Day 293

Yikes!  It's Day 293 of  The Red Shoe Project and here I am, standing firm, in my RED shoes, with my shield of faith lifted high!
It has been a challenging day to say the least.  The enemy has been shooting his arrows
in my direction continuously.
But just as God's Word says, I have...

" Taken up the shield of faith 

with which I can extinguish 

all the the flaming arrows."  

Ephesians 6:16

That shield of faith snuffs out the flames.  It removes the sting.  It eliminates the arrow's destructive ability!  All that's left is a little smoke.

I've noticed that the enemy's modus operandi hasn't changed a bit since the beginning of time.  He's a trickster, a cheat, a deceiver, a fraud, a rogue and a scoundrel.  He tricked Eve in the garden and He attempts to do the same to you and me every day.  What is it that he does?  He talks... and he tries his best to draw you into the conversation. 

"Did God really say 

You must not eat 

from any tree 

in the garden?"

Watch out!  Don't fall for it!  He's a sly one! If you can avoid the conversation altogether, you're ahead of the game.  

First, he just gets you to listen.  He throws out phrases that "kind of"  sound right.  Then he snags your emotions.  He hooks you with words and pictures that beat you down.  They make you feel like a loser -- That everyone is out to get you -- That you're not really hearing from God.  Then he offers up a variety of suggestions that he guarantees will produce a better outcome for you.  He's got a bit of a silver tongue, so it's best not to even get to this point.  Otherwise, you'll find yourself eating the apple and regretting it!

That's the secret!  We all know his game. He's a liar and a deciever!  His tactics never change.  We've played and lost time after time, year after year.  Isn't it time to turn the tables?  Nobody says you have to play!  When the invitation comes, you need to shut him down right up front. As the old spiritual says...

"Shut the door!

Keep out the devil!"

The challenge here is that he is relentless.  He'll keep beckoning -- calling to you, until he gets your attention.  Here's three steps for shutting him down on the spot.

1.  Call him out!  "In the name of Jesus, I bind you, you demon spirit and cast you down.  You will not speak, in Jesus Name.  Remove yourself from my presence -- I command it!" Say it loud and say it like you mean it!  Say it two or three times if necessary.  You'll be surprised.  This really works!

2.  Rebut the enemy's lies using God's Word.  Jesus himself did this, during his forty days in the wilderness.  When the enemy throws a lie at you, you counter it with an opposing truth from God's Word and the lie is extinguished.  Keep in mind, however, you have entered into conversation.  Don't tarry there.  Make it a point to snuff out an arrow or two and move on!  

3.  You can choose what conversations you listen to.  Shut the door on him, lock it and get busy on something else.  If you stay idle or intrigued, he'll shout to you through the door.  So you need to get your mind busy. 

This is the perfect time for a 

Praise and Prayer Party! 

If your mind is focused on praising God or talking to God, there's no room for anything else.  You've successfully shut the door!  

Do one, or all three if necessary!

Praising His Name for the Victory!

In Red shoes, 

Gail

Day 292

This 292nd Day of  The Red Shoe Project has been a day of  Prayer.  It's not that I don't have anything to say,  I've just said it all to God.   I found myself a comfortable chair, sat in His presence and went down my list of family and friends who need Divine Assistance.

It dawned on me how easy it is not to pray for people.  How often could I have lifted up a prayer for this one or that one and didn't?  More often than not, I have thought that my meager words to God would be inconsequential.  Where would I find the words to fill up a respectable amount of time given in prayer for a friend?  With that mindset,  I chose nothing, when I could have just said, "Lord, Please help my friend."  That would have sufficed.  

Today it seemed so easy praying for this one and that -  asking God to help here and there - to touch lives, save souls, and bring about healing to those in need.  I just sat there dishing up one request after another as if God were my guest for tea.

"Please try this, won't You?" 

"Could you help with that?"  

"You're the only one I can talk to about such a thing! " 

"Oh Lord, would You pay a visit to my friend?"

