Baby Step with a Big Purpose {Prayer for Deeper Still China}

“Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand.  And he drew near to the Philistine.”  1 Samuel 17:40

“And they said to Him, ‘We have here only five loaves and two fish.’  He said, ‘Bring them here to Me.’  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples’ and the disciples gave to the multitudes."  Matthew 14:17-19

Dear Lord, our eyes sometimes see only something small but You see the big picture.  David only had five stones, and with one stone and an obedient courageous heart, he brought down Goliath.  Also, You Lord saw the multitudes that needed to be fed and used again one obedient heart and only five loaves of bread plus two fish to feed the multitudes.  Lord, you know the five Chinese ladies who have come with obedient courageous hearts for the Chinese Deeper Still retreat this weekend.  Father, we ask for You to use them mightily for Your Kingdom purpose.  Lord, we pray for all Your purposes to be fulfilled and accomplished through this weekend.  Lord, may they leave this weekend with courage in their hearts to stand against a giant in their nation and for the feeding of the multitudes.   In  Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

The story is long with many weaving of threads.  How the Lord has brought all this together is beyond reasonable explanation and knowingly impossible without His Hand masterfully knitting it all together.   

The short version…We have five ladies from China who have come to either participate or serve at the first Chinese Deeper Still Retreat this coming weekend, August 25-28th, in Knoxville, TN. 

The Lord spoke to Deeper Still leaders at the beginning of the year and said, “Go to China without going to China.”  

So, here we are seven months later and China is here.

   

This journey has been amazing as we have seen the Lord bring it all together.  We are in awe of the magnificence of our Lord. 

Will you please pray for this weekend, for the Deeper Still team, and the five the Lord has entrusted to us for His purposes and glory? 

Glory be to our God and Father, and Lord of all.  His Kingdom come.  His will be done. 

Tale of Two Women

“For You have delivered my soul from death. Have You not kept my feet from falling. That I may walk before God in the light of the living.” Ps 56:13

Oh Lord, I pray for those with abortion-wounded hearts to seek more of You. Father, deliver their soul from death. Even those who have a degree of freedom and healing, will you stir up in them a desire for more of You! I pray they would receive all you have for them, come out of the darkness of hiding and be able to walk before you in the light of the living. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This week's devotional was written by Jacque Murphy, the Director of Administration for the Deeper Still Ministry. Thank you Jacque for contributing to the devotional today!

“Recently, my husband, Darryl, and I went out shopping. We entered a local store. While

searching for that perfect something, someone who I had recently met walked in the store. This recent acquaintance was a divine appointment set up by the Lord. I had met with her to talk about Deeper Still and discovered through our conversation that she was post-abortive. I had encouraged her to come to a Deeper Still retreat, but sadly, she had not yet decided to attend. Excited to see my new friend, I walked over to say hi. She looked at me with surprise, and for a moment it seemed she had forgotten we met.

Sensing she was uncomfortable at our random meeting, I said, “It’s good to see you again.” She just smiled and nodded her head. Her face told me she didn’t want to talk with me. Backing away, I went looking for Darryl. When we were leaving the store, we passed by each other, but did not look at me, nor did she seem to want to talk. I looked at her softly and said goodbye. She did not respond.

The interaction was strange and awkward. I really didn’t know what to think about it all. I asked the Lord about it later, and felt like He said he wanted to keep Deeper Still in front of her. I didn’t expect to hear that response. But felt like the Lord was working on her heart.

The next day, I ran into another lady while I was at Walmart. This lady worked there. I was noticing her and ask her if we had met before, and she said I looked familiar too. No one was around, so I asked her if she had ever come to a retreat called Deeper Still, and immediately she said yes!! She came around the counter and gave me the biggest hug. She told me how much that retreat meant to her and how her life had been changed forever through Deeper Still!

So interesting how the Lord works. I felt like He was showing me the difference between these two ladies. One not healed, and the other, healed and free. When not healed, they are not free and want to hide and feel shame and guilt.  But once healed and free, what a difference! The second lady came out of hiding and was ready to embrace others. Her heart was open, and looking for an opportunity to embrace that freedom! Such a contrast between the two! One lady is walking in the Light and the other lady is walking in darkness, and doesn’t even realize it. “

There is an unexplainable resistance to freedom.  I resisted more freedom for years and coaxed my complacency with thinking I was fine and didn’t need more. Somehow we think seeking healing negates the freedom and healing already received. Admitting weakness and having the vulnerability to recognize that there is a need for more takes humility. Seeking more help and health isn’t a sign of weakness but of strength. With Jesus, there is always deeper. Deeper still.

