©2011 by Carol
S. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.
Printed in the
United States of America. All rights reserved under
Inter-national Copyright Law. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
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prior written permission of the publisher. The only
exception is brief quotations for printed reviews.
Published
by Diasozo Publishing
720 McKay St.
Arlington, TX 76010
Cover design,
"Groton Long Point, CT Lagoon Sunset"
by Carol S. Johnson ©2003
Purpose
The purpose of this
book is to let you know that YOU are important to the
LORD! He wants to "be there for you" in your times of
need, when you make decisions, and in everyday
situations. He wants you to talk to Him as you would a
treasured friend. Although He knows your every need
before you even think to tell Him, He still wants to
hear from you. Over the years I have learned if I do
things my way, I encountered problems; however, if I do
it God's way I am always blessed. Hopefully these
stories of everyday answered prayers for a regular
person, like myself, will help you to understand God
better and encourage you to follow Him all the days of
your life.
May you have many
exciting and unique Christian encounters with God too.
Words Have Power
After I was graduated from FSU with my teaching
certification, I received six months training with the
National Lung Association to become a health educator. T
had already finished my two and a half months textbook
training in Richmond, VA, and was close to completing
the field work in Lansing, MI, when I was asked by our
director and a coworker what were mu upcoming plans. I
answered that I had just been offered the Youth
Activities Administrator position with the Lund
Association in Houston, TX, and jokingly added, "and I'm
going to marry a rich Texan." His fast reply was,
"And she will too!"
While I was in
Houston, T joined a Christian church and was enjoying
our pastor's class when I felt God telling me to start a
singles' class, which I did. A teacher was provided and
I organized the service projects and social activities.
I teamed quickly that our group could consist of two to
fourteen members, depending on who was in town, so I
refused to allow low numbers discourage me. One Sunday
the only ones in attendance were the teacher and me
until a visitor-my future husband arrived. (THANK YOU, LORD!) At
the
was he had to be a Christian. After we got to know each
other better, I invited him to Florida to meet my
parents, and we became officially engaged. We were
married six months later (and I might add, had a great
life together).
Don's jobs
entailed some moves, all good, but the best was being
here in North Texas. For a while, I served in Kid's
Church on Sundays, so en route home, I asked Don about
the adult worship service. I found his reply most
intriguing. He said that the pastor asked three
questions:
1.Do you have a house-anything from a trailer on up?
2. Do you have a car?
3.Will you have enough food for a week?
If you answered "yes" to all those questions, you are in the top 5%
wealthiest people in the world!
As I became closer
to the Lord, I learned
that
words have power--power
to tear down or to
build up, so be
careful of what is said. I started speaking blessings
over my husband and son and both excelled. As I pondered
my words, I remembered that years ago I had said I was
going to
marry (and I
did) plus I specified a Texan
(born
and reared). I
thanked God and commented two out of three isn't bad!
But, after hearing those three questions, I readjusted
my thinking and praised God. I'm not rich, I am
wealthy!
One Prayer, A Quadruple Miracle
When Don and I
were home group leaders, I noticed a hesitancy with some
of our members, particularly the men, to jump in and
pray for someone in need, especially guests. Well, one
evening a new family showed up and when it was time for
prayer requests, the father asked for prayer for his
"prodigal" son who was behind bars. I emphasized that
God has a special place in His heart for men and has
placed them as heads of their families, so their prayers
are strong. God sees the heart, not fancy or lengthy
prayers. I also explained that although I am not
poor, I try to never miss an opportunity to pray for
someone who is struggling financially or just needs a
boost, because it comes back to us. Our excellent intern
volunteered to pray for our newcomer's prodigal son, and
commented their son was also prodigal.
Two weeks later
the prodigal son's father excitedly announced that his
jailed son was now asking to see a chaplain! But
wait, there's more very shortly after that our praying
father's son came back to the Lord and . . . he
brought two of his friends with him!
