One day during a particularly powerful praise and worship time at church, I felt a strong thought begin to play in my heart over and over: "God wants to heal people from cigarette smoking, I should tell the pastor."

It replayed continually, over and over and over, along with a powerful impulse to share it with the pastor. Because neither of these things was typical, eventually, I figured out it was God.

I didn't want to disobey God, but I was brand new at hearing from him. And I didn't want to look like a complete kook if I was wrong, so I prayed in my heart, "God, if this is You, please confirm it through someone else and, next time, I promise to do whatever you ask."

So, I stayed put, and I waited with eager anticipation for confirmation.

When praise and worship were over, the pastor went up to the pulpit and began his sermon without opening a prayer line to pray for people addicted to cigarettes. Although I was a little disappointed that there was no confirmation, I was delighted that I didn't step out and embarrass myself.

I was still mentally congratulating myself for being on the right side of the near-miss when, abruptly, and in the middle of his sermon, the pastor stopped mid-sentence and said, "Oh, before I forget; God wants to deliver people from cigarettes."

My jaw dropped like the Genie from Aladdin. There was no doubt that I heard from God, and it was through thoughts that bubbled up from my heart. God revealed to my heart what He wanted to do. My spirit took a revelation from God and turned it into a thought that I could understand.

I learned that inspired thoughts come from down inside of us and specifically not from our heads. When God wants us to do something, thoughts will play over and over inside us. These thoughts will be accompanied by an almost overwhelming urge to follow until we either follow the unction or until it is too late to follow.

The Answer for the Issue of Blood Came From a Thought

God showed me that the woman with the issue of blood had revelation knowledge. She knew, "If I just touch the hem of His garment. I will be healed." She heard from God in her heart, she believed Him, and she did everything in her power to follow – Her faith made her whole. Listening to her heart, believing what it said, and following no matter what was her assurance that she would receive God's promises. That's faith, and it made her whole.

Don’t Be Skerred, Step Out

When I lived close to my mother, every year for Mother's Day, I had a standing date to treat my mother to a tournament at her club.

One particular Mother's Day, after arriving at the club, we found ourselves at the same table. We had been playing for a little while when a gentleman sat down in an empty seat directly across from me.

As soon as he sat down, I thought he was worried about a payment he couldn't make. His wife had overspent, which meant he was short, and the payment was of great concern. I also knew that God was saying that He was going to take care of the problem.

The thought came back to me to tell this man this, but, at first, I blew it off. I didn't rush to tell him because a.) I was in a tournament and would have to tell him this in front of a table full of people. b.) I didn't know him, and I'm incredibly introverted. And c.) I wasn't going to do it unless I was sure it was God.

So, I ignored the revelation and went back to playing. I quickly forgot about him and the message until I happened to look at him again a little while later. As soon as I did, there was the same message. Again.

Thinking to myself, If it's God, it will come back to me, I turned away and purposely thought about something else.

Very soon after, I happened to look at him again, and the same thing happened again. Again, the message was in my mind: He is deeply concerned about overspending, which was a grave concern, but God's got it. No need to worry.

Again, I turned away.

This same thought came back to me four or five times. Until, finally, there was no doubt that it was God. From prior experience, I knew the message wouldn't go away until I followed it or until it was too late.

Deeply aware that all eleven sets of eyes were going to soon be staring at me and uncomfortable because I did not know what his response would be, I took a deep breath and said, "Excuse me, sir. But you're concerned about a payment that needs to be made. Perhaps your wife overspent some money, and it's causing you concern. God wants you to know that everything is going to be okay. He's got this."

I didn't know how he would react, so I was feeling trepidatious. I did not know what to expect, but the last thing I expected was for him to whoop and holler and to jump up from his seat and run around the table to where I was to high-five me. But that's exactly what he did. And every person at the table was a witness to God reaching out to comfort a stressed-out soul.

I was ecstatic.

When I first started hearing from God, I was always scared to approach strangers because I worried about how the message might be received. Since then, I've learned that if God has a message for a person, the message will be very well received because they are desperately waiting for help from God.

