The Spirit of Lust

I laid my hands upon him while he slept and he had no idea that I was interceding on his behalf. My body shook and my hands trembled as the Spirit of the Lord moved through me. My lips moved rapidly and at times I jerked. I know it sounds strange but the Lord was definitely moving throughout. I cried and held tight to the tears so not to wake him. He moved and I slowed my speech though I was praying in my prayer language. Suddenly a vision unfolded.

The Lord revealed a strong hold in his life - something that had been there for a long while. I prayed as the creature appeared and seemed so very real to me. I could almost smell its stench and feel his wicked ways. The Spirit of Lust was its name. It stood tall and thin with its long rubbery arms extending outward flailing about almost like a water hose let loose.

Its limbs attached itself to all parts of the body - front and back. It extended its reach as if it were trying to grab hold of something. I believed that if it had found something it would have attached itself like a suction cup or wrapped itself around the object almost strangulating it.

The spirit had power. It was strong. It was real.

The Lord will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

One day during my prayer time I prayed over my husband and my son. The Lord appeared standing in all of His great glory - shining brighter than the glow of the sun. Warmth around the glow enveloped me as the Lord unfolded the vision of these two precious people in my life.

It was during a time when I needed the Lord to take hold of them - lead them - guide them - and be that light for them. I saw them both kneel at the Lord's feet and bow their heads unto to him.

The lamp gave off a soft glow around their heads and I came to understand that day that no matter what happened to them - the Lord would continue to hold the lamp. If they chose to stay beneath the light - in the path of the light - near the light - then all would be well - if not then they would be lost in the vast space of darkness. The Lord spoke softly to me that day reminding me that if their steps were not too far away - they would still be able to find the light in the distance and find their way back home. They would be able to see the bright glow that would lead them back to him.

And so I pray - and I intercede on their behalf - and the Lord reminds me once again that He is there shining brighter than any other light and he is holding the lamp near the path of righteousness . . . he is holding the lamp near the path . . . he is holding the lamp that will lead them home. . . he is holding the light. . . He is the light.

The Baby

A well known intercessor once told me that the dreams, visions, and prayers will come in seasons. There will be a time when I may dream, pray, and have visions for a while and then the Lord will allow me to rest. I must say, I have seen the pattern and though I love being available for the Lord – I do welcome those needed rests.

Not every intercessor grieves through praying. The crying is sometimes unbearable as it may go on for hours. The battles can be intense, emotional, and overwhelming but the results are awesome to see and God’s amazing power is present and no words can describe what that feels like.

I have been having dreams lately involving a baby. I understand that baby can mean “new” something born again – new ministry –


The first dream I had involved the baby sitting in my lap at the piano and I was singing to it.

Next Dream:

I saw fire in the back ground, water had risen up to my thigh. I was standing in a living room. Someone gave me the baby that was sick. It had been throwing up. I took the baby in my hands while the fire blazed in the back ground and the water flowed around me. Suddenly I dipped the baby into the water as if to baptize it. I then woke up.

My husband told me that I needed to baptize the new ministry in the Holy Spirit (which was the fire) I will do that and continue to pray asking God to reveal to me the true meaning of what He is showing me.

A Movement of the Holy Spirit

The Lord moves in mysterious ways and today my eyes were opened to something fresh and new - something that had never happened to me before this moment.

I sat at my computer with hands typing away. I was writing. I had just finished listening to a tape about writing without editing or stopping while you write. I decided to give it a try. I sat down and started writing. I tried to allow my emotions of the story to take me where they wanted and needed to go. I tried to allow the writing to go where it needed to go. I was definitely in a writing zone.

Suddenly something happened. Something outside of my window had my attention. A beautiful aspen tree green and full from the rain we have been getting stands grand and glorious. I love having it near me when I write. If my window were down I could stretch out and grab hold of it.

A small bird landed on one of the branches closest to my window. It just sat there staring at me. I thought it strange and then another came and sat beside that one - right in a row. It too looked at me. I tried to continue writing but obviously I became distracted by the beauty of it all. Then a third bird came and sat beside that one. All three birds sat quietly perched on the same limb and sitting next to each other. They looked and peaked through the window. It was an odd feeling at first. I honestly thought they could see me.

I stopped and leaned toward the window to get a closer look. I could see everything about them. Their eyes, the feathers, the color - all so beautiful. And then the Lord brought to my attention the number three. Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, and Father. I know it seems strange but I really sensed that I were in the presence of all three of them. A sweet stirring found its way inside my office. I could feel the presence so strongly.

Then with one big swoop the third bird that landed came up to my window and thrust it's wings out fluttering all the while. I gasped thinking he may hit the window but no - he stopped right before the glass and fluttered its wings with a mighty yet beautiful flow all the while appearing as if it were looking at me.

