Text from Jesus

I didn't expect to get a text message from Jesus, but he must have a cell phone plan...

I wrote about this before and I'm completely assured that God speaks to us today.  He also shocks me with the ways that He chooses to do it.  He can use anything.  He knows us so well.  He hears us and He responds.  The question is, "Are you listening?"  We must learn to tune our ear to the voice of THE SHEPARD.

So here is what happened.  Over the last several weeks, I've been choosing fear again and letting it overcome me when God is calling me to pray for people or share the Kingdom with them.  I've passed so many people up.  It breaks my heart when I think back on it.  I've sensed that something was wrong but I didn't know what to do about it. 

So last Saturday, my family and I went to our church (The Father's House) and listened to the Pastor talk about Parables.

http://tfhny.org/media_category/parables/  (message 3).

In this message, Pastor Pierre was covering the parable of the woman and the coin (Luke 15:8-10).  He explained that the woman lost the coin in her house.  The coin still had its value, but she couldn't make it useful to her because it was lost (or out of circulation).  He explained how we as believers can be lost in the house of God and when we are not engaged and active in what God is calling us to do we find ourselves out of circulation.  We have our original value, but we can't be used as the currency to the Kingdom.  I really identified with this description.  I felt that I've taken myself out of circulation.  I understood that I am active and ontrack with the leading of my family, my wife and kids, homeschooling and providing.  I've surrendered that part of my life and God is molding us through it.  However, when it comes to going public with the Kingdom and the Power of the Holy Spirit, I only have flashes of victory.

The next day I was cooking dinner and discussing this with my wife.  I told her that I needed her encouragement to do what God is calling me to do.  She needs to know all that He is speaking to me about and what I struggle with.  The business of life continued to occur that day and we did not get to finish our conversation.

That brings us to today.  I got to work and noticed that my phone had a message on it.  As I listened to it, I heard my wife praying for me.  She was speaking into my spirit.  She was encouraging me.  She was attacking the fear.  It was awesome!  There is nothing that compares to having your wife cheer you on!

A few hours later, I came back to my desk ready to check e-mails and answer questions...  Then my phone rang.  I didn't recognize the number so I decided to see who it was.  It made a series of beeps like a fax machine.  While it was beeping the phone rang again with the same phone number.  I switched to that line and I heard, "oppressed by the devil" through the receiver!  This stopped me in my tracks.  Because that is what was happening to me over the last few weeks.  By surrendering to the fear, I was letting the enemy oppress me.  After that the phone rang 3 more times is the course of a few seconds.  The third call was the fax machine beep again.  The fourth call said, "You are receiving a text to LAN line message.  To hear the message, press 1."  So I pressed 1.  The automated voice recited this on my phone message.  "You must continue on doing the work of the kingdom in the power of the Holy Spirit."  How awesome is that!  The text that I got both told me the root of the problem that I'd been praying about and the solution.  I received a text message from Jesus!

Since I received these messages, I engaged in the kingdom with a sense of renewed purpose.  I've chosen to put myself back into circulation so that Christ in me can be used as someone else's hope.  This coin has been found in the house of the King!  There is Good News and I will share it.  Three people were impressed upon my thoughts that needed prayer.  I have prayed for two of them and have seen an impact in both of their lives.  Healing is taking place in their hearts and there is an openness to know Jesus more because of it.  One of the people God had me pray for even wrote about the encounter that I had with him and posted it on a CaringBridge website (this is a website used to keep people informed of a medical condition that they are going through.  It saves them from telling the story over and over again.  Relatives/friends can go to the website and get updates on their health on their own time at their own pace and not bother the person trying to recover.)

We have got to do what the Lord is telling us to do.  Great things are coming of it even if we don't see the effects.  Our obedience overcomes the works of the devil and ushers in the Kingdom of Heaven!