Enduring Unsafe Drivers God's Way
Like everyone,
I've seen my share of horrendously wrecked cars with
ambulance sirens screaming. So, when drivers speed past
me weaving in and out of traffic, it frightens me. I
don't want to be a statistic, nor see anyone else be one
either for that matter. I am embarrassed to admit that
when that scenario occurred, I would mutter under my
breath, "stupid idiot." One day, after that happened, I
felt a gentle nudge from the Lord. I sensed Him saying,
"You have two choices: you can call him an
uncomplimentary name or you may
bless him with
wisdom. I
want you to ask yourself if you would rather be on the
highway with an unsafe driver or one with wisdom." I
replied, "Wisdom" and
apologized for my
words, which have power. Since then, I have felt even a
greater amount of protection while traveling.
LAW OF SOWING AND
REAPING
Our church leaders
explained this law so well that many of us have embraced
it and allowed it to change our lives in a very positive
manner.
We were asked the
simple question, "If we plant tomato seed, what do we
get?"
We answered,
"Tomatoes."
"If we plant apple
seeds, what do we get?"
We responded,
"Apples."
"Would we get bell
peppers if we planted spinach seeds?"
The answer came
back, "Absolutely not."
Then they asked if
we sowed friendship what would we get and everyone
replied,
"More
friends."
The
same goes for money
and a
lot
of other things,
good and bad!
My husband Don had
heard sermons on the importance of tithing and on the
Law of Sowing and Reaping and mentioned that both the
Bible (Malachi 3:10) and the pastors said it was okay to
test God. Although we already tithed and gave offerings,
he started increasing our giving and waited to
see what would happen. Being busy, he forgot about the
test until he received his Social Security summary of
his income over the years. His income went straight up,
THANK YOU, LORD!
SOWING AND
REAPING IN ACTION
In the past, Shady
Grove Church had a "Needs Night." At the beginning of
the service, one of our pastors would ask if there was
anyone in the congregation who had a need. When a hand
went up, the pastor would call on the member or guest to
state the item wanted. Then the pastor would ask if
anyone had that item and if he/she did, he would have
them "get together" to make the transfer. Or sometimes a
member would have an extra item, like a twin bed or
sofa, and the pastor would ask who needed it. One young
lady, whom I believe was a guest, said she hadn't eaten
in three days and tearfully stated she needed food. Our
pastor told her
she could obtain groceries at our People
That Care
drawing for some
door prizes. One of the gifts was
a $30 restaurant
gift certificate. Rarely do I win something like that,
but I told God that if He would let me win, I would give
that lady the card. I WON, so went up to the podium to
pick up my prize. En route back to my seat, I discreetly
slipped the card into the lady's hand and sat down. The
surprised, but grateful expression on her face meant
more to me than any card.
A couple of weeks
later my husband Don came home with the good news that
his company had experienced an excellent quarter and the
boss, realizing the spouses had sacrificed too with the
overtime, gave each instructor a $100 night on the town.
We went to an early movie and spent the rest of the
money on a nice dinner at a restaurant. We saw the law
of sowing and reaping occur when we took home enough
leftovers, which I love, for each of us to have two more
dinners!
Miracle Weather Changes
Not long after we moved to the North Texas
area, I learned there were opportunities available to
work as a telephone prayer counselor for the 700 Club of Dallas.
After a successful interview and training, I started
ministering what a blessing!!! In January we had our
fund raising appeals and although we were successful, we
did even better bringing in more souls into God's
kingdom. So, when we were threatened with weather so
inclement that the roads and school would have to be
closed, our director led us all in prayer that we would
not lose this momentum. God graciously gave us a
miracle, so we could continue to work. This scenario
also happened a second time.
We had a television weather man who was so exceptional, he is
mentioned in our local history books. The next evening
when he tried to explain why we were not hit by the ice
storm, he just shook his head in disbelief and commented
that he's never seen anything like that before. On one
of the days, the icy weather came in and stopped before
it got to our area. The second time, it came to our
border, jumped over it and continued!!!
(Later, I contacted our weather man and
explained that his correct weather report alerted us to
the problem, so we could pray and change it.
And, we thanked him for doing a great job.)
Years before that, I
had a similar incident. At that time we were living in
North Alabama and I had been invited to substitute teach
at a Montessori school. When we received the "prepare to
be iced in weather report", I started praying for no
school closures. I had already planned to send the money
I would earn to our sponsored child in Ecuador. It was
incredible! The rain ceased earlier than predicted, but
the temperature had already dropped, yet there was no
ice.
