This story will build your faith. It will teach you a more excellent way how to be gently led by the Spirit of God. God is maneuvering inside of your heart and your life. Many things are being tested as He tries you in learning to be led by the Spirit of God.
A dear lady called me who I’ve known for years. Her daughter had some serious problems and challenges.
The woman had attempted to murder her husband and gone to jail for it. She had mental issues and alcohol issues. So many things were going wrong.
There are those of you thinking, “What’s new? I know about those kinds of problems. My kid has those problems or my husband or my wife.”
Life is filled with all kinds of atrocities. People think that no one knows, and no one cares.
God is a problem solver.
While I chatted with this lady, she told me the history. I began to understand. I was moved with great compassion while she was telling me this.
This story had been going on for about 25 years. That’s a long time to have all of this in your family. All of you who are fighting this kind of situation, that you’ve had so much heartbreak and have lost hope, I loose upon you hope.
Hope deferred makes your heart sick.
In the authority of the name of Jesus, may the Angel of the Lord overtake you right now. May there be the impartation of the spirit of hope, hope in God, because He is faithful. He’s never late, He’s never early, He’s always right on time.
We think the minute we ask, if it doesn’t happen, then it’s not going to. If the vision tarry, then wait. It will surely come to pass because He weaves things in and out of our lives like a tapestry. That tapestry is being worked out in your life and mine.
It’s not just our loved ones that are being changed we’re being changed while we wait. How we wait will determine how long we wait.
God is waiting on you instead of you waiting on God.
This mother was telling me her situation and we prayed diligently.
“Lord, touch this sweet woman’s life. Heal her mind. Heal her body. Deliver her from oppressive spirits of addiction.”
We went down the list. The mother and I set our faith in agreement.
I believe that it was done. There were several times that the Lord would quicken me to start thanking him and praising him for answered prayer.
Does that ever happen to you? You pray and realize that you don’t need to ask God to do this again. You start thanking him and praising Him in advance.
We need to dance in advance.
We need to celebrate now and quit trying to get into a room that we’re already in. Quit asking God to do what He says is already done. Begin to thank him and praise him for giving us the victory. Even though we have not seen it in the natural, we can perceive it by faith because without faith, it’s impossible to please God.
Several times I would say, “Lord, thank you for this woman. Thank you for her deliverance. Thank you, Lord God, I don’t know how you’re going to do all of this, but I know that you are going do it.”
About two or three months went by. My husband, George, and I were at home, and it was around five in the afternoon. He came in and said to me, “The strangest thing happened. I want some fried mushrooms. I want them so badly. Go with me. It’s urgent that I get them right now.”
Our grandson has a beautiful restaurant here in our city. George loves the fried mushrooms there. I’ve been married to this man for a long time. I decided if he wants fried mushrooms, he knows what he wants. We got up and went to have dinner. We had a lovely time.
My daughter owns a home that once belonged to us. She had opened a home for women that are in a rescue program. She was moving the residence from one place to another location. We had been packing boxes and moving furniture.
After dinner with my husband, after the mushrooms, I said, “Let’s run by the house to be sure everybody’s gone and if there’s anything left to do.”
Romans 8:14 says, “For whosoever are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”
I didn’t sit and analyze why is it that at five o’clock in the afternoon George decides that he wants fried mushrooms.
We go by the house, that’s this tapestry. God’s pulling these threads all over the place. At the house, everyone’s gone. I walk in the back door. There were packed boxes, a sofa, and a chair left.
I went through the house to be sure no one was there. Down a dark hallway that was not lit, I heard, “Oh, somebody help me, somebody help.”
I thought, “Who in the world is in the house?”
I’m in there by myself. George had stayed in the car. I felt it was important at that particular time to run by the house to check.
The woman in the house said, “I’m so sad, I’m so sad.”
I realized I had a very troubled person, and I didn’t know who she was or what was going on.
She came into the room where I was and she says, “Do you know that I am drunk? I’m so drunk, I can hardly stand up.”
I said, “I realize right now that you are very drunk.”
I realized she was very unstable. I prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what’s going on at this particular place.”
Those who are led by the Spirit of God are in the hand of God. He’s leading and guiding.
Remember the story of when Peter was in the boat. The disciples saw something standing on the water that was not supposed to be standing on the water. Since it was something supernatural and powerful, they thought it was a demon.
Peter rushed up and said, “Lord, if that’s you, bid me come and I’ll come to you.” He was bold. The other disciples in the boat were probably saying, “You need to sit down and be quiet.”
We often think it will be so clear to be under the leadership of the Holy Spirit that you can’t miss it.
No, I am telling you, the Lord will do some turns. He’ll weave some threads here and there. In his tapestry and in his leading and guiding, it’s not always very clear. God loves to play hide and seek.
Peter has the whole group standing behind him thinking he’s going down and he’s saying, “If it is you, Lord,” and they are saying, “It’s a devil that’s standing out there on the water.”
Peter was probably waiting for somebody to say the rest of the people that are with you aren’t going to understand what you’re doing. It won’t be clear.
Peter was waiting for an explanation and to be told what to do.
People aren’t going to understand you. You need to put both feet over the boat. It’s going to be cold. The wind is going to blow.
We want an explanation. We want the Lord to make it clear.
The Lord says, “Go do something and I’ll bless it.”
The Lord didn’t do anything except say, “Come.” He gave an invitation. He didn’t give an explanation.
If you’re going to be led by the Spirit of God, you have to be willing to be wrong. You have to be willing to walk upon the water.
You know the story. Peter did walk upon the water. As soon as he got his eyes off of where he was supposed to be going, he began to sink.
Jesus said, “Why did you doubt?”
I don’t believe there is a reward for getting halfway.
So, I’m in that dark house by myself with this woman. She already told me she’s drunk. She was acting very deranged.
She looked at me and said, “I know who you are.”
Many times, I would come to that home and do Bible studies with the women that were there in a rehab program. I didn’t know if maybe she had been one of the people that had lived there. Later, I learned that she had lived there and was in the house by herself. She was the only one there at that particular time.
She said, “You’re my mother’s praying friend. I know who you are. I’ve seen you on television.”
When she told me who her mother was, I remembered the prayer request. I remembered the passion with which we prayed for that woman.
I said, “Yes, I do know you. I do know your mother. I know your family. We have prayed for you.”
She said, “You’ve got to help me. I have demons.”
I know George was wondering, “What in the world are you doing in that room?” He had no idea that I had encountered someone there in the house.
We sat on the couch. She was so ready to be delivered. She started crying uncontrollably.
God says to you, “I’ve heard your prayer. I’ve arranged for a time and for a season. Keep believing.”