Dear Passion and Fire family,
We are so excited to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family in FL this year! We’re blessed with such wonderful children and grandchildren. We can’t wait!
I recently had a dream about “dancing pumpkins” and the Lord said we’re in a season of dancing pumpkins, even the pumpkins will dance this year. (Pumpkins are often included in our Thanksgiving celebration here in the states.) I feel the Father is saying, He sees that thing that you’re going through in this season and He is with you.
Take a moment and look for the good around you, the blessings that are there that you might otherwise miss and take time to give thanks. If you’ll give thanks in the midst of your pain many of you will watch as your depressed state begins to dissipate. And even the pumpkins will dance with you!
What if you woke up tomorrow with only the things that you gave thanks for yesterday? Give thanks wherever you turn, without murmuring and complaining, for those who give themselves over to murmur or complain will not enter into their full inheritance. Instead they will go round & round in circles. Be given over to thanksgiving and you will find your attitude turning into joyous laughter until you are able to laugh full on in the face of the enemy. And I prophesy that if you will make it your habit to give thanks that you will be filled with joy unspeakable & full of His glory!
Eleven
Brian and I have been praying Deuteronomy 1:11 over you. “May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you.”
As we’ve prayed this the Lord keeps giving me 11 11 or 11 over and over in other ways. And in our travels lately different people have come up to me and have asked about the meaning of eleven. And just the other night I woke up twice; once at 11:11 pm and the second time it was 1:11 am. And as I was writing this I realized that November is the 11th month. This was further confirmation that the Lord was speaking to me about the number 11.
The number Eleven is often associated with revelation, and can stand for revelation that will lead us into something new and overdue. You may remember one of my words for the year. I said that this year is the beginning of beginnings. We have entered a time of new creation and the Spirit of the Lord is hovering over the earth and is inviting us to encounter Him in new ways. The Lord is saying that your time to enter in is overdue. It’s time for you to encounter God in new way!
In another dream we were walking with the Lord in the cool of the day. In the Passion Translation it’s translated as the breeze of the day or the Spirit of the day. This is that day! Holy Spirit breezes are blowing and calling us into a deeper intimacy with the Father. Look for Him to show up everywhere you go. He wants to walk with you through everything you face, everyday. He wants to hear your voice calling out to Him. It’s time to ENGAGE!
I feel like our Israel trip this year was one large encounter. You may or may not have read my recap of our trip, but it is included in this letter below. Please don’t skip reading it. God visited us over and over and so many have said that the trip was just one big encounter for them. They were blown away and their trust in God has skyrocketed. The Father is drawing us all into a time of deeper intimacy. And the encounters we are about to experience with Him He will blow a fresh breath into you and it will affect every part of you; the very way you think and approach life. And I hear the Lord saying, “But you must be looking for me and expecting me to show up and I will come!” This is the reason some see Him and others don’t. Some look for Him. “The just shall live by faith!” Heb.10:38
We just did a partner’s webinar and here are some of the things that I shared on encountering Him and intimacy:
For me intimacy and prayer are synonymous. Prayer brings us into relationship and intimacy with the Father. Relationship leads to revelation. Intimacy imparts inspiration. It’s as we seek His face that we receive wisdom, direction, guidance; all the things that we long for and need. And He desires all of this for us too, but it’s as we focus on Him that we receive. We give our undivided attention to Him and then one mere “look in His eyes” will be enough for us to know and understand His heart and His plans for us. For relationship releases revelation. Lord, help us to be as close to you as we can. May we look into your eyes for all our needs knowing that everything will be met in you!
Here are Some Basics for intimacy
1. A clean heart.
Keep your heart right with God and come into His presence clean and pure. You must leave all your bitterness and unforgiveness with Him. The scripture says that those that enter are: “Those who are clean—whose works and ways are pure, whose hearts are true and sealed by the truth, those who never deceive, whose words are sure. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and righteousness given by the Savior-God.They will stand before God, for they seek the pleasure of God’s face, the God of Jacob.” Ps. 24:4-6
2. A thankful heart.
Unrelenting gratitude is the secret to a powerful prayer life and life of intimacy.
King David made many mistakes, but he praised God all the way through his personal wilderness until he got to the other side. It’s time to Cultivate a grateful heart. Let’s enter in with thanksgiving.
