Wherever
the Wind Blows (Part 4)
Well
here we are in the last part of the Wherever the Wind Blows teaching series and
things appear to have come full circle.
There is one little bit though that I’ve hesitated to share, especially
since it shows a side of me that I’d rather keep private.
I
have to admit something. You've heard that phrase,
“Bloom where you are planted” ... well, it has always bothered me (that’s putting
it mildly – it really gets me ticked off), because I take it as a cop out for settling
on whatever comes your way – good or bad.
You
know what I mean, when things aren’t going in agreement to your prayers or hopes,
then someone chimes in with their so-called words of wisdom,
“You know hon, you
have to bloom where you’re planted …”
Bloom
where you’re planted - ugh! I’ll give
you bloom where you’re planted … plant this!
If I hear that one more time, I think I’ll scream! I know, it’s not a “Christian-like” attribute
found in the Fruit of the Spirit, but it is honest and surely makes me practice
patience which is definitely biblical.
Okay,
that sounds a little rough, which definitely isn’t me but it surely isn’t
something I want to hear. Who knows,
maybe these people believe that somehow “blooming” in an unsettling place justifies
all the wrong things that are happening at the time, and I need to toughen up
and accept these things as God’s will.
That would make them right and me wrong – eek!
Need
to catch-up on this series?
Wherever
the Wind Blows (Part 3): Dying to Live
Wherever
the Wind Blows (Part 4): Bloom Where You Are Planted
Thanks for joining
us on Daily Favor Blog.
I
Thought So
Do
you remember when I talked about the daffodils that mysteriously showed up
outside my fence line? (from 4/5/19 post) When I saw those daffodils where I
did not plant them it demonstrated something unexpected. God plants “seeds” in all His children to
bloom where we never intended, so that others may see the beauty of Christ inside
and out of us.
Through
saving grace, the unmerited favor of God, those who have trusted in Christ as
their Savior have been transformed. No longer are they dead sinful seeds, but beautiful
living blooms of Righteousness wherever they are whether it’s in the grocery
store, at work and in or outside their living space. If Christians are to be the plants then the
blooms go wherever we do, right? In
other words, bloom where you are planted – I thought so!
The
Other Side of the Fence
In
my previous dwelling both sides of the fencing were landscaped because it could
be seen from the road, but not where I live now since it was to be a temporary
residence. Our current property backs up
to a city alley, which is a dirt road mainly used for the weekly trash pick-up.
Planting
flowers on the other side of the fence so that those who drive down it could
enjoy something beautiful never crossed my mind. It was a place to keep trash
cans organized and rotate compost piles over the winter.
We keep it mowed or trimmed, and that’s about
all except for when the garden plants, like my luffas or morning glories, run
along the fence line for support. So, I
guess it’s not totally unattractive depending on how you look at it.
The
stray blooms were now gone and it was time for a good clean-up around the
yard. My husband and I finished pulling
dead vines off the fence then raked the debris in three small piles for
collecting. There really wasn’t much so
it didn’t take long.
With
all the rain we couldn’t do as much work outside as we had hoped. I went inside
and hubby decided to weed-whack both sides of the fence lines around the
property. He had finished the alley side
and had locked up the fence when to his surprise, my mate wasn’t alone.
The
Drifter
“I’m starving” ... Looking up hubby
saw a tired and bedraggled man in his mid-fifties standing beside his
bicycle. Apparently, he had walked it
across the highway when he noticed my husband in the yard.
His
face and jaw were rather swollen; anyone could tell he had been in some sort of
a scrape. Before my spouse said anything,
the stranger continued sharing details about his circumstances.
“I got beat up too … and
I’m homeless”.
That’s
a lot of information in less than thirty seconds of conversation my husband
thought. Walking over to the fence he
asked, “What’s your name? Do you know who beat you up and why did they do it?”
“Wayne.” He hesitated then continued. “I
don’t know who they were but they said some racial comments and then punched me
in the face.”
Having
worked with special needs and street outreach for over twenty years we pretty
much know the scams, and what to ask when confronted in this type of
situation. It’s actually part of the
reason why we were in the city in the first place. Weighing the facts, he proceeded with the
questioning that went something like this.
“Why are you homeless?” Leaning on the fence hubby waited for an
answer.
“The place where I
lived got sold and the landlord gave me a bad report so I’m having a hard time
getting another place. I’m using my
disability money to rent a motel room.
When that runs out, I’m back on the street.”
“Did you know there is
a homeless shelter near the college not far from here? Why don’t you see if you could stay there?”
