Sunday 20 May 2018

God's Plan For Us

Scripture: Jeremiah 29 v 11 - 13: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 
 12  Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
 13  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart."

Many people ask the question, "What does God want me to do for Him?"  Sometimes they are sure and they throw their life savings or borrow heavily from banks only to find that dream becoming a nightmare that causes anger towards God and backsliding in disappointment.

So to be sure that we are on God's true path for us we first have to go through one of the gates into the Old City of Jerusalem.  It's called the Eye of the Needle.  When merchants of old brought their camels to this gate, the heavily laden beasts could not get through this very narrow portal.  They had to offload their wares outside the city walls and carry them into the market place.

So spiritually we need to go through the eye of the needle and offload all our baggage - our accumulated attitudes, opinions, self improvements, ambitions, rules and human desires - before we approach the Throne of God to discover His true plans for us.

I did this forty years ago.  And again twenty years ago.  The first time in 1978, the result was the baptism in the Holy Spirit which eventually brought me into a Pentecostal church from a Presbytarian one.  The Holy Spirit was my Teacher, still is my Teacher, and although the Presbytarians were starting to dip their toes into the spiritual waters, I needed more.

A fellow former Presbytarian invited me to a Pentecostal church and it was a wonderful relief to be involved with people who were moving forward and using the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I was definitely following God's true plan and enjoying the fellowship of born again Christians.

Not long after my arrival among them I received a prophetic word that the Lord was calling me to be an Intercessor.  I did not know what that was, and asked, and was told, You will find out!  So I promptly forgot about it and carried on as normal.   My first challenge was when the Lord informed me that I should stop working in the business world and concentrate on His work. 

I was happy to obey but my husband objected.  It's difficult to submit to the Lord and your husband when they don't agree.   I told him I must obey the Lord.  He said, Then He must give you money to cover your salary.  The next Sunday two independent people came to me and said the Lord had laid on their hearts to give me a certain sum of money.  Added together it made the amount I was earning!  At the end of the month I gave this to my husband.

This happened for three months and then he said I need not give him the money anymore.  My two independent benefactors let me know that the Lord had prompted them to stop giving this money to me!  This is how you know that you are following God's plan.  He initiates everything.  He proves everything.  You are not left wondering.

After a forty day fast the Lord called me out of that church into a hidden ministry of Intercession for many years.  It was the beginning of the end of my marriage that lingered on for fifteen years.  He never understood my ministry even bringing me sermons from other places that proved there was no such ministry as Intercession.  

My sons and I were deeply involved in a prayer ministry that was led by the Holy Spirit and at times stretched even my ability to grasp.  The Lord had, still has, a unique way of showing me the answers to our prayers - TV news casts!  Especially the Breaking News line that runs across the bottom of the screen. Also programs on TV like Rescue 911, Medical Detectives and others like that.  True stories that were exactly correct in every detail that we were shown to pray about.  I will share one example.

Steve was 6 years old at the time.  He sat on my bed with his brother and I.  He held a tape measure in his hand and was running his fingers down the numbers until he stopped at 55.  He turned his big Brown eyes on me and told us that there was a small boy who had been lost in the snow.  He was at the hospital and this boy's temperature was 55.  There were many doctors working on him trying to warm him up.  We must pray for him.  

As we prayed Steve's fingers were slowly moving up the measuring tape.  When he reached the 90's his fingers went up and down a number of times.  94 - 96 - 100 - 98 - 94 - fluctuating until it settled on normal.  Steve then took his hand off the tape measure for the first time.  He said the boy is alright now, Jesus has fixed him.  

A good number of years later, maybe ten, I was watching Rescue 911 when one of the items brought tears to my eyes and increased my heart rate!  A toddler in America had wandered out of a trailer in mid winter into a snowstorm wearing only a vest and napkin. It took hours to find him and the rescuers got him to hospital where he was found to be frozen and his core temperature was 55!  Slowly it moved up to th 90's where I knew it was going to fluctuate, and it did.  17 doctors worked on that child until he was out of danger.  I cried and praised our merciful Father for such a powerful answer to prayer.

These answers came many times until you know that God's plan is perfect and I must keep following it.  Twenty years ago my husband left, all the doors around me closed and the Lord sent me to a coastal town for 16 years, where He took this ministry to new heights and depths, and He raised up people to put this Prophetic Fire blog together for the wonders He has shown me could in some way be shared with whomsoever would want to know. 

For the past 20 years without any back up, alimony or secular income, the Lord Jesus Christ has supplied everything I have needed.  About five years ago I was given Isaiah 54 v 2 - 3: "Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
 3  For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."

A few months ago the Lord instructed me to again "encamp by the sea", after He had moved me back to Johannesburg for two years.  I wondered where and why.  Every time we prayed about it the anointing was so strong and over and over the Word came that miracles would happen and many would come.

Unexpectedly got a call from a precious friend who knew nothing of my waiting upon God for where to go, and she says there was no thought in her mind before she called me, and she said if you are ever needing accommodation I have a place for you, and its free!  Wow.  How far from the sea  1 kilometre.  After the Lord confirmed it I made haste to be here and the miracles have started happening.

The first overseas visitors are due to arrive in 3 weeks from USA.  A precious family of four with a dire need.  When I got here many things changed.  The flat I was offered became a house with a flat so that I could accommodate the people with needs more adequately.  It's not free but so reasonable as to be a true gift.  Beds, chairs, a dining room suite,  linen, have been added to my household and the plan of God is proceeding and I have certainly enlarged my "tent"!

Let God initiate that which He wishes to do, after you have emptied your hands of what you have planned.   I never know what His actual plan is but I follow His footsteps and know that He is building that which pleases Him.  All I want is to be in His perfect will and do what He asks of me.  My prayer team are like-minded and are a true blessing to this ministry.  Thank you!  All those who give, pray, love, help and go the extra mile, God sees and will reward you in marvellous ways.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank You for calling me as an Intercessor.  I am beginning to know what that is now.  You have different callings for Your people, all good, all needed.  Please show them how much You need them and what they need to do. In Jesus' name.  Amen.