Tag: word of knowledge

God’s Garden

One plants, one waters, one harvests.

We need to stop thinking that we have to do it all or we aren’t a true son. That unless, in a single encounter, we can make Jesus real, score a “sinners prayer” and build a Holy Spirit down line that we are failures!

Andrew was the first of the apostles to share his faith and bring another to Christ. Andrew’s testimony touched Peter who then went on to become one of the most influential apostles. Peter wrote 2 books of the Bible and brought thousands to Christ thru Holy Spirit signs and wonders! I don’t recall a book of Andrew in my ESV, but without Andrew there would be no Peter.

I’ve had people tell me there is no way they could do what I do. Nice pat on the back and I wish I could take more credit. But, I told God a long time ago that He had to land them in my lap and then light ‘em up. No guessing who He wants to chat with. Then fill my mouth with His words. His love. His healing. With no Mall Police escort out of the building. I am not kidding 🙂

You see I don’t like to be bothered when I am shopping. Or dining. Or getting a mammogram. If you know me well, you know that I get panicked in crowds. And the first thing I look for when I enter a room is the exit.

But when God turns on the light I get out of the way and He shines. Not me. I don’t have to do anything but repeat what He tells me.

Le Him decide what part you and I play in His garden.

Have a lovely week, Beloveds!
Andy

Jake

Months ago, I had some repairs done on my home. As soon as I met “Jake” my eyes lit up. Like I had just seen an old friend. I told Jake he looked familiar “Do we know each other?” “Nope.” I figured as time drew on that I would figure out where we had met. Jake was in and out of my house for several days and we rarely said more than hello. One day, I realized why he looked so familiar. God had a word for him!

I told Jake that he was going to be the father to his children that he never had. That he was a hard worker and I appreciated his perfection and attention to detail. That all of this came easy to him because God had given him these gifts and talents. That Jake would never have to worry about securing work, because of his craftsmanship and integrity which would walk before him and pave the way. That he had struggled through some issues earlier in his life, but that was all over with. God wanted to bring him into a season of ease and provision. I then told him that the woman he was with was perfect for him. That they would fill each other’s holes from the past and heal the hurt from all of the crappy relationships each had experienced.

Jake’s mouth opened. “Did Pete tell you about me?” (Pete is his business partner) ” No. God did.” He teared up and told me about his childhood and wanting to be a better parent to his children. Jake also had an engagement ring in his pocket that he carried with him everywhere so his fiancee, Natalie, wouldn’t find it. They had been together for 10 years and he had planned a surprise for the following week. Natalie thought they were driving to the airport to pick up his cousin, but instead, he was flying them out to California where he would propose on a beach. A lot of planning had gone into this and he was nervous about making their relationship official. He was so happy about the confirmation that he had found the one.

I told Jake, who didn’t know what a WOK (word of knowledge) was that I was happy that he didn’t think I was a nut case. “No, I am a believer.” He then pointed to a tattoo on the inside of his forearm that I hadn’t noticed before. It read John 3:16. How cool and what a great reminder! Jake, God not only wants his kids to have everlasting life with Him but also experience Him AND His kingdom here on earth.

I was reminded of this story today when I was thinking about how much Big Sky Daddy wants to speak to us even more than we want to hear Him. In fact, if we can’t hear Him for ourselves, He will make sure He gets the message to us through someone else.

Have a lovely week, Beloveds.

