Strength For The Journey

The Power of Twelve word for the month is strength.  The scripture is Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm strength of my heart and my portion forever".

It's been a long week and I feel like I have zero strength. In the past 10 days we have spent 12 hours driving to Portland and visiting the Emergency Room at St. Vincent Hospital to get Jerry help with his Rheumatoid Arthritis complications.  Then we drove back the next day so he could see a Rheumatologist to try to find a new affordable treatment plan since we are on Medicare.  Also this week I had half of a tooth removed due to problems with the root canal they had done last month.  This is just one week among the 8 weeks I have been retired.  Each other week had its own trials.

Just as the scripture says, "My flesh and my heart may fail", my mind and my body are exhausted.  My spirit however is tuned in to the Lord.  I curl up in His arms and just breathe.  There is nothing I can do that will change what each day brings.  I know this and He knows this.  So I will cling to God my Rock who brings strength to my heart and to my mind and to my soul.  There will always be those trying days and trying times when we have no strength physically or mentally.  He says, "Be still and know that I am your God.  The One who will see you through this. I will never leave you or walk away from you."  He is a Father that cares about His child. 

When you think of the word 'strength' what is it you see?  I think most of us think of bulging muscles and a fine tuned human physic. We see a guy who can lift a dumbbell with hundreds of pounds attached.  We see a runner who can run for hours and hours to win the marathon.  We equate strength with the body.  But in the Word of God there are hundreds of scripture that speak of finding strength to endure.  Strength from the Lord.  Strength in weakness.  Over and over again the Word tells us to be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might", to "wait on the Lord and renew your strength", for "God is my strength and power". These scriptures are not talking about a physical strength.  It is a spiritual strength.

When I was younger my body was stronger. When I was younger I had so many responsibilities with husband, children, jobs, family, friends, commitments, chores, and everyday life that God many times took the back seat.  Now I have grown older and my faith is stronger than my body.  Today as a new retiree my desire is to spend time in the Word and in prayer. At each stage of life the Lord gives us a measure of His strength to get through each day.  But we have to be willing to take some time each day to speak with Him, to hear Him, and to allow Him to instill that strength into us.  He knows your schedule and how busy you are each day.  He knows if you only have 5 or 10 minutes for Him.  He knows if you have an hour to spend with Him.  He's not timing you but He does know the amount of strength you need for the day or days ahead.  This is the time when the "portion" of strength is measured out to you.  He strengthens your soul.  He strengthens your spirit.  He strengthens your mind.  He gives strength to your tired body by giving you that "second wind" that only He can truly breathe into you.  

God is the Rock.  He is an unbreakable Rock.  An unchangeable Rock.  A solid Rock.  There is no breaking this Rock.  He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  He is our portion forever. He gives us a part of His strength so that we can make it through this day whatever it may hold for us.  He puts a part of Himself into us.  This is a miracle from the Creator of the Universe! He gives us supernatural strength in our minds, our spirits, and our bodies when we come to Him in defeat asking for His help.  Matthew 7:7 says "Ask, and you will receive".  He wants you to come to Him and ask for what you need.  If you need strength, ask.  If you need patience, ask.  If you need wisdom, ask.  If you need help, ask.  Even though Matthew 6:8 tells us that He knows what you need before you even ask, He still wants to hear you ask.  He wants you to come before Him and spend some time with Him.  He might want to share something else with you while you are spending time with Him.  He might just want to hold you in His arms quietly for a few minutes.  God is that parent that holds His child and tells them a story.  He is the one who loves us when we have a hurt.  He is the one who loves us no matter what we have done.  He is the one who forgives us.  He is the one who gives us the strength for the life journey we are on.  When we are weak, He is strong and He gives us a portion of His strength when we need it! Oh, what a Father we have!

💖🙏

March Thoughts - One Year of Lockdown

 

The History of a 2009 Prophetic Word

Back in 2009 our church brought in two prophetic pastors to witness to the people.  Several times before prophets has visited but until this time Jerry and I has never been asked to come forward.  Much of what was spoken over the both of us I could relate to.  We prayed for others all the time.  We stayed strong in the Lord during difficult times.  We remain optimistic and are firm believers that the Lord makes all things possible.  At the time the word of encourager, hospitality and revelation was spoken over me, I did not receive it.  It fact I told others I had ever felt a calling for many of the things spoken directly over me.  Then almost 10 years later, the year 2018 hits and after the removal of a tumor on my brain the Holy Spirit moved in me and my life.  The ladies encouragement group called Power of Twelve was born and continually since 2018 meets monthly in my home.  It is now 2021 and the ladies group is still an ongoing call from the Lord.  I am sharing the prophetic message as a reminder to me and for anyone else who needs to be reminded the Lord does not live by a calendar or by time as we know it.  He moves when He needs to move.  

Presbytery May 4, 2009 (Main Points – Not the full version)

Pastor Mark Cargill:

I hear this phrase come into my spirit, “Strength for the journey” just “Strength for the journey.”  I believe God want to put within you a fresh anointing for strength.  I speak strength to you Sir.  I speak strength to you, woman of God. 

