Building Your Faith- Journal!

Build your Faith – Journal!
by Katie Souza
(Taken from Katie’s Journal written in prison 2001)

In the unit prayer group today, we studied about the new wine, and God gave me this scripture: “I will lead the blind by a way they did not know; I will guide them on paths they have not known. I will turn darkness to light in front of them and rough places into level ground. This is what I will do for them, and I will not forsake them.”
Isaiah 42:16 (HCSB)

I buffed the entire dining room, went to the prayer meeting at 12:30 PM, walked 3 miles, and lifted weights before going to the unit prayer group.

“See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”
Isaiah 42:9 (KJV)

Again, I buffed the dining room, practiced learning Spanish, and attended choir practice. I seem to be in a dry season, I haven’t had any new revelations from the Lord in a while.

In the unit prayer group today, the Lord gave a word to the choir, “Cleanse yourself and prepare yourself because I’m going to use you to bring in revival!”

Today the choir sang for Pastor Roy and Ethel’s service. They have been coming to this prison for 13 years and this is the first time the choir sang for them! Now, we are going to do it every time! I sang, “Closer to the Heart of God.” Roy said, “Wow,” that I was so powerful, and it was totally from the heart. He told us that he has been around, so he would know if it was sincere or not … and it was.

We had unit prayer group, then went to the 2:00 PM service, and Chaplain Hough was there. (He can be a pain in the neck sometimes). Then at the 6:00 PM chapel service, Allen Temple Choir did not show up, so we had Holy Ghost church without them! The choir sang a selection of all of our regular songs, then we sang the three songs for the service (Superman was one of them). Then Sister Clara stood up and PREACHED! Wow, Holy Ghost revival broke out! Agnes and Deena came up to me and said they want to have a party every month as the Spanish ladies have. I said, “Okay, why not have Bible studies like the Spanish ladies have also. One unit leads each week for three weeks, and in the fourth week we have a party.” We meet again on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

Sherrie had a dream that she was sitting in chapel and a lion jumped in the window! It attacked her at the throat, then she punched it in the nose and it died! It came back in the window a second time and attacked her again!

I had a dream about Marnie; she lived in my room on Rachel’s bed. I spilled some water and was mopping it up and she came in and removed the mattress. Underneath were all kinds of tacks that were white, red, blue, and silver. I said, “Wow where did you get all those colorful tacks from? They are really nice; can I have the silver ones back?”  I didn’t remember the dream until I spilled some water on the floor, then I remembered that part of it. When Rachel woke up, she told me that she knew something was pinching her all night…she looked down and she had a tack stuck in her leg!!

I love how I was feeling dry and needing a word or revelation from God and BOOM, He answers with a Word about getting ready for the revival and then there it is (in spite of the way I felt)!  Just like in Isaiah 42:16 (HCSB), God lead the choir to a place we had not gone before, the choir sang, and revival broke out!

Also, I did not always understand the meaning of my or other people’s dreams back when I was first incarcerated. But even then, God gave understanding, turning the darkness into light before me. Now, I look back on these dreams and see so much meaning in them. At first, I did not realize that God was showing me that I was prophetic. How else would I have known that my cellie had something going on with “tacks”? God sure has a sense of humor!

Now, make this prayer declaration:  Lord, I thank you that you lead me ways that I do not know; You guide me on paths I have not known. Lord, I thank you that you turn darkness to light in front of me and rough places into level ground. This is what You will do for them, according to Isaiah 42:16, and You will not forsake me.

I encourage you to journal. Even though my thoughts then were not “profound”, and I just basically wrote down my day to day activities, scriptures, and thoughts, I can see God’s hand in my life and watch my growth day by day! Now, going back into my journals really builds my faith, and I hope it builds yours too!

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