This past week God has shut my (complaining) mouth three times, but I'll only tell one story, for the sake of time!
Last Saturday was our first work day at the new facility. We worked hard from 9:oo until about 1:30. By the time I got home I was really tired. I only had a few hours to eat, rest and get ready. Jason and I were asked to lead worship for another church in the area that was doing a Revival weekend. River Stone leads worship for Real Life every Sunday and this was one of their special events. I had never been to Real Life yet, so I was excited about going, but also very tired.
While the guy was preaching one thing he said really resonated within me. He was preaching the story of God performing a miracle on Adam to create Eve, but in order for him to do so God had to put Adam to sleep. He had to get him out of the way. After God was finished taking the rib, he healed Adam with his own flesh. He then said that we sometimes go to other places, people, or things to get our healing, when it should come from ourselves. He meant instead of going to counseling or even rehab sometimes we just need to go to God, and be obedient and prayerful for our healing. I have been struggling with something for a long time (we'll call it my thorn). I have been fearful of things my whole life. I'm not sure why except Satan likes to frighten me and keep me scared because at times it cripples me. So my fear sometimes gets in the way of my relationship with God. I told God that I wanted to start being obedient to pray and to know scripture to use when Satan uses my fear against me in some way.
After the man had finished he started asking people to go to the front if they needed prayer or healing. Almost everyone went. I was a little skeptical. Sometimes I'm not really sure these times are real or not. I never got a clear "yes this is real," or "no this isn't." So I kept being skeptical, thinking it was a little fake. During the middle of him praying over people he asked Jason and I to come back up to sing. So as we were waiting he was praying for this little boy and saying that his spirit was telling him that the little boy was going to be great, that he could see greatness in his future. At that point I broke because my spirit was softening my heart, but I didn't know it was for what was to happen next. When he was finished praying for the little boy he turned to me. I thought he was going to ask us to start singing, but instead he looked straight at me and said, "What's your name?" I told him. Then he said, Can I pray for you?" I was shocked. Of course I said yes and so he asked me to come down to where everyone else was so he could pray over me. So I did! The first thing he said to me was, " Did you notice I kept looking at you while I was preaching?" I did notice and thought it was a little weird, but I also thought it was because I was yawning the whole time and he thought I was rude or not paying attention. It was just because I had worked that day at the church. That's what I thought as I was sitting, but he said it was because the Holy Spirit was telling him that I needed to hear something that night.
The second thing he said to me was, "You told God something while I was preaching." I did, I told him I was going to be obedient and mindful to pray when "my thorn" comes crawling around. He then said, "God wanted me to tell you he heard what you said." Whoa!! I wasn't skeptical any further. I knew this was quite real. God had showed up and shut my mouth. He then went on to say that, "You have the spirit of fear". It was exactly me. He then started praying and rebuking that fear in my life. Then another awesome thing happened. He began to pray in tounges. I didn't understand the words he said, but I understood the meaning behind it. Then he began to tell me other things about me, our church, Jason, etc. It was a very hunbling and quite an awesome experience.
After the worship time ended, Jason and I went with a friend of ours, who was also there that night, out to eat. We started talking about it a little bit. I told them I was being a skeptic and that was short-lived when God shut me up, and then I asked them if they heard him pray in tounges and they both said "No?". So I'm not sure if I was the only one who heard it or not, but that's just extra cool if I did.
I wasn't expecting God to speak to me that night, but Jason and I had been talking about my fear for a while. I was getting so tired of being afraid all the time. So, that was exactly what I needed to hear. I tell you all this because you never know when and how God will speak, but he will. Right when I needed it the most he came through for me in the form of a slightly overweight, hispanic preacher. God is so awesome and he is so faithful!!!
