Israel Tours and Ministry

Dear Friends,

I have spent the last day and a half with the Lord. I had a few  days alone and decided that it would be a good thing to give them totally to Jesus, fasting, praying, and studying. Today is the second day, and already things are happening. I don't understand it, but fasting and praying, is an amazing weapon of warfare. I can't explain it or tell you why God uses it or calls us to do it. I just know, when I dedicate specific time to Jesus, it always produces fruit.

My main reason for writing today is to share an interesting thing that happened today. The first day of a fast is usually pretty mundain. I pray, I read, I listen to teaching, I worship. It is good, but typically not as fulfilling as a normal morning with the Lord, when I am not fasting. In fact, the first day is usually a little laborsome.

But on the 2nd or 3rd day, things start to happen. This is day 2 and God is already moving. I am so stirred up right now because, this morning I bagan reading a book called "Catching the Initiatives fo God".

 I have in my walk with the Lord, had a dream or a vision I knew was from God. During those times, I am elated and encouraaged of course. But, they are few and far between. According to what I am reading on this morning, it should be a normal part of our relationship with the Lord. According to this author, we are constantly hearing from the Lord, but we don't pay attention. We think it is just a silly thought, or if we think it might be the Lord, we are afraid to act on it.

As I continue readingg, I am becoming more and more encouraged. The author shares that God has used him numerous times in a Starbucks. Then he said, coffee shops are a wonderful place for the Lord to use you. At that moment, I felt the Lord tell me to go to Starbucks and read and study there.

Normally, I might have passed that over as my thought. Today, I decided to be obedient to the possibility that it might be God. So I got up, got dressed, packed up my books and computer, and headed for Starbucks.

When I arrived there were a few people there. I looked around, found a place to sit down,  and began to read.

A lady and her children, who were sitting in the spot I wanted to sit, eventually got up and left. I moved to that spot and continued studying. People came in and out. I would look at them and ask the Lord, "are they the ones Lord?" No response, so I would continue reading. I thought, Lord I am not going to force anything. I will walk through any door you open, or respond to anything you might say to me. But, without your direction, or you opening a door, I will not proceed. I wanted this to be a clear test, without any intervention by me.

As I was reading a lady and her child came in.  I looked up at her and she was looking at me. We smiled, but went on about out business. She was trying to get on the internet, but was having trouble. Her daughter came over and sat across from me. I spoke to her, asking her name, "Sophia" was her response. I told her I loved her name, we smiled at each other and I went on reading.

A short time later, her mother asked me if I had been on the internet, and was there something she needed to do to get on, that she was not doing. I was tryng to help her, when a worker came over to help, but unsuccessfully. She decided to leave, but struck up a conversation with me about the fact that she was in school trying to pass an exam to enter Nursing school. As we talked, of course God began to direct the conversation. For the next hour at least, we spoke of so many things of God, and I was able to direct her to books and websites that would help her. She shared that she was a spirit filled Christian, whose husband was Catholic and she was in the process of converting, only in obedience to her husband. He will only attend a Catholic church and she felt God was saying, "be obedient, and I will meet you there. To her surprise, the church is spirit filled, and God is meeting her there. Her parents were missionaries and she grew up in a non-denominational spirit filled church and longs to return, but for now she is being obedient.

She was so hungry for good solid teaching, not that she is a child in the Lord. She is quite knowledgeable. But I was able share many resources with her, to help her continue to grow while the Lord is working in her life where she is. She was so precious, and I know it was a  devine appointment.

She told me she knew the Lord had directed her to Starbucks that day. She did not want to go there, but her daughter wanted a hot chocolate, other wise she would have gone to Panera Bread instead.

God is so good, I am discovering new things about the kind of intimacy God wants with us. I have walked with the Lord for 30 years, and I am still contantly  growing. I know that will never change until I see Him face to face.

I am so excited that my test was affirmed and confirmed by my Lord Jesus. I want to hear His voice more clearly than I have ever heard it, and I know that we live in a time when hearing His voice is crucial. It can make the difference between life and death for many. We need to make the effort to grow. I say effort, because that is what it is. "The righteous take heaven by storm." That does not sound passive to me, but pro active.

This generation loves to be physically fit, which takes a lot of work. It doesn't happen by sitting around. It takes energy and getting off your duff. The same is true about strengthening your spirit. It takes work. But, the benefit is spiritual rest. It doesn't seem to make sense, but it is true. The more you work, drawing  closer to God, seeking to hear His voice more clearly, striving to worship Him in the manner He desired to be worshipped, the more spiritual rest we experience. Basically, we work to rest. Rest from laboring in th natural for our needs to be met. When we find that rest, through knowing Him better and more intimately, then those things we seek after, begin to chase after us.

God is so good, I love every moment knowing Him, I pray He will lead you to your rest!

In His Love,

Sandra