THE PIERCING OF MY HEART

Have you ever been hurt by the words of someone you love? I dare say we all have at some point in time.

There is a line from a popular song that reads something like this..."Shot through the heart and your to blame...you give love a bad name."

Christ calls us to love one another as He loved us. Ephesians 5 tells us to be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us.

John 13:34 states "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you love one another."

Was Christ love conditional??? Not at all.

Colossians 2:13 says "He has forgiven you ALL your trespasses."

Jeremiah 33:8 says " I will pardon all their iniquities."

Isaiah 43:25 states " I even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;And I will NOT REMEMBER them.

Are you holding a grudge with someone? Has someone let you down? Have you decided to cut that person off. No longer consider them to be a friend.

Ephesians 5 states " And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God..." He gave of Himself...is your attitude such that says I'm cutting that person off because there not GIVING TO ME WHAT I NEED?

Reverse that, Christ says we are to give ourselves to them not the other way around.

Like the lyrics from the song are you giving LOVE a bad name? If you call yourself a Christian are you showing forth the Love of Christ; the love that He says will forgive seventy times seven? At what number do you decide to no longer BE A FRIEND?

John 15:12-14- "Greater love has no one than this,to lay down ones life for his friends."

Matt.6:14-15 states " But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses."

Those here on this earth that we love can indeed hurt us but praise God His word tells us
in Isaiah 54:10" For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But my kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,"
Says the Lord, who has MERCY ON YOU.


Has a friend turned their back on you? Take heart the Lord says in Psalms 27:10
"When my father and mother forsake me,
Then the Lord will take care of me."

Has someone you love left you...Hebrews 13:5 Says
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Proverbs 17:17 states...
"A friend LOVES at all times." (not some times)

Be a true friend...Love them as Christ LOVES you!!!

Lord, help me to be that friend.

Stranger at the coffee shop

It was Friday evening and my husband Gene and I decided to visit our local coffee shop just down the street from our house.

Thinking that this would be like countless other nights we had stopped in to visit with friends or simply read a good book and sip on a favorite cup of coffee.

But this night would be different by far from any other night at the local bookstore, this night would forever be a night to remember, a night in which my life would be forever changed once again by the love of the Father.

The night began like any other night as we sat around a table with six other friends just chatting and passing the time.

I didn't see him come in; I don't know where he came from; but suddenly he was there,calling me by my name, calling me out and I stood to my feet and walked over to where he was standing.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

"No." was his reply. He indicated that he need to talk with me.

The area was a bit noisy so I sugessted that we move to some chairs at the back of the store.

We sat face to face and I leaned in close to hear what it was that he had to say.

He began to speak to me about things that had been on my heart for some time, things that I had been asking the Lord about in my life, things that I had spoken to no one about.
He addressed specific issues that I had with the Lord. I told him nothing of myself , I simply listened to him , it was as if the Lord was speaking directly to me through this man.

I could not help but remember what I had said to the Lord just the night before this meeting.

I had been in my bedroom reading my bible and talking with the Lord. I wanted to hear directly from the Lord. I had been wrestling a bit and finally said out loud to the Lord. "Either come and visit me face to face or send an angle or send a stranger but please just speak to me."

And here was a total stranger who knew me by name and spoke to the issues of my heart that I had asked of the Lord.

I knew the Lord had heard me that He had actually answered me and that I would never be the same.

I sense His presence closer then ever before. There is such an awareness of Him. Such a desire to surrender my all to Him. To keep pressing in to Him , closer and closer till I touch Him.

He has touched me and it has both satisfied me and left me hungry for more.


Psalms 34:4 - I sought the LORD , and He answered me.....
34:1 - I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth!

I GLIMPSED GOD'S HEART TODAY

I woke early today and put on a pot of coffee.

I made my way to a little porch just off my kitchen with my first cup,

It's a cozy little porch with a small table at the center, lovely vines climb the columns at the entrance to the porch. There are geraniums on the side of each step planted for their sweet frangrance. Planted just in front of the geraniums are tiny pink rose bushes . One of my favorites.

Just beyond the little porch is a garden; my garden. I take such delight in it. There are over a dozen bird feeders along with bird houses and bird baths.

As I sat with my coffee, I watched as a beautiful red cardinal flew to the large feeded at the center of the garden. I had been out of town and realized that the feeder was probably about empty.

I got up from my comforable chair, left my coffee and went to fill the feeders. WHY? Because I want the birds to keep coming. I take such pleasure in just watching them come and eat.

I sat back down and watched as they came one by one, as if each one that flew off went to tell a friend "The owners back and the feeders are full."

As I sipped my coffee and watched the birds come and partake of the food that I had put out for them, The Lord began to speak to me and I heard the words "COME AND DINE"

In the same way that I had created a garden for my pleasure , to watch the birds, The Lord created us for His own pleasure..He longs for us to come and be in His presence, He has set a table before us.

As I continued to sip my coffee and watch the birds I observed how some birds come and go and some linger. Some grab one seed and leave as fast as they came. Some sit in the middle of the feeder and stay awhile.

I thought how we are like that with God. Sometimes we run to take just what we need and fly away. Back to the business of life and don't go back to God till we need another seed. Others have found the pleasure of lingering a little longer in His presence. Still others have made their home in the birdhouses provided with no desire to leave the garden.

While watching the birds suddenly a song bird began to sing and I can't help but feel that the pleasure that I feel when I hear the song bird sing Is like that of the pleasure that the Lord feels when we sing our praise songs to Him.

There have been mornings when I have sat and did not see a bird in my garden, my heart longed to see just one. I am reminded of the verse where the Lord says that He would have gathered us under His wing but we would not. How He longs for us.

There seem to be many similarities, like the bird that flys to the feeder and finds no food.. How many times have we gone to the Lord and come away feeling like we didn't receive anything, yet like the bird that keeps coming back till the feeder is full again the Lord says to us " Keep knocking and you will receive."

FLY TO JESUS TODAY AND LIKE THE SONG BIRD SING YOUR SONG OF PRAISE TO HIM.

A DAY TO REMEMBER

Today we remember those who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on the World Trade
Towers. On this day seven years ago these two towers crumbled in a cloud of dust. Here you see them pictured with a brilliant light forming a cross. And I am reminded of what scriptures tells us of the spiritual war that we are in.

Ephesians 6:12 says " For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Like the terrorist who want to destroy America , we as Christians have an enemy who is out to destroy us.

1 Peter 5:8 says "Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

Some years ago I had a dream.

