"How can I know if it's GOD using me?
- OR -
if it's just me doing something on my own?"
That's a great question! It's a search I've been on for years, and I'm going to share with you, over the next few days, what I have discovered. To some extent, everybody has to find out and figure out for themselves how God wants to partner with them personally. But I'm confident that what I have to share with you, will help.
For me, it's always been
very important that "It's GOD!"
That's because I know that
I've got nothing in comparison!
As a young Christian, there were many, many times that God was moving in my midst. Most often, it was well after the fact, that I even realized...
"WOW! God was here!" It was much like the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus after Jesus' death on the cross. (Luke 24:13-35) As they walked along, the risen Lord caught up with them and joined them on their journey. They recognized Him not! It wasn't until after He was gone, their eyes were opened, and they asked each other...
"WOW! God was here!" It was much like the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus after Jesus' death on the cross. (Luke 24:13-35) As they walked along, the risen Lord caught up with them and joined them on their journey. They recognized Him not! It wasn't until after He was gone, their eyes were opened, and they asked each other...
"Were not our hearts burning within us
while He talked with us on the road
and opened the Scriptures to us?"
Luke 24:32
Immediately, they ran back to testify to the other disciples of what had happened. Like most young people, young Christians tend NOT to over think things. They just live in God's presence and enjoy it! They testify, with passion, of what God has done and is doing in their lives! Ahhhhhh! The joyous days of our youth! Truly they are delightful!
But as time goes on, young Christians begin to grow up. They want to understand everything. They want to be involved. That's a normal part of the growth cycle. And it's not unusual for newbies to get a little knowledge under their belt and think they know it all! LOL! Sound familiar? You mix that awesome passion of the new believer with lack of experience and KABOOM! It can get a little messy.
Mistakes happen!
I remember a time when I was about a year or two in Christ. Before church, on Sunday mornings, I would often watch the Oral Roberts' Tent Crusades on t.v. WOW! People were getting healed right and left! I'd be sitting, awestruck, as I watched, while eating my breakfast.
One such day, I went running off to church, so moved by what I saw, that I was convinced that God would use me someday to pray for others, in like fashion. It just so happened that the pastor had a prayer line that morning. He welcomed people "who felt lead to pray" to come up to the altar, lay hands on the sick and join him in prayer. I leapt from the pew and bolted to the front. I jumped right in there, next to the pastor, himself, lifted my voice and prayed up a storm! So much so... that the pastor nicely asked me to go back to my seat and pray quietly.
Oh my gosh! I was mortified! No one else took notice, but I realized that in my anxiousness to work with God, I really just "got in the way" -- perhaps even grieving the Holy Spirit. Well, that's not good, and I knew it. I felt so bad, I left the church, went to my car, and cried my eyes out all the way home, asking God to forgive me. Yeah... I never did that again! Sometimes you learn the hard way!
Oh my gosh! I was mortified! No one else took notice, but I realized that in my anxiousness to work with God, I really just "got in the way" -- perhaps even grieving the Holy Spirit. Well, that's not good, and I knew it. I felt so bad, I left the church, went to my car, and cried my eyes out all the way home, asking God to forgive me. Yeah... I never did that again! Sometimes you learn the hard way!
So let me say this: Some churches and ministries are excellent at recognizing people's giftings -- encouraging them to "try them out" and "practice them" -- giving them opportunity to do just that within their meetings. With that said, they don't worry so much about mistakes. They know the individual is "in training" and provide guidance and correction along the way! That's the way it should be! After all, the church is supposed to train up it's congregation to do the work of the ministry. Needless to say, as the years went on, I wasn't in such a rush to be "used mightily of God!" God did use me though -- in lots of little ways -- and as time went on -- in greater ways.
Much of my training in Christ was in a "Full Gospel" environment. I must have been a handful of years in the Lord, when I was found praying at the altar one Saturday evening, specifically for the Sunday morning service. I was running the Missions Program at the time, and was asked to give a brief charge to the congregation in the morning service.
During that prayer time, God showed me a vision. I was standing behind the pulpit, looking at the congregation, and above them was a giant umbrella. The people were all huddling close together, under the umbrella, to prevent themselves from getting soaked in the rain. God spoke to me in the vision. He told me that He wanted the people to come out from the umbrella and receive the blessing of the Lord. "Come out! Come out!" He called to them!
Fast forward to the next morning. There I was standing behind the pulpit, preparing to give the charge, when suddenly, I felt a churning in my stomach. No, it wasn't heartburn. It was more like the churning of a washing machine. "Oh boy... here we go!" I thought. Out of my belly, came a roar like a mighty rushing river! WHEW!!! I opened my mouth and a loud tongue -- in a language that I personally didn't know -- came forth boldly!
At one point, I gripped the big, wooden pulpit on each side, holding myself in place. When the tongue was done, my legs felt like jello. Yeah... I was holding on for dear life. Not just that, I opened my eyes and saw all the faces of the congregation -- there had to be 250 or 300 of them looking right at me.
This wasn't the first time God had used me to give a congregational message in tongues... but where, oh where, was the interpretation? I didn't have that particular gift at the time, and I knew that according to the Bible, it was critical for an interpretation to come forth! "Oh God," I prayed in my head, "Please give someone the interpretation!"
Jesus stood and said in a loud voice,
'If anyone is thristy,
let him come to me and drink.
Whoever believes in me,
as Scripture has said,
out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water.'
By this he meant the Spirit,
whom those who believed
in him were later to receive."
John 7:37 - 29
"Okay God - Where are you?"
This wasn't the first time God had used me to give a congregational message in tongues... but where, oh where, was the interpretation? I didn't have that particular gift at the time, and I knew that according to the Bible, it was critical for an interpretation to come forth! "Oh God," I prayed in my head, "Please give someone the interpretation!"
It was only a few seconds, but it seemed like forever, when suddenly, an older woman, two or three rows back on my right hand side, stood up and proclaimed God's Word. The message she delivered went something like this:
"The Lord would say to His people today...
Behold, I have sent forth a rain of blessing
for you to soak in. Yet, why are you are all
standing under the cover of an umbrella?
Come out! Come out! I say...
Receive all that I have for you this day!
Let down your guard!
Step into My presence and I will bless you!"
Yeah... that was GOOD! That was really GOOD! I hadn't told anyone about the vision God had given me the night before at the altar. Not a soul! God had shown me what He was going to do. I simply YIELDED and
He did it. Was it scary? Absolutely!
He did it. Was it scary? Absolutely!
But God showed Himself faithful
and I began to learn the ways of
Divine Partnership.
Not to mention, that the people responded to God's Word and received from Him, in this manifestation of Divine Outpouring. The pastor, elders and congregation, bore witness that God had, in fact, spoken to His people.
My training was in progress. It was kind of an "on the job" training. Most of the time, I was found in church... worshipping God, learning the Word, and praying. Outside the church, I was living out my faith in practical ways, loving God and doing my best at loving the people God put in my life. And when the occasion arose -- when God saw it fit to use me -- I was there. I was available.
Hmmmm. Now there's some meat to chew on, pray about and consider. What does God have in store for you, I wonder? Where are you in God's training program? We've just scratched the surface here. Tomorrow, we'll go deeper.
Believing God will use YOU!
Gail