A strong emotion flowed over me and suddenly I found myself in prayer. It was as if the Holy spirit had shown up at my window! I prayed and as usual found myself praying in my prayer language on the floor - tears flowing.

Vision:

I saw myself at the computer writing. I saw the bird come forth and flutter up to the window. I saw the Holy Spirit pour over me and through my hands. I saw in the vision that the Lord was going to anoint my writing. I saw the Holy Spirit flow through my hands and outward to many areas and many places - even Internationally. I cried even more feeling the deep penetration of the Lord upon me.

I saw myself opening a large box. The box was filled with a book I had written. I didn't know if I were going to get published or if I self published. Either way - the Lord was going to bless my efforts and anoint my writing with His presence.

The prayer stopped. I took in a large breath. The tears stopped as if someone had turned the faucet off. The vision ended. I continued to lie before the Lord thanking Him and praising Him for using whatever I had to offer. I said, "May it be so, Lord - May it be so."

Scurry in the Walls

(Names have been changed - 7/08/09)

Tonight my husband and I met at someone’s house. I have been there many times before this moment. After sitting for a while, my stomach began to ache and rattle and my spirit became unsettled. I began taking deep breaths and then releasing hoping to settle my spirit. I caught myself rubbing my hands together – uneasy.

After a little time had passed, Jessie asked me what was wrong. He could see that I was uncomfortable. I couldn’t help it – I blurted out, “Something is wrong. Something is here in this house. Something is stirring my spirit, I can feel it.” I began to cry. I knew what I needed to do – go and pray.

My husband asked if I would like for him to take me home. I agreed. Upon entrance to the house, I rushed in to my bedroom, fell on my face, and immediately began to ask God to cleanse me and wash over me. I felt like I needed to brush something off of me or go and take a bath. It was a horrible feeling. It felt like things were crawling over me. I hated it.

I immediately began speaking in my prayer language and the tears came spilling out and pouring over. I asked God to cover me and put my armor on. I then saw the vision of what was happening. I can now understand what I am saying when I speak in my prayer language. This is what I understood.

Vision:

I was asking God to come and surround the house. At that moment a rushing wind rose up fierce like a strong hurricane. It came and surrounded the house. The trees looked as if they would blow over. The wind pulled the branches to their limit bending the trunk of the tree as well. Suddenly a strong and mighty angel – warrior – appeared in front of the front door. The door suddenly blew open with great force making a strong banging noise as if a heavy piece of steel had been dropped from the sky. Immediately a light appeared in the doorway creating the picture of a cross. It was brighter than the sun. The angel stood in the entrance of the doorway as well and the light protruded throughout the entire house.

Then two angels appeared inside the house. The wind continued to carry on outside of the home. I understood that there was a demon in the house and it was hiding. I then saw it running on the inside of the walls. It was small like a little lump. It was fast like a mouse scurrying here, there, and everywhere – hard to catch.

I continued to pray in my prayer language and cry even deeper. The angels were in the house looking at the wall but the demon would not manifest itself. After what seemed a long while of praying, I understood God asking me to go to the phone and call my husband who was still at the house. I was to have him ask Jessie if he has ever heard knocking or banging in his walls. I rose up and went to the phone. I even picked up the phone and started to dial. Out of fear, I then put it down and said to myself, “No – he will think I am crazy.”

I heard the Lord say to me, “Go to the word!” I grabbed my one-year Bible and went to today’s reading – Acts 26:1-32

Paul was pleading his case before King Agrippa because the Jewish leaders were accusing him of something and wanted him thrown in jail. Paul pleads his case and tells him about his adventure on the road to Damascus.

“About noon, Your Majesty, a light from heaven brighter than the sun shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic,

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to fight against my will.”
“‘Who are you, sir?” I asked”

“And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now, stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I will appear to you. And I will protect you from both your own people and the Gentiles.”

So then Paul explains to the king that he was not “disobedient to that vision from heaven” he was trying to tell the world about it. I read on and this is what really got my attention –

“Suddenly, Festus shouted, “Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy!”

“But Paul replied, “I am not insane, Most Excellent Festus. I am speaking the sober truth.”

I had to go back and pray – this time I cried out to God for forgiveness because I did not do as he had asked me to do for fear that Jessie and my husband would think I was crazy. I also hesitate to tell others about my experiences because I feel they would think I was crazy. Paul stood firm in what he had seen and what he had heard. He obeyed the Lord by telling about his experience as well.

Suddenly the Lord drew me back into the vision – it was as if we had picked up where we had left off. I confessed and cried out to God that I would do whatever he asked me to do. I wanted to be like Paul.

I continued to speak in my prayer language and asked God to saturate the house with his Holy Spirit. I then saw water starting to seep in from the floor into the walls. The demon began to scurry and move around within the walls. I then vocally out loud said, “Whatever Jessie has brought into this house we renounce it in Jesus’ name! – Be Gone! Be removed!”

