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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Just one conversation....

Just one conversation, just one prayer can change someone's entire universe! I know it did for me, one persons prayer for me changed the course of my life for all eternity! Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian possesses. That's why the devil fights so hard to deceive us into thinking its useless. Tries to lull us to sleep whenever we settle in to pray - tries to get us to think there is no power, no purpose to the time spent asking, seeking, knocking on the door of heaven.

This week, Clay and I were definitely experiencing some opposition! We even started to wonder if we were in the right place, doing the right things, had any purpose at all to our "Great Adventure"! We were downright oppressed by a certainty that we served no purpose, had "missed" God, were spinning our wheels and going nowhere!

I'm sure you've all felt like that, too. BUT GOD..... oh, how I love those words! No matter whats going on, no matter what we're doing, no matter what our eyes see, our ears hear, our hearts feel, those words set all things right!! BUT GOD...

We felt useless, BUT GOD had a use for us. We'd been "under the bridge" several times now, sometimes with the guitar, sometimes in fellowship with the Jensen Beach Christian Church, serving breakfast to all, sometimes bringing sandwiches and water to the homeless and alcoholics who hang out at the pavilions. This time, we were walking Jack, letting him play and chase the sand crabs and the lizards- just walking along, no thought or purpose in mind, feeling a little "depressed" even, as we had just come from two events we thought were God opening doors, yet fizzled and faded. I felt like " we may have seen an open door, but we sure tripped over the threshold!"

As we sat on the wall watching the water for these cool fish that jump into the air, which I'm trying to capture a picture of to send to Grayson and Noah (our Grandsons), along comes Eddie, one of the homeless we've spent a little time with. Carrying the everpresent beer, he stopped to say hello when I greeted him. I invited him to sit and visit. For some minutes, we simply listened to his tales, deflected his several requests for money (we'll give them food, but won't give them money to spend on alcohol and drugs)and kept the conversation general. Then, led by the spirit, I began to press him a little - gently, ever so gently - about his relationship with Jesus. He claims he's saved, that he knows the Lord, yet there is no reflection of it in his life, as the drink leads him on a merry go round of jail, sobriety, freedom, drunkeness and usually back for some jail time due to pan handling (apparently not legal here) and disorderly conduct.

As we continued the conversation, I responded to the Holy Spirit pressing me to press him a little harder, a little harder, a little more specifically, until Eddie broke, broke down and began to cry, began to open his heart to the love of God, which he just couldn't believe! How could God love him, this drunken and disheveled man who lived his life in such opposite manner of a Holy and Just and Righteous God? So we shared with him, how much God loves him, what it meant, really meant, that Jesus died on the cross FOR HIM, specifically to forgive his, Eddies, sins and set him free! We prayed, powerfully, for this man who's heart had broken, finally allowing some light of truth to illuminate it.

We'll continue to pray, and hope you our readers will too. How easily it seems TRUTH gets choked out by the woes and hurts and pressures of life. People need PRAYER to stand fast, stand strong and let their faith build, so their lives begin to change under the Hand of the Almighty. Eddie, when that change is rooted and grounded, will be one who can reach many more for Christ. Pray for Eddie, and all like him. Pray for laborers, who will GO OUT INTO THE FIELD AND FIND THESE LOST SOULS!! They hide and are hidden from our everyday view most of the time. We must not get weary - but continually seek the lost and by the leading and power of the Holy Spirit - share the saving grace of Jesus Christ with them, because that's what our Lord commanded us to do.

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