It is recommended that you read the first two entries of this article in order to receive the full message. The links are below. - BP
Spirit
of Heaviness - Depression
Rise
Up Higher – You Don’t Say (Part 1) Rise
Up – Grace of God (Part 2)
During those long four months of pain and serious
occurrences, I had also fought depression. It covered me like a heavy blanket,
so heavy at times that I thought the weight of it would crush me. Combine that with pain, confusion, sleep
deprivation, fear (yes, at times I was
afraid, not knowing or understanding at the time what was happening or why),
along with everything else that was going on at the time.
I was trying to overcome what I believed to be a flaw in
my character, as well as any negative attitude that cropped up, yet the
depression did not lift. There were days
that I was not interested in reading the Bible, times I certainly did not
praise or give thanks, times that no worship went up and days when my prayers
seemed to be nothing but selfish, as I pleaded for the pain to end, or for the
Lord to take me home.
I will not repeat it all again, but after months of
fighting the depression, as well as the physical pain and all else, the Holy
Spirit reminded me of something. It was over a decade ago, a couple of years after
I finally surrendered and committed to the Lord (2005) that He taught me something. I wrote about it back in 2008 or
2009, and have spoken about it on Blogtalk radio. The wisdom was gleaned from Isaiah 61 verse 3.
To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of
praise for
the spirit of
heaviness;
that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that He might be glorified.
There are times that the depression that falls upon us
is a SPIRIT, a spirit of
heaviness, a spirit that will slowly squeeze, suffocate and crush the (spiritual) life out of its prey, unless
it is cut off at the head (source). Satan will do all he can to discourage us, to
see us downtrodden. The Holy Spirit caused me to pay close attention to the
words that I have emboldened in the above verse. That is when He taught me that not all
depression comes from genetics, shortcomings in character or personality or
sin.
There are other factors that can bring about depression
which is not a spirit. Chemical
imbalances, substance abuse, sleep deprivation, stress, grieving loss due to
death, divorce or other such tragedies can all affect our physical and mental
state, causing depression. However, more often than not, depression relates to
spiritual matters.
I digress, as this is a whole other topic and not one I
am going to delve into here. We know that both wisdom and understanding
came from the Lord when we study His Word.
We may get both fully at any given time, or the Lord may show us in part
and teach us step by step along the way.
He knows what is best for each of us individually.
My
son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His
correction: For whom the Lord loves He corrects; even as a father the son in
whom he delights. Happy is the man that finds wisdom, and the man that gets
understanding. [Prov 3:11-13]
There is no way we can walk the walk of faith if we do
not have God’s precious and Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Jesus promised He would send the “Comforter”
and He has. We need the blessed Word of God for faith to grow. We need the Holy Spirit in every area, especially when it comes to
discerning. We cannot even worship
unless we worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
Jesus knew that once He departed we would need help. Yes, God is perfect
in all He does.
I will say that
when a spirit of heaviness oppresses us, we are told in Isaiah 61 vs 3 to put on a
garment of praise. Evil spirits know the
word of God, so do not be surprised if you do not “feel” like praising when
the oppression comes. We learn as we
grow, but once we learn a thing, we must then discipline ourselves to put into
practice that which we have been taught.
We learn that true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in
truth. The Lord looks for such people. [Jn 4:23]
Seek God if you are suffering from depression. Allow His Holy Spirit to lead you into all
truth. For me the source of the depression
was three-fold, physical (strong opiates,
pain), emotional and spiritual (fears,
lack of trust in God etc).
Again, it
is not my intent to go deeper into the topic here. It was but one of the many
spiritual struggles I had to fight during that time period, and it was not the
first time I had wrestled with depression or a spirit of heaviness. I have spoken of this off and on since 2008
or so; however, I will add this before I move on.
There are times that we are in such clutches of despair
(which depression is) that we cannot
come out of it without help. Yes, we
depend on God in such times and He helps us through His Holy Spirit and His
Word, but He is the one who designed us to work together. We need our brothers
and sisters in Christ to pray for us. We
may need counseling. God does not expect
us to go through these battles alone, yet typically, the depressed person
withdraws and does not want to fellowship.
We have need of
one another, which is why we are called the “Body” of Christ. Reaching out is nothing at all to be ashamed
of, even if the devil says otherwise. Cry
out to God and He will deliver you. [Ps 120:1; Joel 2:32; Is 65:24] We all will face difficult times and
situations where we cannot go it alone. Read
the Word, pray, praise; of course, but please do not hesitate to reach out for counseling
and help if need be.
