SIGNS CONFIRM FAITH

SANDY RHEMA

QUICKENED WORDS: Today Wayne told me something that touched me. He was telling me about a "Touched By An Angel" show he’d seen. It was about an angel who had given a disadvantaged person a white feather. At the end, the person gave it up and said he didn’t need it anymore because he had faith. This was really quickened to my ears as an important Word from the Lord, but I was not sure what. And so I went on a memory journey to mediate upon old pieces of rhema:

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THE MYSTERY OF DUMBO

I was reminded of the children’s story of Dumbo the elephant. He could fly with his giant ears as long as he was holding a feather. In the past, I had heard the Lord talk to me about Dumbo, the elephant with giant ears and his feather. I knew the Lord was saying something to me through Wayne’s mentioning the show, but I wasn’t sure what. I knew that we have rhema about the Lord calling us elephants and that elephants are large animals that are used as burden bearers just as intercessors are burden bearers in the Lord’s Kingdom. And then Dumbo’s large ears represents the many levels of growth I had received in hearing the Lord. But putting that all aside, I was still thinking about that feather.

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THE FEATHER

I had a large shocking pink feather pen as a child and I really loved that pen. Then we bought the same pen, only with a white feather for our guest book at our wedding. I also had rhema about my having a spiritual feather pen. My logo for The Quickened Word ministry also happens to be a quilled fountain pen in an ink well. I also remembered that a few years ago, Patricia King, before she knew of my writing ministry, saw a fountain pen with a feather, and asked me if I ever thought of writing. (The friends that were with me, laughed with delight!)

Wayne had an awesome vision where he was being carried by an angel up into the clouds. The Lord’s army were gathering on white horses, all stretched out in a horizontal line behind the Lord on His white horse. He saw that each person was completely encased in white armor. He could not even see their faces. Each had a different weapon that they held while mounted on their identical horses. My horse was next to Wayne’s. My particular "weapon" was a huge feather pen that went from the ground, all the way past the horse and my shoulders, into the air! How precious the Lord is! I laughed with delight at that one!

The mystery of the feather continues…

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THE GLORY WING FEATHER

While at a conference, I was dancing before the Lord with my glory "wing". (Glory rings made out of tinsel put on hoops are along the same idea, but I made my glory "wing" on a white lace bridal fan and covered it with white feathers instead of colored tinsel.) Anyway, I found myself dancing at the back immediately behind a Vietnam vet in a wheel chair. The more I danced, the more I went into great longings of intercession over him. When I was finished, I stopped to rest and noticed a beautiful white feather had fallen off and had landed right at the foot of his chair. This was very quickened to me.

I picked up the feather and knew this feather belonged to this man as a sign from the Lord to him. I didn’t know why, I just knew it was his. I held the feather and prayed for the Word and the courage to give it to him. Finally I stepped forward and whispered in his ear, "This belongs to you. It is to serve as a reminder that the Holy Spirit has not forgotten you. Please be patient and trust Him." I gave him a brief shoulder hug and then went back to my seat.

This took a lot of courage for me to do that, and one minute later I looked over and he was gone! I looked everywhere for him, he simply was not there. I knew that he had left the meeting. I felt that I had upset him and that is why he left. He never came back for the rest of the conference. I was very insecure about this, not wanting to displease the Lord or to have caused an offense to this man. I received confirmations from the Lord that I had said and done the right thing, but I just had to stand in faith against the insecurity I felt. Weeks went by and every once in a while as I lay in bed, the memory of that man would float into my memory and I would pray over him.

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DUMBO’S FEATHER SURFACES AGAIN

Several months later I went to another conference and I saw this same man! He was up front waiting to be ministered to in the ministry line. He was crying and looking so alone as he waited. My heart was lurching inside and I was caught in the struggle that I was a conference attendee, and it was not my place to minister to this man. The Holy Spirit was so upon me and I was only 3 feet from him! Finally I could not stand it, I went up to him and knelt on the floor beside his chair. Because it was so noisy, I laid my head on his shoulder as I talked to him. I said that I was the one who gave him the white feather and asked him if he still had it. He began to sob and just pour his heart out to me. When he finished, he said that he still had the feather and it was hanging in his truck! (Boy was I amazed.)

I told him the salmon story and how he was like the salmon where his body had been beaten up by traveling upstream against the currents. I told him that he had so much courage, was a true overcomer, and how proud the Lord was of him. I was able to pray for him, and comfort him and then told him the story of Dumbo and the feather. I said there would be a day that he would no longer need the feather as his faith would be so strong that he would not need signs of the Lord’s love because he would know without a doubt how much the Lord loved him.

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CONCLUSION

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{Words to Ponder are summaries of His quickened Words}

WORD TO PONDER: SIGNS CONFIRM FAITH

Precious one, what a courageous journey you have taken and how proud I AM of you to have trusted Me in sharing My Words. This has been a journey of faith. While you were yet a youth in My Spirit, I called you and gave you many signs of confirmation upon your life. You were so insecure that the mere thought of a calling made you tremble! How I love challenges! (Smile, dear one!) I had special assignments just for you in mind; you were perfect for the job.

I started by giving you My Words, but instead of sharing them, I called you to pray them. You were My intercessor, partnering with Me in matters of importance to My heart. All along the way, I continued to give you confirmations, My signs that you really were hearing Me, and growing along the way. This was a journey of faith, for you had no person to give these Words to, or no one to give you a direct confirmation. I taught you to fly on the wings of faith as you held onto My confirmed Words.

I gave you the promise that one day we would be married as one, and I would give you My Word as a 2 edged weapon to soften the hearts of men, and to pierce the demonic spirits. This weapon would never run dry, for it is dipped in My eternal fountain of blood. This weapon would bow so low as to touch the ground in humility, then grow up as a pure white mantle, softly caressing your shoulders in governmental authority. This weapon would be like tall angelic wings covering you from behind.

You have accepted My Words of promise over your life. And what a story of overcoming! Against all odds, against every demonic current and onslaught, you continue to travel upward and press into Me. Whenever you come to the end of your rope, you lie spent before My feet, even as a salmon who has come home to spawn. My bride! What you deem as defeat, I call triumphant overcoming. You may feel beat up and dented having stood against all odds, but what you do not know is I that I plant mysteries within the wombs of My intercessors.

I have planted many children in your own particular womb who are following the same path as you, My beloved. Your journey will be multiplied over and over again. As I plant My Words of promise within the insecure ones, they also will take the courage to trust Me and follow My promises into fulfillment. These are My triumphant ones who so love Me, they will reach beyond the limits of their own insecurities to go wherever I send them. They will fly on the wings of faith, built through one loving confirmation at a time. When My Words come to pass within their own lives, they will become My signs to a broken and crippled world.

"How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" (Hebrews 2: 3-4 NKJ)