I said it about three times and then – I saw:

Movies – DVDs rise up from a bin or box he kept off to the right of the television fly up – hundreds of movies rose up and flew out of the house toward the sky. The strong wind that had surrounded the house carried them away. I continued to speak those words with authority – “Whatever Jessie has brought into this house we renounce it in Jesus’ name! Be Gone! May it be removed! May the Holy Spirit Saturate this house!” I saw things come forth from his computer as well – but not many things mostly movies. I did not know what kind of movies were flying out of the house – only that there were many – many DVDs. Suddenly something was sucked out of the wall and attached itself to a DVD – another and then another! There was more than one demon hiding in the walls! Movies kept pouring out from the bin and flying out of the ceiling of the house – tears flowed and my stomach ached – God was cleansing!

And then the demon that the angels stood over and waited for came rushing out of the wall and attached itself to one of the DVDs – it too was gone. Eventually no more movies or things from the computer left his house – it was all gone. The storm was over.

I sat and cried over the glorious power of the Lord. He is good. The angels stood in the living room and placed their hand upon Jessie – as if to comfort him or convict him. Jessie leaned over understanding the need to change.

May it be so Lord – may it be so.

Dream July 3, 2009

I awoke early remembering the dream in the detail and a deep burden sat on my heart. I knew I needed to pray. A part of me wanted to call but for now I will resist the urge to make the phone call until God tells me otherwise.

Dream:

I saw a very close friend of mine who lives in another state. At some point her husband called me on the phone to tell me that she was leaving him and they would be separating.

It was as a simple as that. I then woke up feeling an unrgency to pray for the two of them. I know that the dream can sometimes symbolize other people in your life. I thought it odd that it would be those two. They are happy as far as I know. I will make a call soon to see if everything is okay. In the meantime I have prayed and will continue to do so.

Excerpt from my Prayer Journal

4/15/08

While watching the morning news I perked up when someone quoted the great Franklin D Roosevelt - "There's nothing to fear but fear itself."

A commercial came on and I decided to turn the channel to another program. Upon stopping, I immediately heard another person on the television screen say, "There's nothing to fear but fear itself." Now having heard it twice, I perked up even more and leaned in asking God, "What is going on?"

I do not believe in coincidences. I began asking God the questions. I think God is preparing me for something. I will continue to remind myself that whatever it is - I will not fear- God will be with me.

The Long Horned Spirit

Sometimes when I fall upon my face I have no idea what might be revealed to me. One day as I was praying, the Lord revealed this image to me. It looked sad, depressed, and evil. I have no idea what it was or what it meant. I saw the rings around the horns and know that they must symbolize something - still I am not sure what that might be.

I Prayed

I continued to pray in my prayer language asking God to reveal to me what was going on. The Lord does not always reveal. Sometimes he just wants us to be willing to fall on our knees and intercede - without questions - without answers.

As I prayed the spirit moved farther away as others had done before. God understood. God knew. That's all that mattered.

Pest in the Night

The enemy certainly knows how to alarm us. Sometimes the moves are so predictable while others are not. Yesterday my husband had to travel out of town and stay over night. I am usually okay with that and often look forward to the time I can have in the house by myself - although I had one of my children here with me.

I settled down at 9:00pm - extremely tired and looking forward to rest. However as the night lingered on, I kept hearing noises. I know - it was probably in my mind right? I aways think so at first but then something started happening. Every time I eased into a deep sleep I was awakened by a loud noise. It was so loud that it startled me upon my wake. I would rise and listen carefully. Nothing.

12:00am - Loud noise - I rose and went and logged off my computer thinking the noise might have been from my mail alarm

2:00am - Another noise. I rose out of bed to walk around the house - nothing - yet I heard the loud bang.

3:00am - Startled from a dream I believe was coming from the Lord. The bang came from the Bathroom as if someone had dropped a shampoo bottle.

3:30am - At this time, I was terribly sleepy and all I wanted to do was to sleep - another bang from the bathroom area - startled I sat up and then fell back down closing my eyes to sleep.

Suddenly the moment my eyes closed it felt as if someone had taken a cattle prod and jammed it into the covers. I felt an electrical shock from the outside of the blankets. I really woke at that moment. My eyes flew open and my heart began to pound with great authority and fear. I froze - trying to discern what was happening. No more noises.

Then came the voice of the Lord - Scripture. I turned the light on and grabbed my One Year Bible. I turned to May 5th and read out loud from the Psalm.

Psalm 105

"1Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done."
"Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. "
"Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. "
"Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always."
"Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. "

"He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth."(7)

I began reading this aloud and proclaiming it over and over. I asked the Lord to come and sweep through my house releasing His authority on the ones tormenting. I demanded that in the name of the "Lord - who is our God" flee.

