Friday 15 July 2016

Speaking, Giving, Receiving

I usually know what my instructions for the day are when I wake up in the morning - usually not the night before. It often comes to me as a picture. One morning as soon as I woke up and began thinking about the day ahead, I sensed I would be going somewhere by bus; and I also saw myself near a school - in my spirit I could see the buildings.
I wondered whether it might be Burleigh State School, seeing I sometimes got the bus to Burleigh Heads to pray in those days. (This was before I asked the Lord for a car.) But instead I sensed, "Broadbeach State School."
Anyway, I just put it on the shelf. I've learned I don't need to try to make that sort of vision happen. Just go ahead and do what seems right and natural for the day - and God Himself will bring it to pass. So later in the day I did something seemingly unrelated, and went for a prayer-walk and jog at Mermaid beach.
On the way, I felt led to buy a steak pie. I didn't really want to spend money on takeaway food, because my plan was to be home in time for dinner. But I felt led to buy the pie, which made me wonder whether the Lord might have been planning to keep me out later that night than I was intending.
During my prayer-walk it so happened that I walked past Broadbeach State School - and then I remembered my vision that morning of school buildings. So I walked around the school buildings, praying for the school and the students.
I also remembered that about 23 years beforehand (back when I was still a teenager or maybe about 20 years old or so) I once traveled all the way down to the Gold Coast from Ipswich, on a Sunday morning, to deliver a prophetic word to a new church which was starting at Broadbeach school. The word I spoke was that God was setting His angel over the church to ensure the church remains.
Recalling that, I walked to the school hall, and there I saw a notice on the window advertising an Assemblies of God church which was meeting in the hall every Sunday.
It seems there has almost always been a church-group of some description meeting at Broadbeach school, ever since that time 23 years beforehand when I first spoke it. Different group, different pastor - but seemingly almost always something!
Truly God performs our decrees and watches over our word to perform it - just as He does His own Word!
I felt God say to me, "I brought you here to show you that." So I thanked God (and then I spoke something else to God about the church at Broadbeach school).
That was over six years ago. It's been approximately 30 years since I first spoke it, and still today a church meets at that school. The group which meets there now is actually the biggest congregation that has ever met at that school in all those years, as far as I know. So it's doing well!
What we speak, God performs! Remember that.
From there I walked to Pacfair, intending to catch the last bus home at 6:30pm. I had a few minutes to spare, so I bought a flavoured-milk drink - and then I sensed, "Don't go home."
I perceived in my spirit that I was meant to visit the Transformations Crisis Centre. But I knew if I let my last bus go, I would need to take a different bus-route home later that night which would involve walking over a kilometre at the end to get home. Plus I didn't really desire to spend money on an extra bus-fare to Surfers. But I sensed, "I will pay you back."
So I bought a bus ticket to Surfers, prayed over the city, then bought a bus ticket back towards home, and got off the bus halfway, to go to the Crisis Centre like I'd felt.
On the way to the Crisis Centre I was feeling a desire in my heart to share certain things there, but I didn't think I'd have the opportunity to speak about such things that night. All week I'd also had Justin on my heart.
It so happened that Justin was there at the Crisis Centre when I arrived - and he seemed really keen to talk. He shared his heart, and asked a series of questions which gave me the opportunity to share all the things I'd had in my heart to share!
While there I'd also begun feeling that I would be getting a taxi home instead of a bus. But again I didn't want to spend the money on a taxi fare seeing there were buses. So after I finished everything the Lord had for me at the Crisis Centre, I just walked to the bus-stop.
While waiting for a bus, I still kept feeling "taxi". It was as if God wanted to drive me all the way home instead of me having to walk that last one-kilometre at the end of my journey.
I remembered His promise to me, "I will pay you back," but still, when I thought about the expense, I still felt reluctant, I didn't want to be extravagant on myself, and continued waiting for the bus instead.
While waiting I started to desire a Big Mac, but I didn't want to risk missing my bus while I was in buying it. So I didn't.
By the time the bus eventually came, my transfer ticket had expired by 30-minutes! Reluctantly, I therefore decided to go with what I'd been feeling in my spirit all along, and get a cab. Seeing God had promised to pay me back anyway, I thought, Okay, I may as well go home in style.
On the way to the main road to wave-down the taxi, I walked past Maccas and got two Big Macs for the price of one! Then I got a cab home - all the way home - without that one-kilometre walk at the end.

On the way home in the taxi, in my mind I started adding-up the total amount of money I would have spent that night by the time I got home - I estimated it would be between $30-$40. I reminded God that He said He would pay me back for all this. I also told Him that I didn't really want to wait a long time before being paid back - preferably by the next day would be good.
When I got home after a spiritually satisfying night, I had four dollars cash left. It was unusual that I had that much left, because usually when I was led of the Spirit, I had just the right amount of money on me to do what I had to do. But that night I had four dollars over. That was odd.
Next morning my phone rang, "Private Number". Before I answered it, I felt led, "Say yes". It was a friend from Toowoomba asking me to meet him at Pacfair. My four dollars leftover from the night before was just enough for my bus-fare there.
My friend bought me a Boost Juice and sushi. Then he asked me if I'd accompany him to Southport by bus. I sensed the word, "Go". While at the bus stop, he suddenly decided we'd go by taxi instead. While we were at Southport he bought me another Boost Juice.
He was getting picked-up by someone from there afterwards, so I thought of withdrawing some cash from an ATM to buy myself a bus ticket home. But my friend ended-up buying me a Go Card with credit for $10 for my fare home.
Before I caught the bus home though, I walked around Southport praying, and the Lord gave me some clarity about what He wanted in Southport. Six years later I can now see that much of what I spoke that day about Southport has become established in Southport. In recent years there have been connect group meetings; meetings in a community centre; a large meeting in the RSL with people coming from all over to participate; there have been outreaches, salvations, baptisms, demons cast out, and people filled with the Spirit at the Southport Broadwater; even the new construction of buildings and retail shops all over Southport, and the new light-rail - many of these were things I foresaw and spoke out in prayer for Southport that day. It's like Southport has had a makeover!
On the way home on the bus, I listened to a Rodney Howard-Browne CD, then I was about to listen to another album, when the Lord seemed to say, "It would please Me more if [instead] you...."
...and He led me to just sit there on the bus and instead calculate the total amount of money my friend had spent on me that day. Would you believe, it added-up to almost the exact amount that I'd spent serving the Lord the night before!
Everything I'd spent - on food, drink, buses and the taxi ride - He gave back to me. He even gave me a bus-ride in return for the one I'd given up; and He gave me a taxi ride in return for the taxi ride I'd paid for the night before. Plus meals. And drinks. And a Go-Card. With credit for bus-fares.
And He paid all that back to me by the very next day, just as I'd demanded. (And He sent someone all the way from Toowoomba to do so!)
God initiated it all - all I had to do was say, "Yes" - one day, and the next. Then He took care of the rest - in style!
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, 
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."
"Give and it shall be given unto you."

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