Help for finances
On this Labor Day week, I thought it would be fitting to talk about finances, the fruit of our labor.
In November of 2007, the Lord told me: The lifestyle to which many have grown accustomed will become greatly challenged. I shared this warning with a few close friends and sought God about how to be personally prepared. At the time, those with whom I shared had, for the most part, a “wait and see” attitude. I understood that stance—the Lord had spoken to me, not to them.
One person, however, more or less corrected me—he thought my statement indicated fear and a total lack of faith. I realized something as a result of that encounter. Not everyone will believe that you have heard from God—especially when it’s less than positive information. Did I write him off? Of course not. He’s my brother in Christ, loves the body of Christ, and has a zeal for souls. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you on an issue does not necessitate a cold shoulder or broken fellowship!
As I walked through the steps I believed God gave me to be prepared for the challenging times ahead, I shared what I was doing with different friends I trusted. Again, God speaks to each one’s heart. Just because someone tells you what they believe the Lord is showing them, that doesn’t mean you have to “buy” it. You need to seek God for yourself. I strongly believe that the Spirit of God is more than capable of making His wisdom known to each one who wants to hear. The Bible says it this way: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
This is especially true now in September of 2015. Don’t be led by other people’s revelation. Stay in the Word and listen to God for yourself.
A while back as I prayed for various friends and acquaintances who were experiencing serious financial difficulty, I felt that they were to take the specific Scripture(s) God would give them for income and employment. They were to use that Word to take their stand in prayer and confession over their finances. He said that those key verses would act like hammers, swords, and battering rams in the spiritual realm around them, and as they stood their ground, He would come through for them.
You, too, are to take those specific Scriptures which the Holy Spirit makes alive to you as your weapon. Then, with those Scriptures, you, also stand your ground on behalf of your finances. If you haven’t found a verse that fits your situation, I will be sharing a list of verses later this week from which I have drawn confidence and courage to trust God. Tomorrow I will share with you some of the things I went through while trusting God for secure employment after I stepped out in obedience to Him, leaving behind a good job to move to a city where I had nothing awaiting me.
Each one of us faces different circumstances; you may receive different Bible verses than your brother or sister; but all of us have the same Word of God from which to seek His personal and precise direction for our situations. Not only that, but each one of us also has the right to confidently trust Him to see us through every obstacle—from small bumps in the road to bottomless pits of despair!
Stand fast on the verses the Holy Spirit has given you. If you haven’t received those perfect verses yet, the adventure of discovering His leading is awaiting you—and will be well worth the effort!
If you currently enjoy secure finances, sow in prayer for those who don’t. God will hear from heaven and answer you on behalf of others. And by praying for them, you will store up for yourself all the prayer help you’ll ever need against the hour of your trouble!
God bless you richly,
Dorothy
Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. Proverbs 8:10-11
Read MoreFeel, see, hear…and respond
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14
I thank God that He has a variety of ways by which He can get our attention. For the person who prioritizes Bible time, the ability to pick up on cues from the Holy Spirit will become somewhat easier over time. That’s because God’s Word is a Discerner (see Hebrews 4:12), and He uses it to enlighten us (see John 1:9). The Holy Spirit does not move outside of the parameters of the Word of God, and at the same time, Word of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit—the two flow together. It makes sense, therefore, that one of the names for the Bible is the Sword of the Spirit.
In 1997 I “felt” the sensation of sharp impact to my left temple as I drove home from church, prompting me to pray. On the other side of town, my friends John and Janet were about to have a head-on collision in which Janet would strike the windshield with her left temple. She and John survived, and Janet suffered nothing in her body but a broken wrist and a bald spot on her left temple the size of a quarter. No scratches, bruises, or welts could be found on that side of her head—she definitely got the better end of the deal between herself and the windshield she shattered! The Holy Spirit had given me a sensation of impact to the left temple; I prayed until the feeling lifted; and Janet and John are alive and well to this day (see “Is it just me or the Holy Ghost?”).
I have learned over the years that when I get some type of unexplainable “sensation” to take some time to pray about it. I’m well aware that some of the time I may have prayed about things that simply popped up in my imagination, but I know that in John and Janet’s case, my prayer hit the very real target.
Years before the situation with John and Janet, I had a similar “feeling”—along with a quick “picture”—that flashed in my mind. I was taking my customary daily walk in my peaceful neighborhood. I passed by a beautiful home on the right hand side of the street and saw a young teen standing on the porch drinking a Mountain Dew. Instantly, I saw an image in my mind of the soda can flying out of the boy’s hand and I “felt” its impact on the back of my head. I said under my breath, “I bind that, in the name of Jesus!”
No sooner had I bound the scenario I had just “seen” and “felt” when in the street behind me I heard a crash. I turned to look—and the boy had indeed hurled the nearly full can of soda my way, missing me by a foot or so.
All too often, we think that the random oddball thoughts, pictures, or feelings that arise are “just me”, but my goal is to encourage you to take the time to pray about those things before your mind jumps on to a new thought and you miss an opportunity to be led by God’s Spirit.
I moved to a new town as a young Christian, and I was just learning how to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. I was looking for an apartment move into. As I drove to one I had seen advertised, I felt a nudge to take an earlier exit off the highway. I obeyed and traveled on that road for a couple of miles, and seeing nothing, decided to turn around.