Afterward, the man sitting next to me asked if this sort of thing happens often; my reply was, "When it does happen, it usually ends just like this."

One night God woke me up with these words: Any issue that you face can be solved by listening, believing, and following. He showed me that this is what faith is, and He led me to Bible examples that illustrated this principle. A famous example of faith is the story of Joseph. Egypt survived famine because they listened, believed, and followed. So, now, that's how I live my life. God leads me, I follow (Albeit, far from perfectly, but I do my best.)

In my experience, knowing God is exactly like the Bible stories. The story of Joseph and the Pharoah shows that when we listen, believe, and follow, many times, miracles are unnecessary. In the story of God rescuing Egypt, God sent a dream to Pharoah along with an interpreter to interpret Pharoah's dream. When Joseph interpreted the dream, he told Pharoah to stock up on food because a terrible famine was coming. Pharaoh chose to follow the instructions and in doing so he saved all of Egypt.

The Jewish Passover is another example of faith. God's people painted their doorways so that the angel of death would pass over their houses. If they didn't follow God by painting their doorways, someone would have died. God's people had the same problem as everyone else, but following God meant a different outcome.

God works with each of His people in the same way. The Bible says that God's people will lack nothing, and it's all because they follow His direction.

The opposite of faith is not hearing from God, not listening, and not following. This kind of faith is the kind of faith that many people have. They believe any old thing without hearing from God, and many times they end up disappointed because this is not true faith.

Some people believe that we can speak anything that we want into existence and if we don't doubt it will happen. But there is a very important part of faith that is missing from this example: Jesus is our example in everything that we do. He is the example of life in God's kingdom, and he never did anything without following God. If God didn't tell him to do it, Jesus did not. When Jesus cursed the fig tree, it was because God told him to do so. So, the only time to speak to a mountain to tell it to jump into the sea is if God tells us to do so. When we follow God the results are always 100%.

Misplaced faith can mean disaster.

I often see people make bad choices and call it faith by saying, 'I have faith. God will protect me.' But this kind of faith is not Biblical. There is no example of faith that shows a person making bad choices, and it turned out well.

One day, I had a dream that someone drove out into a storm and it ended with a car crash. In that dream, God told me that the crash was the result of bad choices. Free will means we have the ability to make bad choices and with those choices come consequences.

Following God's Instructions Means Good Times

Much of the Old Testament laws were meant to keep God's people safe. He told them to throw out their pots and pans if a lizard or rodent touched them because they were unclean. We know now that lizards carry salmonella and rodents carry disease. Following God's laws kept God's people safe.

Gentiles didn't follow God's laws for cleanliness so diseases were rampant among them. God's people wouldn't touch gentiles because they were considered unclean. In Israel, when a person showed signs of sickness they were quarantined from the rest of the clan. Now we know that this process works. God didn't explain why people had to do these things, He just expected His people to follow, and by following God's instructions His people were protected.

Would Noah have survived if he didn't build the boat but instead said, I have faith?? No. He followed God and following God saved him. This is a perfect example of faith with works. The same can be said for Egypt. If God said to store grain for the coming famine but instead Egypt said, I have faith. Would they have been saved? Not likely.

Many people caught COVID because they "had faith" that God would protect them. But if we use the Bible as a great example of what to do in situations where God has not specifically said one way or the other, we would know to avoid people who were sick and/or places where sick people congregate.

So, faith means, if we know that a storm is forecasted to bring flooding and God didn't say it was safe, we would use wisdom and know not to drive in the storm.

Abiding under the shadow of His wings gives us a mental picture of following Him closely. When we do, nothing can harm us.

One day my father was on the way home from work when he said, "Something told me to stop at a green light."

So, he did.

Then, right about the time that he would have been going through the intersection if he hadn't stopped, a car came flying through the red light at a speed of at least 60 mph. If my dad had not stopped at a green light, the other car would have t-boned him and he would have been seriously injured or dead. Following the instructions that came from inside of him saved his life.

When We Are Warned of Disaster: Listen, Believe, and Follow

True Biblical faith knows and follows God. For example, God told me that a massive recession was coming and to prepare. I know some believers who would reject anything that isn't "faith". They refuse to believe that God will prophecy bad circumstances. But when God says to prepare for recession (which is basically a modern-day famine), I prepare.