In a Loveless Nation

“And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity.”  Matthew 24:12

Father, we lift our nation up to you.  Father, we ask for you to forgive us for our iniquities as a nation.  Lord, we have blasphemed Your mighty name.  We have turned our backs on our statues and mocked those who stood for truth.  We have forced You out of our public schools and institutions in the name of equality and separation of church and state.  We need You in our nation again.  We need Your love to come in and flood our hearts.  We need Your eyes to see the depravity in this world.  For what we are too blind to see we will inevitably run into.  Lord, may our love not grow cold.  Fill us.  In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.

Hallerin Hilton Hill, a popular radio personality, spoke at my church last Sunday as a guest speaker.  He shared his heart and love for this nation and encouraged us during this time in which our nation has endured several sad occurrences recently with tragic loss of life.  One statement he shared was his father’s advice to him as his father was in his final days on earth.  He said this:

“Remember the answer to everything is love.”

In our nation, we are in a crisis of loveless-ness.  We are in a crisis of disrespect and disregard for human life.  We have forgotten the commandments Jesus gave when on the earth: 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. 

Two commands.  That’s it.   All the others hang in the balance of these two.  A friend of mine, who is also a very gifted and anointed worship leader wrote these words that beautifully illustrates this point: 

“If we see ourselves as unworthy of love, we see others as unworthy of love also.  But if we see that He is crazy for us, we will love ourselves as well, and in return love others with the same crazy, extravagant, gracious love.  I believe America is broken and hurting, and in search of her true identity…If we would fix our eyes back on Jesus, we would learn how to love ourselves and how to love others, and in doing so would end this nasty epidemic of hate that seems to be rooted so deep in this land. May authentic love be rooted once again in this country and in the Church, but most of all may it start with me.”  -Ashlynn Bolding

Amen and amen. 

I pray we would not get calloused as a nation to the terror and fear that has happened recently.  This is not the norm in our nation, nor should it be the accepted as commonplace anywhere.  Having disregard for human life should never be the norm. 

Devaluing human life cannot and should not be ignored.   We have all been created in the image of God, no matter the age, color, ethnicity, religion, background, education or socioeconomic status.  We are His image bearers, and as such, we are violently hated by the enemy of this world.  This enemy has one mission, and that is to kill, steal and destroy.

 

We have one mission given to us by our Creator, and that is to love, all people.   May we never become indifferent to human lives lost no matter the cause or circumstance and may our love never grow cold.  

Please Talk about this Topic

“Mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.”  Jude 1:2

Father in Heaven, Lord, we ask for You to multiply the mercy, peace and love of Deeper Still.  We ask for you to expand Deeper Still.  We ask for You to multiply healing of those wounded from abortion to across the nation and the world.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Sobs interrupted by gasps of breath filled the car. 

We had just left a fundraising event for a local crisis pregnancy center.  The guest speaker was Pam Tebow.  The crowd listened intently as she shared her powerful testimony.  The doctors had encouraged her to abort her son due to health reasons.  She chose life.  As a result, Tim Tebow was born.  Tim Tebow is the famous football player once known for writing scripture under his eyes and his bold kneel for Christ. 

I left the event broken and desperate.  Sobbing all the way home in the car, I thought about the girl I had aborted that never had a chance to breathe her first breath of air.  That night I wondered the “what ifs” and the “what ifs” broke me. 

God had been leading me on a journey of healing my abortion wounded heart for the past 20 years and I have to admit, up until that night I thought I was fine.  I didn’t see the need to go any deeper.  I thought, “I’m good right where I am.”

However, that night my heart whispered more.  God spoke to me during the event and said, “It is time.  It is time to go deeper.”

Three weeks after that event, He led me to the Deeper Still ministry through a friend and I attended the Deeper Still Ministry training two months later.  God led me deeper and drastically changed my life.

A friend recently told me she was hesitant to share her abortion story at her Bible study group because she was concerned there were women there who were post-abortive and that it may cause them pain to hear the topic of abortion.  Our churches remain silent on the issue of abortion for many reasons, but I believe this is also one of the reasons pastors tend to shrink back from this topic.

Can I just say something about this reason for not talking about abortion?  We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when sharing about any topic, but perhaps hushing is hindering the Holy Spirit from doing a much needed work in people who need to hear the hard stuff.  God uses the hard to stir up in us a discontentment for the status quo and open our eyes to our need for Him to heal.  It is easy to ignore the pain when it has been numbed and dormant.

