This grand adventure was birthed by an inclination of the Holy Spirit for my boys and I to agree on something big and ask God to bring it to pass. After careful deliberation and discussion we quickly agreed and prayed together asking God to take us to Scotland and let us spend the night in a castle! A few days later my dad mentioned that he had always wanted to see Scotland. I looked into it and discovered that the country had just reopened to visitors so the travel rates were the lowest in history. Within a week our adventure was booked!
Before we left my mentor prayed for me and expressed that God had something special for me in Scotland. She told me to look for a key. As she prayed for me my mind was overtaken by a vision of the cobbled stone cities with their beautiful stone buildings and then the lush green highlands. In both visions the landscape was pulsing as though it were releasing something to me. I left with that expectation. I had two other visions prior to this trip which I’ll mention later in this post along with the time of their fulfillment.
Two things happened on this great journey. First I learned to trust God with every detail of my plans as I would trust my husband to take care of and provide for me. Second I discovered a deeper sense of purpose in my life especially concerning igniting the souls of those wounded by religion. Below is my daily journal from our discovery of beloved Scotland and all that it’s history holds.
May 14: Depart
When we began this trip and were standing at the airport in a long slow winding line trying to check in and get our tickets! We arrived 2 hours early but that time was quickly being consumed. I felt myself getting tense, frustrated, worried about making our flight and then of course our all important connection from New York to Scotland! Suddenly I connected with God in my spirit and decided to stop worrying and trust Him to take care of the details of this door He had opened for us to travel to Scotland. In my heart I said “take care of me like You are my husband”. From that moment on we experienced an extremely smooth trip. A 3 hour flight to New York, a 5 hour layover there then a 6 hour and 45 min overnight flight to Scotland. All went smoothly and peacefully. I could actually say it was wonderful. Only the hand of God waving over a family could do this.
May 16: Tour of The Royal Mile
The first day in Scotland as I came to the Lord I saw a vision of Him covering my family with His feathers as He promises in Psalm 91.
More of Psalm 91 came to mind: He is my shield and fortress, my buckler. I knew that I would see many fortresses that day and He would help me to understand how He is my fortress.
Then He uttered: “know Me in Scotland, know who I have been to this people”
To my shock I began my daily reading and here it read “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”
Psalms 91:4 NLT
“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
Psalms 91:2-4 NKJV
I learned that day that there is a difference between a palace and a castle. I had always. thought the terms were interchangeable. A palace is a place of opulent comfort and royal repose but a castle is a fortress for defense and protection. Mary Queen of Scots gave birth in a castle not a palace because she needed protection.
There are fortresses all over Scotland covering the landscape. Everywhere you look in the city of Edinburgh you see complicated architectural feats including gothic designs mixed with multicolored stone compilations topped with beautiful chimneys with two pipes coming out of the top. They are monuments to God’s provision of this people and culture. They stand today as reminders that this beautiful culture exists because of God.
God is my refuge and who He has been to me in the past stands as a vast monument in my heart building my faith for who He will be for me in the future.
Adam Clarke Bible commentary explains Psalm 91-2-4 as follows: “He will overshadow thee between his shoulders; alluding to the custom of parents carrying their weak or sick children on their backs, and having them covered even there with a mantle. Thus the Lord is represented carrying the Israelites in the wilderness. His truth shall be thy shield and buckler – His revelation; his Bible. That truth contains promises for all times and circumstances; and these will be invariably fulfilled to him that trusts in the Lord. The fulfillment of a promise relative to defense and support is to the soul what the best shield is to the body.”
I kept hearing “He is my buckler, He is my buckler, He is my buckler..” I studied to find that a buckler is a portable shield that surrounds the whole body. So for God to be my shield and buckler means double protection. About that time I felt my whole body ache for just a brief moment then it quickly passed. By the end of our trip my husband tested positive for covid and couldn’t go home with us. His symptoms were only that of a mild cold, thankfully. I realized later what the power of faith in God’s Word had done for me personally.
The Lord also promised:
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked.”