I do not pretend to
have all the answers because I too am learning. Long before I was born, and even
since being born-again, preachers and teachers have expounded on these things.
My heart is to do my part and share my experiences and lessons with the greatest
desire to help others.
When
God Spoke
Remember when I said that throughout this time period
God was mostly silent, but that He did give me a word or short messages
randomly? It is so. It started with two
words that profoundly struck me, two words that resonated deep within my spirit
that I could not shake. In March, my new
friend who was in hospice dying of cancer spoke of a “new beginning”.
I
had pondered her words many times since she said them when I was alone. Deep within, it was apparent to me that the
Lord was indeed saying that it was a time of a new beginning! The old things
must pass away before the new (beginning)
can come.
Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new
things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. [Is 42:9]
It was also in early March
the first time that the Lord had first put Isaiah chapter 40 so boldly before
my eyes. I know the words comforted me,
but it was not long before I realized that the Lord wanted me to comfort His
people. In the third verse, the word prepare
was noticed and acknowledged, but I put it on the back burner.
I understood that we were
entering into a season, an appointed time
for change, and that we were to prepare. Full understanding had not yet come to me; I
only saw in part. The words “healing” and “restore” kept coming to mind, as well as “suddenlies” and “unexpectedly”.
But this is
a people robbed and spoiled; they are
all of them snared in holes, and they are hid in prison houses: they are for a
prey, and none delivers; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. [Is 41:22]
A new start…a new
beginning! Trust Him with your life…He
will do it! I remembered the scripture: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh:
is there anything too hard for me? [Jer 32:27]
The Lord saw the warring going on between my carnal
nature and my spirit man. It was early in the month of May that I penned this
message, but kept it private until led to release it. Below is the message.
Rise
up! Rise up higher!! The army of the Lion must rise up!
Rise
up! Don’t you dare give up! Sense in your spirit – time…time…it’s time! The wait is over; change begins in the spiritual
and the natural. The righteous anger of the Father has come to the
forefront. His longsuffering is
undeniable. He has risen from His throne and said, “Enough
is enough!”
The armies of God are rising up to go forward into
battles. Deep within my spirit, I heard:
When it looks like it is over and that Satan has
won – watch – a transition is taking place!
I AM in control. My will is being
done. Let things unfold, no matter how
they appear to be. Trust Me – trust Me with your life. You have not given up
and you shall not.
All I promised is upon you.
Watch how I change
everything. I have everything under
control. It is now time for Me to restore.
This
is the season – this is the time. Now it shall spring forth. You have been humbled, but now I shall lift
you up and you shall hear the sounds of great VICTORY!
But thanks be to God which gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. [1Cor 15:57]
VICTORY! (End of message)
It was and is a prophetic
word. It can speak of now and/or it can
speak of that which is to come. And we
know that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ. [Rev 19:10]
Other
messages came to me over the following months, but I was not led to release
them to the public yet. Even if I was
going to be the last runner in the relay race, I have learned that I must wait
until the Lord sends me forth to run with any message.
When I was writing more of this article back in May,
over two months had passed since the Lord had first place Isaiah 40 so impressively
before my eyes. He would do so two more times in March, with my Bible opening
up at precisely the beginning of the chapter, without any dog-eared pages or
bookmarks. There was no doubt that Jesus was making sure I did not forget.
The word “transition” had also been placed
upon my heart. The word was shared with a close friend and sister in Christ in
the States who had listened to my woes when I was going through the long trial
of physical pain. It was then that I had written the following, which was
intended for the “comfort My people” article. Oh, and by the way, THIS is now
that article.
I had written:
This month (May 2017), a newsletter had been forwarded
to me penned by a brother in Christ named Augusto Perez of The Appearance Ministries. He had
written that he had understood in his spirit that a ‘shift’ had taken place.
Is transition and shift taking place hand in hand? One line that the brother wrote still leaves
me in awe and will be kept in prayer for clarity.
Miracles
which lead to a Shift in the Timeline can only be triggered by the vehicle of
faith. Augusto Perez
It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord God
orchestrates everything, bringing it all together harmoniously. A few weeks ago (May 22, 2017), when I was sitting in my truck waiting for a
business to open its doors, the Holy Spirit put a message in my heart: “Enough is enough! Get angry, but go into
battle, being calm and confident, for I am with you as I was with Moses.”
All glory to Jesus/Yeshua. I quickly scribbled the words on a loose
piece of paper. As I was pondering the
message that I had written down, I looked up the street and saw a sign that I
thought said “God’s time”. I quickly
added that to my note. How I rejoice when the Holy Spirit speaks.
