I was up at the local shopping centre on Tuesday 21st August 2011, looking for some red ballet shoes for my daughter, who had decided that she would be the Magic Ballerina from Darcey Bussell’s books series for the International Book Day at her school.
4 year-old M had not eaten his breakfast so we promptly got some raisin toast and a drink. As I stood waiting for the drink I felt Holy Spirit prompt me to pray for the young girl behind the counter. I offered and she said she was a Buddhist. I responded that was fine, I was happy to pray for her, and asked for her hand. I prayed favour, blessing, prosperity … This was done with ease, not too much anxiety about what she may think.
We then went on to find some little red shoes …
I asked God which store and he led me straight to a children’s clothing store which, “coincidently”, had just what I was looking for. I bought them with a few other items for M and we decided to head home, me marvelling at how smoothly the whole shopping excursion had gone.
As I headed up through the centre I walked past a “Ted’s Cameras” store and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a wheel chair. I hesitated for a moment, and checked with Holy Spirit if I should stop … I didn’t really want to and all the excuses came flooding into my mind. I felt I heard a “no” … I walked on a bit but queried the response feeling puzzled and recalling the same feeling when I had stopped and prayed for “A” whose two broken legs were healed miraculously and who was walking within two weeks after prayer, well before she was even meant to be out of her wheel chair and leg braces.
I wandered aimlessly through Myer, saying that I would approach the person if they were still there when I went back and I felt a sense of fear spread through me. I tried to check again, asking Holy Spirit and I again felt I got another clear “no”. I kept walking, sensing the fear … and then it dawned on me … this was potentially a place of great breakthrough and the words from one of Kris Vallotton’s (Bethel Church, Redding, California) teaching came back to me with force … he had said something like …
“the hounds of hell guard … make the most noise … at the gates of greatest promise …”
I recalled this comment and I wondered whether there was breakthrough in this … and so I resolvedly ignored the fear and doubt of “what if she isn’t healed” and I, walked in and offered to pray, seeing that she was still in the store, all the while reminding myself that the same spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is in me (Rom 8:11) and that Jesus had promised that …
“… he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “ John 14:12 (NASB)
The occupant of the wheel chair was an elderly woman who had suffered a stroke. She was there with her daughter. They very happily accepted my offer to pray.
I placed my hands on either side of the woman’s temple and she said she felt something happening in her head. I recalled stories of healings from Randy Clark’s teachings and of A’s broken legs (see link below) and prayed again – feeling the anointing flow.
I would like to say that she got up out of the wheel chair and danced a jig through the store … she didn’t, but even so I felt I had pushed through something … a wall of fear and intimidation on which the other side there lay purpose and promise …
The woman felt the presence of God, both times that I prayed, and as I gave them my email address they promised to let me know how it all went.
I left the store and the centre … not elated … but not defeated either. There was a definite sense of determination, achievement and breakthrough because I had chosen to walk through the gate of promise regardless of the fear, and I chose to be a vessel through which heaven could invade Earth … the outcome I had to leave with God.
M sat in the car after and he said he felt sad for her and had wanted to pray for her too. I apologised to him for not asking him if he wanted to pray too (there is no mini size Holy Spirit in children, but full size and full strength Holy Spirit … and so at the age of 4 M is just as capable of seeing a miracle just as someone of 44 … in fact probably more so).
The hounds had barked, but they were soon silenced. The worse case scenario was that I had got it wrong … I had offered to pray and they said “no” … and really … so what … I was a stranger reaching out to someone in need.
What gates are the hounds trying to intimidate you from walking through? Is it stopping for the one on the street and offering to pray? Is it starting a business, or believing in a miracle, a healing, or a salvation …or perhaps just telling someone “I love you”? Whatever the fear is stopping you from doing, consider what the promise is on the other side before you retreat … if it is full of goodness, hope, peace, joy or love then there could be something there for you, waiting to be gained …
I doubt that this will be the last time I feel the fear try to inhibit me … and I know there is no fear in love, for “perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). I now know that the fear was a signal that there was something for me on the other side (thank you Kris Vallotton) and so I am glad I pushed through this time … and I hope I will the next … the next encounters were far easier and 24 hours later I led the Gloria Jeans girl at the airport to Christ with ease (see link below) …
There is victory on this side of the cross … there is victory for us on the other side of fear, and so I figure, for me anyway, I need to decide what I am going to allow to shape me … my destiny … and the destiny of those around me, including those I love the most … the fear, the intimidation, … or love … for perfect love does cast out all fear because God is love for …
God is Good!
Praise reports that followed: http://godisgoodstories.com/2011/02/05/praise-report-%e2%80%93-god-is-good-so-very-very-good-%e2%80%a6-part-1-of-2-wednesday-22nd-december-2010-and-19th-january-2011/
Salvation at the airport: http://godisgoodstories.com/2011/08/27/the-gloria-jeans-anointing-wednesday-24th-august-2011/