God's Take on the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

       Folks this is what the Lord has been stirring in my heart since the beginning of the Flint water crisis and our church's involvement in helping to ease some of the burden. It is not just a "coincidence" that the water issue was discovered in Flint and now fills the national news.

God's Take on Flint, Michigan's Water Situation:
The words which the Lord spoke were:
Fresh water = Rivers of Living water from the Holy Spirit.
Flint = It takes a flint to serve as a means of starting a fire.
Corrosive leeching into the water over a long period of the church = Defines the problem in many churches today. Corrosive, impure teaching has been leeching into the mainstream churches for a long time.
National Press = This is a national problem.
Smaller cities discovering same problem = This includes the smaller churches as well as larger churches.
Gov. Snyder said, "The buck stops here." = Pastors need to take full accountability for the state in which they find themselves and their congregants. The HEAD is the AUTHORITY. JESUS IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. But many pastors have made the assumption that they are the head.

God is saying through all of this that He wants the leaders of churches all over this nation to come before Him with humble hearts and repent for all of the ways in which they have personally fallen and how far astray they have led their sheep. The Lord says that if we will repent and drink the pure water which flows from the River of the Holy Spirit, the pure water will be the "flint" to start the fire of Holy Spirit revival in our country.

By it's very definition a flint is used with steel to produce an igniting spark. Therefore the pure word combined with the steel sword of the Word will produce to spark revival fire.

God said there are many who will dismiss this prophetic word out of their own selfish ambitions to even consider that God is speaking to HIS CHURCH OF TODAY IN AMERICA. But when they humble themselves and search their hearts and repent of false doctrine, teachings, underlying motivations, selfish ambitions, using the Gospel for their own personal gain, wanting to be idolized as the only one in the church fully capable of praying for anyone, etc., then God Himself will pour the Oil of the Holy Spirit over the pastor when pure rivers of living water flow out of his mouth. And the oil of the Holy Spirit will flow as the Lord states in Psalm 133:2 "It is like the precious oil [of consecration] poured on the head, Coming down on the beard, Even the beard of Aaron, Coming down upon the edge of his [priestly] robes [consecrating the whole body]." Amplified version

It is the little foxes which spoil the vine...and after awhile, like the frog in water on the stove....nobody notices anymore the slow death from which they are dying. Lead is being leeched into the homes of those who are serviced by corrosive pipes. Lead is a very strong poison.

Here is what MedlinePlus has to say about lead poisoning: "However, it is more common for lead poisoning to build up slowly over time....Lead is much more harmful to children than adults, because it can affect children's developing nerves and brains. The younger the child, the more harmful lead can be. Unborn children are the most vulnerable."

Now, let's apply this same principle to the church. Think of the unsaved whom you know are "turned off and hardened" to the church for many reasons. Think of the babes in Christ who are in need of pure milk before they get to the meat stage. And how are we to approach the Kingdom of God? As a little child.

Ezekiel 33New International Version (NIV)
Renewal of Ezekiel’s Call as Watchman

33 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’
7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.
10 “Son of man, say to the Israelites, ‘This is what you are saying: “Our offenses and sins weigh us down, and we are wasting away because of[b] them. How then can we live?”’ 11 Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’
12 “Therefore, son of man, say to your people, ‘If someone who is righteous disobeys, that person’s former righteousness will count for nothing. And if someone who is wicked repents, that person’s former wickedness will not bring condemnation. The righteous person who sins will not be allowed to live even though they were formerly righteous.’ 13 If I tell a righteous person that they will surely live, but then they trust in their righteousness and do evil, none of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered; they will die for the evil they have done. 14 And if I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ but they then turn away from their sin and do what is just and right— 15 if they give back what they took in pledge for a loan, return what they have stolen, follow the decrees that give life, and do no evil—that person will surely live; they will not die. 16 None of the sins that person has committed will be remembered against them. They have done what is just and right; they will surely live.
17 “Yet your people say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But it is their way that is not just. 18 If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, they will die for it. 19 And if a wicked person turns away from their wickedness and does what is just and right, they will live by doing so. 20 Yet you Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to your own ways.”
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

The word of the Lord has been given, now it is up to each of us reading this admonishment to seek the Lord and ask Him what we are to do from here.  We can humble our hearts before the Lord and ask Him to root out every evil thing which is contrary to His heart and His word....or we can ignore it.

"Dear Father, I acknowledge that through my fleshly interpretation of Your Word and Who You Are that I have made some errors along the way.  Father, please illuminate my heart with the light of Your Holy Spirit and root out every thought, idea, action and emotion which do not come from You. I choose to submit myself to You for Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts.  In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen"

God bless you, 
Crista 

There Is No Pit So Deep

I don't know about you, but I often lean toward "pondering"....it tends to go along with being a writer I suppose. But I was pondering this statement by Corrie ten Boom. Corrie knew about pits. She had seen the Jews have to dig pits for their own corpses and/or those they loved. She knew what a pit was and how deep they had to be in order to bury or burn so many bodies.

Years ago, syndicated columnist, Erma Bombeck, wrote a book entitled, "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries, Why Am I in the Pits?" I think Erma was referring to the down days of life out of which we're able to "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps".

Corrie, I believe, was referring to the pit of the muck and mire of death and destruction. The place where it is black as pitch. The place from which we think we shall be "dead" forever, never to experience life in a joyous manner ever again. Just dead. But Corrie is reminding us that it is God who will resurrect us up out of the ashes of despair. He shall lift us up out of the miry clay. We shall see the sun shine again. But we shall also experience Him in a way we had never known Him before in our lives.

Corrie ten Boom in whose prison quadrant was so filled with lice that even the guards dared not go near. And what did she and her sister do while in these confinements? They spoke of Jesus. They shared the Gospel, in the dark, in the pits. Corrie's sister died in the concentration camp, but one day, Corrie was released to reveal to the world all the Lord had taught her while she went through her entire experience from "The Hiding Place".

