Was she an angel? and more...

Ann here!

My friends, I am asking myself if I saw an angel a few weeks ago.

Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14, KJV)

I wonder if we should be more receptive and open to the fact that angels are here. I mean, I go days – weeks, even — without thinking about angels. But I wonder if I should think about them more than I do.

Ok, well, here’s what happened a few weeks ago:

I was sitting in the garden of a church, in England. I was waiting for my Mum to pick me up from there, and knew I had a little time, so I opened a leather book I had been writing in, and I started to talk to God ….

I started to talk to God about his plans for me in the future. I said, “What are we building together next, Lord?” and I drew some pictures of some of the things that represented what he currently seemed to be doing, and therefore what was ‘next’ in my life.

I doodled a little, “We’re gonna do this”, and “we’re gonna do this”, and “we’re gonna do this, Lord”….

“But Lord, what do you have next for me to do?”

At that point I looked up and saw my Mum drive slowly past in her car, her face firmly set forward, without seeing me. So I hurriedly packed everything up and headed towards the road. On reaching the pavement, however, I could not see my Mum’s car and she seemed to have disappeared into thin air!

It was hot. Yes, England was experiencing an unheard of heatwave that week. And I stood there with my suitcase, many bags, and too-hot clothes, with the sun beating down on me. It seemed that Mum was taking an age, and there I was sweating away. Suddenly I got despondent and hung my head.

This journey of mine to England had not been easy, and as I hung my head I thought: “I just want to be back in New Zealand.”

Suddenly:

“Oh!” I heard, next to me. Then “Oh! OHHHH.”

It was as if someone had recognised my thoughts. And who was this person? I turned my head, and there was a woman in her sixties. Slightly plump.

She was right next to me, and our eyes met. She then said a phrase:

“It’s worth it, whatever you’re planning.”

Then, off she walked, briskly, with her back to me, not turning around once, not stopping to talk to me about what she had just said.

I was stunned. Perhaps she was a Christian with a prophetic gift. But about half an hour later it occurred to me that she might have been something different. I asked myself then, “Was she an angel?”

My friends, have you had a moment where you thought someone was an angel?

I can only say I’ve thought that once, possibly twice, before in my life.

Let’s chat in the comments!

Ann

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June is Practical Faith Month.

Last Tuesday I was in Los Angeles visiting family. The day Mike and I arrived I was experiencing severe abdominal pain. It lasted for several days. It was so painful on Tuesday, I almost went to the ER. I decided to wait it out and as the week progressed the pain decreased.

This is my account of what a life of faith looks like in the real.

I know so many people who are battling cancer and disease right now. I try very hard to refrain from partnering with fear. But facing significant pain in one area of my abdomen, created a scare within. The “C” word.

I decided to wait to return to No Cal as I had a standing appointment with my physician the next Tuesday. So I had to face down my fears. Every. Single Day. I said to myself that I am living in divine health. I prayed and ask Jesus for healing. I prayed and rebuked fear and would literally say, “I will not partner with fear.”

My appointment with my physician on Tuesday set off a battery of tests, X-ray and a CT scan.

And in the middle of all of this my doggie, Gracie, severely hurt her back. A Vet ER visit, tests and medication. Poor thing is in so much pain; she won’t stand up by herself.

So, in chaos and fear what is a woman of faith to do? I pray. I believe. I fight against fear and coming into agreement with disease and pain. For both me and my pup. BTW, Jesus loves it when we pray for our pets.

The message I relied on was this; I heard a pastor once say that when you are at high levels of faith, disease is defeated. I stood on this truth. I trusted.

Today, I’m waiting for some of the results of my scans. However, much of the blood work results reflect that I am completely healthy. Probably healthier than my eating habits would reflect.

Gracie, is crate bound but she is eating. Hallelujah.

My friend, this is my living example of how a life of prayer and faith have protected me. Over and over again.

I fall on my knees with such thankfulness. Jesus, is our healer.. His truth, His blood, His name are our healing and the defeat of disease, disaster and more.

The devil tries to hit me every year about this time. But each year, I arise. I will NOT stop praying for my family. I will not stop my ministry prayer with others. I will write books that lead people to greater faith levels.

And you, my friend, if you have read this far, you are also one who lives in great “faith levels.” Stand tall. Arise with every blow and allow the glory of our King Jesus to be seen in you and around you.

If you or someone you know is facing health issues, leave a name or a condition. I will pray. You will pray. Then you can write me when Jesus shows up.

I love you, Lynn

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What I Know For Sure with Barb Twigg

Faith and Favor Go Together

 

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This statement has proven incredibly powerful over the past month. I truly hope this message brings hope to others because it has given me more hope than I have felt in quite some time.

My husband promised to join me for Easter service. In a previous article, The Smallest Seeds, I shared how he attended Christmas Eve service with me and what a blessed experience that was. Unfortunately, he hadn’t attended again until Easter – but again, it’s in His time, not ours.

I want to share the powerful message my pastor gave that morning. He spoke about conversations and how the most important conversations we will ever have are the ones we have with our Father in heaven. I know this well, but he also shared something that struck me deeply. He said there was a reason every single person was sitting in that room – whether they were people of faith, someone attending because it was Easter, or even someone who felt they were simply there because they were asked to come.

There was a reason we were there because God wants to hear from us directly.

Throughout the message, my pastor kept emphasizing the word, “you.” As he spoke, I couldn’t help but feel like those words were being spoken directly to my husband.