Before the world trade center towers fell.

In this dream there were people I knew , friends and people I worked with on one side and on the other side was an army dressed in white. I knew that the army was the Lords army and that I was supposed to be a part of His army.

In the dream I was going back and forth between the two sets of people.

Suddenly there was a war and I found myself on top of a tall building, much like the towers that fell.

The building was shaking out of control and I found myself moving closer and closer to the edge of the building. I was trying to save people and I found myself hanging on to the edge of the building and with that I woke up.

That same morning I got a call from my daughter, Brittany. I could tell from her voice that she was shaken up. She said " mom I had a dream"

For those of you who have never read any of my stories Brittany is my oldest daughter who was prophesied over as a little girl that she would be greatly used of God in the last days. I pondered those words for twenty years till one day she began to have very spiritual dreams and then suddenly she and I were having the same dreams on the same night.

On this particular day that is what happened. She, living across town and with no conversation with me, dreamed the same dream as I had dreamed but she said "Mom, I saw you fall to your death." This is why she was so upset. Where in my dream I woke just before I could fall. She saw me fall.

I was not upset by the dream, I knew it was a dream from the Lord so I just went to him for understanding. I came to believe that the death was a spiritual death. Which is what the Lord ask of each of us.

Luke 9:23-24 states " If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it."

Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.And verse 2 tells us not to be conformed to this world.

In the dream I saw a army dressed in White, many places in the bible Gods word speaks of us being clothed in white. One example is found in Revelation 3:5 which says " He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments and I will not erase his name from the book of life and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angles."

2Timothy 2:3-4 speaks of us as Soldiers of Christ. It reads "Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him."

In the dream I knew that I was to come out from among those who I had been with who were not following Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 " Now we command you brethren,in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us."

In the dream the building was shaking out of control. God's word tells us in Hebrews 12:26 that ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH BUT ALSO THE HEAVENS."

"SEE TO IT THAT YOU DO NOT REFUSE HIM WHO IS SPEAKING for if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from HIM who warns from heaven." Hebrews 12:25

There is a war going on and it is a war for your soul.

BE AGLOW WITH THE SPIRIT

A few years ago I was asked to speak
at a small church about an hour from my home.

It was a small church out from town that I had visited a number of times and was growing to love.

On this particular night after I spoke, a young lady from the service approached me and she had her hand up in front of her eyes as she spoke to me.

She told my she enjoyed the message I gave and when I asked her why she held her hand over her eyes she said

"The light around you is so bright that I can not look at you."

I left that night trying not to give too much thought to what she had said, until it happened again.

Then I was reminded of a time when the Lord first called me to total surrender to Him and how right after that I was in line at a little hot dog stand and the elderly man behind the counter came over to me and said "honey I see your spirit all over you." Now I was questioning what exactly did he see? Did he see what this young lady had seen?

Not long after this I was having dinner at a restaurant here in town. I had been asking the Lord for divine appointments with people. That He would send people to me that He wanted me to tell about Him.

My husband and I were meeting a couple that we only saw once a year for dinner.
We were seated with one friend and were waiting for his girlfriend to arrive, who had been caught in traffic.

When she walked up to the table and sat down we barely said hello and she blurted out to me ...

"when I walked in and saw you, the light around you was so bright that I could hardly look at you."

She went on to say "I just bought a bible and have been asking God to show me the truth and when I saw you I knew that you were going to tell me. "

With that the guys excused them selves from the table and I moved closer to her and began to share the gospel with her. I told her how Jesus had come, born of a virgin. That He suffered and died on a cross to pay for our sins, and that He rose from the grave and that He did all this because of His love for us. And right there at the table she bowed her head and asked Christ to come into her heart and save her.

Talk about a divine appointment!!!

The boys came back in , we had our dinner and went our separate ways. The next week she began attending church and is now walking out the life plan that God has for her.

There are a number of verses in the bible that tell us of people who had a radiant face that was visible to those around them.

Acts 6:15 tells us that Stephen face had the appearance of the face of an angel and that all who sat in the council were able to see it.

Exodus 34:29 says " When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams ..."

Romans 12:11 tells us " Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor :BE AGLOW AND BURNING WITH THE SPIRIT serving the Lord."

Ephesians 5 tells us to be imitators of God. This chapter talks much about the light of the Lord. Verse 14 says " Therefore He says AWAKE O SLEEPER and arise from the dead and Christ shall SHINE upon you and give you light.

Verse 8 states " For once you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord walk as children of Light (lead the lives of those native-born to the Light)

My hearts desire is to boldly proclaim Christ to the world. I continue to pray for divine appointments. I pray that as you read this if you have never asked Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior that this moment in time is your divine appointment. You are- not here by accident. God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.
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John 3:16- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in (trust in ,relies on) Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

ROMANS 3:23 " All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin in death."

Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

1Corinthians 15:3-6 "Christ died for our sins, He was buried, He was raised on the 3rd day according to the scriptures, He appeared to Peter then to the 12, after that He appeared to more than 500."

John 14:6 Jesus said to him "I am the way and the truth and the life NO one comes to the father but through me."

1John 1:12 "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."

Ephesians 2:8-9 " By grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourself, it is a gift of God, not as a result of works that no one should boast."

Revelations 3:20" Christ speaking "Behold I stand at the door and knock, if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him.

1John 5:11-13 God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the son of God does not have life. these things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may KNOW (NOT HOPE) THAT YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

If you prayed to receive Christ you have just begun the great adventure!!!!


GOD BLESS.

ARE YOU A MISFIT?

Do you ever fill like a

Misfit?????????????

I do...

Imagine how Joseph must have felt.

God gave Joseph Dreams.

(sound familiar to any of you?)


Joseph in his excitement I'm sure ran to tell his brothers. Not stopping to think how they might respond.

Genesis 37 tells us that Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers and they hated him all the more for what he said.

Did God stop giving Joseph dreams in fear he might get hurt by what his brothers said?
....NO....

Verse 9 if Genesis 37 tell us that God gave Joseph yet another dream and once again Joseph ran to tell his brothers.

This time the scripture tells us that Joseph's father rebuked him. Joseph I'm sure continued to share with his family all that the Lord was telling him. And things seemed to only get worse. The brothers conspired to kill Joseph, but God had a PLAN. The brothers end up selling Joseph into slavery

From the place of slavery, to the prison dungeons God raises Joseph up to be over all of Egypt and Joseph's dreams do come true.

