I am sending a quick newsletter to give you an encouraging word from the Lord.  For many of you, as I have talked with you from time to time, I have heard you say this year so far has been very difficult and very hard on the emotions. I know that is true for me. As I fight the battles of the Lord I see the warfare from perhaps a different angel than most do, I have noticed that the enemy of late has been pushing emotions, bringing to the forefront things previously conquered and hitting with thoughts, sickness and tiredness.

 

As I was talking with the Lord and worshiping, the Lord said, “What would you like to say to Me?” He often says that to encourage me to worship Him from my words and my true emotions for Him and not just canned words. As I thought about what I would really like to say to the Lord, I realized that His precious Holy Spirit was inspiring me and then I knew a word was unfolding for the body of Christ through my worship, which the Lord added to over then next couple of days.

 

I told the Lord, “It seems the journey is long and especially hard lately, but one thing I have noticed, is my journey seems meaningless, except for the places on the road where I have truly been able to meet with You Lord and enjoy Your fellowship. It reminds me of my dear friend Jackie. She has a small dog named Lexie. For Lexie there are only two people in the world, Jackie and all others, who are all simply not Jackies. She waits by the door for Jackie to come home and when someone approaches the door she begins to yip and jump up and down. Oh the look on her face when she sees a not Jackie. She is so disappointed. Then she walks away, letting that person know that she does not liked to be petted and picked up by not Jackies and when the person moves on, she takes up her vigil by the door again waiting for “Jackie”.

 

When Jackie arrives she bounces up and down, her little face beams with joy and she waits to be picked up. She snuggles into Jackie’s arms and ignores everyone else because she has her Jackie. I realize now Lord that is how I feel about You on my journey. There are good things and bad things that happen, but they are all simply not Jesus. I often just wait by the door so to speak, between moments with You, simply waiting on the journey for my next moment with You Lord. My journey is all about getting to the next moment with You. You are my journey. Everything but you is just filler and obstacles in between being with you.

 

The Lord said, “I feel that way too. But I have already made My journey. I am just waiting for you to catch up to Me. I run back to where you are as often as you let Me but all of that is about to change and it will fulfill the heart’s desire of us both.”

 

I wondered at these words and my heart was joyful to hear them. Then I saw in front of me a great dark river. It was so extremely wide that I could hardly see the other side. It was such a big obstacle. As I waded into the river to cross it, the dark waters seemed to enclose me. I seemed to go into a phase of simply surviving to keep from drowning and often forgot my objective was the other side and the waiting arms of my Lord. The waters would swirl around me like a dark storm and a funnel would try to suck me to the bottom of the river. Just when I thought I was going down with no hope, I would find me self not at the bottom of the dark river, but in the arms of the Lord. He could only calm the storm for the moment and bring me back to the surface because this was a river I had to cross for myself.

 

I wondered what this horrible river was that seemed to go on forever, though now I could tell I was getting near the shore on the other side, I wondered if I would have the strength to survive that long. Finally I saw myself with my hands outstretch on the shore but as though I had fainted, I could not see to pull myself further out of the dark waters. “What are the waters Lord?” I asked, “What is this terrible river?”

 

“These are the ‘Waters of Self’. They are pushed by the enemy to destroy My people. It makes them feel deaf and blind. The wind carries their voice far away. But those who are wise will turn to the Christ in them, the hope of glory and not the confusing storm around them. If they turn to the storm only, they will get hooked into the flesh. This attack came from the enemy to entangle My people in their own flesh and emotions but I am using it to deliver My people from their flesh, because the flesh leaves them vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks. Look.”

 

I saw the person, me, was out of the waters to the shoulders. Quickly the Lord sent cleansing fire to strengthen and cleanse the defilement and corruption of the flesh away. Little by little He was tugging on me to get me more and more out of the water, but the waters also were kicking up a storm, and pulling me back, using extreme tides. Finally after several days the Lord told me to pull my feet up to myself in a prophetic move and my feet were pulled out of the water. Instantly a light surrounded me and I was cleansed and restored. When I looked back at the water, I was still in the water, but it looked like a clear shell, sort of like when I cicada insect leaves it’s shell behind.

