Pastor Angela Donadio is a self-described adventure junkie. An ordained minister, she’s also an author, speaker and missions advocate as well as a gifted pianist, worship leader and recording artist. But earlier this year, her life of adventure came to an abrupt halt when another driver failed to yield at an intersection and a serious accident ensued.

“I saw her coming, and instinctively my hand hit the horn,” Donadio told Dr. Steve Greene on a popular episode of the Greenelines podcast. “I hit the brakes, and my airbag deployed. And I was unfortunately knocked unconscious. And then when I came to, I thought the car was on fire. I’ve never had an airbag deploy; the smoke fills your car. And just for a second, it smelled like fireworks, and my mind was trying to wrap around what was happening. And I was by myself in the car, and then I looked down and saw the airbag and the burns on my hands—and that I couldn’t move them.”

Taken to the hospital by ambulance, Donadio, who has overcome previous health challenges, says she found herself once again facing a hospital table and an MRI.

“But I was not expecting the fact that they were going to flatten my hand completely down and clamp it in order to take the MRI,” she said. “And when you’re hurting like that in your hand, and if you think it’s broken, and my head was really pounding from this concussion headache, it’s hard. And I was lying underneath that arch of an MRI machine. And I just could feel the tears welling up, and my head was throbbing … they had to just give me a minute to even be able to flatten my hand like that.

“And I was in that kind of space when you want to ask God, ‘Why are we back here, and what are You trying to say, and what are You trying to do?'” Donadio said. “And I looked up at this arch that really was the whirrs and the bangs of an MRI machine. And what God said to me is ‘Remember Psalm 91, He who dwells in the secret place shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’

“And so I felt like even in that space, I could say, ‘God, You’re my rock and my refuge and my fortress, and I trust You,” she said. “And I’m going to even look up at this machine and see it as You being Jehovah Nissi, Your banner over me, Your covering over me, and that You have purpose even in this.”

Donadio collected this and other God-focused stories in her most recent book, Astounded, and shares more of them in this episode of Greenelines. Be sure to listen, share and check out Donadio’s own podcast series, Make Life Matter, also on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

We’ve all seen the memes: A tropical beach. A serene mountain view. A glowing sunset—each one emblazoned with #blessed. But bestselling author Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., says we don’t have it quite right.

“Blessing is not good luck,” the author of Circle Maker and his 2019 book, Double Blessing, told Dr. Steve Greene on an episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It’s not zero gravity, no problems. I think, at the end of the day, blessing is God with us, God for us, God in us.”

“I think it’s the things you can’t put a price tag on, but let’s not reduce it to a material thing,” Batterson said. “I think it’s joy unspeakable. It’s peace that passes understanding. And so yes, there is a material dimension to it. But I think it’s so much bigger, and honestly, it’s so much better than what people really make it out to be.”

When we talk about blessing, Batterson said, “We have to be really, really careful, because I don’t think we know enough to call something even a curse or a blessing up front. I know some people who would say, ‘Hey, this was a blessing.’ But you know what? It backfired because you didn’t steward it the right way. And so I would even say that your greatest asset can be your greatest liability if you don’t use it for God’s glory. That’s the rich young ruler. [His blessing] was his wealth that he could have leveraged for kingdom purposes, but it ended up keeping him trapped. It’s what kept him from following Jesus.

“And so and then I would flip it and say there are some things that sure seem like a curse, but they are the catalyst for growth,” Batterson explained. “They’re the catalysts for incredible things happening. This is Joseph, with ‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.'”

These blessings that look like curses “aren’t the ones we want,” Batterson said. “They’re the ones we would rather defer. But I think sometimes those blessings in disguise end up being the things that we look back on and are most grateful for.”

For more from Pastor Mark Batterson on The Double Blessings and how you can get it by giving it, listen to the entire podcast here. {eoa}

Evangelist Marilyn Hickey has given her life for the gospel of Christ. Her international ministry includes healing crusades, miracles, seeing tens of thousands come to Christ and an active radio, television and podcast ministry shared with her daughter, Sarah. She is known and loved by millions around the world.

But her success didn’t come easily, Hickey said. Her memoir, It’s Not Over Until You Win, discusses her own definition of that word, which is a process, she told Dr. Steve Greene on an episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network.

“Do people like you in certain areas?” she asked. “Probably that’s part of your process. Do you have failure? Sometimes, yes, that’s part of your process too. Because you can’t give up.”

