Oceans in the Desert

Kathi Pelton

In November of 2021 I had one of the most unexpected and transforming encounters of my life. I needed to remind myself of this encounter and felt the Spirit say to post it again.

I was in our Sunday worship service in downtown Portland, Oregon, and I found myself being drawn into a place (in the spirit) that I had never been before— at least not like this. I was no longer in Portland, but I was being ushered by unseen hosts to a heavenly place.

I was moving from the earthly realm into the heavenly realm and I began to experience every grief, burden and painful outcome being swallowed up by the sounds and atmosphere of heaven.

Victory was swallowing every remembrance of defeat.

Then I suddenly found myself bowed down in what appeared to be the throne room of heaven, where I was absolutely overwhelmed and overtaken by the attributes of God. I was being immersed in the kindness of God, the mercy of God, the holiness of God and the absolute victory of God.

As I experienced this, I began weeping uncontrollably— not because I was sad but because it caused everything in me to cry out, “Holy, holy, holy!”

I could see other people coming from earth to heaven and as they did, all defeat and death was swallowed up in the victory of Jesus.

This place was so vast and yet so full— but FULL of every aspect of God.

Waves of “who he is” crashed over me, one after another. All I could do was to bow down even lower while crying out, “Holy, holy, holy are you!”

First a wave that revealed his kindness would come and take my breathe away because it would fill every part of this place and everyone (and every being) within it. Then a wave of his mercy would come, and the same thing would happen— and so on. I never wanted to leave this place because I was absolutely freed from of every sense of defeat while being immersed in complete victory. Eternal victory!

The perishable was overtaken by the imperishable Christ and his victory. I trembled in his presence and wept in overwhelming gratitude for his mercy and kindness.

When I began to experience my spirit returning to the room on earth, I passed through a place (probably in the second heaven realm) where I saw what the enemy was doing.

He was holding two playing cards; one said, “Victory” and one said, “Defeat.” Then without any words spoken to me, I suddenly received a revelation message that said, “My people have an outcome mentality of what is known as victory or defeat. But I am imparting an overcoming mentality of eternal victory. Victory is the only card they hold.”

The enemy continues to play the defeat card against the saints of God. But this is an illegal play and we are not to receive it any more.

The Lord wants us to have our minds renewed with the imperishable victory that swallows up death and defeat.

We are to become a people who believe that for those in Christ—victory is the only outcome— no matter what our natural eyes see or circumstances seek to dictate.

In this experience, I saw how death and defeat is swallowed up in absolute victory. The response of all in this place was to cry out “Holy, holy, holy.”

God is reminding his Church that we are not to be an “outcome minded” people but rather an “overcoming minded” people.

We can remove the DEFEAT card from the enemy’s hand; then he can no longer play it against us.

We are to only hold the card of victory— the one that Christ laid his life down for.

Every time the enemy tries to play this defeat card, and it is received by God’s people (due to not seeing the outcome we desired or hoped for); it releases doubt, defeat, depression and disillusionment. We move further away from the awareness of his holiness and begin to embrace the lies that we can be or are defeated.

The enemy is playing this defeat card against many in this hour. He uses it as his trump card (Trump Card: a valuable resource that may be used, especially as a surprise, in order to gain an advantage) against God’s people. But God is handing you his victory card— your trump card— to break the mindset that allows room for defeat, and he will renew our minds with a revelation of his victory.

I am not saying that all painful and difficult things will stop happening here on earth if we remove this card from Satan’s hand, but I am saying that if we will ask God to renew our minds, so that the only possible outcome for those in Christ is victory then the devastating effects of believing defeat (thus, experiencing defeat) will stop.

I want to say this with absolute conviction, “ULTIMATELY, FOR THOSE IN CHRIST- THE ONLY OUTCOME IS VICTORY.” That was what I took away from these thirty minutes in The Throne Room.

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54

In that place I was immersed in the imperishable— the eternal— and experienced everything relating to death and defeat being swallowed up in victory. EVERYTHING!

I am praying that God would transform our minds and beliefs to become an “overcoming minded people” rather than an “outcome minded people.”

I believe that God is going to replace the mindset that has made room for defeat to be swallowed up in the revelation of his victory. It is time to pull that defeat card out of the enemy’s hand leaving him with only a victory card that declares “his defeat!”

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