However, when I looked at the sign again, I saw that it
actually said “Gold’n Time”. Well,
even if my eyes had played a trick on me, it was superbly timed and I accepted
that the Lord allowed it in order to alert me to prepare to battle the enemy,
knowing it is “God’s (His) Time”, and that He was with me.
And, behold, I am with you, and will keep you in all places where you go, and will bring you again into this land;
for I will not leave you, until I have done that which I have spoken to you of. [Gen
28:15]
So shall My word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not
return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. [Is 55:11]
I will end this portion of
writing with a message that the Holy Spirit led me to when I was going through
files on my external hard drive. As I scrolled through the file names, one in
particular caught my eye. It was called,
He is Faithful – Obedience is Key to
Promise. It was written in February
2012, so it is unfortunately no longer posted on the blog. It was one of the files that had not been
corrupted as so many of my other files had been.
Only excerpts that jumped
out at me in the prophetic word are going to be posted. When you see a bullet
point, it means that it is an excerpt that has been pulled out of the original
message.
He is Faithful –
Obedience is Key to Promise
February 2012
Arise Bride of
Christ! Arise sons of God, My people,
for all is in My hands. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust
Me, trust Me, trust Me, for I AM your Father, your Creator. Peace, be
still. Do not be afraid. Rest in Me for I draw you close to My
bosom.
Believe Me when
you cannot see a way out, for you walk by faith and not by sight. [2Cor 5:7]
Let patience
have its perfect way. Have you considered that I find you worthy to go through
all that you are going through?
* My people must choose to abandon sin; without
excuse, without compromise. The adversary continues in his agenda, to
blindside My people, to cause them to stumble and fall into sin. This
strategy is to keep you far from Me upon the broad highway. Confusion is
his mastery.
Yea, although I
allow him to prove (test) you for a
season, I bid you to endure. As you trust in Me, it is I who shall draw a
line of confusion around all enemies of the cross and their way shall be paved
with stones of emptiness. It shall be as nothing and you will not turn
aside to the right or the left, as you cleave to Me.
My glory shall
cover your armor and the brilliance of it shall blind the enemies of the cross
and send them into confusion, for you are more than conquerors through My
Christ, who loves you.
My holy angels
go forth at My command. As you cry out for discernment and walk in My
commandments, My Spirit shall cause your eyes to see all illusions, all
grandeur of the adversary, all deceptions.
The flesh of
your ears and heart shall be circumcised, so that you will hear and receive
truth, if you do not resist My Spirit. Do not be as the Pharisees.
I shall cut away all excess flesh so that your heart will be clean and pure,
yet you must not resist. Before his own people stoned him, Stephen cried
out:
Ye stiffnecked
and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the
Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. [Acts 7:51]
*
This hardship has been allowed to bring you to your
cross. This call to holiness and obedience is
absolute. Shall the love of fleshly passions (habits) outshine your love
for Me? My LOVE is the foundation of your faith. Be rooted in My
love, for then shall you go forth boldly.
I allow Satan to
bring you to your cross. Embrace the cross, knowing that as you bow
before Me in obedience, whatever you ask of Me in My Son’s name, that shall I
do, for then you shall know My will and not
ask amiss.
Come unto Me and
abide, so that your joy may be full. Hardships, trials and tribulation
shall be in this life, yet in abiding in Me, you shall know what to do. I
shall strengthen you to obey, if that is your earnest desire. Will you
obey Me?
Will you follow
My lead? Am I truly your first love? Do you trust Me in all
things? Do you love others as you love yourself? Walk in love; walk in holiness; walk in obedience.
Wait upon Me. Walk in faith, for without faith it is
impossible to please Me. [Heb 11:6]
†
(So beloved
brethren, I encourage you to embrace the cross. Embrace the trials and the
tests, and give God the glory. It is Jesus/Yeshua who intercedes on our behalf,
praying that our faith not fail us. We can trust Him. Endure this
hardship, brave one, brethren of mine… the victory is nigh us! – BP)
O you afflicted,
tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair
colours, and lay your foundations with sapphires. And I will make your windows
of agates, and your gates of carbuncles, and all your borders of pleasant
stones. [Is 54:11, 12]
Step Out in
Faith
Watch and see
what I shall do, as you step out in faith, overcoming all flesh, a complete
dying to self. You have longed to do the greater works in the miracles
that are coming, running parallel to great tribulation upon all nations.
There is a cost.
You will keep
him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You: because he trusted in
You. [Is 26:3].