Holy Hat Trick

It has been stressful looking for a car after mine was totaled in a recent accident. Thursday, I was even up all night looking at cars online. A photo listing kept popping up of a RAV4 that looked faded like it had sat out in the sun for a couple of years. it was also an odd color. Like the color of an old Eggplant. I could see what looked like dirt or dents on the hood and bald tires. That was probably why the car hadn’t sold and the price had dropped several times in the past month. I couldn’t understand why it kept coming up! NOPE. Unless it’s free, that ain’t my car. I imagined my friends asking me if I was in the witness protection program and sending me Eggplant emojis… 😉

I was so overwhelmed looking at cars that I finally gave in and set up an appointment to see the Eggplant as I needed to start somewhere. A saleswoman at the dealership emailed me back and set up a test drive for the next day, which was Saturday. As I was getting ready for bed, I was surprised when God started downloading a word for the saleswoman. I rarely get a long WOK or Prophecy prior to meeting someone. “God if this is you, I won’t remember all of this tomorrow!” God laughed “No, but I will.” Ok. I decided I would wait until we were done looking at cars as I didn’t want it to hinder any negotiations if I saw a car I was interested in. I just knew I wasn’t driving the Eggplant home.

When I woke up I didn’t want to go. I was tired and not excited about being trapped at a car dealer on a busy Saturday. I decided to text “Sherri” and change our meeting to Monday instead. Of course, God had other plans and He soon put my shoes on and drove me to the dealership.

As I pulled out of the parking lot to take the car for a test drive God said “tell her NOW.” I was too tired to argue with Big Sky Daddy and let it rip, “Sherri, I know this is weird but God told me last night that you really should be in the finance department so you can have better hours and make more money. Are you a single parent or have a lot of people you are responsible for? God wants to make things easier for you this year.” I went on to tell her that her coworkers loved her and that she was a bright light at work. She was a hard worker, went over and above, and was very direct. It was a lengthy word and I won’t bore you with the rest BUT…she starts crying! I am test-driving a car and the salesperson is CRYING!

She said, “how did you know all this?” I said, “God told me last night.” She said “there is no way you would know this! I cried on my way to work today and told my manager when I got in that there is an opening in finance and I want it. My daughter decided she is moving to Texas with my brother and leaving today. She is also leaving my two grandchildren with me to take care of. She can’t handle them anymore. They are 1 and 3. You don’t even know how much I needed to hear this today!” Now I started to tear up and took the next exit, “Wow. Ok, I’ll take the car. I know God set up this whole day for the both of us.”

So we went back and sat down to start the paperwork. Sherri kept telling me how blown away she was. Then she found her manager and asked me to tell her what God had said to me. The manager smiled and kept nodding her head. She is a believer too and remarked, “Yes when it comes to God there are no coincidences.” Then another employee got introduced to me and I gave him a word. I said ” Do you like your job? Because God is telling me that you are in the perfect place for you right now.” He smiled ” Great, I think so too. Besides, I was in car sales for a while and I sucked at it.” He then asked me if I was a psychic or if I gave readings. This is ALWAYS a fun one to answer.

I finally ended up in the finance office with two managers, one of them I’ll call Pete. “Pete,” asked me what I did now that I was retired. “Hmmm. Working on a book and I am in ministry. “Really?” “Yes” So Pete leaves the office and when he came back asked again, “Are you really in ministry?” “Yes” Apparently, the red hair must just throw people off as no one ever believes me 🙂. He left the office again and came back in and asked if I was a minister would I pray for him as he really needed it. “Ok, I’ll do it now”. Pete started to kind of freak out because he wasn’t expecting that. People always expect you to say yes, but forget later to pray. Why wait? 🙂 I winked at him as I assured him I wasn’t going to read his mail. Even though God showed me generally what was going on with Pete, He put these words in my mouth ” God is telling me that you regret moving here. You wonder if you made a huge mistake. But God is going to smooth everything out for you. No matter what it looks like now. You also need to stop worrying about money. God is also going to heal a relationship that you have been struggling with for quite a while this year.” Pete’s mouth dropped open and his eyes teared up for a heartbeat. It was so beautiful to witness. You can always tell when God has connected with someone’s heart because you don’t have to give out any more details. The Holy Spirit is a big boy and can handle it from there. Pete thanked me numerous times and told me how much he needed to hear from God today.