It was exciting to
see a loving God reach out to the lost souls in our
country, to a needy child in a distant land, and to us
with our everyday minor problems.
The Ecuador Sign
Years ago, our
church in Jacksonville, Florida, supported Mrs. Snipes,
a fascinating missionary to the Belgium Congo in Africa.
When I was approximately 10 years old she came and spoke
to our congregation, and something happened inside
of me. I wanted to
go to Africa and help too. In the meantime I LOVED doing
service projects locally.
Years later when
my husband Don asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I
replied, "I want to sponsor a poverty stricken five year
old girl." Since I specified "where needed most", the
agency selected Ecuador. Don traveled in his job, so had
accumulated enough frequent flyer points for Mom and me
to go meet her. I loved traveling, children, and new
adventures and really wanted to go, but I asked God for
a sign to insure that this was His will. I added that I
wanted the sign to be so big there would be no chance of
me inadvertently missing it. At that time, I recognized
that doing otherwise could be disastrous. During my
wait, I flew to Florida to visit my parents. En route
back to Texas, I had to change planes. As I was turning
a corner in the airport, there was an enormous billboard
stating that "Continental Airlines now flies to
Guayaquil, Ecuador." "God," I laughed, "that's a BIG
sign!" So, mom and I got to go and we "muled" all the
clothing, food, and Bibles we could carry. The trip was
awesome. And, for the record, almost a half a century
later, my husband and I finally had God's church to
Africa, and it exceeded our greatest expectations. . . .
The Ecuador Prophesy
Prior to going on
our mission trip to Ecuador, I drove my friend Helen to
her friend Jeri's lovely home in a nearby city for a
short visit. While we were there, our hostess started
prophesying over
me. She said she saw me
sitting on a rock with the children
flocking to me. My thought was
that's
going to be
difficult because the people from the agency had planned
for us to take our sponsored child to a restaurant for
lunch. We had hoped to be able to see little Virginia's
neighborhood and home, but I felt in my spirit that Mom
and I were to obediently "go with the flow" and be
grateful for anything they did for us. To our delight,
we were taken to our child's home and neighborhood, and
then to her church and school, a bonus! I had prepared
little bags of miniature soaps, shampoos, and
conditioners for each of her classmates and let her distribute
those and the pecans, a food none had seen before, but
loved. Then it happened, as I was sitting near the
church, which I interpreted as being the rock, the
children flocked to me and Mom!
Hearing God
In preparation for
my mission trip to Russia, I was told that the people
there had access to very little Christian literature.
With help, I was able to locate and purchase Christian
comic books in their language, but wanted to take even
more of God's Word. At that time, I was working part
time as a telephone prayer counselor for the 700 Club in
Dallas. Each day they had some fun, little contests, and
although I had done my very best, I had never won. But,
since the prize was a tape of Pat Robertson's sermon, I
had asked God to let me win so I could give it to the
Russians. I even "sweetened the deal" by volunteering to
take some abuse phone calls. At the end of the day, I
did not win. En route home, I told God how disappointed
I was. In my limited mind, I had prayed a perfect
prayer, but I sensed the winner of the tape probably
needed it
more than I did, which is understandable.
Just prior to my
big trip, I flew to Florida to visit my aging parents.
Without knowing about my prayer, Mom asked me if I'd be
interested in some tapes Dad had accumulated. I politely
responded that I'd look at them. He showed me a box
full of
Pat Robertson's taped sermons!!!
Although it was
a challenge, I was
able to get all the tapes to Russia!
I have learned
that God often answers prayers with a "yes," "no,"
"wait," or "I have
something
better." In this particular
case, His
answer to me
"wait, I have something better." I used to hear strong
Christians say that they had heard from God, and I
wondered how that was done. I discovered God often
speaks silently through His actions. Using this story,
for example, God said to me, "My precious child, I
didn't want you abused, and I am the GREAT I AM who can
give you more than you ever dreamed." When God said that
I was His precious child, I know that is true with not
only me, but with everyone-He sent His son to die for
our sins (John 3:16). When I reflected back to the day I
prayed for the tape, I didn't get a ministry day I had
experienced to date!
