Isaiah 43:18-19
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.
The trip to Indonesia had been rewarding & fruitful. We taught School of Leaders 1 (SOL1) but we didnt expect our audience to be so responsive. We had about 80++ people attending the course but 60+ people 'graduated' from the course (they have to attend all 10 lessons) & received their certificate during Sunday service. I think it's not easy for people to travel to the church at night to attend the course. The badly paved narrow road with lots of potholes is not easy for one to walk on especially in the dimly lit road. To drive through the narrow road needs lots of skill!
There were many more who wanted to attend the SOL1 but because they did not finish their Post EW course, their registration was not accepted.
Many in the crowd were intrigued by God's idea of marriage & family. God wants to bless marriages & families so that they can impact & bring hope to the broken & disillusioned. There are some in our midst going through troubled marriages & when Peter spoke on the important role of the father & husband, many were convicted that this role as shown by our Father in heaven carries with it the blessing & authority in the family.
1 single lady told me that she now wants to consider marriage & asked me to pray for that life partner to come alongside her. In the past, she felt that marriage was troublesome & because of something that happened when she was v young, she discarded the idea of marriage/family. But now.. she's a different person, completely transformed by the Word!
God is doing a new thing in their midst. Hearing God's voice (when we gave them scriptures to support our teaching) is akin to finding a well in the desert. We do not survive on our own thoughts or strength or goodness. We can only rest in our spirit as we discover reality & true freedom in Christ. His presence is our lifeblood & He is our Peace which is the foundation for hearing His voice.
So in the midst of waiting for positive changes to take place, we need to be willing to rest.
Psalm 27:14 says "Wait for the Lord, be strong & let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord."
We were kept busy. In the morning, we got up early at 6am to get ready to minister to a group of 280 students in a secondary school for 3 mornings, & we also went to a remote village school where we shared our testimony to about 150 students crammed in a hall. They were so enthusiastic to see us! I dont think they get anyone to visit them in such a remote poor area.
Peter was invited to preach in the Youth Service which we saw God's hand in stirring the hearts of the young with the Gideon msg. Unfortunately, that night, he came down with diarrhoea & vomiting after the service. This went on throughout Sunday morning & then at about 4am ++ he woke me up & told me to take over the preaching on Sunday 8am. That was about 3++ hrs away & of course, I argued with God that it was not my sermon; that was prepared by Pete. God spoke to my spirit," Yes, it is not your msg but it is mine." I was to be the messenger. It is no use arguing with God so I took up the task with great apprehension. Teaching a class is ok, but to preach in 2 main services on Sunday is intimidating. I quickly calmed down, & the only way I could preach effectively from my heart is to internalise the msg on Faith. I did this within an hour. The gist of the msg is no matter how sinful we are, we can come to God coz his love for us is unconditional. However, the favour of God is conditional. 3 ways to obtain His favour is to 1) know He exists 2) diligently seek Him 3) walk into his destiny. You have to have faith to walk these 3 steps.
There were salvations & 1 of them is a Muslim! Isnt He great? By the way, the minute I stepped on stage & started to talk for about 2 mins, the fear completely left me. I was natural & delivered the msg with ease through the Holy Spirit.
There was a lady whom I prayed for. The minute I stood in front of her, I smelt demonic spirits. This is only possible when the gift of the discerning of spirits starts to operate in me. I knew there were 2 main ones - the spirit of oppression & the spirit of pain. I drove out the pain & her face convulsed causing her to bend forward. If I continued, it would take a long time to end; what she needs is Inner Healing & I told that to her cell leader. I then commanded the spirit to stop manifesting & to be still.
The 'yucky' thing that happened after the praying was that the spirit/(s) latched itself/themselves on my clothes. I smelt terribly! I did a cleansing prayer & I commanded the spirit/(s) to leave me by applying the blood of Jesus over me. They left!
Again.. I saw & experienced the grace of God & the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.
Ok, I shall soon write about Deliverance .. maybe later in the day. Time for lunch! Famished! GBU!