Curious about what happened at last Saturday's online prayer and meditation session?  Listen to the video to hear the highlights or read below for a deeper dive into the participants' survey answers!

Click the link to register for Sunday December 15th at 8pm EST!  Click here- Lingering with the God of Hope

Similar sentiment to the quote above came to me awhile ago from someone who has attended multiple events.  Her name is Marty and I adore her heart in pursuit of God.  She has continued to invest in pursuing time alone with God through these sessions.  She is serious about earnestly seeking the healing and renewal God promises.  She said to me after one session, that attending the event was like getting a massage.  She meant it in the most complimentary way, likening it to how relaxed she felt after, experiencing a release of tension, and wanting to be quiet for the rest of the day so she could get all the benefit from the experience. 

Just like after getting a massage, "I so needed that!" is a common response from attendees.  This is the reason Into the Waters exists.  We believe people SO VERY MUCH need extended time in God's presence for rest, renewal, and relieving their hearts and minds of tension.

And that is what survey after survey proves with November 2nd's online session being no different.  It was our first online session, where people could engage in the prayer and meditation exercises from the comfort of their own home.  The session lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  You might be like, "Whoa, that is a long time to spend in prayer!"  And I would agree with you that yes, if you attempt that on your own, it may be quite a challenge.  But the beauty of Into the Waters' sessions is that you aren't attempting it on your own.  The session is moderated in such a way that you are gently led through a series of biblically grounded exercises so you are not thinking of "what do I say or do next?"  Instruction is clear.  Exercises are easy.  God helps you.  Most people think the time flies by.  So with that being said, here are the full results of the survey that almost 90% of last Saturday's participants took.

• 100% said they would recommend the session to others!
• 75% were very satisfied with the session, 25% were satisfied!    
• 100% thought the length of the session was "about right".
• 37.5% thought it was "very easy" to engage in the exercises.  50% thought it was "easy".  And 12.5% thought it was "neither easy nor difficult".
• Participants were given a choice of 5 answers to express how they mainly experienced God in the session.  They could choose as many options that applied to them.  
  • 4 chose "experienced the love and comfort of God"
  • 6 chose "able to unburden my heart to Jesus"
  • 3 chose "able to quiet and still myself in His presence"
  • 3 chose "able to sens His still small voice"
  • 4 chose "received revelation about areas in need of healing"
  • Some comments from them in this section are the following-
    • Your email instruction prior to the session helped to prepare my heart to communicate with God.
    • In the listening prayer exercise your shared Isaiah 61:3, the Lord gives beauty for ashes.  I believe this was perfect timing and God's message for me from this prayer session.
    • Was encouraging to transfer through direct steps to led to God revealing areas in need of healing, the "root".
    • When Gina makes our time intentional and points us to God and His direction, He always shows up!  She is anointed for this.  I am so grateful and most highly recommend others do this!
• 100% felt they either had "enough time" to process between exercises or "for the most part" had enough time.
• Participants were asked how they would like to experience an Into the Waters' event again.  Since these are scenarios myself and the board of directors are praying through, we will just share that one future option is also a current option.  You can experience this event with your small group together.  Just send an email to gina@intothewaters.com and she will follow up with you!  30% of survey participants from 11/2 want to have a small group session brought to them or to do together online.
• 100% said the technology worked fine.  They could hear and see the session fine. 

Highlighted at the beginning of the blog is a parting comment in the survey by one participant that perfectly summarizes the reason for investing in this time with God.  She wrote, "Setting time apart and waiting in anticipation to hear from God was exciting.  Allowing my heart to receive from, as well as being still in his praise, healed deep brokenness".  Yes!  The God of supernatural hope showed up!  Thank you Lord!

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.- Psalm 130:5

​Our sessions are FREE!  It is a ministry by faith, so free-will donations thankfully accepted.  Don't hesitate, invest in this time to linger longer with the God of Hope!  Sign up for the December 15th session at 8pm EST.  Here is the link again to register- Click here.

Into the Waters has held 26 prayer and meditation events over the last couple of years.  Over 90% of participants note experiencing and interacting with the love and comfort of God in their session!  What is another common realization after that holy time?  Participants regularly tell me, “I didn’t realize HOW MUCH I needed this time with God!”  The whirlwind of life sweeps us up; and we do not realize the negative consequences of NOT spending some extended time with God.  Enter this busy season grounded in the hope of God!

Listen to more by watching the video below; and consider if you sense a hunger and thirst within. Sign up for the 1 hour session to practice lingering with the God of Hope!  Go into this busy season overflowing with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit!  Limited to 10 spots!  Get one of the remaining spots!  To sign up, see more detail below the video.  Be filled to overflow with the God of Hope!

Note- This "LIVE" session will last approximately 60 minutes.  The session will include exercises with centering prayer, feelings/thoughts/actions/words exercise, scripture based visualizations, talking to God, and listening prayer, all as methods of meditating on biblical truths tied to Hope.  The prayer experience is meant to invite God's presence; and for you to experience the supernatural joy, peace, and overflow of hope God promises.  Romans 15:13- “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭  

Those who sign up will receive an email the last week of October with the private link to the session and final instructions.  You are encouraged to have your bible and pen/paper to record any reflections God impresses upon you in the session.  Session limited to 10 spots!   The session is free; however free will donations gratefully received.   

