Jobless—but not God-less

Posted by Admin on Sep 9, 2015 in Finances, Holy Spirit leading, Prayer Perspective | 2 comments

I was in the middle of my first year of teaching and living in rural Missouri when the Holy Spirit directed me to move to St. Louis at the end of the school year. My parents were preparing to move from their home there to another state, and I knew that somehow I needed to retain my connection with that city. Therefore, I had to move to St. Louis myself. The Lord had plans for me in that region.

I was three years old in the Lord and knew enough to seek God before I made such a huge, life-changing decision. As I drove from my parents’ home in St. Louis County that Sunday in January back to my rented quarters in the small town where I taught, I asked God to give me time to really seek Him. That meant I needed a snow day, but no snow was in the forecast. With stars twinkling, I prayed and prayed and prayed all the way home. A song I knew had these lyrics:

Reign, Lord, reign! Reign Master Jesus, reign.

Rain Your Spirit in my heart; reign Master Jesus, reign.

I changed it to “Snow, Lord, snow! Snow Master Jesus, snow,” and so on. I was twenty minutes from home on a windy back road about eight o’clock in the evening, and there in my headlights appeared the first few flakes.

Ten to 12 inches later, I had my snow day. In fact, I had a week. And then a second week. And by the beginning of the second week, I started repenting for praying so effectively—but I had my answer. St. Louis, here I come!

During the move and the first year back in the area, God taught me much of what I still lean on concerning hearing from Him for both direction and finances. Here are six of the things I learned:

Listen to Him as you go, and take the “Holy Ghost dare”—step out in obedience to the promptings you get. I needed an apartment and was heading to look at one when I felt a nudge to take an earlier exit off the highway. I obeyed and buy keflex traveled that road for a couple of miles, saw nothing, and decided to turn around. I pulled off and was going to go back to my original destination when I heard Him say, “Pursue those houses.” I did, and soon saw a large sign—”Greenmar Terrace Apartments”. Following the signs, I found the complex, fell in love with it, and signed the lease for quite a bit less a month than I would pay at the place I was initially considering. As it turned out, the complex to which I was led was also much closer to the district where I was eventually hired.

Don’t claim every job you see. I made the mistake of “naming and claiming” a teaching position in nearly every district in the region. Whenever I passed a school or heard of a different district, I claimed a job there. One day, while claiming yet another teaching position, I heard the Lord say so sweetly to me, “Do you think you’re going to have the energy to teach in all those different classrooms and districts you’re claiming?” He showed me that, yes, I was right to claim a job; but then I needed to let Him lead me as I made myself available to potential districts.

Don’t give up. I continued to put out applications and resumes and followed up with as many as I could. I also subbed in a district fairly close to me. I did what I could to show myself friendly on all the job sites and to do the best job I could as a sub.

Get a backup job. This may not apply to all of you, but I obtained a “stop-gap” job at a clothing store in addition to my subbing assignments so I could make ends meet.

Tithe. Finances were tight, but I had learned to tithe. I would take my sub money and retail store checks and give exactly ten percent of the gross—the amount before taxes. Things were so tight that sometimes I had to write out IOUs to God and put them on my refrigerator until the next paycheck when I could pay Him back. Nobody had pounded this doctrine into my head; my first “church” had been a dorm room Bible study where we never took up offerings, and none of the churches in the small town where I taught my first year were a fit for me, so I didn’t stay long enough in one place to hear a tithing message. I simply saw it in the Bible, so I did it. (If you are terrified of tithing, start with a smaller percentage. Then as you get used to it, and you see that you’re not going to die, kick up the percentage over time until you are at ten percent. Once there, keep on giving. It will change your life.)

Use Scripture. Let the Holy Spirit give you Scripture to use as your lifeline and weapon of warfare as you pray. In November my first year back in St. Louis, I took a sub job for a teacher on maternity leave. That six weeks turned into the rest of the year as the new mom decided to stay home with her baby. I was thrilled, but I was only being paid as a sub and still had to work my second job. I pestered the principal several times about giving me a contract with full pay, but he became increasingly irritated with me. I knew I needed to back off. Instead, I prayed, and as I did so persistently, I received the Scripture that became my personal battering ram. It was Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” I declared during my prayer time that my principal would not withhold good from me to whom it was due when it was in his power to do it, and I thanked God without ceasing that He would back up His Word on my behalf. Then, on Valentine’s Day, after teaching in that class since before Thanksgiving, my principal handed me a full-time teaching contract.