Hickey said when she first started in television, she visited the board of a secular station to discuss the possibility of the station airing her show. “Well, you’re not television material,” they told her. “We don’t think you will pay your bill.”

Hickey, however, believed what God had already shown her: “I believed God wanted me to be on. And one man on the board, not a Christian, said, ‘I think she’ll pay her bill. Let’s put her on.’

“That’s many years ago,” Hickey said. “They’re not on, but I am.”

To hear more from Marilyn Hickey about her life of intimacy with the Holy Spirit and how God has brought her the kind of success He desires, listen to the entire podcast here. And be sure to turn into Today With Marilyn and Sarah on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}

The United States has a problem, one that threatens the future of every person who lives here. And it has nothing to do with the contested presidential election, racism or even the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Mark Sherwood says this problem stems from what we put into and onto our bodies, most of which take us far away from God’s perfect design. The problem begins with our mouths, he says. But the solution has nothing to do with weight loss, which is typically the first idea we turn to when we consider our health.

“People tend to fall into the teaching that disease is destiny, or perhaps aging is destiny. … we don’t want to own that,” Sherwood, a naturopathic doctor and co-host of the Healthcare’s Missing Link podcast, told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “We want to instead focus on how to optimize function in life and our idea of wellness, all to the glory and manifestation of God working through us and shining through us and speaking to us to really be able to do all we want, when we want, as often as we want, relatively pain free.”

But this doesn’t mean we should focus on weight loss, Sherwood said. “Weight loss as a goal should be avoided for everyone. And I mean what I’m saying, because it’s really about composition; it’s about function. In our clinic, we serve people from all over the country and the world. We don’t have a scale; we have a body comp machine that does give us a metric called weight. But I don’t care what people weigh as much as I care what the composition of their body is.

“And frankly, scale weight as a target of success is a horrible idea,” he said. “Because I can give you examples that show weight loss decreases health. And I can show you examples where weight gain would increase health. Just because one goes down in weight does not mean health improved. And just because one went up in weight does not mean health is improved. It’s that that simple.

“So it’s best if we throw away the scales if we don’t know how to interpret them in proper context,” Sherwood said.

So what can we do instead? Listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here to hear Sherwood’s four-point prescription for optimal health along with multiple other ideas for ways you can boost your immunity and allow the systems God has placed within you to operate as He intended all along. And be sure to listen to Healthcare’s Missing Link on the Charisma Podcast Network for spiritual truth and practical encouragement for how you can live in total health and function. {eoa}

Executive coach, pastor and author Cindy Stewart has a message to share, and she’s getting it out every way she can. God disrupted the former business executive’s life when He called her to serve in her church, and she says He’s still doing that today, providing divine encounters when she least expects them.

Her primary message for others, Stewart told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of the Greenelines podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network, is that God “wants to partner with you to not only fulfill the destiny He has for you but to enlarge the kingdom plan that He has in this hour.

“The partnership with the Lord is the biggest missing element that I think the people in the body are missing right now,” Stewart said. “They just don’t realize how much He wants to join them in the pursuit of the life He has for them.”

But Stewart doesn’t want people to stop there. She encourages them to go straight to God and say, “God, this is what I’m dreaming up. This is what’s on my heart. Partner with me and show me the step by steps of how to do it.” She said we must engage with God first and then share the plan with others close to us, allowing them to pray with us and help develop a plan: “What’s that next step that we can further the kingdom and join Him and this amazing journey He has for you?”

And Stewart practices what she preaches. “I always talk to God about what is on His heart for today,” she said. “And like you, I have a whole list of appointments and calls and family things I need to do. But when I partner with God, when I say, ‘God, let’s go through this together,’ and I pray through it, I may not hear right away, ‘This is going to end up being marked off your list’ or ‘We’re going to add something else.’ But as I go, because of that moment of time I spent with Him in the morning, I’m in sync to just feel that nudge of ‘This might shift a different way, or it might look a little different.'”

Stewart experienced that Holy Spirit nudge recently when she sat in her car at a park. She noticed a young man doing pushups who had a boot on his foot, and God urged her, “Go pray over him.” She told God, “Well, I’m going to drink my coffee, and I was going to go for a run, but yes, Lord, I’ll get out of the car.”

When she went over to the young man, God did something amazing. “I began talking to him,” Stewart said. “I asked him if I could pray for him. He was a believer. His foot, as I prayed for it, got better and better and better.”