I'm sure there were times when all hope seemed like this elusive butterfly to even Corrie....and this is why she could write what she did to encourage us all when we're in the miry pit.

That's why we're all here together; both to the Body of Christ and the one who does not know Him yet; to offer hope to the one who has fallen. Our prayers to uphold one another. Our hugs which say, "I love and accept you for who you are". The Eeyore days, but we're invited to the party anyways.

I don't want to throw out any trite, pat answers, but I will tell you that at one point in my life, when my hope was ripped to shreds and I hid alone in the dark, He sent me to Isaiah 50:10 ....my version....Let him who walks in darkness and has no light, trust in the name of the Lord, his God.

And when your trust is shaken to the core and you can't find it, just know that The Holy Spirit, The Comforter, is standing right next to you trusting for you.

Trusting God to throw out the line called Hope to you this day.
Blessings in Christ,
Crista

GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN YOU!!!!

I believe this scripture which the Lord has given me for 2016 applies to many of us. 
Be encouraged. 

God has not forgotten you.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (Amplified) "Do not remember the former things, or ponder the things of the past. 'Listen carefully, I am about to do a new thing, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even put a road in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.'"

Many of us have been to hell and back through the season in which God has taken us through by His grace. But I tell you the truth, He is giving us a brand new beginning. Some of it was to burn up the past. Did you know there is a pine/spruce/fir which will only reproduce if its pine cones are burned? It's a bit like popcorn. It feels horrible to be peeled like a potato and then split in half!

But God, in His lavish love for us will not separate Himself from us; no matter what, through Christ Jesus. And just as the pine cone, He has burned up our tree to make the new seed drop into the soil of our hearts where He shall create new life. Get ready! Get ready!
WORD FOR 2016

Ever yours in His love and mine,
Crista

INTO HIS IMAGE

INTO HIS IMAGE (Col. 3:10)

I see myself with Jesus;
We’re walking Hand in hand,
Along the paths and trails of life;
Across the green field land.
He is the Shepherd of my heart
Who leads me every day;
To pastures green and waters still;
Because, He Is The Way.
He knows when to hold me close,
Or let me run so free;
For this one thing I know for sure:
He’s never forsaken me.
Oh yes, there’s times I feel alone;
Times I feel afraid;
Yet, this one thing I know for sure;
He’s never forsaken me.
The enemy, he has pounded -
Against my mind and soul,
But Jesus ever held me close;
In Him, I am made whole.
At times I falter, at times I fail,
And the enemy seeks his gain;
Yet he has never conquered,
No matter how intense my pain.
For Jesus Is My Refuge;
My Anchor in the storm;
He Is My Precious Savior;
When I am weak and worn;
Who walks beside me in the fire
As He forms this piece of clay;
Into His Image made with His Hands;
He’s with me all the way.
~So, no matter the storms of life
And trials which ensue;
For it’s the narrow gate
And straitened path
Which make me look like You.
~To yield to You, and You, Alone,
Is the least that I can do.
~Crista Simmons 4/4/07

Dearly Beloved....as the Lord gave me this poem, it occurred to me that the word "trial" and "trail" are so similar in spelling, yet so very different in meaning. Reverse the ai-ia combination and voila!...a different word. But it is on the trails of life that we experience the trials, also. The "straitened" path means compressed by pressure...."The Winepress of Heaven"....to squeeze the flesh out of us...so that He may fill us with His new wine. Wine is only produced through pressure. Through the pressures on the trails of our lives, may we be filled with His new wine....the image of Christ....for His Glory. We must decrease....He must increase....Be blessed today.

A Rose in Winter

"A Rose in Winter"

Crista Simmons 9/24/15

"Come with Me as we make our way through the waist deep, soft, fluffy snow."

The air is crisp; our breath hanging like lace curtains against a backdrop of sunlit blue sky.

"Come with Me, for I have a surprise for you; something you would never think you would ever see during a season such as this."

"Come over here, My love.  I know the fierce winter winds which have howled against your soul like a pack of hyenas closing in for their kill.

I know it is difficult to find food in the frozen earth below,

yet your body was not ready for such a hearty fill.

So I opened My hand to allow you to eat the tiny grains of mustard seed ;

cupped and protected for you only.

You have felt helpless and alone, with no where to go.

But I tell you the truth, I have never left your side; even when you thought I wasn't there.

Look before you, My love.

Do you see this gorgeous pink rose?

Roses don't normally grow in winter, do they.

See how tender it's petals are.

Look at its diamonds sparkling in the sun."

"This is IMPOSSIBLE!," you exclaim.

"I want you to look very closely, My love; for this is how I see you. 

The tender, soft petals represent your heart.

The diamonds are the tears which I've seen you cry when you thought no one was watching.

You are a beautiful, radiant rose who has endured this winter of your life.

For you are far more beautiful to Me than you think you are.

Yet it is My loving and never-ending thoughts of you

 which consume Me with every beat of My heart.

I AM your Faithful and True Lover of your heart and soul.

I hold your heart as tenderly in My hands as you would a fallen bird.

You look upon the beauty of this rose in disbelief.

You are astounded, and with tears softly trailing down your cheeks,

you can only wonder how this can be.

It is because nothing is impossible with Me.

I AM THE ONE who makes you whole.

I AM THE ONE who gives you beauty for your ashes.

I AM THE ONE who tenderly wraps you in My garment of praise for your spirit of heaviness.

I AM THE ONE who has delivered you.

I AM THE ONE who loves you with an everlasting love, and nothing, absolutely nothing, separates you from My love; both for now and forever.

You My Precious child are My Rose in Winter."
Your Forever Love,
Jesus

THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF LOVE IN AND THROUGH THE LIFE OF EVERY BELIEVER IN CHRIST!

Bob Jones, a true prophet of God, passed away this year on Valentine's Day. I have had the privilege of seeing him in person and hearing Bob speak. He was an unassuming man with a quiet, humble, loving and gentle demeanor.

