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Sunday 10 March 2024

Perceptions of Angels

 

Recently, I was browsing through a store, when I came across this car ornament - a bobble-head angel. Most people would probably think, "Oh, how cute!" Not me... I thought, "That's ridiculous!" ๐Ÿคฃ Yes, it does look cute, however for me, as a prophetic intercessor... it just felt wrong! The thought of an angel just "sitting pretty", hands folded in prayer felt ridiculous... because in my world, angels are not simply pretty. The angels in my world are always active! They don't have time to be cute and pretty.

In my world, I often sense their presence. Sometimes it's simply a feeling, other times I see a shape or shadow. Occasionally I see a physical manifestation, such as a flash of light under a door, or feathers drop around me. I am aware that angels are always around me. 

If they are ever sitting quietly, they are still on alert. They may be waiting for an assignment or a marching order, or they may be watching as protectors, but they are never idle.  

I see them on my car when I'm driving, waiting at the gate to greet me at work, and around others. I see them dancing during church worship. Last week, during the Seers & Dreamers Gathering (SDG), I saw some sitting on a platform, above the worship team, swinging their legs joyfully, participating in the worship. 

Also at the SDG, while we were preparing for the Prophetic Appointments, our team was in a circle, worshiping, and I saw an angel draw oil from a well in the centre of the room. It drew one cup for every person, and individually poured the cup of oil over our heads. It was beautiful. What came after that, during the prophetic time was simply amazing and beautiful. God had so much to say to His precious children, and it was an honour to be part of the team giving to others. 

To me, if not already active, angels are always waiting for their next order/assignment. They need our prayers to set them in motion. When we pray to God (never to an angel!), He gives the orders and gets them moving. It is not our job to speak to angels. We can acknowlege them, but we are not to enter that spirit realm of interacting with them (eg, meditation, astro travel). Instead, we are to speak to, and worship God (Revelation 22:9).

Examples of active angels I have sensed, or prayed for God to activate, are Warring angels, Ministering angels, and Healing angels. As a prophetic intercessor, life is never boring! There are always spiritual battles to deal with, and often the angels take charge of the fighting. My prayers set them to action, but I don't give the orders - God does. Ministering angels are the peace bringers- when somebody is unwell, struggling, or even dying, we pray for God to send His Ministering angels to bring comfort and peace. Healing angels work in a similar manner. 

A few years ago, I had a car accident. While I was sitting stationary at a red light, I was hit from behind by a cement truck (empty of cement ๐Ÿ˜Œ) at 60 km per hour. The driver was not paying attention. There were other cars stopped in front of me. No other cars were hit....the only logical explanation for that...was there was no logical explanation! It was clear an angel had intervened as a buffer between my car and the one in front. Logically, my car should have been pushed into the car in front. The impact pushed my car forward, but hit nothing. We only experienced minor injuries, but lost the car. Protecting angels were on assignment that day! I was upset about my car, but cars can be replaced. I was in awe of the protection we experienced!

As you can see, my experience with angels is not represented by that cute bobble-head. If you haven't experienced the reality of angels, I pray God opens your spiritual eyes... they are not to be feared, but bring a sense of peace and joy. 

On a final note, always test the spirits. If you feel uneasy, it's probably not an angel, but a demon pretending to be an angel.

If you have been engaging with 'angels'- eg speaking with your "guardian angel" through meditation, or used things such as Tarot cards, etc, I pray your eyes are opened to the dangers of this. I also highly recommend googling Kristine McGuire and hearing/reading her testimony. She is a former medium who engaged in these spiritual activities & explains the impact, enticement and how demons work through these practices (and how to stop it). She is now a prophetic intercessor. 

Be blessed! ๐Ÿฆ‹©️

1 John 4: Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into ฤบthe world. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. 

Saturday 10 February 2024

A whisper more powerful than a yell


 For those who celebrate, Gong Xi Fa Cai!

I was in a place this morning, where the sounds of the Chinese New Year Lion dance were loud and clear! Dancing around the streets, making an impact with loud bangs and joyful onlookers. Although I didn't see it, I knew without a doubt, it was there. 

It got me thinking, if part of the Lion dance is to chase away evil spirits, the spirits would need to be afraid of loud noises - BOOMS of fire crackers, BANGING of drums and CLANGING bells. It would need to evoke a sense of intimidation. 

The amusing thing is, evil spirits are unafraid of these intimidation-focused acts. They use these tactics themselves. But they ARE afraid of a quietly spoken prayer warrior! 

They may laugh and mock at these cultural dance moves, but one prayerful, whispered command is far more fear-inducing than a booming yell! A quietly confident whisper (while also possibly shaking at the knees) that commands attention and really chases away the evil spirits. It generally says to the devil, "I'm still standing! Get outta my way!" (Ephesians 6).

