It always amazes me how our God stretches and grows us, and how he increases our faith sometimes through the meekest of people. I want to share with you a story of faith, the kind of faith that we should all have, because we have been given so many examples, not only in the Word, but in the everyday situations all around us. The scene is a young man, a very beat up old car, a puppy, and a cardboard sign. How many times have we seen these type of scenarios in a parking lot, or at an intersection, or on the side of a road. Probably dozens. Our heart goes out initially to these souls, we feel a twinge of compassion, a sudden impulse to do something, anything, but immediately those thoughts are replaced with fear possibly, fear of danger, fear of moving out of our comfort zone, uncertainty that we are the ones who should respond, I mean, there out literally thousands of other cars driving by as well. Then the rationalization begins. What if that person is lying, what if they are just scamming the crowds to make a quick buck because they're lazy, they can't bother working like the rest of us. We think of the charities that we donate to or support, and say to ourselves, we already help people through these other organizations. We've already donated our quota for this week's check, or this month. And then the judging begins. Look at how they look. Look at all those tatoos and the long goatee. Wow, I wonder if that person even bathes. How dare they sit there and beg for money, there are jobs to be had, why can't they work like everybody else. Why don't they go to those big organizations that feed and shelter people that the government funds. Why do they have to sit there staring at us, making us feel guilty if we don't stop and give them something? Now be honest. Can you say truthfully that some or all of these thoughts don't go through your mind when confronted with these type of situations?
Now, I introduce you to James. He is a young man, maybe very early twenties at the most, long goatee, crazy skull cap, bizarre looking tatoos all over his body. He and his puppy and sitting on the trunk of his car in the Sam's Club parking lot holding a sign that simply reads "Please help, ran out of gas, trying to get back home to Ohio." I know what you're thinking. I've seen that sign everywhere, they all say the same thing. So let me ask you. Would you stop? Would you dare to take a moment and find out a little about James? And why he is sitting there? Or are you willing to drive on by, just like all the other times, say a little prayer, asking God to bless James, and send someone to help him, just not you. My oldest daughter and I were faced with this situation last night, and sat there after pumping our gas, praying and asking the Holy Spirit what He would have us do. Now of course I hesitate approaching any man when I'm alone, or have my three beautiful daughters with me, because, like you, I know we live in a crazy and violent world. I'm very concerned of what could happen, or how we would defend ourselves in a dangerous situation. But this time, I felt different. I have been praying about Father increasing our faith, about Him moving us all out of our comfort zones in our little family, about Him using us powerfully to do His Kingdom work. And so, feeling empowered and confident that God would allow us to witness to this young man, we pulled up next to his car. What happened next has left an impact on my daughter and I that we will never forget. We were expecting to be the blessing, but God blew our socks off in the blessing we received after listening to James' story.
I say hello and ask this man what his situation is. He quickly put his sign down, and smiles a big, bright smile, with such a look of peace you would never know he had next to nothing to call his own. "Thank you so much for stopping!" he expresses joyfully. He tells us how he found the puppy on the side of the interstate four months ago, and how she has been his best friend ever since. He had driven from Ohio to Miami to take a friend of his back home, a girl who had been abused by her boyfriend, and dumped, and was desperately trying to get back to her home in South Florida. The only thing he owned was a very beat up old Toyota. I asked him if he knew Jesus, and he got even more joyful, and looked me straight in the eyes and said, 'Yes I do, I have a relationship with Him and I can't live without Him. He takes care of me wherever I go. I know I'm covered in tatoos, and you wouldn't probably believe I'm a Christian when you look at me, but I am, and I'm not afraid to say that'. He then goes on to tell my daughter and I that it says in the book of Phillipians, that all of our needs will be provided. He tells us he prayed to God about making the trip and God assured him He would get Him there and back, that He had nothing to worry about. So, he leaves on interstate 95 driving south, gets the girl back to her parents house, then his little car's transmission blows. He has very little money with him, only enough for some gas and a bit of food for he and the puppy. He goes to a junkyard, finds a transmission that fits his car, and puts it on himself. Back on the road again. He makes it as far as Hwy 520 here in Cocoa, Florida, then realizes he is almost on empty, and he has to find help. He prays and tells God, 'Ok, you said you'd take care of me, and now I need help! To which God told him again, don't worry, I'll send people to help you along the way. All will be well. Make a sign and let Me take care of the rest.' He says someone had stopped that morning and fed him breakfast for which he was so grateful, and he thanked God for the meal. Then he sat all day on the trunk, waiting for God's next move.God did move, and he moved my daughter and I. We learned a big lesson on what faith really looks like. Not the kind of faith that assures us when or what we will eat next, or what we will do with the rest of the day. Not the kind of faith that keeps us cozy on our couches, with a roof over our heads and a decent car outside to drive that we know God has provided for us. Not the kind of faith that gives us the warm fuzzies, as we sit comfortably in our homes, thankful for the shelter we have, and grateful for that paycheck that we're positive we're getting on Friday. And certainly not the kind of faith that gives us comfort knowing we won't ever have to be 'uncomfortable' if we don't want to. These are not the things that faith is made of. I'm talking about real, concrete, unshaking faith, that if or when we lose everything, our God will always be our rock. The kind of faith that means nothing else but Him matters to us, and the willingness to give all for Him.