 

“What is that?” I asked. “I am removing the flesh like an external shell.” The Lord said, “The attack of the enemy follows the shell. It will be a long time before they realize their attempts are now futile because you are no longer inside that shell of flesh. For you it is like shedding a layer of flesh. This would not have been possible if the enemy hadn’t pushed your flesh so harshly, so really the enemy did you a favor to loosen the shell and help remove your flesh, though his intention was strictly to destroy you. You will now begin to see clearer and hear clearer and walk closer with Me. Just like other things that shed a shell, you will now grow quickly. This enemy’s attack will be used to My people’s advantage, if they don’t fall for the shell game.”

 

We need to be sure to cast the shell off. I know I will be praying that daily for a while. The Lord reminded me of some scriptures that go along with this. Ephesians 4:22-24 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man (the old flesh nature, the shell) which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man (the new nature of Christ) which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

 

This is the time of putting away the old shell and receiving the new. Be careful because the enemy is pushing people for extreme things to comfort themselves in their troubles, like wrong desires, overeating, and seeking knowledge and power more than God.

 

Then I saw the other shore, some time in the not too distant future. “It is a completely different walk.” The Lord said. “Before you walked and waited for the moments when I would be close to you, but for those who prevail, on this other side, you will walk with Me all the time and there will no longer be an in between.” The very thing the enemy was doing to stop us, propelled us into a deeper and closer walk with the Lord. Things will be clearer for us and we will have more power against the enemy and to do the work of the Lord. There will be healings, revelations and deliverances, as well and awesome ministry straight from the heart of the Father God.

 

Deuteronomy 23:5 "Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam (our enemies), but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. (The Father God kept saying over and over, “I love you. It’s time for Me to be able to show you just how much I love you.”

 

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (We take these situations out of the devil’s hands and give them God and then He will turn them all around.)

 

The Lord said, “Many are completely surrounded by the storm like a hurricane and see no way out, but they need to remember that even the hurricane has the eye of the hurricane and in the eye of the hurricane I will lift them up and out. I will not make them go through the other side of the hurricane at all, I will lift them up and out of it. Remember John 10:9 "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”  “I am a portable door.” Jesus said, “I show up with the exit, when there is not exit, because when I show up I am the exit. The enemy doesn’t expect that. Things will change soon. Things will change in June. May is the month of crossing over and being restored but new things begin in June.”

 

Again I saw myself just out of the dark vile river. There was another river not far on the other side. The land in between the two rivers was just a little peninsula. The river on the other side was glowing golden because the sun was just rising. It looked awesome. “What is this river?” I asked. “It is not a river you have seen before.” The Lord said, “It is a New River of Joining, Joy and Strength.” That made sense to me, on the other side we were suppose to walk together, so this was a River of Joining and of course that would bring Joy and Joy is Strength. One of the words for joy in the Bible means joining.

 

Off to one side was a small thin tent, like a tent you might see at the beach. I was told to go inside. I knew I was still full of the brackish water and needed to detox. There was a pool of water from the river. The Lord told me to sit, and lay back with my feet in the water. “You drink with your feet.” The Lord said matter-of-factly. As I soaked in the water, I sunk deeper and deeper into it until it was well over my head, healing, soaking and cleansing. It felt wonderful. I knew I would need to stay here for a while. But then again I saw into the not too distant future. I was wading into the golden river and was not quite waist deep. I looked peaceful, serene and confident. This river was the new path of joining and it would change everything. 

 

I want to encourage you, if things have been unusually hard for you or hard with no relief, there is a change on the horizon. Begin to pray daily that the Lord will help you take your shell off and be the door in the eye of the hurricane to bring you to that new River of Joining with Him. It will be new walk we all must learn, to walk with Him all the time. It will be awesome.

 

I am preparing to leave for Ohio to minister in the Zoe Bible Institute Bible School there and hold some special meetings for the next three weeks. Please keep this in prayer. I am planning to go to France and Rome again, leaving July 12^th and returning August 5^th. I am waiting to hear from some of the people, about the schedule. Please keep this in prayer as well. Of course it take funds to go to the nations and if you desire to be a part of that ministry by giving, I thank you. But in any case, be a prayer partner for the work of the Lord and He will honor it.