Our Daily Bread

My Dad at this time of starting this was 80 years old. His 80th birthday was on the 19th March 2017 and we threw him a party and it was the first party I have known of him to have.  My Dad does't like to be the center of attention.

Just today (early 2017) I came to realise and see, that God is answering and unfolding my prayer for him.

My prayer for my Dad has been, Lord, please do not take him until he has come to Salvation in Jesus. Please show him your love in Jesus, speak to him, reveal Jesus to him.

My Dad grew up in Finland until he was about 14 years, and part of his upbringing was going to a Lutheran Church. From the age of 14, for a few years, he was living with his half sister, who was a minister, with her husband, in the Salvation Army, in country Perth.

My Dad has definitely had some strong Christian influences.  At my Dad's one day, we were looking at photos of Helsinki and we noticed a church. My Dad said he remembered that church clearly as that was where he had his confirmation. I had not thought of my Dad doing anything like that so I was surprised. I didn't talk too much about it as I know I need to move gently with my Dad. He will not be pushed into something that he doesn't want to do or talk about.  I only suggest things, which I think is not a bad way to be anyhow, and I have learn't this with my Dad.

Praying

Following on from my prayer that I have with the Lord regarding my Dad, I have explained in another post, the day that I felt something when I hugged him goodbye, a prompting in my spirit that something was wrong.  After I left, I sat in my car around the corner from his house praying for him and his protection, for the Lord not to take him until he has said YES to him.  A few weeks later I get a message that my Dad has had a heart attack. I had warned my sister that something was wrong and therefor she was keeping an extra eye on him. He ended up in hospital, having an operation as he had a blockage in an artery and had 3 stents put in.

That was a few years ago.

This year (2017) when I went to Perth, the day before I was leaving to come home to the Gold Coast, around the 6th April, I felt to give my Dad a little 'My Daily Bread' devotional.  I had been reading it myself and found this one, although old, very encouraging.  My Dad was coming to have lunch on the Tuesday and I was flying out on the Wednesday. On Monday night I had this quick thought come to my heart, 'give my Dad the devotional'. I was so excited to do that, and that was unusual as my Dad is usually so resistant to anything like that. But I felt it was a leading from the Lord, that there was grace on it.  My Dad had been recently reading 'Antiquties of the Jews' by Josephus, which I had also recently given him.

On the Tuesday, my Dad came for lunch and as he was leaving I walked him to the car and I showed him the book. I said "Dad, I know how you like reading so I am going to give you a 30 day challenge".  He laughed and said 'what is it'. I asked him to read this devotional for 30 days, just a little page each day, and after 30 days he can do what he feels to do with the book, keep reading or give it back to my Mum. So my Dad was happy to do that. I felt very happy and excited that he took it and very brave. My Dad is not scary at all but I love him so much, that I would not like there to be any confrontation with him.

Returning to QLD I rang him and he said he was reading a few books and he named the little devotional I gave him as one.  I was so happy, and have been praying for the Lord to speak to him and open his eyes and reveal Jesus and how much he loves him.

I had been reading a book about destiny and I was encouraged to write down some things I had received from God for my family.

So, with my Dad I wrote down a recent dream which I had of him before I found out he was reading the devotional.

Dream

I was sitting across from my Dad at a table. I was watching my Dad and then he started singing, breaking out into a song of worship to God. I was watching and listening and I was stunned and said, Dad, that is so beautiful. His voice sounded amazing. His voice sounded amazing as he was singing praises to Jesus and I was saying, Dad, that sounds so beautiful, that sounds so beautiful.

Dream ended.

The background to this and what is amazing is I have never heard my Dad sing. He was told as a young boy that he couldn't sing and the teacher would tell the class to get ready to sing 'except you Paul'. I never forgot him telling me that. So seeing my Dad sing in this dream and that it sounded amazing was so encouraging to me. Firstly, he was worshipping, and secondly, when we sing to Jesus, no matter what level of competency we have in singing, to God it sounds simply amazing, and spiritually, it sounds amazing. Also my Dad described himself as agnostic. So for my Dad to be singing in a dream praises to God I knew God was showing me something. I knew that it was a God dream.

So I started to write this with the intention that I am going to pray and remind myself of these things which the Lord has shown me.  I then went to ask the Lord about another member of my family. As I did I turned to another book I have that I write in. As I turned to it I was stunned at the last thing I had written in it, which I had completely forgotten about (but God hadn't).

7th February 2017.

Dream:

I was with my Dad and others. We were standing around a table and there were some devotionals on them - old Christian such as Spurgon and others.  My Dad took one, I took another and so did the others with me.  We all then went back to our homes with our books.  There were 2 ways to go back. Myself and the other two people went via a park or garden. We walked along the path to where we were going.