And consider this the next time God tells you something that takes awhile to come to pass, Joseph's dreams took years to come to pass. GOD IS NOT BEHIND TIME ON ANYTHING HE GIVES YOU...HE CAN BE TRUSTED!

Many times God calls us to a task in this life that carries with it situations that are not always pleasant . In fact many of us feel like Misfits... Some times the words spoken to us feel like stones, and the bruises stay around for awhile. But God soothes our hurts. And the excitement of knowing Him...of hearing His voice...and following Him far out way the pain!

Next time someones words are coming at you like stones remember what Jesus endured and the words He tells us in Hebrews 12:3 "Just think of Him who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself(consider it in comparison with your trial) SO THAT you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds."

I write these words tonight for those of you like me whose coat of many colors (whatever robe the Lord has placed on you) is looking a little torn and tattered from the stones that have been hurled at you from the mouth of others..Say with me what Jesus said "Father forgive them, they know not what they do."

THE WOMAN AT THE WELL----SPA

I was given a gift certificate for a massage at a local spa.

I called to book the appointment. "Would you like to make your appointment with any particular person? " the receptionist asked."No" I replied. Little did I know that God had prearranged this meeting and He had a particular person in mind.

When I arrived at the spa I was taken to a room given a robe and shown a table to lie on and that the therapist would come in when I was ready.

I crawled up on the table, there was a knock at the door. "Are you ready?" Asked the therapist.
"Yes" I replied. But what happened next I don't know if either one of us knew we were ready for.

In walked a young lady in the last month of her pregnancy. As she extended her hand to begin the massage the Holy Spirit began to speak to me.

The moment that she put her hand on me I began to see her life.

I could tell you that she was carrying a baby boy with her womb. I could see a vision of a little girl that she had at home.

I began to see her family members and details about what was happening in her life.

I saw that her little girl was having visitations from angles at night.

The Lord went on to reveal detail for me to be able to give her a word of comfort that she had been crying out to the Lord for.

She had been married to another man who was the father of this little girl and they were now divorced. He had been threatening to take this little girl from her mother because he did not want her raised in a Christian home. The mother was afraid that he would take the little girl.

I was able to tell her all that I saw and assure her that God has her protected. She wept with joy.

When I was finished with my massage, she told me that the night before I came in that she had a dream that a woman she had never met that she was serving began to tell her all
about her live, and helped her. Just as had happened when I came in that day. She also confirmed all that I had spoken to her, every detail. She did have a little girl at home. She went on to say that each morning the little girl would come to breakfast and tell of the angles that were coming to see her. She confirmed that she was indeed carrying a baby boy in her womb.
She asked me to write it all down for her and I did. She was so excited that God had answered her cry.

She was hurting and was crying out for the Lord and He heard her.

He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

In John 4 a woman of Samaria came to draw water from the well.

Jesus met her at that well and there He told her all about her life. She knowing that He was a stranger to her perceived Him to be a prophet.
Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah.
Christ the Lord.

Jesus had her attention. How could He know these things about me, she must have asked her self.

Jesus told her "The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth."( John 4:23-24)

God's word tells us that we have the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. That same Spirit dwells within me.

The Spirit is all knowing. God's word says that He (the Spirit) will lead us into all truth.

John 14:12
Jesus tell us " I ASSURE you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone STEADFASTLY BELIEVES IN ME, he will HIMSELF be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these because I go to the father." ( and sends the Spirit to US )

John 16:13
But when He the Spirit comes...He will TELL YOU whatever He hears from the Father (He will give the message that has been given to Him) He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)

Genesis 18:14
Is anything to hard for the Lord

THE PURE ROAD

Early one morning, while visiting a dear friend at the beach, God gave me a vision.

I was out on the deck overlooking the beach.
I was praising the Lord and began to ask the Lord what He would like to speak to me on that particular day.
As I was praying the Lord showed me a clock with the time displayed at 6:15. He showed me other things and I journaled them in my notebook.

As the day went on I visited with my friend till it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes and I started out on what was a familiar four hour drive home. While driving my usual habit is to spend time praising the Lord and I usually begin my drive by asking the Lord to show me something with my physical eyes and speak to me in my spirit. A couple of hours down the road and lost in conversation with the Lord I suddenly heard very clearly in my spirit "look at the clock" and at the moment that I did the clock said 6:15 just as I had seen in the vision earlier that morning. As I raised my head my eyes fell on a little old country road sign that said "PURE ROAD" and it was on the corner of a small old PURE gas station. As I continued to drive the Lord began to speak to me about Matthew 5:8 which says

" Blessed are the PURE in heart for they shall SEE God."

My heart had been crying out to the Lord for a number of years. "I want to see you Lord." The Lord had been purifying me over the years as I had been seeking His face.

I woke the next morning and headed to a tennis match across town. As I left the club that day I began my usual request :

"Lord show me something with my physical eyes and speak to my spirit."

No sooner had I finished saying those words that I looked up and there in front of my eyes was a very large billboard with giant letters saying nothing but "KEEP IT PURE". My heart cried "I hear you Lord." The next day in a totally different part of town after leaving a bible study I again asked the Lord "show me something with my physical eyes and speak to my spirit." And again I looked up and there above my car was another large billboard with only the words "KEEP IT PURE." Now I'm laughing...saying "thank you Lord...Purify me Lord."

The next day my husband and I head out to go back to our little place at the beach. And as usual I ask the Lord to speak to me. We had been on the road for just a little while when I heard the Lord speak to me in my spirit and say when you get to the little PURE gas station look at the clock. As soon as I saw the gas station the clock said 1:33 and he said look at the PURE ROAD sign again. This time I noticed that the sign that was joined to the PURE ROAD was road 331. I had not noticed it the first time. The Lord spoke to me about the road numbers being 331 and the time being the same number in reverse 133. There was a whole message in that which He began to unfold, but still the message was the same "stay on the PURE ROAD."

Later that evening as I went to spend time with the Lord , I went to pick up my bible and as I reached for the bible I hear the Lord say in a very clear voice "Charlot do you want to KNOW that it is really Me speaking with you and telling you to walk the PURE ROAD?" He said "then pick up the book under your bible," My Utmost for His Highest " and look and the scripture reading for today. I opened it up and the verse was Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the PURE in heart for they shall SEE God.

Just telling this story again blesses me. To know that as I type these words He is right here with me. And as you read these very words He is right there with you waiting to talk to you. We were created to fellowship with the Lord.

Ask Him to speak to you and then listen for His still small voice.

