This past weekend I experienced something that needs to be shared in order to encourage believers to listen to the Spirit. Christ sent His Spirit to dwell within and to lead, guide, and teach us. His Spirit communicates directly with our own spirit in order to feed information to our soul (mind, will, emotions). Our body is then subject to the authority of that which is leading.
This past Friday night I had an intense stirring in my spirit to pray in regard to the storms that were headed in the direction of North Carolina. It is a rare occasion for me to feel so compelled in regard to weather conditions, but I obeyed the prompting and prayed rather intently. The focus was primarily on protection for my home/family, neighborhood, and church family as well as my community. It specifically centered on a petition for God to protect peoples' lives.
The next morning, as my wife and I read and prayed together, I again felt this intense stirring to pray about the storms. We joined hands and prayed for God's protection on our home/family, neighborhood, and church family. We once again felt compelled to pray for protection on behalf of our community in regard to preservation of life.
By now most folks know about the record number of tornadoes that hit this part of the country. One of these came right past our own home in Raeford, NC, causing very minimal damage. The rest of our neighborhood was spared as well. However, areas of the city of Fayetteville and the surrounding region suffered utter destruction.
The amazing thing is that great numbers of people were not killed or seriously injured as a result of what took place. It is one thing to view a news broadcast on television. It is something else to see firsthand the destruction caused by these storms.
As our church work team went to offer aid in the aftermath of the tornadoes, I was reminded of that stirring to pray for protection against loss of life. This has encouraged me to pay very close attention to the promptings of the Spirit in the future.
We may never know the full effects of our prayer and fasting. However, we can be assured that prayer can and does change the course of history. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have the Spirit of Almighty God dwelling in us. May we honor Him by remaining sensitive and attentive to His voice.
~ PG