(Spoken over Deb)

I see you Sister, you’re going to be blessed by the Lord, opportunities and things.  God is going to bring a fresh, I see the word, I hear the word, and I see the word “opportunity” written all over your life.  God is going to bless that.  I believe God want to use you to be an encourager in the House of the Lord.  There is a ministry of encouragement that He wants to do.  I see you actually welcoming people, greeting people, standing at the door and smiling and greeting people and “It’s great to see you”.  There is warmth about you that the Lord wants to release into welcoming people to not only the House of God but welcoming people into your home, into your lives.  And the ministry of hospitality and I believe there’s a grace of serving that is in your life.  Ministry of helps that is in your life.  The Lord will release in a greater way.  I see there is almost like a Deaconship upon you.  Where you just serve and you’re ministering so faithfully.  There’s a strength and stability that you bring to the House of the Lord.  I believe the Word of the Lord is going to flow out of your life Sister. I believe God is going to speak to you.  I believe He’s going to speak to you in fresh revelation.  I speak, I prophesize a spirit of Revelation to be released in new ways over your life.  God is going to speak to you, going to give you visions, even pictures in your mind.  You’re going to see them and receive them into your spirit.  I see you getting words for people.  You’ll be taking a walk, you’ll be out doing different things and the Lord will quicken somebody to your mind and your heart and God will give you a word for them.  I hear the Spirit of the Lord say to you to be bold, go to them and say and speak the word of the Lord to them.  And say this, “I was just thinking of you the other day and the Lord spoke to me about you” and then share it with them and tell them what God is doing in your heart in regards to them.

(Spoken over both)

Both of you are going to have a ministry of prayer.  You’re going to intercede and you’re going to have an agreement that will lay hold of a mountain and jerk it from its foundation and throw it into the sea.  

“I’ve put within you a seed of faith.  You’re to lay hold of those things which are impossible and pray them into possibility.  I’ve called you to stand in the gap for The House and the vision of The House.  To pray for your pastor’s and to pray for the different things that are rising up and things that are needing to be accomplished and needing to be done.  I indeed will cause you to be burdened together with them and the two of you shall pray a prayer of agreement that shall move mountains.”  

This is a good season in life for you.  Get ready for the Lord is ready to smile upon you and to work out that smile into the everyday actions and experiences of your life. 

Pastor Mark Strong:

Scripture says, “Have I not commanded you to be strong and of good courage?  Neither be thou dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”.  I believe that you’re about to embark on a new field.  I see this field that is unplowed.  It looks rocky and you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m up for this.”  But I believe the Lord is.  I don’t know if this is spiritual or natural.  I believe that God is going to put within your faith, put within your heart, a faith to step out and to buy the field.  There is a new direction.  A new way God is going to lead you.  But what you need to understand is that this thing is going to be so fruitful and so vital in terms of what all God is going to bring forth.  I don’t understand all that and I can’t explain it to you but God will make it clear to you.   You’re going to step out in faith, and as you take the risk, and as you have the courage, you’re going to find that God will give you everywhere you place the sole of your foot.  I see how the enemy would want to try to come around and cause you to shrink back.  God would put the marker out there and the enemy would want to push it back, back, back, back.  But the Spirit of God is going to break through.  There’s a great inheritance.  There’s a greater realm of influence.  There’s a greater field that God is going to open into your heart.  I even believe that tonight that as we lay hands, as we pray for you, that there is just an enlargement of faith that is coming into your heart.  I mean a spirit of Possibility and just optimism is going to begin to just fill you.  You know it’s almost like the enemy wants to kind of drizzle a little pessimism over your head and over your hearts.  But I see the Lord say,

“I’m filling you with optimism.  I’m filling you with faith and I’m filling you with a new vitality for life and open doors and opportunities.”

It’s almost like you’re going to start like this, pioneer and a fresh, with you know, “Hey there’s gold in California!  We’re going to go get it in the Name of Jesus.”  And as God moves you the strength is going to be there.  The vitality is going to be there and you will lack nothing.  Your bones are not going to ache.  Your back is not going to ache.  Your heart’s not going to hurt.  Your eyes are not going to grow weary.  You are going to experience the strength of your God.  And you’re going to experience the courage and the force of your God breathing on you.  It’s almost like the Holy Spirit is going to get behind the two of you and He’s going to push you.  You’re going to feel the Hands of God in your back heading you where God desires for you to go.  Because the Lord says,

“What I’ve called you to do is not just for you. But even, it’s for those that shall come after you and for generations.”  

 I believe, listen to this, what a wonderful promise, that your life will be blessed.  Not only will you bless people now, but what God intends to do with you, shall bless generation after generation, till Jesus comes.  God is going to cause you to put seeds in the ground.  He’s going to cause you to put seeds in the ground and long, long after you’ve gone to Glory, long after that seed, that seed that is still in the ground, long after you have gone to your eternal reward,  that seed is going to be here working and working and working.  For God said this promise, He told Abraham, 

“This promise is to your children and your children’s children. Amen!  I have purposed to bless generations through you.  It’s an ongoing blessing.”  

You know a lot of times; I know in our neighborhood, there have been kids that have been caught up in all kinds of stuff.  What happens was their great grandfather was into it, their grandfather was into it and their father was into it.  It’s almost like a bad seed that had been reproduced and reproduced and reproduced.  But praise God, with you, it’s a “good thing” that God is reproducing.  Generations shall be blessed.  So I encourage you tonight, that as God moves upon your heart, step out by faith.  Be of good courage and know the Lord has purposed the two of you to be a blessing to this generation and too many generations afterwards.