The goal of becoming financially secure is often tested; and some believers are tested in this more than others are. Although I don’t understand why that is, my prayer is that you will gain new strength as you endeavor to follow and obey God concerning finances and employment. Don’t give up! He will come through for you.

Dorothy

 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

Tomorrow: Scriptures I’ve used when trusting God for finances

Help for finances

Posted by Admin on Sep 8, 2015 in Being led by the Spirit, Finances, Sword of the Spirit | Comments Off on Help for finances

On this Labor Day week, I thought it would be fitting to talk about finances, the fruit of our labor.

In November of 2007, the Lord told me: The lifestyle to which many have grown accustomed will become greatly challenged. I shared this warning with a few close friends and sought God about how to be personally prepared. At the time, those with whom I shared had, for the most part, a “wait and see” attitude. I understood that stance—the Lord had spoken to me, not to them.

One person, however, more or less corrected me—he thought my statement indicated fear and a total lack of faith. I realized something as a result of that encounter. Not everyone will believe that you have heard from God—especially when it’s less than positive information. Did I write him off? Of course not. He’s my brother in Christ, loves the body of Christ, and has a zeal for souls. Just because someone doesn’t agree with you on an issue does not necessitate a cold shoulder or broken fellowship!

As I walked through the steps I believed God gave me to be prepared for the challenging times ahead, I shared what I was doing with different friends I trusted. Again, God speaks to each one’s heart. Just because someone tells you what they believe the Lord is showing them, that doesn’t mean you have to “buy” it. You need to seek God for yourself. I strongly believe that the Spirit of God is more than capable of making His wisdom known to each one who wants to hear. The Bible says it this way: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

This is especially true now in September of 2015. Don’t be led by other people’s revelation. Stay in the Word and listen to God for yourself.

A while back as I prayed for various friends and acquaintances who were experiencing serious financial difficulty, I felt that they were to take the specific Scripture(s) God would give them for income and employment. They were to use that Word to take their stand in prayer and confession over their finances. He said that those key verses would act like hammers, swords, and battering rams in the spiritual realm around them, and as they stood their ground, He would come through for them.

You, too, are to take those specific Scriptures which the Holy Spirit makes alive to you as your weapon. Then, with those Scriptures, you, also stand your ground on behalf of your finances. If you haven’t found a verse that fits your situation, I will be sharing a list of verses later this week from which I have drawn confidence and courage to trust God. Tomorrow I will share with you some of the things I went through while trusting God for secure employment after I stepped out in obedience to Him, leaving behind a good job to move to a city where I had nothing awaiting me.

Each one of us faces different circumstances; you may receive different Bible verses than your brother or sister; but all of us have the same Word of God from which to seek His personal and precise direction for our situations. Not only that, but each one of us also has the right to confidently trust Him to see us through every obstacle—from small bumps in the road to bottomless pits of despair!

Stand fast on the verses the Holy Spirit has given you. If you haven’t received those perfect verses yet, the adventure of discovering His leading is awaiting you—and will be well worth the effort!

If you currently enjoy secure finances, sow in prayer for those who don’t. God will hear from heaven and answer you on behalf of others. And by praying for them, you will store up for yourself all the prayer help you’ll ever need against the hour of your trouble!

God bless you richly,

Dorothy

Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her. Proverbs 8:10-11

Labor Day thoughts: Work

Posted by Admin on Sep 7, 2015 in Finances, Special days | Comments Off on Labor Day thoughts: Work

Some Scriptures about work:

The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor.  Proverbs 12:24

In all labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23

A worker’s appetite works for him, for his hunger urges him on.  Proverbs 16:26

He who tills his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows empty pursuits will have poverty in plenty.  Proverbs 28:19

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.  Ecclesiastes 2:24

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat, to drink and enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few years of his life which God has given him; for this is his reward. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 5:18-19

…and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you… 1 Thessalonians 4:11

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.  2 Thessalonians 3:10   [NOTE: For those who are out of work, your job search or the time you put into starting a business is your work. If not enough income is coming in, however, you may need to take a job below your qualifications for a season.]

A word to employers:

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. James 5:4  [NOTE: You may not run a business, but you likely hire people to work for you. Does someone mow your lawn? Do you have someone come in periodically to clean house? Have you ever hired friends or acquaintances to do repair work around your home? Then you are an employer and those people are your laborers. Don’t seek to withhold blessings—a fair wage—for the work they do for you. If you don’t pay them fairly, their wages will cry out to God against you. That’s serious stuff.]

For those of you with the day off, enjoy! If you have to go to work today, praise God for the opportunity to make a living. And if you’re looking for work, may God shine light on your path and direct all your ways.