But wait, there's
more...Although I was focused on giving God my best
effort, not on winning a contest (except for that one
day), God set it up for me to later win "The Prayer
Counselor Who Went the Extra Mile" top award!!!
The Three Pennies
In July of 1997, I
had the privilege of teaching English as a second
language in the KURE Language School in Turnopil,
Ukraine. Since I would be working with the more advanced
youth, I had planned educational activities that were
fun and creative. For one of the craft projects, I
wanted to have each student decorate a white T-shirt
with a Christian slogan and simple picture, like a happy
face. The directions and slogans were to be in English.
Since we teachers were to provide all of the supplies, I
was very concerned about having the right number of
shirts in each size, especially in the small shirts. I
felt that I should get three, but I wanted to be sure I
didn't come up short (pun intended!). Before I went into
the store, I asked God to let me find three of anything,
like pennies, if that number was correct. If it wasn't,
the number could be changed. After pacing in front of
the store a couple of times, I turned the comer and
there were three pennies, THANK YOU, LORD! I purchased
the shirts and the students were pleased with the sizes
and their assignment, and they did an outstanding job
decorating them! (When the students wore the shirts,
they became walking advertisements for our Lord).
Our Precious Dog
We were blessed
with an adorable black cockapoo whom we named Kever. She
could catch, fetch, roll a ball, silent bark, and come
to a silent whistle. She had her own wardrobe including
a V.I.P. (Very important Pooch) shirt and skunk costume.
She loved everyone and saw no reason for everyone not to
love her back. Even timid children, after seeing the
others play with her, became transformed into a dog
lover.
After almost 18
years of life, her health and physical condition
declined significantly. I prayed, "Lord, it is wrong to
prolong needless suffering and yet it is also wrong to
shorten life unnecessarily. We have asked You to take
her peacefully in her sleep, but we now feel this is not
Your will and we accept that. She has been unable to
hold food on her stomach for three days. If she
continues to have problems Sunday and Monday, we will
take that as a sign to make that final trip to the vet.
Amen."
Interestingly, she
was sick at 11 P.M. Saturday, but was okay Sunday and
Monday, which led me to believe this was the "eleventh
hour" or super close to the end. She remained stable for
about three more weeks, then was ill again over the
weekend. Again, we prayed for a similar sign and were
told it was time to end the suffering.
There is always
sadness over the loss of a loyal friend and we all miss
her. But, I felt that God had walked with us
throughout the ordeal. He had given us the warning
in November so we could make final preparations and He
gave us a sign and confirmation so we would know His
timing. Then He gave us a most appreciated
gift-peace. Since then we have been able to offer
emotional support to others with ill and/or aged pets,
just as my friend helped us when she reminded us that
God gave us dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:28).
Word Of Knowledge
During a time when
I was asking serious questions, my precious
friend Jewel phoned and asked if I'd like to attend a
prayer meeting with her and I said yes. She knew that I
played an autoharp and asked me to bring it with me.
Concerned that I might look pushy, I requested that she
contact the leader and ask if she would like for me to
bring my instrument. She immediately called the leader
and within minutes called me back to say "yes."
At the meeting I
briefly met the leader and the lady who led worship.
Happily, they invited me to play for the group. After
the lesson we had a prayer circle. Being new, I closely
watched the leader. All of a sudden her countenance
changed and her eyes met mine from across the room. She
then said, "Carol, God has heard your prayer and
He is going to use you." I had never seen
prophecy and Word Of Knowledge like this before,. but I instantly knew
she was hearing from God. That was my exact prayer,
one that I had not told anyone on earth about and it has come to pass!
God's Awesome Sound Effects
While we were
living in Alabama, we needed to find a good church home.
Fortunately, I was wise enough to ask for divine
guidance. Although I had been a faithful Christian, I
was frustrated and told God that 3,000 people received
salvation during Pentecost, but I wasn't seeing that
kind of church growth happening today. Also, early
Christians died for their faith, but now most people
don't even bother to get out of bed on Sundays. Where's
the power? He asked me if I really wanted that and I
said "YES!" I felt that God said to me to "hold on"
because I was in for the ride of my life (and He wasn't
exaggerating).
