Wednesday, April 23, 2008

RECENT THOUGHTS FROM HIS PRESENCE

This is a writing I want to share with you all.  Carol is a very close friend to Dick and myself for many years now.  She has encouraged me in my prayer life and I have caught from her the many how to pray and how to keep the Word ever so close to and in my heart.  She is an intercessor and teacher of the Word.  In addition she holds retreats for women and men wherever the Spirit leads. May her writing be a light to many a dark place and an inspiration to those who want to follow Jesus to the end! 

 

Recent Thoughts from His Presence 

By Carol Bo Howell

 

I BELIEVE the Spirit is telling me to share some recent experiences with you.

 

Last evening, as I took communion with the Lord, I began to think of scripture which says that He took His Blood and put it up on the Mercy Seat.

 

I began to wonder, when did He get His Blood back, if He bled for us on the cross?

 

I figured it must have happened when He was born again in the depths of hell.  Then I went to the scripture which says that He told them to "handle" Him, and said to them, "see that a spriit does not have flesh and bones", and suddenly it occurred to me what when I died, at age 26, I had no blood!

 

You may remember me telling some of you that I had an ectopic pregnancy, which meant that the egg developed in the fallopian tube and finally it burst the tube, which burst a major artery as well.  By the time I got to New York Hospital in the ambulance, they put a green oil cloth over my head, preparing me for the morgue, for I had bled to death.  I remember saying, "I am not dead yet", and they gasped, pulled the green oilcloth off, operated on me, and put frozen blood in me asap.

 

When I woke up, COLD, they were looking at me strangely and the doctor saying, " I can not believe you are alive.  I vacuumed out your lower abdomen." The only prayer I knew was "God is great; God is good, let us thank Him for our food: which I prayed FAST!

 

It was right before Christmas, and I remember a nurse sat next to my bed all night, at least I think it was a nurse, (maybe an angel).

 

For some reason I was made aware of the magnitude of this miracle last night, and especially the fact that God supplied His form of Blood until I got some earthly blood.  Seeing that my mind has been normal since then, aside from other organs, which have performed well ever since, ( In particular since I had received the Holy Spirit in 1976) I wonder this—

 

HOW COULD HE DO THIS. WHAT DID HE USE TO GET THE LIFE TO ME AT THIS TIME?  How could Grace legally abound in this moment?

 

Certainly, I was not leading a saintly life in New York City, to say the very least.

 

I worshipped and prayed and asked-

Was it something I have forgotten in my early days?

(I sang all those wonderful Methodist hymns at church).

 

I clearlyt remember as a baby in a basket seeing a lattice above my head and the LIGHT coming through.  I know now it was Jesus.  I can still hear my mother and grandmother and friend Gladys playing bridge at the time.  Song of Solomon 2:9

I remember as a child walking along out on the sand bar in Chatham, MA, and having a cloud engulf me and knowing it was a supernatural peace which enveloped me out there.

 

Was an intercessor praying in unknown obedience at the time I had the operation in NY?

 

Or, was it my Bible-toting beloved grandmother?

 

Was it because God knew that when I heard the TRUTH, I would follow it to the end?

 

But, does He not have to work through man on the earth?

 

As these things popped into my mind, I remembered that the doctors said that I would NEVER have any children because I had only one tube.

 

But three months latter, I was pregnant with Diana, my first of three, in three years!

 

Five years ago I actually visited my first grand daughter just newly born in the very same NY hospital where these words were spoken!!!..........So, is it about our offspring?

 

Why am I saying all of this? I am not sure!  However, this is not just me we are thinking about.  It is about our destiny and the callings we have received from the foundation of the world, Ephesians one.  It is about choices and decisions and the future of God's plan.

 

How much is up to us; how much has been up to God?  What about the "Present Truth"?

 

I guess this is where we each ask God, and make our personal communications with Him.

 

However, I did then, in a flash, during worship, remember that certain young man who was on the left side when I was lying on the operating table in NY Hospital.

 

He said, "JESUS CHRIST, there is no blood pressure!"

 

As I asked the Lord about this, I heard the following;….please GET this.

 

"My Name is entity… A Substance

"When you "Bow before" The Name, you are bowing before A Spiritual Presence

"When you speak My Name ….(as if I were MySelf speaking), (ie., He IS The Word)!!!

The substance of My Name connects with the substance of My Purposes

"When they agree, by My Spirit,-miracles, changes, answers, and actual Life, happen/s.