LITTLE VISIONS

In the previous story, I told you how the Lord opened up a job for me for which I had no training. The job was as a freelance prop master where my job was to meet with the director and producer and discuss the scene in a television commercial and occasional movie . My job as prop master was to go out and find all of the props needed to create the scene for which the director described to me. I stayed in that job for some twelve years. There were many opportunities for me to see the hand of God, for there were many situations where I needed Him. Many of these situations began with stress and ended with praise. In this particular job often I would have a producer come in from out of town and demand some rather unusual items to be brought to the set . On this particular shoot we were working with Michael Jordan at the Talladega Race Track. This particular director wanted an old bicycle built for two, a particular color, make and model. And of course he wanted it yesterday. When shooting a commercial where they were spending this kind of money on an hourly rate, you did not want to be the one to hold things up. The moment that the director asked for me to find this item, I went to my car and began to pray. I asked the Lord to show me where I could find this bicycle that the director was requesting and as I prayed I had a vision of a particular spot across town. I cranked up my car and drove to that spot and as I pulled up to park my car a lady crossed in front of my car with that exact bicycle. The very make, model and color. I quickly got out of the car and introduced myself to her and explained my job. I asked her if she would be willing to rent the bike to me for a couple of days for considerable amount of money. She agreed. You can call it coincident...I call it God. Especially since it kept happening. As time went on and I continued to seek the Lord diligently the visions grew from little moments where I needed Him and He showed up to Visions for other people whom I was asked to pray for. Often times for other people that I had never met. One such story God used to draw me into an area now where I am involved in praying for something world wide. We will, I'm sure get to that story in God's time.
This particular vision was for a woman in Washington whom as I've stated I have never met.
I received a phone call early one morning after just dropping my daughter off at school. In this phone call I was asked to pray for a woman but was told that they felt led to only give me her name. Well I did not know if she was young, old , sick , in need of a job, it simply could of been anything. But as I was driving at the mention of her name I began to have a vision in front of my eyes (yes my eyes were open...i was still driving the car) This was a first, usually I was in prayer at home alone when the Lord would show me things. I relayed the vision to the person on the phone and told them that when I got home I would get alone and pray and if the Lord gave me more that I would call. Well about two days later I was blown away. I could see so much detail of her life that there was no way I could see on my own. I could see that she was in a second marriage and that she had two children that had been taken from her by her first husband but the Lord showed me that they were coming back to her. I could see both her first and second husband in detail, description of how they looked and such things for example as that I knew that they were pilots. God showed me what I needed to see to pass on to her through the other party who asked me to pray. I asked the Lord to give me scripture to confirm that I was to pass this on to her and He did. Basically the message was that God loved her and He was with her. That He was in control and her children would be coming back to her. The next week I was forwarded a piece of a message that the woman I had prayed for had sent to her friends and in that email she told them how that when she had walked into the court on Monday that she had a peace that God was indeed with her and that she would get her children back because a woman who had prayed for her who only knew her name was given revelation of her entire situation and confirmed that the Lord was returning her children to her. She left that courtroom with custody of her children and praise in her heart. I was grateful that the Lord used me to help that particular woman but often I think it did more for me that it did for her. You can't experience something like that and not be changed. I continued to seek the Lord and He continued to show Himself .
From the time my children were born I have prayed for them. When my oldest daughter, Brittany was a little girl, around the age of two. We had an encounter with someone that stayed with me for over twenty years. While out shopping at an antique mall one afternoon I met a man who told me things about my life that at the time I did not understand how he could know.
(until as my relationship with the Lord grew and I began to find myself in situations with strangers and the Lord would tell me what to say to them) Each thing that this man would tell me he would begin by saying "I am led of the Lord to tell you" and he would proceed to tell me things, (another story for another day) anyway at the end of our meeting he said " I am led of the Lord to tell you that your children will be greatly used of God in the Last days." With that he disappeared, ok not in front of my eyes but he did walk to the side of the building where it was wooded and when I walked around the building to see where he went he was no where to be found. I pondered those words for twenty years until one day when I got a phone call from Brittany who lived on the other side of town and she told me of a dream that she had, it was a very spiritual dream and not long after her first dream she and I began to have the same dreams on the same night with no conversation before hand. One dream that we both experienced on the same night was simply that we both saw water come up in the same spot in Alabama and cover the entire world. When I woke I knew that it was a spiritual dream and asked the Lord what it meant. I said Lord I know from your word that you will never again cover the world with water to destroy us so what does this dream mean. I immediately heard clearly Habakkuk 2:14 . Well I don't know that I had ever read the book of Habakkuk much less be able to tell you what the verse said but when I looked it up it indeed confirmed my dream. The verse says " But the time is coming when the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Not long after looking up the verse my phone rang and it was Brittany and she said "mom, I had a dream" and she began to describe the same dream that I had . Once again you can call it coincident but I call it God. I have no doubt that this is where we are headed. And I simply can't wait for the day. Until then, I'll keep sharing my little stories with you in hopes to encourage you to be a God Chaser...if your not already.

YOU CAN'T OUT GIVE GOD

This is one of my favorite stories to tell,and even though it happened many years ago I do believe that I am still feeling the effects of it to this day.
For those of you who are just joining us and have not read any of my earlier stories we were talking about a time when things were difficult . There was little if any money and four mouths to feed. But I wouldn't trade those hard times for anything because that was beginning of seeing God in a tangible way in my life.
This day began with with all the signs of being one of those difficult days. I awoke to find that our phone had been disconnected. I had been doing all sorts of odd jobs to try to make ends meet while at home raising four children.
I got a neighbor to watch the kids and made what was becoming a familiar trip downtown to have some service reconnected. While driving downtown I began to talk with the Lord. And oddly enough He began to talk back. I mean really talk back. Well ok, the voice was as clear as if He were sitting in the seat next to me. I heard Him very clearly say to me."Charlot you know that money you have put back to pay the other bills, I want you to give it to a church, not your church but I will show you. I continued to drive and parked the car in a lot downtown. I got out and walked around the building to my destination. As I rounded the corner , I saw a man standing out on the sidewalk passing out tracks. I had seen him before and on occasion we had spoken. This particular day as I asked how he was he began to share with me how the Lord had blessed him and he said that he was opening a little church for all the people he had led to the Lord on the street over the years. As he spoke I clearly heard the Lord say "Charlot, this is the church that I want you to give your money to. So I opened my wallet and gave this man all the cash that I had saved and He thanked me as I turned to go. I went into the place of business and as I was standing in the long line, it was as if the Lord walked up and tapped me on the shoulder and said "Charlot you were not obedient, I asked you to give it all." So I turned and walked back out side and back up to the man . I took out all of the checks that I had and signed them over to him. This sweet big man put his hands on my shoulders and began to pray and he told me to watch out that God was about to open the windows of heaven. He once again thanked me and I headed home. Well I did not give the money to get anything in return but like I said you can't out give God. That very night while I was sharing a salad at a restaurant because that was all we could afford I found a very large stack of money on the floor. I contacted the employees and they could find no one that claimed it so I was able to keep it. With in a week I had a job that ended up paying me $400,00 a day plus all my expenses. A job that I had no training for and others who had gone to school in that field kept telling my "you don't understand this just doesn't happen to which I would always reply " You don't understand ...My God is big." I ended up working in that freelance job for 12 years and have so many God stories where God showed Himself supernaturally that I wrote a little book filled with my favorite ones. I hope you enjoyed this one tonight. Lord willing I will share another with you tomorrow. Nite all

