Great thigs happen when we listen to the Holy Spirit and obey the “still small voice”
Who Are You Really?
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by Jesse Birkey
The other day I was walking through a parking lot and noticed an older woman a little bit ahead of me. As soon as I saw her I heard the Lord speak the word “blessing”. So I asked the Lord if He wanted me to let her know what He thought of her and I had the distinct sense that He did.
So next came the awkward task of chasing down a woman in the parking lot. Always an uncomfortable endeavor. I guess I just have to be confident God will protect me from their urge to pepper spray.
So I approached her and introduced myself. I told her that sometimes God speaks to me things that He would like me to deliver to others. I asked her if it would be okay if I shared with her what I felt God wanted to say. She told me yes but looked a little unsure.
So I began to share with her about the blessing that she is. God gave me words to share with her about how special she is and how much she delights the Lord. He spoke to me about the power He’s given her to influence he surroundings and bring His light into places that are dark.
That’s when she sort of tilted her head and looked at me like she wanted to believe that last part but was having trouble pulling up any evidence it was true. It was then that the Lord began to show me some of the sorrow of her life and the things she wished were different or could go back and do over.
I quickly asked the Lord what He wanted me to do and the response I heard was to again exhort and call out the ability she has to bring change to the atmosphere and people around her through Him. So I did and her smile began to grow.
When I was finished she thanked me and squeezed my hand. The Lord had touched something deep inside of her and we were both blessed.
God has been speaking to me a lot over the last several years about how we can manage His words with love. Part of that is looking for the virtues in people we can call out instead of the bondage or negative things.
I’ve mentioned before that it’s easy to see the bad in people but harder to see the virtues that God wants to call out, nurture and develop. The woman from the story above had lived a long time under the belief that she was powerless to be a vessel of change to the dark world around her.
But instead of only revealing the wrong beliefs and weakness the Lord revealed who He has truly created her to be. Now this doesn’t mean that the Lord will never lead us to reveal the sin that we seem to find ourselves in. I wouldn’t venture to be that black and white about it. But I do think that many times when we think God is leading us to expose He’s really not. What He’s really after is letting the person know who they are in Him and who He is in them.
So let’s try to wait just a bit longer for the words of God to find our hearts as we discern the things in people that may not line up with His heart.
Blessings,
Jesse and Kara Birkey
New Life Narrabri 