Session limited to 10 participants. The session will include exercises with centering prayer, feelings/thoughts/actions/words, scripture based visualizations, talking to God, listening prayer, journaling, and meditating on supernatural truth tied to HOPE.

THE SESSION IS FREE! HOWEVER, FREE WILL DONATIONS WILL BE THANKFULLY RECEIVED!

Results from last Hope session-
92% sensed comfort of the Holy Spirit
58% able to release burden and weakness to Jesus
75% able to visualize and enter into exercises
58% received fresh revelation on circumstances and relationships
67% felt freshly filled with supernatural power

The online class will last a little over an hour. It will be moderated, for your time with God to flow. All meditations and prayer exercises are biblically grounded. It’s all about practicing lingering longer in God’s presence for supernatural renewal! This live, online session will be accessible using a private link given only to registered participants.

Look at the promises that come from the God of hope! “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭15:13 ‭NIV‬‬

ALL JOY. COMPLETE PEACE. OVERFLOW OF HOPE. SUPERNATURAL POWER.

”This session grounded me and reaffirmed what God has been doing in my prayer life- HOPE, not desperation.”
M J Wells

Do you need this kind of renewal? If so, sign up today!

The quote of "I just can't take it anymore" is what I am hearing from people without hope, the other is a testimony full of renewed hope after an Into the Waters led meditation session done for a private group. As you read, evaluate if you lean more towards not being able to take it anymore or more towards, “This is the breakthrough I’ve needed for awhile.”

Regarding the first quote, a couple of days a week I talk with many, many people about what they are dealing with emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is a secular setting, not a ministry setting. I am not allowed to openly talk about God in this setting, which is very limiting and frustrating to me. There have been times however, where I broke protocol in gentle ways, out of intense burden. I simply share in some way, "I will be praying for you." It has always been well received. However for the 99.9% of distressing situations I hear about, I have to just do the best I can to offer words that comfort and acknowledge their pain. Would have to say of late, the words I offer are momentary, split seconds of kindness that don't take them beyond our call. Over the last 2 weeks have been deeply burdened by talking to a parent after their young child was raped, people whose sleeplessness is taking their sanity, anxiety and depression so severe people are going on disability, violent behaviors of family members seemingly possessed by "something" not of themselves, I am newly hearing and regularly hearing, "I just can't take it anymore." Their tone, their tears, their anger, their shaky voice says it all.

They need hope. And they are reaching out to medicine and doctors as they search.

What is hope exactly? Can it be trusted? In our dictionaries, hope is defined as "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen". If that is as far as it goes, in my opinion, hope in and of itself as a concept is pretty shaky. Feelings are fleeting. We can have a feeling of hope to live a long life; but die at an early age. We can have a feeling of hope for a relationship to be "the one"; but end in rejection. Same for a hope for a good marriage; yet to end in divorce. We can have a feeling of hope for our children to prosper; but see them make bad decision after bad decision. We can hope for peace of mind; yet have crippling anxiety. Hope, in order for it to be true and life saving MUST have a cord of attachment to a source capable of manifesting the thing hoped for. But we don't see this qualification in our secular dictionaries. Yet, this is in fact how God defines hope in biblical dictionaries. It is defined as a literal cord of attachment that brings expectancy.

HOPE- Strongs 8615 tiqvâh, tik-vaw'; from H6960; (compare H6961) literally a cord (as an attachment); figuratively, expectancy:—expectation(-ted), hope, live, thing that I long for.

The word hope (tikvah) comes from the word kavah which means to wait by binding together, gathering for strength. The more cords are bound together, the stronger a rope is. The more weight it can hold, the more tension it can endure. These are pictures behind the strength that comes in waiting in God’s presence, attaching your hope to Him, having expectancy. Practical questions to examine would be:

1. ​Ask yourself, “Where are my cords of hope attached?” We tend to have hope in bank accounts, life plans, relationships, career paths, professional titles, weight and beauty, health, our children, a pill, ourselves. We tend to place hope in God giving us exactly what we asked for. God will challenge these areas. If we don’t get what we expect, often we lose heart and faith. But if we are honest, our cords were attached to a longing of what would bring joy and peace and satisfaction.
2. Ask yourself, “Have I waited with God, in times of prayer and meditation, in order to be strengthened... so that my cord of attachment (hope) has expectancy from Him?”

Reviewing our hope through these questions takes courage, but is worth it. It is very hard when our hopes do not come to pass. Some of you are in a lot of pain right now because hopes have been dashed. However, these can be opportunities to ground ourselves anew in hope that alone comes from God. He is the God of hope. And regarding hope, if we are willing to strengthen our cords to Him, He will resurrect hope within us. it is His divine design that we overflow with hope by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

NIV- Romans 15:13- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

OVERFLOW OF HOPE>>>>>> Trusting God is key to being filled to joy and peace. Isn't that really the bottom-line request of all prayer... joy and peace? Your bank account can be overflowing; but if joy and peace elude you, what have you gained? You can be model skinny and have beauty that stops traffic; but if self scrutiny and continual dissatisfaction plague you, what have you gained? You can have a very successful career; but if loneliness and stress are your constant companions what is the point? We see the recent outcome of celebrities whose hope was in their children attending the best schools; but at what cost? The bottomline truth is that joy and peace come from the power of the Holy Spirit as you trust in God, not yourself or empty promises from the world.

