God accomplishes quite a bit of His will through people. You and I have the opportunity to partner with Him to change the lives of others.
These are a few stories on God setting up divine appointments. If you don’t believe in them, check out the story of Ruth and Boaz, Saul on the road to Demascus, Jesus and the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus and the woman at the well, Mary (the mother of Jesus) and the Angel…
Suicide Prevention
Operation God is Love is a ministry started Spring 2014 to reach people on the street and spiritually dark areas of our city. We pray before we go out for divine appointments, for God to put people on our path that need His love, healing, and delivering power.
One of the ladies on the team suggested one afternoon we wait to hear if God would give us clues on who He wanted to minister to. I had the word “blue sweatshirt,” pop up in my head during prayer. I wrote it down, yet thought…”that was so random.”
When we went out there was one older man riding a bike in a blue sweatshirt. We didn’t stop for him, yet told him we’d catch up with him later. We were attending to another homeless man.
When we found him, let’s call him Rodney, he was sitting on a ledge looking somber. We stopped, chatted for awhile, and asked what he’d like Jesus to do for him. He stated he wanted to die. He had planned out his death already, the exact details of how he’d end his life. We prayed for him, for the spirit of suicide to lift off him. He said he felt lighter and promised us suicide was no longer an option. We actually got him to smile.😊
I know God wanted us to pray for Rodney. So that random thought during prayer wasn’t random at all.
Restored Hope
Another girl we will call Susie was selling newspapers on the street. We stopped and asked if we could pray for her. She agreed. I told her I had a vision of our Heavenly Father handing her presents. They were gift wrapped especially for her. Her desires mattered to God. She began to weep. After hearing her story, it was apparent that God was the originator of that vision. I did not know this woman. God did. She was praying God would give her the gift of being with her son on Christmas. She lost him when she became homeless yet God had provided a place for her now and employment.
Prophetic Utterances, Healing, and Deliverance
Once while on missions in Brazil the leader asked us to come up and ask God to speak to us for the people they called forward. I was terrified. It was a large conference and well introverts don’t love focused attention. The lady they placed in front of me seemed like an average teenage girl. Yet as I repeated what I sensed God was saying, she began to come undone. Weeping went to sobbing to wailing. I wasn’t prophesying negativity. Whatever I said, I don’t recall any of it, it cut right into her heart. She encountered Holy Spirit in a profound way, He encountered her. She was healed and delivered of several tormenting spirits that day. Yeah God! Once God was done she just beemed with joy. Her face was different, she just radiated.
Connections, Prophetic Intercession, God’s Incredible Timing
One of the longest strings of divine appointments started several years ago at a conference in my state. I took my young adult group. That Sunday we went to a local church near the conference. I met a group of young revivalist attending ministry school in California. They prayed for us and we made Facebook connections.
No big deal right? A year later there’s another conference and I meet up with one of the people from that group, let’s call her Anna. Anna pulls us out of a session to meet some of her fellow ministry school friends. They spoke so many prophetic and destiny words over us. We did the same. Went home. No big deal right?
Well a year or so passes and God begins to give me words, pictures, impressions, visions, for one of the gentlemen from that group. I told God, “I’m not sharing these things with a stranger, especially not a man. Please don’t ask me to do this.”
So, I held onto them for awhile, yet God repeated Himself. When I finally got the courage the person receiving stated the timing was perfect and the words fit his life. We’d met once on the lawn of a conference.
Fast forward and for two years when this person needed prayer, encouragement, etcetera…God would stir me. It was facing hurdle after hurdle of overcoming fear, and fear of man. I’d rather be anonymous especially when ministering this way. Yet God was persistent in do it again. Send again…and again with no mention of a stop date! Oh Lord! I mistakenly told him he was the only gentleman I had ever been called to do this for and the longest most detailed one. It was truth, yet I should’ve kept that to myself. The words for him were the most detailed of information I had ever received from God except for His words into my own life.
This past year I had the opportunity to return to the city where this conference occurred. God asked me to tell this person, let’s call him Jim I was in town. I fought with God for awhile. Yes, I don’t always jump on an assignment. 🙂 After getting prayer, I told him. During that trip several divine appointments occurred. A lady from his church offered me a job, I met his sister in law who I adore, and was able minister to one of his friends.
The string of divine appointments connected to this situation are too long to write about. Yet in summary, there were healings of bodies, healing of emotions, restoration of my ministering prophetically to other believers-my focus was marketplace ministry (felt safer than with Christians), freedom from fear of man, ministry connections, people encouraged and prophesied over, new prophetic intercession assignments established, and I can honestly say God knows what He’s doing. Even when I was not desiring to put myself out there again and again and again, God had already planned ahead for each hesitation and each time it was perfect timing. His timing is perfect.
Months before connecting with Jim’s sister in law I dreamed of sitting at a table with Jim and his friends/family. In the dream God brought me in and sat me at the table. This dream occurred exactly as I dreamed it would happen (including where people were seated) and I dreamed it before I even met the people who invited me to dinner with them.
Financial Provision
I failed to mention Anna ended up being a prayer assignment for a season. One day Holy Spirit prompted me to contact her and to declare blessing over her connections, finances, etc…the next day or so she was awarded a full scholarship for an internship.
Listen and Obey
If we listen and obey God, we can partner with Him to change a life. It’s not about us, it’s about being available. It’s God’s insight, love, wisdom, knowledge, healing, and goodness. I don’t know most of the people God sets up these connections with, God does.
Who does God want to bless through you? I challenge you as I challenge my discipleship group to start the day asking, “Who do you want to bless through me today? Use me Lord!” Watch God wow you with His goodness.
Love,
Erin
P.S You are SO deeply (John 3:16).
Reblogged this on Just Thinking Aloud and commented:
God longs to bless others through you! This series is a collection of testimonies of God’s awesome power. Hope they bless & inspire you, love…Erin.
Amazing, what a blessing Erin. God bless you and continue using you.☺