August 2019

Six Months Later Massive Recession is Headline News

Within six months, MASSIVE RECESSION was headline news, and store shelves were bare. But! My shelves were full because God warned me. God showed me and my group to stock up so that we wouldn't be affected by the coming recession.

He led us the same way that He led Egypt. He told us to stock up and, because we did, we didn't lack anything. Stocking up on food when He says, 'Stock up' is 'faith with works.'

Egypt didn't starve because they followed God. Noah didn't drown because he followed God. God doesn't stop the storm or adversity. God doesn't take the problem away. Instead, he takes his people out of the way. This is how God's people can rise above the same problems that the rest of the world face.

When we are prepared in advance. for the same problems that the rest of the world faces, we can be a witness of God's greatness. We may go through the same storm as the rest of the world but because we built a boat in advance, we don't have a crisis.

Paul said,

Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries in the Spirit. But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.  The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.

I wish that all of you could speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the church may be edified.

...how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching? 

It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church. 

But if an unbeliever or uninstructed person comes in while everyone is prophesying, he will be convicted and called to account by all, and the secrets of his heart will be made known. So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among you!”

I'm extremely passionate about helping people hear from God and encouraging them to prophesy because getting a timely word from God through other believers has been my life's greatest treasure.

At one time, I had no idea what prophecy But then I met a woman named Kathy Francz. Kathy and her daughter lived in the apartment complex where I was a receptionist. I met her and her daughter, Tina, when they brought in their rent payment. After a few such meetings, they invited me to their church.

The church was Charismatic. At the time, I had no idea that different denominations believed different things; I just knew that my new church believed that prophecy was for today. Where prophecy was concerned, one of the members was especially gifted. Her name was Dawn Dell.

I first met Dawn in an Agape woman's meeting. She was one of the women leading this particular meeting, and at the end, she prayed for others in a prayer line. I felt drawn to go up to the altar for prayer, and, as fate would have it, I chose to wait in her prayer line.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting what I found. I probably thought it would be like any other time that a person prayed: Unremarkable. But I couldn't be more mistaken. I never said what I wanted prayer for. Actually, I didn't have time to say a word, she just began to pray, and she prayed as though she had been privy to every detail of my entire life. And more specifically, she prayed as though she knew exactly what was burdening my heart on that very day. By the time she was done, I was a sloppy mess of tears.

I found out that Dawn attended my church, and whenever I felt burdened, I sought her out for prayer. Each time was exactly like the first. She always prayed without asking me what I wanted prayer for, and her prayers were ALWAYS a bullseye. Every encounter with Dawn left me feeling like I had encountered God. I knew this woman knew how to hear from God and her relationship with God made me believe that that kind of relationship with God was possible. Her prayer line inspired me to know God better than a thousand sermons ever could. I wanted to know God as she did. I wanted the relationship with God that she had. I wanted to hear God for myself, and I wanted to be a tremendous blessing like she was to me. More than anything, I wanted to be able to pray for someone and have them leave feeling like they just received a touch from God, as I had all the times that Dawn prayed for me.

Fast forward thirty years, and now, thanks to God working through Dawn, I have that same kind of relationship with Him.. But I've found I still need a Dawn Dell in my life. Even though I'm now "Dawn Dell" to many people, I still have moments when I need someone to speak straight into my life with an undeniable message from God. Unfortunately, those people are very few and far between.

Enter Kathleen.

Kathleen is one of the people who are few and far between. After decades without a "Dawn Dell" in my life, I met Kathleen online. The first time that Kathleen gave me a word from God, it was only four sentences long, but in it, she mentioned all three of the most life-changing messages that I had ever received from God.

God is saying he's going to increase you more, but don't forget that it Is the lord God that did it. He is saying, COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM. He's calling you to go deeper..a place few venture. I've called you Holy, says the Lord a peculiar people, but you MUST get busy time is of the essence.