* God’s Remnant Armies
I AM positioning My people; from the generals to
the foot soldiers. You have been through gruesome trials and
testing. Those who are to be generals and top commanders in My armies
must be dependable, submissive to their King and obedient [quick to follow
commands]. Likewise, all other members, right down to (and including) the foot soldiers must be
dependable, submissive and obedient.
* This is how good armies operate. This is how
a body of believers must function. The Body of My Christ (Y'shua/Jesus)
is composed of members from generals to foot soldiers. Are all the hands,
or are all the feet? Are all the eyes, or are all the ears? Every
part is crucial and necessary to function as a whole and healthy
body.
(End of Excerpts)
The next prophetic word is
from April last year (2016), which
the Holy Spirit led me to. Out of the
hundreds of articles and prophetic messages given, I see it as no coincidence
when I just “happen” to open a file that speaks directly to the situation or
trial that one may be experiencing. Below is the message.
Time
to Do What You Delay in Doing
When all around
you seems chaos, think hard upon times where I helped you in the past.
Did you not feel like I had left you? Did confusion try to overpower
you? Did you not feel then that it was more than you could bear?
What did you do? You pressed in, you sought Me and you found Me. I strengthened you to endure. I directed you to praise Me for the spirit of heaviness. I directed you to pray for your enemies and to pray without ceasing. I directed you to My word to strengthen you and to feed you. I comforted you.
This is what you
must remember, for I foretold it. The enemy, the accuser of the brethren
(Satan the adversary) has come before Me to accuse those who call
themselves by My name. He cannot enter into the holy of holies; yet
there is a heaven above the earth that he roams back and forth about, seeking
whom he may devour and upon the earth he walks about, seeking, ever-seeking.
Be sober, be
vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about, seeking whom he may
devour. [1Pet 5:8]
He will accuse
My people, saying:
'They love you and are loyal because you
bless them...allow me to touch their lives. Let us see if they love you
when it's all taken away. Let us see if they trust you or have faith. Let me interfere in
their friendships and steal from that friendship. Let me bring division
in amongst them. Let's see if they will still pray for each other.'
'Let me seduce
their senses and stimulate their physical desires. I know just the ones
to put upon their path. Let me interfere in their marriages, in their
intimate relationships, in their trusted comrades.
If they don't
run to you, they will simply thank you as they succumb to my temptations, not
knowing they are deceived. Let's see if they really do cry out to you
first. Let us just see if their heart is really with and for you, or if
they just honor you with their lips!
Let me put them
to the harder tests; let me take and test them severely in every arena.’
(Note* - This is
the prideful and arrogant attitude Satan operates in, and similarly nearly echo
Satan’s very words concerning Job. - BP)
Now I say to
you, you do well to remember this:
I allow the
tests, the trying of your faith. I allow the trials and tribulations. Did
I not warn you of the fire and the water? Did I not say that you will not
be burned, nor will the waters overwhelm you? Beware, least you are
filled with pride, or anger or bitterness. Fear not. Remember that I
am with you.
Remember, for
you know that all things work together for good to those who love Me and are
the called, according to My purpose. [Rom 8:28] I am He that will
purge and purify you.
Those who die to
self will not give into temptation. Those who stay humble and seek My
wisdom and direction will not be seduced or fall into pride about the good
works they are doing, or allow division amongst those whom have stood by them
in dark days, those whom I have ordained to be – those who are Mine.
Not of works,
lest any man should boast.
Who has saved
us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began, [Eph 2:9; 2 Tim1:9]
I have
orchestrated your life, as you surrendered to Me. You do well to remember
that I AM Sovereign. Do not go off with your own plans and ideas. Come to
Me and I shall direct you and guide you by My Spirit.
My people, be
guarded as you take your steps. Wait upon Me to be sure it is time to
step or if you should take a step at all. Wait upon Me to see if it is
time for you to move out or to stand your ground. Yea, deep within you
will know, for I am He who puts within you the wisdom, when you seek
truth. You must wait patiently.
Wait upon My
timing, but do not run ahead. More importantly, do not lag behind, for
you know the darkness and you see the time. In your desire to do My will,
be sure that you are not going on to accomplish your own will.
Your faith is
being sifted as wheat, just as Peter. I forewarned you. You may
feel pain, anger, confusion, frustration, a desire to quit, a pull for change,
a restlessness - or you may feel justified, righteous – experiencing thoughts,
feelings and emotions of all kinds.
Beware of flesh.