“I was already there …
the people outside in the parking lot beat me up. They live there so I can’t go back.”
Starting
to doubt the story my husband noticed his arms.
Wayne explained how he was sleeping outside and had chigger bites up and
down his body.
The
drifter hadn’t eaten in several days. His
disability payment was due to come the next day, but in the meantime, he had
nothing to eat. With that information my
husband told him to wait there and he would be back in a few minutes.
A
Drink of Living Water
I
was in the kitchen when I heard the back door close. “Do you
have any money?” Hubby asked and
then opened the refrigerator to get a drink.
“Sure honey, I always
carry cash when I’m in the kitchen. Why
do you need money, you’re weed-whacking?”
Taking
a sip of water, he explained that a homeless man was out back and he felt the
Holy Spirit tell him to give him the money.
Leaving
the room, I told him that I’d have to look, because neither of us had been to
the bank. Checking around the house for
some cash I asked the Lord if this is what He wanted us to do.
Normally
I don’t second guess hubby, but his new pain medication sometimes makes him loopy
and over emotional (okay, he turns teary and loves everybody, which is alright
but sometimes awkward), so I wasn’t quite sure if that was the case.
There
are times when God doesn’t lead us to give cash but to go buy food for someone,
but this time I immediately heard in my spirit James 4:17.
“If you have it within your power to do good – do it; if you don’t it’s
a sin.”
My
husband got a cold bottle of water from the refrigerator and I looked for a
gospel tract for Wayne (yes, we still give printed tracts). Ah-ha, perfect – one on Living Water. Knowing the situation, I handed my husband
the money and went into the back room to keep an eye on him from the window.
What
Message Did He Receive?
Taking
the items in hand hubby left the house and called to get the man’s attention. “Yo man,
are you still with me here or what?”
Startled,
Wayne turned around slightly fixating on a car coming down the alley heading straight
toward them. As they approached, hubby
stepped through the gate in case there was trouble.
“Let nothing be done
through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
others better than himself (herself).
Let each of you look out not only for his/her own interests, but also
for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4 MKJV)
Slowing
down the four cohorts in the vehicle stared intently at them making eye
contact, but kept going. Not knowing
what to make of it my husband asked, “Are they the guys who were looking for
you?”
Wayne
said he wasn’t sure, but refused hubby’s offer to call the police. The conversation picked up where it left off
with him handing the bottle of cold water, some money and a gospel tract to the
stranger. He offered to pay it back, but
was told it was a gift from the Lord.
Right
then the Holy Spirit gave an opportunity to share the message of Christ.
“We always give a
bottle of water reminding us that Jesus is the Living Water.” Hubby went on to explain the message inside
the tract. You could almost see it in Wayne’s
eyes, “Oh shoot, why did I have to stop
here?”
Still
watching from the window, I couldn’t tell what was going on, but then I saw my
husband place his hand on Wayne’s shoulder and bowed his head to pray From the time I learned what was happening
out my back door I began to pray over the word seeds my husband spoke to the
bold visitor, and that Wayne’s heart would be receptive to the move of the Holy
Spirit through the gospel tract.
Giving
Wayne a list of agencies for additional help, he thanked my husband for the
items stating he was going to buy a pizza and eat the whole thing. With that it was over and he rode out of
sight.
Favor
to Give
Being
able to witness to a stranger and give a gift or two isn’t uncommon for
believers. When the “Holy Spirit breeze” whispers opportunities to share our
faith into our spirit, it’s our responsibility to act on the situation. However,
there is another reason I shared this story with you.
If
it weren’t for that so called “misplaced” daffodil and debris that was blown into
our fence, my husband and I wouldn’t have been outside that day. After the flowers finished blooming the plant
stuck out like a sore thumb, because it looked like onion grass and just didn’t
look nice. It had to go!
When
I originally talked about how the flowers got there a month ago to this date, I
really didn’t have a clue, but thought it probably meant nothing. Now I know that wasn’t the case. God knew what would transpire this week, and
caused those tiny bulbs to be moved last fall so they would be in place to
bloom where they were planted by Him.
First,
we had to be at this address for a season even though it wasn’t something we
thought would happen. Next the bulbs had
to be moved, the flowers needed to bloom where we would see them, and then they
had to die so we would be outside to cut them.
All this was set in motion by God so that Wayne could have an encounter
with Jesus through my husband.
Because
my husband has the Holy Spirit living inside him, he was able to discern the
direction from the Lord without fear. He
was obedient in following the instruction of Jesus to share the message of
salvation through the Great Commission.