I encourage you to read the following posting in how Bob Jones described his time in heaven in 2006. While there, Jesus asked Bob, "Did you learn to love?" This is a very sobering message and wake-up call to THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST. The Lord took Bob to Heaven to show him the importance of love and choosing various gods which professing Believers served.

James 3:20-21 "For if our hearts condemns us, God is greater than our hearts and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God." (NKJV)

And at the end of 1 Cor. 12 where the Apostle Paul was speaking to them about spiritual gifts and being one in Christ in His Body, He wrote at the end of Chap. 12:31 "But earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the highest gifts and the choicest graces). And yet I will show you a still more excellent way [one that is better by far and the highest of them all -- love]. Then he writes the "love chapter" in 1 Cor. 13 and ends it by stating, "And so faith, hope , love abide [faith-conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love-true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest is love." (Amp.)

Gal. 5:6 "For [if we are] in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision accounts for anything, but only faith activated and expressed and working through love."

The two greatest commandments are to love God first and to love our neighbor as ourselves. And that INCLUDES blessing those who curse us and loving our enemies.

Matt. 6:44-45 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for thosse who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven;...."

"Dear Father God, Please change me into the image of Your Son who shines with the glory of Your love so that You may be glorified on the earth.  Amen"

2006 Bob Jones Prophecy Still Stirs Many

charismamag.com

Prophet Bob Jones passed away earlier this month, but some of his prophetic words are still impacting those who followed his ministry.

Herald of His Kingdom

Saints, 
This is the website link of my dear and precious friend, Clo DiPilato. I pray you are blessed by what you "taste and see". Oh, that I had all the time I wanted to chew on every morsel offered here. Be sure that Clo, who is especially gifted in the prophetic, has gone through the fire and emerged in the declarative power of the Holy Ghost. 
Blessings always,
Crista 

http://www.heraldofhiskingdom.com/index.html

WE ARE VICTORS IN CHRIST! THE LORD MIGHTY IN BATTLE!

I had a series of 3 dreams last night that I feel led to share with you:
Dream #1 - Dreamed I was in a sanctuary where the True Gospel was being preached. Someone had brought his mother w/ him and I happened to come nearby. She was all huffy, b/c she deemed her religious beliefs more correct than what she'd just heard about confession of sin, repentance and then inviting Jesus into our heart and lives. And then I looked her square in the eye and said very firmly, "If you do not take heed to what you just heard, then you have sealed your fate in hell." And then I walked away.

Dream #2: I was standing in the hallway listening to a conversation w/ three other people, one of whom confessed to being a Christian. Then the topic of Darwinism came up for discussion, and I turned and left the group. The man who claimed to be a Christian ran up to me and asking why I left the group. And I just told him that I was not listening to that hogwash....And I knew in my spirit that he knew in his spirit that I was right; which led to this man's conviction and repentance before God.

Dream #3 There were two men, one with a gun who intended to shoot and kill me. At the end, the man without the gun had bowed his heart before heaven, repented and asked Jesus to be his Savior - while the man with the gun fled.

Saints, we ARE in the last days and we need to be fully equipped with the sword of the Spirit in season and out, b/c there is so much nonsense flying around out there.  And we MUST be prepared at all times to put the enemy to flight; binding him and casting him out by the power in the Name of Jesus Christ and by the shed Blood of the Lamb! And then to pray the Holy Spirit into that situation. We are to bind the spirits of darkness over the unsaved and situations where the devil and his demons are causing problems, stress and strife in another Believer. We are to PRAY THE PRAYER OF BINDING AND LOOSING BY THE POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH AND BY THE SHED BLOOD OF THE LAMB!

Sometimes it is easy to say, "I will pray for you", and then forget to pray for them...when what they really need is a Holy Ghost filled prayer right now in Jesus' Name. We are so in need of sharing a rhema word and power filled prayer from the Holy Ghost to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ to encourage their faith and intercede for them when they are exhausted and need our faith; for a strand of three cords is not easily broken.

One of my Sisters in Christ was at a retreat and the leader said, "Look at your neighbor and tell them 'You Are About To Come Out." So I turned to my Sister who was just going through so much hell at the time, looked her square in the eye, and proclaimed, "You ARE about to come out!" She began to tear up, b/c she needed that rhema word from the Lord. Then a couple months later as I was praying for her, the Holy Spirit said, "You tell her that her breakthrough is just around the corner." Another rhema word given to her. And do you know, I think it was about two weeks, when her burdens, shackles and chains came off and she was praising the Lord from whom all blessings flow. Now, after coming through all that fire, she is a powerful woman of God, filled with the Holy Ghost who is victorious in Christ!

Cast out and break off those demons in the power of Jesus' Name and by the power of His Blood! And if you need someone to pray for you, ask God to help you in your time of trouble. "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear." Is. 59:1
Listen to this Gospel hymn the Holy Spirit wants you to hear and take into your spirit. 
He loves you so much and lifts you this day in His love.
Jesus, before we close today, I ask You to lay Your hands upon each of Your servants reading this posting.  I pray You anoint each person afresh and send Your rhema word into their life.  Thank You.  In Your blessed Name we pray.  Amen and Amen.  And we vow to give You all the praise, honor and glory.
God's Blessings to you this day,
Crista~
Num. 6:24-26
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbE3Rmfhtz4

Come to Me

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] Take My hyoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blesses quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good--not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne." Matt. 11:28-30

I invite you to listen to John Michael Talbot sing this scripture.
Be blessed. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjEtuJK1PpI

Nothing But The Blood!

Nothing But The Blood!

I just feel a groaning in my spirit today...a longing and an ache from the Holy Spirit....THE BLOOD, THE BLOOD, THE BLOOD! Nothing redeems our souls from the doom of the pit of hell, but the BLOOD of Jesus! And as I type, I hear The Holy Spirit say: "Oh that My Church would return to the message of My Blood as the propitiation of sins to bring you into fellowship with The Father. For lo, I have said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to TIhe Father, except by Me." John 14:6. 

