Some time ago, a group of friends and I had a challenge going to ask God to set up some divine appointments for us to witness to people. (Their idea.) I was very intimidated by this, plus I just don't like the whole go out and witness idea because I've seen too much manipulation and high pressure sales pitches by Christians. So while I understand the necessity, I've also felt very negative about it. I believe in hell, but don't like the idea of scaring people into the kingdom, so I decided that I wanted my divine appointments to be opportunities to show God's goodness. I'm sharing my results so you can see that it's not that hard, and you don't have to have any special skills to be used.
I thought God told me to go for ice cream. I realize that He may not have actually said that, but I believed it because He's a good Dad and sometimes good dad's take their kids out for ice cream just because... And if God says go get ice cream, well who am I to argue? Anyway, when I got there, I ran into somebody who wanted my help, so it really wasn't about ice cream after all, although it all went down after I got my two scoops. See, sometimes He has to be a little bit sneaky with me, He doesn't tell me the whole story because He knows me well enough. Things might have gone a little differently if He'd said "Hey go down to Zip Trip because you need to talk to this biker chick that's having a bad day." It's not that I wouldn't obey, but I would be very nervous over what to say and how to handle the situation. So I got lured in with ice cream. It was better that way. Didn't the Bible say we have to become as little children? I can be the Forest Gump of the Kingdom, I can believe it's just an ice cream trip.
I got a little smarter and saw this one coming, sorta. I needed a haircut so I called and made an appointment. I wanted a Monday and she said she never worked Mondays but she was working this one and I could have my choice of a couple time slots, so I picked the 1:00. She said "Ok, I'll see you at one, one, one at one." (11/1, 1:00). I hung up the phone and said "Oooooo God's up to somethiiiinnn!" So I was excited. Crazy God Adventure.
So the day rolls around and I had a half an hour before I had to leave and that's not enough time to start anything so I checked my email. I got a prophetic word in the inbox (that's a message for me personally about things in my life to come, that someone heard from God for me) so I tore into that and it was long and detailed and AWESOME. So I had a head reeling with all these groovy things that me and God are going to be doing together in the future assuming I cooperate, and now I have to go sit in a chair and hold still and be normal. I have to simmer down. I did simmer down on the drive over and was quite calm when I got there, until, DUN DUN DUN, I got out of the car and the Holy Spirit came over me. Have you ever been reassured and terrified at the same time? I mean, I was really glad He was with me, but I knew He wouldn't need to be unless I was about to get in over my head.
I walked in the door and instantly everyone shut up and turned to look at me. I went and sat down, coulda heard a pin drop. "Uh, don't mind me. As you were." They awkwardly eased back into their conversation. They were talking about their tarot card readings and then one lady pipes up, I don't need to go have my cards read because I'm psychic. And she proceeds to tell us a bunch of instances that she has predicted things, deaths, divorces, spouses cheating etc, and it became very obvious to me that she was a very gifted person who was tuned into the wrong channel and was broadcasting Satan's agenda, instead of God's. Finally she wrapped the whole thing up with, "But I just don't like having to give that kind of news to people."
So I said, "Well, do you only see bad things?"
She says, "Well... Some of it's not so bad."
I said, "You know, this is really weird because twenty minutes before I came here, I got a message from a prophet and he told me about my future and then I come here and that's what you guys are talking about."
And they were all "Oooo freaky!" And they all wanted to know what the prophet said. Normally you should be careful who you share that kind of stuff with, but I had an attentive audience and an opportunity to show the difference between a prophecy and a physic reading without making anybody feel like trash. (They were convicted as soon as I walked in.) So I kinda told the highlights of the thing and there was one negative in my prophesy that was a good example of how God does it vs. Satan. With God, it's always uplifting, even the negatives wind up being positive. He works all things together for good. Either that, or He reveals the bad so that you can change things and not have to go down that road.
So I got done and they were like "Wow! That's so good! That's so exciting!" and I'm all "Yeah, I know!" And the psychic lady says, "So that's why you asked me if I only saw bad stuff..."