My Dad took a different way.  There was a big pond or lake - it went from where the table was on one side to my Dad's house at the other side. I watched as my Dad walked across the water on a board going toward home. I saw him walking carefully along the boards and I saw his thick ankles, thick because of the arthritis. He finally made it to the other side and I watched as he was opening the from door to his house. He still had the book in his had and as he turned waved at me with the hand holding the book, he gave me a big smile and he closed the door.  Dream ended.

In my diary I wrote:

As I am writing, just now I was reminded of Peter who went out of the water to Jesus. My Dad was walking on water but with the use of a board which I am sensing is trust. He doesn't trust the way of going to Christ, the faith that says, Lord, I'm walking on water to You and if I keep my eyes on You I can do anything. I can do it and come to You. He was interested though, and he definitely was stepping out there.

Father, I pray that as You know my Dad, you know how to spark his interest and his heart toward You.  Father, to trust you. Jesus, in Your name I declare Your praise and give thanks for my Dad and His salvation, You know Him. Father, help my Dad be like Peter, to walk on water to come to You, Jesus. My Dad, My Dad.  Lord, In Jesus name, in authority in the Lord I command every devil and blinding spirit to take their hands off my Dad.

Eyes be opened

Eyes be opened

Jesus, I pray and ask for that new heart for my Dad. That which is salvation, so that he has relationship with You God.

Father, that thing that my Dad has to read to help him please get it into his hands.

Thank you Jesus, Thank You.  Hope Hope Hope  (Biblical Hope)

When I saw all of this today, I was brought to tears. That last day in Perth saying goodbye to my Dad, I gave him the books that God intended to get into his hands.  God used me to give it to him. That my prayer unfolded before my eyes.  That my Dad is going to say, like Peter, when Jesus asks him 'who do you say that I AM', that my Dad is going to respond, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God".

I am still keeping this all in prayer, but I am so encouraged, as I today, even though I had completely forgotten this dream and prayer I wrote in February, in March I gave him the book that he needs.

Lord, come have Your way in my Dad.

So, if you are praying for loved ones, don't give up. Continue to do so. Don't give up.

The above is the outworking on my prayers and promptings from the Lord.

I am sure there will be your testimonies to give the Lord glory.

He hears your prayers. He loves your family. He answers.

God bless you.

** Update, my Dad became sick shortly after receiving the devotional and me starting to write this. I will update he story soon.  All I know is that my Dad went home to the Lord and Jesus saved him.

God Speak's today - Marriage

God speaks! Words and Dreams.

Recently I have been encouraged as I have seen something manifest before my eyes, something the Lord showed me.

Sometime in the first quarter of 2016 God showed me the following:

I was in church and helping with the lyrics. The musicians were in practice preparing for the service and I was standing up looking outward.  I could see this new guy sitting in the end chair, he was a part of the program run by the church to help with drug rehabilitation, and he was drawing in a book. On the stage were the musicians.

At this particular point as I was looking out, someone spoke something from the stage which happend to catch the attention of the Adam, and myself.  In my peripheral vision, as he looked up toward the stage, God highlighted Adam, to me, and one of the girls on stage, Rebecca. It was a very quick vision, and as they were highlighted to me I felt the word 'marriage'.

Marriage, God, are you saying these two will be married? I pondered on that for a while. I pondered on the situation.  Adam had only been here for a couple of weeks. When he looked to the stage, he wasn't looking any where in particular. The attention was not at all on Rebecca.  It was just something that God highlighted to me, it was a spiritual vision.

So, Adam and Rebecca will be married. I was pondering on that over and over, Adam and Rebecca, Adam and Rebecca. I was not 100% certain I had seen correctly but I stored it in my heart.  I thought, if the Lord wants to do that, He can.  I also reflected on another time, some years ago, where the Lord highlighted two people to me as they were walking in a line, and they ended up getting married. Therefore, what God had just highlighted to me, I didn't think was out of the question.

So I decided that I would watch them for a while.  To see if this relationship would start to develop. I was not sure what to say, if anything, to anyone, so I prayed, Lord, Your will be done in their lives.

Over the weeks, I could see them have small conversations together. They were only small and it came about because they were needing to liaise with each other as they both served at church. During some of these times, although the conversation was to do with their areas of serving, I could see at times just a glimmer on his face, something like he liked her, as he spoke to Rebecca. I thought, that is interesting! Although it was minimal and I am not sure if anyone would pick it up, I saw it.

One day Adam came to one of my classes. His demeanor had changed - it was very positive, one that seemed to breath vision and hope in his life. I felt that something had happened between him and Rebecca. This hasn't been confirmed, but I sense it to be so.

First dream:

I had a dream that we were all in church. Rebecca and Adam were both serving, and others two, but Rebecca was in a night dress. It was very innocent, nothing untoward, but I felt that it was too intimate for the occasion.  