There is only One Way to Victory and that is through Jesus Christ, Hallelujah!. As we look to entering the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, let us remember that He came to shed His Blood so that we would be free from the law of sin and death. Glory to the Lamb of God! Thank You, Jesus for setting me free.

If the Lord so tarries, I would like the following hymns sung at the celebration of my Homegoing; for once I was lost and doomed to hell, but He sought me and found me and set me free from the wages of death, hell and the grave. Hallelujah! Thank You, Jesus!

Nothing But the Blood

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon, this I see,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
For my cleansing this my plea,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Naught of good that I have done,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
This is all my righteousness,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Now by this I’ll overcome—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Glory! Glory! This I sing—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus,
All my praise for this I bring—
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
Oh! precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Victory In Jesus

1.I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from Glory
How He gave His life on Calvary, to save a wretch like me.
I heard about his groaning, of his precious blood's atoning,
Then I repented of my sins, and won the Victory.

CHORUS
Oh, Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and he bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to Victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

2. I heard about His healing, of His cleansing power revealing.
How He made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, "Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit.",
And some how Jesus came and brought to me the Victory.

CHORUS

3. I heard about a mansion He has built for me in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond the crystal sea;
About the angels singing, and the old redemption story,
And some sweet day I'll sing up there the song of Victory!

CHORUS
Oh, Victory in Jesus, my Savior forever
He sought me and he bought me with His redeeming blood
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love is due Him
He plunged me to Victory, beneath the cleansing flood.

How Big Is Your Robe?

This morning while praying for a friend that the Lord open the floodgates of Heaven and pour down such blessing that there wouldn't be room enough to receive it....He continued my prayer by bringing to mind...."pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]." (Amp., Matt. 6:38)

Then the Lord spoke: "How big is your robe?"  This was not only a question the Lord wanted to ask her, but for myself and I believe the Body of Christ. 

And what the Lord put on my heart this morning was "How much are we anticipating the blessings He has in store to give to us?"  Are we anticipating His opening of the windows of Heaven above us, or are we anticipating just a little trickle?

I'm looking at this for my own heart to now pray in anticipation and thankfulness for what the Lord is doing in the situation for which I continue to pray.  I am opening the bosom of my robe to expect an overflowing of all the Lord has in His answer to my prayers and in intercession for others. 

Would you like to join me in opening the bosom of your robe?  Sometimes it is difficult when we've been praying so long about a situation, and it seems that the answer will never come.  But reflect and remind God of His promises He's made to you....and if His promise was acccording to His Word, then you can trust you heard from Him.  Maybe the Lord wants to bring someone to join you in prayer and believing God for your deepest prayers.  For where two or more are gathered in His Name, there He is in the midst of us.  Praise God! 

Come to Him with thankfulness for what He's already done in the heavenly realm.  Ask Him to show you the answer to your prayer....for we are to fight the good fight...and the purpose of prophecy is for spiritual warfare. 1Tim. 1:18

Maybe you're saying to yourself that what you're praying seems impossible considering the present circumstances....Rrealize that God not only sees the present, but He sees the future.  He sees the answer to your prayer in the Heavenly realm. 

Approach His Throne of grace with confidence and thanksgiving for He is not slack concerning His promises, and the God of all peace shall soon put satan under our feet.  Hallelujah!  This means that we can cover the situation with the Blood of Jesus and pray in confidence that He hears us knowing that His arm is not too short that it cannot save.

So let's go to His Throne of grace and mercy and compassion together. 
Father, I lift ___________ to You, today in the Name of Jesus Christ, Your Son, who has defeated all our enemies at the Cross.  I plead the Blood of Jesus over _________ knowing that Your Blood defeats the enemy.  And satan, I rebuke you in the life/situation of ____________ and cancel all your plans against ________; binding all the demons in hell whom you've assigned against _____________, and I declare the righteousness of God over ____________.
Thank You, Father for Your answer for I trust You to bring Your heavenly plan and purpose into ______________.  And Lord, I am putting on the biggest robe available that you pour down such blessing that there is not room enough to contain it.  I receive all that You have in store, in Jesus' Name.  For You have promised to do exceedingly, abundantly above all I ask or think according to the power that works in us. (Eph. 3:20)  Lord, I acknowledge that the power in me is the power of the Holy Spirit and Your promises are Yea and Amen.  Hallelujah!  Praise You, Jesus for Your manifestation of this prayer and I vow to give You all the praise, glory and honor.  In Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.

Be blessed this day.
Ever yours in Christ,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com

The Promise of Spring

Sometimes like Mr. Tumnus in "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe", we feel as if it will be "always Winter; never Spring".  But let the Holy Spirit bring refreshment and encouragement to your heart this day.  For I don't know the circumstances you're going through, but He does.  And He loves you so much that He wants you to know that He's never left you, that He has you in the palm of His hand and you are under the shadow of His wing.  He is here to speak tenderly to you in your winter season.  And as a child of God, an heir of His salvation, He takes the time to send you an "Heir mail" message during your time of tribulation and trials. 

I found myself pondering the upcoming Winter season here in Michigan and how Winter has always been a very dark place for me emotionally.  In short, it's not my favorite season of the year.  Difficult driving, cold and gloomy days just don't create a happy place in my heart.

Yet, as I continued to ponder, a thought occurred that with Winter comes the promise of Spring; to look beyond Winter this year and focus on our upcoming Springtime.  I just love Spring!  As soon as the crocuses start popping their multi-colored heads through the snow and the mourning dove begins to coo, I know that Spring is almost ready to display her fresh, new, lush displays of colors from every color spectrum as flowers bloom, grasses green and trees bud.

One of my favorite verses is found in Song of Solomon, Chap. 2:10-13 "My beloved spoke, and said to me: 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land." 