HEARING GOD'S VOICE

Well I finally managed to get my first blog posted around 4am this morning..I think I got 3 hours of sleep. For those of you out there like me- clueless about computers- don't try to set up your first blog site and facebook all in the same night. Seriously I had so much fun with facebook catching up with old friends; hearing there own God Stories. One from Tracy about her son Kyle brought tears to my eyes . I"ll ask her if I can share it with you all.
Yesterday I shared with you how my journey began with wanting to know God and to hear His voice after hearing the story of Abraham in the bible. As I continued to search the scriptures I found that there are a number of verses that tell us we will hear his voice. John 10:3 says we hear His voice and come to Him. He calls us by name and leads us. Abraham followed God not knowing where he was going. I told the Lord " I will go anywhere, say anything, do anything, I'm yours. total surrender. One of my strongest memories of hearing the Lord speak to me clearly was when my boys Brock and Tyler were little. One rainy afternoon, I was sitting on my front porch waiting for the boys to be dropped off after school. I was in a carpool with my neighbor and it was her day to pick up from school. While sitting there I heard His voice, within my spirit say "Charlot, Tyler will not be coming home from school today." Tyler was in kindergarten at the time and was due home soon. I had a deep peace within but knew it was truth. Within moments the phone rang and it was my neighbor calling to say "I don't want you to panic but we can't fine Tyler." As I drove to the school I had a peace that I could not explain and fully expected to find Tyler standing outside the school when I arrived, but he was not. There in front of the school was the principal and a few teachers; everyone else had gone home. They explained to me how that Tyler's class had a substitute teacher that day and she had gone home unaware that Tyler was even missing. For all they knew he could of been missing since recess. They told me they had searched the building but he was no where to be found. Still I couldn't explain the peace I had. As we were standing in front of the school another teacher went back into Tyler's
room for another look. There in the corner of the room, inside a little playhouse was my Tyler fast asleep. She did not wake him but came out to give me the news and when she did I collapsed in her arms in tears. He was indeed safe. God was gracious to tell me ahead of time what I was about to encounter. He held my heart and assured me all was okay. I love hearing the voice of God. Once you hear it you want to be so sensitive to listening for Him. Not wanting to miss anything He had to say, I began to fine tune my ears. He began to fine tune my life. ..............................

BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING

Today when at bible study I found myself sharing stories of how God had made Himself real to me over the years . As I shared these stories people were asking me if I had a copy of a little book that I had put together with many of the first stories. I had been feeling that it was time to write a second little book of all the new stories I wanted to share. At dinner tonight my kids were telling me about blogs and I thought this might be a new way to share my stories. So for those of you who are out there and listening I hope these stories bless you and reach you on what ever level you find yourself tonight.
For those of you who have never heard any of my stories I will begin at the beginning which as Pooh says is a very good place to begin. It was a dark and stormy night, no wait thats another story. My dad used to tell us that story over and over when we were little, but as we grew dad began to tell us stories from the bible. One story stayed with me over the years, it was the story of Abraham, the friend of God. What struck me most about this story was that Abraham had a meal with God, God talked with him. I would read stories from the Bible that were very powerful and yet did not really see that power in the world in which I lived. So I began to inquire as to where that power was today. As I began my search the verse God gave me was Hebrews 11:6 which states that those who come to God must believe that He exist and that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And so began my journey. I told the Lord that I wanted to know Him on that level, like Abraham, no matter what it took ; if it meant losing everything!
My marriage that had been unraveling for years was now completely coming apart. I spent hours alone with the Lord seeking to know Him. As time went on we faced times with no money to pay the bills or to buy groceries. This is when God began to show up. God was teaching me to trust Him and be specific and one morning when I awoke to find that there was no milk in the house for my four children I dropped to my knees in my den and told the Lord that I needed milk right then. I got up and went out to the driveway to get some papers from my car and my neighbor opened her window and said to me "we're going to the beach for two weeks and I have a new gallon on milk could you use it? God met the need for milk for my children in the moment but far beyond that God met the need in my soul to know Him. We had begun a real relationship and there was no turning back for me. As time went on the relationship grew sweeter and the stories bigger. And I will tell you more...tomorrow....goodnight all.

COMMON SENSE OR FAITH ?

If you asked me which I'd rather have I'd choose FAITH every time!

Was it COMMON SENSE OR FAITH that took down the giant Goliath?

David who was just a young boy ran to the battle. There he found grown men dressed for battle but not entering into the battle. They were afraid of the giant. David quickly agreed to fight the giant. Those around him would be quick to say you can't do that. In 1 Samuel 17:33 King Saul said to David "You are not able to go against the giant to fight with him; for you are a youth , and he a man of war from his youth...IT DID NOT MAKE COMMON SENSE... verse 28 tells us that even his own brothers got ANGRY with David.

Yet the story goes on to tell us that David not only killed the giant but he did it with a sling shot and a stone. David told the giant who was mocking him "you come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of Host. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. And He did.

Was it COMMON SENSE OR FAITH for Noah to build the ark?

Can't you just hear the people saying to Noah " It doesn't make sense Noah, why are you building a boat. The people had never seen rain. Yet Noah build a boat and the rains came.

Was it COMMON SENSE OR FAITH that cause Abraham to place his son on the alter?

Abraham and Issac went to the mountain alone that morning. Abraham told the others to stay behind. Had they gone up the mountain with Abraham he may have very well heard them say " Abraham God gave you common sense, surely this is not what God would want. It just doesn't make sense.

