Spring is in the air!  Promises of new life are everywhere!  This beautiful promise below, as captured by Barry Adams in pictures and in words, became our heartfelt pray for you this month – that you would know His kindness and His gentleness, His great mercy and His grace.  And in doing so you, and all that concerns you, surrounds you, involves you -   in real and tangible ways -  would be changed  forever!  

We are praying this for you, and over you -  blessings, blessings of every kind – new life springing forth and an abundance of joy!

2 Samuel 22:36 WEB

You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
Your gentleness has made me great.
     

Promise #109: My gentleness will enlarge your life.  

In today's Scripture verse, King David is making a declaration that God's gentleness has made him great. The Hebrew word for 'great' is pronounced 'rabah' and means to increase, excel, abundance, enlarge, etc. David acknowledged that it was the kindness and gentleness of God that was the reason for the expansion in his life which led to his greatness.

It is God's love for us that makes us great. Not our own ability to manage life. A friend of mine says that we can never be worthy enough for love, but it is love that makes us worthy. David knew that this was the secret to his own success. It wasn't his own ability that made him great, but the kindness of a God who loved to show him mercy.

The gentleness of our God makes us great too. Jesus told us that we would do greater things than He did because He was going to the Father (John 14:12). My prayer today is that faith would rise up in our hearts because of the kindness of God and Father. It is the love that He has for us that will make us great.


Photo by Barry Adams
http://www.365promises.com/ 
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I love the times and seasons we are in right now – a season where we are so rich in the word of God, both personally and corporately.  He is leading us step by step into the glorious future He has for us; He is going ahead and preparing the way.  He is shining His light on the path we are to walk, and He is empowering and releasing His strategies and His wisdom, so that we may walk in freedom and in love.  This is a tremendous time in history to know Him, and to know of Him through personal encounters and revelation and through the corporate understanding of Who He is!  This truly is a time of  knowing the wonder of our awesome God and doing great exploits on His behalf.

What a privilege it is to be called by God, to be loved by God, and to be here – for such a time as this!  We thank God for all He is doing in all of our lives and pray with you and for you, for His continuing unfolding revelation, of Who He is and of all you are called to do.

We pray this word of encouragement and equipping by Bobby Conner of Eagles View Ministries will be a blessings and life to you this month as he exhorts us to "Stand Strong"  Now is the Time to Awaken".  

Yes Lord for us all – let it be so!
Picture
Bobby Conner:

Standing Strong: "Now is the Time to Awaken"

Even in these days of shaking, God has given His people great promises to ensure their safety and increase their courage. Give close attention to the last phrase of Psalm 18:36: "You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip." This promise is to those who are walking in God's light, those who are covered by God's powerful shield of protection. 

God promises to give us a firm foundation in shaky times, and He also promises to make our feet like those of a mountain deer, able to not only stand on this firm foundation but scale the highest heights of the Spirit – above the chaos of this world. Christ warns us that if we build our lives on shifting sands instead of the solid rock of God's Word, we can expect devastation (see Matthew 7:24-29).

The Spirit of God has set before us guidelines for releasing Divine Wisdom to us in order to help us navigate safely during these dark, dangerous days. What is the pathway to true Divine Wisdom? It's not a process or a pattern or a methodology – but a Person, Christ Jesus (see John 8:12).

The light and wisdom we seek are not to be found in human programs or our own psyche and good intentions, but rather in the person of Christ Jesus. Consider Psalm 36:9: "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light" (AMP).

Meditate on Psalm 18:28-31: "For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; the Lord my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run through a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect! The word of the Lord is tested and tried; He is a shield to all those who take refuge and put their trust in Him. For who is God except the Lord? Or who is the Rock save our God" (AMP).

Asking is Key

The first step out of darkness and despair is simply asking for God's grace and guidance. Sincerely seek His direction and His will above your own. We must desire to walk in God's light (see 1 John 1:5).

Asking is key; we have not because we ask not. If we ask, we shall receive. As we seek, we shall find; it is as sure as the sun rising in the morning (see Luke 11:9). God is faithful to His Word. He is generous beyond what anyone can imagine, and our generous, loving, and kindhearted Father longs to release superb wisdom to each of His children.

You are not the exception! Believe what the Scripture says in James 1:5: "If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him" (AMP).

Walk in God's light, and become a radiant reflection of God's glory during these days.