I checked out a
church and was warmly greeted at the door by the pastor
who introduced me to a very spiritual couple, who later
answered my questions and showed me how to get this
power. During the sermon, the preacher talked about the
importance of attending Sunday School, a topic dear to
my heart. He sheepishly admitted that as a child he
didn't want to attend. As soon as he said that, a loud
clash of thunder resounded throughout the sanctuary
(with muffled giggles afterwards). As he was finishing
his sermon, he alluded to that same point, which by that
time the storm had moved quite a distance away . . . but
sent another clash of thunder overhead anyway! Our
family joined that church and were introduced to God's
signs, wonders, and miracles, and I thanked God for His
faithfulness and favor.
Selecting a Church
Prior to leaving
our home in Huntsville, Alabama for 15 years to move to
North Texas, we received a prophecy from a trustworthy
Christian that we would "have our church by February."
Immediately upon arrival, we visited about five Texas
churches before making the decision. I had prayed for
God's direction and after each visit my husband, high
school aged son, and I would "vote" if that is where we
thought God wanted us. We had to be in agreement. I had
reservations about the decision, but had pretty much
decided to "go along with the guys." As I was driving
home alone after the Wednesday night service, I prayed
God would
make His will clear. When I turned on
Dove
Road, I
heard an
audible voice stating, "You will not choose the
church this time," and I didn't! After
reflecting,
I realized God had some special
Biblical training and friends
for us there.
Answered Prayers
I awoke one sunny
morning, and before I got out of bed I prayed. "Thank
you God for ALL you have done for me, and I want to do
something special for You. I have a free day-nothing is
on my agenda-and I give this day to You. Please
tell me what YOU want me to do. Amen." As I quietly and
patiently lay there, I heard nothing. As I continued to
listen, the phone mug. It was my good friend Carol
inviting me to go swimming with her at an upscale pool.
Since I had not heard from God, I accepted. I told God
that I was very disappointed and to please make a note
that I had offered Him the day!
We drove to the
private pool where we fellowshipped and had an
absolutely delightful time swimming. Later I returned
home and prayed, "Wow God! Getting to answer
spiritual questions in a classy pool complete with a
waterfall and beautiful surroundings was awesome!
Thanks!"
Disappearing Robbers
After a couple of
weeks of teaching some really delightful youth in the
KURE Ukraine Language School, we were treated Saturday
to a shopping excursion to the art market in L'viv.
There were about seven of us certified teachers, all
female, our Ukrainian hostess, and a male pastor, plus
the local bus driver. When we arrived at our
destination, we divided into two groups. One group had a
seasoned traveler who was quite diligent in helping us
keep our voices down to almost a whisper. She explained
that Americans are noisy and that draws attention-and
robbers. We gratefully complied. Towards the end of our
shopping spree a kiosk owner told our other group
members that they were being followed by two male
robbers. Unfortunately, the pastor had
already returned to the bus, so their group rejoined
ours. At that point we all saw them following us. God
in His infinite mercy gave me the scripture, "Who is
this heathen Philistine who dare insult the army of
the most high God?" (I Samuel 17:26). I stopped the
group, got them into a circle, and we prayed.
When we looked up, the robbers had disappeared!
Needless to say, we thanked God! (I also asked God if I
could see a video of "what happened" to the
robbers when I get to heaven.)
Healing Miracle
We had a long
distance call from Don's Uncle Bob who told us Aunt
Margie had a growth on her vocal chords and was to
undergo surgery the next day. Both were understandably
frightened because the tumor had grown so rapidly that
it was probably malignant and there was concern she
would permanently lose her voice. We knew it would be
agonizing for her to face this surgery. She was a good
elementary school teacher, sang in her church choir, and
was well loved; so we all wanted her health restored. He
requested prayer.
As I was vacuuming
my dining room area, I was interceding with all my might
asking God to please spare her from this horrible fate.
I was fighting back tears as I prayed fervently for her
healing. What happened next was a supernatural
occurrence. It was like a hand came down from heaven
and pulled out all of the stress starting from my lower
body and exiting at the top of my head, and I was
flooded with peace.
A couple of
weeks later Aunt Margie called
to tell us she received total healing. There was, much
to the astonishment of the doctors, no trace of cancer
and the vocal chords were unimpaired. She commented that
just before surgery she had made the decision to accept
whatever happened. By placing her problems in God's hand
she had obtained peace. I asked her about what time did
that occur and I factored in the one hour time zone
difference. We both received total peace at exactly
the same time!