I pulled off and was about to go back to my original destination when I heard a quiet voice within me say, “Pursue those houses.” I did, and soon saw a large sign advertising an apartment complex. Following other signs along the way, I found the complex, fell in love with it, and signed the lease for quite a bit less per month than I would have paid at the place I was originally considering. As it turned out, the complex to which I was led was also much closer to the place of employment where I would eventually be hired.
I also needed a bed frame. I had a twin mattress and box springs, but no frame, so one Saturday morning as I drove around the community where I was temporarily staying, I saw a garage sale. I heard that same quiet voice direct me to enquire about the bed frame. I parked, walked up the driveway, scanned all the objects on display, but saw no bed frame. I believed, however, that the Holy Spirit had told me I would find a bed frame there, so I approached the lady of the house.
“I’m looking for a twin-sized bed frame,” I stated.
Her eyes widened as she wiped her hands on the apron she was wearing. “Well, I’ll be! We debated about lugging that thing up from the basement and thought better of it—we didn’t think anyone would want it! Sure you can have it!”
She called her husband over and he and their son went in to retrieve a dusty, spider-webby twin bed frame—in perfect condition! I paid five dollars for it, took it home, and cleaned it up to look like new.
I’ve bought all kinds of things over the years—cars, furniture, clothes and accessories, appliances, technology, a house—but that old bed frame remains unique to me among my earthly treasures, both past and present. When the Holy Spirit gets in on the action, He can make a dusty old, spider-webby, five-dollar purchase glitter like fine gold in your memory.
Abide in the Word, and the Discerner will be a reliable Guide for you.
Dorothy
“Take my instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choicest gold.
For wisdom is better than jewels;
And all desirable things cannot compare with her.” Proverbs 8:10-11
Being a prima donna vs. being led by the Spirit
Sometimes the leading of the Holy Spirit is strong. But sometimes your own desires, tastes, and preferences are equally as strong. If you tend lump your personal tastes and quirks into the same basket with the leading of the Holy Spirit and go after all of it with the same intensity, you can confuse your own spirit and end up missing out on God’s guidance.
I was preparing to have surgery this summer. As the office coordinator set up the date and time, I learned that I was scheduled for 1:00 in the afternoon. That didn’t sit well with me, to say the least. Controlling my disgust as best I could, I talked to the nurse on the other end of the line and requested a timeslot for earlier in the day. Knowing that an afternoon surgery meant a longer period of fasting food and water, I was adamant: There was no way I’d be going without water all morning! I wanted it changed, and I wanted it changed now!
They weren’t budging. I was about to launch an all-out assault of bossiness, pushiness, and insistence when the Holy Spirit spoke very directly. “There’s a difference between being a prima donna and being led by the Spirit.”
Stopped in my tracks by His words, I was jolted back into reality. It dawned on me that I was using all my intensity for what? To spare me a few hours of thirst? Asking God for forgiveness, I prayed the prayer of dedication. I committed to cease striving in the flesh and to trust Him to orchestrate this thing. If Moses could go 40 days without water, I could go a few extra hours. And if God wanted to change the timing, He could do so without my help.
Two weeks later, I received a call from my doctor’s office. The surgery had been postponed by three weeks…and was scheduled for 7:00 in the morning.
Happy as a clam and grateful to God, I went my way, preparing my home to be more easily navigated after surgery and setting up friends to help until I could get around on my own.
And then, only after I had released the whole thing to God, did I start to receive a series of three cautions within a week’s time about the procedure. I prayed about each one, listened for any new promptings from the Holy Spirit within me, and set up an appointment to speak with my doctor about the specific method she intended to use in the operation.
She assured me as to the safety of this procedure and promised me that I could request a more traditional approach if I changed my mind—just give her a few days lead time. Nonetheless, I felt I should ask to meet with my pastor for prayer about it before he left town on a ministry engagement.
In the meantime, I became increasingly uneasy about the entire operation. It felt similar to the uneasiness I had experienced years ago, prompting me at the time to cancel vacation plans—unaware as I was doing so that my mom was going to pass away soon after I would have left for the trip—unreachable, before the time of cell phones. I had “doubled up on the Discerner” (God’s Word) back then until clarity came; I would double up on the Discerner again and leave it to God to reveal what was up (see “Double up on the Discerner”).
Finally, the day before I was scheduled to pray with my pastor and one week before surgery, the uneasiness was only growing heavier. I said in exasperation to the Lord, “I think I’ll just cancel this whole thing and talk to Dr. B (a different doctor) about doing the surgery.”
Instantly, uneasiness lifted. Peace came.
Friday night after the service, I waited to meet with my pastor and his wife. I felt kind of stupid—here I am meeting with them to pray for my surgery next week…but what will I tell them? I’m cancelling?! They’ll think I’m flaky!
They finished their conversations with various other church members and then ushered me into the small sitting room behind the platform. Before I could open my mouth, my pastor’s wife blurted, “I don’t think you should have that surgery next week.” Confirmation!
We were on the same page, hearing the same thing about this particular procedure. Once again, I had been “tackled” by the Holy Spirit, thwarting me from stepping out into something that would not have been good for me.
On top of that, when I mentioned to my pastors the name of the doctor I thought about going to for a second opinion, they both agreed heartily, affirming their respect for his expertise.
Who knows what I was spared by not following through with this procedure? I will not speculate, but I am a firm believer in being led by the Holy Spirit.
God is faithful and He will enable you to hear His leading…if you’re willing to double up on the Discerner and if you’re also willing to lay aside any “prima donna” demands that may muffle His leading.
It’s worth it!
Dorothy
Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24
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