Day 250

I awoke early on this 250th day of  The Red Shoe Project with the most vivid evangelistic dreams still at the forefront of my mind.  How crazy is that?  I'm lying in bed, sound asleep, and in my dreams, I sensed the Spirit of God come on me;
I received a Word of Divine Knowledge from the Lord;
I preached the Word of God;  and people gave their lives to Christ!  Yahoo!
Now if that can happen in real life, while I'm awake,  I'll be all set!  LOL.



Although I have been sporting my Ruby Reds far from home, my ministry partner continues to hold down the fort back in Sarasota County.  Early this morning we compared notes, by phone, of what God has been doing in each of our lives and guess what?

"THE SAME THING."



It was so funny... I told her about my dream and the message I was preaching on Zaccheus (Luke 19: 1-9).  God had just spoke to her through that same story a couple days ago.  She thought she had told me about it, but she had not.  I hadn't thought about  Zaccheus for years.
"I didn't just tell you that?"  she asked.  "No!"  I responded.  "God is speaking 
THE SAME THING to us!"


I met with my long time Father-in-the-Lord today.  This man and his wife are my first real mentors in the faith.  They were my pastors for years,brought me up in the ways of the Lord after I got saved, and trained me for full time ministry.  I respect them dearly.  The church I co-pioneered for almost nine years, a couple decades ago, was planted out of this couple's church, under their leadership.

This afternoon was a time of sharing all that God is doing in my life, receiving wisdom and direction from them regarding ministry, and have the blessing of God prayed over me as I walk in the anointing God has put on me.  

The Bible says in Proverbs 15:22...

"Plans fail for lack of counsel,

but with many advisers they succeed."

As I step into an expanded life of ministry, I know that it is wise to get the prayerful support and blessing of those in my circle of leadership.    It has been a long day, but I am dotting all the "i"s and crossing all the "t"s,  making sure that I'm covering all the bases that God has asked me to.  That doesn't happen all in one day, but I've "set out"  for Him.  

In Red shoes,

Gail

Day 249

The 249th day of  The Red Shoe Project  has begun and my RED flip flops are on my feet.  My friends return today from their cruise, so really... my time of solitude is quickly coming to an end.  I will stay here a couple more days, and enjoy my friends' company.  We all will have stories to tell!

Yesterday was entirely devoted to God.  After the angel experience the night before and all the talking at bedtime with God, I woke up determined to press in even further.  I started out surfing the net for information on God's Generals and the next thing I know, The Holy Spirit brought me to a few hand-picked YouTube videos that seemed specifically chosen for me.

How do I know they were for me?  Well... initially they weren't, but I've told you before, God isn't limited to our time table.  When He speaks a Word, it's eternal, not to mention multi-dimentional.  That means it might be an exact word for someone it's spoken to at the moment it's spoken...  but it can also be an exact word for someone specific who just happens to  stumble, (yeah right - we know nothing is by happen stance),  upon it months or even years later.  And that was me, today!

So there I was watching a video clip of a prophetic service when suddenly...

BOOM!  

The Heavens opened 

and glory came down!

It was as if the service was taking place right there in my living room and I was front row, center.  My spirit began to respond to the move of the Holy Spirit in the service that I was watching.  Praise the Lord!

At first I was just interested in what I was seeing.  At a some point, however,  -- I'm not exactly sure when -- I became a participant.  I was praising God!  I was praying in the Spirit!  I was shaking!  I was proclaiming the goodness of God!  And I was boldly prophesying -- out loud!  You better believe I had my journal close at hand.  I documented it all in great detail.

There was one instance, in particular, in which someone was prophesying over a minister who was stepping into a new calling from the Lord... I'm telling you, it was if He was speaking directly to me.  I could feel myself absorbing it fully, like a dry sponge in water.  I was saturated!  Yeah... I wasn't going anywhere the entire day.  I stayed right there in the living room for hours on end.

I had something else planned for the day.  I had research to do on an upcoming class I'll be doing.  That got tabled for another day.  Today I was given access to The Lord, and when that happens,  the calendar is cleared.  I'm available!

Wow!  He spoke several things into my life today, prophetically... not to mention a vision or two -- an important reminder to stay humble -- and specific direction on where to go from here.

His closing remarks to me were this:

"You've heard the Word of The Lord today, Gail.
There will be more -- but in the meantime, 
Walk thee in it!
Walk in it!
Walk in the anointing.
It is yours.

Trust Me.
I will enable you to do great and mighty things on my behalf.
Lives will be changed as you yield to me.
Continually let go and let me move through you.
Let go!  
Release yourself to me!
Let go!  Let go!  Let go!
I will move in your midst! says The Lord.

I responded with two questions to Him:

What does that mean -- 

"Walk in the anointing?"

and

Isn't it still just "me?"