"He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. "
"He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."
"When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it, they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another."

"He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
"Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm." (vs 14)

Again I claimed that scripture and asked God to send his mightiest angels to stand guard and protect me and my son. I read it out loud - the Lord says . . . "Do not touch my anointed ones!"

I sat and praised - sang - to the Lord. I was so tired. I listened for a moment later and fell back to sleep with no more interruptions. The Lord is good and truly the light in any darkness.

Stretched Out Net

One day during my call to pray I had a vision of this creature. I know – it looks a little like something you would see in Jurassic Park! I understood during the intercession that I was praying against an evil spirit of some kind. It did not make sense to me until I read my Bile scripture for that day. There - the Lord brought it all together and helped me to make sense of it.

Psalm 140

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

"1 O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent,
2 those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.
3 Their tongues sting like a snake;the venom of a viper drips from their lips.
Interlude

4 O Lord, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me. 5 The proud have set a trap to catch me;they have stretched out a net;they have placed traps all along the way.
Interlude

6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God!” Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy! 7 O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. 8 Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.
Interlude

9 Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me. 10 Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape. 11 Don’t let liars prosper here in our land. Cause great disasters to fall on the violent. 12 But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor. 13 Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence."

Sometimes we come under attack. I found it so interesting that in verse 4 - 5 of the Psalm it spoke of setting a trap - they have "stretched out a net." This creature looked to of had tiny arms connected to a web. The creature stretched the web out a far as it could. As I prayed, I saw nothing but the wicked eyes and the large web that extended. The Spirit of the Lord came upon me and after a long while of prayer - the creature left - flew away - it was gone. The battle was over. The intercession was finished.

Spirit of Depression

We have all struggled with depression at some point in our lives. We have our ups and downs. We have had difficulty getting out of the pit. At times it can be a tedious task but somehow we work through it, the sun shines again, and we feel a sense of freedom. However, I understand that others have difficult balancing hormones, with chemicals in the brain, and past issues that keep us in that place of depression - therefore needing medication to help us work through it. But I never thought that there could be a spirit of depression. I never thought about a spirit depressing our minds, souls, and lives until revealed to me one particular day.

Called to Pray

Vision:

I cried as usual, spoke in my prayer language, and waited for the Lord to reveal to me what was happening. I began to see a crowd of people gathered in someone's home. I did not see any one particular person that I knew. I watched the gathering - still praying in my prayer language and somewhat tearful - suddenly a figure appeared through the crowd. At first sight my lips began to move more rapidly. I felt more of an urgency to pray. The evil spirit lingered in the back of the room by the wall as if to hide and stay away - yet it appeared strong. I continued - I cried even more - my body shivered and at times my stomach would jerk.

The figure stared right at me. I heard the Lord say, "It's the spirit of Depression." I prayed - allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work through me. After a while of intense prayer - the figure began to get smaller and smaller - and then it slowly exited through the back wall of the room where it had been standing. My tears suddenly came to a halt. It was over.

I quickly rose from the floor to go and draw what I had seen. Afterwards I stepped back and took a deep look at the drawing. A couple of things interested me -

1. The face was square - out of proportion




2. The eyes were slanted - I know that when suffering from depression it is difficult to view the world in a healthy way




3. It looked sad yet evil all at the same time

If the depression is from an attack from a spirit of depression, then the Lord revealed to me that day that there can be freedom from it. There can be victory - we can pray through it. We can find healing from it. It may be a difficult battle but it can happen. If you are suffering from depression you may want to think about gathering your most trusted intercessory prayer warriors to pray over you - anoint you with oil - and demand that in Jesus' name this spirit of depression flee. Declare victory - it's time - it's time to go to battle.

Flight to Safety

Sometimes the Lord calls us to pray at strange times. I remember cleaning - being right in the middle of vacuuming. I have learned that it can happen at any moment. As usual, I did not understand the urgency until I cried out and asked God to please reveal it to me.

Weeping and praying in my prayer language a vision began to unfold:

Vision:

I saw a very large plane of some kind. I did not know if it was from a huge airline or not. The tail end of it raised in the very back and along that on either side were two large areas that may have been motors or something. I wish I understood more about planes and how they worked. As the vision continued to unfold, I noticed that smoke started to seep out from one of the motors - only on one side of the plane. I then understood that the plane was in trouble. I prayed asking God to intervene and to please send them help. I understood that people were on the plane but I did not know how many or if it were a commercial airline.

Suddenly everything became more intense as the smoke now turned into fire and flames. A black streak ran behind the plane, fire fuming out from the side. I started to pray with more intensity. "Please help them Lord - send your angels to help them to safety." I cried.