The Life of God!...Say the Name of Jesus."….((For yourself—for others—who knows where it will take their destiny, or your destiny?) …Study Numbers 6:27, Micah 6:9 here.

 

http://carolbohowell.apostolicnet.com/about.htm

Take a visit with Carol here and read more about her!  She is a awesome women of God!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

The Great Garloo

What is the Great Garloo?

See video at: http://www.youtube.com/watchv=I0p0WRhAp9o

 

Years ago, many years ago, I can remember my sister asking for The Great Garloo for Christmas.  She was about five years old and mystified by the great things Garloo could do, finally a toy that could actually play with you.  But let me tell you, this mechanical robot with a very short leash had very limited maneuvers considering the toys of today.  Matter of fact it was an ugly hard GREEN rubber robot; a real honest to goodness monster.  Needless to say, Janet longed for Christmas morning and was totally overwhelmed to receive it. Our younger brother used to overtake her in a bullish sort of way, then she figured out she could chase him around the house with her new friend and scare the stuffing out of him.  This Garloo of hers turned into a friend and guardian..

 

Do you remember the hellions of my past? (See the Hellion or Holy Terror blog at http://dianneevans.blogspot.com/2008/02/hellion-or-holy-terror.html) Well, they came to visit and broke her Garloo. There was no "I'm sorry".  No one said anything. Our parents did not fix it nor buy her a replacement. It just kind of faded away in time.  My sister was heart broken.  Matter of fact she still remembers to this day (some forty plus years later) how and when it was broken!

 

You might be thinking, so what is the purpose of an old memory, a story?  I am wasting my time reading this!  Hold on, here it comes!

 

You have heard the term: Let go and Let God!  You might have a Garloo in your past.  Perhaps it was something that was treasured. It was your security and friend and someone or ones destroyed it.

 

Today is your opportunity to Let go and Let God!   Forgive those in the past who have robbed you of your peace and allow God to reach in and heal you with His divine love. 

 

Also allow the Father's Love to reach out to those who hurt and offended you.  Break those chains of unforgiveness and bitterness that hold us back from receiving more of God.  It keeps us in bondage and drives wedges between us and God and us and our fellow man.

 

REPEAT:  Lord this silly story brought back memories for me as well.  I ask you to forgive those (name them) who maybe not intentionally, hurt and offended me. Come to me, Father and restore my soul. And bless those with your grace so they also may turn to you in a greater way. AMEN.

 

You might have a Garloo today, something that is taking the place of the Holy Spirit.  It comforts you and is a shield and protector from those who are a bit of a bully.  I say, Let go and Let God.  Let go of that material thing or perhaps person and allow the Holy Spirit take His proper place in your life.  He is your protector and guardian!  He alone will lead you to still waters and infiltrate your soul with His faithful assurance. He alone will provide you with all your needs.

 

Make an appointment with the lover of your soul and ask Him to shed light on those things that take His place.  He will show you and you will respond to His loving embrace.  Letting go and Letting God into our lives is the heart of our Loving Father.  He wants us totally sold out on Himself.  It is time for us to make a way for His entrance.  

 

Love to all, Dianne

Healing Revealed


Healing Revealed!—Excuses and Hang-Ups Exposed

We are all God's children. He loves us all and wants us to be prosperous in all areas in our lives—spiritually and naturally. He loves the heathen as well as the saved. He is no respecter of persons. Yes, we do know all of this.

Let us take a deeper look upon healing--spiritual healings, miraculous healings. When one receives a healing from the Lord shall he hide it under a bushel? Is this not the light of the Lord manifest in healing? Would He give words of knowledge in the realm of healing for no purpose? Does He do these things in jest? I am sure not! Everything is given for His glory and everything is within our reach because of the resurrection power of Jesus! YES and Amen.

Some people are searching for the keys to healing; the perfect set of circumstances in which to receive or to help others receive their healing. No matter how much I contemplate these things, the more I am convinced healing comes to one who is hungry, one who has no reservations, no stops, and no doubts. I see them as one who approaches the Lord as a child running towards their daddy for a hug and kiss to make the world go away. Oh yea, and then there are those who are healed right in the midst of unbelief and corrupt living! He is sovereign, Amen. All things are possible in God.

However, most of our questioning comes when we know the people who are not receiving. In our eyes they are honest, pure, and living right according to the Word of God. Yet God knows all things!

