To be honest I was dragging my feet a little to get on the street. I couldn't really put my finger on why, but I actually spent quite a bit of time praying and asking God to motivate me and give me the strength to go. I thought I had a pretty good excuse. "Well Lord, it's a holiday and none of the buses are running so I'll have to carry the sign all the way to the train and my back's been really acting up. I mean most everyone will probably be barbecuing or at the lake front anyways." But, then the Lord reminded of the 88 Higgins bus which I normally wouldn't take, but could catch about 2 blocks away which I took as confirmation that He wanted me out on the street.
Today was a hot one and I think everyone was out and about which kind of gave the day a bit of a different feel. Normally, people are on errands or getting off work or taking their kids to the park or going out for dinner, etc. But, today everyone was off work and ready to relax and blow off some stream. Lots of people were drinking at the outdoor restaurant on the corner, even on the street corner. People seemed overdue for a hot day after the many cold and rainy ones which seemed to put many people in a good mood. I spent most of the day saying hi to people while quietly praying for revival for the area and asking God to spark Divine curiosity in people.
I am always encouraged when I see people I've prayed for before and today Ryle came back around and asked me to pray for encouragement for him as he was going to spend the day reading in the park. I did and also included a prayer about enjoying and being amazed at God's creation. That's typically how I pray for people, I pray for their requests but also pray for the things that the Lord places on my heart to pray for. Later on, Sara and Jordy came up to me and said, "So, we decided to come back and ask you about what you're doing." This has been happening more and more often, people will walk by and then circle back around. For Sara and Jordy, I had the honor of praying for God's peace for them as well as for a balancing of their lives.
Now for most of the day I was engaged in conversation with an interesting gentlemen who I first met on DAY 3 and have been seeing on and off since. Dave and I talked on three separate occasions today about religion. He was on his bike, so what would happen is that we would talk for about 15 minutes or so and then he would ride off. After a little while he would ride on back and we would talk some more. Let me just this about Dave, he has been through quite a lot and well is a very vocal and opinionated man. Long story short, he says he is very political and has numerous complaints against various law enforcement officers which he says don't take too kindly of him. He actually told me that if the police see him talking to me may begin to harass me. What Dave doesn't realize is that my God is greater than him and the police combined.
After listening to him share about how against he was of organized religion, I had the opportunity to talk about Jesus, rather than church. I think there are so many people who have been hurt or burned by the church that to convince them that the church is anything but evil would be near impossible. Or people see the many abuses within the church by preachers and pastors particularly it terms of money (which was Dave's complaint) that again in their minds they're like "Religion, what a joke." And whose to blame them. That's why instead of talking about church, I talk about Jesus and what He says it means to follow Him and be His disciple: loving and worshiping God genuinely and honestly, loving people unconditionally and not judging them and helping people and serving the world.
While talking with Dave, God showed me a picture of dark and looming clouds hovering over him. God further revealed to me that this deep darkness has been over his life for a very long time and I began to sense various curses over his life. So, I asked Dave, "If he believed in a spiritual realm?" He didn't because he said it wasn't quantifiable. So, I shared my story with him which seemed to take him back a bit. I could see that it sparked something, so I pressed him further and asked him I could pray for healing for his carpal tunnel and the pains of his heart. Surprisingly, he said yes but asked if I could not be too flashy about it. So, I prayed on the down low with him. I prayed for healing for his carpal tunnel, healing for the pains of his heart and then I broke off the dark cloud that's been overshadowing his life, in Jesus Name.
All I have to say is that something happened. Dave's demeanor changed. He became very excited. It was almost like there was a surge of energy flowing through him which I'm believing was the Holy Spirit doing some work. He kept thanking me which was bit odd and then with a quick see you later, sped off on his bike. I mean Dave is a bit ADD to put it mildly, just from talking with him I can tell his mind races at a high velocity. Regardless, I'm looking forward to seeing him again and getting an update about what's going on with him, how his wrist is doing and to also discern for myself if there's some change with him. So, remember Dave in your prayers. Pray that God's kingdom of light would continue to take more ground in Dave's life and that God would bring greater revelation of Jesus to him. Thanks.
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