As I was cooking lunch today I pulled out my computer and pulled up "The Blessing," by Kari Jobe on Youtube. If you've never heard this song, i'll link it in the post. I've heard this song several times but today it flat out punched me in my Spirit.
Maybe it was because I was up late last night writing about Africa, and all of the memories came flooding back. I'm not really sure why, but today for some reason, the song hit me and when I say the song hit me, I mean the Holy Spirit hit me with a Spirit check.
Over the last several years, when the Lord speaks to me or when someone gives a word from the Lord, it hits my Spirit. What do I mean by that? I mean the spoken word literally hits my Spirit and it produces an overwhelming feeling that produces tears. Not tears in a fearful way, but tears as a byproduct from encountering Jesus and His goodness.
I am actually so thankful for this spirit-punch discernment, because it has become a great tool for me in measuring when people give prophetic words and the validity of the word given. Instantly, and I'mean instantly, if someone gives me a word from the Lord or speaks a word from the Lord, I get a knock in my Spirit that says 'yes, this is real and from God'; and when I say it's instant, I mean, it is instant. The first couple of sounds can leave a persons mouth and I am immediately in tears -- it's that instantaneous. And just as instantly as I get that gut punch, I also instantly feel the opposite in my spirit, if the word given is from man and not God; for that I am truly thankful, because not everyone has the agenda of the Lord.
Anyhow, getting back to the this morning, as I was listening to "The Blessing," it HIT MY SOUL and the tears came flooding. Even now writing this, that same feeling is rising in my soul.
Because instantly, when I heard the lyrics "may His presence go before you, and behind you and beside you," the Lord reminded me of the time when I first got back from Africa. At that time I was walking 3-5 miles a day. For weeks, when I would walk, I would see chariots of angels going before me, and behind me and beside me. I would be walking, eyes wide open, facing forward, seeing them in the Spirit, all around me. And today, when I was listening to The Blessing, it hit me. My Spirit flashed back to the presence that was and STILL is before me, and behind me and beside me and I cried, because Jesus himself was speaking to me in that moment, reminding me of the things unseen by the eye of man. Just like years ago, today, when it hit me, it was so wild and comforting and it reminded me of Elisha praying for his servant to see in the Spirit, in their time of need:
2 Kings 6:15-17
15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
17 And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
I can recall seeing things in the Spirit from a very young age, but leading up to Africa and after Africa, the things I would see were so intense and so overwhelming. It is one thing to see angels and glorious things in the Spirit and it is another to see demonic activity.
I started to see so much demonic activity when I returned that it became overwhelming. When I say this, I am saying, I would see demons on people, I would see demons on houses; sometimes those demons would be on houses of loved ones. I would see demons staring at me in my sleep, staring at me while I studied, demons just in the atmosphere. It got to the point where I was so overwhelmed with seeing demons, I prayed and asked the Lord to take away the ability to see in the Spirit.
And He is faithful, so He took it. And I regretted that prayer as soon as it slipped from my lips. Because what I didn't think about was that losing the ability to see in the Spirit , would not only take away the ability to see demonic activity, but it would also include a loss of seeing the angels and God's presence. Almost instantly after I prayed, I stopped seeing angels riding with me in my car, walking beside me and fighting for me. And I grieved my prayer so much that I knew I had to ask for forgiveness. Who in their right mind returns a gift to the Creator?
I have since repented and asked the Lord to forgive me for asking Him to take away a gift He gave me; It's a gift that He gave me because He is in fact, for me. A gift He gave me to help others. And as I've started to walk back in it, the gift has continued to help me discern how to pray for people's breakthrough -- He is for the breakthrough, y'all.
And so I just want to encourage you today, that while you may not be able to see in the Spirit, the Lord dropped by today to remind me (and He encouraged me to share with you), that His presence goes before us and behind us and around us. Just as in the day of Elisha, there are more who are with us than against us and I pray you feel, more than ever His presence all around you -- He is for you! Hallelujah!
The Blessing - Kari Jobe
May His Presence go before you
And Behind you,
And Beside you
All around you and within you
He is with you
He is with you
In the Morning, in the Evening
In your Coming
And your Going
In your Weeping and Rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you."
Comments