Here's what He said,

"You are merely a vessel of choice.

THE SPIRIT  is  THE SAME.

As you look back upon all the great men and women of God, throughout the ages -- those who have impacted millions of lives with the Gospel -- It is THE SAME SPIRIT that has dwelt in each one.  Those Generals, per say,  were all merely vessels filled to overflowing with THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD.

And it doesn't end there!  Those heros of the Bible... The apostles and disciples of Christ, the Prophets of old, the greatest servants of God, Moses, Joshua,  the Judges... all of them were moved, clothed, instructed by THE SAME SPIRIT.

Even today... the evangelists, pastors, teachers, apostles, and prophets -- the ones you look up to and admire -- guess what?  They are all filled to overflowing with THE SAME HOLY SPIRIT.

Do you get it, Gail?

They're all just vessels.  

People that have emptied 
themselves of self

and allowed God to fill 
them with HIS SPIRIT.

And you, too, are a vessel.

The less of you...
the better the move of God!

Let's try it!  You'll get it!

But it starts now...

One step at a time." 

And if that weren't enough...

Here's the scripture He gave me:

Judges 6:34

"Then the Spirit of the LORD

clothed Himself with Giddeon."

With that said,
here I go...

Stepping out in faith,

in RED shoes!

Gail

Day 248

I woke up this morning -- Day 248 of The Red Shoe Project -- threw on my RED sandals and brought little Lowell out for his morning walk.  I was so excited about what happened last night at bedtime.  The Lord had told me the night before to be quiet and He would speak with me, but nothing came about.  Perhaps it was because I was so tired.  But last night -- well, that's an entirely different story.  God showed up, right at bedtime, for an evening chat!

It started off with just a thought and I feeling.  I sensed that God was telling me He loved me.  I had my journal at my bedside, so I picked it up and wrote down what I thought God was saying.

Then I wrote down my response.  "I love you too, Lord!"   I followed that up by writing down the word GOD followed by a colon, and waited for Him to speak. As soon as words started to pop in my mind, I wrote them down.
Note:  Usually there's just a word or two to start, but as I write those down, the rest just flows out onto the paper.  It looked like this:

God:  "I love you, Gail."
Me:    "I love you too, Lord!"
God:

This kind of scripting is an interesting form of prayer that always has remarkable results.  Try it and see for yourself!"  You'll be amazed at how quickly and clearly God speaks to you.

God:  "You are precious in my sight."
Me:    "I wish we talked more, Lord.  Perhaps I talk too darn much?"
God:  "You are doing just fine."
Me:    "Lord... I want to go deeper.  I want to know you more.  I am desperate for you."
God:   "I see your works, endeavors, writing."
Me:    "What must I do, Lord, to get You to come near?"
God:  "I am near.  I'm closer than you think."

Our conversation continued.  I asked some very specific questions and He gave me some very specific answers.  It was great!  What was really rather bizarre, however,  was the fact that "Theodore" - my angel - was right there, at the far side of my bed, the entire time.

Wow!  He's a big one.  I was in a very large bedroom, with a rather high ceiling, and even still, Theo had to crouch.  His wings hovered over and around me, as if he were a shield protecting me while God and I spoke.  Hmmm.  Remember how he seemed stuffed in the plane when I went from Boston to London?  Well this room was much larger, but he was still way too big to be comfortable.   LOL.  Oh well.

The Lord and I talked about the angels He has shown me as of late.  Really, there's just two.


There was my son's angel that I saw during the SOZO prayer session.  And then there's Theo.  I've seen him on several occasions.  Once, many years ago, when I was a new Christian, God showed me an angel standing guard at the door of my apartment and told me I had nothing to fear.  Twenty years later,  after my divorce,  I recognized in my spirit, this same angel, watching over my home.  This year, during  The Red Shoe Project,  I've been acutely aware of his presence again -- once while in a church, at a conference, (That's when I named him Theo);  another time, while on an airplane;  and now, here, in this bedroom at my friends' home.

I turned off the light, and closed my eyes, thinking our conversation had come to an end.  I was saying some last minute prayers, lifting some friends up before God, when suddenly The Lord decided to speak. When I realized the importance of His words,  I quickly sat up, put on the light, reached for my glasses and opened my journal.  I didn't want to forget what God was saying for He was saying quite a lot.

No.  No.  I can't tell you all the specifics.  It was quite personal and meant only for my ears at this time. But He's shown me before, crucial thresholds of my life... and this night, He reminded me of them again, and spoke to me about what lies ahead.  It's promising!

Early this morning, I woke up and quickly did a little research on angels, feathers and  shields.  I will leave you today, with this one scripture:

"He will cover you with feathers and under His wings you will find refuge, 

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart."