At this stage, I still was not sure of their relationship, because nothing was being shown or talked about. So when I woke, I felt that it wasn't the right time for them as yet, especially as Adam had not yet finished the program. By the stage he had recently gone into Stage 3.  My reaction was to pray for the Lord to help them and if anything was happening that was causing intimacy too early, that the Lord would move on their behalf.

Life went on and I could see them talking together more and just hanging around in a general area together.  Then all of a sudden things changed. I could see Rebecca was burdened. I was not sure what was going on.

The Lord had given me a couple of words for Rebecca and as I shared them to her, in my heart I knew that this also involved Adam, although I did not feel I could mention that to her.  One day Adam's dad ministered at my church and he called Rebecca out and he put her head on his shoulder as he prayed for her. He was encouraging her that the Lord was doing things on her behalf and not to be in a hurry, and as he was praying this I was thinking 'he is praying for his daughter in law, that is his daughter in law'.  

Again, I kept all these things in my heart.

Second dream:

I saw Rebecca in a dream and she seemed to be working, and she was talking to a male. Adam came up close behind her and stood along side her. He was staying very close to Rebecca. As Rebecca moved, Adam moved too, so as to remain close to her - like, I am here!  Next they were by a car, Adam was sitting in the passenger seat. The passenger door was open, and Rebecca was on the other side of the door; she had a cloth in her hand. As they were talking, Adam seated, and Rebecca leaning through the open window of the open door, they were laughing and talking and I thought, they get along so well. I was enjoying watching them talk and laugh together and just thinking, they get on so well.  As they were talking Rebecca was using the cloth to dust off around the trim of the car, just sorting the final touches.

When I woke, I thought, this is about their life, and that where they are now, it is close for them to get together.  That Adam was in the final parts of the program and Rebecca was helping with the final dusting off of things, possibly in prayer?  I also said to myself "this is close"! The reveling of it all is close!

Again, I prayed and thanked the Lord for His will to be done. I was surprised that I was seeing all of this and still, was I to do something more with it, along side prayer?

One day, I went to the Rehab to do my weekly teaching and I sat down with the director. I felt to tell her as both Adam and Rebecca were a part of the program in some form.  As I started, I said that I felt God has shown me that two people will marry.  She said is it 'Adam and Rebecca' and I said yes. The Director asked me to go on with what God had shown.

I explained the vision when I first was shown, then dream 1 and dream 2.

The Director then went on to explain the situation that had to do with the fist two stages of what God had shown me.  Initially the Lord had shown Rebecca quite early that she would marry Adam, and the vision was confirmation. With my first dream she said that they had to encourage them to cool their relationship as they wanted Adam to finish the program.  (Hence, why Rebecca was downcast for a while). The 2nd dream, in the car wasn't explained then as I understand now, we hadn't got to it.

So I can see that the Lord was showing me, like a movie, the steps along the way.  That is also what the Director felt.

With the final dream, they were in the car, the finishing touches were being made, and they were really connected.

So, 

In March this year I went to Perth and just after I left I receive a message from Rebecca wishing me well and saying goodbye, she is moving to Sydney. I had recently seen Adam in Sydney helping his Dad and I still was not sure what was happening. When I got back I understood.

Adam had left the program for Sydney and to be in ministry with his Dad, and Rebecca had left for Sydney as she felt the call to go there as well and be with Adam.  They went there separately, but some short time later I see a video with them both together, family around, and Adam gets on his knee and asks Rebecca to marry him. I was so happy for them both.

The Lord has done great things, again, always, forever!

As I thought on this all, the outworking of this was such a blessing to watch, and to see what the Lord will do, and I was encouraged that I was led to pray for His plan into this situation that I felt the Lord showing me, although I didn't see anything taking place in the natural.

It has also encouraged me with the prophetic and to understand how God speaks, and how he speaks to me. It has taken me a while to understand this, but this particular event has encouraged me so much.  It is about trusting that God speaks to me and that I hear Him, that I see Him, that I feel Him. 

I am hoping that it also encourages someone else. That God fulfills His plans. That He has plans for people's lives and He will orchestrate things to come to pass. I since told Rebecca that the Lord showed me they would be married and the dream I had regarding the car and the dusting.  Rebecca was encouraged and said that it was totally like that.

I asked her about the progress of their relationship, how dd it progress, and one key was that her heart was open and she and Adam had times where they spoke to each other about the plans that they felt God had for them.  As they spoke to each other they could see that they seemed to be on the same page.  Adam would leave little notes of encouragement for Rebecca and Rebecca would pray for Adam and his walk in the program.

God is good. We can not put Him in a box.  He definitely has plans for people. He definitely identifies people to come together for marriage, He prepares people's hearts.  It had been a desire for Rebecca to be married and God is a God who fulfills the desires of the heart. So do not be afraid to have Godly dreams and desires because He hears them, He sees them, He knows them.

Be blessed.