There was no way Kathleen could have known that God came to me in a dream and called me to go down to the deep end of a well where there were just four others. There is no way she could have known that Deuteronomy 8 (don't forget that it Is the lord God that did it) was a promise that God had given me just a short time before her message. There is no way that she could have known that in a prayer meeting, God called me to come out, and when He did, His presence manifested in such a way that every person present fell on their faces because of the tangible presence and power of God. Every separate word was encapsulated by her message, and they all foretold a journey I was about to take.

Kathleen knows nothing about me and could not have known about any of these things. Still, she hit all three in one very short message, so I knew it was God. But when she delivered the word, I had no idea what it meant, so while I knew God was speaking through her, I didn't really know what to apply it to, so I just copied it into my 'Words from God' file and forgot about it.

Two years later, after going through a very long and difficult journey, one that left me feeling as though every demon in hell had attacked me, I came across Kathleen's message again. When I read it, my eyes bugged out of my head and I covered my face with my hands and just sobbed. Immediately, a weight lifted off me, and my tears washed every last bit of trauma away. Knowing, without a doubt, that God had led me through every battle meant everything to me and I was so grateful that she had delivered the word.

Every one of us, at one time or another, needs a word straight from God.

God poured out His Spirit on all people. We should all be hearing from God in miraculous ways. I am not special, neither is Dawn, and neither is Kathleen.

So.....

Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.

If you don't have a Dawn Dell, I hope you find one. If you aren't a Dawn Dell, I pray that you'll be one :)

Karen's Testimony

Hello everyone, I've been planning to share the Goodness of God for months and finally.... I sit here with tears of joy as I share with you. I met Mia in 2012, I was going through a situation that felt like DEATH!!! I had a reoccurring dream regarding the situation before it happened. God was sending comfort, but I thought it was punishment . I was desperate, so I shared the dream with several dream interpreters and was sent away more broken than ever. One of the dream interpreters had no mercy, she was very harsh and left me hurt and confused. I prayed, fasted, and cried out to God for help. I knew what I was receiving was not from God. So, I googled dream symbols and found Mia's website. I was so excited after reading the testimonies, I knew I had to find her. I think I stalker Mia on Facebook shortly after and shared my dream. Within 60 seconds Mia interepreted my dream and the spirit of heaviness immediately lifted off of me. Through Mia's words and the love she released I found hope and healing. Mia, encouraged me to hold on to my dream and that the dream was not bad, it was comfort. Well, a year later my dream fully manifested just as Mia said. I was so excited to share with Mia the day EVERYTHING manifested in one day. I thought it would never happen, but she would not let me give up. I could not believe how she prayed for me, encouraged me and followed up with me on a regular. I cannot begin to tell you how many times Mia has contacted me and repeated conversations I had with God minutes after. Mia, often would say don't say anything and release exactly what was on my heart . We just laugh and rejoice because God truly knows our hearts. I had a rough day today and several hours ago Mia posted on my wall.... "Contradiction" I could've screamed and jumped for joy, I immediately knew what she was talking about. Mia, had no idea what was going on with me, but the Lord revealed it to her. I think sometimes we get familiar with the gift and devalue it. I am forever grateful and have seen nothing but Victory. I am so happy to be apart of this AWESOME group. I plan to share more because I believe people need to truly know and see the heart of God. God is so faithful . Your dreams are REAL and God is speaking. please excuse any typos... I did not proof read just speaking from my heart.

The first time I met Karen online was after she messaged me about a situation that was heartbreaking. Her message was very well written, and in it, she poured out her heart, and reading her words touched mine. From the first message that I received from her, I felt connected to her. Need, empathy, and compassion, forged a bond between us. Still, today, even though I've never met her in person, I cannot think of her without feelings of fondness.

At first, our messages were few and far between. But, over time, as we messaged back and forth, we developed a friendship and began to speak regularly. As we became closer and my feelings of affection grew, I began to think of her more often. There was something about her that I just loved. She was polite, well-mannered, and well-spoken. Her messages were well written and she was never afraid to pour out her heart. Every interaction with her was an absolute pleasure.