And then we turn back to Ps. 23:1-2 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul...."

The writer of Ecclesiastes puts it this way in Chap. 3:1, "To everything there is a season, a time for every matter or purpose under heaven;...."

After years and years of one trial after another, and much weariness, we are in a new season of our lives.  My oldest son is about to be married in March...in the Spring.  We are overjoyed for them!  My youngest son is attending culinary school and seems to have never been happier.  After years of physical ailments and surgeries one after the other, I am finally pain free and off all narcotics!  The Lord seems to be ushering in a new season of life for our family, and I've been searching His heart in deeper measure.

I can't tell you that I prayed everyday during these many trials.  For four years I turned my back on the Lord, but by His grace and mercy, He restored me to Himself, and since that time, have continued to look to Him for His grace during my life.  I would pray, but my prayers seemed very weak and pitiful.  I thank God for the people in my life who prayed faithfully for me and my family over the past two decades during the dry, desert times...which were many and seemed unending.

But what I also learned through these times is how the Lord remembers that He made us out of dust. Jesus lived in an earthly body, so He knows how it feels to "go through life" on this earth.  He experienced much more than we ever have...unto the shedding of His blood...which we have not had to suffer.  But in understanding our human frailties, He now sits at the right hand of God, The Father, ever making intercession for the saints.  This means that no matter your circumstances, Jesus is praying for you before God, The Father.  I've also learned that "Jesus, Help!" is a prayer.  And I learned that when I was too weary, the Lord in His goodness, mercy and compassion, gave me scriptures to encourage my heart along the way.

But now, there is a shift.  Not just a change in events, but I sense a newness and a shift in my heart; that the Lord is doing a "new thing" in our lives.  Is. 43:18-19 states, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I will do a new thing.  Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?  I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."     

So as I reflected on our many, many years of trial, I thought of others who are experiencing tribulations and how sometimes, hope of emerging at all, let alone intact, seems less than a fading glimmer.  But He's here to encourage your heart.

I posted the following on Facebook yesterday:
"Sensing someone needs encouragement this day....For those of you whom God is taking you through a season of trials (months - years...getting through one trial only to surface as the next tidal wave hits), the Valley of Achor, the Valley of the Shadow of Death, "always Winter; never Spring", where there seems as if there will be no end....know that there will be a day coming of rich fulfillment. Our task is to stay obedient and...faithful to the Lord and not turn away as the devil would have us to do.

We have a choice in the Valley....we can choose to turn our back on God, or we can look to Him as one who sticks closer than a brother. For there WILL BE a day when He brings you OUT OF THE FIRE to rich fulfillment as is His promise in Ps. 66:10-13 (Amp.) "For You, O God, have proved us; You have tried us as silver is tried, refined, and purified. You brought us into the net (the prison fortress, the dungeon); You laid a heavy burden upon our loins. You caused men to ride over our heads [when we were prostrate]; we went through fire and through water, but You brought us out into a broad, moist place [to abundance and refreshment and the open air]." The NKJV describes this as a "place of fulfillment".

Rejoice and be glad for He has not forgotten you. You are in the palm of His hand, and as He takes you through His plan, no weapon formed against you shall prosper!"

Praise God and Praise God!  He alone is taking you through His plan for your life for His Kingdom Glory.  And while He takes you through, nothing, absolutely nothing separates you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 

Isaiah 60:20 gives us hope in the midst of winter: "Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light and the days of your mourning shall be ended."

Rejoice and be glad dear child of the living God for He SHALL bring you into rich fulfillment and He gives you the promise of Spring in Jesus' Name.  Hallelujah!  Praise God!

Ever yours in Christ,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com

Under the Shadow of My Wing

I feel compelled of the Lord to write to you this morning to encourage your heart that the Lord has not left you for His promises are yea and amen.  One of His greatest promises to you is that He will never ever, no, not ever leave you or forsake you.  Heb. 13:5.  He IS with us always; even in our point of despair.

Let me share with you that my husband and I were in the midst of a very turbulent time in our marriage.  The traumatic experience triggered my PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and I went in to full blown anxiety and chemical depression.

Chemically in my body, I began to slide emotionally.  I struggled to keep myself together and continue to function in life and my piano teaching job, but life within me began to shut down in an attempt for self-preservation.  My anxieties grew to the point of being overwhelmed and life seemed like one big tidal wave slamming into my heart and emotions.  I wanted a place to escape, but could find none.  Fear gave way to panic.  Thoughts of suicide caused me to panic even more.  I knew that as a Christian, suicide was wrong and would send me to hell.  Yet, I felt increasingly unable to control my emotions let alone my actions.

It was at this point that I became so despondent, I didn't even know in my heart if God still loved me, because I'd bottomed out into such a deep pit...the deep pit of miry clay and despair.  I despaired of my life; no longer able to see beyond my overwhelming pain.  I felt so alone.  No one to really admit how I was feeling.  Oh yes, I called a couple very close friends to ask for prayer, but I never admitted how close to the edge I was....yet, they had figured it out anyhow.
(How I thank God for praying friends who will pray without being asked!!!)

I had driven to a small park down by the river wondering what it would be like to throw myself into the swirling rapids and drown.....Sitting there, I cried out to God, "PLEASE let me know that YOU LOVE ME!  It was within seconds of ending this prayer that a friend called me who lived 800 miles away.  My heart rejoiced!  The Lord answered by having Becky call me.  A glimmer of hope.  Thank You, Jesus for Your swift answer.  (He says to call to Him and He WILL answer. Jer. 33:3)

From there I attended our church's prayer service.  Kneeling and sobbing before the Lord, He said in His still small voice, "Crista, I shall keep you covered under the shadow of my wing and care for you as a mother hen cares for her chicks."  I continued to sob and sob from my great pain, but I knew God was in the midst of my storm.  Just as Jesus said when He looked out over Jerusalem, He was now comforting me with His promise from Ps. 91 that I was under the shadow of His wing. 