Stewart’s podcast, The Cindy Stewart Podcast, contains much more of her teaching and real-life examples of how to allow your personal walk with God to empower you to fulfill His kingdom priorities. “I love to take the Word and be able to develop it into an action step,” she said.

For more from Cindy Stewart on how you can experience the kind of walk with God that moves you into kingdom purpose and destiny, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here. And be sure to check out The Cindy Stewart Podcast as well!

David Cuppett’s passion for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit drives his life and his ministry. In fact, he says, “Once I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, then the whole realm of the Spirit opened up to me, and I had access to the presence of the Lord.” He has built his entire ministry around bringing others into the kind of personal relationship with the Holy Spirit that changed his life.

Cuppett tells Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network that the Holy Spirit “has led me into different churches; He’s led me to move my family into different states.” But the biggest change he made came through a dream God sent him in 2016 that shifted his ministry focus. Cuppett’s obedience to this word from the Lord launched thousands into a brand-new relationship with the Holy Spirit and activation of His gifts.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would ever go to an international-type ministry, let alone India,” Cuppett said, explaining that he was fearful of third-world countries—until God changed his mind and his heart. “The Lord came to me in a dream one night where he essentially laid a cloth on me and handed me a book, a single-page book. There were four specific things on that one page. It said, ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils and baptize in the name of Jesus.’

“And when I woke up, the Lord spoke to me,” Cuppett said. “He said, ‘The man from India will call you. Go.’ And that’s all He said to me.”

Cuppett wondered what would happen, but just seven days later, he received a call to come and minster in India. He said he would have normally ignored such a radical invitation, but the Lord had prepared his heart. “As soon as I said yes and bought my plane tickets, I had people walking up to me with checks … He funded my first mission. It just blew me away at how powerful the presence of God is and that He actually funds what He calls you to do,” he said.

Cuppett said he could never have foreseen all that lay ahead. “I was used to working in churches and congregations and standing in front of, you know, 300, 400, 500 people. But never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be standing in front of 5,000 or 10,000 people doing missionary and evangelistic-type work … my whole mission is really to introduce people to the love of my life, the Holy Spirit and the presence of God. And out of that flow the gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

In his new ministry, Cuppett has seen everything from entire crowds of people activated in the power of the Holy Spirit to miracles and more. His latest book, The Key of David: Encountering the Voice of God, flowed out of this ministry and is designed to help people understand the powerful ministry of the Holy Spirit. And his podcast series, The School of the Holy Spirit on the Charisma Podcast Network, also introduces people to the fullness of the Spirit and the gifts He gives.

“Transitioning believers into following the voice of the Lord is my passion,” Cuppett said. “Seeing people awaken to hear the voice of the Lord, to have visions and dreams … Suddenly, people transition out of just going to church on Sunday into actively being in their calling and their purpose, because they hear the voice of the Lord, and He starts sending people places. That’s what happened to me. And that’s really the design of what I do with the School of the Holy Spirit.

To hear more from David Cuppett about his incredible encounters with the Holy Spirit, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here, and be sure to tune into The School of the Holy Spirit for more teaching about walking in the Holy Spirit and all He has to offer. {eoa}

A passion for the Word of God led to the founding of The Lockman Foundation in 1942, and the same passion drives the nonprofit today. Known for producing the bestselling Amplified Version and New American Standard Bible along with multiple international language translations and updates, Lockman remains a world leader in Bible translation.

Lockman has now launched a 2020 version of the NASB which, Executive Vice President Pike Lambeth said, retains the version’s longtime value of remaining true to the original languages while meeting readers’ needs for an accessible, easily understandable English translation. That’s important, he said, to allow the Holy Spirit to speak in the most personal way possible.

Lambeth said while the update to Lockman’s best-known Bible uses more contemporary language, translators also worked to preserve the integrity of the original texts. “It’s one of the real reasons to read the NASB, because it strives to be so close to the original language,” he told Dr. Steve Greene on a recent episode of Greenelines on the Charisma Podcast Network. “It helps the reader really see what the original word was so it can speak to them as personally as possible. So our goal is to provide an accurate text and let it speak to the reader directly. … The goal in NASB is to be accurate, to let the Bible speak to the person.”

