Engrave God’s Word in our Hearts - part 2

Here is another cool "God story" I want to document.  This one took place last summer when I volunteered at a prayer tent during SoulFest in New Hampshire.  For three days, a group of volunteers prayed over people as they came in with prayer requests.

One young lady came into the tent looking for prayer but wouldn’t provide us any specifics on what she wanted us to pray about.  My friend started to pray and I sat in silence.  While she was praying, the thought of an engraved silver ring came to my mind.  I tried to dismiss the thought but it stayed in my mind and on my heart.  As a result, I opened my eyes and looked to see if this young lady had a ring on her finger.  I could see all but two of her fingers and I did not see a ring.  In fact, I didn’t see any jewelry on the young lady so I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my friend’s prayer.  Again, the thought of an engraved silver ring came to my mind.  This time I opened my eyes and thought maybe she has a tattoo.  I saw no tattoo.

When my friend finished praying she nudge me and asked if I had anything to share.  I said, “No.”  She said “Are you sure?” I said, “Yes.” but then immediately changed my mind.  I asked the young lady if she had a silver ring.  She said yes and showed me one of the fingers that was hidden.  I looked at the ring but didn’t see an engraving on it so I thought I was wrong.  My friend nudged me and I asked her, “Is the ring engraved?”  She said, “Yes” and flipped her hand over so that the palm was facing up.  There engraved on the ring was the word “Faith.”  I felt the Lord tell me to have her turn the ring so that the word “Faith” was visible for the world to see.  I then shared about my earlier post on “Engrave God’s Word in our Hearts.”  See the link below.  http://gigglesgiggling.blogspot.com/2009/01/engrave-gods-word-in-our-hearts.html

God is so awesome!  God is a live and He actively wants to talk to us!

Harsh words to live by...

1 Cor 5:11-13  says “...you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside.”

I came across these verses while listening to a sermon by Andy Stanley called Guardrails.  Guardrails are there to provide protection and to keep us from veering off the road.  When I first heard him refer to these verses, I thought he was being harsh and misinterpreting what God had intended.  In his sermon series, he challenged me to stop flirting with disaster and establish some personal guardrails. 

Does God really mean that we must not associate and have absolutely nothing to do with someone who claims to be a brother or sister and participates in these types of behaviors?  God even goes as far as to say "do not even eat with such people!"  WOW!  Those are harsh words.  My heart wants to say, "But what about mercy?  What about grace?"

So I dug a little deeper...

• Sexually immoral - relations outside of marriage
• Greedy – having or showing a continual selfish desire
• Idolater - a person that admires intensely and often blindly one that is not usually a subject of worship
• Slanderer - to harm the reputation of someone else
• Drunkard - one who is habitually drunk
• Swindler - to take something from someone by using tricks and careful words

Does He really tell us to judge those inside the church?  If so, what are we to judge each other against? What are we to look for?  The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  What God is saying is that if we don’t see fruit, then these people really are not God’s disciples and we are to have nothing to do with them.  God says, you will know they are mine by their love.

I Cor 13 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

Harsh words that I honestly struggle to understand and live by...

Walls of Jericho

On July 16^th 2015, I woke up at 2:55 am by the voice of God.  I know it sounds crazy but… I very clearly heard the Lord tell me to circle my friend seven times like the wall of Jericho.  Each time I was to circle him, I was to say “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” and place my hand on his heart, then circle him again.  After the seventh time, I was to tell him that God wants him to know I was trustworthy.

Interesting I thought to myself but there is one problem...  My friend left the day before for a two week vacation to Greece with his sister.  Crazy as it sounds, I immediately texted my mentor and asked her what she thought.  She suggested I pray over it.

I started to pray and Ieven envision myself circling around my friend seven times, doing what God had asked me to do.  Without exaggeration, I must have prayed this in my head at least 30 to 35 times a day.  Still the relentless voice of God did not depart.  So I continued to pray.

When he returned from vacation, we met up and I teasingly told him about the “dream” and how I have been visualized myself circling around him when praying for him.  I told him everything except for the part where God said He wanted him to know I was trustworthy.  Instead, I told my friend God wanted him to know people were trustworthy.

Why was I not honest?  I was afraid.  Afraid of what he would think… Afraid of being misunderstood… Afraid of being vulnerable…  My pride got in the way.

I had massage appointment so we parted ways for about two hours.  As I lay on the table, I clearly heard the Lord say, “That is not what I told you to do!”  When we met up again, I immediately told him, I wasn’t completely honest about the dream.  God wants you to know I am trustworthy.  “Whew!” I thought to myself.  “I did it!  I am done!  I can now move on!”

That night as I was trying to fall asleep, I heard the Lord say, “That is not what I told you to do!”  I responded back, “Lord, are you actually asking me to physically circle him seven times.  You have got to be kidding me – that’s crazy!  Na, you are not really asking me to do that!  Are you?!?”

The following week, my bible study was based on hearing the voice of God and fully obeying His leading and the strongholds/lies that get in the way of following His voice. By the third day, I knew I needed to physically circle my friend.  I immediately contacted him and told him and he graciously responded, “Ok, let’s do it!”  We met up and I did it.  I actually circled him seven times!  I was nerve and to be honest, I forgot to place my hand on his heart each time and I forgot to tell him God wanted him to know I was trustworthy.

My friend has not confirmed that circling him like the wall of Jericho meant anything to him and I realizing it is not my job to figure it out.  It’s my job to listen and obey.  God just wants my full and immediate obedience.  With that said, two days later, I was finishing my week’s lesson and watched the video associated with the homework.  The study was about fully obeying God’s leading and replacing the negative thoughts/strongholds with God’s truths.  The video used the example of the “walls” tumbling down when we replace the negative thoughts, with God’s scripture.  I forwarded the video to my friend.  For me this was confirmation, that I heard the voice of God.

Here is the question…  Did my friend miss out on God’s blessing because I didn’t immediately respond, didn’t fully and immediately obey?

If God loves you enough to die for you... He loves you enough to talk to you!

I was in Grand Cayman on vacation.  My morning quiet time was based on the truth that God loves us enough to communicate to us.  "Great reminder" I thought to myself and moved on with my day of snorkeling, sun bathing and reading.

Within a short period of time, God put in front of me a heart shaped piece of coral.  I immediately thanked Him for the visualization that He loves me.

 

The next morning, when I sent snorkeling, I looked down and saw a heart shaped shell.  Another wonderful reminder that He loves me...

A short period later, I was heading back to the room and in the sand was a heart shaped shell.  I thought to myself, "You can't make this stuff!"  It was again, God reminding me that He loves me.  God loves me enough to talk to me!

God loves you enough to talk to you too!

 

Go ahead... I dare you! 

Ask God for the spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear Him speak to you!

 

Don't be surprised when He does!