Beware of the adversary, the counterfeiter. He will try to send you off in
another direction, to the right or to the left. Do not surrender to the
negative, yea, but neither be swallowed up in pride and
self-righteousness. Be meek, be humble before Me. Surrender your life;
lay it down and truly die to self.
Forgive and you
shall be forgiven. Be merciful and you shall obtain mercy. Be obedient and you
shall reap your reward in due season.
With great love,
I correct.
In mercy, I
discipline.
Lay it all down
now.
Quit saying, I'm
not perfect.
Quit saying, I'm
struggling.
Quit saying, I
can't right now because...
Quit finding
excuses and reasons.
Trust in your Lord with all your heart and lean not to you own
understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Me and I shall direct your
steps. [Prov 3:5, 6]
How can I direct
your steps if you will not obey or justify your reasons to delay? What of
habitual sin? Shall I let you go on in your ways, if I did not allow the
Israelites, in days of old, to go on in their ways? Have I not shown you
mercy?
Have I not been
longsuffering? I will break the chains of bondage when you cry out to Me
and trust in Me. Are you so proud that you
think every thought is of Me, or are you humble enough to seek Me in prayer and
ask Me?
Be careful and guard yourself against any sin of
presumption. Will you smash all of your idols and be done with idolatry? Selah I AM the same yesterday, today and forever. I shall have no
other gods before Me.
Focus on My Son,
Y'shua (Jesus) and the end result - victory. Pick up your cross, My
disciple - death is not forever. There is a resurrection that comes after
death. Be found WORTHY of Me. You say you trust Me and you do well, yet I
ask you, ‘Can
I trust you?’
I am working,
not you. Do not look at what you are doing. Look at what I have
done and shall do, when you truly die to self. Give thanks. It is
almost time! Do you not know and do you not say... it shall come suddenly? So shall My Son come again
suddenly…as a thief in the night. Only I know the day or the hour. Shall
you miss your visitation?
My people will
be needed by others in the days that are fast approaching - great destruction,
death, tribulation such has never been seen before. Yea, great sorrow has begun
- tribulation immeasurable awaits at the door. Prepare your hearts; prepare
your minds. Repent of all that is not of Me; quickly come. Rend your heart and
not your garments.
If My people,
which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will
forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Now Mine eyes
shall be open, and Mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now have I
chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever: and Mine
eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually. [1Chro 7:14-16]
Yea, so it shall
be that I come to you when least expected. Do not be caught
off-guard. Do not delay any longer nor continue on with excuses or
reasons. Why do you fight against that which I have ordained?
You will not
find perfection in the world. To be perfect in My Son is to be complete in Him,
mature in heart and whole. Yet, My work continues in My people, to circumcise
the heart (of excess flesh) and to make you pure in heart (in intent
and motive).
Babylon shall fall and the harlot will fall with it. Come out from amongst
them. You are not their Savior; My Son Jesus (Y'shua) is the
Savior. (Again, I say) Do not look at what you are doing; look at
what I am doing and shall do, when you truly die to self.
I speak once,
yea twice, but man perceives it not. [Job
33:14]
Do not be so
quick to cast off that which I have ordained because it is not how you thought
it might be. Wait upon Me.
Press through
and onward. It is almost time for you to see it in the natural.
Have joy in your sorrowing. Trust Me in the fire and water, for I will
bring you through. Yea, I am with thee.
Great
tribulation for the world soon begins; it has begun, for it begins slowly and
then shall build momentum. Lay down your life now, for you have asked
that you be considered worthy to escape that which is coming and to know what I
would have you to do.
That is why you
have been told to learn to hear My voice, not the voice of flesh or the voice
of the adversary, who is a counterfeiter, father of lies, a murderer.
My grace is with
you.
There is hope in
your despair.
Confusion is not
of Me.
Have faith to
do (Die to self; humble yourself and in due time, I shall lift you up).
Have faith to
move (In love, in forgiveness, in patience and understanding, in mercy and
grace).
Love Me enough
to obey.
Trust Me enough
to do – and to wait on My timing.
Know that I am
with you...
As you obey...
As you lay down your life...
As you trust in Me.
There are delays
that I have allowed, even brought about, for purging, purifying, for
disciplining (chastising), for molding and shaping, as the clay in the potter's
hand, or as the sword in the hand of the blacksmith.
Yet now I say to
you, it is time to do what you delay in doing. Fear not. The delays have been
necessary, to lay down the past gently. The enemy has tried to stop that which
I have ordained, but you overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of
your testimony; and love not your life unto death. [Rev12:11] Source:
Time to Do
for His glory
Bonita dovesofthevalleys4@gmail.com
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