Dorothy

I am going to McDonald’s

Posted by Admin on Sep 4, 2015 in Holy Spirit leading, My testimony | Comments Off on I am going to McDonald’s

A little over a year ago, a godly Bible teacher, Charles Capps, passed into Heaven. He was well-known for his teachings on the power of the tongue and the importance of believing and speaking the Word of God.

The Lord used Brother Capps in a very unusual way at a critical moment in my life, in a very tense situation long ago—and he wasn’t even there!

When I was born again, I jumped in with both feet. In my twenties, I frequently went out to the streets, along with other young Christians, to witness—sharing the Gospel and praying with the lost. The joy and freedom of expressing the good news with someone who was hungry for Jesus motivated my friends and me to continue going back, weekend after weekend.

As the church I attended grew to mega-church proportions, we were blessed to sit under the teaching of some of the finest Bible teachers in the country. One of those teachers was Charles Capps. At the same time that we were hosting a growing number of national speakers, just about everything else we did in that church was becoming more and more structured and organized. This included the weekend street-preaching jaunts.

Interest in this personal evangelism had spread in the church I was attending, and leadership was put in charge of this radical group of teens, twenties, and thirties for the sake of safety, oversight, and training for those who were new to one-on-one evangelism.

One weekend evening in my late twenties, we were ready to “hit the streets”. Small teams were assigned for the evening’s adventure, and two newer believers, a young man and woman, were assigned to accompany me.

When we arrived downtown, we met under the Gateway Arch and prayed together as a large group. We then made arrangements to meet back at McDonald’s—housed on a riverboat and anchored opposite the south leg of the Arch on the Mississippi River.

My little group took off together and each of us shared with various individuals as we walked along the cobblestone road that ran parallel to the river. Toward the end of the evening, we climbed up the wide set of steps that arced toward the south leg of the Arch and began sharing the gospel with a young woman we met near the top.

She was receptive to the message, and as I was about to ask her if she would like to pray with us, I noticed that my two companions had ditched me in favor of McDonald’s—an obvious Big Mac attack. Let ‘em go, I thought; this lady wants to receive Jesus.

But just as I was about to pray with her, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and backing away quickly, she just took off. Huh? I was wondering, perplexed. And as I turned around, I understood why that young woman had skedaddled so abruptly.

I found myself surrounded by six to eight young men, circling closely in on me. But before I had time to get frightened, something very unusual happened.

Suddenly, I was at my church. Oh, yeah, my body was still standing on the steps going up to the south leg of the Arch and I was still surrounded by six to eight strange young men, but in my spirit I was at church. I was at a meeting in which Charles Capps was speaking, and I could see and hear everything with crystal clarity. There he was, standing behind the pulpit preaching, and I could see the scalp on his head through his familiar crew cut—that’s just how vivid this “vision” was. And he was preaching a message about Jesus in a boat in the middle of a storm.

With my body still standing on the steps leading to the south leg of the Arch, Brother Capps was preaching in his Arkansas twang, “Jesus said, ‘Let us go to the other side of the lake’ and my brother, sister, if Jesus said, ‘Let us go to the other side of the lake,’ then nothing—no devil, no storm, no wind, no waves—nothing could stop Him from goin’ to the other side of the lake.”

And with that, there I was, back at the Arch, surrounded by this group of men. I noticed Riverboat McDonald’s, and I said out loud and with great authority, “I am going to McDonald’s.”

I don’t have a clue what those guys thought when I said this, but I passed through the midst of them without so much as a finger touching my body. As I stepped out of the circle and down the steps, the Holy Ghost spoke very clearly to my heart, “Walk, don’t run. Hold your head high, and don’t look back.”

I did as I was instructed, and walked, step by step, down that wide, curving stairway. Boom, boom, boom, my steps pounded decisively as I marched to the street below.

“Oooh, baby! You got fries with that shake?” they called out after me, along with other unmentionable “compliments”.

I never looked back. When I got to the street, I crossed it with my head held high. Boom, boom, boom, my marching feet blasted as I stomped across the gangplank bridge to McDonald’s. Walking tall and in the authority of Christ, I reached the threshold. Never before had the Golden Arches looked so good.

I opened the door and stepped into the wonderfully lit, French fry-soaked atmosphere. There, seated inside, were my two young team members and everyone else. “Hi, Dorothy! What took you so long? We’ve got a seat for you!”

And as the reality of what just happened dawned on me, my knees turned to Jello and buckled beneath me—and then I got up and ordered some fries.

Brother Capps returned to that church years later and I had the opportunity to share my story with him. He didn’t say a word; he just smiled, nodded his head, and then walked away.

