Several years ago I got my first prophetic word at a conference I attended.  It was a group of three who gave me the word, two women and a man.  The man immediately seemed anxious and kept asking the women to speak their message; and he just squirmed in his seat. Finally, after a long wait, he lifted up his hands and yelled, “SURPRISE!”

In a nutshell, he told me, “You think it is one way, but going is going to continue to SURPRISE and astound you.”  And, I am happy to say today, God is doing just that:  surprising and astounding me!

I feel like I am swimming in the river of joy!

After a rather torturous season of pruning, it now seems my Heavenly Father can’t do enough to please me and to thrill me at my deepest core and greatest longings for life.

Yesterday was a day I can’t help but share with you.

I woke up early, feeling well rested, in enough time to exercise before attending Redwood Covenant: the church we are attending since we moved to Santa Rosa.  As I exercised, I prayed Redwood would experience the full breakthrough of the adoption spirit.  I’d never prayed that it before.  Oh, I’d prayed for groups within the church, but never for the WHOLE church.

Off I went to the service.

Unbeknownst to me, the whole service revolved around Identity:  the sermon, the worship and then, the challenge.  Our challenge was to go to a table and write two messages:  one to communicate our identity before we met Jesus, and the second was our identity after we met him.  The instructions continued:  After you write your message, take it before the whole church to present it….on the stage, in front of everyone.

I literally ran to the table.  I have a message to share:  I am no longer a spiritual orphan~I am the beloved daughter of my Heavenly Father.

But, I had to stand in line, for a LONG time.  Others also ran to the table to share their transformation.  I am guessing over a 100 people were happy to share how Jesus changed not only their faith, or their life, but their identity to their very core.

Something very significant happened yesterday. 

The hidden accusations of our enemy got exposed to the light and with the light penetrating the darkness, all the power drains away like an outlet removed from its socket.

In reverse, God’s power got plugged into those who shared their dark and light messages.

The adoption spirit was released upon the congregation yesterday.

And, SURPRISE, all I had to do was show up and enjoy the ride!

This is life in the Kingdom of God.  Our generous King takes the seeds we carry and multiplies them far beyond what we could ever dream.

Just a couple of years ago, when I realized the depth of the identity theft our enemy has taken from us, I made a declaration that God would use me to help thousands, and then I decided that wasn’t quite enough, so I switched it to millions, of his people, to get set free from the orphan spirit and to live into the adoption spirit.  Even as I spoke it, I wondered how in the world that could ever happen.

Now I know.

It’s the ripple effect of God using me to help others realize the freedom which comes through living into the adoption spirit of beloved children of God, and to cut off the orphan spirit which steals life from us.  As each ripple goes out, more and more discover the power of the adoption spirit!

Are you one of the ripples?  How will you ripple another ring today?

Why not share your testimony here as a start to your own ripple.

SURPRISE!