Often while doing mundane tasks, thoughts of her and the things she was going through would begin to flow within my heart. These thoughts were always accompanied by feelings of compassion. Whenever I would have these "thoughts" I would message her and share what was on my heart. Many times, she would say, "Mia, my head is still leaning against the wall where I was praying about that exact thing."

As time wore on, this happened dozens and dozens of times. Oftentimes, I would message her with a message about what was on her heart at that exact moment. I began to notice that every time that I had a miraculous timely message I was puttering around the house or gardening. Whenever I was doing a mundane task, or doing something boring, like taking a bath, thoughts would begin to flow in my heart. And, every single time, the thoughts were accompanied by strong feelings of compassion and a flowing feeling inside of me. I also noticed that the thoughts were just bubbling up inside of me and were not a mental process going on in my head.

With experience (much of learned as a result of knowing Karen and feeling compassion for what she was going through) I began reaching out to people more and, as before, the messages were always spot on and the timing was always miraculous.

Over time I learned several things:

1.) God puts messages in my heart when I'm doing mundane boring tasks. Dishes, driving, gardening, painting, carpentry, and other things that engage my mind, put me in a perfect position to receive heart messages from God.

2.) Whenever I feel compassion, God is present.

3.) Delivering a person from despair, anxiety, or anguish, by sharing these messages, is the best gift in the world. When a person is crying out to God and they receive an immediate response from Him, about the very thing burdening their soul, the burden is lifted. They go away changed and restored, their faith is increased, and it always draws a person closer to God.

This post is to encourage you that you don't have to go get down on your knees on a bed of rice to hear from God. Do some mindless work and listen to your heart. After lots of experience, there will be no doubt that God is speaking to your heart. When you start thinking about someone with love and compassion, message them. Tell them what you had on your heart, and you will begin to be blown away. God is speaking to you but, if you're like me, you might not realize it.

I was feeling that you need to delegate things that you're not great at. You have impossible expectations. It's ok if you're great at one thing and need help with others. You will be more successful by lowering your impossible expectations of yourself. If you try to be perfect at everything you'll never be spectacular at YOUR one thing.

Accepting that you're human and being great at one thing and not so great at others is expected. Love who you are and focus on your strengths. Ask God for help where you need help and then listen to and follow His direction when He sends it.

When someone asks me to pray with them for comfort or for peace, I always ask if they know how to hear from God first because hearing directly from God is the only way to truly be comforted. The Comforter was sent to Earth to comfort us and He does that according to the promises that God left through scripture.

The book of Job says that God speaks to men at night, by speaking in their ears, and through dreams and visions, to give them direction and to send warnings.

Job 33

For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices. In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their bed, He opens their ears and terrifies them with warnings to turn a man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride to preserve his soul from the Pit and his life from perishing by the sword.

This verse (and the examples in the Old Testament) is the key to understanding that God speaks in many ways and that He will speak to us with specific answers to our specific problems. The Comforter has been sent to provide us with comfort, and He sends comfort through the prophesies, dreams, and visions that God promised that He would send to all people. The key to receiving comfort (and many other things) from God's Spirit is in learning how to hear from Him.

Acts 2

No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.'

Hearing from God: How to Live a Supernatural Life

I have testimony after testimony of God comforting me through dreams. Whenever my heart is burdened I pray and ask God for comfort and He sends it! Hearing from Him has been a lifesaver. The following story is a particularly good example but it is just one of many! When I need to hear from Him, He always answers. The key is taking the time to record your dreams and then learning how to understand them.

Don't Wait!

If you want to live full of miracle moments, as the patriarchs did, today is the day! If you seek Him, you will find Him. So, record your dreams!

When you wake up remembering a dream, write it down immediately. Paint a picture of your dream with words, and then submit your dream to our forum and, God willing, we can help you to learn to understand them. I can't stress it enough, God wants to comfort each of us personally, and directly - and He does it most often through dreams.

To get help, just click this link and post your dream!

Are you praying? Or Stressing? Most of the time, I do pretty well with optimism. If there were a group that was too optimistic, I would be a member. But there are times when I feel overwhelmed. One of those times is when I can't instantly fix a situation. Then, I get a little stressed.