My daughter and I couldn't stop talking about how blessed we both felt after driving away from James, about the peace that surrounded him, and about how incredibly strong his faith in God really was. I mean, he truly had nothing, but was one of the most peaceful souls I've ever come across. He knew that he knew who his Saviour was, and he wasn't worried about a thing. He also wasn't ashamed to speak about his relationship! So my question to all of you reading this is, if someone who would appear to have nothing, the downcast of society, the poor and downtrodden, can have that kind of attitude about God's provision in his life, who are we to question God's motives in our own, and how dare we judge or accuse anyone who doesn't meet our standards or requirements at first glance? If you would only really look around you, the presence of God is everywhere, even if those you would least expect. I spoke with Yeshua this morning about this encounter, and this is what I feel He is expressing to us today:
If you only had the faith of a mustard seed My people! You would move mountains! You have been given so much, yet you cling to what you have and give of your surplus instead of your firstfruits! Think of the woman with the mites! She had nothing, pennies to her name, yet she gave her all as a sacrifice for Me, knowing with all of her heart that I would continue to provide for her every need! You have been given so much, especially you in America, but your hearts turn cold when presented with My poor, My lowly people. What have I spoken to you in My Word about this? It is the poor that I came for! It is the outcast, the rejected ones that aren't attractive that I came to minister to, and it is those that I expect you to love. You pray for hearts that are compassionate. You pray for Me to use you mightily for My Kingdom purposes, you pray for boldness and increases in your faith. I hear your prayers, and I do answer them. Just remember, what you have been given does not belong to you. All that is belongs to Me. To some I have given much to utilize in this life, and to some not so much. Either way, that is not the concern. What you should concern yourselves with is what you are doing with that which you have been given. To those who have been given much, I require much. I speak again to you today. Feed My sheep! Minister to My people! Do not expect to be used for My purposes if you are not willing to constantly and continually reach out to the lost and the hurting and the needy! I have placed them everywhere, and placed them strategically. Do not think for a moment that I do not know their hearts intimately or what they are going through. I have numbered the hairs on their heads as I have yours. You are no different than them. You are no better than those who have not been given much. Reach out My people! Reach out your arms of love, give of yourselves, show compassion, show mercy, as you look to Me for these very things daily. If you are ashamed of Me before those about you, I will not recognize you before My Father. Of this, I assure you. Teach them who I am. Talk about Me. Be that extension of Heaven they long for. And don't be surprised like this instance with the man James last night, that I would use someone like this to teach you a lesson. There is much work to be done My daughter in these days. So many to reach out to, and soon, oh so very soon, there will be so many more, so many needing a glimpse of Me. Stand in the purpose for which you were created. Retain your focus. It is not about you! It is about what can be done through you! This is so important. Much of the experiences you are now having in the world are not only preparing you for what is to come, but are also testing you to see where you are being placed in My army. I need leadership. I need those that are so strong, and so committed to My work, and My ways, that nothing else matters. Reach My children, reach out in My love.