I finally got home at 5pm and sat for 2 hours unpacking what had just happened. I was more excited by Big Sky Daddy’s Hat Trick than I was about my new car! I wondered what God’s kids told their friends and family later. Sharing God’s love in action always has a ripple effect. Good reminder to share your stories.

Oh, and my car looks nothing like the photo. Clean and scratch-free, inside and out. New tires. Low mileage. MN Viking Purple. It is perfect and was waiting for me.

It was a God-awesome Saturday! This stuff NEVER gets old!

Imperfect

Sometimes I wonder how I can even be in ministry. I admit I can be terrible. Especially when I am really angry or afraid. I won’t even be fully aware of spontaneously dropping F-bombs. Rapid fire, machine gun F BOMBS! 🙂 I like to blame it on my red hair. Or the devil. It definitely isn’t His spirit in me 🙂. My therapist told me a long time ago that I need to make peace with my sometimes “highly excitable personality.” Yikes. Why can’t I just be a new person in Christ and stay there?

I was recently in a car accident. It was a shocker because I didn’t see the other car. I heard a loud bang and then saw a grey blur of metal as the impact spun my car a 180. It all happened in a heartbeat! I sat in my car shaking. What just happened? I looked down and I had red marks across my chest from the seatbelt and my left thumb was already turning colors. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw that the other driver looked much older than me. Was she okay? I was shocked and sat frozen, unable to get out of my car and access the situation. I finally caught my breath and called 911 and told them there had been an accident.

Where are you located?

I am not sure. I’m really rattled. In Maple Grove. By Walmart. Across from Valvoline. By Starbucks. That side.

Where are you? Southbound? Northbound? What road?.

Uh Uh Uh, Southbound.

I started to hyperventilate. I couldn’t recall the name of the road even though I probably drive it every day. I continued to tell her the landmarks, a block from X highway etc. and she starts screaming at me!

SCREAMING!!!

MAAM! WHY DON’T YOU KNOW WHERE YOU ARE? YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHERE YOU ARE DRIVING!!! YOU NEED TO KNOW THE NAME OF THE STREETS YOU ARE DRIVING ON AT ALL TIMES!!! YOU NEED TO….

Her screaming was not making me think any clearer. I’m thinking, why are you yelling at me? Lady, you have no idea if I have a head injury or if my breast is cut off. Hmmm Maybe I hit my head and am worse than I realized! Now I am really panicked so I start screaming back….

Me: What the F$#@$!##@!!!!! I am rattled! I am trying to F@#$#@-ing tell you where I am and F@#$##……

OP: Stop yelling at me! Stop swearing at Me!

Me: You stop yelling at me!!!!! I’m sorry but aren’t you supposed to be the calm one? You aren’t helping this……

I mistakenly gave her the name of a street across the highway from me and she says “No you aren’t there you are on X !!!” Ahhhh….so she knew all along. 🙂 Ha! Maybe she was trying to find out if I had been day drinking.

OP: Are you blocking a lane?

Me: We are off to the side of the road and cars are going around us.

OP: THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM ASKING YOU!!!!!!! ARE YOU…..

This exchange goes on for a couple more minutes and then she finally screams “ YES YOU ARE BLOCKING A LANE!!!!! WAIT FOR AN OFFICER!!!!” Then hangs up on me. I’m thinking, don’t leave? I can’t even talk right now. I then decided to reach out for prayer so I could calm the F@$@#$# down.

We both were obviously not having a good day and she was just trying to quickly assess the situation. I cannot imagine this exchange if it was a murder scene or an abduction. Later, I told the officer that the 911 OP was a real @#$#@#. He just smiled. Hmmm, Maybe he knows her. 🙂 My sister, who showed up to help later said to me “ Do you realize when you said that he had his body cam on?”

OOPS. God is still working on this Redhead, but that doesn’t stop Him from using me. Or you.

Forgive yourself for not being perfect. Only Big Sky Daddy is perfect and He already loves and adores you. Even if you spontaneously drop an F@#$#%%.