Suddenly two large white clouds formed in the shape of angels. They were both identical - large in stature. With poise and grace they simultaneously swept underneath the wings of the plane and grabbing hold of it. The wings of the plane rested in their arms and the angels seemed to have been the guide. I prayed and prayed as the spirit of the Lord fell upon me - Tears flowed and I became in awe once again at the sight that was unfolding.

"Praise you Lord" I laughed in the spirit. The angels flew with the plane for sometime during the prayer and then at just the right moment very gently lowered it on the runway. Everyone was safe. They were safe.

The tears stopped as quickly as they came and I rested in the beauty of the Lord's goodness and greatness and came to a greater understanding of His love and care for others. Oh how we never see what takes place in the Spirit world and how often the Lord's hand is upon us. Thank you Lord! Thank you Lord!

Understanding Discernment

Sometimes our discernment's do not come easily nor are they at times very refreshing or reassuring. What do you do when you enter the presence of others and get the feeling something is wrong? How does one handle discerning that their may be an issue - - and it involve you?

Hummmm - that is such a tough place to be. I know that with myself, I need to evaluate whether or not my insecurities are kicking in. In the past I think I may have had some of that going on. Lately I have been able to pick up on things that seem to seep through from other people. The Lord's presence seems to fall and settle and in the stillness of the moment - something penetrates the air leaving an unsettling feeling.

I don't always know what to do with that. I usually stop and silently ask the Lord what is going on. Sometimes I can discern exactly what is happening while other times I am left with, "Something is wrong. Something is really wrong." - Not fully understanding everything. There are those friends I have found confidence in and am able to say to my friends, "Something is wrong - what is going on?" The Lord provides the moment and moves - tears swell, feelings unfold, and hearts are emptied. Prayer comes forth from it all and God does a mighty work. But what happens when you discern the "something is wrong" might have to do with you?

I recently found myself in the presence of an awkward moment; a feeling of something being wrong. I had no idea what that was - only that it happened in the presence of a close friend who radiated guilt. I looked deep in her eyes and wanted to say, "What is going on?" But the Lord kept me silent. I listened, I watched, and saw her fake demeanor come forth. I knew this person well enough to tell that she was not herself and definitely hiding something from me. I guess the heartache of it all was that I seemed to understand that it had something to do with me. I settled in that moment feeling as if she had been gossiping about me. I know - I can't explain it - and it is not a feeling I get very often. So - the question is, "What does anyone do with that discernment?"

I stepped away somewhat hurt and with an understanding that in my flesh I wanted to rise up and say something - but the spirit said, "No." So I will pray as God calls me to and wait upon Him to handle the situation. The Lord always knows better and He is always gracious enough to handle anything stirring.

The Angel of Darkness

My son and I grabbed our cups of coffee and headed toward the crowded sanctuary where everyone gathered during our Sunday school hour. We all gathered to watch the video series of the Purpose Driven Life. I stepped in the doorway and scoured the room to find the perfect spot. Of course my son and I straggled in as late comers. Spotting a few empty seats toward the back over in the far right side of our church, we settled in and focused on the video. I've never sat on that side of the church but felt drawn none-the-less.

Before sitting, I noticed a young man who looked to have been between the age of 18 - 22. Casually, he leaned across a few chairs. Dressed in black from head to toe and wearing black sunglasses, I realized that I had never seen him in our church before this moment. I didn't think anything of it until I heard rash and rude comments coming from him about the video on the screen. I looked around wondering if anyone else heard his very verbal thoughts. At one point his mocking became so loud that others in the church turned around and looked in our direction. They too were wondering what the chaos was all about. I sat still and peaceful right in front of him and then asked the Lord, "Who is this person Lord?" As if God had whispered so everyone could hear, I heard the words, "He is an angel of darkness." At first I just repeated the words and then suddenly it sank in, "He's an angel . . . . of what?" I know it sounds strange but at that moment something so powerful had been revealed to me and once I understood what the Lord had said, my heart began to beat rapidly and full of fear. I could hardly sit still. The Lord then said to me, "Don't be afraid Tina. I am here."

After church I shared with my husband what the Lord had revealed to me. Of course my husband was sceptical as usual. "There's no way Satan could be in our church," he said. I did not think it was Satan himself but felt that whoever this young man was, he belonged to Satan. The young man left before anyone could speak with him.

For the next month the young man would show up at our services at odd times and always leave before anyone could speak with him. Every time he entered the church, a spirit would move within me and I would literally become ill. My heart beat fast. I became anxious. I felt the urge to cry and to fall on my knees and pray. I gathered as many friends as I could and told them that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. There is a stranger in our church and he belongs to the enemy. He always came dressed in black and always wore his sunglasses while in church. He always came on foot and always left before anyone could speak to him.

One day a friend of mine and I decided to go to lunch. My husband said to me, "Now don't tell her about the man in the church." I'm sure he did not want her to think I had completely lost my mind. After our small talk she asked, "So - how are things? How is the church doing?" Of course she did not attend out church.

