NEVER ENDING SUPPLY

A couple of years ago Harvey and I were joining the rest of the family on a shopping trip towards Atlanta. We had a shopping budget for each place. I needed something from Merle Normans. On the way down I was thinking about everything we were trying to get done. Anyone who knows me knows I pray before I go shopping anyway. I realized we were going to have all the grand kids with us. I said to The Lord that I wanted to buy something for each of the kids so my Merle Norman stuff could wait. We could also save time on the extra stop. We had a wonderful time and a very special day. Harvey said we would make another trip in a couple weeks. We could do our stuff then. The thing is when I got home I looked at the clear bottle of liquid that I use everyday to see that it was down to the last bit. Funny thing was I emptied it that night and every night for almost 3 weeks! I showed it to Harvey and the girls. Completely emptied every night. The day I was able to get the next bottle I tried to get one more drop out and it was gone. 
Miracle? I would say so!! We have seen many divine provision miracles over the years. Some much more important than this bottle. But none more significant. We have seen the same divine provision for houses, cars, clothes. Even Baseball tickets!!
(That is a miracle for another time)! 
Our God loves and takes care of whatever we need and even want
Along the way!

COLORS OF THE SEASON

This past week the Holy Spirit showed me some things about the season we are coming into as a church and body of believers. 

He showed me colors as He has before to signify what He is doing in this time specifically.
The first color He showed me was silver. Then royal purple turning to lavender. Then light mint green.
There are books out there that talk about colors and what they mean. I don't have those. The Lord taught me about colors and seasons years ago when He would give me dreams and visions then the interpretation of them.

Silver is the color of restoration. Also wisdom. Probably the best color to describe the Grace of God.
It also is very useful in our everyday life. We use it as connectors and conductors. It is lighter than gold but actually above ground more precious than gold. In this season of restoration the work is more timely and precious but lighter weight. Not a heavy and hard labor. The Wisdom and Favor of God is much more effective for His kingdom than hard task loads. The Lord showed me a brown horse packed down with saddle and supplies trying to go up a hill and sliding down. His legs weakened by the load and foaming at the mouth from dehydration.He said "That is My church trying to do the work without Me. Carrying what is not meant for them to carry." Then I saw a queen wearing a crown and just nodding her head and things were accomplished. She walked in confidence, speaking and decreeing what was the order of the kingdom and it was done. Her crown made of silver. I then saw pictures of the Queen of England wearing a crown for her light duty days. It was silver and light. God is restoring back what the enemy has stolen easier and better than before through His Great Grace (His Wisdom and Favor with His strength working the power of His Word) 

Royal Purple is a deep color that signifies authority. The Lord showed me it turning to a soft lavender over this season. Very rich and deep then to a beautiful light breezy lavender. Purple is made of the colors red and blue. Red is the color of covenant and blue is the color of faithfulness. As the church starts understanding these things more fully they will begin to walk in  their authority. When you mix that with the silver it becomes a light lavender.  We start walking in who we are in Christ and His authority and His Great Grace. The Lord does not want us to suffer or struggle under fear or lack of any kind. He wants us to walk in His authority that He has already paid for with His blood.

The last color was light green. This is the color of refreshing peace. Think of a hot day and drinking water with a lime or mint flavor. Very soothing and comforting. Mint and lime is a Ph balancer for our body. It calms acid and relieves stress to our digestion. His Peace is soothing and calming no matter the circumstance.   He can go to the deepest place in you and bring healing and calm. His Peace is perfect and brings perfect balance to our life. The word Shalom means wholeness. No voids. Completely well and made whole.( By the way, lavender does the same thing for our senses or the things on the outside.)

Every season has it's own color. The times and seasons are going to come and go. This is what the Lord showed me for this season. It didn't necessarily start the beginning of spring.The Lord showed me this Sat. April 13th and more monday morning April 15th. This is not specific to the seasons of the year. I do see this unfolding in the coming months and moving us into the fall. I would tell you to take this word to the Lord and see how it applies to your life. Let Him open your eyes to His colors and His Great Grace along the way.

LIKE A DIAMOND

 

 I’ve been singing in church since I was a young girl and always liked singing with a piano. As the years passed it changed to accompanying tapes. I spent a lot of time practicing to get a song just right before I sang it.

One day I was practicing a song called “I Adore You”. I had sung it over and over to get the words and timing just right. The last part of the song just said I adore you. I started just singing it from my heart forgetting about the music. I said I adore you over and over. All of a sudden, as big as the room I heard the Lord say

 “Jody, I adore you!”