Now, I know my husband well, and I knew I didn’t want to push things too much afterward. It was already a big step for him simply to attend church, so I felt in my heart to leave the conversation alone and allow him space to process. If he wanted to share, he would.

A few hours later, he randomly said how easy it was to listen to my pastor speak and how relatable he was. Then he said something that stopped me in my tracks.

“And you know what? I may try that praying thing on my own.”

Once again – but God.

As thrilled as I was, I kept my composure and simply agreed that it would be good for him to just “try it.” I know my husband well enough to know that launching into excitement or a long discussion would likely have pushed him away. So I quietly thanked God in my heart.

But again – but God.

Two nights later, I even got him to watch the movie The Case for Christ with me. I was a little apprehensive about suggesting it, but I took a leap of faith and asked if he would watch it together.

The movie tells the story of journalist Lee Strobel and his journey to faith. As a committed atheist and investigative reporter, Strobel sets out to disprove Christianity after his wife becomes a believer. His search leads him through historical and medical evidence surrounding the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. What begins as an attempt to disprove faith ultimately leads him to become a believer himself – and eventually a pastor.

The story begins with what appears to be a coincidence. Strobel’s young daughter begins choking in a restaurant, and a nurse who happened to be there saves her life. Strobel’s wife soon believes it was God’s providence that the nurse was there that day, while Strobel believes it was simply coincidence.

But the nurse explains that she had originally planned to go somewhere else and changed her plans at the last minute. She believed firmly that there are no coincidences—that she was meant to be there.

Watching this story unfold was powerful. I honestly believe that anyone who approaches the story with an open mind – even someone skeptical – could walk away with a different perspective. The historical and medical evidence presented in Strobel’s investigation is compelling.

Now, I cannot say that my husband had the same life-changing moment that Lee Strobel experienced. Perhaps it is not his time…yet.

But what I can say is this: he truly enjoyed the movie. Afterward, we had conversations about it. He even compared me to Lee’s wife and pointed out similarities in how I came to faith. His curiosity and willingness to talk about it gave me a renewed sense of hope.

Maybe his journey has already begun.

What I do know is that I will continue to pray the same prayer that Lee’s wife prayed for him, from Ezekiel 36:26:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

So my friends, there are no coincidences.

It was no coincidence that my husband attended church that day and heard a message that spoke so clearly to the importance of speaking directly with God. It was no coincidence that his heart was open enough to watch The Case for Christ with me – something that would never have happened before.

This is the work of our Most High.

And while we may sometimes grow impatient, wanting things to happen on our timeline, we must remember that it is always His time, not ours.

The seeds continue to be planted. And even when the growth is slow, growth is still happening.

Stay faithful. Continue praying for your spouses. God is always working behind the scenes.

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Ian here!

Before I come to this month’s post, I wanted to thank all you prayers who have been bringing me before the Lord on this healing adventure as I’ve dubbed it. I cherish everyone and knowing the chemo continues to be working and my neuropathy is manageable now, I now your prayers are being answered. Thank you. I’ve still got a long way to with a stem cell transplant at some point in this adventure and I will continue to covet every prayer you pray! Big love.

“For me, reason is the natural organ of truth, but imagination is the organ of meaning.” – C.S. Lewis.

Increasingly using my imagination in my spiritual walk has led to an increasing intimacy with God. It is said that it was after Lewis began to use his imagination that he finally discovered God as a relational being and surrendered his many years of resistance to give his life to God.

We use our imaginations all the time every day. Some of it or even a lot of it can be used for not so positive purposes. For example, our fantasy life. This is something that I must continually surrender to the Lord as it can be a distraction focusing on my self-ruling mind. Letting go of our self-rule is one of the great challenges of our spiritual walk and it is a daily surrender. Stepping into a positive use of my imagination is one way I turn my eyes to the Lord and let go of my self-rule.

How I use my Imagination

• About 10 years ago I came across Imaginative Meditations. I love listening to a soothing voice invite me to put myself into a Biblical story and use my senses to imaginatively interact with Jesus.
• In times of solitude and silence I will typically invite Jesus to come into my room in my imagination. We will sit together and simply be still. Sometimes Jesus will say things to me, sometimes he doesn’t. But simply being in his presence allows me to let go of some my distractions in my thought life. When a distraction pops its head up, I might simply say, “Jesus” or “Come Holy Spirit” that knocks it down and switches me back to Jesus.
• Recently, I’ve been meeting Jesus on a boat on a beautiful lake. I imagine I’m on Lake Jasper or similar in Canada. Look it up if you’re not familiar with it. Funnily, I’m not really a water-guy. But I hop in the boat and we sit, we fish (he’s a very good fisherman!) and sometimes we even head to shore and Jesus shows me how to build a fire, how to de-scale any fish we’ve caught, cook it over the fire and then enjoy a meal together. Once again, it’s not about talking so much but simply being together.
• Some of the drugs I’m taking make getting to sleep a challenge, so I use a nighttime mediation from the Dwell app to help me fall asleep. Viv and Trevor alternate each night and use a short verse to help us move on from our day and focus on God’s goodness, his peace, his constant caring for us, or similar to help us relax and then music takes us into sleep. I did mention that I love listening to a soothing voice, didn’t I? I picture Jesus speaking these words over me and even sitting in my bedroom quietly praying over me the night’s verse.

Over to you. What imaginative practices do you use to help you step into the Lord’s presence? Do you have concerns using your imagination to ‘see’ the Lord?

We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Big love, dear SUMites.

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