I couldn't help it - I began with, "Well a strange man has been visiting . . " She interrupted, "Wait - is he between the age of 18-22, has black hair, dresses in black, and wears black boots with silver buckles?"

Astonished I said, "Yes! How did you know!" Very few people knew what the Lord had revealed to me and she did not know any of them. "Well, I had a dream the other night and saw him in the dream. The Lord told me that Satan was going to your church." I then finished my story.

We both felt shocked and speechless and to the point of tears. We confessed we had goosebumps running through our bodies. We both thanked God. My husband had been telling me that I was crazy, and yet at that moment the Lord confirmed to me that what He had shared with me that day was the truth!

I knew whenever the young man was coming. I could see him walking to church in a vision. The Lord always let me know he was coming. Between services or during I would mouth to my friends, "He's coming. We need to pray." He always showed up a few minutes after that.

The Lord reveals for a reason - to go to battle - to pray through it - so that the enemy's plan can be stopped and the Lord's work can continue. I called a well known intercessor and asked him what we should do. He told me that God definitely revealed the enemy's move to enter our church and we needed to remove the enemy from our church . . .we would do that through prayer.

I called and gathered a hand full of prayer warriors and intercessors. I asked if we could meet at the church and pray throughout it anointing the doors with oil. They agreed. Unfortunately the day everyone could gather was a day I could not attend. They gathered anyway and prayed throughout the entire church.

The very next Sunday, on Halloween day, I received a vision from the Lord. I saw the young man coming. He was walking to the church. The Lord revealed to me that the enemy will no longer be able to enter with this person. The enemy will be stopped at the door . . . and he was. The young man entered without being dressed in black and for the very first time, he was not wearing his sunglasses. I didn't feel sick or anxious. His presence in the church did not disturb me because the enemy did not enter with him. That Sunday would be the very last time this young man came to our church. We never saw him again.

Intercession for Family

So much of my prayer time involves interceding for myself and my family. I have a son who has a chronic illness. He, at one point in his life, was quite ill. During a moment of intercession for him the Lord revealed an amazing image and vision of His coming forth and touching my son.

Again - overwhelmed in the Lord's presence, filled with tears and a heart yearning for healing for my son, the Lord did something amazing and showed me that He in all of His strength will touch my son.

Vision:

I saw my son standing upright. Clouds hovered over him - that is how I felt about his illness. Suddenly a stirring came from behind him; it looked like clouds but I noticed that it turned into the form of an angel. An angel stood very close to him and near him. Then the clouds hovering above parted and the heavens opened up. A bright light shot out from the skies. The beam was so bright it caused my son to fall backwards while the light penetrated his heart, chest, and stomach area. After a moment the praying ceased and I began to laugh - I knew that the Lord had touched my son. Thank you God!

Update:

My son's chronic illness is in his stomach area. He has days of severe nausea and abdominal pain. He has come a long way with his illness from throwing up daily, internal bleeding, to at times - no pain and nausea at all. He still has those days of feeling really sick but nothing like it was years ago. Thank you God!

A Very Strong Hold

3:00am - I awoke ready to cry. An urgency filled my body as if something were wrong. I can feel it. I sensed it. I quickly rose from bed and went downstairs for quiet and to keep from waking anyone else. I grabbed the tissues and started to pray before my knees ever hit the floor. I spread out burying my face in the carpet.

"I am here Lord. What is going on? I am ready to pray." I accepted the assignment from the Lord. Suddenly my lips began to move rapidly and I doubled over in a pain that I cannot explain. I could tell that it is strong. The emotions swept over me like a flood and then I saw it - a dark figure rose up in my vision and this figure was wicked and it was evil. I asked the Lord to cover me before the battle. I asked and pleaded for God to protect me. The Spirit of the Lord took hold of me and took over. The battle began. The large evil figure had the same man the octopus had. It held him tight with both hands. I prayed for God to send his mightiest warriors to rescue and to release this young man from the hold this figure had upon him. Suddenly angels appeared. They were strong and mighty - prepared for battle. They carried swords and immediately began to strike at the large figure. The large figure seemed to tower over them. They surrounded the figure and struck from all sides. I could see and hear the sounds of their blows. They hit hard and with great authority.

While this continued, I continued to heave as if I were going to throw up. With tears puddled beneath me, I felt sick. I felt as if I were there. I ached. I couldn't stand being in the presence of this evil thing. I could since the danger, wickedness, and strength of the dark figure. He was evil. It had such a grip upon the man and would not release him.

I then began to say out loud to the Lord, "I can't do this Lord it is too hard. I need some help." The battle was so strong that I could hardly stand it. I wanted and needed to rise up and call someone else to help me pray through it. It was now 5:00am and I did not want to call that early.