Be still now Marie and quiet your soul. I have heard your prayers and seen your tears for these people and for the multitude of others you have prayed for. There is a "for such a time as this" place for healings and miracles that many do not quite understand. It is not that I do not want everyone healed instantly – but I know what I am doing in each tormented body. Oh, the fragrance that comes from brokenness, the oil of the alabaster jars that are broken before me because of their weakness. There is a fragrance that comes from them that is more valuable to me and to others than a thousand miracles of healing.

When I am asked to pray for a sick loved one, I am honored they have had the courage to ask and I am faithful to pray! But first, I pray for their souls and then for their perfect healing. For I do know, eternity is far more important then the temporal bodies in which we live here..

And yet, it is not my will that any should continue to be afflicted indefinitely by the enemy. Some are just being "reserved" like the blind man born blind from his birth, or the lame man who sat at the gate beautiful, "for such a time as this", for MY glory to be revealed.

I then asked the Lord this question: But, Father some perfectly wonderful saints die in their sickness and pain. How does that bring glory to your name?

Child your thinking is too temporal and not yet eternal enough. Unless a grain of wheat dies there is no harvest. Precious in My sight is the death of my saints, and oh, their reward. The eternal weight of Glory is there's for they know their suffering was for but a moment.

In my life, I know the Lord has commissioned me to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. I actually see them recover before I lay hands on them, sometimes before I even know who they are! Do not get this next statement wrong. My healing was the most spectacular happening in my life and I feel like I am the most privileged person in the world! However, He has shown me that my healing was not so special. It was His work beginning within my life and my body! There are so many others needing the same work! Last Saturday evening we had our monthly Night of Healing here at the Celebration House. It was wonderful to worship with other believers! That night I had several words of knowledge for others to receive their healing so they may begin a more intimate walk with Him.

There was a time I battled with those words of knowledge. Were they from God, me, or even satan? I have come to believe they are from God! And it is my obedience He is looking for. Do I keep the light hidden? Do I expose what is hidden to allow the light in? It is an opportunity for others to stretch their faith and receive far more then a touch, a kiss, or an embrace. They are receiving the Light Himself in a more defined way!

After a time of healing with others, I often pray for the next couple of days for those who the Lord had touched! I pray for their faith to gain strength, for their lives to be clearly commissioned by the Lord, and for the Holy Spirit to be exposed to them in a deeper way!

"There are many in whom death is working in their bodies – they have lost or are loosing the effectiveness of certain areas in their body. But, I am coming soon. I am coming with mercy and grace and healing in my wings. And I will cover them with my wings and healing will come. For some their healing will come and they will live a longer and stronger life. For others healing will come as they cross over and escape their fleshy body and inherit eternal life.

I know what I am doing. Loved ones ministering to the sick are being challenged and changed and I am working in them often healing them of impatience and selfishness. And I am working the fruit of my spirit in them…gentleness, kindness and so much more.

What happens when someone does not receive a healing? What if they received it then lost it? No one here on earth has the answers to all questions. Do I help them look for the reason, excuse, or road block that prohibited them from receiving? NO. All I can do is encourage them with their walk with God and continue to encourage them to believe that the Lord is doing a work and that it will be revealed at the proper time.

It is the Hope of Glory that resides within that leads the way. Do I blame myself? NO. What I do is ask the Lord what is it You are teaching me? Trusting You more? Digging deeper into You, so you can grow My faith?

Most of the time for me is the lesson is about obedience, trusting, and being steadfast to what He has promised me. For me it is being prepared to receive and see the miraculous happen. As for the receiver, they must answer for themselves. That is, if they have the courage.

So what is all of this saying to you? Stop praying for the sick? Stop believing for healing for these dear ones? NO – a resounding NO from my throne is what you are hearing. You always pray – you always believe – you always expect miracles in every area of need. Ask for the miraculous – then trust me to know the best way for the miracle to take place.

For many this earthly life is too important and the things they possess are elevated to a level higher then the Great I AM. Every person, every scientist, religious leader, and spiritualist are looking and searching for the keys to life, health and wealth. For I say, I hold them all. For the heart of man to be open to ME and for their will to comply to MY life and purpose for them. It is your position to lean on Me and listen to the next move. It is My will that you are more dependent on Me and My purpose, then to be leaning on other men and their intellect and their findings. Now is the time for you to step up to the plate that is set on My table for you. For some will call this and that keys and reasons why healing did not occur or why they did! I call it all excuses, According to My Word I have prepared a way and a I have a plan that no man knows but through the Spirit I will lead and guide.