God's word tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:27 " But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. 2 Corinthians 2:5 states that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the POWER of God.

My favorite verse is Hebrews 11:6 which states that without FAITH it is impossible to please God.

Hebrews chapter 11 begins by saying that FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things NOT SEEN

Webster's dictionary defines FAITH as "Unquestioning belief in God, complete trust or confidence.

Webster's dictionary defines COMMON SENSE as "good sense or practical judgment."

To break it down further the word COMMON is defined as "shared by all, widespread."
(God's word says the road is narrow and FEW there be who find it)

And the word SENSE is defined as "normal intelligence and judgment: receiving of sense impressions through body organs such as hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell.

I don't want to be COMMON.

I don't want to be of the mindset of the common which is shared by all, like those who surrounded the giant and did nothing. I want to be a David who will go up against the giants in our life no matter what that giant looks like to the natural eye.

"That I may PROCLAIM with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all your wondrous works'
Psalm 26:7

DEAR SIMON....

The words that I had been hearing from somewhere deep inside were now forming on my lips.
"I can't go on. I can't go one more day; not one more step!" I was there. I had come to the end of myself. I knelt by my bed and asked God to please take my life, don't let me wake up I said. I was crying out for help. I had cried out before, and though it seems He is sometimes silent, He is there. He is listening and help is one the way.

I crawled into my bed. My pillow now wet with tears, unable to sleep, I picked up a small thin paperback that I had purchased at the grocery store earlier that evening. It had been a horrible day, I had left work at my lunch hour and was unable to return because I simply could not stop crying. I had reached my breaking point. My burdens were now more than I could carry. I left in tears barely able to drive and made my way to the church, hoping to find someone to talk with but found no one there at that time.

I drove to the grocery store to pick up some steamed shrimp and a baked potato ; as was my usual custom on the weekends when my husband would have the kids. We were separated and in the middle of what would become a three year long divorce battle. On those weekends I would sit alone in my little apartment and watch a movie while eating my shrimp. And for a few hours I was able to take the focus off my situation and loose myself in a movie.

I would do ok until the movie was over and it was time to go to bed. Then the thoughts and fears would creep back in and I would find myself consumed with the fear of loosing my children in the trial.

I had moved out of our home. I was living in a small apartment with my four children and found myself the sole provider. During those years leading up to the trial I did not receive any financial help from my husband for the children. We were married for fifteen years before the separation. I had stayed home to raise the children and for the majority of those years I did not work outside of the home. I had one year of Bible college that did not leave me much opportunity for a career.

There were so many responsibilities; from taking the kids to school every morning and picking them up every afternoon. Along with all of the other activities that kids are involved in. We lived in a neighborhood where three out of the four of my children attended different schools for which there were not school buses. So I sat in long lines at three schools every morning and every afternoon. While I tried to maintain a job, prepare for court, cook the meals, wash the clothes; and not to mention things like trips to the doctors office, the dentist office, field trips and my favorite...that midnight trip to Wal-mart because someone forgot something that they absolutely had to have before school the next day. The List was endless.

The greatest burden seemed to be financial, or maybe it was just everything all rolled together and sitting atop my shoulders. For whatever reason this particular day I had come to the end of myself and while in the grocery store this little book had caught my eye. I can't tell you what the name of the book was, I don't remember; but I can tell you that it had some message of hope on the cover that compelled me to pick it up. So with my last dollar I bought it.

That night as I began to read, one statement jumped off the page and into my heart. The author told the story from the bible in which Christ was carrying His cross to Calvary. How He stumbled under the weight of it. Christ, like myself had been beaten down and could not go another step. But just at that moment a man named Simon stepped in and carried His cross for Him. The author went on to say "watch and see, when your in your darkest hour and you can't go one more step; God will send your Simon." I was suddenly filled with overwhelming hope. I received it in my spirit. I knew that God had heard me and that my Simon was indeed on the way. I was able to return to work the next day, I had told no one what I had experienced the night before.
The next afternoon the phone rang and it was my sister-in-law, Lee. She asked me if I would gather all of my bills and monthly expenses and bring everything to her house that night. I said I would.

That night when I arrived at her home, I found that she had called all of by brothers and sisters along with their spouses to her home for a meeting, before I was due to arrive. When I came in they asked me to give them all of my bills. They told me that they loved me and how they had decided as a group to take over all of my bills; all of my monthly payments and whatever else I or the children might need they would provide. At the end of the meeting they told me that my instructions were to lay back in the arms of Jesus and relax. Even now as I type those words these many years later it brings tears to my eyes. I left there that night without the burden on my shoulders,with hope in my heart and a song of praise on my lips. That night as I got on my knees and thanked God for what had happened I suddenly remembered the Simon story I had read the night before and knew that God had indeed sent me my own Simon to carry the burden for me.. I got up and began writing a thank you letter to my Simon and this is what it said.

Dear Simon,(Rick& Lee - Bill& Julie - John& Jennie - Sonny& Debbie - Mark & Angie - Mom & Dad) In Matthew we read the story of Christ carrying His cross to Calvary. The story tells us of how the weight of His cross became more than Christ could carry in His own flesh. How Jesus stumbled and fell under the weight of His own cross. Weakened from the beatings he had received, he was physically unable to carry his cross any further. At that moment Simon of Cryrene stepped in to carry it for Him. It gives me great hope to know that Jesus understands when our cross or our load becomes to heavy for us to carry all alone. To know that Jesus knows what it feels like to be pressed to this point.

God could have supernaturally lifted the cross and magically levitated it all the way to Calvary, but He did not. Yet God put Simon there, ready to play his part . God was not caught by surprise when His son could no longer carry His cross. God knows that not one of us can carry it all in our own strength. Jesus tells us in John 15:5 "without Me you can do nothing." So He ask us to take up our cross and struggle on with them until we learn that it is not by our might nor our power nor our strength,but it is by His power. This is what the Bible means when it says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. His strength is our hope. The cross is meant to break us,to drain us of all human effort apart from Him. God can not take over until we come to the point where we cry "God I am to weak to do this in my own power, my strength is gone...Help."
For over a month I prayed specifically "Lord I want to be debt free. I can no longer carry this burden alone." On Monday of last week I fell under the burden of my cross, I cried "Lord I don't want to go on anymore, let this world pass me by. Let my dreams all fade and let me be nothing but an obedient servant Take over Lord and lift my load." This is when the Lord stepped in and whispered "Let me carry your load, and God sent you, my Simon. I love you all and as I write this the tears fall for I fear you will never know what you have done for me. The Love of God manifest itself in you.

