Permeate Us!!!

I have to start off by saying I LOVE my Prayer Group! For those of you reading this that attend our Intercessory Prayer group - and you know who you are - I treasure each of you and all that you bring to that atmosphere of praise and worship!

I so enjoyed preparing something to share - although in hindsight I must say I realized that it was quite possibly too formal in our relaxed setting... it is a 'format' that I am familiar with and felt safe within those boundaries... although I know that God will most likely not allow me to come at it from that perspective again?! I am sure He wants to stretch and grow me - even in that! As a writer and teacher - it is easier for me to study and research and then present... but I know that God is calling me to be more relational and so I am pretty sure that He will have other creative ways to speak through me that will be - well - less 'lecture'-style!

Anyway - I was so looking forward to having our leader back and hearing what the Lord gave her to share with us. While it IS an intercessory prayer group - and we DO pray... it is also a time of sharing, encouraging, teaching, and worship... not a bad mix!

So - (remember - she was gone last week and didn't know exactly what we touched on...) and she opens with Hebrews 12:2-3... "We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up." (Contemporary English Version) Fix our eyes on Jesus... Don't grow weary or discouraged! Amen!? She went on to have us open up to 1 John 2:20-27 Basically, this portion of Scripture reminds us that we HAVE the anointing and we know all things.... it tells us that we abide in Him and He abides in us! In the Amplified, verse 20 reads: "But you have been anointed by [you hold a sacred appointment from, you have been given an unction from] the Holy One, and you all know [the Truth] or you know all things."

We moved into worship and I heard in my spirit, "Every Kingdom Warrior has Battle Scars!" Hmmm? OK!? I started to pray and found myself asking the Lord to Permeate us... "Permeate us, Lord... Permeate us!!!" The definition of Permeate is to spread or diffuse through; or to pass through the pores... Wow?! Yes - Lord - that IS what we want... we want you to permeate us - to diffuse through every part of who we are... to pass through the pores of our flesh and spirit... it makes me think of Queen Esther and her year of SOAKING in perfumes... it was not just sitting in a nice hot tub with some scented oils in it... it was scrubbing into the skin and making the fragrance and skin become one!

I wrote down the following prayer during worship... and then had this vision...
"Breath of God, we breathe You in... we breathe You in and You abide in us... just as Oxygen gives us life & energy & clear vision & health Lord, - as we inhale Your very Presence it PERMEATE US Lord!!! Teach us, Oh Lord, to no longer be Shallow Breathers but to Breathe Deep & have You fill us up Lord, to touch every part, Lord... fill this temple, Oh Breath of God!"

Next... I saw in the spirit Jesus walking around with an Oxygen Tank and face mask giving oxygen - giving Life to all who needed a refreshing! "Life Abundantly" was written on the Oxygen tank. I saw Him doing some CPR (mouth to mouth resuscitation) on some, chest compressions on others... He is at work within each of us... within each ministry area in the church... He is breathing new life, new focus, new energy over each one!

I saw Him giving Mouth to Mouth/CPR over the Teachers
He was giving Heart Compressions over the Compassionate and Mercy Givers
He was checking the Vision of the Prophets
He was Checking Reflexes of the Dancers & the throats of the Singers
He was X-raying the hands of the Kingdom Builders
and I heard again: "Every Kingdom Warrior has Battle Scars!"
Then I saw Him giving Oxygen to each 'person' (ministry represented) there...
(End of Vision)

So... I came home and did a little research on Oxygen...

Websters defines it as: "something that sustains or fuels." The necessity of oxygen is obvious. The human body can survive for weeks without food and days without water but only a few minutes without oxygen. "Oxygen nourishes the cells, it provides the energy needed to metabolize carbohydrates; it allows chemical transport, breaks down waste products and toxins, regulates the pH of body chemistry, drives the desire to breathe, strongly builds up your immune system defense and fights hostile organisms. Oxygen is the undisputed king of body chemistry, and as such is your body's most important nutrient! The facts are simple... viruses, parasites, fungus or bacterium cause about all diseases! The solution is also simple - NONE of those hostile organisms can live in an environment with high concentrations of Oxygen! Which makes the following quote very interesting... "Oxygen gets rid of toxicity. Bacteria, viruses and parasites are destroyed in the presence of oxygen." (taken from http://www.2christ.org/health/) There is a LOT there... If God is giving us oxygen - He is nourishing the cells of the Body... He is giving us what we need when we need it to promote the intended Bodily functions... He is cleansing and healing us! ...and I LOVE that Oxygen gets rid of toxins... disease does not stand a chance with the right amount of "Life Abundantly" Oxygen!!!

We have heard of the trendy Oxygen Bars in L.A. and elsewhere that open their doors and give Fresh Oxygen to clients to help them to feel better, happier... the newest exercise/weight loss craze is wrapped up in getting in enough good oxygen into our lungs and circulating through out our whole body. Of course our God is in on that... and He is all about doing that to each of us in the spirit!!! Here is the coolest part... remember - I heard "Every Kingdom Warrior has Battle Scars" Oxygen is now proven to help HEAL SCARS!!! There are a myriad of new products coming out that have added Oxygen levels in them to help heal scars. Every one of us has stepped out in ministry and we have been wounded... either by other Christians, or non-Christians, or circumstances, choices we made, etc. - if we are to be effective in the Kingdom - we WILL face battles... we WILL get scars! I think it is so vital to remember that each ministry was represented in that Vision... and the Lord told us that we would face trials... I think it is interesting that this 'shaking' that is happening - is happening at the top of any given ministry... the leaders have scars and they are in need of some fresh oxygen! Some of them don't even know that they have become shallow breathers... but they have... they are gasping for air - and Jesus is coming!!!

I am reminded of a story I heard a few years ago... a little boy was in the backseat and his mother was driving in the car. Her son was looking at his hands and all of the sudden he began to cry and squirm around in his seat. She tried to calm him down but he was screaming and crying as if he was hurt... & he kept pointing to his wrist, so she pulled over. She turned around in her seat and noticed that he was pointing to an old injury. She asked him why he was crying and he again pointed to his scar, and said, "Owie!!! Owie!!!?!" She calmly reminded him that that was an Old Ouchie and that he needed to not pick it... it was healing and he was going to be just fine! He slowly calmed down and realized that he was not, in fact, hurting anymore - but the very sight of the scar convinced him that he was hurt all over again! Haven't we all done this?! I do not mean to make light of deep wounds that have happened in the Church... there have been many, I know. I know personally. However, we must remember that we have put those things, those circumstances, those issues under the Blood and asked for God to heal us. Many are still in the process of healing... and believe me, He IS at work. The thing about Oxygen is that it is tasteless and odorless... but oh my, how you need it... so often, our God is at work and we are not even aware, until after the fact! Many of us have received that healing and our scars are all that remain... (and, honestly, maybe that little reluctant, gun-shy, hesitation feeling, too!) God has said that we all have battle scars, but even those - He is administering healing and giving us Abundant Life oxygen!

He IS the Air we breathe... this week I intend to bask in His Presence and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth... I plan on singing with my whole heart:
"This is the air I breathe; This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence, living in me
This is my daily bread; This is my daily bread
Your very word, spoken to me
And I - I'm desperate for you
And I -I'm lost without you..." (M. W. Smith)

I pray that He is healing you and taking away your wounds, and your scars... I pray that this week you will Breathe DEEP in the things of God and know that He is offering you Abundant Life Oxygen! May He permeate you as you soak in His Love!

Blessings,
~Karrilee~