Monday, April 6, 2009

God can use everybody

Like most Sunday mornings you can find me in church waiting to hear from God and spending some quality time worshiping Him. God’s house is a refuge for me from all of the problems that face the world today.

I attend a prophetic and worshiping church, so the service format is a little different from most conventional churches. My pastor first gives the message and then we worship God for another hour and a half or longer.

This morning was no different. After the message and a couple songs, they stopped playing accept for one fellow who continued to play one long chord on his synthesizer. It was a slow, soft, but powerful sound.

The group leader stepped up to the mic, started praying, and welcoming the Holy Spirit into the house. The Spirit was so thick you could just about see Him. It was very hard even to stand. With my eyes closed and my arms raised, it felt like the Lord and I were the only ones there.

Off to my left, I heard a woman moan so I looked to see where it came from. That look was enough to break the Spirit on me. I was upset because someone had broken the anointing in the room. I thought, well they got their reward, from the notice of men. However, the outburst hadn’t seemed to affect anyone else.

I continued worshiping and it wasn’t long before I was back in the anointing. I felt a sense of belonging as I noticed all my brothers and sisters worshiping God in front of me. A spirit close by reached out and touched me. I noticed a sister who looked to be in her early twenties. She had her eyes closed and they were soaked with tears. Her cheeks were aflame and she was fervently praying.

With her arms outstretched, she reached toward another sister who took her hands and they prayed together. It was a beautiful thing to see; the melding of two spirits in pure love for God. The Spirit that had captivated her was now emanating from her and it drew me closer. My eyes began to well up, for this woman was sitting in a motorized wheelchair.

She was so into the Spirit that she was totally oblivious to the wheelchair in which she sat. I felt the unction to pray for her so I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and began to pray when I heard the same moaning sound. The moan was close enough that I thought it was this young lady.

I wasn’t sure it was but I’d already been down that road with the Lord. I kept my eyes closed and prayed in my spirit, “My God. . .my God, she loves you so much Lord. I can feel her spirit reaching out. There is nothing wrong with her spirit Lord but my God in heaven, please heal her body. Free her from the bondage of that wheelchair, please Lord.”

Immediately, I heard a voice deep from within my spirit, “I love her just the way she is.” I sat there in the front row of church crying like a little baby.

After the service, I felt the Lord wanted to talk so I left to go to my truck. The Lord seemed to be telling me that I should write everything down. He said He was going to help someone because of what He allowed me to witness that morning in church. I was vibrating in the Spirit.

I frantically wrote down everything the Lord was saying, trying hard to keep up with Him. After compiling my notes, I noticed lessons contained within them. It was a teaching day for me and I was getting it in my truck. He told me that we are to keep focus on the Son or we too can sink into the Sea of Galilee.

God also reminded me that He inhabits the praises of His people and that praise was a win win. This is why I love the service format of my church. Our praise and worship time is unfettered and we can linger with Him as long as the Spirit remains.

The broken anointing wasn’t the person’s fault; it was mine for taking my eyes off of Jesus and just like Peter when he took his eyes off the Lord, and summarily sank into the Sea of Galilee. That day in church I sank because I was quick to judge someone else’s travailing to God. However, the Lord picked me up, yet again, and set me on the plumb. He reminded me that there was only one judge.

He said that obedience to His unction of prayer for one another is vital. I felt as if He was giving me an atta-boy for my obedience to pray, for He knows that He didn’t gift me in intercession. That day in my truck, however, I felt as though I had done well as Jesus spoke to me through His Spirit.

Everything Jesus spoke of that day was basic but we all need an occasional reminder. He drove home the lessons into one short and poignant experience. It is easy to take the basics for granted while we are in the process of searching for the deeper things of God.

Then the Lord cut to the chase. I heard in my spirit the main reason for our talk. He wanted to tell me that He can use everybody, even a young woman in a wheelchair, whose spirit had reached out, and so greatly touched mine.

I am saddened that life inconvenienced this young lady because of her wheelchair but I know straight from the Lord’s Spirit that He loves that young lady just the way she is, and that she had touched His heart as well. When she lifts her hands to Him, she is walking, walking tall in the Spirit.

I thank the Lord for allowing me to be a part of that experience and for the time spent with me, showing me the beautiful things of the Spirit while sitting in my truck.

The Bible declares in 1 Corinthians 12:22, “Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.”

Therefore, I thank you Lord for that young lady and for others who society would call handicapped. I surround and cover them Lord because the body depends on them. I thank you Lord for the inconvenienced and who are strong in heart but humble. . . for the feeble. . .for the meek. . .the peaceful. . .and Lord, for the prayerful, for they are necessary; they are the heart of the body.

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Next week: “God bless our troops.” What causes a man or a woman to enlist in the service of his or her country? They understand in their heart that they may never return or if need be, they might have to kill another human being? When they sign on the dotted line, they are telling us that they are willing to lay down their lives for a greater cause. So, why do I think that they consider possibly signing away their life? I think you call it pride, duty, honor, courage, resolve, selflessness, altruistic, brave, principled, noble, and just plain love for something greater than one's self. It holds a great mark of valor and respect.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS in Jesus name!

("God bless our troops" may be a little long but I hope it blesses you.)

See you next Monday and thanks for stopping by,

Your host
James Lindquist
http://www.jameswlindquist.net

2 comments:

Leslie Pinto said...

This is wonderful, Brother JAMES, we rae praying that the Holy Spirit take this Message Far and Near, the Anointing will break the Yoke.This is the Message for the Hour.
Rev. Dr. Leslie Pinto, Pastor.

Norm said...

Well Jim, that is an exceptional account.

You might want to check out the writing guidelines for LIVE magazine. It could be a piece they would be interested in.