May the help you need be made abundantly plain by the Holy Spirit in your time of trouble. The Lord is faithful.

Dorothy

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1b

“You’re WEIRD!!!”

Posted by Admin on Sep 3, 2015 in Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on “You’re WEIRD!!!”

The sword of the Spirit is a powerful, offensive weapon God has given to every believer. This sword is His Word and is designed to be exercised under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Not one word or syllable of God’s Word is devoid of power, and when initiated by the leading of the Holy Spirit, it will surely hit the bull’s-eye and accomplish what God intends it to do.

God is able to quicken His Word to your heart, and when you pray or speak that Scripture with faith, it will achieve God’s purpose.

As for me, after witnessing God’s power in the encounter with “corduroy shirt” man (see “Ever thought you might be martyred???”), I was ecstatic. I had just found a secret weapon I could pull out whenever things got a bit hairy…or so I thought.

You see, the problem was that I decided that Philippians 2:11-12 was my very own lucky charm—my rabbit’s foot—my genie in the bottle. I was looking at it all wrong—as if I was the Big Kahuna in charge of my own deliverance; as if I didn’t need to listen for the Lord’s leading—I had this “gospel wand” I could point—bippety, boppety, boo.

Through trial and error (mistakes!), I’ve learned this: when facing trouble or disaster, lean heavily upon the Spirit of God. He always has a way of escape; my job is to stay hooked up with Him in childlike trust to find out what—if anything—He wants me to do. When facing sudden danger, let Him lead.

Tale Two: The Holy Ghost to the rescue…but just not according to my plan!

On the 4th of July, not long after God displayed His “knock over” power with the infamous “corduroy shirt” man, three of us were returning from a city-wide fireworks display. Traffic in the park was bumper to bumper, just inching along, and we had the windows rolled down. A young man, all liquored-up and stumbling in the park, was screaming into the grid-locked traffic, “ROCK AND ROLL!!!” He and I caught eyes, and he yelled at me, “DO YOU LOVE ROCK AND ROLL?!?”

I looked at him out of the passenger window, and as he approached the car, I said, “I love Jesus.”

He lost his mind. Cursing, he grabbed me and attempted to pull me out of the window. Ah hah! I thought. I get to use my secret weapon! and I quoted Philippians 2:11-12 as he pulled and yanked at my torso, already almost half out of the car window. But…instead of letting go of me as I thought would happen, he became even more enraged and pulled even harder.

Hmmm….this is not good, I thought, and quietly listened to the Holy Spirit within me to hear what to do next. With the upper half of my body being wrenched out of the window, I began to pray in tongues out loud, looking him in the eyes as I did so. I don’t know who was more shocked of the two of us, because he instantly let go and jerked away in disgust.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrrgggghhhhh!” he bellowed. “You’re WEEEEIIRRD!!!!” And after he poured the rest of his beer on my head and the windshield, off he fled into the night.

This situation taught me something profound—God doesn’t necessarily perform according to my script!

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.” If God has a variety of gifts, ministries, and effects, would He not also undertake deliverance for us in a variety of ways? Indeed, God never changes, and Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; but He works out His wonders in a multitude of ways. The key here is: He does work wonders for us.

Your job and mine is to hold fast to God’s Word, trust Him, ask Him for help, listen, and then obey whatever He shows us to do.

He is trustworthy and will show Himself strong on your behalf.

Dorothy

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

“Ever thought you might be martyred???”

Posted by Admin on Sep 2, 2015 in Holy Spirit leading, Sword of the Spirit | Comments Off on “Ever thought you might be martyred???”

God has rescued me from dangerous situations more than a few times. I’ll be sharing three of these harrowing experiences in the next three entries.

Part of my purpose in sharing these events is to focus on one thing I’ve learned by trial and error—no two methods of deliverance will be exactly alike. Trust me—I’ve tried to use the method you’ll read about in the following account as my go-to “deliverance-from-danger” formula, but God wasn’t having it. More on that tomorrow.

Here’s the main thing I’ve learned. When you are confronted with impending trouble or disaster, you must lean heavily upon the Spirit of God. He always has a way of escape for you; your job is to stay hooked up with Him in childlike trust to find out what—if anything—He wants you to do. When you are facing sudden danger, you must let Him lead.

Tale One: Deliverance from a creepy guy in a corduroy shirt

Many years ago, I was handing out tracts with a group of friends outside of Busch Stadium, home to the St. Louis Cardinals. In front of the Stan “the Man” Musial statue, my friend Cat and I were attempting to share the gospel with a scraggly young man. He stood, facing us, his back to the curb, with something obviously hidden under his maroon corduroy shirt. A strange look came over his face as he leaned in toward us and snarled, “Have you ever considered that you might be martyred for your faith?”