For true healing to occur, a person has to realize their need for a Doctor.  The pain surfacing awakens our need.  Then as Christine Caine has said, "We must embrace the pain of recovery."

In any surgery, there is pain involved.  We can ignore the issues and pretend they aren't there and deceive ourselves into believing they will just go away or we can let the Surgeon do His surgery and embrace the pain of recovery.  After the surgery and recovery are over, we can be healthy and whole!  But, we have to know we need surgery and be willing to undergo the hard in order to be healed.

When churches, pastors and leaders decide to not talk about abortion because it might "upset someone" or because "It is a sensative issue", they are denying that there is an infection in the body of Christ.  If Pam Tebow wouldn't have talked about abortion that night, I wouldn't have seen my need for deeper healing.  It is only when we are faced with our pain, that we realize how much we need the Surgeon.

The pain of recovery is temporal.  The pain of denial is infinite.

If you are a church pastor or leader, please talk about this issue.  Please let your people know there is healing and freedom.  In doing so, you are multiplying the healing of His wounded.  God is a God of mercy, peace and love.  

God is multiplying His mercy, peace and love.  Thank you for joining us in prayer as He multiplies His Kingdom.

All Lives Matter

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  John 10:10

Heavenly Father, You are life.  You are the One who created all life.  You alone are the giver of life.  Lord, all things life-giving are of You.  Lord, we ask for You to fan a flame of life-culture in our nation. Lord, may each of us value and cherish life as You do, all lives.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

One common misconception of pro-lifers is that we only care about the life inside the womb.  This, my friends, is a grievous mistake.  To truly be pro-life is to be pro-all lives.  All lives matter.

I was in Orlando last week when the horrific attack happened that took the lives of 49 people.  In the same week while we were there, a two year old's life was tragically ended when an alligator snatched him from a Disney beach, a beach our own children had walked on many times without a care or concern.

After we returned home, I received news that my dear great-aunt, who had been more like a grandmother to me, passed away.  She was 92, but full of life and this turn for the worse was rather sudden.  She was gone.

To value life is a beautiful gift.  God breathes life into his unique and special creation formed and hand-made in His image.  No other creation on earth is as precious to the Lord than His children created in His likeness. All His children, whether in the womb, in a night club, barely beginning their lives with toes in the sand, or in a hospital bed nearing the end of days are highly valued and priceless.  In fact, He values each of our lives to such an extent that He sent Jesus to purchase our lives.  We need only believe in Him.

Truly, every life matters.  Every life is valuable.  Every life is deeply treasured by our Creator.  This is the truth of pro-life.

God is a God of life.  He is all about life.  Jesus came to give us life.  God says for us to choose life in Deuteronomy 30:19.   I pray that as a nation, our hearts will be grieved over the loss of all life and that our hearts would be awakened to the truth that all lives matter.  Let us pray again for those who lost loved ones in the recent attacks and pray for our nation to value life.

Our hearts ache over the tragic loss in Orlando and our hearts ache with every loss.  Lord, we cry out to ask for you to comfort those who are hurting over the loss of family members and friends.  Lord, we ask for protection over our country and we ask you to protect us from the evil one.  Lord, we ask for all the schemes and plans of the enemy to be exposed and canceled in Jesus' Name.  Lord, we ask for what Satan meant for evil, for you to turn around and use somehow for good.  We ask for you to comfort us as a nation and as a people.  We need you Lord.  Father, we pray for all to value life, every life.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

Is Everyone Called to Share Their Testimony

"When your son asks you in time to come, saying, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgements which the Lord our God has commanded you?' Then you will say to your son; 'We were slaves of Pharoah in Egypt, and the Lord brought us up out of Egypt with a mighty hand.'" Deuteronomy 6:20-21

Father, I pray for those who have been healed and set free to find courage and find their voice to share how they were once slaves but now are free, to tell others of your forgiveness and grace and help others find freedom as well.  Lord, I pray they would share for the generations that follow to know the truth.  In Jesus' Name amen.

There was a time when if you had asked me if I thought everyone was called to share their story, I would have said no.  In fact, I did tell someone exactly that answer.

In 2008, I shared my testimony of healing from my abortion at my home church.  Afterwards, a friend came up to me timidly and confided in me that she too was post-abortive. With fear in her eyes, she asked me if I thought she had to share her story.  I told her I didn't think everyone was called to share their story.  Now, I hold a different view.

