Provider of All Things

Sometimes what appears to be so minor to others in reality can be very major. Tuesday a young man came to mind and I shared with my husband that I thought he needed him. My husband called right away and as God would have it, the young man had the day off. It was a wonderful time for my husband to take him and the two of them spend the entire morning together. Little did I know that this young man had a huge issue. It wasn't until this afternoon when my husband advised me that he needed to run to this young man's house and would I like to go. I said, "Yes."

 I didn't know it at the time but my husband was dropping off some finances that they desperately needed. We visited for a while and then I heard the young man say to my husband, "I still haven't found my keys."

The young man had lost his keys. . . not just a key or one key but his entire key chain with all of his keys on the ring. You see, in order for this young man to get another key made to his vehicle, it would cost around 200.00 - two hundred dollars that he didn't have.

For two days he and his wife had turned his entire house upside down looking in every nook and cranny. The next day he would need to return to work and he needed his keys. He hadn't even been able to check his mail for a few days or lock his home. He shared about breaking into his car to see if he had possibly left them there. They checked everywhere and he said that he had retraced his steps a thousand times - still no keys!

I stood in the door way and tried to discern if the Lord would place on my heart where they might be. I couldn't leave. I stood there listening, longing, for God to speak. I finally said, "We have to pray!" We stood in the entryway and held hands. Together we came before the Lord and I prayed asking God to reveal where the keys were. I praised the Lord for His care for us and what he was about to do. Together we agreed and gave out a  big "Amen!"

An hour later our doorbell rang. My husband called for me to come to the door and there stood the young man with his keys in his hands. We all shouted, lifted our hands before the Lord and praised him!!! What a mighty God we serve!

The young man said that about thirty minutes after our prayer his wife picked up something in the basement and there were the keys.

How glorious! Great and Mighty God.

Hearing From God

Thursday August 5th I shared with my husband that he needed to go and see Tom - an elderly man in our church. My husband said that he would. There was no reason to see him. He had not been ill that we knew of and no one asked us to go and see Tom. It was simply the prompting of the Holy Spirit. I had no idea what was happening only that my husband needed to go and see him.

My husband said that he would go after he came back from the men's retreat. He returned home Saturday night and of course Sunday morning he was busy with the church. I again shared on Sunday that he needed to go and see Tom. He said that he would go Monday.

Monday morning while on my way to Denver, I called home to remind my husband that he needed to go and see Tom. He waited until the afternoon before going. When he finally arrived at the house he was told that they had just taken Tom to the emergency room.

Tom has a hole in his heart and will need a procedure tomorrow. I will pray for Tom and his healing. God continues to teach us about his workings and the way he speaks and moves. We must be quick to listen and quick to obey.

The Angel of Darkness

My son and I grabbed our cups of coffee and headed toward the crowded sanctuary where everyone gathered during our Sunday school hour. We all gathered to watch the video series of the Purpose Driven Life. I stepped in the doorway and scoured the room to find the perfect spot. Of course my son and I straggled in as late comers. Spotting a few empty seats toward the back over in the far right side of our church, we settled in and focused on the video. I've never sat on that side of the church but felt drawn none-the-less.

Before sitting, I noticed a young man who looked to have been between the age of 18 - 22. Casually, he leaned across a few chairs. Dressed in black from head to toe and wearing black sunglasses, I realized that I had never seen him in our church before this moment. I didn't think anything of it until I heard rash and rude comments coming from him about the video on the screen. I looked around wondering if anyone else heard his very verbal thoughts. At one point his mocking became so loud that others in the church turned around and looked in our direction. They too were wondering what the chaos was all about. I sat still and peaceful right in front of him and then asked the Lord, "Who is this person Lord?" As if God had whispered so everyone could hear, I heard the words, "He is an angel of darkness." At first I just repeated the words and then suddenly it sank in, "He's an angel . . . . of what?" I know it sounds strange but at that moment something so powerful had been revealed to me and once I understood what the Lord had said, my heart began to beat rapidly and full of fear. I could hardly sit still. The Lord then said to me, "Don't be afraid Tina. I am here."