Why would I, a Spirit-filled believer in Jesus Christ, admit to such a thing?  Because sometimes we experience emotional pain to such a severity that we hardly dare to admit to ourself let alone someone else....Because sometimes our bodies take us into an emotional emergency due to chemical imbalances.  And like a heart attack or diabetic coma, we need emergent treatment.  (I'm not talking about a bad case of the blues, I am talking about full blown clinical depression out of which a person cannot bring themselves out.

Medical intervention for psychiatric problems does not connote faithlessness.
I believe quite the opposite is true.  It takes "Jesus Help!" faith to cry out to Him for help and then to do as He directs.  And for me, it was to a psychiatric hospital where I could get physical and emotional help in my time of need.  The pain of depression was as if  I'd entered an excruciating cocoon.  Hurting and feeling so alone.

I thank God I had the presence of mind to schedule an appointment with a therapist.  My husband and I were also meeting with our pastor, but with my body's chemistry now altered, I needed medical intervention.

At my first appointment, my therapist recommended that I enter an out-patient partial hospitalization program at the psychiatric hospital.  I packed my bag and moved in with friends for a week while I attended the hospital program. 

It was there that I came face to face with the diagnosis I'd heard before:
MDD....Major Depressive Disorder with anxiety.  This was my third hospitalization since 1990.  This type of depression has a genetic component, and I knew enough about my family history to know that my German birth mother and two sisters had suffered from depression and emotional issues.  Medication has now become a part of my life, just as my blood pressure and cholesterol medications.  I thank God for the medication He's provided to keep me in chemical balance.  I thank God for psychiatric care workers.  I thank God for my husband and praying friends who saw what I couldn't at the time.  It's been five months now since my hospitalization and I can truly say that I now feel well!  Hallelujah! 

In closing, this is God's promise to us that "He who dwells in the secret place shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Ps. 91:1 And in Ps. 91:4 "He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge."

Ps. 18:6 "In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God.  He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears."

Deut. 33:26-27 "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you.  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.  He will thrust out the enemy from before you, and will say, 'Destroy!' "

Know this, that no matter how deep your pit, Jesus is deeper still for nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from His love.

Be encouraged this day that no matter how much your storm is raging right now, that He is with you and will deliver you for He is no respector of persons.  What He did for me, He will do for you.  And by all means, if you need professional help, seek it. 

"Lord, please encourage the ones who find themselves in a raging storm.  Reach down from heaven to touch them, for your arm is not too short that it cannot save.  Lord, fulfill your promise that underneath are your everlasting arms and you cover these hurting ones with your feathers; for You will care for them as a mother hen cares for her chicks."  Thank You, Jesus.  Amen and amen."

Ever yours in His love and mine,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com

New Life After Brokenness

Dear Reader,
This morning the Lord was encouraging my heart after a year of heartbreak and personal issues.  I had grown weary, feeling broken and empty.  I asked the Lord to renew and refresh my spirit.

This morning, He said, "It is I who use your brokenness for My Glory.  As the woman who poured pure nard over my feet and washed them with her tears; she first broke the container.  Then the aroma filled the room.  So will I use your brokennes as a sweet smelling savor for My Glory.  Be of good cheer.  Stay the course.  I shall renew the places in your heart which feel void; for I am The One who takes nothing and makes something out of it for My good."

It was then that I read this current posting by my friend, Becky Porter.   I just love it when God confirms His prophetic word.  Read it and be encouraged.  God knows our brokenness and out of it, He will give new life.

Blessings and love always,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com

September 16, 2012

Healing, Brokenness and Transformation

By Becky Porter

I hear the Lord saying: You are in a season of healing, brokenness and transformation. You need to go through this refining process before I release you into the new places I have prepared for you. I know at times it has been very painful, but it is a necessary part of the process you must go through. If you realized all that has already been accomplished you would rejoice! Be encouraged, for you have made great progress and are much further along than you realize!

Excerpt from a prophetic Word the Lord gave me in 2004:

I see a vision of us in the spin cycle of a washing machine. As we spin around, the things of the flesh are being spun off (wrung out) of us, just as water is wrung out of clothes in a washing machine. This is nothing to fear, it just simply means that God is going to be setting us free from some things. The more quickly we submit and surrender to the Lord’s “surgery”, the more quickly we will pass the test and be able to move on to the next level that He has for us. Some people wrestle with God their entire lives and fight this embracing of the cross (the process of dying to the flesh), and because of this, God can never FULLY use these people, and they never truly fulfill all of the call and destiny that God has for them.

In John 12:24, the Lord says, “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Life is in the grain. However, there is a shell outside of the grain, a very powerful shell. As long as this shell does not break open, the grain cannot grow. “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies.” What is this death? It is the action of the temperature and moisture of the earth upon the grain, which results in the breaking of the shell. When the shell breaks, the grain grows. Therefore, it is not a matter of whether or not the grain has life, but whether the outer shell is broken. Just as with the alabaster flask that had to be broken open before the costly perfume could be poured forth, so it is with us. God has to break the hard and rigid shell of flesh off of us before His life can truly spring forth and be poured forth from our lives in purity. How does this breaking occur? God uses many various ways to get rid of our flesh, (our self-life) – He has a way of making the environment just right – He sets the flames to the exact right temperature as He “bakes” our clay vessels, and just when we feel it is too hot and we can’t take anymore, He lowers the temperature and lets us cool off and rest awhile before He takes the flames yet even higher. Is it painful? Yes, VERY painful! But the end result is that we become a pure vessel of honor that God can use for His glory! After God has removed the dross and impurities from our lives, His reflection, His glory, His goodness, His mercy, His compassion, His love, His authority and His power can now be seen, and the precious, costly, sweet fragrance of Christ is now able to pour forth freely from us - unhindered!

