The Lord spoke to me…

Today marks the first day that I have ever gone out evangelizing. I went with a friend, TJ, who is a seasoned evangelist, and quite an extrovert. As a major introvert, it’s not so much that I’m afraid of conversation as it is that conversation wears me out, whereas TJ seemed to become more and more energized as we went along. The balance, I think, kept us going strong throughout the entire three hour period.

We decided to proclaim the good news at some of the strip malls of Overland Park, speaking with the workers of every store without customers, which just happened to be most all of them. I learned a ton from TJ – he has a gift that I am jealous for, where he is able to direct a conversation to his desired end, even when he is not the one primarily speaking! It was awesome to watch him so easily control the dialogue. And while all that was invaluable, without contest the most important thing I walked away with was the revelation of the immense power of a person’s testimony.

This is a confession: Unbeknownst to myself (this laid dormant for nearly three years), I have loathed my own testimony. I see now that I had felt I could only tell a select few my personal story of how I came to salvation, and this only to charismatic Christians, because I was brought up in a spiritually dead church. When I would tell people, I would skip most everything, because I could not imagine prophecy, demons, dreams, or signs having any positive impact on their lives, or on their relationship with me. In the page “My Testimony”, I have publicly shared those parts that in the past I so frequently removed.

What changed my mind? The Lord spoke through TJ, and His words washed over me as with water; then (as weird as this may sound) He spoke through me to me, sealing my heart as by fire. He told me that most people in the world are spiritual people with spiritual encounters, and that this would only continue and amplify as the Day approaches. My King has given me a powerful testimony to declare truth to the darkness, that He would make a distinction between His people and His enemies. And moreover my Father spoke lovingly to me of His joy in how it was that He captured my heart in love for Him and for His Son and for His Spirit, and that from endless ages past He knew me and of how it was that He would pursue me. Words cannot express the joy that my “Yes” to Him meant – surely even the Word made flesh could only laugh and dance! How long He had been waiting for that day!

Thank You, Father, for outrunning me, and for doing it in the perfect way that You did! And for all those pursuing other lovers, get ’em, God!