The Ice Cream Story
I thought God told me to go for ice cream. I realize that He may not have actually said that, but I believed it because He's a good Dad and sometimes good dad's take their kids out for ice cream just because... And if God says go get ice cream, well who am I to argue? Anyway, when I got there, I ran into somebody who wanted my help, so it really wasn't about ice cream after all, although it all went down after I got my two scoops. See, sometimes He has to be a little bit sneaky with me, He doesn't tell me the whole story because He knows me well enough. Things might have gone a little differently if He'd said "Hey go down to Zip Trip because you need to talk to this biker chick that's having a bad day." It's not that I wouldn't obey, but I would be very nervous over what to say and how to handle the situation. So I got lured in with ice cream. It was better that way. Didn't the Bible say we have to become as little children? I can be the Forest Gump of the Kingdom, I can believe it's just an ice cream trip.
The Haircut Story
I got a little smarter and saw this one coming, sorta. I needed a haircut so I called and made an appointment. I wanted a Monday and she said she never worked Mondays but she was working this one and I could have my choice of a couple time slots, so I picked the 1:00. She said "Ok, I'll see you at one, one, one at one." (11/1, 1:00). I hung up the phone and said "Oooooo God's up to somethiiiinnn!" So I was excited. Crazy God Adventure.
So the day rolls around and I had a half an hour before I had to leave and that's not enough time to start anything so I checked my email. I got a prophetic word in the inbox (that's a message for me personally about things in my life to come, that someone heard from God for me) so I tore into that and it was long and detailed and AWESOME. So I had a head reeling with all these groovy things that me and God are going to be doing together in the future assuming I cooperate, and now I have to go sit in a chair and hold still and be normal. I have to simmer down. I did simmer down on the drive over and was quite calm when I got there, until, DUN DUN DUN, I got out of the car and the Holy Spirit came over me. Have you ever been reassured and terrified at the same time? I mean, I was really glad He was with me, but I knew He wouldn't need to be unless I was about to get in over my head.
I walked in the door and instantly everyone shut up and turned to look at me. I went and sat down, coulda heard a pin drop. "Uh, don't mind me. As you were." They awkwardly eased back into their conversation. They were talking about their tarot card readings and then one lady pipes up, I don't need to go have my cards read because I'm psychic. And she proceeds to tell us a bunch of instances that she has predicted things, deaths, divorces, spouses cheating etc, and it became very obvious to me that she was a very gifted person who was tuned into the wrong channel and was broadcasting Satan's agenda, instead of God's. Finally she wrapped the whole thing up with, "But I just don't like having to give that kind of news to people."
So I said, "Well, do you only see bad things?"
She says, "Well... Some of it's not so bad."
I said, "You know, this is really weird because twenty minutes before I came here, I got a message from a prophet and he told me about my future and then I come here and that's what you guys are talking about."
And they were all "Oooo freaky!" And they all wanted to know what the prophet said. Normally you should be careful who you share that kind of stuff with, but I had an attentive audience and an opportunity to show the difference between a prophecy and a physic reading without making anybody feel like trash. (They were convicted as soon as I walked in.) So I kinda told the highlights of the thing and there was one negative in my prophesy that was a good example of how God does it vs. Satan. With God, it's always uplifting, even the negatives wind up being positive. He works all things together for good. Either that, or He reveals the bad so that you can change things and not have to go down that road.
So I got done and they were like "Wow! That's so good! That's so exciting!" and I'm all "Yeah, I know!" And the psychic lady says, "So that's why you asked me if I only saw bad stuff..."
And My Favorite Story Ever! (So Far)
I talked to a guy who told me he quit going to church because the pastor told him he would go to hell if he didn't forgive and he didn't agree with that. I shrugged and said that I'd always been taught that I had to forgive if I wanted to be forgiven. He got beligerant and said " I believe John 3:16 period." I backpedaled and said "Yeah, John 3:16 and Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved" and then I brought up the thief on the cross, so he got happy since I was building his case for him. Then I said "I'm curious what your take is on Matthew 18."