Today I have been subservient to The Lord.  I have sat in His presence, listened to His voice and followed His directions.  Even when I found it necessary to accomplish some menial tasks, I found myself whispering prayers continuously.  

The peace of God surrounds me.  I shall read and pray some more before going to bed.  How surreal.  Shall this one day become my new normal?  It's like floating down the lazy river... yet somehow I have this strange feeling that the enemy of my soul is not pleased.  What havoc have I created in his world?  God only knows.  And if that be the case, let there be more days like this.  Amen.

"For though we live in the world,

we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with 

are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power

to demolish strongholds!"

1 Corinthians 10:3-4

Praying in RED shoes, 

Gail

Day 291

Day 291 of  The Red Shoe Project has come and gone.  My RED shoes were securely fixed on my feet and now they are lying by the front door.  It's almost time for bed.  Many things got accomplished today!  I like when things get accomplished.  Even so, today had it's challenges.

The other day I talked about the need to "push through" in order to get into the "prayer zone" - that special place of prayer where you get lost in intercession.  The Spirit of God falls on you and you totally lose track of the time.  When it's finally done and over, you open the door and realize, "You're back!"



You leave your prayer chamber filled with spiritual fuel and you're ready to do the work of the ministry.  The anointing power has been activated in you life and now it's time to go into the world and take care of business.  You must do whatever The Lord has instructed you to do!

That's the fun part because you're soaring by faith!  You know what God has spoken, so you just go out and do it.  You're not worried about what people think -- Instead, you're focused on what God's about to do!  Hallelujah!  At the end of the day, you plop into bed totally exhausted, but happy as a lark.  It is a good thing to be about The Father's business!



Then comes "the day after."  Somehow, while you were sleeping, all that spiritual sustenance drained from your body.  You went from  Full to Empty! -- from Powerful to Limp!  And there's the devil just waiting to smack you down before you even get your bearings about you.

The other day, at The Bonfire,  I met a woman who said she used to pray for people to be healed all the time.  She stopped because she found that she was taking on the ailments that they had.  She'd pray for someone who had a sore back and they would leave healed, but she'd suddenly have a horrendous back ache.  Who needs that?

"That's not of God!" shouted a sister from the other side of the room.  "That's the work of the enemy!"  When you think of it, what was the result?  She stopped praying.   Sure, she didn't get sick anymore herself, but she threw the baby out with the bath water -- no one got healed anymore either.  That's not God!

It got me thinking about the importance of putting on the Armor of God.  (Ephesians 6)

A fire fighter doesn't  head out to a fire in his gym gear.  No, he puts on special protective clothing and equips himself with special tools to do his job.  In the same way, a surgeon doesn't walk into the operating room in a suit and tie.  No, he has a specific cleansing routine before and after.  He puts on a pair of scrubs, special gloves and a mask.

  Why would prayer or any other job God gives you 

be any different?

If you're going to do the work of the ministry, you must put on the Armor of God!  Why?  Because anyone working for the Lord is a prime target for spiritual warfare.  Watch Out!!!  It would be great if we could do all the fun stuff with no push back, no challenges, no opposition.  But it doesn't work that way.  The enemy will come after you!  You can't think of yourself as a Pastor or Pastor's wife -- a Sunday school teacher -- an altar worker -- a prayer partner --  youth leader -- or just part of the worship team.  NO!

You must think of yourself as

 "A Soldier in God's Army!"  

You have to be able to protect yourself, and God has given us Divine Instruction on how to do that in Ephesians 6.

There's also the matter of re-fueling.  When the car is out of gas, you bring it to the pump and "fill-er up!"  When we are out of fuel, we must fill up as well.  It's back to worship & praise, God's Word, and prayer.  If you don't do that, the enemy will get you.  He'll shred you to pieces and it won't be pretty.

He'll lie, lie, lie, wearing you down, until you believe him.  You'll find yourself doubting all that God has told you.  As a mature believer in the Lord you must be able to identify that tactic immediately and respond quickly.  If your armor isn't on, you better get it on!