Many years ago, while living on a barrier island in a mobile home, my house was hit by a hurricane. Unfortunately, insurance companies don't cover older mobile homes on barrier islands for a good reason; they would lose money, so all of the repairs would be coming out of my pocket.

After the hurricane, I returned home and was relieved when I didn't see any outward damage so I made my way inside and discovered the power was out. Remembering that I kept a box of candles in my bedroom closet, I was on my way to fetch them when I unexpectedly tripped on an eight-inch tall mound in the middle of my living room that should not have been there. The floor had mounded up under the carpet.

At first, I couldn't figure out how the water got into the house but I soon found out. The next day, after a typical Florida afternoon rainstorm breezed through, water began pouring in through my dining room chandelier and we discovered that the house had a split straight down the roof seam and water had poured in leaving huge gaping holes in the floors. I tried over a hump because when particleboard gets wet it swells into a big hump and then crumbles into a big hole.

At the time, I was disabled and a full-time caretaker for my grandson who is on the autism spectrum. This meant that my income was minimal, daily living consumed all of it, and savings was not an option. When the bills and basic grocery shopping needs were taken care of there was nothing left, so I had no idea how I would pay for the repairs, and, needless to say, I was stressed. I had no idea what I was going to do and thinking about the problem was the catalyst for an enormous amount of stress stirring up inside of me. My thoughts were like a hamster on a wheel. I just kept thinking, over and over, What am I gonna do? I can't leave it, it will get worse. What am I gonna do? I can't leave it, it will get worse.

For me, making a plan to solve a problem is a stress reliever. Normally, if a problem comes up, I just make a plan and fix the problem. But, I couldn't make a plan to fix this problem because the resources were just not available. It was out of my control.

I needed God to make a way because, without His help, there was no way. And if God wanted me to take care of this little boy, I needed help.

After allowing this particular hamster to run on its wheel far longer than I should have, I realized that I needed to put up my shield of faith. I needed to do as Barney Fife says and, 'NIP IT. YOU GOTTA NIP IT. YOU GOTTA NIP IT IN THE BUD.'

So, I stopped what I was doing (laundry, happy to stop) and I prayed, and I remembered that GOD promised that if I seek His kingdom first, all these needs will be provided. In spite of that, I still wanted Him to comfort me. I NEEDED HIM to comfort me. I was a little more than desperate for it, actually. Then, suddenly, I remembered a story from the previous week.

One night, while I was asleep, I felt a message playing over and over in my spirit: The confirmation for Zee's funding is a yes. The confirmation for Zee's funding is a yes. Over and over, the same message kept coming to me, nagging - if you will, like a record on repeat. I knew that I was supposed to get up and message Zee with the message but I was still super tired and didn't have the energy to bring myself to wake up.

Try as I might to continue sleeping, the message wouldn't go away. It kept playing over and over until, eventually, I realized that the message wasn't going to go away until I sent it. So, finally, at 6 am, I willed myself out of my cacoon and sent the message:

Zee, God said, Confirmation for the funding is a yes.

Along with a question,

Is this something you're praying about?

His reply was instant, 'Sister, the Holy Spirit had me out of bed at 4:45 am to pray about this very thing.'

I realized that the very moment he got out of bed was probably the same moment that the message started playing over in my heart. As soon as Zee asked God for comfort, God sent it.

Later that day, we were both blown away when, out of nowhere, someone messaged Zee with the answer to his prayers. Zee had his funding.

The really cool part was that Zee sought God for comfort and help, and God sent Zee confirmation, in advance, so that Zee would know that it was God Who did it all.

Remembering this story reminded me that I could ask God for comfort. It reminded me that I have a Comforter, and not seeking Him for comfort was beyond silly.

ASK AND RECEIVE. SEEK AND FIND. KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED."

You will call to Me and come to pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares The Lord. (Jeremiah 29)

Realizing that I have a GREAT GOD who has never let me down, Warrior Me said to Buttercup Me, 'Suck it up, Buttercup. You know that God's got a plan.' If I know that God will work it out, then there is no need to stay in a mess of emotions. So, I stopped thinking about the thoughts that were increasing my stress and simply asked God to please send me confirmation that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing and to confirm that the place that I am in is all a part of His plan. As long as I know I'm following Him, I know it will all be okay.