The update came because of two factors, Lambeth said: the original languages and also the English language. “It’s the scholarship,” he said. “The research can change as far as how they think certain Greek words, or certain Hebrew words, should be translated. But more than anything, it’s the English language that changes. It’s easy to see over the years, how it just changes, and people’s standard vocabularies change. Some words take on totally different meanings. … So that’s really the driving factor: the English language.”

And the Lockman Foundation remains sensitive to NASB devotees who prefer a more traditional read. “We decided early on, OK, we’re going to keep the NASB 1995 in print and in software and available everywhere, just like it is now,” Lambeth said. “We don’t want to force people to change into something that they’re not familiar or comfortable with. So we’re leaving both, so people can have a choice. If they want the more contemporary English, they can read the NASB 2020. If they like the traditional language, the NASB 1995 is still there.”

To learn more from Pike Lambeth about the 2020 update to the NASB, listen to the entire episode of Greenelines here and visit the Lockman Foundation at lockman.org. {eoa}

Jonathan Cahn is well known around the world as author of The Harbinger II: The Return, one of this fall’s top bestsellers and a major book publishing success. He’s known for many other successes as well, including The Harbinger, which first launched him to prominence. With the way forward for America remaining chaotic and unclear as of now, given new revelations of voter fraud in the November elections, Cahn has a dramatic message: The coming of a plague on America, division, civil unrest, violence, economic and social deterioration are all part of a specific biblical template concerning a nation heading to judgment. In The Harbinger II: The Return, Cahn shares prophetic, biblical explanations for all of America’s “shakings.”

Cahn emphasizes, “The biblical mystery of national judgment that began in The Harbinger and continues in The Harbinger II pointed to the year 2020 as the time of national shaking. For years I wondered if the template of judgment would unfold in that time period—and it has. At the start of 2020 I publicly spoke of this year becoming one of “dark events.” And so it has. It’s not over.”

He adds, “Now is the time we must return to God. Without revival, America is lost. But with revival, all things are possible.”

Cahn points out that “in 2020, right before our eyes, we’ve watched as America has been overtaken by a virus, paralyzed by a lockdown, rattled by an economic collapse, and shaken by violence and the breakdown of civil order.” As tremendous uncertainty remains, Cahn ponders, “Where is it all headed?”

The author says that “shaking and judgment are coming. But at the same time, I believe that in the midst of that, if we will come before God in prayer and repentance, if we will rise up and be strong, God will hear and heal our land as He promised … The only people who are going to be left standing are the people of God—those who are uncompromised.”

During a recent interview on The Jim Bakker Show, Cahn explained that in The Harbinger II: The Return, he mentions a particular Scripture very intentionally—and that these biblical words are vital.

“‘If My people, who are called by My name ,will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land,'” said Cahn, citing 2 Chronicles 7:14.

“The verse before that talks about a plague on the land, droughts which cause food shortages and famine, and even locusts,” explained Cahn. “And we’ve seen all of that in 2020. God is giving us a warning. He’s saying that this is the year. This is the time—we cannot miss it. He’s telling us to return to Him. This is the moment, and I felt it even before this year began.”

Cahn noted significantly that he could not write his new book, The Harbinger II: The Return, before now. “This book could not be revealed until the right time. I’ve been holding back from sharing [its story] for eight years. It was only in 2019, several months before 2020 began, that I got an unction from the Lord that I had to write it now.”

With the release of The Harbinger II: The Return, on Sept. 1, 2020, thousands of new fans everywhere have embraced Jonathan Cahn’s messages and prophecies. The book, available for purchase online and everywhere, made the Amazon Bestsellers Top 10 lists of all books in the world and took three of the top 10 spots on Amazon’s Christian Books for print, Kindle and audio—each charting as a Top 10 Bestseller, including No. 1, Christian Prophecy and No. 1, Christian Prophecies. The Harbinger II also catapulted Cahn’s earlier books, including The Oracle, The Paradigm and The Harbinger, back onto bestseller lists.

The author has made multiple media appearances, including on CBN’s 700 Club, TBN’s Praise and Family Talk With Dr. James Dobson. Cahn is continuing to do TV and radio interviews this fall.

Jonathan Cahn’s first book, The Harbinger, became an instant New York Times bestseller when it was published in 2012 and brought him national and international acclaim. His next four books were also New York Times bestsellers: The Mystery of the Shemitah, The Book of Mysteries, The Paradigm and The Oracle. Along with Billy Graham and Keith Greene, Cahn was named one of the top 40 spiritual leaders of the past 40 years who has radically impacted the world.

