He kept giving me the word EXPECTATION! So I was really expecting HIM to do a mighty work there. He also continued to give me the words eyes to see and ears to hear. I read about Elijah in Chapter 19 of 1 Kings, verses 11 - 12. "Then He said, Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord," And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice." He also brought me to the verse, Isaiah 30:20-21 Here he says "And though the Lord gives you The bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner any more, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," Whenever you turn to the right hand Or whenever you turn to the left."
So I knew I should expect God to speak to us at the retreat on the Mountain!! I also knew that I should use my eyes to see and my ears to hear. And now as I look at these verse in hindsight I see how very prophetic they are!! God's word spoke loud and clear in the old testament and it speaks loud and clear today!
We just need to be in the word enough to hear it!
I often hope for what others receive at the retreats. I see others receive the gift of tongues and the gift of the holy spirit. I always figure it is for them but this year I said why not me Lord? I continued to cry out to Him in prayer before the retreat. Please Father, show me yourself and give me what I need to hear! Take away my doubts!!
I suppose I could write all day about my hopes, fears, doubts and expectations but I really want to share what God blessed me with on this weekend retreat on His Mountain! On Saturday, I went to the aqua aerobics and watched my sisters being baptized. I felt really good and wanted to enjoy more exercise and the sunshiny day so I took a jog and wound up at the base of the ski slope looking up. I knew there was a class on the holy spirit at 4:30. If I take a hike I might miss the class but the day was too beautiful and I could not resist the challenge of hiking up. If I hadn't hiked I would have missed what God had for me.
So up I went! Pausing every so often to look back at the beautiful view and then onward and upward to the top! (well almost to the top) I finally came over a little rise and heard some scuffling sounds. I paused and was startled to come upon a creature in front of me. Wow~I think that is a porcupine! How cool. I have never seen one before. I watched him clumsily waddle away from me. He wasn't in much of a hurry but I just stopped and watched him. When I started moving again, he heard me and his back quills went up. I thought they would shoot out but I guess they don't do that. I didn't want to take any chances. So, on he went and on I went to the top thinking it was neat to see a porcupine but not that it was anything with meaning.
That night at the retreat, I so loved hearing Helen Minerelli, speak the word and teach us so many things. One thing she said though was that God is a gold digger and he will cut a shaft to my heart to reach the gold. He will remove every hindrance if I am willing and will let the holy spirit come in. Phillipians 2:13 says that "for it is God who works in me both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Only He can bring me to a place of new levels but I have to be obedient to let Him do His work in me. Helen said that He would give me the grace, the power and the willingness to do it. Wow. So much more that she taught that will take too long to go into.
She posted a picture of a man wearing his armour. The helmet, the shield, the whole armor of God. This was a visionary picture of her son. He was holding Satan over his head as if to throw him! The picture stuck in my head, it was so powerful.
After Helen spoke, it was time for prayer. Once again as in years past, I saw many people receive the holy spirit in such a powerful way but felt as if I would never receive it. I went back to our condo and tried not to worry about it and to just trust in the Lord.
I went to bed around midnight and woke at 5:30 am. I was wide awake. I started to think about all the things I heard and saw with my eyes and ears this weekend. I thought about the porcupine and God said to me, Janet you are the porcupine. Huh? What? Me? And then it was all so very clear. I am that porcupine! I am around people all the time, but I don't get too close and then I scuttle off to my safe burrow at home. It's easier that way. Then I put up my defensive quills and won't allow anyone to get near enough to hurt me. God said Janet you need to get rid of those quills and replace them with my mighty armor. I will never receive what He has for me unless I am obedient in this. I was so excited to know that I was receiving a word from the Lord. He did not forget me this weekend. He knows exactly what to say and do for my heart. He knows me so intimately that the gift He gave was the gift of a porcupine on a mountain.! The gift of His word that speaks to me so dearly! The gift of pictures on the screen that tugged at my heart. Who am I to question, how and what He gifts me with? I am just so grateful to be the Daughter of an Almighty King who is gentle and kind and teaching me what He wants next from me.
Heavenly Father, remove my quills and replace them with your strength. Remove my defenses and let me be a lover of people and allow YOU to protect me from the fiery darts of the devil! This is my prayer in Jesus name, Amen!
Ephesians 6:10 "Finally, my sisters, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against wiles of the devil. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God!!"
So much has He given to me and to you my sisters at Church of the Rock! "So let us be obedient to our God so that He will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20
PS When I got home from the retreat, I found this book on my kitchen table. Just more confirmation from my Heavenly Father!
It made me giggle.
