Hearing an angel speak….

I have never seen an angel but I believe the Lord sent an angel to talk to me one night.  I was at a very low point in my life, family problems, financial woes, responsibilities. The only job I could find at the time was a motel night desk clerk. I was very concerned about the safety of my little children. It was around four or five in the morning and I had to get ice from the icemaker. As I was walking back the office with the ice, praying to myself, I felt a warm presence behind me. It was almost like a warm breath on my neck.

I didn’t feel frightened but did turn around to see who was there. Although there was no one there, I still felt a warmth around me. So I started back to the office continuing to talk to God about everything that was going on in my life. It was then I heard the angel speak to me. He said, “Walk by faith, not by sight.”

I think it was an audible voice but I am not sure because I felt like I was in a holy place. I was enveloped in warmth. It sounded like an angelic voice speaking heavenly truths. That incident has been engraved on my heart and mind. I knew, that I knew, that I knew, God was taking care of me and He would continue to take care of me. I believe the Lord was preparing me for future events. Not long after that, I lost all my worldly possessions, my home, my car, my furniture, appliances-a complete upheaval of my life. My dear Christian Aunt & Uncle took me and my family in with nothing more than our clothes.

At first I mourned the change in my life but I kept coming back to the angelic voice that instructed me to “Walk by faith, and not by sight.” My attitude changed, my heart lifted, I looked heavenward and not on the situation. I started enjoying my time with my family and the Christian fellowship we were having. One of my cousins marveled later that I could act like I was on vacation when I had lost everything after years of work and saving.  I told her it was God’s grace, mercy, and love that put me in a better place.

God has since given me great restoration in my life in all areas of my life. I can’t prove that it was an angelic voice but I truly believe that it was and I thank God that He encouraged me and keeps me until I truly see Him face-to-face and say with those in Heaven, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.” Rev. 4:8

The Eternal Word…

Have you ever received a word or had a scripture quickened to you for a particular time or situation in your life? What have you done with it? Did you hold on to it and apply it to your life or did you let it slip away from you?

If you heard the word, held onto it, applied it to your life and let it change your mind, heart and situation, then it is an eternal word! I want to share with you a few that have really changed me.

Years ago, I was going through the one roughest time in my life that I had ever experienced. I felt so hurt and almost hopeless. One morning I was before the Lord, praying and reading my Bible and this word spoke to my heart so deeply. It was Jeremiah 33:3. “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (NIV Bible). Right then God filled my heart with hope. I knew He heard my prayers, knew my heartbreak, my longings, and He was taking care of me. That afternoon, I received a letter from a good friend of mine from Nebraska, (I was in Oklahoma at the time) who said that while she was praying for me, God told her to give me that scripture. It was confirmation to me. My situation did not change or get miraculously better anytime soon but I changed. From hopeless to hope, from woe is me attitude to God is for me! For the next few years anytime my faith level seemed low, I would quote that scripture. Sometimes it was daily. That quickened word changed my life. I could have let it slip by and continued on defeated and sad but I didn’t. I wrote it down, memorized it, quoted it, believed in the truth of the Word of God.

Another time when I was in bad financial need, had two little children to take care of, no help from anyone, lost my job, no car. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I asked the church and my pastor to pray for me. My pastor gave me a Word from God, she said, “The Lord is always just in time!” What a faith word!!! I wrote that word down, put it on my refrigerator, bathroom mirror, each door so I could see it, trusedt in the Lord, believd that He would see to my needs. I knew that I had been faithful to him financially and I also knew the Lord would take care of me but when faced with the all the bills coming in and not much food, money, it was overwhelming. That word, “The Lord is always just in time”, helped me see beyond the situation and have great hope and faith. This particular financial situation continued for a while but I saw the Lord work miraculously on my behalf. Bills were paid, a car was given to me, things were worked out beyond my hopes or expectations. Praise God! Even today, that word is quickened to me, my faith is built and my eyes turned from the situation to our ever faithful Father!

The last word I want to talk about at this time is one that I received at the beginning of this year. Haggai 2:9 says, “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.” As I have gotten older I have wondered about my usefulness in life and to the Kingdom of God. I get concerned about my health, finances, other things that plague older cititzens. Job went through many trials and tests but God said in Job 42:12, “The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys.” His latter end was greater than the former. God told me that same thing—My latter end would be greater than my former! I am going to hold onto that Word, apply it to my life, believe it and hold to that truth.

In Mark 4 Jesus spoke about the parable of the seed. Sometimes the birdie of the air (Satan) takes the word from us, or the word is not allowed to take root in our hearts because we let the deceitfulness, lies of the world take precedence in our live, or the word just gets choked out by other things. Yet, sometimes the word comes into our hearts, we nurture it, we memorize it, quote it, write it down, keep our minds and hearts focused on it rather than our lives and situations. We grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples heard this word preached all day yet, when the evening came, they were in the boat with Jesus. Jesus was sleeping and a storm came up and they got all upset, looked at the situation, forgot about the word and woke Jesus up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” They let the word slip away from them.

Matthew 8:5-13 spoke about the centurion who asked the Lord to heal his suffering paralyzed servant. The Jesus said he would come and heal him. The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Verse 10 tells us Jesus’ thoughts about the centurion, ^“When Jesus heard this, He was astonished and said to those following Him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” The centurion believed, took Jesus’ word to heart, acted on it. Jesus said that man had great faith!

Beloved, when God quickens a word to us that will build our faith, look beyond ourselves, our bodies, our situations, let us take that word and let it be nurtured and grow in our hearts. Let it be an eternal word and work in our lives. I encourage you to write it down, memorize it, quote it many times a day. Put it where you can see it. Do not let go of it. That eternal word will change your life!