I didn't make it to the prayer chamber, today, until late afternoon.  I had appointments all day.  Fortunately, one of my appointments was with two awesome friends that are solid Christians.  Just being with them stirred my faith!  Which, by the way, one of them was in need of a healing, so of course, I prayed right then and there!  Yeah... that's a new gift that God has instructed me to put into practice.  That means if I'm around anyone who needs healing, and God doesn't instruct me otherwise, I shall step out by faith, lay my hands on them and pray.  That's how it's done.

Hmmmm.  Think of it this way:  When you get a new phone, what do you do?  You play with it.  You figure it out.  You spend a lot of time maneuvering it, so you know how it works, right?    Sometimes God's gifts are like that.  You've got to figure them out.  You've got to try them on for size. You've got to practice until you get it.

The ultimate goal is to 

understand everything that device 

has to offer and to be able 

to use it fully to your advantage.   

You're right -- many of us don't do that.  We learn just enough to get by.

With a phone, that's not an issue.  

With the devil... it is!  

The more you know  AND the more you practice, the better!   

Be prepared!

I was also extremely thankful for an unexpected visit from my prayer partner.  It was a short visit, but she poured words of truth into my soul.  It is good to have a friend!  When she left I felt nourished and ready for anything.

Finally, I got myself into the prayer room.  That was an amazing time.  God met me there and much was accomplished!

Until tomorrow...

Your friend in RED shoes,
Gail

Day 290

It's Day 290 of  The Red Shoe Project.  Before I even got out of bed I heard the bell on my iphone signal someone had left a message.  I grabbed for my glasses and then for the phone.  Hmmmm.  A comment on facebook.  Compelled to take a closer look, it turned out to be a prophetic blessing from a dear friend.

What a way to start the day!

10:00 a.m.  I popped on my RED sneakers, got Pauly's leash and out we went to greet the day.  Simply Beautiful!  As we walked along, Pauly sniffed here, there and everywhere, while I enjoyed the warmth of the sun and began to whisper praises to God.  That word from Kam was having a time-released effect on me.  I could feel it penetrating my soul!

I was filled with wonder as to 

what today might hold for me.

Pauly did an immediate about face and decided that we would walk down the street instead of up the street and I joyfully followed.  As I enjoyed the walk, I looked up to the sky and whispered,

"What shall we do today, Lord?"  

Rather abruptly, I remembered a disturbing text that I received last night from a dear friend of mine.  She had just been notified that her daughter, who had been clean for quite some time now, was dismissed from the halfway house for using heroine.  "Oh God! -- Why isn't she free?"  We have prayed over her, for her  and with her,  relentlessly, over the years.  We really thought she had made it this time!  And my poor friend... "wearisome"  doesn't quite describe it.  Drug addiction is a grueling battlefield.  It's effects on the family are devastating.  I could feel anger churning within me as tears filled my eyes.  I wanted to tear that demon-spirit of drug addiction apart with my bare hands.  And then I heard the voice of the Lord...

"No Gail... 
this is not a battle 

to be fought in the natural.  

It can only be won 
on your knees.  

Bring it into the prayer chamber today!"

Yes!  That is what I would do.  I asked God for direction for today and He just filled in the  #1 spot on my "TO DO"  list.  I tugged on Pauly's leash and we began to shuffle down the street.  I thought my conversation with God was over for now, but apparently not.  Suddenly a vision flashed before me clearer than ever.  I must admit, I think this is the third or forth time I've seen this in the past two days.  

The vision:  There's a minister preaching on a platform when suddenly he's interrupted by people in the audience shouting ...  "I want to be saved! What must I do to be saved?"   The crowd is quite large.  All over the place, people are jumping up and down to be noticed.  Their hands are outstretched as they call out out from the depths of their souls... "Save me!  Save me!  What must I do?  Please tell me!"  The anguish in their voices chilled me to the bone.  Talk about a vision for the lost!

Oh my gosh!  There I was walking Pauly on this nice sunny day and my insides were crumbling fast.  Tears were streaming down my face.  My heart was wrenched as their desperate cries echoed in my brain!  Suddenly,  my breath was snatched from me.  I could feel the anointing!  Right then God said to me...

