I love “Jabez Moments”.  But if I was to be totally transparent?  I have been a bit self-absorbed lately.  I’ve been engrossed with work projects that fill my thoughts not soon after I wake and as I lay down to sleep.  Mixed in with those thoughts are often “Thank You” prayers for my family, friends, my church, my home, my job.. but those heartfelt “God put someone in my path today I can help.  Use me!!” prayers haven’t been said in longer than I care to admit.  If the devil can’t defeat us?  He’ll distract us.  I’ve been distracted.  But lately I’ve been feeling a stirring in my soul… that I need to be prayed up and prepared for battle.

A month or so ago, during Fight Club Pink, I was standing in the aisle near the front of the church during praise and worship with the other ladies.  I had a quick vision of someone needing CPR and then God spoke this to my heart…. “If a loved one was lying in front of you needing CPR and you didn’t know how to administer it?  You would live with such regret that you never learned how to save someone’s life through that technique wouldn’t you?”  Yes Lord, I would.  I thought at first maybe He was urging me to take a refresher course, that I’d need it for a loved one.  But then the thought he was speaking to my heart continued… “How helpless you are going to feel when someone is in front of you needs prayer, faith and prayer that will move mountains, and you aren’t prepared.  You haven’t fasted, been in the word, or prayed up.  You are empty so you have nothing to give in the moment they need a touch from the Holy Spirit.  Just like you need CPR to save a person in the natural?  You need discipline and a close relationship with the Lord to save a person in the spiritual.”  Ouch!  Truth.  The Lord knows I love parables and analogies, and that’s how He speaks to me.

It was Sunday night.  Nathan Morris was a guest speaker at our North Campus.  The devil fought me hard.  “Just watch on-line.  It’s the same.  Just go to the soaking at the South, the Lord is there too and you need a healing in your foot.  That way? You can do both.  Go to the Soaking, then watch on-line…” I was torn.  I kept wondering, “God where do YOU want me??”  I looked at the clock while at the afternoon cook-out I was attending and realized? I’d lost track of time.  The only place to go was North, to hear Nathan Morris.  So to the North I went.  The service was just as I had anticipated.  Holy Spirit filled.  The presence was thick in the room.  Listening to him fanned the flame of the fire in my spirit.  It’s been a battle lately.  But he reminded us not to be surprised, it’s part of the territory if you are going to be a warrior.  I was reminded again of the “CPR” analogy I had been given a few short weeks before.  I had to ask for forgiveness.  I’ve been so distracted and wrapped up in my wants and needs lately that I’ve not been preparing for battle.  I’ve been trying to pour out of a cup that’s down to the last drop or two and needs refilled.  As the old Eagles song goes, “I’m runnin on empty…”  That night as Nathan laid hands on my head I felt the anointing flow.  It was the start of re-fueling my tank.  On the 45 minute drive home I prayed for God to continue to use me.  While Nathan is “Shaking the Nations” – I can do my part to shake this nation!  I heard him very prophetically say God’s not done with the United States yet.  There’s a remnant rising up and we will see signs, wonders and miracles.  “Whatever you’re doing in these last days God?  Don’t do it without  me!!” That was my prayer.

It was day 1 of my vacation which is a “staycation”.  I was supposed to be watching my grandson on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  But due to the Solar Eclipse, his other grandparents were home to watch him today which left me free of commitments on Monday.  I slept in, and when I got up, I was singing “I’ve got a river of life flowing out of me….” which would lead into “You are good.  good.  soooo good.”   As I was stepping out of the shower I was trying to decide what to do that day?  So much I wanted to do, but I had prayed this morning that prayer I hadn’t prayed in awhile.  “Lord, use me.  Put someone in my path today I can help, or someone who can teach me something.”  A dear friend instantly came to mind.  She is in the hospital with her new twin babies that are in the NICU.  But surely they are going to be OK, right?  I mean they are a family full of prayer warriors, they’re covered.  The morning prior I saw her dad had posted a picture on social media of a t-shirt he had grabbed in the dark and put on.  When he realized what it said?  “Life is fragile, handle with prayer” it seemed almost prophetic as he was on his way to the hospital to visit his grandchildren in the NICU.  But the nudge in my heart stayed as I got dressed to go visit.  “You’re on vacation today – you have time you don’t normally have – take her some flowers and go pray for her Kris.”  I reached out to her mom to see if she thought she would want a visitor?  And if so, what hospital she was in.  I had every intention of being there right after lunch.  But I found myself piddling around.  Stopped and got lunch.  Then went into Kroger with the intention “I’ll buy the flowers, I have a lot of vases at home, I’ll go home and arrange them and write out a nice note in a card and take them to her.”  As I was looking at the flowers I spotted the vases.  I was looking at them when a worker came up and said “I’ll arrange those for you all pretty if you want me to?” Normally?  I would’ve said “No thank you” because that’s something I enjoy doing.  So totally out of character I said “Sure, please.  I’ll take this vase.”  I even thought as I got in the car.  That was odd… dang it!  Maybe I was supposed to speak to her.  Maybe she was my “Jabez moment” and I wasn’t paying enough attention.  Wasn’t in tune enough?  I got the flowers and headed to the hospital.  On they way there I had this random thought “When Nathan Morris prays the Holy Spirit shows up and people get healed.  You were there last night.  That same anointing is still on you.  You need to pray for your friend.”  Hmm… yep.  I’ll leave the flowers, pray over my friend and leave.  In and out, 10 minutes tops, I just think I need to pray for her.  I walked in, got my visitors badge, and while I was at the door I heard a voice in my head say..”You probably shouldn’t bother her.  Her door is shut.  Just leave the flowers at the desk and it’ll be a nice surprise for her.” As I was thinking that a woman taking food to another room said “Are you ok?” I said “Well, I was going to go into that room, but thinking maybe I shouldn’t bother her?”  She said “Oh it’s OK, go on in.”  Of course she did.  The “Don’t go in” was the enemy wanting me to turn around.  Wanting me to not be there in God’s perfect timing to pray.  Why?  Because the enemy knows there’s power in prayer.  Why would the enemy care about this woman?  About these babies?  Because he knows their name.  Because she and her husband are rising up an army of young believers and future world changers.  Because the devil will try to defeat us, or cause doubt, any way he can.   That was confirmed when, in perfect timing, as I was praying over the little boy, the nurse approached my friend with news that they were having issues with her little girls lung.  A procedure would need to be done.  I was so thankful that I was there right on time to hold that precious momma as she cried.   We stood together in agreement as I prayed over her daughter.  As I was praying, the presence of the Holy Spirit was thick and tangible.  I got a quick vision of those babies as toddlers running through the aisles of our church laughing and playing.  I knew in that instant?  No matter what the doctors said, no matter how it looked in the natural?  God had already healed those babies and it was going to soon manifest.  It wasn’t just my prayers, those babies had an entire family and church family praying for them, and God heard.  I just happened to be there for one moment in the start of their journey.  In the right place, in God’s perfect timing, because I asked that morning to be used.

For those of you wondering?  By the end of the week?  The babies are being held by their family, they are doing well and they will be out of the NICU soon.  There is power in prayer my friends.  Wonder-working power!

Be blessed –

Kris