So how is God-trust being developed in you? Are you experiencing an overflow of hope that comes from God? We all can be challenged by this question. It's a gentle reminder to invest in time before God's throne, to receive the joy and peace that He alone promises and delivers.

Here is a quote from someone who recently invested in lingering with God through an Into the Waters prayer and meditation session. See if you can see hope that came as a result.

"Thank you SO much for leading us on Thursday! It was a beautiful experience for me personally, and it was a breakthrough I have needed for awhile now. The revelation about (xxxxxx) was totally unexpected, but it continues to resonate so strongly with me. I have somehow put a limit on what God will do, and it definitely stems back to that season of my journey. I believe He will do those impossible, wonderful things for others, but not for me. I have dealt with this issue on so many levels and have felt peace along the way, but God not answering my prayers as I wanted at the time, has definitely affected how much I trust Him, I mean that deep, deep level of trust. Thank you for starting the process of tearing that false belief down in me and beginning another layer of healing."

God will tear down our false beliefs in order to bring another layer of healing and hope founded in His faithfulness, love, mercy, goodness, provision, etc. The power of the Holy Spirit deposits His life in those who trust! We are strengthened after waiting in His presence. Hope is renewed as our cord of attachment to God flows with new life from Him!

Do you need a fresh deposit of supernatural joy and peace, to overflow with hope from the Holy Spirit? In the Fall, Into the Waters will be holding some online group sessions on HOPE. These will be small groups of up to 10 at a time. Stay tuned for more announcements and sign up opportunities!

But for now meditate on the truth from Romans 15:13! Seed it into your heart by reading it in many translations. Reading it in many translations will do a couple of things.

1. It will help you process what is being stated as truth. (Repeat to yourself what God is saying. Example- “So God promises to fill me with joy and peace as I trust in Him. He promises that I will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” If you do not understand any of it, ask God for revelation through Jesus.)
2. Multiple translations help translate the fullness of what is being stated.
3. It will challenge you to reflect on the promise. (Confess if you need to trust in Him more.)
4. It will help you memorize it and hide it as truth in your heart. (After reading through all of them, pick one translation and repeat it many times. After, close your eyes and see if you can restate it.)
5. It should encourage you to claim it and pray it for yourself and others! (Ask God for the hope He promises!)

NIV- Romans 15:13- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

NLT- I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

ESV- May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Berean Study Bible- Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

KJV- Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

GNT- May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.

BLESSINGS!
​ “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭25:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

(Guided texted based 4 min meditation on fear, with lake and nature sounds). There are 2 types of fears. Which one affects you the most? Consider, pray, and wait with God. Pause where prompted to meditate more intently. Let His perfect love drive out your fear. Blessings!

God promises to keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed upon him, because He trusts in Him. Is your mind stayed upon God or upon problems and upset? Are you trusting in yourself or God as you process feelings and thoughts! Review your week. Be inspired to turn towards God. Talk to Him and meditate upon ways you can grow in experiencing the perfect peace God offers! Blessings!

Yesterday I made some time with my good and perfect Heavenly Father by a little stream.  Brought my Bible, chair, a cup of coffee and just enjoyed His presence.  The video below is what came of God encouraging me to encourage you to also make a date with Him for rest!  Respond to God's longing for you to spend time with Him!  Joy and renewal await!  He blesses those who earnestly pursue Him, Hebrews 11:6.  (The post comes from Facebook, please like the page and follow us if you have yet to do so!)

This prayer exercise is interactive and simple. It uses Psalm 116:1-7. It does not begin with instruction, so take a minute to quiet yourself and ask God to help you engage and pray. Simply repeat what you hear from the moderator. There is emphasis in verse 7 which has you repeat it multiple times. There is a time of silent reflection for you to wait and listen. The exercise ends in a prayer over you. Blessings!

Today’s blog I guess is really a Vlog, a video blog. Contains an encouragement to linger longer with God through a testimony I share. It was during a difficult time in my life. At this time, the Lord was developing in me a spiritual discipline of spending extended time with Him for healing. My sharing is meant to encourage you to linger with Him and to be open to the Holy Spirit for supernatural comfort, help, and truth that sets you free! And a brief mention is made of tomorrow being Pentecost. Learn what it is and how relevant it is for believers 2k+ years later. Reflect and ask for the promise given on Pentecost. The video ends with me praying for you!

Also, below is an interactive prayer session to inspire you to linger longer. Pray through part of Psalm 116 and wait in the presence of God for renewal! Blessings! (Note-Two videos on this post caused a delay in play, so the video exercise has been moved. It will be uploaded as a separate video on 6/9/19. Thank you.)