His return. With this revival and awakening, I believe the movement is going to be so massive it is going to take all of us working together to reap the harvest. I believe the more equipped we are, the better and stronger His army will become, amen?