I fell to my knees and cried. I could not lift my face from the floor.  My eyes were closed but I saw a huge diamond turning slowly with brilliant light hitting every facet. The Lord spoke to me and said

“This how I see you. You are My treasure. You are precious to Me and you shine with My glory at every turn.”

.

From that day to this I have worshipped the Lord my God with my whole heart. Singing is not just music and words. It is an everyday expression of my love for my Lord and Savior. 

When we get a glimpse of the way He loves we can truly understand worship. Worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth with our whole heart and all that we are changes our life along the way.   

BREAKFAST WITH DAD

BREAKFAST WITH DAD

When I was a young girl even up into my teen years, I loved getting up early and having breakfast with my Dad before he went to work. He would leave a little coffee in the bottom of his cup for me when I was little. He knew Mom wouldn't let me have a cup of my own so if I was sitting there when he got up to leave he would wink at me and say something to my Mom to follow him out of the kitchen and I would finish his last bit of coffee with the perfect mix of cream and sugar. I still drink it that way today.

As I got older, I would have a lot of Friday night activities in my life like football games and youth events and eventually dating. I knew if I was up early enough, I could go have breakfast with him in town on Sat. We would go to Eckerd's drugs and sit at the counter. Everyone knew my Dad in there.
We would sit and talk about whatever. He would joke around with all the regulars. Then we would run errands or something.
Sometimes I would be so tired and not want to get up early. My Dad would come to the door and reach in and scratch the wall with his fingernails to see if I was going to wake up and go with him. If I was too tired he didn't mind. He would just say later, " Missed  ya at  breakfast ".   I got used to listening for the scratching sound on my bedroom wall. I rarely missed a breakfast with my Dad.

As an adult, I would tell my Dad , " I'm coming to get ya in the morning to go in town for breakfast"
He was always up and ready to go. The town was different. The home cookin' restaurant was different but my Dad and I always enjoyed our early mornings together.
Father's day is coming up. My Dad has been in heaven for the last several Father's Days but I still fondly remember the way he would wake me up and give me an opportunity to spend time with him.

My heavenly father is the same way. He loves to spend time with His sons and daughters. Its not a law or requirement. It's an invitation to sit and fellowship with Him. A time to pour out your heart and hear His heart, too. Sometimes when we get too busy or too tired from being too busy. If we listen we can hear Him say
" Missed ya this morning".

Religion wants to make our time with our Heavenly Father a heavy burden and law.
Condemnation always makes you run away from love because of fear. It's when we understand the Father's love for us that we start listening for His promptings.
We grow up in love. We then come to Him because we want to just enjoy fellowship with Him.
You know the funny thing is. No matter many times I would tell my Dad I was going to take him to breakfast he always picked up the check and always paid.
Our time with our Heavenly Father cost a great deal. It was paid for by Jesus dying on the cross.

I am so very thankful for the Dad I had on this earth and someday I'll sit with him in a glorious place.
Meanwhile, I'll enjoy having breakfast with my heavenly Father each morning along the way. 

THAT PLACE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

Many years ago, while praying for someone held in the place between life and death. My eyes were opened a lot more to the importance of prayer and the power of intercession.
I had an older cousin that had lived a very hard life. She had made a lot of seriously wrong choices for many years that caused her a lot of pain and suffering in her life. My uncle prayed for her, as did we all for years, that she would come to know the Lord. She eventually ended up in the hospital. The doctors were amazed that she was still alive but in a coma. They called the family together to prepare them for her final hours. They all lived in another state and I lived in Fl. and could not leave but my parents went to the hospital. By her side, they sat with my uncle as he prayed and tried to speak to her. My mom called and said that there wasn't a whole lot to do except pray.

I went to my shower and began to pray. I prayed in the Spirit and saw her on her knees looking down with her hair covering her face. Then I saw Jesus so bright walking up to her. "The Lord spoke to me and said " I am where she is" I kept praying and watched her as she refused to look up.
I prayed all day and kept seeing the same thing. The next morning, when I went to pray I saw Jesus standing over her and reaching out to her. He kept saying " I am where she is" This went on for that day and night. That evening I went to pray and I saw the Lord reach down and lift her eyes to meet His. I saw the pure love in His eyes for her. I went to sleep still hearing the words " I am where she is". The next morning, I went to the shower and started to pray for her. The Holy Spirit stopped me. " I heard the Lord say very clearly" She is where I am"
I saw the Lord with His arms around her and holding her. Joy filled my heart as I realized that she could no longer reject that love that Jesus had for her. I knew where she was. Later that morning , my Mother called me and said that she had passed away and how hurtful it was for the family. Later, I told my Dad about what I had seen and heard. He told me to tell my uncle. I was able to tell him that I believed with all my heart that his prayers were answered and she was with Jesus.