Called the prophetic voice of this generation, Cahn has spoken on Capitol Hill, at the United Nations and to millions around the world. He is known for opening the deep mysteries of Scripture and bringing forth messages of prophetic import. He leads Hope of the World ministry, an international outreach of teaching, evangelism and compassion projects for the world’s neediest. He also leads the Jerusalem Center/Beth Israel, a worship center made up of Jews and Gentiles, and people of all backgrounds, outside New York City in Wayne, New Jersey. His ministry can be contacted at HopeoftheWorld.org and on Jonathan Cahn Facebook.

For more information about The Harbinger II, visit TheHarbingerReturns.com. The Harbinger II: The Return is published by Frontline, an imprint of Charisma House.

There is a time when quitting is best

Our training says never quit, and there’s plenty of room for that truth.

You can still hear your parents say, “Never quit.”

Out of nowhere, it will hit. You will feel too fatigued, too scared, let down, too sore, too criticized, too busy, not ready, too sad, stuck and might even think it is time to quit.

Pause, name exactly what you feel. It is OK to feel a certain way. But it’s not about what just happened. It’s about the thought that comes next. Expect that there will be thoughts that make you question what you are about to do.

However, it is your next thought that matters most. Your next thought needs to involve reminding yourself that you will be relentless and be able to push forward because of what you have already experienced and endured in your life.

There are things to quit, and something never to quit.

One author said we need to quit:

—Trying to please everyone.

—Fearing change.

—Living in the past.

—Overthinking.

—Being afraid to be different.

—Sacrificing our happiness for others.

—Thinking we’re not good enough.

—Assuming we have no purpose.

I get it. I also resonate with these. But there are also times we must quit what we’re doing.

There are some things we need to quit instantly.

Things like:

—Complaining.

—Whining.

—Gossiping.

Giving up complaining, whining and gossiping is a win. Then there are things we should never quit. Things like prayer, gratefulness, encouraging others and brushing our teeth.

Jennifer Hatchigan said, “There’s an important difference between giving up and letting go.”

Times to Quit

Life initiated things to quit. Quitting certain things is necessary to move forward to better opportunities.

Some seasons force us to quit things that we once would never consider—things like friendships. Friendships are not forever. Some friends are seasonal.

There are always new seasons.

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. See, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not be aware of it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:18-19).

God is always leading us to new places and doing new things for Him.

It may seem odd to give up something good.

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need.” —Tao Te Ching

But we must remember that something best never looks like good things.

Good is like silver, and the best is like gold.

Letting go of “good” is never easy. It is merely necessary. God will order new steps in new seasons. Moving from good to great will demand the sacrifice of good things to get to the more significant portion.

Sometimes promotions resemble demotions. Letting go of the familiar means grabbing uncertainty. This is not easy for some. The step creates a test.

Laura McDonnel said, “You always get tested the most before you progress to the next level. What if part of your story is incomplete? What if you are rounding the corner to something amazing?”

With God involved, “amazing” is always in the equation. God does exceedingly abundantly above all we could ever think. God is amazing all by Himself.

Following God is a journey of ups and downs. In the up times, we have grace. In the “down times,” we have grace. And grace is always sufficient, and God still supplies all our needs.

God supplies all we need, always.

Make it personal

In my ministry, I have changed positions several times. Every change demanded letting go of things secure and step toward the unsure. On several occasions, I left a sure paycheck for no guaranteed salary.

We once moved 200 miles with 11 cents in our pockets and no job.

I am not saying moving with 11 cents is a good idea. It was just the way it happened. We sold our home, and at the close, we were surprised with unusual and unknown costs and fees. It was challenging for sure. But God supplied all our needs.

New doors opened wide when we chose to let go of the familiar and take the road of the unfamiliar.

Angel Chernoff said, “One of the most powerful moments in life happens when you find the courage to let go of what can’t be changed. Because when you are no longer able to change a situation, you are challenged to change yourself—to grow beyond the unchangeable. And that changes everything.”

I am ready for change. Are you?

Many consider what to start doing.

You and I must consider what we should stop doing. {eoa}

Thomas McDaniels is a pastor/writer and the guy behind thomasmcdaniels.com. He has written for ChurchLeaders.com and currently is a contributing writer for Fox News. He is also the founder of LifeBridge.tv and the Longview Dream Center in Longview, Texas. Thomas can be found on social media, Instagram and Twitter.