Jehovah Jireh
Yeshua, your Provider
12 And
he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing
unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be see
( The Revelation of the Name Jehovah-Jireh, Genesis 22:12-14. The meaning of this name is The Lord Who Provides. The name is literally, The Lord Who Sees, or The Lord Who Will See To It. This is what we long for when we have a need that is personal and special; One who will see to our needs and provide for us. This is what Jehovah-Jireh means; the Lord Who will see to it that my every need is met. One Who knows my need because He sees. One Who is able to meet my need in just the right time as He did for Abraham, and One Who can meet it fully. For Abraham, it was the ram caught in the thicket that was offered in Isaac's place. For us it is whatever we need.)
Now, I introduce you to James. He is a young man, maybe very early twenties at the most, long goatee, crazy skull cap, bizarre looking tatoos all over his body. He and his puppy and sitting on the trunk of his car in the Sam's Club parking lot holding a sign that simply reads "Please help, ran out of gas, trying to get back home to Ohio." I know what you're thinking. I've seen that sign everywhere, they all say the same thing. So let me ask you. Would you stop? Would you dare to take a moment and find out a little about James? And why he is sitting there? Or are you willing to drive on by, just like all the other times, say a little prayer, asking God to bless James, and send someone to help him, just not you. My oldest daughter and I were faced with this situation last night, and sat there after pumping our gas, praying and asking the Holy Spirit what He would have us do. Now of course I hesitate approaching any man when I'm alone, or have my three beautiful daughters with me, because, like you, I know we live in a crazy and violent world. I'm very concerned of what could happen, or how we would defend ourselves in a dangerous situation. But this time, I felt different. I have been praying about Father increasing our faith, about Him moving us all out of our comfort zones in our little family, about Him using us powerfully to do His Kingdom work. And so, feeling empowered and confident that God would allow us to witness to this young man, we pulled up next to his car. What happened next has left an impact on my daughter and I that we will never forget. We were expecting to be the blessing, but God blew our socks off in the blessing we received after listening to James' story.
I say hello and ask this man what his situation is. He quickly put his sign down, and smiles a big, bright smile, with such a look of peace you would never know he had next to nothing to call his own. "Thank you so much for stopping!" he expresses joyfully. He tells us how he found the puppy on the side of the interstate four months ago, and how she has been his best friend ever since. He had driven from Ohio to Miami to take a friend of his back home, a girl who had been abused by her boyfriend, and dumped, and was desperately trying to get back to her home in South Florida. The only thing he owned was a very beat up old Toyota. I asked him if he knew Jesus, and he got even more joyful, and looked me straight in the eyes and said, 'Yes I do, I have a relationship with Him and I can't live without Him. He takes care of me wherever I go. I know I'm covered in tatoos, and you wouldn't probably believe I'm a Christian when you look at me, but I am, and I'm not afraid to say that'. He then goes on to tell my daughter and I that it says in the book of Phillipians, that all of our needs will be provided. He tells us he prayed to God about making the trip and God assured him He would get Him there and back, that He had nothing to worry about. So, he leaves on interstate 95 driving south, gets the girl back to her parents house, then his little car's transmission blows. He has very little money with him, only enough for some gas and a bit of food for he and the puppy. He goes to a junkyard, finds a transmission that fits his car, and puts it on himself. Back on the road again. He makes it as far as Hwy 520 here in Cocoa, Florida, then realizes he is almost on empty, and he has to find help. He prays and tells God, 'Ok, you said you'd take care of me, and now I need help! To which God told him again, don't worry, I'll send people to help you along the way. All will be well. Make a sign and let Me take care of the rest.' He says someone had stopped that morning and fed him breakfast for which he was so grateful, and he thanked God for the meal. Then he sat all day on the trunk, waiting for God's next move.God did move, and he moved my daughter and I. We learned a big lesson on what faith really looks like. Not the kind of faith that assures us when or what we will eat next, or what we will do with the rest of the day. Not the kind of faith that keeps us cozy on our couches, with a roof over our heads and a decent car outside to drive that we know God has provided for us. Not the kind of faith that gives us the warm fuzzies, as we sit comfortably in our homes, thankful for the shelter we have, and grateful for that paycheck that we're positive we're getting on Friday. And certainly not the kind of faith that gives us comfort knowing we won't ever have to be 'uncomfortable' if we don't want to. These are not the things that faith is made of. I'm talking about real, concrete, unshaking faith, that if or when we lose everything, our God will always be our rock. The kind of faith that means nothing else but Him matters to us, and the willingness to give all for Him.