Becky Porter

lovetoencourage@yahoo.com

Of Humility and Faith

Dear Readers,
It is great to be back in writing mode after a long hiatus.  Medical issues and a hip replacement have complicated my writing time and thought processes, but I'm now back in the saddle and it feels good; for I've missed writing to you.

I've just finished reading a very compelling little book called, "Small Man of Nanataki", by Liam Nolan. (Available through Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Small+Man+of+Nanataki+by+Liam+Nolan)  This is a true story of a Japanese Lutheran pastor, named "Uncle John" - Kiyoshi Watanabe, who risked his life to provide comfort and needed supplies to his country's enemies in POW camps.  It is not a long book, but quite short in comparison to the novels of our time.

Throughout the book, I have been impressed by two profound qualities of Uncle John: his humility and his faith in spite of his feelings.

Uncle John took no stock in himself or his own abilities.  When faced with someone who would thank him for his bravery, he would only give God the glory.  Why?  Because he was absolutely scared spitless and knew he could have only accomplished his assignment by the power of God. 

Uncle John was a Japanese civilian, recruited by his country's army to serve as a civilian interpreter during WWII.  The Japanese held their British POWs in absolute death camps; treating them less than animals, and Uncle John was assigned the task of translating some poor soldier's replies during many a tortuous beating. 

Thusly, he became ashamed of how his own countrymen treated the POWs.
God had already postured this man's heart as so humble before Him, that He knew He could use Uncle John to smuggle medical supplies and various other products into the POW camp which would serve to alleviate some of the suffering of the men.

Through the meeting of a British POW's wife, Nellie, Uncle John became acquainted with Dr. Selwyn-Clarke who secretly carried medical supplies for
the POW camp's infirmary.  It was during these smugglings that Uncle John issued only one request.  And that was for Nellie's three children to pray for him.  Not an adult, but the children.  I believe it is because he understood the purity and belief of a child's heart and thusly the power of their prayers.

It was the prayers of the children which carried Uncle John through every article he smuggled in for the POW's. He was scared beyond scared that he would be caught "in the act" by the Japanese soldiers minding the camp.  So scared in fact that his body would tremble and he would almost pass out from fear.  He knew what awaited a traitor's punishment if discovered.  Yet Uncle John's compassion for his country's enemies compelled him to continue time and again.

He would take no credit for any of his accomplished missions, but would silently leave a room while a POW opened his package of pen and paper on which to draw, or any of the others who would wish to bestow accolades of praise upon him.  He would always defer and give glory to God who made the mission possible.

I was so deeply impressed by his humility that I did a very short study of humility.  According to The American Heritage Dictionary, humility is:
1) Unselfish concern for the welfare of others
2) Total absence of arrogance, conceit, and haughtiness
3) Total abstinence from self, aggrandizement
(Aggrandizement means to make oneself greater - to promote oneself.)

And that's where I stopped....at the word "aggrandizement" - the promoting of oneself.  Isn't that what we see today?  The commercial promotion of this ministry or that ministry; this person or that?  And somehow we come to the conclusion that if we don't reach this type of level in our own calling that somehow we have missed the proverbial boat.  When indeed, humility is the exact opposite of what we see today in who is being promoted at a certain conference or in the media.

We may think that the person who prays the loudest or has the most eloquent verbage in their prayers are the ones who pray the most anointed prayers.  We may think that only certain people are called when in fact we are all called to work together in the Body of Christ.

Let's look at 1 Cor. 12:22-23.  In this Chapter, the Apostle Paul is describing spiritual gifts and the Body of Christ.  He writes:  "No, much rather, those members of the body, which seem to be weaker are nesseary.  And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty."

In Philippians 2:5-7, the Apostle Paul writes about humility and the humility of Christ: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men."

We can conclude therefore, that since Christ humbled Himself, we too are to live humbly.  Humility is therefore to be a hallmark trait of all Christians. 
And hallmark means quality, excellence or conspicuous.

And finally faith....Most of us can quote Hebrews 11:1 about faith "being the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen", or Corinthians 5:7 "walking by faith and not by sight".

Uncle John did not have faith in himself.  He did not even have faith that he would succeed in his missions, but only as God so deemed.  As we look at Uncle John's life, he had faith in only One, God Himself.  He trusted God to do the impossible if God so desired. 

His compassion for his enemies compelled him to act.  Are we not to do the same?  Love our enemies, bless and do not curse, do not repay evil for evil, but in so far as it is possible, to live in peace with all men.

As Uncle John, may we so determine in our hearts to live in humility and faith.

"Father, where I have not been humble or looking to You, forgive me.  Cleanse my heart of any unrighteous attitudes before You.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may live in humility of heart and trusting only You to do the impossible in this life You've given me to fulfill on this earth for as long as You have so determined.  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen."

Blessings always,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com

P.S If you are interested in further reading a compelling book about the injustices of the POW camps in Japan and finally redemption, there is also a book called, "Unbroken", by Lauren Hillenbrand.  It can be found at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Unbroken

A Must See - Nick Vijucic

Nick Vijucic, born without arms or legs, is an inspirational speaker and preacher.  He preaches the Word in might and power to deliver God's Truth.  Watching and listening to him, I knew where he'd "been"...the despair that can hit, but then repenting, turning to the Lord; for only the joy of the Lord is our strength.
For no matter our need, Jesus Christ is always The Answer for He Is THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE.  No one person(s), things or activities can ever replace the fulfillment Jesus desires to be in our lives.  And He's always there to pull us back up to our feet when we have fallen; for He is our gentle Shepherd who desires that not one sheep be lost. 
 
Watching this video left my heart stirred to ask the Lord....What am I praying for....His will or mine?
 
"Lord, I ask You to bless and minister to the person watching this video today of Your servant, Nick.  Lord, I ask that You encourage their heart as only You are able to do.  Quicken their heart and bring life to the areas which have become deadened through hardship and trials.  Lord, where there is no hope, bring Hope.  Where there are hurts, bring healing.  Where there is a false understanding of who You are, bring Your Truth.  And Lord, in all things, we ask that You be glorified and magnified for Your Glory.  Amen and Amen."