I began to pray again. I called out - speaking in my prayer language. I know it sounds strange but I could now understand what I was praying about when I first started praying like this years ago, I had no idea what I was saying. My lips began to move with great authority and it felt so strange - almost as if I had no control over them. They began to speak clear words - direct commands almost - I wished I understood what language I was speaking. The words came and it felt as if someone else were saying them while I understood what the words meant.

I said - "Release him in the name of Jesus!" He belongs to God the Father!" After saying this for a while I saw that one hold on the dark figure was released. It was so hard, He flailed his arms and fought the whole time the angels were battling him. When the one hold was released, an angel jumped between that one hand and the person being held keeping the dark figure from being able to grab hold of him again with that hand. However, the other hand continued holding the man.

That made the figure even more angry. The battle continued but no release. I stopped because I felt so sick from crying, grieving, and being in the presence of that evil spirit. I had to stop. I was drained. I was emotionally drained. I was physically drained. I told the Lord that I could not do it any longer. I then heard the Lord ask me to go and get my one year bible. I read the scripture for that day and understood so much more.

Mark 9: 14- 29

After reading this passage I understood that the hold happened when he was a child.

"Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered." (vs 21)

When the disciples asked Jesus, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" (Mk 9: 28) Which is what I was wondering at the time. This was the first time I had been called into prayer and the evil spirit was not defeated or released. Not by my doing but the Lord.

The next verse said, "He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer." ( 29)

I rose up knowing that prayer would need to be the answer and one other thing the Lord showed me. The young man in the vision was not fighting or trying to get free from this hold. He stood there while the evil creature had its grip on him. I understood that in order for this person to become totally free form this hold, he would need to pray and he would need to want this hold to be released. Without that - there was only so much that could have been done.

Update:

A while after that battle, the Lord opened an opportunity for me to speak with this man about the vision and strong hold in his life. He did not deny it - in fact he confirmed that "yes he did have a strong hold he had been dealing with his whole life" and felt that it was hindering his ability to serve the Lord in the way he wanted to serve. I shared with him that in order to truly be free from it - he would have to want it - desire it - pray for it. It can happen.

I could not portray the image that I saw. It was a millions times scarier than my drawing and the battle scene itself was amazing. One day I may take art lessons so that I can truly capture the images correctly.

A Plea for Healing

During that season of rest and moving into the next year, my father became very ill. I started having dreams about strange things. I continued to pray for my father and cried out to the Lord for healing on his behalf. One day I fell upon my face to intercede for my father and the Lord revealed something to me.

2/15/06

Vision:

As I began to pray I cried as usual and my heart ached. My tears flowed a constant flow and the grief I felt was almost unbearable. With my whole heart, I wanted the Lord to show me that He would heal my father. As my prayer language took over I became entranced in prayer - so deep - that everything in the whole world stopped moving. I was in another place - at the feet of the Lord. I saw a strange ghost like figure standing in the doorway. At first I was fearful but then heard the Lord say to me, "It's the angel of death." It's skeleton figure, ghostly eyes, and hair standing on end looked fearful but I understood and could feel that it was not going to harm me nor was it an evil spirit.

After praying and watching what I believed to be the "angel of death," the scene moved to me standing in front of a very large over sized curtain. It was like looking at a screen at a theatre and someone then closes the curtain. A man had his arm around me - it was Jesus. As the scene unfolded I saw the curtain close and then realized that Jesus had opened the curtain to show me the angel of death and the curtain was now closing. With his arm around me a bright light shown so bright that I could not see his face. As we turned around, I heard Jesus laugh and reassure me that everything was okay and that I had nothing to fear about my father. The vision ended, the tears stopped, and the prayer was over.

I thought about that vision for a while. I always thought that the angel of death was like the angels we hear about in the Bible. I then came to understand something. When the Egyptians lost their first born it was the "angel of death" that swept through and took them. It was death. Death takes the body but an angel of the Lord takes our soul to heaven.

A few weeks before my father passed away, I had another vision while praying.

Vision:

I saw my father shriveled up, old, and weak lying in a hospital bed. I will never forget the way his face was shaped and formed during that vision. Suddenly an angel floated down from heaven and hovered over his body. She then took hold of him and stood him up right beside the bed. He looked young, healthy, and in a new body. He smiled at me happy and content. She then took him by the hands and floated up to heaven with her. That old body was left lifeless in the bed.

That vision was difficult because I knew that my father was not going to be healed but God was going to take him home. When my father died, we were all in the hospital room with him. It was such a sweet passing. After he passed, I sat and focused on his body and face. His face and body were exactly the way the Lord showed me in the vision. I smiled because I knew that it was only a body, my father was really with the Lord.