So, if you feel insecure by the taunts of the enemy...when your mind is clouded and you feel afraid, or anxious... just simply whisper a prayer of faith. A prayer with the authority of Jesus. It can be as simple as, "Go away, in Jesus' name!", "In the name of Jesus, I am not afraid", or "In Jesus' name, I have a clear mind". The enemy may not be afraid of fire crackers, but watch him quickly run when he hears the powerful name of JESUS! ๐Ÿฆ‹©️

Tuesday 30 January 2024

Australia Day - one perspective of the "Australian Dream"


On 26th of January, many (not all, & that's a whole other perspective to this story) Aussies celebrate "Australia Day". I like to think Australia Day celebrates what makes us "Australians"- we ALL have a story. Most of us are here because an ancestor or parent/s travelled, whether by force, war, or a dream. I also acknowledge our amazing First Nations friends. You are seen and valued. Your stories are being heard. 

MY story is a young Italian man had a dream. I called him Nonno (grandfather). He worked hard to migrate from the Veneto region to Melbourne. He continued to work hard for a year, to pay for his bride to travel by ship to join him, and they were married the following day. They had 10 children, the eldest being my mum. If my Nonno did not follow his dream, I probably wouldn't be here, nor call this beautiful country my home. 

On the other side, in Ireland, my Great Great (Great?) Grandfather had the same dream...to migrate to Australia. Never underestimate the power of a dream! These men's dreams impacted multiple generations! I am a proud Italian Irish Australian ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ

Thursday 21 December 2023

2023 - What is Victory?

 This year, our church had the theme: Year of VICTORY. Initially, I was excited by this word. It felt that finally, we had  entered a year that would bring more joy than sadness. After many years of trials, we would finally experience triumph.

Then, we walked into the new year... I don't know what Victory means to you, but for me, it was a word I learned would have a different meaning to my expectations. 

It has been another year of trials. Finding ourselves in places we didn't expect, and couldn't understand. However, we never felt God had removed His hand from our lives. He has been with us through the valleys and the hilltops...although 2023 brought more time in the valley. We still don't know what our hilltop will look like. We just know God is in control. His will may be different to our will... or maybe His will is a surprise or a miracle. Either way, we are ok. We've been through so many trials, we know nothing will keep us down. 

So, we began this year in anticipation of an expected victory, and we come to the end with a different understanding of what that means for us, personally. It has been a tough, yet rewarding year. Both in unexpected ways. Be blessed...there are always rainbows after the rain ๐Ÿฆ‹

Thursday 30 November 2023

November

 I haven't been on top of the monthly posts... my mind is struggling to process the fact it is the 30th of November! Wasn't it just July?? Wow... this year has really flown! I have so many thoughts flowing through my mind, but nothing that calls, "Blog this!",or the urge to write fades like a passing cloud. These last 6 months have been a different kind of rollercoaster. Ups and downs...learning to thrive in the valleys, and make the most of the mountain tops. There have been more valleys than mountain tops this year. One year I may be able to say the valleys have been few and far between... but not these last few years. 

The main reason I haven't blogged as much...is I'm just tired. Worn out from the challenges of the year. Maybe I simply need to adjust my priorities, but for now, I will go to bed. Happy December! ๐Ÿฆ‹

Saturday 30 September 2023

Angels

Is it just me, or is the second half if this year flying through? 

I've been pondering what to write about, but the inspiration hasn't really peaked this month. 

My mind has been flowing with ideas, but nothing has prompted me to stop and write. 

One thing I've enjoyed during the last few months is that I have been experiencing an increased awareness of angelic presence in my life, which has been both encouraging and exciting. 

It's pretty cool to sense angels waiting for you as you enter through the work gates, then feeling them linking arms with you as you walk towards the entrance. I often walk from the train station, but I drove one day last week, and suddenly wondered what the angels would do when I drove by them...the next thing I knew, I sensed 3 of them sitting in my car with me! One in the front, 2 in the back. It was very encouraging. 

I will sign off here, and possibly write more on this another time. ๐Ÿฆ‹

Thursday 3 August 2023

A Beautiful Lesson in Compassion


Today I found myself explaining Dementia to a man with an intellectual disability. Why? Because he was genuinely concerned about another client's behaviour... he asked why they kept swearing, and why they were yelling at an imaginary person, etc. It actually turned out to be a beautiful experience. 

He was able to understand enough to ask further questions, such as, "Can the doctor help them get better?", "Will it kill them?"...  and expressed genuine compassion towards his peer, knowing their brain wasn't working like ours, and some of the behaviours that caused. He accepted the suggestion that we need to try to be more patient with this peer...and know they can't help doing funny things, and they don't mean to upset us. 

I was so blessed by this fairly short, but effective conversion between this client, another staff and myself. It made me think, if this man with an intellectual disability can try to not only understand something as significant as dementia, but also express compassion.. what is wrong with our world... people are so busy with themselves, they forget to treat others as they would like to be treated. Many react in anger, instead of looking to see what may have caused somebody to upset them. Many forget there can be underlying reasons, such as invisible illness, trauma, even just simple fatigue behind another's actions.

If a man with an intellectual disability can express this genuine compassion and desire for understanding... what's our excuse? ๐Ÿฆ‹

(I chose the above image from my camera...it reminds me of the mind gently & slowly switching off...)