"It's okay Gail... 

 Bring it to the prayer chamber.

We'll take care of it there."

Pauly started to move along to the next house and the next and I followed.  My tears had dried up for the time being.   #2 on my list was now successfully written on my heart.  With that done, another request came to mind.  My prayer partner's brother-in-law is battling cancer. We've been praying for a miracle.  I can certainly pray more.

Miracle:  a surprising and welcoming event that can not be explained by natural or scientific law.  It's supernatural!  A divine interruption that changes everything!  Something impossible takes places due to the goodness and grace of God.  With it, HOPE is restored and all the praise goes to God Almighty!

"That shall be #3 on your 

list for today,"  God said.

12:55 p.m.  I have written down the 3 priorities for today's meeting with God.  I could perhaps think of 101 things to pray for myself, but that's not on today's  agenda.  God has all my stuff under His control.  For now, my job is to present these three requests before the King on behalf of my friends.

Right before I shut the door behind me to pray, another request came in by text message.  "Pray for Jim - He's in the hospital."  It was so perfectly timed, I made it #4 on the prayer list.  No more diversions.  It's time!

"O Righteous Heavenly Father, I come...  "

3:25 p.m.  My time in the prayer room would be considered quite unconventional for some.  I prayed in the Spirit for about an hour or so.  As I paced back and forth at the end of my bed, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a foreigner preaching.  LOL.  Then God started to talk with me.  

"You're going to do it!" He said.  

"You're going to lay your hands on people 

and they're going to be healed!"

"Did you not hear what Ziva said to you yesterday?"  Suddenly I remembered  what happened at yesterday's  Bonfire.  We were discussing Gifts of Healing.  Afterwards, Ziva -- who's frequently used in the laying on of hands -- grabbed me in her arms, placed her hands on my head and spoke out rather boldly, "God's told me to impart everything He's given me, to you.  You're going to lay hands on people and they will be healed!"   How could I have forgotten that?  There was so much body ministry going on at the end of our meeting, I didn't take it all in at the time... but she had in fact said that.

"Don't you remember what that prophet, David Wagner spoke to you?" said the Lord.  "Did he not tell you that I would use you in the ministry of healing?  Did he not anoint your hands and pray for that?  Didn't he tell you that it was about to take place?"   That was true.  He said those things just two months ago.  I had pondered them and, well,  I guess I just tucked them away for awhile, figuring God would do it when He was ready. 

Okay... so let me make this clear.  I'm not looking to be a healer!  If anything, I've tended to shy away from that gift, ever since the minister told me to go back to my seat and pray quietly.  (Sorry, I can't remember what day of The RSP we talked about that.)  Sure, that was over twenty-five years ago, but even still... I don't want you to think that I decided today that it would be a good thing for me to become a healer.  It doesn't work that way!  Besides, no one's really a healer.  God's the healer.  We're just vessels He chooses at will to move His healing power through.  Then He told me that...

 After our prayer meeting 

He wanted me to go by the 

hospital and lay hands on Jim.  

He was going to heal him!"

"Don't worry about what you say,  or how you say it.  That doesn't really matter to me."   He said.  "I don't really care how you do it.  That's just like sprinkles on top 

of the cupcake.   You decide.  

But I'm going to heal him!" 

You better believe that was a powerful moment.  Oh my gosh... it was an afternoon of travailing in the Spirit for those four items on the "TO DO" list!

When the door finally opened, I quickly put on my RUBY REDS and headed over to the hospital.  I found Jim and his wife, shared my story and we all held hands and prayed.  I stayed several hours and upon departure, I told Jim I expected him to be out of that bed and home pronto!  

We are all believing together that 

"It is done!"

11:17 p.m.  It's been a long, glorious day!  Praise the Lord!  I've added a few pictures to the blog and corrected a few spelling errors.  It's time to post and call it a night.  Thanks Kami for that awesome word this morning.  You were right on!

In Red shoes,

Gail