Center yourself in Me. When you find the pressures of this life and the busyness and cares and concerns surrounding you, center yourself in Me.

I will not hide Myself from you if you will take the time to close yourself off from all that is around you and seek My face. Haven’t I said in My word that if you draw near to Me, I will draw near to you? Why then, do you think that I would not make Myself available to you in your hour of need?

Was I not sent first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles? Are you not the offspring and seed of Abraham? I the Lord shall continue to purge My house of the evildoers and those who are in seats of authority that belong to My rightful people. The cleansing of the temple is a sign. It’s a sign that My coming is much nearer than you have believed.

The spotless bride can be made ready, by Me, very suddenly. As the wars and rumors of wars continue, and as the pestilence and famines across the lands continue, I shall pour My hyssop upon those who are humbled and repentant before Me, and they will be cleansed and made whole.

Do not deviate from My Plan. Do not walk away from what I have set you into. It is not your plan that you are walking out, but it is Mine. You cannot work it, or direct it, or accomplish it without Me. But you continue to look around for ways to help Me out. You cannot continue to do this and remain in My Perfect will. My Will is for you to walk in that rest that I have for you, hand in hand with Me. You must focus your faith and trust in Me to lead you.

Are you walking through situations that you feel don’t measure up to be of My truth and victory? If so, then I want you to test the fruit of your heart at this time. Are you doing all that you can do to stand faithful and true? I am the one that is to judge, not you. I am the one that can truly see your heart and the efforts that you took to be able to overcome. I am the one that allows the severity of the trial so that I can purge and test you whether you will walk with Me or not.

We have been keeping our hearts and ears open to get a macro, comprehensive sense of what the Lord has been saying to the Body this season, and so I would like to begin this issue with a word that means either I’ve had too much Christmas chocolate, or I tuned into the Lord in a bit of a festive mood.You decide:

“Rest. Yes, I am calling you to rest, My dear children. Rest in me. For what do I want from you more than your heart, your love, your loyalty; your sacrifice is to love me and rest in my care for you. I do not want your laboring heart, but your love-sick, devoted heart. Do you want to do something extraordinary for me? Then all I say is to TAKE ME AT MY WORD.

My precious Church, this coming year that is upon you, is going to be a year of new beginnings for many of you. It is going to be a year where you will see the breakthrough that you have been waiting for; a year where you will see the manifestation of My heart and power in your lives, like you have been crying out for.This coming year will be a year where many will see the blessings of My hand return to them 10-fold what the locusts stole and ate. Word curses that were spoken over many places and people are going to be broken as this year begins with My Spirit challenging many hearts to examine themselves in the light of My presence.

It’s very rare that I have prophetic dreams. So when I had a dream on October 4th, I knew it was significant, especially since we had been meeting daily as a staff for intercession.

In my dream I kept hearing, “Makida is the answer. Makida is the key. Deal with Makida.” Then I woke up. I didn’t even know how to spell “Makida,” but I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget. The next day I tried to look it up. I also asked my daughter-in-law, Jane Hamon, for input since she is good at researching words. She found “machi” and “da” in the concordance and discovered that together they mean “this is the one that will cause you to decrease, to become impoverished, to be depressed.”

The discerning of spirits needs to be sharpened in My body. It needs to be honed in sharp so that you are not deceived. Deception is rampant in this hour and you need to know what spirit is operating. You need the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Me. You need to know My voice. You also need to discern between the flesh and the enemy.

These next few words were selected from Bill and Marsha Burns’ daily prophecy e-mails this month because of their lucid poignancy. If you still have not subscribed to their daily prophecy e-mail, I encourage you to visit their site http://ft111.com and do so.

December 11, 2007: Do you sense the urgency to clean up and tie up loose ends? Soon you will make a break with the past, which is necessary before you begin to move forward again. Be very sensitive to the leading of My Spirit to complete tasks that remain undone or unfulfilled.

I was awakened at 3:35 a.m. and my immediate thought was Isaiah 35: 3-5.

Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, “Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; the recompense of God will come, but He will save you.” Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Isaiah 35:3-5

A day of reckoning is coming, My beloved, and with it is coming My favor, My favor on all who will surrender to Me.
Hear the word of the Lord God Almighty. Hear Me speak truth!

I am the living God. You are My chosen. I have made plans for you, plans that go far back, beyond the hour that you existed on earth. I want you to know that My desire has always been to bless, bless abundantly. The hour is soon to come when each of My children will know this blessing in full.

An Exhortation from the Father:

When the children of Israel hardened their hearts against Me, even though they had seen with their own eyes the Red Sea open and I brought them safely across, I swore an oath not to let them enter My rest.