My daughter and I couldn't stop talking about how blessed we both felt after driving away from James, about the peace that surrounded him, and about how incredibly strong his faith in God really was. I mean, he truly had nothing, but was one of the most peaceful souls I've ever come across. He knew that he knew who his Saviour was, and he wasn't worried about a thing. He also wasn't ashamed to speak about his relationship! So my question to all of you reading this is, if someone who would appear to have nothing, the downcast of society, the poor and downtrodden, can have that kind of attitude about God's provision in his life, who are we to question God's motives in our own, and how dare we judge or accuse anyone who doesn't meet our standards or requirements at first glance? If you would only really look around you, the presence of God is everywhere, even if those you would least expect. I spoke with Yeshua this morning about this encounter, and this is what I feel He is expressing to us today:
If you only had the faith of a mustard seed My people! You would move mountains! You have been given so much, yet you cling to what you have and give of your surplus instead of your firstfruits! Think of the woman with the mites! She had nothing, pennies to her name, yet she gave her all as a sacrifice for Me, knowing with all of her heart that I would continue to provide for her every need! You have been given so much, especially you in America, but your hearts turn cold when presented with My poor, My lowly people. What have I spoken to you in My Word about this? It is the poor that I came for! It is the outcast, the rejected ones that aren't attractive that I came to minister to, and it is those that I expect you to love. You pray for hearts that are compassionate. You pray for Me to use you mightily for My Kingdom purposes, you pray for boldness and increases in your faith. I hear your prayers, and I do answer them. Just remember, what you have been given does not belong to you. All that is belongs to Me. To some I have given much to utilize in this life, and to some not so much. Either way, that is not the concern. What you should concern yourselves with is what you are doing with that which you have been given. To those who have been given much, I require much. I speak again to you today. Feed My sheep! Minister to My people! Do not expect to be used for My purposes if you are not willing to constantly and continually reach out to the lost and the hurting and the needy! I have placed them everywhere, and placed them strategically. Do not think for a moment that I do not know their hearts intimately or what they are going through. I have numbered the hairs on their heads as I have yours. You are no different than them. You are no better than those who have not been given much. Reach out My people! Reach out your arms of love, give of yourselves, show compassion, show mercy, as you look to Me for these very things daily. If you are ashamed of Me before those about you, I will not recognize you before My Father. Of this, I assure you. Teach them who I am. Talk about Me. Be that extension of Heaven they long for. And don't be surprised like this instance with the man James last night, that I would use someone like this to teach you a lesson. There is much work to be done My daughter in these days. So many to reach out to, and soon, oh so very soon, there will be so many more, so many needing a glimpse of Me. Stand in the purpose for which you were created. Retain your focus. It is not about you! It is about what can be done through you! This is so important. Much of the experiences you are now having in the world are not only preparing you for what is to come, but are also testing you to see where you are being placed in My army. I need leadership. I need those that are so strong, and so committed to My work, and My ways, that nothing else matters. Reach My children, reach out in My love.
Jehovah Jireh
Yeshua, your Provider
Genesis 22:12-14
King James Version (KJV)
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be see
( The Revelation of the Name Jehovah-Jireh, Genesis 22:12-14. The meaning of this name is The Lord Who Provides. The name is literally, The Lord Who Sees, or The Lord Who Will See To It. This is what we long for when we have a need that is personal and special; One who will see to our needs and provide for us. This is what Jehovah-Jireh means; the Lord Who will see to it that my every need is met. One Who knows my need because He sees. One Who is able to meet my need in just the right time as He did for Abraham, and One Who can meet it fully. For Abraham, it was the ram caught in the thicket that was offered in Isaac's place. For us it is whatever we need.)
Matthew 17:20
20 And
Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto
you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this
mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible unto you.
3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 21:1-4
21 And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.
2 And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.3 And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:
4 For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.
Luke 12:48
48 But
he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall
be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will
ask the more.
Matthew 18:11
11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Mark 10:45
45 For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
John 10:10
10 The
thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am
come that they might have life, and that they might have it more
abundantly.