Without a thought, up from my insides Scripture thundered. I spoke the words I heard: “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:11 and 12 just rocketed up from my spirit and flowed out of my mouth! The sword of the Spirit was in operation.

But the next thing that happened left Cat and me with dropped jaws. The man, leaning into us and threatening one minute, collapsed backward the next, falling onto the hood of the car parked behind him at the curb. Just then, some of the guys in our group approached us and asked if we wanted them to take over. Cat and I, who were punching each other in the thighs, both in shock, both thinking—that really happened?—left the fallen man to the guys.

Tale Two tomorrow.

Until then,

Dorothy

…the word of God … performs its work in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13b

Trouble averted

Posted by Admin on Sep 1, 2015 in Holy Spirit leading, Prayer Perspective | Comments Off on Trouble averted

I don’t have unusual leadings from the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. In fact, I don’t seek for spectacular leadings; but I do endeavor to be available if He wants to drop something into my spirit as I go about my day. I know that He truly does lead us; His leading is meant to be part of a normal Christian life; and I do my best to be consistent in the Word and prayer so that I’ll be ready and available to receive an assignment from the Lord when He decides to share something.

A few years ago I was taking my customary daily walk around the neighborhood. I have a habit of quietly praying in the Spirit as I go, praying for my neighborhood or whatever else the Lord may drop in my heart.

On this one particular morning, as I passed by a house just three doors down from mine, it felt as if I was punched in the stomach. It didn’t hurt, but it was a deep punch, nonetheless. A quiet groan came up from within me, Trouble! There’s trouble in this home. And so I prayed, listening for any further leads from the Holy Spirit. I didn’t stop my walk to knock on their door; I kept going. I didn’t know the aging biker couple who lived there; all I knew was that trouble had come to their home and that God wanted me to cover it in prayer.

When God gives an assignment such as this, your job is to first of all, pray. Let Him use you by His Spirit to cover what He’s shown you. In this case, I didn’t feel led to go talk to them that day; so when I completed my walk, I left my prayer for them in the Lord’s capable hands.

Not more than five days later as I was returning home from an errand, I saw a news crew parked on my quiet street. I took my time turning into my driveway, rubber necking at the interview occurring between a Fox 2 News reporter and my neighbor in the front yard of his house—the house of trouble for which I had prayed just four or five days earlier.

That evening on TV there he was—my neighbor with his long gray hair, leather vest, and biker tats—standing in the yard three doors down from me. And he talked of trouble—averted.

His son lives with his grandson in rural Missouri. The then five year-old boy’s mother had been barred from seeing him due to her history with substance abuse. The two “men” were batching it together in their lakeside home when one morning, while the father was preoccupied in another part of the house, the boy’s mother walked in and grabbed the little boy.

Waiting outside in the car was her druggie boyfriend, and as soon as the little boy was deposited into the vehicle, they tore out of there.

When my neighbor’s son realized his five year-old was missing, he frantically called neighbors and friends in the area. No one had seen his child.

After that, he reported the missing boy to the local sheriff and conveyed his suspicions about the child’s mother. An Amber alert was issued along with a description of the vehicle that might have been used in the abduction.

And what do you know? About three days after I was directed to pray about the trouble that had come to my neighbor’s house, an officer saw a vehicle weaving erratically down a two-lane rural highway in Oklahoma. He flashed his lights, and to his surprise, the car screeched to a stop and two people leaped out, disappearing into the woods. He was about to pursue them when he noticed a little passenger in the back seat—my neighbor’s five year-old grandson!

He recognized the boy from the Amber alert, and the process to return him—unharmed—to his father, my neighbor’s son, proceeded quickly and with great joy.

A little less than a year ago I ran into my biker neighbor while he was doing landscaping in the front yard where he’d been interviewed by Fox 2 a year or so before. It was time to tell him about the Holy Ghost head’s up that led me to pray about the trouble that had come to his family. I could tell he wasn’t sure what to make of it all, but his gruff exterior softened as he told me of the fear he, his wife, and their son had lived through before his grandson was rescued. I let him know that God obviously loved all of them quite a bit to have a stranger—me—pray for them in the middle of their trouble. And God answered those prayers—his little grandson was safely reunited with them.

May all of us grow in sensitivity, willingness, and availability to be alert for the promptings of the Holy Spirit as He leads us to pray for those who may not know how to pray for themselves.

It’s a huge part of our calling.

Dorothy