NOW is the Time to Awaken!

While I was waiting on the Lord, seeking to hear what was on His heart, He spoke an extremely strong word. In the most compelling and commanding tone, He said, "Contend! It is time to take a strong, unshakable stand!" 

This was not a suggestion but a bold, strong and stirring command, given with such force that it shook me deeply. In the same tone I was told, "Sound the alarm! Awaken the warriors!" 

Beloved, we are being called to contend for change that transforms our culture. It is time for a spiritual revolution. 

The Holy Spirit spoke to me concerning the paralyzing passivity so prevalent in the Church today. As prophetic voices, we must sound the alarm: these are not days of peace! We have no armistice with the workers of darkness! We must stir ourselves out of this stupor, as Scripture instructs us to do. We must rouse to reality and awake (Romans 13:11-14 AMP). 

A non-confrontational attitude is not the role and the responsibility of God's end-time warriors! We must awaken. Now is the time to shake yourself and rise to the occasion (Joshua 1:7). You are called to be a history maker, to change the world. These are not empty phrases but powerful prophetic promises. Your destiny and the destiny of coming generations demand that we do our very best – now! Indeed, the destinies of nations depend upon our actions. 

Run from Compromise and Complacency! 

This is no time to enter negotiations with the devil. Never forget that the enemy of your soul would, if he could, utterly destroy and devastate your life, the life of your loved ones, your neighbors and our nation. We must not entertain compromise nor tolerate complacency. On the contrary, we are called to confront the powers of darkness. Rather than remaining passive, complacent or compromised, it is our responsibility to resist the enemy and stand firm (John 10:10). He is a defeated foe – but we nevertheless must rout him out of our lives and nation. 

Run from cooperating with the enemy! Our response must be the opposite of his evil suggestions.We must withstand him and his demons with all our heart, submitting to the Spirit of God and His Word instead. Having done all to stand, we shall stand bold and brave, resisting the devil and all his schemes, knowing full well that greater is God's power within us than the devil's power about us (1 John 4:4). 

We are More than Conquerors! 

We are fighting from a place of victory! Why? Because our Lord and Savior has already defeated every foe at Calvary! In Christ we are more than conquerors. We are truly, practically, eternally victorious in every arena of life – and are not victims (Romans 8:37). Believe this, beloved. Cast off any "victim" mindset and take hold of the truth spoken by Christ as He gave His life for you: "It is finished!" He fought the war and won – on our behalf. 

We will stand strong, knowing that as we resist, we are more than victors in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:13-14). What we see withstanding us will not erase from our souls the victory God has promised. Let your heart gain courage from this promise Deuteronomy 31:6: 

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them for the Lord our God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."

As we stand in faith, drawing ever closer to God and resisting the devil, the enemy flees (James 4:7). Through the power of Christ Jesus, we will trample on the evil works of satan (Luke 10:19). As we walk in confidence, knowing our God and depending upon Christ the King, then we will see the promise of Romans 16:20 fulfilled: "...the God of Peace will crush the powers of satan under our feet."

Bobby Conner
Eagles View Ministries
Email: manager@bobbyconner.org

Bobby Conner: This "Gentle Giant" is uniquely anointed with refreshing humor and razor-sharp prophetic accuracy which has been documented around the world. Bobby's dynamic capacity to release outstanding demonstrations of the miraculous – healings, signs and wonders – reveals the very heart of the Father toward us! Surviving a dramatic abortion attempt by his mother, being rescued again by the hand of God from drug dealing and suicide, the story of Bobby Conner is a display of a man who now walks in his God-ordained destiny to set others free! Highly esteemed as an internationally acclaimed conference speaker, Bobby has ministered effectively to over 45 foreign countries as well as in the States for many years.
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This month we are excited by the number of words, Bob and Bonnie Jones included (http://www.bobjones.org/Docs/Words%20of%202012/2012-02_StopLookListen.htm) 
encouraging us as the Body of Christ to stop and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us in this season, 
as well as seeing and then decreeing all that He wants to do!