I made copies of the letter, rolled them up and tied a ribbon around each one. I drove to each house that night and put the letter in their mailboxes.
For over a year they carried my cross and I saw the love of God in them. Those were hard times, hard years for me but I would not trade them. For out of the depths of pain flowed the depths of love. Don't miss an opportunity to experience Gods love for you, take it all to the foot of the cross, give it to Him, He's familiar with our sufferings and He is there, waiting and watching for you.

TAKE UP THE KNIFE

Death never felt so good.

Ok, I'm talking in spiritual terms for those of you who are shaking your heads at my opening line. For those of you who understand about death to your flesh you'll understand this next question. What takes us so long? We know God's word is true yet we hold back at times when we should dive in. Some how we think that if we hold on to these little areas in our life that it will make us happy. And it might for a moment, but ultimately it will become the very thing that robs our joy. Our flesh may be enjoying it but there is no real inner peace. It's a lousy substitute for the real thing. The way to life is by way of death. Not just life in the sweet bye and bye but now, here on this earth. There's a line in the movie Braveheart that says " All men die but not all men really live." I love that line. So much of our lives where we think that we're really living, is just a poor substitute to the abundant life that Christ promised to us. I find that when it's all about me, and whats on my list of whats important and whats not, thats when I am the most miserable .

Yesterday I was leaving my house with my little list of errands and feeling like there was not enough time in the day to do all I wanted to do and I was feeling a bit low. I hadn't gotten out of my neighborhood when my cell phone rang. It was a neighbor of mine from the beach. Her daughter had seen a color in my beach house and had asked if I would try to find the name of the color for her. To do that I would have to go to the store where I bought the paint and look through all the similar colors in hopes of determining which one it was. My flesh which was trying to raise its ugly head by this point and was telling me how easy it would be to say I would try to get around to it but I'm pretty busy at the moment. I found my self reciting an old saying that hung on my mothers wall all my life growing up. I could recite the first line, "If your life is unselfish, if for others you live," but for some reason the rest would not come. It didn't matter, I knew enough of the word of God. I could draw from any number of scriptures like the one that says " If someone asks for your shirt give him your coat too. " If he asks you to walk a mile with him , walk two. I knew in my heart what the Spirit would have me do I just had to take out the knife and cut off the old flesh. It was amazing what happened the moment I took up the knife and delivered the first blow. I was flooded with joy , I had a whole new outlook on my day. When I changed my plans to help someone else I found real joy. The popular saying you see on everything now days that reads " Its all about me" is a lie from the pit of hell. I want my teeshirt to read " Its not about me, never has been , never will be.

I want my life to be about Jesus, to glorify Him. When others look and me I don't want them to see me, I want them to see Jesus.

THE PURPOSE OF A VISION

Occasionally I am asked what purpose does a vision serve. I think there may be several different reasons God gives us visions. I know that there are times when I am given a vision to pray for the protection of others, often strangers.

Here is one such story:

The Lord had been speaking to me for some time about what it means to take up the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17) He taught me that Jesus spoke the Word out loud and took authority over many situations. I had been hearing the Lord ask me to be willing to open my mouth and speak when He asked me to and not be concerned about what others around me thought of me.

On this particular morning I got up very early to sit with the Lord. As I sat in praise, the Lord began to give me a vision. It began with a digital clock posting a specific time. After he showed me the clock I began to have a very clear vision of a man walking into a school alone. I could draw the school. Next I saw him go into a classroom and line the children up against the chalkboard. I saw his weapons. And a number of other things. Finally I saw him lying dead. I knew that although I did not have all the details God did and I knew that I was to pray for the protection of those children..So I began to pray and I prayed until I felt released to get up. I was going through my morning chores and went to back my car out of the garage to clean it. As I backed out on the driveway and went to put the car in park my eyes fell on the clock. It was the exact time that I had seen in the vision earlier that morning and I knew what the Lord wanted me to do. I put the car in park and stepped out onto the driveway. And then with a very loud voice I began to do warfare for those children. Praying against any weapon formed against them, covering them in the blood of Jesus, claiming their protection. I can only imagine what my neighbors must of thought seeing me standing in my driveway ,shouting to the top of my lungs, But it didn't matter, this was what the Lord asked me to do.

We simply need to obey not asking why or being concerned about what others might think of us.

Later that same day while over at my sisters house helping one of her children with homework on the computer we came across the news that a man had entered a school in Colorado and the story played out just like I had drawn it in my journal that morning. Children's lives were spared. I will never know exactly what took place at the exact moment that the Lord showed me the clock and had me do warfare. But when I saw the news of the children that he had released I praised God for allowing me to intercede on behalf of those children.

Aren't you glad Jesus intercedes for us.

A HAMMER AND A NAIL

I have often described myself as feeling like Noah, you remember him, he' the one in the bible that the Lord asked him to build the ark.

God told Noah that there was going to be a flood. The people had never even seen rain. Yet here was faithful Noah out in his yard daily hammering away. God had asked Noah to believe something that seemed impossible. I can only imagine what Noah must have endured from those who watched. Would he give in to the pressure of the words he must have heard. The looks. What about his own mind. I'm sure there were many days when he asked himself " did I hear God right?" And as the days drew out and still no sign of rain did he question God? Did he ask God to confirm that this what indeed what He planned to do?

I shared with you yesterday about the beginnings of my little visions and how they grew to the point where I have carried one in particular that the Lord has asked me to believe what seems to be the impossible to most people. One that could have a world wide effect. When God gave me this vision, He confirmed it to me absolutely. And I was very specific on how I asked Him to confirm it. This particular vision is for a specific time and though it has not come to pass yet He has assured me that it will.

In the mean time He gave me the verse from Habakkuk 2:3 which states:

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end (fulfillment); it will NOT deceive or disappoint. THOUGH IT TARRY, WAIT (earnestly) for it because it will surely come, it will NOT be behindhand on its appointed day"

Over time I have shared this vision with those who the Lord has allowed me to share with. But as months go by and still it has not come to pass, there are times when I ask the Lord to once again to reassure me that He is indeed bringing this vision to pass. Each time I get a little weak in my faith due to the time frame; yet He is always faithful to reassure me that It is He who is leading me. And the way He always seems to do that is to give me visions that come to pass quickly usually within days. Sometimes even the very same day. It had been months and He had not spoken to me any thing new on the original vision...just wait on Him.