That night I had a vision. I saw words written on my hallway wall. The words were about 12 inches high and looked like wooden decor hung on the wall in my hallway.

Seeing the vision woke me right up but I couldn't remember what they said. So I prayed, God, if that was you, please send the message again. I fell back to sleep and had the same vision again but this time I remembered it. The words on my wall said:

DOUBLE

BLESSING

CONFIRMED

The next day, while making dinner, I had an epiphany and suddenly understood why the words were on the hallway wall; I was in a place of transition and I was almost through.

Two days later, Kathleen Moore-Elliot, who knew nothing of my struggles, my dream, or my interpretation; sends me a message that says, 'I've been thinking about you for a few days. I feel there is a transition going on. You are in a place of transition.'

I almost fell over.

Her message confirmed the interpretation: I am in a place of transition but headed toward double. So, not only was I getting double, God sent double confirmation that double was coming. Pretty cool.

I originally posted this on  October 4, 2018.

Update: Fifteen months later.

When I wrote all of this, I had no extra money, no way to borrow money, and it was guaranteed another hurricane would be coming before I could fix the damage. My anxiety was overwhelming.

But God said that a double blessing was coming my way, AND IT DID! But before it got better, it got worse. Much worse.

After this post, I lost everything that I owned, and it looked like the opposite of doubly blessed. But, like Lot, everything that I went through led me to my double blessing! As promised, God gave me back double EVERYTHING!

In the end, I have a beautiful completely renovated ranch on four acres in the most beautiful spot imaginable. My home is beautiful. Its location is absolute heaven and every relationship in my life is so much better than it ever was. The view is amazing. I have a more than a doubly better vehicle. I have a beautiful fifth wheel (waaaaay better than the one I had before). And every possession that I own, furniture included, is doubly better than it was before. PLUS, He doubled my income!! Literally, EVERYTHING in my life, including my relationships, is doubly blessed and so am I.

God used everything that I went through to help me inside and out. Nothing in my life is the same, including me. It's so much better than I could ever have imagined, and it was all God. He literally just forced me to leave my home and everything behind and sent me to a place where He had everything prepared and waiting for me. He did it all. I did nothing to make any of it happen. It was all just offered to me out of the blue from the most unlikely source imaginable. When I needed it, it was there. It was all just given to me without any searching or making it happen on my part.

When I was under attack, the comfort God gave me was priceless, and the double blessing is amazing. He who promised is faithful. I literally walked through the valley of the shadow of death but on the other side was the table prepared before me in the presence of my enemies, exactly as He promised.

Hang in There

If you're struggling right now with things that are out of your control, ask God for comfort. and expect an answer. Read the story about Jacob and how God sent him signs through dreams and expect that the same God who comforted Jacob through dreams, will comfort you. He may use dreams, He may use people, He might speak directly to you. He wants you to be encouraged and to know that if you seek Him, you will receive comfort and an answer.

Featured image by: "Double Rainbow Found" by Viewminder is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Every year for Mother's Day, when I lived close to my mother, I had a standing date to treat my mother to a poker tournament at her club. She loves to play and she appreciates spending time together.

On this particular day, after arriving at the club, we found ourselves at the same table and we had been there for a little while when a gentleman sat down at an empty seat directly across from me. As soon as he sat down, I had a thought that he was worried about a payment that he couldn't make. I knew that his wife had overspent, which meant he was short, and the payment was of great concern to him. I also knew that God was saying that it was going to be taken care of.

At first, I blew it off. Thinking, a.) I was in a tournament and would have to tell him this in front of a table full of people. b.) I didn't know him and I'm extremely introverted. And, c.) I wasn't going to do it unless I was certain it was God.

So, I ignored the thought and revelation and went back to playing. I quickly forgot about him and the message, until I looked at him again. As soon as I did, there was the same message. Again. Thinking to myself, If it’s God it will come back to me, I turned away and purposely thought about something else.

Very soon after, I happened to look at him again and the same thing happened again. The message was in my mind again: He is deeply concerned about overspending which was a very serious concern but God's got it. No need to worry.