Jared

Our young server squatted down at our table to take our order. The restaurant was packed and very noisy so maybe it made it easier to hear us. When he quickly bounced up to go grab our drinks, my sister Carolyn told “Jared” to appreciate how easily he could do that now as when you get to our age it is hard to just get out of bed some mornings. I suddenly blurted out “Are you a dancer? God is showing me a picture of you dancing.” Jared, who barely looked 18, flashed an awkward smile like….where is this going? and replied,” Yes, sometimes.” He looked like a deer in headlights, frozen in place, as I started to give him a word. Carolyn reassuringly interrupted with “she is in ministry and does this all the time.” As in, no your parents didn’t send us here. Ha!

Even though the restaurant was busy, he stayed and listened to what God was saying about him. He looked intrigued until suddenly a look of fear went over his face. Like I was going to read his mail or give some corrections. God whispered “Tell Jared that I love him. Just as he is. That he does not need to be anyone else but himself”

When I relayed this to him, Jared’s smile quickly returned and I saw a lightbulb go off. That for some reason Jared needed to hear those words. God then told me why, but I won’t share that with you :).

We paid our bill at our table and as we were leaving, Jared stopped us “Thank you, ladies! And thanks for the word and God bless you.” I was surprised that he knew the lingo. Must be or have been, at some point, a pentecostal churchgoer.

As I drove away, I felt a sweetness in my heart for Jared. And also for Big Sky Daddy. A good reminder that as believers we are spirit in a body. His spirit. You are connected to the Father at all times and you really do hear from Him. You can help change and heal this world one person at a time. The bible states that believers shall lay hands on the sick and they will recover. That also includes hearing His voice to help yourself or others emotionally heal. How awesome to be used by Him! To help His children see His love for them as you release love, hope, and encouragement. When a word hits home it brings the reality of God to the receiver. That Daddy God knows them intimately and cares deeply. Even if you are already a believer there is nothing sweeter than to see a REAL TIME GOD IN ACTION! This stuff never gets old. For the giver or the receiver.

Please step out when you get prompted. I assure you, it only gets easier and it will help build your faith too. Oh and always leave a great tip, Beloveds. Big Sky Daddy ain’t cheap and ministry is NEVER the tip.

Silver

I recently attended a prophetic conference. When it came time for the offering I looked in my purse and did not have my checkbook with me. “Hmmm. I suppose I could use a credit card.” Then I heard God say “Give the ounce of silver you have in your purse.” So I interrupted Him with my human logic 🙂 “No. That’s a hassle for a donation. Then they will have to find a shop to turn it in or…..” Before I could continue to argue I heard” No, give it to Lauren. Tell her that I told you to give it to her.”

It was very noisy in the auditorium. A worship band was playing and the place was filled with people walking up to the front with their offerings. I could see that Lauren was now seated in the front row with her family and other organizers of the event. I didn’t want to disturb them. I thought maybe I could catch Lauren at the end for a couple of minutes. God whispered “No, go now and give it to her.” “But, I am barefoot…” God persisted “When has that ever stopped you?….. GO NOW!” I get panicky in crowds and struggle with some claustrophobia and am surprised that I felt no anxiety as I walked barefoot down the long
aisle, filled with people, to the front. I even squeezed behind some people to get to Lauren. I tried not to shout too loud as I handed her the silver bar and mumbled something about God telling me to give it to her. Lauren is always very gracious and wasn’t bothered by the interruption. She smiled, gave me a hug, and thanked me for coming.

I went back to my seat and laughed when the next speaker twice repeated some healing testimony story and how it related to the verse “silver and gold I have not but what I have, I give to you.” I began laughing to myself because my God is very creative and funny. I envisioned God smiling and saying ” Ok, Lauren, maybe the speaker doesn’t have any gold or silver, but I do! Daughter, I have ALL the gold and silver. I own everything! You don’t have to worry. You can trust me.” I enjoyed the rest of the conference and then left.