We know that this word from Katie Wiedrick, a Director and dear friend to us all, will be life to you and an encouragement to get everything out of the way that would prevent us from seeing His beauty and His blessings and the wonder future He has planned and purposed for us all! 
Personally, I have been experiencing a barrier that was growing over the past year and a half that affected me more and more as time went on.   I found my vision changed early in 2011,  it became very noticeable to me that my distance vision was dramatically decreased yet my near vision was downright amazing!  For any of you of a certain age, “readers” become our friends.   Those Drug Store glasses that come in different levels of magnification for those of us who could not only not read cereal box ingredients but could not use telephone books or read the instructions on pill bottles.   What a switch that was.   I found it at first a bit puzzling and if you know me, I thought it was spiritual in origin, that I had done something to grieve Holy Spirit and so, lost a gift that was given to me years ago.   Sometime in the early ‘90’s my vision was healed and I was freed from glasses and contacts for distance, something I needed from the age of 13.   Imagine my dismay.  I prayed, I waited for it to resolve and while grateful to be able to read recipes with out glasses, I was grieving not being able to see into the future.   Prophetically, for my own life especially, I was not getting any words beyond the near future.  

Time went on and driving became increasingly problematic, I would have to slow down on the Highway as I could not judge distance, I would have to pass exits and come back at them, as I could only see signs once I was upon them.   Driving at night became very stressful as light became halos and rain added to night driving was downright miserable.  

Walking even was hard.   The moon had a glare on it, street lamps and Christmas lights blurred together.  I could not see well at all, walking slowed and I found myself looking down more and more.   Not being able to see left me feeling as if my world was getting smaller by degrees.   I saw a very interesting documentary in December of this past year.   I talked of how seniors, when they become frightened of falling, look down to the ground more and more.   The difficulty that posses is that what you focus on, you are drawn toward.  The brain focuses on the ground and those folk fall even more readily.  The brain needs to be re-trained by looking forward.  I practiced that all the while, feeling increasingly nervous, walking had lost a fair bit of its luster yet I persevered.   

And I did.  Early this past January I made my way to an Opthalmologist and there, he saw what I could not grasp.  Both eyes affected, one so large and thick, he told me there was a chance it might take two surgeries to remove it.  As he was very concerned about me driving, he booked surgery on a cancellation list and on February 13, he did the eye with the largest cataract.   By that night, I could see so much more.  Details, color, distance and I had not even gone outside yet.   The next morning on my walk, I felt that someone had cleaned all my windows.  Even now, every day I am experiencing some new wonder.   I have walked this area of our town for a year, now I am truly seeing it with new eyes.   I can see!   I nearly cried when I thanked the surgeon at my post-operative appointment.   The right eye is being done next Thursday, he told me he can hardly wait for that.  Interesting he said to me the cataract was so thick and so brittle, he had to crack it and take it off it 4 pieces.  

You are all so astute, you don’t need me pointing out to you all of the spiritual lessons in this experience.   I do though feel it has merit, this process for me and for that reason I am sharing it with you.  Vision is critical for our well being spirit, soul and body.   I know now the angst of not being able to see as I once did, the sense of losing something so valuable, yet assigning the loss to sin.   Waiting for healing, contending yet passively accepting limitations without getting help or sharing the reality of the struggle.  The limits to seeing down the road, having to slow everything down to navigate life safely and the un-ease in making decisions, all affected by this. 

Abigail our daughter needed a ride home from the Toronto Airport a few nights ago.   I left to get her in the dark, in a drizzle.   What relief it was to be able to see and with a much smaller halo.   The same girl had commented a few months ago, when I had done the same journey on what a pokey driver I had become.   As we drove home together Wednesday night, I commented on my speed and ease.  She smiled and said that I had always been such a good driver in the past and how it had changed, now I am back.  She laughed and said, “look at you in the fast lane now”.  

From the fast lane, with love

Katie  

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Sometimes it can feel, as we walk  this path of life, the road can get a little dry! For many it seemed as if  2011 had it’s share of dusty roads but that 2012 is leading us into the land of His promised fulfilled.

Now it's time to shake the dust off our feet, the dust of disappointment and despair.  It's time to entrust everything that was, into His hands, and to move forward with Him into all that is ahead.

We pray that the following revelation, insights and prayers from one of our amazing team members, would be a blessing to you this month as you move off the dusty roads, onto the path of promised fulfilled!

' "There is a Promise coming down your Dusty Road' was a popular song back in the 90’s one in fact that I personally loved and wanted so desperately to believe for myself in that particular period of my life. To be honest it was a season where I could have identified more with the song 'Another one bites the dust'.