What I learned : I know for certain that My Father does not want anyone to die and go to a real Hell. I also know that the prayers of His people are vitally important to make opportunities for people to hear about His love and choose to receive Him into their heart and know Him. I know that she would be the first to say that she would rather have chosen to know the Lord while she was here.
I also have learned since then, that their is a place between life and death that God can use for His purpose. I know that His love breaks all boundaries,heals all rejection and accepts everyone no matter what life they lived on earth. I know where my cousin is today. I know that definitely, our prayers make a difference in people's lives along the way.

I SAID "NO" !

About 11 years ago we were new to the North Carolina mtns. We moved to Murphy, N.C. from Fl. Harvey was driving home from ministering one weekend and I was at home with the girls.
He was coming home by way of the Ocoee River road. It is very curvy and in most places it is road cut through the mountainside and river. Some very steep drops and corkscrew curves.
I was in the shower singing and praying when all of a sudden I had a vision of a State Trooper at my door telling me that my husband had been killed in an auto accident. I yelled out "NO! In the name of Jesus, my husband will live and not die" I began praying in the Spirit, then peace came all over me.
Harvey came home a little while later and said that the strangest thing had happened.
He told me that a car going very fast came at him in his lane. The car coming at him pushed him off the road where there was just rock and a big drop to the river. He was barely able to get by doorhandle to door handle and get back on the road. He was pretty shaken up. I asked where it happened and we figured out time wise that it was exactly when I saw the vision in the shower.
The enemy had a plan but God was so faithful to let me know. There are times when I have prayed and interceded for others and I know that there are ones that have been prompted to pray for me.

What I learned : That prayer is a powerful tool. God has taught me through the years of different types of intercession. That we need to be praying for each other. I know that when tragedies happen the enemy got his way. When we take our place and stand with the voice of authority we can make a difference. Just because God knows the enemies' plan doesn't mean He allows it to happen. He wants us to rise up and be who we are called to be along the way.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW"

Harvey and I were ministering away from home in another state. Tanya was 17 and very responsible to take care of Cherie and Joy. We also had wonderful neighbors all around us including an EMT and fireman right next door. They all watched out for the girls when we had to be away. About 5:15am, I woke up praying in tongues very emphatically and knew I was praying for the kids at home. I prayed til almost 6am and had peace that everything was all right. Harvey woke up and I told him about it and we prayed together and called home. I talked to Tanya. She said she was in her bed and heard something in the kitchen. The other two girls were in the opposite side of the house. She heard a door open to the kitchen and then someone in the drawers and stuff. She stood up on her bed and shouted "In the name of Jesus, get out of my house right now!!" She heard the door slam shut. She grabbed the phone and called 911. The Sheriff came out and checked everything out. He couldn't tell what had happened. I told Tanya to pack up the girls and drive to her grandparents house. They lived about an hour and a half away. I told her to call me and let me know when they were safely there. I called my parents and told them to expect them in a couple of hours. Harvey and I had to go and minister in the prison and check back later with them.
Back at the hotel, four hours later, I still had not heard from them. I called my parents. No answer. I called the house. No answer. I went out to the pool area and prayed. I said "Lord, what is going on?" Immediately, I had a vision of the girls on the side of the road, talking and laughing, and I saw my parents going to meet them. I went in the room and told Harvey what I saw. I believed everything was okay. In faith, we went and ministered back in the prisons for an afternoon session. When we returned to the hotel again and checked messages, they had called and said they were fine. I called them and found out that Tanya's car had a broken belt and they were stuck on the side of the rode til a police officer stopped to check on them. They used his radio to call my parents and my parents went to get them. They said "Mom, we just sat there and took our Bibles out and read scripture to each other to pass the time and keep everything calm. I was concerned that Joy, being only five would have been afraid or upset. Cherie told me that Tanya was calm and handled everything as if it were normal and the policeman even gave Joy a bear. I told Tanya how proud we were of her. I remembered her saying "Mom, I just followed what God was showing me to do and what I thought you would do".

What I learned:
I can't be with my kids all the time and everywhere. But my God is always there with them even across the country and across the world.
When we empower them with who they are in their relationship with God, He is faithful to prove it out in them when we can't be there.
As a mother, I trust God and His heart for my children. If I rely on Him I don't have to fear or worry about them.
One other thing, we may have cell phones now but I trust the Holy Spirit's connection more than Verizon or even AT&T.
What I learned is to teach my children how to hear God for themselves when they can't hear me along the way.