Power of the SPOKEN Word...

Again, it has been a crazy couple of weeks...
and again, I have a lot to say, but will try to condense my words!

On May 8th, during my weekly Prayer meeting, the Lord put it on my heart to read through Proverbs 12. He told me to pay attention to what is said about the tongue/lips/mouth... basically about what we SPEAK! For your benefit, I will add Proverbs 12 here...

"Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.
A good man obtains favor from the LORD,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn.
A man is not established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.
The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,”
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand.
A man will be commended according to his wisdom,
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.
Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant,
Than he who honors himself but lacks bread.
A righteous man regards the life of his animal,
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
The wicked covet the catch of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will come through trouble.
A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth,
And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise.
A fool’s wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
He who speaks truth declares righteousness,
But a false witness, deceit.
There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise promotes health.
The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
No grave trouble will overtake the righteous,
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
But those who deal truthfully are His delight.
A prudent man conceals knowledge,
But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.
The righteous should choose his friends carefully,
For the way of the wicked leads them astray.
The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death."

For weeks, no - months, the Lord has been re-emphasizing the power of our words and He has been prodding me to not just mount guard over my MOUTH - but to take authority over my THOUGHTS as well! I think many of us KNOW to do this... but while we remain disciplined in not speaking out some of our negative thoughts, we have failed in taking authority over the endless replaying tape that enters into our thought life and plants seeds for a harvest to come - whether we give it words or not! So - this Proverb is so good to remind me to not only take every thought captive, but to also SPEAK OUT the thoughts that are rooted in the Word and are from God. That same day, during our worship, I saw those of us in that meeting all in a circle, and as we were praying, I could see us using one of those huge parachutes... you know the ones - we used to use them in elementary school and play games with them... as we would pray we would lift our hands up in the air and then we would begin to speak forth the answer to prayer in faith and pull down the parachute. I felt as if this picture was a vision of what happens when we pray... we are literally PULLING DOWN heaven to earth, Pulling Down His glory, Pulling Down favor, healing, provision, etc. when we pray!

The next week at Prayer, our focus was on Communion and the power of the 'Meal that Heals' (as Dr. Miller and Perry Stone teach). We talked about the importance of taking Communion and of doing it daily, or as the Spirit leads you... that it is not just something that needs to be done in church... we then took Communion as a group together and it was very sweet! One thing that was brought up was the fact that Jesus was given 39 stripes and doctors and scientists have now been able to categorize ALL diseases into - yep, you guessed it, 39 groups! The Lord again reminded me of a great book that I refer to often, "The Blood and the Glory" by Billye Brimm... I HIGHLY recommend this book! In it she teaches on the power of the Blood and the importance of pleading the Blood. The Lord reminded me of something in that book - a warning of sorts that was given to a pastor who was teaching on Communion... He told her to "make MUCH of the Blood!" That evening, after she led the service at church and had everyone end the series by taking Communion... an earthquake hit the Northridge area in California. Not one of the members in her congregation experienced damage or loss... while those all around them did. The Blood works! Make much of it!

That brings us up to this week... on Monday, I was able to get together with a few friends for lunch... much ministry took place over our meal and then a few of us went on to a meeting to be ministered to and prayed over. The word that was spoken over me was based in Psalm 145:18-19... basically - the Lord said to Cry Louder... to Ask for more... for bigger things... to not hesitate in my asking... Again... it's all about SPEAKING?! So - I came home and finished up my reading for Bible study this week... (we are studying 'Get out of that Pit' by Beth Moore!) The chapter this week included a 3 step process in getting out of pits... the first step!? CRY OUT!? (and then Confess, & Consent!) Wow?! OK... I think I am getting it?!

I am a quiet person by nature... I am very introspective and 'soft'... so getting loud - even in prayer - doesn't happen very often! I do not believe that you have to shout. I am not of the thinking that the louder you pray that holier you are... (Oh come on, I know you know what I mean!) However, when there is an urgency, or a passion and intensity... sometimes volume is necessary! If only to let the enemy know that you mean business! Let me encourage you to not shy away from times of crying out... loudly! Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God! Speak it out loud - whether you are all on your own, or in a group of people...

Towards the end of our meeting yesterday, I felt the Lord speak to me a Word of warning. I hesitate to share it only because I do not want to encourage or open the door for a spirit of fear. However, I believe the reason He is revealing this is to help us to be prepared and in tune... Several months ago the Lord spoke to us about the importance and being in tune with His voice - because there was coming a time when we would need to have Him direct our steps for Kingdom purposes! Anyway - here is what the Lord spoke to me:

"Even while this supernatural or 'spiritual' shaking is taking place in the Body, there is a natural shaking coming that will require faith to remain standing firm, that will require knowing the Word, & crying out (Loudly, Boldly) to God..." He said we will need to know & be in tune to His Voice to know where to go and what to say and to whom to minister to in any given moment in this coming season! We are not to live and wait in fear, but to enter into His rest and rise up in faith! He said that the shaking will unit two 'sides' of our State (Washington) - the Lord will use this shaking for the good of our State - one State, One Lord. This will release revival & salvation, an abundance of grace & mercy... The Lord said, "Make MUCH of the Blood! Prepare... but do not fret... I will lead you and guide you."

I feel like we are called to pray of course, but that the bigger picture is that on the other side of whatever this shaking is, there will be a greater work and many Kingdom purposes at hand. We can pray - but this is a work of the Lord... It will be a sign of changes that are fast approaching in the natural and in the spiritual realms!!!

