Arise and Come Away With Me…

Here I am, back in the secular work force again, no longer in my cushy job working for the prayer movement. Though I do work with a fellow Firestarter, Brett, I have much more access to unbelievers (sort of). I work in the tiny town (though not as tiny as Ottertail) of New York Mills. The downtown area in which I work consists of a home center, chiropracter, bar, cafe, bakery, credit union, real estate office, cultural center, library and a couple of beauty shops… and that is all. Seriously.

But you know what? Working and living in a small town gives you an awesome oppurtunity to build relationships and impact the small community you are in. It will take some getting use to in adjusting my mindset from city to small town. No longer do I just walk into a coffee shop and walk out without paying attention to anyone (because no one in a big city pays attention to you either). Instead, everyone knows everyone else and because of the slower pace of life, people actually make time for eachother.

But to impact a community, building relationships is not the only key. We must learn to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, asking for words of knowledge and prophesying destiny and the love of Jesus over them. 1 Corinthians 14 says that we are to “eagerly desire to prophesy” so that the church may be built up. It is used for strengthening, encouragement and comfort. Verse 24-25 says this:

²⁴But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand^[h]comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, ²⁵and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Prophecy impacts the hearts of men and women who are confronted with the truth of the Living God. But prophecy is also a way for us to learn the true meaning of friendship with God. Even though He doesn’t need us, He chooses to use us in this way because He desires to spend time with us and tell us His secrets.

So in this season I want to learn how to be sensitive to Holy Spirit even while I’m in the midst of people that are living in darkness. The Word of God brings life and we are carriers of that Word which lives inside of us. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1) and because He lives in us, we can speak forth His Word with boldness and know that it is Him speaking.

Enough of this for now…