Friday, August 28, 2015

Divine encounter


I have often said that a praise does not become a praise until it is spoken otherwise it is just a thought. If we see a post on social media and think "wow look what God has done" but never articulate PTL then it is just a thought. The Bible tells us that we overcome the Evil One by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our Testimony. 

Satan is unable to hear our thoughts so it never truly becomes a Praise that can overcome him until we speak it. So I am firm believer that Christ-followers miss out on overcoming Satan because of the way they refuse to speak praise about how great our God is.

So this morning let me tell you of an incredible divine appointment that took place last night so that the Enemy can be overcome and Jesus gets more glory and praise!

Last evening I went for a run as I do on many days, yet this night I left the house at a very different time because of some scheduling changes. As I was running I spent the majority of the time talking and listening to God. As I finished my run I worked my way down to the water to build an altar (pictured above) to spend time with God. This was part of a moment that many men were to do this week. As I knelt at my homemade altar and laid my life before Jesus. I confessed my sin, worshipped him, and played a song by Jeremy Camp "The Same Power" and prayed "Dear Jesus use me in a powerful way to change the world for you."

As I began to work my way up from my spot with God I noticed a man running. I waved to him and soon came to realize that he was just finishing up his run too. So as I walked by him I greeted him. As I began to walk the trail back to my Jeep I noticed that the man was jogging towards me. So as he got closer I felt compelled to talk more.

So I began to talk to him about running. I also felt compelled to share why I was walking out of the woods. So I told him I had just built an altar to talk with God and that I was part of a men's group that was doing the same thing. I then asked him how his day was going. What happened next was only a God thing.

He shared his day had been really hard and stress was killing him at work and that things at home were really strained. I began to speak the truths about Jesus. Then he said, "by the way I go to your church and have been on and off for the last 9 months" and that he was in the same group called Fight Club that I was. Which by the way was the very first day of this chapter. He shared how he had tried to get a hold of someone to talk to that day but they weren't available.

He then shared that he had heard me say in Church that I liked to run at Benton Trails and he normally didn't run there so he prayed "Dear God please let me run into Pastor Jim tonight" well guess what God did. 

I began to connect the dots for him of how much Jesus loves him and had orchestrated the details for us to cross paths. I normally don't run at that time and I normally don't build altars :) and that the odds of us both meeting when we finished at a place that has 7 miles of trails was truly a God thing.

To make a long story short I shared the Gospel of hope with him and we bowed our heads and he trusted in Jesus as his LORD and Savior on the Benton Trails. And two sweaty brothers hugged each other as mosquitoes hovered everywhere. 

Now, not only is he a fight club brother but a brother in the LORD! Our God is awesome and will go to great measures to pursue us! All praise to JESUS! 

I love how God used an assignment in Fight Club to create a real ALTARing experience!

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