3. A humble heart.
It’s in His strength that we are made strong. Pride will never open the heavens or bring you into His presence. God uses our weaknesses as a platform for His strength. It’s OK to be weak before Him. The Lord loves to be our strength. He must become our wisdom and our salvation, not our own strengths or opinions. When we allow Him to be our strength the Scripture says that we will be like David (Zechariah 12:8). And David didn’t lose a battle.
4. A heart of full of faith.
Focus on God’s power to meet your every need. To receive we must believe, believe that God is able to answer you and will supply your every need. Adopt a lifestyle of faith. (Philippians 4:19)
Let nothing keep you from giving yourself to prayer. It’s your lifeline to heaven. Be addicted! Be fervent! You’ll find that not only will you hear His voice, but you will find yourself walking in a deep revelation of His love for you. And nothing will be impossible!
Regaining Intimacy
Maybe you once walked in a place of intimacy with the Lord, but have lost it. Here’s some hints to regaining intimacy:
A.Recognize God for who He is. Recognize His character & that He’s good all the time, no matter what your facing. Don’t blame Him. It’s the enemy that’s the author of all confusion. We can’t blame God for the things we or the enemy instigate. instead we bring our burdens to our GOOD God who will carry us through.
So, who is God anyway? I’m reminded of His names that speak of His character:
1.He is Jehovah Jirah-“The Lord our provider”.
Genesis 22:13-14 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket He saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over to the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place, “The Lord will provide”. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” And so on the prayer mountain the Father will provide.
2. Jehovah-Rapha – “The Lord that “Heals”
Exodus 15:26, The Father said, “I am the Lord who heals you.” Put you hand on the place that needs healing or raise your hands to the Lord. I pray that everyone reading this will receive the healing that they’re needing today. May your healing power envelope them Lord. Let Your glory cloud descend and heal them.
3. Jehovah-Nissi -“The Lord our Banner”
Exodus 17:8-15 – This verse comes from the scripture that talks about the Israelites’ battle with the Amalekites. As long as Moses held up His hands to the Lord, they won the battle, but when Moses arms got weary, Aaron & Hur held them up so that they would continue to conquer in the valley bellow. And When they finally won the battle they built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner- A banner signifies our victory. He is our victory! He is our identity!
4. Jehovah-Shalom -“The Lord our Peace”
Judges 6:11-24 This is when the angel appears to Gideon at the threshing floor, afterwards he realized that he saw an angel and did not die. And the Lord comes to Him and says, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon builds an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. He is our peace. May the peace of God keep you today.
5. Jehovah Raah -“The Lord is the Way, my Shepherd”
Psalm 23:1 -The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd. He will protect, lead and guide. He is your best friend.
6. Jehovah-Tsidkenu – “The Lord our Righteousness”
Jeremiah 23:1-6- The Lord pronounces a woe on the shepherds that are scattering the sheep and promises to gather them back up so that they are fruitful and increase. They will no longer have to be afraid, terrified or missing. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety.This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior. He is our righteousness imparting His holiness to us.
7. Jehovah Shammah – “The Lord is the Light, ever present“
(Ezekiel 48:35). This portion of scripture is Ezekiel’s vision of the temple in Ezekiel 48. All this has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ Himself and He is the eternal light shining in and out of us His living temples! Thank you Lord for the light that burns in us. We want to burn with passion for you so that the whole world sees it! Burn bright in each one of us today! Burn on the altars of our heart.
B.Recognize who He has made you and your sonship. Ro. 8:22 “All creation is groaning for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed.” We need to stop wrestling like Jacob wanting our blessing! It’s like we’re trying to get into a room that we’re already in. Ro.8: 15-16 “And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”
C. Recognize that you have Holy Spirit to give you the inside scoop! “After all, who can really see into a person’s heart and know his hidden impulses except for that person’s spirit? So it is with God. His thoughts and secrets are only fully understood by his Spirit, the Spirit of God.For we did not receive the spirit of this world system but the Spirit of God, so that we might come to understand and experience all that grace has lavished upon us.” 1 Cor. 2:11-12 It’s only by the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit that we understand anything spiritual. But we can have understanding and intimacy through Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit wants to bring you back into that place of relationship and intimacy today.