"People think that life only is a miracle, but death too is a miracle – to live forever in the body would be too much for any one to handle on this earth. And remember, I don't interfere with free will. Man's free will often short circuits life spans Man co-operating with the spirit of death himself often causes and early departure. The enemy does not have the power of life and death in himself. He only has the keys that people give him through their words and actions. My heart grieves in ways you can never know over the sin and misery, the bloodshed and evil that still exists in a world that my Son died to redeem. But I would not be a loving Father if I enforced My ways and My will upon my children.."

In conclusion, if the healing does not manifest, it is not of God. If it does and then weakens, do we leak? YES http://dianneevans.blogspot.com/2008/03/to-leak-or-not-all-is-well-with-my-soul.html If you like, take a peak at this journaling. It has come to my understanding if it is not from God then who is it from? Who robs, steals, and tries to destroy our relationships with God our Father and with one another who are walking with the Lord? All healings are for today and forever. Why they are not obtained could be considered an excuse, hang-up, lie, or whatever. It is satan doing his best to distract us from the Glory!

In Him we shall grow and remain forever,

Dianne

The yellow high light is from Marie

The blue is from Robin


Sunday, April 13, 2008

Dealing with Agony

Have you ever felt agony over situations you have faced in life?

 

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground— Luke 22:43, 44

 

Have you ever wondered where all your friends were at a time when you really needed them? They pledged they would be faithful, but when you needed them, they were nowhere to be found! When you needed a loving touch from a close relative, they seemed consumed with their own life. Did you feel abandoned in that moment of need? Jesus Himself confronted that same situation when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion.

 

Jesus felt a need to spend time in intercession so He might have the strength needed to face what lay before Him. He asked Peter, James, and John to come pray with Him.

 

Rarely, if ever, did Jesus need His friends' assistance. Most of the time, they needed His! In this intense moment, Jesus really felt a need to have the three disciples who were closest to Him pray with Him. Jesus asked them to pray for just one hour. Instead of faithfully praying when Jesus desperately needed their support, they kept falling asleep!

 

The mental and spiritual battle Jesus was experiencing that night in the Garden of Gethsemane was intense. In fact, Luke 22:44 says, "And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

 

Agony! What a strong word. I really must say I can remember agonizing over one particular situation in my life. It was concerning a word I believed the Lord gave me for the church I was attending. I read scripture, wrote, and quoted scripture. After I was finished I cried and shared it with my husband and cried some more.

 

It was days…maybe even weeks before I shared it with the pastors of that church. I was in a fight and struggling. I was troubled with the thought of bringing such a hard word to people I loved and respected. What physical and emotional exertion it took. It was a struggle I had within myself.

 

Was this of God? Was I hearing correctly? How would Jesus handle this one? Do I keep it to myself? To me, this was the closest I have been to being in agony. Not close enough when I consider what Jesus undertook in the Garden.

 

The Holy Spirit used this word AGONY to picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. This tells us that Jesus was thrown into a great struggle and battle that night. Knowing that the Cross and the grave were before Him, He cried out, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me." (Luke 22:42).

 

The spiritual pressure that bore down upon Jesus' soul was so overwhelming that the Bible says it was agony. It was so strenuous that it involved all of Jesus' spirit, soul, and body. He was in the greatest fight He had ever known up to that moment.

 

Just as Jesus' intense level of agony is depicted in the phrase, "he prayed more earnestly", He continued to extend and stretch out his prayer time. Jesus was on the brink of all he could possibly endure. I remember being so stressed out about that word I became hot with a fever, even tossing about like I was coming down with the flu.

 

Jesus' emotional state was so intense that it says, "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Because the mind is under such great mental and emotional pressure, it sends signals of stress throughout the human body. These signals become so strong that the body reacts as if it were under actual physical pressure. As a result of this stress, the first and second layer of skin separates, causing a vacuum to form between them. Thickly clotted blood seeped from this vacuum, oozing through the pores of the skin. Once the blood seeps through, it mingles with the sufferer's sweat that pours from his skin as a result of his intense inner struggle. In the end, the blood and sweat mix together and flow down the victim's face like droplets to the ground.

 

When Jesus left the Garden he was filled with Grace for the time he was to face! It was settled there in the garden! All his fear was conquered, and his mind settled on the goal the Father had given him. And so was it with me. After the days of mediating and agonizing on what to do, a decision was made and I stepped forward knowing that which the Father had me do.

 

Have you ever felt a need for help but found your friends could not be counted on? Did you find your friends sleeping on the job when you felt a deep need for help and support? Were you in a situation that caused you to feel intense agony, or pushed to the limit? Are you in that kind of situation right now?