God
allowed hubby to be a part of His plan by showing favor to a man who was
hurting physically, emotionally and spiritually. Living a life of favor through salvation encompasses
more than being on the receiving end; it’s being blessed by grace to be “a
blessing” with favor to give freely.
“Now we have received,
not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know
the things that have been freely given to us by God.” (1 Corinthians 2:12 NKJV)
Newly
placed daffodils were the vessels to something greater and God showed us favor
in His plan going forth. Had they not
been there we wouldn’t have been able to minister to a gentleman who was in
need of the loving kindness of Jesus.
The
“Wind” (favor to accomplish, power) of the Holy Spirit was definitely blowing
in this situation and all that led up to it.
We don’t know how many things actually took place to get to that point
in time, but God did. His plans and timing are perfect, and will accomplish
that which He sets out to do.
“The wind blows (as does
Holy Spirit power) where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot
tell where it comes from and where it goes.
So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8 NKJV)
“So shall My word be
that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall
accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent
it.” (Isaiah 55:11 NKJV)
Prepare
to Bloom
My
prayer for this series is that people come to the knowledge of their need for a
Savior, and they know that God’s grace is available to all who will believe in His Son
Jesus for salvation from their sins.
God
wants to accomplish great things through His children if we only let Him. I firmly believe that if you are reading
this, the Holy Spirit is prompting you to take a step of faith right where you
are.
Mustard seeds have been planted through prayer and watered by studying His word; they
have grown into giant faith expectations. Strong winds have blown over you testing (proving)
your strength and belief.
You
have not been tossed about through trials, tribulation or set-backs, nor have
you wavered, but are ready to receive wisdom concerning God’s favor. It’s time … prepare to bloom!
God
Is Still Moving
As
I conclude this series, have you grown in understanding concerning the power of
the Holy Spirit, and acknowledged that this same power is available to all who
accept Jesus as Savior? God wants to
breathe favor on you or “blow” on you with power, as the Lord said to His first
Disciples and followers. He has a plan and
desires that you accomplish it.
“And when Jesus had
said this, He breathed on them (the Disciples) and said, Receive the Holy
Spirit (power for favor to do and receive good things).” (John 20:22 NKJV
emphasis mine)
In
order to experience receiving or giving favor, learn to be mindful when the Lord is moving on your physical surroundings, in the community or in personal life changes. I know it’s not easy waiting on God, and
putting others first doesn’t always come “second” nature, but when you do –
wow!
Think about it, the power of the wind allows an eagle to take flight and soar effortlessly. He has the freedom to go wherever the wind will carry him. Don't you want to live a life like that?
As soon as the breeze starts to blow your feet get restless; it's the Holy Spirit moving and suddenly you hear the loving voice of God calling ... get ready to experience something greater than you could ever have imagined!
This Week's Challenge:
Where and Whenever Lord
It
is my hope that if you are a follower of Christ you will learn to be led by the
Holy Spirit and yes, be willing to be “planted” where God needs you for a
season. Recognize when God is moving on
a situation by getting into position to receive and/or give favor. Allow God to use you wherever and whenever He
wishes, then watch great things begin to happen.
It's time to bloom, yep, you read that right! Every
time you see, think of or experience the blowing of the wind, remind yourself
that God is there through every circumstance.
He’s waiting for you to receive the gift of favor through His Spirit by
faith. All you need to do is say, “Where and whenever Lord!”
Regardless
to what some may say or believe, whenever and wherever the wind blows – God is still moving! Where there is a breeze the Holy Spirit is
there making it, giving proof that He is alive, active and moving among His
people.
by Karen Peck &
New River | from the album Daddy's Home
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Until next
time, let Holy Spirit favor bloom in you!
“Come
receive the Holy Spirit favor.”
Jesus Christ
What’s
New This Week: Click on the link below.
What Happens When God's Spirit Invades the
Hearts of His People
by
Pastor Jim Cymbala
Maybe
you don’t know the Living God that I know but would like to have this kind of
favor in your life also. Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the
Savior.
Note: Emphasis may be given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take away from the inspirited Word of God.
When
used, the words satan or devil are not capitalized deliberately, because we
give him no place in our lives.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Disclaimer: Article information is not meant to be used as treatment for mental or physical issues but is geared toward spiritual awareness.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may
vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference
in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible
Gateway. Image credit: Creative Common License if not
specified.
Where Faith and Favor Meet,
Salvation, Favor, Favored1, Daily Favor Blog, Wherever the Wind Blows,
Teaching Series, Bloom Where You Are Planted, Holy Spirit, Wind, Faith.