It has been years since I have heard or even thought about this song until just this last couple of weeks. I sensed the Lord was speaking to me through this song and I believe both corporately and personally we can lay hold to the words of this song that say the following:

There’s a promise coming down your dusty road. 
From His holy hands, healing virtue flow, 
He’s got the keys to what you need, death and hell He will defeat, 
There’s a promise coming down your dusty road.

The song goes on to tell the story about Jiriahs daughter and how she died at only 12 years old. To me this speaks of so many things dying prematurely and how that is not the plan of God. In fact He wants to show you a miracle and have them resurrected.

I felt the Lord was saying that we are now in a season where we must spit the dust out of our mouths and begin to declare a new thing with no hindrance. I believe we are to shake the dust off of our boots for this is a new place where we stand and He is doing a new thing and there is His ressurection life in what He initiates.

For some of us we have eaten what I would call “beggars dust” where for so long it seems like we have been begging for mercy and grace and have spent a lot of time because of the past believing we don’t deserve His promises or we shouldn’t believe for more.

I prayed that if there is anything in or over your lives personally that you would feel you weren’t a candidate for the full promises of God that He would show you His truth and His resurrection life would breath into these areas.

I have to say that for some, it is hard to comprehend when things have remained the same for so long, we wonder if we can ever see the change. For all the ways you may have lost sight of the promises of God for your lives, I pray that you have a fresh renewed vision for every detail of your lives , family, marriage, business and ministry.

I am praying that if there are areas where you need to spit the dust out of your mouth, or shake the dust off of your boots this would be revealed and that you would do it.  I prayed against any curses that would cause you more to identify with “another one bites the dust” rather than there is hope, there is a promise, there is a man on a mission coming down your dusty road. 

I have contended for you for all the promises of God for your lives and your children. They are YES and AMEN! I am praying that this season would be full of the resurrection life of all the dreams and plans God has for you right for this particular time!” 


And to all she has prayed, for each of you, we add our agreement and our faith.  May this be your best year ever -  your year of promises come to pass!

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It seems so poignant somehow on the  last days of the year as we look back to all that was thinking of and thanking Him for all that He has done -then stand on the threshold of a brand new year, these first precious days  filled with hope as we turn our gaze ahead to all that is to come.  For us here at Divine Exchange as we look back over this past year our hearts are filled with thanksgiving for each one of you and the blessing that it has been to walk together with Him this past year.

We have had the privilege of standing with some amazing men and women who are serving God in many areas of culture and impact for the King and for His Kingdom.  We have had the privilege of serving with an amazing team of men and women who have served so well in that place of prayer. 

This morning at our house here in Northern Vermont we are surrounded by robins.  A very rare sight in December and a treat to see along with the cardinals and bluejays.  I have been giving thanks to God this morning for the year that was, thinking of you and carrying each of  you in my heart today with great thanksgiving.  I have been praying blessings ahead for you as well – sending grace into the days to come, spiritual blessings, favour and strength.

Perhaps the robins today represent the new season as we so often see them as a sign that spring is here.  Though in the natural winter is all around, in Him and with Him, a new season and a new year begins! We  pray that it will be one where we will hear His call to come away with Him, to rest and lean upon Him, to dwell in His house at the banqueting table He has prepared for us receiving His protection, provision and His comfort.  A season of being sustained, refreshed and embraced by His hand, sheltered in the cleft of the rock, surrounded by the sound of His voice. Seeing His lovely face more clearly, hearing His sweet voice as never before, and walking with Him in perfect harmony and rightness of step in ways that would astound and surprise us. (Song of Solomon 2) 

We pray blessings ahead for all.  Blessings to rise up and meet you in every day and in the most amazing ways in 2012.  We pray that at the end of the year  we can look back and see His hand of blessing, His gracious and tender care, His bountiful provision. That we can and will proclaim with great joy over our homes, our lives and our families – surely the Lord is in this place! We know every day will be filled with signs of His goodness and His grace and His mercies will be new each day.  Because of Who He is, with great confidence we can declare that we will see  His great kindness and love, His steadfast faithfulness and His hand of blessing over all.

Thank you again for who you are, for all you do.   We stand with you, walk beside you, and pray to prepare the way for promises fulfilled.  May His great love and grace go ahead of you as we see His Kingdom come, His will be done, His government established and His great Name glorified in all the earth!  

Happiest of New Years to you!

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