 

Maybe you have never sweated blood and tears. However, more than likely, you have struggled in your soul at one time or another because of problems with your marriage, your children, your relationships, your ministry, or your finances. If you have ever felt like you were constantly living in a "pressure cooker," you know that continuous pressure is hard to deal with — especially if you have no one to lean on for strength, encouragement, and help.

 

For me it was a time to press into the Father and lean not unto my understanding. Being obedient and then letting go! The decision would be theirs after I had done my part! WOW what a release! What a freedom!

 

Because of what Jesus experienced, He is able to understand everything you are thinking and feeling today. So take a few minutes to pray, and talk to Jesus about the situations you are facing. He empathizes completely, and He will give you the strength you need to make it through!


Friday, April 11, 2008

HANG IN THERE

Don't Give Up!

 

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

— James 1:2-4

 

In the earliest years of the Church, the believers faced unremitting persecution. Every day they were confronted by hostile powers that were arrayed against them. Culture, pagan religion, government, unsaved family and friends — all these forces were arrayed against them, putting constant pressure on them to forfeit their faith and return to their old ways.

 

Even if you are facing great challenges today, it does not begin to match the pressure these brothers and sisters felt. I do not want to make light of the struggles you are going through, but the truth is very few people alive today have faced the level of intense opposition these early believers faced.

 

Think about it — no lion eating arenas here! Nor do we hear of those being burned at the stake for their faith. Or have you heard of anyone being cast into prison because of faith in Jesus Christ?

 

These scenarios do happen today to believers who live in anti-Christian parts of the world, and we definitely need to hold them up in prayer. Let's not forget about them… this could be where we are headed in the days to come!

 

This puts a different light on the problems we face in the free world. Our problems are related to relationships, finances, family issues, health issues, and other problems of a personal nature. The stress we believers experience in free parts of the world is often related to having too much work to do; being under pressure due to the intense nature of our jobs; or trying to figure out how to handle our busy schedules. Although no one in our neighborhoods or local churches is currently being fed to hungry lions, the stresses and pressures we believers feel can nonetheless be very severe.

 

So no matter where you live or what you are facing, remember that it is essential to have the right attitude toward high-pressure situations! The Early Church called "patience" the "queen of all virtues." They believed that if they possessed this one virtue, they could survive anything that ever came against them. It is this same virtue that is sustaining believers today who live in godless regions of the world — and this virtue is exactly what you need to victoriously outlast the pressures and ordeals you may be dealing with today.

 

James was writing to believers who were undergoing the kind of hardships described above. He told them, "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

 

So no matter what your ordeal is for now, remember to have patience. Remember to stand still and steadfast in what you know is the truth. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Hold fast to those things you know are true. Rehearse your blessings and your promises while at the same time maintaining the ground the Lord has already supplied and allow Him to add to that you are standing for!

 

No matter what battle you find yourself in, no matter what doubt tries to creep in, be militant and know that God will manifest His goodness in this land of the living! You must see with His eyes. See the advancement of the Kingdom and the healing He has promised— no matter how hard or difficult the assignment

 

You must have the attitude "I do not care how heavy the load gets or how much pressure I am under, I am not budging one inch! This is my spot, and I am telling you right now that I believe God will move. He has moved in the past and He will manifest in the future. I am not giving up or giving in to the enemy's lies!"

 

This word "patience," is sometimes frightening to me! So I rehearse in my mind other words that help me obtain patience.

 

endurance                                        staying power

hang-in-there power                        never gives up

I will outlast and be preserved       hold on and hold out

 

Sometimes posting these words around will help me win the battle. Sometimes it is just thinking upon them! Try it.

 

I would like to interpret the scripture this way:

 

"But let patience have her perfect work — I'm talking about the kind of attitude that hangs in there, never gives up, and refuses to surrender to any obstacles or people's interpretations or beliefs and turning down every opportunity to quit."

 

It is not a question of if we will win the battles — it is only a question of when we will win them.

 

When the pressure get hot, let the heat turn up. For it is in the heat that God produces the finest gems, the greatest miracles, and the strongest Christians. The victorious in Christ Jesus make the greatest witnesses!

 

Let us confess today! "Lord, help me stand my ground and defend what I have gained, no matter how difficult it might be to do this. I know that with Your supernatural help, I can outlive and outlast the resistance. With Your Spirit's power working inside me, I know I can indefinitely and defiantly stick it out until the enemy realizes he cannot beat me and decides to retreat! I pray this in Jesus' name!"