Editor’s Note: This is a two-part article. Check out part 1 at this link.

What Is the River?

“Then the angel showed me the river of water of life, flowing with water clear as crystal, continuously pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev 22:1 TPT)

Instead of just opening up a window and pouring His life-giving water upon humanity, God wants to pour through His representatives. The Word tells us we are already there, sitting in heaven (Eph. 2:6). As children of God, we are at this very moment in the throne room. This is the same room where the waters of life flow from under the heavenly throne. That we can be in two places at once is mind-boggling, but God is beyond the laws of space and time.

“Then suddenly my longings transported me. My divine desire brought me next to my beloved prince, sitting with him in his royal chariot. We were lifted up together!” (Song 6:12).

Something happens when we approach God only to love Him. The experience becomes less of a business meeting and more of an affectionate encounter. Our longings will bring us so close to Him that we will find ourselves sitting next to Him in His chariot. (Who doesn’t want a flying chariot ride?) We must shed our agendas and allow our love and desire to connect us to Him. And with open hearts, the Holy Spirit will fill us. Sure, the blessings and spiritual gifts will follow, but only after we value a love relationship with the King first.

As we jump into the river and receive His love with our hearts, simultaneously we become fountains of life to those on earth. God will water the earth when we learn to open the doors of our hearts. Like portable floodgates, we will bring life to our regions.

Sustained Flow

We access the river when we open our hearts to giving and receiving love from God. It’s that simple! We don’t need a specific combination of songs and prayers to receive from heaven. Once we wait on God and open our hearts to His love, something amazing takes place in the spirit. The atmosphere of heaven becomes the air we breathe, and the very river which flows from the throne bubbles up within our bellies.

When I put into practice the advice God gave me, I found that tuning in to His love brought me immediately into His presence. There was no more striving just believing and receiving. In turn, I grew more sensitive to His closeness. Before, when I was seeking an experience, I didn’t realize I had an agenda. As glorious as heavenly chills are, they are not Him, and He wants us to desire Him first.

“Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10a, MEV).

Knowing that our spiritual hearts and the floodgates of heaven exist in our core can help us visualize giving and receiving God’s love. We may not see the exchange, but by faith, we can understand where it’s happening.

It helps to place your hand on your stomach when you want to tap into heaven’s river. Your hand will be a reminder that seeking God is to be done with the heart and not the mind. I encourage you to put on a worship song and find a comfortable spot where you can be still. Put your hand on your belly and envision the Father’s love filling your heart. For the rest of the song, resist the urge to pray as you give the Holy Spirit control. When you do this, you are training your heart to tune in to His frequency and allowing Him to transform your very being with His adoration (2 Thess. 3:5).

God wants us to be drinking, not thinking. We must turn off our self-conscious thoughts and be vulnerable with our hearts. It takes a measure of humility to allow God in to see the good, the bad and the ugly. For many, accepting the love of the Father is difficult. Don’t give up. If you are consistent, over time the Holy Spirit can turn any stony heart to a heart of flesh. Our only job when we are soaking up His river is to be: be in love, be ourselves, be cherished, be transformed, be still.

Pouring Out

We can only pour out what we are filled with. If we are full of God’s love, then love will be the life-giving waters that spring from our fountains. It has always been His plan to partner with us and heal this world through us. As we tap in to heaven, we are allowing rivers of living water to burst from within us onto others. Everything we do should look and smell like love, because we’ve become saturated in it. And there’s no reason we should ever break our link to the river. It’s possible to remain in His presence in the store, at work and in the car. It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we love and recognize we are loved by God.

I urge you to practice focusing in on God’s love until living waters flow from your heart. This is our cue. It’s solely up to us to become inhabited with His love. There is no plan B. He has chosen us, an emotionally imperfect race of people, to carry out His plan. The fields of the coming harvest need rain, and we’re the fountains for the job. {eoa}

Shanna Barberio is a worship leader at Cornerstone Church in Amite, Louisiana. For 25 years she has served in worship as a vocalist and pianist. She carries a passion for the presence of God and loves to incorporate intercession and spiritual warfare in her worship. Shanna is also a recording artist, and has written numerous worship songs inspired by the Holy Spirit. Check out her new book, Heaven’s Frequency: Tuning in to the Heartbeat of God at this link.