I prayerfully submit this to you...

Please do not immerse yourself in the spirit of fear, but allow the Word of God to rise up in you and cause boldness to take root in your spirit! CRY LOUDER... ASK BIGGER... and Make MUCH of the Blood!

Safe In His Arms,
~Karrilee~

Dry Bones, Rising Up, & the power of your presence!

Well... it has been awhile since I have sat down to write anything here...
and I have so many things I want to say...
I will have to try to limit myself to a few shorter topics today...
I will try to use less words than usual, and still get my point across...


"Dry Bones"

There is a specific situation that I have been praying over for a few months now... when I first met this family, and heard of their situation, I felt deeply in my spirit that this sickness was not unto death... so - I told them, and I told them I was praying. The Lord has tied us together and I have been so focused and intent on praying in faith and believing God for those "Greater Than" miracles that His Word says we will be doing. In the natural, it would be easy to get discouraged and lose faith. One day, God would do a miracle and there would be improvement, movement, increased faith... and on another day, it seems things would be digressing again... Last week as I was praying, I had a vision of a man in a bed... he looked to be thin and weak and pale... and suddenly I heard the Voice of the Lord behind me to the left, and He said, "Can this man live? ...can he even bend his knees?" I immediately recognized this as a play on words from the book of Ezekiel, when the Lord asked the prophet Ezekiel if the Dry Bones could live! Before I could speak to the Lord, or the man, he began to bend his knees and push himself up in the bed, and he looked as if he was going to get up! The vision ended...

Back in August, here on this blog - I wrote a bit about the spirit of Ezekiel and what the Lord was speaking to me then... (You can read that post by clicking on the Archives at the bottom right... it was originally posted on August 1, 2006 and titled, "Getting Back to Center")
Basically, the Lord has said He was raising up the spirit of Ezekiel and He invited me to play along! So - now - we have these 'Dry Bones' that we are speaking Life to! At the end of the vision, the Lord said, "Speak Life - Continue to Speak Life, & Strength, & Healing... Watch & See... Watch & See... Stand Firm & Watch & See!" Wow?! OK... so needless to say, I have been speaking and prophesying once again to this situation and I am expectant to hear and see a miracle... I know God will cause these dry bones to gather together, grow new muscles and flesh, and raise up as a Mighty Man in the army of God! In fact, I'll tell you a little secret... I believe something significant will happen this week... God has stirred me up so much to believe for this miracle... I can't WAIT to see it come to pass!

So - my question to you today is this... what are you doing with your Dry Bones? What things are you speaking out loud over the Bones that lie in front of you and cause you to not be able to look any farther? Put a watch over the words that are coming out of your mouth regarding the 'Dry Bones' you are facing... Speak Life... strength, healing, ...speak Victory, success, overcoming... speak the Word of God! ...and Watch & See!

OK... Next....

"Rising Up"

This one sort of blends together with the Dry Bones... I am reading two books right now - (Get out of That Pit by Beth Moore, and Facing Your Giants by Max Lucado)... wow?! I highly recommend them... we are facing a time and a season where what we SAY and what we focus on will be the key to our success or failure! It has always been the case, but let me say - I feel so strongly in my spirit that the lines will be drawn and the gap will widen... between those who stand on the Word and focus on the Lord, and those who speak doubt, fear, & unbelief, and focus on the problem... (the dry bones, the pit, or the giant, if you will!) Yesterday, I ran across this blog post by Melody Ross. She is in the scrapbook industry and runs a business in Boise, Idaho - I love her company (Chatterbox) and I love her blog - always real and open and compelling... her question yesterday - how do you Rise Above? Wow... I encourage you to read her post and the comments that follow it! It will encourage and inspire you to Rise Up as well!

http://melodyross.typepad.com/my_weblog/

And Finally...
"The power of your presence"

Today during our Prayer meeting, we had some great teaching... filled with scriptures and a reminder that we are to contend - standing firm, trusting in God and His Word... during the worship, I suddenly felt His presence so strongly... and the thought occurred to me, 'does He feel my presence?' So I asked Him! I prayed and asked the Lord, "Father, as much as I love and look forward to being with You and feeling the power of Your Presence, can you feel me the same way!? I know I am small - and You are unfathomably huge... but I also know that You are jealous for me and desire to spend time with me too! Does my presence bless You, Lord? As much as I love to have You bless me... Jesus I just want to pour out and bless You today!" He reminded me that He has promised to be with us always - even to the end of the age... but He did say that it blesses His heart when we turn our attention to Him... especially when it is not out of need - but simply the desire to spend time with Him! He is with us always... but when we turn our face towards His... and our heart is focused on Him and waiting for His Spirit to lead... the power of our obedient, submitted, hungry heart blesses Him to tears! He so loves us... He so desires us... He so wants to have a more intimate relationship with each of us individually! No matter how long you have walked with Him, or how close you are... HE desires MORE... for you, and of you! ...MORE for you - because His will for you and the plans He has for you are GOOD... and MORE of you - because He desires devotion... not more works necessarily - but more of YOU... a transparency, an honesty, an openness to come to Him with everything you are... and for everything you need!

I pray you will determine to Speak Life to your Dry Bones, Rise Above your circumstances, and remember that you - your presence, your heart - is a blessing to Him! Run to Him... He will catch you with open arms!

~Karrilee~