Will everyone be called to speak in front of a church or to a large group of people?  Perhaps not.  However, there will come a time, I believe, when God asks you to give testimony to the healing you have received in order to help someone else become free.  See, when God heals, it is not only for you.  Yes, it is most definitely for you, but it is also His desire for you to show others the path to freedom in Him.The enemy would like nothing more than for God's daughters and sons to remain silent.

I completely understand not wanting to share.  It is hard to share the darkest and most difficult times of our lives.  However, if you will oblige me, can I ask you a question?  Why?  What is your reason for keeping your healing to yourself?  Did God tell you to?  Has the Holy Spirit not prompted you to share?  That could very well be the case.  God has perfect timing.  But, if the reason is rooted in fear--fear of man--fear of what will people think, then I think you need to really seek the Lord and follow Him in whatever He leads you to do.  Fear is never a good reason to keep silent.  In fact, if you discover it is fear holding your tongue, I would strongly encourage you to find a safe friend and share what the Lord has done to free you!

One thing I know--"We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony."  If we aren't free to share, we need to share to be free!

In the movie, "The Heart of the Sea", the story of Moby Dick that came out recently, there was a line that brought my spirit to attention when it hit my ears:

"The devil loves unspoken secrets.  Especially those that fester in a man's soul."

The enemy would love nothing more than for God's daughters and sons to remain silent.

People need to hear our stories.  Those considering abortion need to hear the truth.  Those still suffering  in silent shame need to know there is healing, freedom and hope.

The next generation needs to hear our stories.  Our children need to hear of the glory of God.  If we remain silent, our stories die and glory fades.  Silence risks breeding the repetition of. slavery.

In the verse above, we are asked a question, "What is the meaning of the testimonies?"  Or in my words, "Why do we share our stories?"

The answer is simple and found in the following verse.  We share because:

Once we were slaves, but now we are free!  The Lord has brought us out with a might hand!!

Let's shout it from the mountain tops!

Do You Get Tired of Going Deeper

"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Phillipian 1:6

Father, we thank You for the promise to complete the good work that You have begun in each of us individually and that You are completing the good work You began through Deeper Still.  We ask for Your will to be done. Lord, empty us of ourselves.  In Jesus' name, Amen. 

The Christmas tree lights glimmered with the hope of the season.  Kid's smiles and chuckles of joy drenched the atmosphere like dew-covered trees in the dawn of day. Yet, even as I sat surrounded by celebration, my heart weighed heavy with what was missing rather than being immersed in the joy of the present.

My husband handed me a gift.  A touch of hope grabbed me as I imagined its contents.  Perhaps a necklace, a diamond bracelet, or a new sparkling watch? Eagerly, I tore open the package.  As the paper fell in torn confetti to the floor, my prize was revealed...books.  Two Bible study books.

My husband explained, "I thought we could do the books together, to work on ourselves."  Bless his heart. His motive was pure and it was a very thoughtful and sweet gift.  He knew how much I loved Bible studies and I was ALWAYS working on myself, so seemingly, this would have been the perfect gift...except.  Except, that Christmas morning, something inside of me snapped, and I said, "I'm so tired of working on myself!  Will I ever be done?!"  (My sweet and loving husband ended up taking the books back.)

That Christmas morning was about 7 years ago.

About one week ago,  I enthusiastically explained to a friend how the Lord had revealed some things to me and was continuing to take me deeper in healing. She asked me with thought and care,  "Do you ever get tired of going deeper? Don't you ever just want to be done?"

At that moment, I thought how there was a time not too many Christmas' ago when I was tired and did just want to be DONE.  However, as I responded, I joyfully was able to answer, "No, I actually love to go deeper now, and I have realized that there is always deeper and I won't ever be done until Jesus comes back or until I reach heaven. "  And, I meant every word.  I really do love going deeper with the Lord.

The difference?  I believe the difference is found in Phil 1:6.  "He who has began a good work in you will complete it."

Before, I was trying in my own efforts to fix myself. I use to work like it was up to me, and it was exhausting.  Now, I just let God be God and He is the One doing the work.  Yes, I have to cooperate, but I know it isn't all up to me.  And that my friends, is freeing and beautiful.

When Jesus is doing the work, it isn't toilsome, its treasure-some.  Going deeper is better than diamonds or any earthly present.  It is truly a priceless gift from our Husband, Jesus, with each layer unwrapped revealing more and more of His love.   It is not a thing to be avoided, but a gift of His never-ending love.