Psalms 91:5-8 NKJV
The Lord said to me: “You shall walk in freedom and have the true vision to see what’s really going on. Others are blinded by the destruction but you will walk a clear path and see the truth behind it.”
After God said “know Me in Scotland, know who I have been to this people” we had a tour of the city with a private guide. I could feel the deep love of Christ embedded in the stones of this city. I heard stories of the people resisting religious control because they did not want a mediator to separate them from direct access to God. They wanted to worship him directly. They truly embraced this new life with direct access to God when it was presented to them. When the finger of God reaches out and touches a place in this way the power of His hand can be felt by visitors like me even centuries later. As we walked the royal mile our tour guide specifically talked about the verse the scripture it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He explained that the needle is the narrow passageway entering the gates of the city. Merchants loaded down with wares would send young camels through first to see if they could make it. As I studied this Wikipedia explained that the eye of a needle was a city gate opened in Jerusalem which opened after the main gate was closed at night.
May 17: train trip to Inverness
As we traveled by train to Inverness I began reading a book by Derek Prince “Called To Conquer”. He begins by explaining that in the Old Testament sacrifices were killed first then placed on the altar but we are a living sacrifice. He explained that we are to give God control over our bodies. When you rent a space you are not responsible for its upkeep and maintenance but when you own it you are directly responsible for those things. This is how it is with God if you don’t trust Him enough to fully give yourself to Him you will not receive the full benefits of the exact life He planned for you. He has a destiny carved out for you and you will find perfect joy in fulfilling it.
The night that we arrived at a different hotel in Inverness and the boys and I discerned a demonic presence. In the middle of the night my oldest son, age 14, woke up in the hallway and couldn’t get back in his room. He had to go down to the front desk to get a new key. He was shaken by what happened the next morning. We discussed how the angels assigned to him kept him safe even while I was asleep in another room! I knew what needed to be done. I opened the door to his room and commanded every unclean spirit to leave. I closed every portal to hell and commanded a portal to Heaven be opened. Immediately we felt the environment change. It didn’t happen again. It reminded me of God’s promise in Psalm 91 that we did not need to fear evil. It was a great learning experience for the 3 of us.
May 18: Isle of Skye
We embarked on a 12 hour tour of the Isle of Skye. Before we began I was concerned about the length of this tour but it ended up being my favorite part of my journey. Though it sounds like a long day it was remarkable and filled with cultural, folk and historical knowledge along with 13 spectacular stops and the most lavish green landscapes I had ever seen or imagined. In fact when we returned and I looked at my photographs of the lush green highlands I was astonished.
I learned that the first person to encounter the Loch Ness monster was St Columba in 565ad. He came to bring Celtic Christianity to Scotland. When the monster manifested he spoke out in the power of God and sent it back to hell and it obeyed. Again a powerful move from Heaven to Earth right where I was standing.
Our tour guide recounted that the queen of England is the head of the church in England but in Scotland God is the head of the church. She said the Scots didn’t trust the Latin translation of the Bible because they couldn’t understand it but when they read the King James their souls bore witness to its truth. They felt it.
I felt led by Holy Spirit to ask her if she had heard of the Hebrides Revival. She said she had but knew nothing about it. I tried to explain it to her and she asked “was this a religious thing?” I quickly realized that I would have to consider my words carefully as I was talking to a completely unchurched person. She explained that none of her friends go to church and she herself had only been twice in her life. I realized that when Christianity is brought to a people discipline is needed but the enemy likes to come in and twist that discipline into a religious requirement to earn salvation which led Scotland to where the church found itself today. Cold, hard religion with condemning harsh words pushing people away from God blocking the entrance to salvation. I returned to my seat and asked God how I could make an impact in her life. Later a door opened for me to return and pursue the conversation with her. I told her my boys and I attend a church that is wonderful, fun and full of life. We never know what will happen and people get healed. She said she has heard of churches like that and seen some services on television from America. She continued to explain that she visited to a church where the priest spoke harsh words and made her feel bad. Led by the Spirit I recounted to her that is wrong, it is not the way it is supposed to be. God made you the way you are and in His presence He celebrates you and all that He has created you to be and moves you into your purpose. At that moment her face began to glow. I tried not to cry as I felt the Fathers heart move. On the way back to the hotel the Lord said “It’s not about following a set of rules that saves you it’s about falling in love with the King of Kings then honoring His ways”. I realized that people wounded by the hardness of religion needed a special kind of ministry. They needed to understand that they were unique creations of The Father and He delights in their individuality. At the conclusion of our tour I had a moment to give her a big hug and tell her what the Lord spoke into my spirit for her: “the Good Shepherd draws the sheep He does not drive the sheep and any place that is doing that is wrong.”