Please watch and let the Holy Spirit minister to you as He so desires.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ91fYMqR10

Blessings always,
Crista

BREAKTHROUGH PRAYER!

Dear Reader,
After the past two postings and the comments received and my own personal prayers that I've been praying, I sense in the Spirit that MANY in the Body of Christ have been praying prayers for years and have still not seen the long awaited breakthrough.  Many of you are holding God's promises in your hearts of what you have heard from the Lord and seen in visions which He has given you....and still you wait.  You KNOW that NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD....and you wait.  I wait for answers to prayers too, just like you....some have been prayed for 15 years or more....


Well today...we're praying for BREAKTHROUGH!  Through Christ, we are His children and by the Blood of Christ, we may come boldly before His Throne in time of need.  Within many of us, He's put the yearning and the longing for expansion....for more than where we are right now....We know we are to be content in Christ; but there exists this passion within us to expand....to bless others in far greater measure than where we are right now.  As Jabez prayed, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!", you want this with your whole heart.  Jabez's name meant: "Pain".  His mother born him in pain, and named him pain.  Some of us feel as if all we've ever had to deal with is the pain of not being what we would have liked, the pain of our past staring us full in the heart, the pain of unanswered prayer....for hope deferred makes the heart sick.


God has given you a promise for expansion and even told you to enlarge the place of your tent, but you have YET to experience His promise that He gives us in Isaiah 54:1-4 "Sing, O barren, You who have not borne!  Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not labored with child!  For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman, says the Lord.  Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strenthen your stakes, for you shall expand to the right and to the left, ......" 


No longer are we content to hear.....we want to EXPERIENCE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD TO BLESS OTHERS IN GREATER MEASURE....IN OVERFLOW.   We are praying for breakthrough in that as the Song of Solomon states in Chapter 2:11-12...."For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.".....You want to hear the voice of the Lord afresh....You want to KNOW that the winter of your prayer time is over and now there will come forth A BURST OF NEW LIFE into the winter of your prayers!  You long to hear the voice of the turtledove announcing Springtime to the situation for which you have labored and travailed.  "GOD!  HEAR MY PRAYER!", you have cried.


As Psalm 123:1-3 declares, your heart cries out, "Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.  Behold, as the eyes of the servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.  Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us."


This morning, the Lord took me to the following verses from the Amplified:
Ps. 34:4 "I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."
Ps. 33: 18-22 "Behold, the Lord's eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and lovingkindness.  To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield.  For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name.  Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You." 


We have prayed....We have hoped....and now, we are going to go boldly before His Throne of grace this day, to pray for His breakthrough anointing in your life by the power of the Holy Spirit, because His Word in Zech. 4:4 declares, "Not by might nor power, but by My Spirit....says the Lord of hosts."


Let us pray:
"Father, I come boldly before Your Throne of Grace in time of need through the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ whose Blood redeemed us and paid for our sins. 
I come Father on behalf of Your Sons and Daughters and myself who have been praying long and travailing prayers for years.  Lord, we know that You are sovereign and we do not attempt to know Your plans, but Lord, You have given us promises....year after year...and we have yet to see the fulfillment of Your promises.  Lord, we have been faithful to ask, seek and knock....and to pray in the Spirit with groans that we cannot understand...but Lord, it has still remained winter to our prayers and we long to hear the turtledove once more in the land.  Lord, we long for Spring to come to our prayers for which we have labored.  Lord, You have told us to ask.  So Lord, we are asking.
As Moses stretched out his rod over the Red Sea and it parted, so do I, right now in the Spirit realm, by the Person and Power and anointing of the Holy Spirit, stretch out the Rod of Righteousness, Who IS JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, over each and every unanswered prayer of your saints, myself included, to declare BREAKTHROUGH IN THE HEAVENLY REALM FOR YOUR ANSWERS TO COME TO THE EARTH TO PART THE WATERS FOR LONG AWAITED BARREN ANSWERS TO PRAYERS TO BE MANIFESTED ON THE EARTH - FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD, BUT AGAINST PRINICPALITIES AND POWERS, AGAINST THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS AGE, AGAINST THE SPIRITUAL HOSTS OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.  THEREFORE, I LIFT THE SHIELD OF FAITH ABOVE MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO QUENCH ALL THE FIREY DARTS OF THE EVIL ONE AND I TAKE THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT TO SEVER ALL PLANS OF THE ENEMY AGAINST YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS AND PLEAD THE BLOOD OF JESUS OVER EACH AND EVERY PRAYER PRAYED THAT LORD, YOU YOURSELF WILL INTERVENE AND MANIFEST YOUR ANSWER ON THE EARTH AS IT IS DONE IN HEAVEN.  LORD, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, I DECLARE THAT HEAVEN SHALL INVADE EARTH WITH THE MIGHT AND POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SPLIT THE RED SEAS AND THAT OUR ENEMIES WHOM WE SEE THIS DAY, WE SHALL SEE NO MORE, FOREVER IN JESUS NAME!

In completion, as the priests raised the trumpets to their mouths and blew at the Lord's command through Joshua, so do I life the trumpet to my mouth to blow the wind of the Holy Spirit into your situation....I sound the trumpet to announce in the heavenly realm to our enemies that they ARE DEFEATED IN JESUS' NAME...THE NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES WHO HUMILIATED THEM AT THE CROSS IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM!  HALLELUJAH!  I BLOW THE TRUMPET - THE SHOFOR OVER YOU AND YOUR PRAYERS!!!!!

Father, I pray You loving-kindness and mercy be displayed to each and every person reading this prayer, this day, in Jesus' Name, so be it.  Amen and Amen, Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Amen.  To God be the Glory, both now and forevermore.  Amen!'


God bless you, dear one.  God bless you.
Ever yours in Christ,
Crista
CMSimmons52@aol.com