A Season of Rest

After that trying time, the Lord would bring a season of rest. That season was a time to grieve, a time to reflect, a time to rest my heart and mind. A well known intercessor once told me that God would that. I can remember waiting for that time to come and happen. I longed for it, I needed it, and at the right moment, it came. I would not be called to pray through a spiritual warfare, a battle, or anything other than my daily quiet time I had with the Lord. With it all being so new to me I needed to rest. At times my emotions got the better of me and I truly felt like I was falling apart. But the Lord is good and the Lord is faithful, and the Lord never gives you more than you can handle.

During that season of rest, a friend of mine took me to an intercessor she knew. We met and though she did not have the gift of prophetic intercession, the Lord placed something on her heart for me while I was in her presence. She turned and put on a CD. She said the Lord was telling her that I needed to hear this particular song. Josh Groben sang out with "You Raise Me Up." She prayed over me while the song played. I cannot tell you what an overwhelming experience that was for me. The Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, I wept, and knew that God was speaking to me. She didn't know that a few days before our meeting I drew a picture of an imagine the Lord had given me. God is amazing.

The Last Piece

Sometimes things can be so obvious but for some reason it doesn't connect. Putting the lines together, connecting the dots, and putting that last piece of the puzzle together would have us believe that we can then make sense of the picture, but even after all of that we at times still take a step back to try to figure out the picture.

I had one last dream before it all unfolded; a dream so obvious but for some reason it didn't connect with me - for some reason I didn't get - for some reason my mind could not grasp the meaning of the dream - but my husband did get it. He understood the meaning. God had revealed it to him.

Dream:

My husband and I were in a very large city. We were getting gas at a gas station and suddenly needed to get somewhere and in a hurry. We had to cross four lanes going one direction. That is how big the city was. We waited on the traffic to pass until we found an opening and then we drove across the four lanes and on to the grass. We drove across the field and toward a beautiful valley. We drove through the valley out in the country toward a small cabin. My father-in-law was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of the cabin. When we arrived, he took us inside. My mother-in-law was sitting in a chair at the table. She looked beautiful and radiant. She began to show me her ruby and emerald rings. They were huge. I felt in awe and amazed at the sight of them. She was so excited about the jewels she wore. She wore a crown on her head filled with jewels as well. Our meeting was so special. We sat and basked in her joy. She was so happy. I then woke up.

About one month after that dream, my husband I traveled to a very large city for our anniversary. During that time, we received a phone call that his mother had a heart attack and did not make it. We needed to travel back home from that large city. I remember grieving over the loss of my precious mother-in-law and at the same time grieving over the fact that I had it all wrong. I had been telling my husband that I thought it would be his dad. I felt like such a failure in delivering the message I thought God wanted me to deliver. God never told me to tell my husband that his father would die - he did tell me to share with him that someone would die. My own assumption was that it would be his father. After apologizing to my husband and weeping about it all, he gently told me that after the last dream, he understood that it would be his mother.

Update:

While family gathered at our home for the service, my father-in-law woke up one morning to share that he had a dream. He had been asking God why this would happen. He said that the Lord told him in his dream not to worry that everything would be okay and that it was for the best because my mother-in-law had cancer. The Lord wanted to spare her the difficult journey.

My father-in-law shared that if tested he had no doubt that it would be cancer of the liver. My mother-in-law had battled cancer before and shared that if it ever came back she would not be able to go through the chemo - it would be too difficult for her. I am amazed at the love the Father has for my husband that He would go to great lengths to prepare him for such a moment.

Someone is Going to Die

A few days after the last dream, I became emotional and felt called into prayer. I went into the laundry room, fell prostrate on the floor, and began to pray. I cried as usual, my stomach and heart hurt, and the prayer language began.

I understood the Lord telling me that one of my husband's parents was going to die. It would not be in a day or week - but soon. As I continued to pray a vision unfolded:

Vision

I saw my in-law lying in the bed in a hospital room. I saw only the feet. The Lord did not reveal the face to me. I don't remember but three or four people came into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. I could only see the back of their heads. A doctor stood off to the side and said, "I'm so sorry." He then left the room. I understood that the person in the bed was dead.

A few moments later my tears turned from tears of intercession to tears of grief. I knew - I knew that one of my in-laws was going to die. I was so grieved by it all. In that moment of my grieving the Lord told me that I needed to go and tell my husband.

I cried even more saying to God, "I can't Lord! I just can't do that - he will not believe me."

"Why?" I cried out. "Why do I need to tell him Lord?"

The Lord answered, "because I want him to be prepared."

I remember lying there in the hands of God grieving over the loss of something that I knew was going to come and then grieving over the fact that I needed to go and tell my husband something so difficult. How would he ever believe me!

The Lord eased my tears as I found my husband and told him the news. I am not sure what he thought about it all. He didn't say much. I wanted him to know that I told him because the Lord wanted him to be prepared. That was one of the hardest things I had to do. So began the waiting of truly what would happen.