Fresh Speaking
The following is a compilation of the testimonies of some of the saints at the beginning of the second meeting on May 30, 2010:
God's economy is different from our concept. We'd like Him to do everything for us, and that everything He would do for us would be miraculous and wonderful. The things He does are, of course, miraculous and wonderful, but His economy is to impart something of Himself into us, and to work Himself into us. His economy is that we would gain something of Himself so that we would gain Him and express Him. His desire is to do everything along with us so that it would become a treasure to Him. (Bob Brenneman)
We need to fight to pursue our time with the Lord! I have been reading in Matthew 11 and the Lord's warning, concerning the lawlessness of this age. He warned that because of the lawlessness of this age, our love for Him would grow cold. In order to overcome this age and the coldness of our hearts, He tells us that we need to be violent to take the kingdom of the heavens. By being violent with ourselves, and not stand with our natural tendencies. This takes something of our giving ourselves, and separating ourselves from all other things. This is a fight! We need to give ourselves to the Lord and to the saints, for it is just too easy to be in ourselves. (Nancy Lang)
God created man and separated mankind into to peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles. Upon the cross, these two became one people. In time there is the carrying out of this. In this age He is working in us as we are being filled with Him. We need to cooperate with Him so that He can get what He is after in this age. (Tony Baugh)
I often have a sense from the Lord has me speak to people when I am on the road. It doesn't matter if it is outwardly a good situation or not. Several times He spoke to me that I should say something to someone and I didn't respond, but today I did. I handed a man a tract and he did not say one single thing, but he did read it (still not saying anything). In such a situation, I was uncomfortable, but that's okay. (Barry Reutter)
I spoke to someone in a drugstore. He looked like he was having a difficult time trying to find something. When I offered to help him, he just spoke and spoke. In his speaking, he was very upset and anguished. I felt I should speak something of the Lord Jesus as peace. He stopped his ranting and listened to what I was saying, and he even asked questions. I was stunned at what the Lord did! (Bonnie Gaerttner)
As I was cleaning my windows, I was looking for my new neighbor. When I finally saw her, my husband was talking with her, still, the Lord said I should go and be with them. I finally listened to the Lord. She told us about her daughter who has a serious eye condition and is loosing her sight. She could become blind at any time. No one can help this condition, not even my neighbor's husband, who is an eye doctor. I was so touched by how my neighbor spoke of her daughter's attitude. She spoke of how her daughter was treasuring every day that she could see, and that she was taking everything in before she looses her vision. This spoke to me that I need to have such an attitude to seek the Lord every day, to follow the Lord and grasp every opportunity to see Him because it might be the last one I have. I had been waiting for an opportunity to speak to my neighbor of the Lord, but she wound up feeding me! (Linda Stapp)
There was a knock on my door, and standing there was a young man who looked really rough, like he could be in a gang. I remembered last week's sharing concerning our following the sense of the Lord within. I did open the door. This young man had lost his job due to the work going overseas. He was looking for signatures to sign a petition. I signed it, and then, after he left, I had a sense that the Lord wanted to speak to him. I looked for him, but couldn't see him. I walked down the street, and eventually I saw him and shared something of the Lord regarding salvation and how man needs God. I didn't have a sense to ask him if he was saved. As I talked with him, he was eating up everything I said. Outwardly he had such a rough exterior, but inwardly he was soft. I realized that I shouldn't look at outward appearances! I asked him if he had a Bible. He said that he didn't, but he had read the Bible online. Before I had left the house, the Lord gave me a sense to take a "free Bible" coupon with me, and I asked him if he would like to have a free Bible. He said, "I'd like that!" He then asked if it was really free. When I answered "Yes", he was so thankful. I was so happy for the experience, and that I didn't judge by his outward appearances, but instead, I followed the Lord! (Jane Hollinger)
One morning the Lord kept placing a sister upon my heart. I thought that I should call her but I was watching my granddaughter and I needed to pay attention to her. Some hours later, my granddaughter began to play by herself and at that point, the Lord was quite emphatic! He said that while I had the opportunity, I should call that sister! As soon as she heard my voice she told me that she had been thinking of me that morning! As we talked, she asked if I would be busy that evening, and if not, could she come over. To be honest, I wanted to go to bed early, but within me, I felt that I needed to go against myself. I told her "Sure, come on over". We had such a sweet time together, a time that was very precious in the Lord. The following Lord's day, we were given the "challenge" to follow the sense within. After the meeting, I told her that my calling her really came from the Lord and not from myself, and I also confessed of how I wanted to get to bed early, but I was so glad that I had said yes to her coming over. She told me that she too was just going to "veg" out that night but when we were on the phone, the Lord spoke to her about coming over to spend some time together. We both recognized that it was the Lord, and not us who took the lead – our part was to cooperate with what the Lord was speaking, and that cooperating also came from the Lord! Because we both "died" to our soul life, we felt the reality of 2 Cor. 4:12 "So then death operates in us, but life in you". (Judy Godshall)