So once again ,being the gracious God that He is and knowing just what I needed, He spoke again. This time it was through a dream. It was the night before the earthquake in China. Through the dreams that night the Lord showed me the earthquake and then revealed to me through the dreams that same night that Ted Kennedy has a brain tumor on the left side of his brain. There were other factors to the dream of which the Lord showed me things taking place but when I awoke to find that there has indeed been an earthquake in China and within the week Ted Kennedy did indeed have a brain tumor on the left side of his brain. Once again I'm assured that as the scriptures state God reveals the secret things.

And once again I pick up my hammer and nail and get back to work.

STRANGER OR ANGEL?

Strangers.

We all encounter them.

Everywhere, everyday. In the grocery store. In line at the bank. The table next to us at a restaurant. But have you ever met someone where the meeting was such that it left you wondering?

Hebrews 13:2 says " Do not forget or neglect or refuse to extend hospitality to strangers(being friendly, cordial,and gracious) for through it some have entertained angels without knowing it."

This is one such story of a meeting that forever changed my life. From the moment that I met this stranger and what took place I have never been the same.

It was early evening and I had just put away the dish's and put the kids to bed. I ran just up the street to a local mall to exchange a pair or shoes. As I entered the store I sensed that something was different. I could feel the emptiness around me. I saw no one and heard no sounds. I took the escalator to the top floor.

Still I saw no one.

I passed through the cosmetics, down the isle with the jewelry and over into the shoe department.

Still no one.

I stood at the register with my little shoe box and waited. Suddenly there was a lady standing in front of me on the other side of the counter. I did not see her come up. She began to engage me in conversation and explained that the sales lady was in the back getting a pair of shoes for her and would return momentarily. She continued to talk with me and at one point she reached across the counter and placed her hand on mine and when she did it was as if she knew all about me. She knew with out my telling her a thing that I was in a hurting marriage and she told me things about myself that I was not sure how she knew.

She talked and I listened, she certainly had my attention.

As she talked the sales lady came and took care of my return. When we were both finished in the shoe department this stranger asked me if I would like to get a cup of coffee.

I could not say no.

I wanted to know how she knew about me; I wanted to hear what she had to say to me. Her countenance was sweet and gentle. She was kind and her words were some how soothing to my hurting heart. As we sat with our coffee and talked I began to open up and share with her. I shared with her how she was correct in that my marriage was falling apart and went on to share with her how I had been searching for the Lord.

I grew up in the church and had accepted the Lord but there was something missing and I would not rest until I found out what it was. I had been crying out to the Lord to show me, to help me. At this point the stranger asked me if I would like to go outside and she would pray for me. I walked outside the mall and there on the curb in the parking lot out side of J.C. Penny she prayed for me. If you knew me at all , you would know that what I did next was so out of character.

When she finished praying , without thinking I turned to her and said "well that just did me no good at all."

WOW..did that really just come out of my mouth. I had been on a desperate search and this encounter was so out of the ordinary that my hopes were high, I was truly expecting God to show up and fix me. Well, I no sooner got the words out of my mouth then the woman slapped her hands on my back and said out loud in a very powerful voice "satan, if this woman chooses to serve God, let her go in the name of Jesus." I felt it, there it was, there was no denying it. I felt the power , and it felt like something was lifted off of my body. I looked at her with tears in my eyes and asked her if she was an angel. I had never been around anything like this before. She just smiled and led me back into the mall to a little bookstore. She began to pull down different bible translations and she would open each one to Hebrews 1:14 and hand it to me and there I read:

"Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service of God for the assistance of those who are to inherit salvation."

She pulled down a number of different bible translations and each time she took one away to give me another I felt such a strong pull to read the rest of the book of Hebrews. After a few minutes she turned to leave. I asked her name and she replied "Charlsie" and told me that she attended a local church in the area, but as she turned to go I looked to see if her feet really touched the ground.

When I returned home from the mall I was different.

There was no denying it.

There was no hiding it.

I looked different, I behaved different, I felt different.

And those around me saw it.

The first to notice was my husband. We had been at odds for some time. At this point there had not been much love left between us. Well all that changed when I lifted my head in that parking lot. Suddenly I was filled with love for my husband. But not like any love I had ever known. It was a godly love, a love for his soul. And it was evident when I walked in my home that night.
That night as he slept I crept out of bed and down to the den. I pulled out the bible that I had had since I was a teenager and I did business with God. I read the entire book of Hebrews three times.

One phrase seemed to keep repeating to me:

"Today, if you hear my voice, listen, do not harden your heart."

At that moment I told the Lord: "Lord I will go anywhere, say anything, do anything, I'm yours!"

Suddenly I realized what had been missing, before I had all of God, for He promised to save those who called on Him, but now for the first time He had all of me, I was holding nothing back, total surrender.

That night as I prayed I included in my prayer that I would like a new bible. After reading all the new translations at the mall I prayed to have one. The one I had was old and worn, we didn't have much money so I prayed I would find one on sale. The next day I went to a christian book store and what happened there was almost as powerful as what had happened the night before.
I walked in and saw a sign that said all bibles 25% off. I walked up to the counter and told the sales lady that I was interested in a new bible. With out my saying another word she reached up and pulled down a bible and opened it to the exact bible verse that the stranger from the night before had opened to Hebrews 1:14 and she pointed to the verse and with tears streaming down her face she said "God did for me what He did for you, He gave me a second chance." Then she placed her hand on mine and there are no words to describe what I felt.

If you took all the words in the English language for thrilling it would pale in comparison to what I felt. I did not want to let go. It was beyond anything in this world I had ever felt.

Such unexpressible feelings of elation. Needless to say I left there that day with that bible.
When I drove up to my house and got out of my car, my neighbor came over and walked up to me and said "Whats happened to you, your glowing." Just then his father pulled up and as he stepped out of the car he said the same works, "whats happened to you, your glowing." . It could not be contained. We talked for a while and I shared with them some of what had happened. I was truly changed. I wanted to tell everyone about Jesus.

The next day I was standing in a long line at a little hot dog stand. While standing there a little old gentleman working there, came out from behind the counter and passed all the people standing in line and walked right up to me and said very sweetly "Honey I see your spirit all over you." He indicated this was something he was able to see with his natural eye. This would not be the last time a stranger would say those words to me, but I will save those stories for another day.

Jesus tells us to be a light in a dark world. The world is getting darker , my prayer is that I'll shine brighter.

Night all.