After church I shared with my husband what the Lord had revealed to me. Of course my husband was sceptical as usual. "There's no way Satan could be in our church," he said. I did not think it was Satan himself but felt that whoever this young man was, he belonged to Satan. The young man left before anyone could speak with him.

For the next month the young man would show up at our services at odd times and always leave before anyone could speak with him. Every time he entered the church, a spirit would move within me and I would literally become ill. My heart beat fast. I became anxious. I felt the urge to cry and to fall on my knees and pray. I gathered as many friends as I could and told them that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. There is a stranger in our church and he belongs to the enemy. He always came dressed in black and always wore his sunglasses while in church. He always came on foot and always left before anyone could speak to him.

One day a friend of mine and I decided to go to lunch. My husband said to me, "Now don't tell her about the man in the church." I'm sure he did not want her to think I had completely lost my mind. After our small talk she asked, "So - how are things? How is the church doing?" Of course she did not attend out church.

I couldn't help it - I began with, "Well a strange man has been visiting . . " She interrupted, "Wait - is he between the age of 18-22, has black hair, dresses in black, and wears black boots with silver buckles?"

Astonished I said, "Yes! How did you know!" Very few people knew what the Lord had revealed to me and she did not know any of them. "Well, I had a dream the other night and saw him in the dream. The Lord told me that Satan was going to your church." I then finished my story.

We both felt shocked and speechless and to the point of tears. We confessed we had goosebumps running through our bodies. We both thanked God. My husband had been telling me that I was crazy, and yet at that moment the Lord confirmed to me that what He had shared with me that day was the truth!

I knew whenever the young man was coming. I could see him walking to church in a vision. The Lord always let me know he was coming. Between services or during I would mouth to my friends, "He's coming. We need to pray." He always showed up a few minutes after that.

The Lord reveals for a reason - to go to battle - to pray through it - so that the enemy's plan can be stopped and the Lord's work can continue. I called a well known intercessor and asked him what we should do. He told me that God definitely revealed the enemy's move to enter our church and we needed to remove the enemy from our church . . .we would do that through prayer.

I called and gathered a hand full of prayer warriors and intercessors. I asked if we could meet at the church and pray throughout it anointing the doors with oil. They agreed. Unfortunately the day everyone could gather was a day I could not attend. They gathered anyway and prayed throughout the entire church.

The very next Sunday, on Halloween day, I received a vision from the Lord. I saw the young man coming. He was walking to the church. The Lord revealed to me that the enemy will no longer be able to enter with this person. The enemy will be stopped at the door . . . and he was. The young man entered without being dressed in black and for the very first time, he was not wearing his sunglasses. I didn't feel sick or anxious. His presence in the church did not disturb me because the enemy did not enter with him. That Sunday would be the very last time this young man came to our church. We never saw him again.

Money

August 8, 2005

I was driving home from the doctor’s office when I became emotional. I turned off the interstate and towards the road that led towards home.

About five minutes from my house, I started weeping. I could not control it. I grabbed the tissues from the front seat and began to wipe away the tears. The emotion came stronger and stronger as the Holy Spirit came upon me and I began to speak in my language - still trying to drive and get home.

As I stopped at the stop light, I noticed that the work van in front of me belonged to someone from my church. My tears intensified.

I parked in the garage, hurried to my room, closed the door and fell on my face – the urgency to pray was stronger and overbearing.

My stomach hurt so much that I doubled over and felt as if I would vomit. My heart hurt too – all the while I prayed asking the Lord what was going on. I remember looking at the clock that read 10:00am. About twenty minutes into the prayer I sat up from lying prostrate on the floor because the pain hurt my stomach and I was crying so hard that it felt as if I could not breathe.

My crying intensified as well as the praying. My lips moved swiftly as if I had no control over what I was saying. I began to hurt even more in my heart and stomach. I cried deeply.