The next day I had this urge to message Lauren and tell her the story and the significance of the ounce of silver. Nah. She has young kids and is probably super busy after the conference. Besides, I am sure she got the point. She has been a believer and around this stuff longer than I have. But the feeling did not go away.

So, I finally messaged her and told of how God wanted her to have the silver instead of it going into the collection. Lauren was delighted that I had reached out with the details. She had been looking for confirmation that God was specifically speaking to her during the conference about something that was on her heart. Yes, He was Lauren! And I am so happy that I obeyed and disregarded my own logic of not wanting to bother someone.

Please don’t hesitate to share more of the “story” if you feel prompted to do so. Especially, if you feel someone has a closer walk with God, more spiritual experience, or is in a higher position than you are.

We all need confirmation that God is real, alive, and knows us intimately. I will admit I enjoy consistent reminders that He loves me and has my back! Step out. Even if you feel awkward about it. I’ve never met anyone who thought I was “ridiculous” for following up and clarifying what I heard or saw.

Make it a God-Awesome week, Beloveds!

One By One


As I was getting dressed for an appointment, God said “tell Kelli (the receptionist) that she was created to create.” Huh? In the past 2 years, I have never had a word for Kelli nor said much more to her than hello or goodbye. Then I heard a bunch of random single words. “Artist. Creative. Writer. Children. Book. Crafts. Etsy. Sales. Training”

Me: Huh? Which one is it, God?
God: All of it.
Me: Nah. Can’t be.

Ever start getting a word and then it continues on longer than you expected so you think it must just be you? So I start trying to figure out what God said and what I added. On my 25 minute drive I kept asking God, to help ME put it together. What is she supposed to be creating? I got nothing more.

When I signed in, Kelli was alone so I whispered “Do you know what a word of knowledge is? Or prophecy?” “Ahhh no?” So I explained it and told her God had spoken to me this morning about her. Her eyes got wide and I started with what He told me. Then suddenly All of the single words came out ONE by ONE. Just like I heard. She was surprised and told me that she was kind of working on all of them but hadn’t gotten serious yet.

When I left she thanked me for the encouragement and said that she would sit her butt down and get going on it.

Good reminder to stop trying to figure everything out. You aren’t going to look stupid, crazy, or wrong If you get just one word. GIVE one word. If you get a string of them give them too… just like you heard them. Our brains just want to fill in the blanks so it makes sense TO us! Trust that as He speaks thru you the Holy Spirit will fill in the blanks and the receiver spirit’s lightbulb will turn on…. by no effort of your own.

How many times have you gotten just ONE word and then you opened up your mouth and He filled it? He isn’t holding out on you nor trying to see if you will trust or be obedient.

Sometimes we can’t handle a couple of paragraphs without our twist on it. If it comes out in REAL TIME our brains don’t have time to put our human twist on it. Get used to not having a script before He uses you. Half the fun is to see how and when He will speak or heal thru you.

Oh, and you aren’t being prideful if you get a kick out of being used by God! Or sharing your part in it! We all know it is God through you doing the healing. Relax religious police. Just know and trust that He gets a kick out of YOU enjoying being used by Him and sharing those stories.

My Sheep Hear…..

My sheep hear my voice. John 10:27-28

I’m listening to an interesting video from a Shawn Bolz’ class. We all hear God‘s voice. He is talking all the time. The struggle is in recognizing that it is His voice. It’s not your hearing…. It’s in your recognizing.

Ask Big Sky Daddy to help you RECOGNIZE His voice this week.

The nudge: pay attention to the simple nudge. You may call it intuition. A hunch. A pull. A draw. A gut feeling. Lack of peace. A feeling of peace. An impression. Hey look over there. Or this feels good or right to me. Or not. An urge to call or text someone.

Don’t complicate it.