The background of the Hebrides Revival is that it happened in the section of the country where I was traveling that day. The Isle of Skye the inner Hebrides Islands, where the Hebrides Revival took place and people were coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus even in the pubs! For weeks prior to our trip I had seen visions of reaching down and touching the ground coming in contact with the power of God released in that moment in time and not only stirring it up and taking some of it back with me! I encountered the power of God in that moment and I believe in my heart that dear Scotland will emerge as a sheep nation.
5/19/22: Jacobite Steam Train and tour
We learned much more history today. After the Jacobite rebellion for 100 years the Scots could not wear kilts, play bagpipes or congregate in groups larger than 10. Their culture could’ve been lost! The kilts are 9 yards long and this is where the expression “the whole 9 yards” came from. Originally men and women wore them and they covered their whole bodies like a dress. Could be used like a blanket at night. They were later worn by the military and after that only associated with men. Their entire culture would’ve been washed away except that those who had immigrated to Canada and New Zealand returned and wanted to rediscover their roots. They revitalized the old ways. God stepped in to bring back into existence what had been long gone. He breathed life into the dry bones of Scotland restoring their beautiful culture and drawing others to visit and celebrate it.
5/20/22: shopping in Inverness and spending the night in a castle!
Today as I was picking out a pair of earrings the lady looked at my eyes and hair and told me I must have Scottish ancestry. I told her I did from both sides and that not only have we loved being here but we all have felt a deep connection as though something has been added to us here. She said some people come and love it but others like me come and feel a deep connection. I told her I loved how they wanted God to be the head of the Church of Scotland and to worship Him directly. She said even the king of Scotland said “I am the first among equals”.
Before leaving on the trip I also had a vision of being out in public and being somehow recognized by the locals. I didn’t understand what the vision meant but it was preparing me for a powerful connection with my ancestry. Multiple times throughout our trip, almost daily and even by the conductor on the train I was told that I must have Scottish ancestry. I’ve been posting the promises of God on this blog for several months and one of the promise was the release of plunder from the second Heaven that was held back from our ancestors but will be released in our times as payback to our bloodline.
That night we experienced the pinnacle of our adventure as we checked into Dalhousie Castle. To my astonishment my husband and I were given the key to the best room in the castle, the Dalhousie room! Next door was Mary Queen of Scots room, named this because she had stayed there. We found a beautiful bouquet of flowers in our opulent room and enjoyed a decedent nights sleep.
5/21/22: The Voyage Home
The next morning we woke up early preparing for the long journey home only to discover that our flight had been delayed for 5 hours pushing back our connection to the next day. We had already scheduled and paid for our covid tests so we had to go. When we got to the airport we walked for 40 min and never found the covid test site where we had paid so we selected another one. My husband tested positive and couldn’t fly home with us. It was so hard to leave I kept feeling in my spirit that Scotland didn’t want to let us go. We decided the rest of us should fly home while he stayed. He stayed alone for 2 days but when he no longer had any symptoms he explored and enjoyed Edinburgh with wonderful meals and a beautiful loft overlooking the city. I know God had something special to add to him individually during that time which will come to light in the days ahead.
Great account of a blessed journey. There is so much in store for us from God, if we open our eyes, our ears, and our hearts.
I am so blessed reading your Scotland post. I am reading it for a second time to experience the word of God spoken and the visions that have excited me so much. I feel the HOLY SPIRIT as I read your posts. Love you. Hugs!!❤️❤️