Then I heard someone walking on the roof of my house. I heard the steps from one end of the roof to the other. I stopped praying for a moment to listen and then continued on again. I fell to my face with an intensity that I cannot explain. Something was wrong. Something was wrong!

A part of me wanted to get up and look – but the Lord kept me where I was – deep in prayer.

As it slowed down – I got up and walked to the window, looked out the front, and saw the same work van that I had seen earlier. It was the same man – He was on my roof – why – I did not know. I continued to pray and then God revealed something to me.

I had a vision.

I saw this man standing on a roof. I then saw that he had money in his hands and he was putting it secretively in his pocket. I understood that he was pocketing money from someone or something. I did not understand what it was all about or why. I only know that God called me to intercede about something concerning this man and money.


Update:

Years later this man left our church. I never shared with anyone about that moment. If I had to guess, I would have guessed that this man was stealing or cheating someone financially. He was doing some work that day on our roof for our church. I have no idea if he was cheating them or not. I had the discernment that he was pocketing money. I did not know this man and never told anyone about what had happened until several years later.

Spiritual Discernment

April 17, 2005,

This particular spring morning the sun blazed a glorious glow as people gathered to worship. The early service went well and people seemed to lift their hearts to the Lord.

After the second service of worship, I sat in one of my regular seats toward the front. I felt tired but good. The pastor stepped up to preach and gave it a great start. Suddenly, I felt something brush past me. It is difficult to explain. It felt as if something were flying past me at a high speed. I could feel a brush of wind. It is an odd feeling – as if someone were running very fast and almost brushed against me. I could feel the movement yet there was no one visible.

After the brush, I became a little anxious. That is what I call it, but it is a stirring in my stomach as if something were wrong. My heart began to beat faster and I knew that God was calling me to pray.

I remember saying to myself, “Lord, I can pray but to fall upon my face and weep as usual is not a good time right now.” I knew that the sermon would end soon and I would need to lead our invitation song.

I could not sit still, I had to rise and go to the back. I called upon a friend who is strong in prayer. “Something is wrong,” I told him. “I feel as if something is happening.” The tears wanted to flow but I suppressed them.

“Well let us pray now,” He said as we bowed our heads in the kitchen. I took in slow breaths as if to calm my body and spirit, but God was calling me to pray. I needed to pray - there was a spiritual stirring.

As my friend headed back to share with the prayer team, I took my seat and continued to feel overwhelmed with the presence of God and the need to pray. I closed my eyes and the Holy Spirit began to pray through me. Under my breath, I began to pray in my prayer language. My body shook as my stomach continued to knot up. I don't think anyone at church noticed what I was doing.

There with my eyes closed I began to see a face. I knew this face. It was a face familiar at church. As I continued to pray, I saw the young teen in the vision God was revealing to me. I did not know his name. He was sitting in one of the burgundy chairs in our sanctuary. He was at church that day actually sitting across from me the very moment I felt the brush of something.

In the vision, I saw a black figure grabbing at him. The young teen would turn to the side as if to escape its hold but never left his seat. The figure kept picking and tugging. It appeared as if the young teen were being pestered. Every time the figure grabbed at the young teen the young teen would turn or move as if trying to get away from it. I felt as if I were praying against that hold right then. In fact, I felt strongly about having someone pray over this young man and the hold that he was struggling with, but at that moment we were entering into the alter call and I needed to get up and lead the music. I know I need to do what the Lord calls me to do no matter what it requires - I should have prayed over him anyway.

I felt it strange, now that I look back on the vision that day, that in the vision the young teen did not get up and leave or move away from the dark figure that was picking at him. Perhaps he was struggling with something or perhaps God was revealing to me that he was facing bullying? Maybe he was being tempted. Whatever it was I now can go back and pray for him. I can pray that he would be released from the dark figure and that God would provide the young teen with great strength to move away from that hold. I can pray that the pestering will end and that God would surround him with Godly friends who are strong in the Lord.