God's Physical & Emotional Healing Miracle
Members from our
church were invited to minister to the First Nations
people--they prefer to not be called Indians--in
Northern British Columbia, Canada. After a powerful time
of praise and worship at their church, our leader asked
for anyone needing healing to please raise his/her hand.
An older lady, who had undergone surgery for her leg,
was still experiencing problems, so I told her
that
God could heal her and we prayed. To
make
the prayer
stronger, we quote scriptures over her like "By His
stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Minutes later she
gratefully explained that she could finally move her leg
without pain. Her healing also helped the people see how
much God loved and cared for them, plus it blessed us
workers to be part of this awesome miracle.
The Phone Call
Years ago, while
we were at our Christian Women's Fellowship meeting, I
noticed that our guest was looking very sad. As I got to
know her, I learned she had been through some very
difficult times.
One afternoon
while I was home alone, I wandered into the kitchen and
my eyes were immediately fixed on the phone. The
strong thought ran through my mind that I was
to call her. So, I dialed her number and got her
answering machine. Basically, I told her that I knew she
was at work, but that I wanted her to know that I was
thinking about her and praying for her. Then I ended
with a positive comment and the blessing, may you have a
blessed day, or something on that line.
Sunday when she
came to church, she thanked me for the call. She had
encountered some stressful things happening at work and
my call was made at the exact same time that
occurred! She also said she left my message on her
recorder because it cheered her up. I told her that God
led me to call and that encouraged her immensely.
Pick Ax Momma
We had recently
moved to Texas and our family had settled in the new
house we felt God wanted us to build. Our next hurdle
was landscaping the rocky yard. While my husband was at
work and our son in high school, I removed bunches of
rocks. I started early and by midmorning, I was hot and
tired, but determined to take out a foot long rock which
would prevent grass from thriving in that area. Dressed
in slacks, a long sleeved shirt, high boots, a face
protector, and thick gloves, I used the pick to try to
dislodge the rock. It was immovable. So, with all my
might I hit it with the ax, cleared away the debris, and
hit it again. The fleeting thought, "Oh God, it would be
so helpful if
you just cut
this rock in half," went
through my
head. This time
when I hit the rock three times with the ax, removed the
broken pieces, and tried to move the rock, I was
successful. I carefully lifted out one fairly large
piece, then removed the second piece. When I saw the
pieces together, it looked like a heart that had been
broken in half!
Blessings During Pain
The neighbor's
lovely home across the street from us was abandoned and
subsequently foreclosed. During some spare time, I went
over and pulled weeds from their driveway. Later, I
pulled down some vines that were growing over the
window, so that the property would look a little nicer.
After I returned home and showered, I started itching
and scratching, not realizing I had gotten into poison
oak. I ended up at the doctor's office three times
trying to get relief. I looked disfigured from the
swelling and was miserably uncomfortable. Then I became
so nauseated from taking medications I could barely
function. I did manage to put on a praise tape and sing
along feebly as I tried to recover on the recliner. I
stumbled into bed and asked God to help me feel better,
so I could attend our Christmas Sunday church service.
It was to be our celebration of Jesus' birthday and I
had planned to give Him a special offering. Don was
recovering from surgery, so I couldn't ask him to set
the alarm or awaken me the next day, so I asked God to
do it. The next morning I woke up feeling significantly
better, and as I was lying in bed I heard an audible
voice speak my name, so I knew it was time to get
up. I marveled that the Creator of the Universe loved me
so much, He would heal me and send me my personal alarm
clock!
Seeking Employment
Our trustworthy
son was now in high school and I wanted to go back to
work. After searching the Want Ads, I got an appointment
with the owner of a hearing aid business. Being a very
non-technical person, I needed to see how difficult it
would be to run the hearing test equipment. After a
brief demonstration, I realized it was within my
capabilities without being stressful. I received an
application and later filled it out. Then, I put my hand
on it and said, "God, I want this job and if this is
your will please open every door for me. If not, close
it gently." I had two "concerns" about the job: One
was the owner really didn't want to hire a woman, but I
felt that I could win him over. The second one was the
unanswered question, how does he treat the poor people.
