A Prayer for Our Time

The River Ministries
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit. – Psalm 51:10-12
The Lord has been [...]

Our Testimony

The River Ministries
The testimony of a Christian is a most precious thing. We all have known some with wonderful testimonies and some not as shining. A testimony is not just about how a Christian became a disciple of Jesus, but his life after that event. 
The Bible has a few things to say about people’s testimonies. [...]

Carrying His Presence

The River Ministries
I still remember my first encounter with God’s tangible Presence resting upon someone.  A smiling elderly couple took the empty seats in front of us at a Bible camp meeting.  Heaven entered the room with them.  I whispered to my husband, “Did you feel that?”  Eyes wide, he nodded solemnly.  My prayer became, [...]

Dwelling in His Presence

The River Ministries
The River Ministries has been engaged in “Sixty Days of Abandoned Worship.”  We have our doors open nightly from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. for worship and prayer, through October 11.  Our family has been there nearly every night, and it has been wonderful to be with the Lord in that setting. 
For our family [...]

She’s Still Beautiful

The River Ministries
Six or seven years ago, a friend of mine had a vision. I still remember this gentle lady weeping softly as she told the church what she had seen.  This is a paraphrase of what she shared: 

I saw a beautiful young woman, dressed in a radiantly white wedding gown that flowed around her feet.  She [...]

Stay Rooted

The River
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk out your life in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, overflowing with thanksgiving. – Colossians 2:6, 7 
The Apostle Paul warned that “in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1) and [...]

Those Personal Prophecies

The River Church
Life was tough, a prophet was in town, and I needed to hear from the Lord.  “God, I could really use a word about ____________.  If You could give me some encouragement, a confirmation, something to let me know I’m on the right track, I’d so appreciate it.” 
The prophet called certain people out [...]

Dependence Day

The River Church
Independence Day, with all its traditions — fireworks, cookouts, family get-togethers — is a happy time, as we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in our nation. 
God celebrates freedom, too.  He wants all people to be free.  2 Corinthians 3:17 assures us, “… Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” But [...]

Rebuilders of the Wall

The River Church
Some time ago, I had a dream. The setting was the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, after the Babylonian exile, in the days of Nehemiah.  In the dream, Nehemiah, the governor of the people, needed a word from the Lord.  A woman brought Nehemiah the prophetic word that he needed. She and her husband [...]

Shut the Door

The River Church
Not all that rarely, I talk with people who exhibit evidence of a hindrance in their spiritual lives, something that isn’t quite right, especially in their ability to hear God purely.  I’m spotting a pattern – a connection with the occult in their past. 
I am not necessarily talking about deliberate dealings with the devil.  [...]