Today at 12:35 PM 4Jesus said this in Post #130
Quaffer, I could tell you how the Lord has worked with me and tell you about spiritual experiences that would literally curl your toes and a couple of the things happened before I was ever born again. Let me tell you a story now.
One day I was standing in the bathroom brushing my hair and a niece that I haven't seen in probably 15 or 20 years came into my mind ( I hadn't even thought of this girl). I instantly started to openly cry and I don't mean just a weak little sob, the pain gushed out of me like a volcanoe and I was sobbing uncontrolablly! I went into the living room and tried to tell my husband what had happened and that we needed to pray for her and I was crying so hard I could hardly get the words out. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. I believe the Lord, for lack of a better term, put a burden on my heart for her.
Do I believe in the power of God to perform acts like what happened to me in other peoples lives, you bet your bippy I do! but I don't believe that God reveals the exact reasons. It's like the saying goes, "It's on a need to know basis and we don't need to know!"
4Jesus,
I agree with you. Where in any of my posts did I say otherwise? We do not need to know all the details. I don't ask God for details. If He tells me it's because He wants me to know.
When God is trying to get me to repent (cease and turnaround) something and I refuse to listen, He loves me so much that He WILL get my attention somehow. Even if that means that other people find out about my sin. There are a number of well known telivangilist that we can see that happened too.
Several years ago, I visited a church I had left due to moving away. When I approached the pastor afterward to say hello, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and showed me this man was in adultery. I immediately shoved the thought down. I did not say anything to him but was very bothered that I had such a thought.
I did not tell anybody, but I did pray for him. Several months later, I found out that he indeed was in adultery. The man lost his church and nearly lost his family as a result of it.
Why did God show it to me? I don't know. At the time I did not know much about the operation of the prophetic. Perhaps I could have said something to him. Not in a mean or condemning way. But something that would have let him know that if he was not going to remedy the problem God was. Again, I don't know.
Another time, I had a very close friend become involved with an unbeliever. I had an experience similiar to what you described. As I prayed for her, the Lord told me to call her and tell her that if she did not break the relationship, it would end in violence.
That was the very first time that God had ever told me to do that, but I obeyed. She did not heed the warning. She married the man. He became violent. She left him.
One day he showed up at her parents house where she was staying. He broke in and as the police arrived he shot her to death and then himself. That was at least 25 years ago, and I still get emotional over it.
God will go to whatever depth we force Him to go to in order to protect us. God uses whoever He wants, whenever He wants, however He wants. The prophetic is still very much in operation today.
No, I don't need to know. But if God chooses to tell me, it's for a reason. And I am doing my best to make sure that I understand why He's telling me and how He wants me to deal with the information He gave me.
Sometimes it is just to pray. Other times it is to be the tool He desires to use in whatever way He chooses.
Again, it is good if God is not forced to go to such lengths to help us but if He has to He has to. It's written in His word that that's the way it works. I don't quite understand why it is rejected. It is for our benefit.
Of course the prophetic is not only for warning but for incouraging. Sorta like the young man I referred to that we met on the street. He was in a place of hopelessness. But God used us to reveal to him personal things so that he could know that God saw all of this and was working in his behalf. Maybe you don't need that type of incouragement, but he did. And God met his need.
God loves just the way we are. But He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are. God is able to make ALL things work together for good to those who love Him. We should not be so anti the methods He chooses to do it.
Quaffer