I didn't get the
job and I've learned it's okay to be real with God and
tell Him I was disappointed. I did tell Him that I
understood that He knew something I didn't,
and/or may have something better, so I thanked
Him for His divine protection.
Interestingly,
while I was hosting our prayer group, I told the group
what had happened. One of the very godly members
commented that maybe I wasn't supposed to work right now
and should wait. So I spent the summer removing
flocked wallpaper, painting, and getting the house
updated. Then my husband announced his company was
closing their Huntsville, Alabama office and he had
received his transfer request to Texas. I thanked God
because now the house was at its best and we were able
to get a better price for it.
When the overseer
of the moving company came to check on the move, we had
an instant "connection." Since everything seemed to be
in order, I walked her to her car. I commented, "You
really love your job." She agreed, and then told me that
she had worked for this audiologist before and she hated
it--his treatment of the poor was borderline
criminal....
The Engagement
After we had our
Texas house built, we met an impressive young lady who
had completed college, obtained a good job, and had
lived at home just long enough to save sufficient money
for a down payment for the house next door to us. Not
long afterwards she started dating a handsome young man.
Shortly thereafter they became engaged, and I received
their wedding invitation. Although he was a great guy, I
had some concerns. One can love someone, but that person
may not always be God's best choice for them. I prayed
that if this marriage was God's will, He would open the
door for them, but it wasn't His will, He would close
the door gently. Not long after that I received "the
marriage will not take place" announcement. I noted the
canceled date and took her a healthy baked treat. She
sadly said, "Today was to be my wedding day," and I
responded, "I know. That's why I am here." It was later,
after she had married Mr. Right and subsequently had
three handsome boys, that I told her about the prayer.
She agreed that the first guy had not been right for her
and that she was very happy now.
A Rude Awakening
Shortly after we
moved from Alabama to Texas, I woke up in the middle of
the night and saw a "presence" standing by my bed. He
was dressed in a black robe with an attached hood on his
head, so I could barely see his face. (He reminded me a
little of Darth Vader, the Star Wars movie villain.) I
was too terrified to scream, but I knew I had to get
away from him, so started crawling diagonally across our
king sized bed as fast as I could. Fortunately, my
husband Don caught me or I would have probably injured
myself falling off the bed. This scenario happened
twice.
It took a few
months for me to "sort out" what had happened and
understand "why?" I researched "night terrors" and
realized that one outgrows them at the age of 5, so
eliminated that cause. Then one day when I went outside
to get our mail, there was a plastic PRIORITY bag
hanging on our mailbox. A precious friend from Arizona
had sent the book, This Present Darkness by Frank
Peretti. Before that, one of the ladies in our Alabama
prayer group had offered to lend me that same book, but
I was on "overload" packing to move and getting the
house sold, so declined. I immediately realized I had
made a mistake by not making the time to read it, so I
quickly apologized to God and started reading. . .
.Approximately 1/3 of the way through the book was a
description of what I had seen those two nights. I had
grown up with the understanding that demons were just
another name for diseases, but I was starting to see
things differently. After thinking about it, it made
sense to me that there is God/good versus devil/evil.
Since God has angels then the devil would have
demons. I recognized that God allowed me to see this
for two reasons. He wanted me to know that not only do
demons exist, but there were various positions or levels
of importance and power. And, since what I saw was one
of the "higher ups," Satan considered me to be a threat
and I needed to learn to protect myself and others.
The Prophetic Dream
Years ago I had a
terrible nightmare that a married couple whom I dearly
loved was getting a divorce. When I awakened, I was so
distraught that it totally ruined my day. Being a fairly
"observant person," I had seen no outward signs of
dissension or problems, and no one close to them had
ever mentioned anything on that line to me either. So, I
wasn't sure if God was trying to warn me or what.
Approximately ten
years later I got "the phone call" informing me of the
divorce. Although I was upset, God had graciously warned
me so I would be better able to handle the situation and
not say or do the wrong thing.
Oops!