Encounters and beginnings
The Lord spoke to me and said that we are in a new renaissance of secular ideas because He pouring out a plethora of new revelation; ideas, and theories. This will be a month of startups, a month of revelation, a month of discoveries. Revolutionary ideas are being birthed even as you read this. And I found through research that throughout history, the 11th month of the year has also been when many great inventors and scientists have been born and some of the best inventions that made their official public debut with the registration of their patents, trademarks, or copyrights. Literary works, new methods of manufacturing, and new products all made their appearance for the first time in November. Thank you Lord!
We are in the days of the first fruits of understanding of how the Bible and Holy Spirit intimacy affects everything. Get ready for your encounter! Expect it, wait for it and He will come!
ISRAEL
This was our first time leading 200 people and as you can imagine we were not only busy traveling to sights, but ministering to our people and solving minor problems behind the scenes. But no worry, they were all wonderful and the Father met us at every turn. Our whole tour was one miracle after the other. Here are the ones I know of personally. We had at least four the first day!
1. Three of our team members got lost. They had gone in the opposite direction. But after praying one of our team members saw them in the Spirit and went straight to them & brought them back. It was definitely a miracle as it was a long way to where they were with several turns in a completely foreign place to them.
2. Another member’s wedding rings slipped off and she had no idea where. After deciding it would be nearly fruitless to retrace our steps we prayed and she sat down on the bus and they appeared under her leg where she sat down.
3. One woman began passing out from what seemed to be heat exhaustion. We laid her down outside the bus on a bench, got her cooled down and on to the hotel. We wheeled her up to her room in a wheelchair, got her in bed and two team members came up and prayed for her. She Instantly sat up healed. And a couple of hours later we had it verified by a doctor.
4.When we arrived at our first hotel we had one gentleman who had lost his bags. Brian was headed back to the airport to pick up our second group. So he decided he wanted to go with him to see if they had possibly come in. The tour guide told him that he wouldn’t be able to find them, but he and I were persistent and we were right, they were there.
5. At Tabgha one of our team had injured her knees and ankles and was in a lot of pain. We stopped and I prayed and they were healed. The guide tried to get her to use a broom afterwards as a cane, but she refused saying that she was definitely as healed.
6. On our way into Jericho one of our team had to get off the bus as she couldn’t breathe. Another team member who used to have problems with asthma just so happened to have refilled an old prescription she had for an inhaler. She hadn’t used an inhaler in years, but just felt the leading of the Lord to refill it and to bring it on the trip.
7. While we were tending to the woman with the breathing problems, another one of our team walked across the street to look at the sycamore tree that Zacheus had climbed to see Jesus. As she crossed the street she ran into a childhood friend standing there. She had ‘t seen her for 30 years or more.
8.While at Magdala one of our women received deliverance and as I was praying for another woman she was having an encounter and seeing the face of Jesus and began crying uncontrollably. She said that she will never forget that lovely face!
9. During communion in the Garden of Gethsemane one of our team members hands began to flow with oil. We had him go around to pray for people and 25 team members raised their hands that they were healed of various ailments.
10. A young man with us was healed from food allergies. He was unable to eat potatoes, rice, sesame seeds, peppers, and a bunch of other foods without having severe allergic reactions (his nose would swell and he would be sneezing and have a really bad runny nose). Now he’s able to eat everything and without any reaction.
11. Leaving Jordan our tour guide told us that he had lost a very expensive bottle of cologne in the hotel. One of our team members prayed that it would show up and in not even 20 minutes later he received a phone call. The bus driver had found his cologne in the bus trash can. Our guide was overwhelmed with joy and Thanksgiving.
12. At the sight where Peter denied Jesus 3 times a rooster crowed 3 times as Brian spoke about the rooster crowing, at the Shepherd’s field in Bethlehem as Brian was talking about the baby Jesus being born Stacey Campbell received a phone call and when she answered it a baby was crying in the background. And finally as Brian talked about the dove landing on Jesus during his baptism, doves flew in. These are just some of the miracles that I heard about. There were also many life altering testimonies that we heard. They went on and on and on. It was truly an amazing trip! Thank you for your prayers!
