Day 266

Today was  Day 266 of  The Red Shoe Project.  I was up and out early, in my RED sandals,  to attend a special service at Harvest Tabernacle.  Well, it was special for me, anyways.  Sometimes you just find yourself somewhere.  You think, "What am I doing here?" and you realize that the Holy Spirit brought you.  Why not?  We bring Him places all the time, right?  Perhaps He just exercises His authority, on occasion, and makes sure we are where we're supposed to be in His plan.  There's no planning involved, on our part.  We don't even know that we're being moved.  It's not overly spiritual. You just think, "Why did I come here, again?" And you realize you just did -- no rhyme or reason why.

Why is it that sometimes I try so hard 

to get in God's will, and other times, 

He just makes sure I am in His will? 

Last night's blog was a tough one to write.  Often, I just sit down at the computer, and before I know it, it's done.  Other times, I have to work through the writing process.  When I start out, I may not be sure where I'm going,  until it's done.   Then there are times I start with one idea in mind, and it ends up with something totally different.  Regardless,  when I finally press the  "Publish"  button,  I'm confident it's exactly what the Lord wants to say.  Last night, I posted my blog and went to bed satisfied, as usual.  Yet... as I laid my head on my pillow,  I had this funny feeling that something about it wasn't quite complete.

This morning, there I was in the worship service, sporting my RUBY REDS,  when  BOOM!  I found myself by the Waterfall of Glory.  One minute I'm just singing along with the congregation, and the next, I'm in the Secret Place.  If you've been following me for a while, you know that the Waterfall is a special place that God brings me from time to time.  It's beautiful there.  It's peaceful.  Today I cupped my hands, allowed the water to pour in, and drank from it.  "Very nice!"  I must say.  It was right at that moment, when God spoke.

"You know how you just "let go"  

of those people in your life?"  

(see Day 265)  

"Now I want you to release your 

life fully to me.  Just let it go!"

Oh gosh... sometimes I struggle with stuff like that.  It's not that I don't want to.  It's that I don't know how.   "How do I do that Lord?"  Verbalizing something like that has it's difficulties.  I'm putting natural words to a spiritual action.  Let go of my life?  What does that mean?  Of course it's about dying to self.  It's about letting go of everything.  It's about giving myself fully to God!  I get that!  But isn't that what I'm doing?   I am doing that!  So maybe this is just the next level?  

But how?  

That's the big question.

Thirty years ago, I no sooner gave my life to Christ, that I started hearing people talking about the Baptism of The Holy Spirit.  "What was that?"   I thought.  They talked about the manifestation of speaking in tongues as a private prayer language of sorts.  Okay... that's different.  I didn't know much about it.  Actually, I didn't know anything about it.  But these people who lead me to Christ, were somewhat suggesting that there might be more.  

"MORE?   I'm in!  

God,  I want ALL you have for me!"

With that, I added a new sentence at the end of my prayers each night:

"God, If this Baptism of the

 Holy Spirit is for real, I'd like it too!" 

 For seven weeks, that's how I prayed.  Then one day, there was an intriguing stirring within my soul.  Something was about to happen!  I just knew it.

At the end of the Sunday morning service, the visiting evangelist announced, "Tonight we are going to be praying for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit."  Afterwards I confided to my girlfriend that I needed to be at the church that evening.  I knew, without a doubt, I was to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

"It doesn't always happen right away,"  she said.  That didn't matter.  I was like the cat that ate the canary.  I felt like I was going to my own surprise party.  My insides were already celebrating while I was doing my best to remain outwardly calm.  I was certain, my time had come.  All I had to do was show up.

It wasn't a mere wanting or desire.

No!  No!

It was a Divine Knowing! 

That night, I went forward to the altar for prayer.  The minister informed us not to pray.

He said, "You can't be speaking in other tongues if you're speaking in your own language.  Just open your mouth, and other tongues will flow out."  

Okay... I don't get that.  How can I speak another language?  I don't know any other languages.  But I did what the minister said.  I opened my mouth.  I remember thinking how funny I must look.  Perhaps like a codfish, of sorts.

There I was, arms lifted up toward Heaven, my mouth open wide, and nothing coming out.  But suddenly...  there was a rumbling.  Some sort of nervous churning was happening in my belly.  How bizarre is that?  And then, it started moving upward.  I could feel it.  Like an elevator, the rumbling moved from my gut, to my chest, to my throat and then, something started moving in my mouth.  Like a little goldfish flopping all over the place.  Duhhh... it was my tongue.  It was moving and I wasn't moving it.  Everyone who had laid their hands on people and who were praising God had gone back to their seats.  It was getting quieter and quieter at the altar.  But there was still this one tongue in some unknown language that someone was speaking.  Oh my gosh... it was me! I was speaking it.  It was coming from my mouth!

Yeah... I never knew how that was going to work, because it wasn't something that I had the means to do on my own.  I just opened my mouth and waited.  God did the rest.  Perhaps that's what this "Letting go of my life"  is all about.  Maybe I'm just at the place now, where God is about to take over and do the divine part?

An old hymn by Frances R. Havergal, (1974)  pops in my mind:

 Take My Life and Let it Be

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord to Thee.
Take my moments and my days, 
Let them flow in endless praise.
Let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice and let me sing, 
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.
Filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold, 
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow'r  as Thou shalt choose.
Every pow'r  as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour.
At Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.
Ever, only, all for Thee.


I'm believing God's got it all under control!
I am His...  in RED shoes,

Gail