Although I knew
having a cola wasn't good for my sensitive body (and I
had been pretty good about abstaining), our gas station
had a "promotional" free drink with a fill up. While my
husband pumped the gas, I went inside and filled the
small cup and en route out the door I realized there was
a hole in the bottom of the cup which left a trail on
the floor. I should have realized that I wasn't supposed
to have that cola, but it was "free" and was "calling
me," so I put a cup under the damaged one and returned
home. I rationalized that I was going to share it with
Don, who really should not have consumed it either.
Well, when he picked it up, he somehow missed holding
the undamaged cup and it spilled down his freshly
washed, starched, and ironed white shirt and onto my
clean kitchen floor. I realized that God reveals
things to us in different ways, and this crazy
comedy of errors let me know in a playful way, that I
had been disobedient. God wants us healthy! I apologized
and am focusing on being all He has called me to be.
Wait!
Like many people,
waiting is difficult for me. I read through the Bible
every year, and after I saw the part where Abraham and
Sarah had to wait so long to have baby Isaac, it
bothered me, especially since I had to wait too, but not
nearly as long. I told God, "You know and see things
we don't and I wanted to better understand 'why?'" It
took a while to get the answer. After a few years of
being a mom and further studying, I realized they
were not waiting on God, He was waiting on them.
It's critical that we be patient, so we can obtain God's
best and His protection. Abraham had to remove himself
from the pagan religions, which he did when he
relocated, then he had to learn more about who God is
and what He wants. Children learn from their parents,
and as parents they had to be the best role model they
could be so Isaac would become a Godly leader of a new
nation.
The "O God, Help!" Prayers
I would certainly
be remiss if I didn't include the "O God, Help!"
prayers. There have been so many times when I felt I was
in over my head, and God quickly came to my rescue.
Probably my most memorable prayer was when I had just
taught a Biblical foundations class and was praying over
each member. I've since learned to stand in front of the
person, not behind, like I did when I drew a big blank.
The person had beautiful black curls and I panicked
because I remembered the two other ladies, but not this
one. Anyway, I sent up an "O God, Help!" prayer and God
graciously gave me the words, "I want to encourage you
to speak out more. People want and need to hear what you
have to say." He told me later that he had been
feeling that he should do that and was grateful for the
confirmation. Yes, I thanked God for covering me!
Most of my "O God,
Help!" prayers come when I am driving and a road sign is
missing, not well marked, or I'm in an unfamiliar area
and/or lost. During this time, I don't have the
opportunity to communicate details, so this type of
prayer is okay. God cares about every detail about our
lives and He is just waiting for us to ask for His
divine assistance.
Attitude of Gratitude
Have you ever made
a special effort to purchase just the right gift for
someone and it's received, but a "thank you" is not even
mentioned? That could bring hurt feelings. Then I
thought about how God must feel when He does so much for
us and is ignored or forgotten. I have learned to show
appreciation for everything, especially a gentle breeze
while mowing the yard on a hot Texan day, a spectacular
sunset, and divine protection. . . .Also, why should God
give us more when we complain about what we have?
Years ago when Don
and I had just become engaged, our Houston church choir
members gave us a lovely wedding shower. One of our
older members presented me with a gorgeous corsage she
had made from the flowers in her garden. I loved the
gift and told her how impressed I was that she made it.
I followed up with a thank you note which included a
comment telling her how I had carefully preserved it in
my refrigerator that night, so I could wear it to work
the following morning. I added that I had received lots
of compliments on it. The next Sunday she said that
since I had enjoyed the original corsage so much, she
brought me another one! God is like that too. . .
The Best Life
Being a "people
watcher" I have noticed people from all walks of life,
and those who accept Jesus as their Savior and follow
His ways are happier and have a richer life than those
who don't.
If you've not yet
accepted Jesus in your heart or are currently not
serving Him, be assured that God loves you and wants to
help you through life and have you spend eternity with
Him in heaven. Please pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I
accept You as my personal Savior and want to serve You
all the days of my life and spend eternity in heaven
with You. I believe that You, Jesus, died on the cross
for my sins and after three days were resurrected.
Please forgive me
for all of my sins and help me to not make the same
mistakes again. I want You to live in me and guide and
direct me all the days of my life. Amen.
Next, you need to
find a good church and get baptized and get involved.
Congratulations,
you've just made the best decision of your life!