Tuesday, June 7, 2011

A torrential downpour of the goodness of God...

I have had the most incredible week and God's faithfulness and timing is astounding.
I wanted to share a personal testimony of the goodness of God because "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10), and by sharing about God's provision in my life, it releases faith for it to happen in yours too!

For quite some time now I have wanted to enroll in the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry run by Bethel church in Redding, California. I was contemplating doing it last year, but I felt the Spirit guide me to to take a trip to Australia, where I attended a few life-changing church conferences and met the most incredible salt-of-the-earth people who I absolutely adore. After arriving home from Australia, I couldn't help but feel unsettled because deep in my spirit I knew that my being home was only a temporary phase, yet due to no doors being open for me to travel again, I was unsure as to exactly when and where this would be. Resting in God was hard over this time because my Spirit knew something that my mind couldn't understand. I eventually decided to settle at home, I got a job and got my head around the fact that I was here to stay (despite my spirit feeling like a racehorse that knows it is about to be set free to run, yet knowing when that gate will open.)
Then, I felt the Lord remind me of my desire to go to Bethel, and  felt such a strong stirring and an awakening of that desire within me. Whenever I would think about Bethel I would feel excitement bubbling up in my spirit. So, being led by my peace, I made a very sudden and unexpected decision (by faith) to apply for the school.
With relocating overseas being such a great task and requiring so much, I knew that I would have to walk by faith every step of the way. With the financial requirements and realities, I would have to sell my car and give up my job, and while that may seem like a silly thing to do considering being so young yet having so much going for me, I knew that there was nothing that I wouldn't sacrifice if it meant I was able to follow my heart and my God-given dreams.
Being led to do something so huge by a force as seemingly wispy as inner peace or 'the still small voice'
wasn't easy. God never wrote it on the wall. Nobody came up to me out of the blue with a prophetic word. God didn't paint it in the sky. I had to discern what the Lord was saying in my spirit and make a choice to live within the confines of my comfort zone or to actively pursue that which he has placed in my heart. Being a person absolutely phobic of living a white-picket-fence life, I have always prayed that the Lord would make my life an adventure because I know that life in the Kingdom is destined to be anything but boring and mundane. I knew that when this opportunity popped up before me that I was not about to let it fly away.

Up until now my entire life hasn't been totally ordinary, and I haven't exactly gone with the flow. I have been an upstream swimmer, determined to follow my own dreams and my own God given desires instead of neatly slipping into any kind of one-size fits all folder that the world dishes out. It hasn't always been easy, but as best I know how, I have always tried to discern Holy Spirit's lead and follow his call over and above that which seems like the right thing to do according to the natural mind. Although living a spirit-led lifestyle is a challenge at times, I think that it is more habitual for believers than we even think, because we have a new nature and are new creations that not of the flesh but of the spirit (Romans 8).

Last week tuesday, I advertised my car on an online trading website. On Wednesday, I had my phone call interview with Bethel. On Thursday my car sold for the exact amount I needed. On Friday I received my Bethel acceptance letter. On Saturday I received the most accurate and powerful confirming prophetic word that didn't even slightly expect. On Sunday we had the most incredible glory and fire-filled church meeting and the power of God knocked me off my feet and quickened my spirit with so much heavenly voltage. Now that's what I call a good week!

The timing of God has been almost hilarious and he has made it so obvious that he has been at work in my situation.
With regards to the prophetic word I received on Saturday, we were away down the coast on our annual Church camp, and an incredible woman of God and sharp prophetess, Chanelle Russouw along with her prophetic friends Julie and Carla came away with us to minister in the prophetic.
I was sitting in the second row and the ladies asked me to come to the front so they could prophesy over me. The manifest presence of God was upon me as they began to fire off the most incredible prophecies. They said that I have been like a little eagle about to leave the nest. I have taken short flights up until now, but the time is coming when I will be taking that big flight. They felt that I had been asking God when I will be ready and when the right time will be (which I have been) and now the Lord is saying "Now is the time, you are ready." They felt that there was going to be a season of countries and airplanes and me going into a time of incredible training for ministry.
As these words were being spoken over me, every kind of emotion flowed and I am still gobsmacked at the detail and accuracy of the words. God is such a funny guy and knows EACTLY how to speak my language.
For me, I was just so relieved to know that my going to Bethel isn't just a good idea on my terms, but that it is a God-breathed desire. I felt relieved to know that I hadn't been going crazy all these months but that which I felt in my spirit was in fact correct.

In hindsight, if I look back over this past month, I have been in a number of meetings where I have sat under the ministry of highly prophetic people, who could have easily singled me out and 'told' me that I was to go overseas, to Bethel and enroll in the supernatural school. I know though that the Lord wanted me to make this decision on my own whilst seeking him for myself and not having to rely on a middle man. He wanted me to learn to follow the prompts of my spirit and hear his voice (even when it seems only like a whisper) and make decisions based upon that. Once I had made the decision, he came and brought such a beautiful confirmation that reduced me to tears and lots of hysterical laughter too. I love it when he graciously teaches us things by putting the ball in our court and showing us that we do in fact have complete free will to choose the direction of our lives. I love it when he builds character in us by allowing us to learn in a trial-and-error way. He loves watching us grow and he loves watching us come into the knowledge of that which he has already accomplished in us.

I am ridiculously excited for this season that lies ahead of me. I am still in faith for more provision and for the process to continue to go as smoothly as what it has, but when you know your daddy God, having faith is as easy as breathing.

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