Psalm 91:4

My commentary says  "wings"  are a metaphor for the protective outreach of God's power.   I will sleep well tonight with that thought in mind.

In RED shoes,
Gail

Day 247

This 247th day of The Red Shoe Project  also happens to be my youngest daughter's birthday.  I am in RED flip flops, far from home, and remembering what it was like, as a kid, when the greatest day of the year was my birthday.  Another year older!  Yahoo!  Someday I'll be an adult!  LOL.

For many of us... we've stopped counting the years.  There comes the day when you realize, "I'll never be young again." It doesn't matter if you look young, or act young -- if you're up to speed on the latest fashion or fad -- or even if you know the lingo of the day...  You're still not young!  Those days are gone.  Suddenly Proverbs 31:10-31 moves to the forefront.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Hopefully all our efforts have not been banking on a lifetime of youthful beauty. 

As I continue in my endeavors to go deeper and deeper with Christ, it has been no secret that distractions are perhaps one of the greatest setbacks in such a task.  Today, it was as if I were hit with a tidal wave of reality:

Our world -- culture -- society 

is so saturated with things that cater to the flesh, 

it's no wonder that it's so difficult 

to get to the heart of God.

I began to think of all the things that are normal, every day occurrences, only to find that so many of them are feeding the appetites of our flesh.  Take for example, exercise.  Exercise is a good thing.  It's good to be healthy and fit.  But haven't many become obsessed with it to the point of being in the gym day after day after day - expelling all their energy - making it their #1 priority to have the most buff body imaginable?  Hey!  I'm not saying it's wrong to have a disciplined workout routine.  But isn't it catering to the flesh?  Isn't it about ME?  How I can look better?   Me-Me-Me is always a clear sign that the flesh is being fed. 

Joyce Meyer says it best 

when she does her robot impression...

"What about me?  What about me?  What about me?"

Take diet and nutrition.  Another matter of great importance.  But how many have found themselves in bondage to pursuing the perfect body?  What about clothes shopping?  Clothes are certainly a necessity. It's a good thing to be presentable.  But is it a necessity to wear the hottest fashions of the season at such an outrageous expense?  Why is it so important?  Is it to be RECOGNIZED?  Is it to be ACCEPTED?  Is it to look better than everyone else?    Hmmm.   The list could go on and on and on.  

So here's my point:  As I find my journey going deeper and deeper with Christ, I am realizing that I must shed more and more things in my life.  There's no room for them.  They get in the way of my goal.  They contradict what it is I'm trying to do.

As I get closer to the heartbeat of God,  I'm realizing that it's all about Him... not me!  And somehow the goal is not how I can be recognized -- but how can He be recognized in me.  And it has nothing to do with acceptance.  In fact, the Bible makes it clear that just as Christ was rejected, so will I be in my endeavor to lift Him up for all to see. 

Please understand that I'm not telling you all this to try to generate some sort of conviction of the soul from you.  No!  This is my chosen journey, not yours.   I'm just telling you the way it is.  I've promised you honesty.  Why is it that every Christian isn't  going deeper and deeper with Christ?  Because there's a cost involved.  It costs you your life.  

Oh it's wonderful!  And it's worth it!  But it makes the "Tough Mudder" obstacle coarse look like a playground for kindergardeners -- spiritually speaking.  (No offense to my athletic friends... I'm just painting a picture here.)

Ahhhh.  I can hear some of you whispering, "Legalism!"  

That thought crossed my own mind.  But no -- there is freedom in Christ.  Hallelujah!  But to go deeper... well, that's another story.  It's like Jules' Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth.  When they started on their journey, they wore clothing suitable for the challenge, but as they got deeper, the climate changed and things got hot.  They had to shed many of their garments because they were unsuitable for the remainder of the journey. 

I know many would turn back at this point.  But I cannot.  I am too close to finding the heart of God. So you may see me and my hair may not be the latest style or prettiest color.  My body may not be in the best of shape.  My clothes may appear rather plain and out-dated.  My car may not be the flashiest.  Even my purse may seem rather lean.  I'm sure, I may appear rather simple and somewhat plain... but if that's all it takes to get to the heart of God... 

I'm going for it!   

Perhaps that's what Paul the Apostle meant when he said, 

"...let us throw off everything that hinders 

and the sin that so easily entangles 

and let us run with perseverance 

the race marked out for us.  

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, 

the author and perfecter of our faith..."  

Hebrews 12:1b-2a

Yes, I am attempting to shed those things that hinder, that I might go the full course that He has set for me.  Please pray for me that in my weakness, He'll be strong!  Pray that I will stay focused on Christ and stay the course.  I've come so far in these RED shoes of mine... 

There's no turning back now!

Gail