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~