Yesterday morning, I felt the nudge to send someone I barely know a prophetic word. I didn’t do it. Why? Because I barely know this religious leader and didn’t want to bother him.

Then later the nudge reappeared 3 more times and I finally sent an email. This person quickly replied that this was exactly what they were going through and thanked me as they were struggling with a decision.

Interestingly, I didn’t email them that they should or shouldn’t do it. I told them God didn’t care if they didn’t want to do it. That it was up to them and if they chose not to do it they wouldn’t be missing the boat. They would have other opportunities.

Good reminder to not ignore the nudge. No matter how awkward it feels. Or if you fear you are wrong.

God help me to pay attention to HOW you are trying to get my attention.

Hear Something…

Sometimes we get a word for someone we are going to for help. Help for a fee. Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, Therapist, Tax guy….you get it. Not that these people are above us, but it just feels awkward. This isn’t a barter club. Hey, if you do my taxes, I will tell you about your future. Seems a bit unprofessional and woo-woo.

But I get it all the time. Maybe you do too. If it truly is from God, it will come out easily, and you will see or feel a lightbulb go off when they receive it.

Today, I had an appointment, and the tech was bustling around the room as God was downloading to me. “Tell her” “God, she looks like she is in a hurry.” “Tell her anyway.” Why do I even argue?

“Do you know what a word of knowledge is?” “No.” “It’s a Christian term when God gives you some information about someone or something that you don’t have prior knowledge about.” If WOK is not in their vocabulary, they are usually WTH……1,2,3 it’s deer in headlights, and then they are stuck like a fly on an adhesive strip. Holy Spirit style.

“God tells me you are a good mom. You are very strict and love your kids very much. You are like a momma bear with them.” Susie laughs and relaxes. “Yes, you sure got that one right on. I am VERY strict.” Her boss, the doctor, replaces her, and before he can leave the room God prompts me again.

” I know you are a Christian. Do you know what a word of knowledge is?”

“No.” I give him the same simple explanation and tell him, ” God tells me he has surrounded you with very smart and efficient staff. They have got your back. There is no backstabbing or sabotage. They are loyal to you and will always be there for you.

His mouth dropped open, and then he smiled “Thank you so much for telling me this. That is so encouraging. Really. Thank you.”

It is so much easier when you just repeat what you hear, relay it when He tells you to and then get out of the way. You don’t need to know why He wants them to hear these words. Could be for now. Could be for later. Could be for a variety of reasons you really don’t need to be privy to.

No matter who someone is or the title they hold….they were created by God and special to Him. He has imprinted their hearts with the desire to hear His voice and be known by Him.

Hear something….say something.

Let’s give them something to talk about after you leave 🙂

A Listening Heart

The other day I was missing my car keys. “I just had them! I am such an airhead!” My eyes were suddenly drawn to a dresser in my bedroom. The top was covered by a mountain of books, hair products, and a large pile of clothes I had just taken out of the dryer. ”

“Nope, can’t be there. I just tossed clothes on it, and I would have noticed them.” As I started to leave my bedroom to search for a more likely place, I heard, “ We’ve already talked about this. Look in the first place that comes to you, even if it doesn’t make any sense. How many times did you find a misplaced item in a spot that you kept hearing in your heart, but it didn’t sound logical? Then when you finally gave up the search, you looked in the place that didn’t make sense… and there it was found! From now on, look there first. I turned around, lifted the clothes, and there were my keys.

As I wrote this, I heard,” This is the difference between hearing my voice in your head versus in your heart. Your head will try to persuade you by logic, but your heart will know the truth and propel you to obey. Which do you follow? I will always lead you in the right direction, but you will get there more quickly and without stress if you can hear me in your heart first.”

“How do I do that, Big Sky Daddy?”

“Slow down and stop trying to do everything by yourself. “

“That’s it?”

“Trust.”

“I trust you.”

“No, you need to trust yourself that you really do hear me.”

And the beat goes on…….

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