Thank You!

"You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessings granted us through the prayers of many." 2 Corinthians 1:11

Oh Father, thank you that you have given us, your saints, the gift of prayer.  Today I join my prayers with the prayers of many on behalf of Deeper Still.  Grant them all the blessings and provision they need to carry out their mission.  I believe that our prayers make a difference.  In Jesus' Name, Amen!

We are still in awe of all God did during the retreat weekend of July 12-14.  No words can describe the power of your prayers that weekend.  Prayer is vital to ministry.  We can feel your prayers as you partner with us and intercede on behalf of broken, weary, and burdened souls.  

There is a beautiful banner Karen Ellison has that simply says: 

 "History Belongs to the Intercessor"   

Just think, you are affecting history and the outcome of future generations by your prayers.  Prayer is no light assignment.  It is overwhelming and humbling to think our prayers could make the difference between life or death, blessing or cursing, and freedom or bondage.  

One life transformed can influence thousands of generations and reform the course of family history (Psalms 105:8).  When you pray for one woman who is coming to the retreat, you are also praying for all of her descendants.   

Thank you for your faith-filled prayers from the depths of our hearts at Deeper Still.  We thank you, the women impacted thank you, history thanks you, and the unborn of future generations thank you.  

      

Where Are Your Accusers?

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.'"  Revelation 12:10 

Father, we thank you that the shed blood of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ overcomes the power of our accuser.  We thank you for the 11 women who were set free and transformed this past weekend by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. We thank you that the accuser no longer has any hold over them and that they will not listen to the voice of the accuser any longer.  We pray that Your beloved will know Your voice and follow You only.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The commentary in my Bible states the following:  "The angels did not overcome the Accuser alone, the saints were in partnership through prayer-warfare; the angels were God's means for administering the victory, which prayer enforced."  Thank you for your prayers!!!  We felt them and lives were changed this weekend through them! 


In John, Chapter 8, we meet a girl caught in sin.  Dirty. Ashamed. Beaten. Accused.

Her accusers pushed her face down into the dust in front of Jesus.  Their true motives were to test Jesus seeking to accuse Him and defraud His identity.  The only problem...no one can defraud the reality of the identity of Christ.  How did Jesus respond to these accusers?  "Then, Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear."

The finger of God came down to defend His daughter and He shunned the voice of her accusers.  

I often have wondered what Jesus wrote.  Did he write a note with words of loving forgiveness to the woman?  Did he write a scripture about God's mercy?  Did he write a list of the accusers' sins or perhaps the names of their girlfriends?  Jesus stood up and firmly said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."  Hmmm...funny.  No one raced to go grab a stone.  No one eagerly stood up in response to His challenge. 

Instead, they left.  One by one her accusers left until she was alone with Jesus.  "He said to her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours?  Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord,' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.'"   

Our accuser would like nothing better than to defraud the name of Jesus.  Jesus doesn't accuse us.  When the enemy can get us to agree with him that Jesus condemns us, he is indeed seeking to disprove Jesus and claim that He is our accuser.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Jesus defends His daughters and raises them out of the dirt.  He carried away our shame on the cross. He was beaten so we could be made whole and healed.  He was accused so we could be acquitted.

The 11 women that came last weekend found out who Jesus was first hand.  They overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.  I praise the Lord for the healing power of His Holy Spirit this weekend.  His angelic forces fought on behalf of His daughters and your prayers joined their forces to gain the victory.  His glory rested on us and these 11 women left Sunday...

Redeemed. Beautiful. Rejoicing. Radiant.

Turning Shame into Radiance

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 

And delivered me from all my fears.

They looked to Him and were radiant, 

And their faces were not ashamed...

The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him 

And delivers them.

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"  Psalms 34: 4-5, 7

Oh Heavenly Father, I thank You that when we seek You, we find You and You hear us and deliver us.  Father, I pray for the 11 women coming this weekend, that they would seek You with all their heart, soul and strength.  I thank You, Lord, that You deliver them and You turn their mourning into dancing and that You turn shame into the radiance of Your glory.  Thank you, Lord, that Your angels encamp all around the women coming and the Deeper Still Ministry Team.  Lord, I thank You that You are good and we are blessed because we trust in You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

Last week I took one of my children to a local amusement park.  I promised this child I would not share the details surrounding this event with anyone, so I will be vague on purpose.  This child did something...well... embarrassing.  So much so that we left a line of a much anticipated ride so we could deal with the incident.

We sat on a bench while I contemplated what the consequence should be for this action.  I prayed, "Lord, what should I do?"  I looked at my child's face.  Tears ran down sweet cheeks that were filled with smiles moments before.  My child was looking down and I knew if I reacted wrongly that shame would set in and it might set in deep.  Suddenly, my child looked up at me with tear filled eyes and said wholeheartedly, "I am so sorry. I will never do that again. Please forgive me."  Immediately, my heart melted.  I knew my child was truly sorry.  The answer to my prayer--Grace.  

I embraced my child and smiled.  I replied, "I know you are truly sorry. I can tell. Thank you for telling me you are sorry. Let's pray and you can ask God to forgive you too.  And then, it will be like it never happened.  Do you know that when we ask the Lord to forgive our sins and we are truly sorry, He forgets them and removes them as far as the east is from the west?"  So we prayed and I told my child we would forget this happened and enjoy the rest of our day.  

Do you know what happened after my child sought the Lord and prayed for forgiveness?  The shame that was setting in on my child's face disappeared and instead beamed with radiance.  "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed."  Oh, how the Lord wants our faces to be radiant with His glory!  He doesn't want His glory hidden under a mask of shame.  Grace, truth and forgiveness unleash us to be the person He created us to be.  He created us for His glory!  

He wants to say, "Dear child, I remove your sins as far as the east is from the west.  I want to replace shame with the glowing radiance of My glory.  And I want you to enjoy the rest of your life bringing glory and honor to Me." 

Nothing to Fear

Deut. 31:6  Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you.

Dear Lord, I pray that the Deeper Still participants will be strong and courageous, that they will not fear or dread their enemy but will be confident that  it is the Lord their God that goes with them.  He will never leave or forsake them.  In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Monday night we met at Two Rivers Church in Knoxville, TN for a evening of prayer to cover the retreat coming up in only a week in a half!  It was a beautiful time of entering into the Lord’s presence.  During the meeting, we prayed that the participants would not fear.   As a participant in the past, I remember being anxious about going.  I knew God wanted me to go to the retreat, but I didn’t know why or what awaited me there.  I was afraid of what would happen when those old wounds were reopened.  I left them closed for a reason—it hurts to open a wound for further healing.  However, now looking back, I realize that I had nothing to fear.  God is good.   His only desire is to meet these women where they are and bring comfort, peace, restoration, and healing. 

After leaving my retreat in April, I wasn’t sad.  I wasn’t distraught.  I wasn’t burdened.  I wasn’t hurting. 

I WAS FREE!!  I was excited, happy, elated, and beaming with joy! 

  

Oh, to know Him more, to know more of His unfailing love.  That is what awaits these participants—more of Him and His love!