Praise the Lord! This past Sunday, we had afternoon service at church. We had our neighbors attend morning service with us and their son is not used to sitting still, so I was kind of busy with the munchkin so that his parents could listen and enjoy service. Well being that my son is 7 years old and I do not have to do that with him, I was tired after morning service, yet we came back to service.
I am trying my best to make sure that I am in church services with Merv as he loves to play the music for our church and he loves going to church. Not that I do not like going as I love going but sometimes I am just so tired that I do not push myself to go, with Merv here, I do.
The evening service was attended by Minister Merv, Jonathan and I. Our neighbors thought it would be too much for their son to attend another service that restricts his movements. I did not blame them at all.
Well the afternoon service was full of wonderful testimonies and worshipping the Lord. It was a blessing. I was blessed to hear my hubby sing one of my favorite songs that he sings, even though he sings tons of songs that I love to hear, but I just love to hear him sing in church. When he is singing at home, he plays around and the true worship of the Lord is not felt. I love him but sometimes he is just too silly. LOL Well the minister who preached that evening had a different style that I was kind of letting it hinder me in hearing what he was speaking about, but the Lord helped me in that area. Praise the Lord.
It is hard sometimes when you do not care for a person’s preaching style too much because that can hinder hearing the word for what it is the word of God. As I listened to the word and ignored how he was delivering the word, I enjoyed his message. He was speaking about giving our all to the Lord. He spoke on the old woman who gave all that she had even though in the outward appearance it did not seem much but in essences it was more than the others because she gave all that she had.
His point was not about the financial aspect of what she did for there are way too many men of God who preach from that angle to gain monetary means from that example, but he was talking about giving all of us to the Lord, giving God all that we are. To give to Him who we are 100% with no faking it for the Lord knows when we are. It took me back to the times when I did give all that I had to the Lord and the blessings that fell upon me from doing so.
I would love to sit here and tell you that was when the Lord blessed me with money in abundance and a new this and a new that…but that was not the blessing that I got. I would love to sit here and tell you that if you give your all, that you will get that car you have been wanting or that house you want so badly, nope can’t tell you that either. What I can tell you that happened was I was one with the Lord. I felt His presences more than I had ever felt it before in my life.
There are two situations that stick out in my mind as I listened to the Elder speak and I am going to share one of them with you this day. It was a little over a year or so ago, I believe and I was truly going through some stuff and it a church event that I felt like I had to be there for and yet did not want to be there, but God moved me to go. I did not do it; it was truly Him telling me to be there.
I went…the Elder that gave the word was awesome and on point. He was talking yet again about surrendering all that we have to the Lord. He was giving a word that I knew was anointed. The service started with devotions in the praise/worship style that was just so moving. The Lord was moving in the service, but yet I was there wanting to be somewhere else. I had my sister’s children with me and they were not used to going to church services as ours, so I had one eye on them and the other into the service. I thought I was going to “relax” as he gave his word, but I could not relax as I was listening intently to what He was saying.
I did not say anything about it as I could not; it was one of those sermons that hit you right where you stand. After the sermon, he opens the door for prayer. I usually do not go up for prayer, yet He started talking about if you have the need for a difference in your life, to give all that you have to the Lord to get in line. I stood right where I was, did not move. I could not believe it, it had been on my mind for so long. I had been praising Him but not where I felt that I was completely in His presence and no one was there but Him and me. I think some people say “touched by God”, I think it is my “touch the hem of His garment experience” as that is what I felt like. Let me explain….
I have my son, niece, and nephews sit in the pews, I get in line. As I am in line, I start talking to the Lord while I wait on my turn; I believe I was close to the end of the line. I am telling the Lord that I want to praise Him like I have never praised Him before, to be one with Him, to touch the Hem of His garment is all that I want, I want to feel His presence all over me.
It is now my turn to be prayed for, I stand up with my hands in the air and he goes to place his hand on my forehead to pray, and the Holy Spirit in me and in him, sent me down and all I could do was praise the Lord. I was praising Him, and I can hear the Elder kneeling beside me saying to me – Praise Him – give Him your all. Well, after a while, how long I could not tell you as time is nothing when you are in the presence of God, I hear the Elder say stand her up. So they stand me up, now I can hear what is going on around me, sisters and brothers praising the Lord and for a brief moment, I hear the enemy trying to sneak in telling me they are staring at you…but the Elder comes close to my ear and says…
God has so much for you, an abundant life for you, all you have to do is give Him your all…now give Him your all. Praise Him my sister – Praise Him. The Holy Spirit in me was truly waiting for me to let go and let God, thank you Jesus that I did. I was praising God and could not stop, I was all over the front of that church, not running but jumping and dancing – praising the Lord! He had truly touched my body as I touched His garment!
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