Side note: Matthew 18 is the story about the guy that owed a bunch of money and couldn't pay, and the guy he owed let him off the hook. Then when the one who had owed went to collect from somebody else, the guy that forgave his debt found out and had him "delivered to the tormentors."
He said he would read it and get back to me. I left and prayed for a revelation for both of us. I got mine, but that's a whole 'nother post.
Day 2: I see him again, but he doesn't bring it up so I don't either. I figure he's read it, realized that I set him up, and hasn't got his argument together yet. I can't wait!
Day 3: He tells me he read it and wants to talk to me about it "but not right now."
Day 5: He says "Guess what! I owed the IRS a bunch of money and I called them, I don't even know why I called them other than I was really in a nasty mood. I got this black lady on the phone, she was really nice. Something in her spirit, I could feel through the phone, and it settled me right down. I said 'Look, how much do I owe you people?' and she put me on hold for 3-4 minutes. She got back on the phone and said 'You're all taken care of except for the interest and fines, and we're just going to waive that.' He waited for my reaction.
I was dumbfounded, (and a little slow) I had never heard of the IRS giving somebody a free pass before. I said "How can you be paid off?" (Oh me of little faith) He threw his arms up and said "They're just gonna let me go." I yelled "Ha! and slapped my knee. I pointed at him and said "Matthew 18!" He goes "Yeah, I know."
He said he would read it and get back to me. I left and prayed for a revelation for both of us. I got mine, but that's a whole 'nother post.
Day 2: I see him again, but he doesn't bring it up so I don't either. I figure he's read it, realized that I set him up, and hasn't got his argument together yet. I can't wait!
Day 3: He tells me he read it and wants to talk to me about it "but not right now."
Day 5: He says "Guess what! I owed the IRS a bunch of money and I called them, I don't even know why I called them other than I was really in a nasty mood. I got this black lady on the phone, she was really nice. Something in her spirit, I could feel through the phone, and it settled me right down. I said 'Look, how much do I owe you people?' and she put me on hold for 3-4 minutes. She got back on the phone and said 'You're all taken care of except for the interest and fines, and we're just going to waive that.' He waited for my reaction.
I was dumbfounded, (and a little slow) I had never heard of the IRS giving somebody a free pass before. I said "How can you be paid off?" (Oh me of little faith) He threw his arms up and said "They're just gonna let me go." I yelled "Ha! and slapped my knee. I pointed at him and said "Matthew 18!" He goes "Yeah, I know."
Day 6: Sackcloth and ashes.
Day 7: I saw my friend again and he says that earlier he had to go do some errands and he pulled over in the Stites Baptist Church parking lot and sat outside listening to some guy preach Matthew 18 for 20 minutes. I laughed and said "Nothing like being bludgeoned over the head with it, is there?" He said he thought I might find that funny. When I wrapped up the laughing, I said "Yeah, He's done that to me too. He loves us too much to leave us in deception."
Day 7: I saw my friend again and he says that earlier he had to go do some errands and he pulled over in the Stites Baptist Church parking lot and sat outside listening to some guy preach Matthew 18 for 20 minutes. I laughed and said "Nothing like being bludgeoned over the head with it, is there?" He said he thought I might find that funny. When I wrapped up the laughing, I said "Yeah, He's done that to me too. He loves us too much to leave us in deception."
So, you want a piece of this action? There's perks in it. I got ice cream, got prophesied over, the last guy made me lunch. Being a part of his miracle story was the best thing though. God goes so far for us. I'm in awe.
So I challenge you - no, I double dog dare you - to say "God, I wanna be used by You. Put me in the right place at the right time. Set me up! Put me together with people whose mindset towards You will be changed forever because they've met me."
God knows your strengths and weaknesses, he knows how much free time you have (that was a hangup for me with this challenge - all of this happened while I was going about my normal life) He is not going to put you in a situation that you are not equipped for. No matter what your faults are, He'll work around them. Your service is too good of an offer to pass up. He'll just start you off easy. There are people that He tells to get on the next plane to China and they get on the next plane to China. I'm not there yet, you're probably not in any danger of that either. I get sent out for ice cream. That's doable for me. How about you?
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