Again, I turned away because I knew if it was God it was going to keep coming back to me and if it wasn't I would soon forget about it. This happened five or six more times. Until, finally, there was no doubt that it was God, and from prior experience, I knew the message wasn't going to go away until I followed it or until it was too late.

Deeply aware that all eleven sets of eyes were going to soon be staring at me, and extremely uncomfortable because I did not know what his response would be, I took a deep breath and said, "Excuse me, sir. But you're concerned about a payment that needs to be made. Perhaps your wife overspent some money, and it's causing you concern. God wants you to know that everything is going to be okay. He's got this."

I didn't know how he would react but the last thing I expected was for him to jump up from his seat and run around the table to where I was in order to high-five me. But that's exactly what he did, and every person at that table was a witness to God reaching out to a stressed-out soul.

I was ecstatic. At one point it was always scary for me to approach strangers, not knowing how the message might be received, but I've learned that if God has a message for a person, it will be very well received because most of the time they are desperately waiting for that answer.

Afterward, the man sitting next to me asked if that happens often; my reply was when it does happen, it always ends just like this.

When God has a message for a person it's because they need comfort. He is the comforter and He totally cares about our comfort. I've yet to see a person receive one of His messages of comfort and not be absolutely ecstatic to get it. I was super glad that I stepped out. I've learned to wait to see if the revelation (which seems like a thought) keeps coming. If it does, I step out because I've learned that it's always right on and that when I do, all parties involved will be incredibly blessed. Me, because it's awesome and makes me smile to see someone touched by God. Them, because they were desperate to hear this exact thing.

If you find yourself in a situation and the same thing happens to you, if you feel a message repeating inside your heart or in your thoughts, step out and share the message. The person who needs the touch from God will be beyond blessed and the privilege of being a part of sharing a revelation feels pretty awesome.

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Signs and Confirmations

If you're trying to learn how to hear from and follow God, sooner or later, you're going to want confirmation that what you received was from Him because one of the most important parts of following God is hearing from Him correctly. After receiving a message from God, many times people want confirmation because they aren’t certain that it was actually from Him, especially when we have a dream.

There are many Bible examples that reveal that learning to hear from God takes practice. Samuel, one of the major Bible prophets, didn’t recognize God’s voice and needed his teacher to tell him that the voice that he had heard was God. Gideon is an example of someone who also heard from God but wasn’t certain that it was God.

Believers talk a lot about “confirmation” because it’s important to us to follow God and we want to know for sure that we are hearing from Him and not from our own desires or imaginations or, worse yet, from the enemy. As a result, many of us often find ourselves seeking confirmations.

God’s people are supposed to be moving in spiritual things. The Old Testament is full of examples of exactly how to hear from God. It’s a blueprint for knowing Him because God hasn’t changed. He still works in all the same ways that the Old Testament describes and those examples are the key to communicating with God. The examples within the Bible reveal that God spoke to people face to face, out loud, in dreams, through visions, through angels, through revelations, and through signs.

For God’s people, the only difference between now and the Old Testament times is that God’s spirit was not poured out on all flesh. Back in the day, those who received His spirit and heard from Him were few and far between. But Jeremiah 31 promises that we would each know God as part of the New Covenant so, in today’s world, each person can expect to hear from God exactly as the patriarchs and prophets did in the past.

In Joel, God said that after the lord came, God would ‘pour out His Spirit on all flesh‘ and we would dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy.’

Joel 2:28-30

“And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

This means God’s people should be moving in spiritual things and communicating with Him the way that the Patriarchs did. But hearing from God isn’t always as clear as speaking with someone face to face.

Sometimes hearing from God is crystal clear, but other times God speaks in what people call ‘the still small voice.’ The still small voice is easily missed because it isn’t really a voice at all but more of a spiritual whisper which is very easy to doubt. This is one of the times that we pray for confirmation or a sign so that we can be sure that we clearly heard what God said.

Is it wrong to pray for a sign? No. If it happened in the Bible, and God allowed it, there’s nothing wrong with asking for confirmation (especially if we want confirmation so that we are able to follow God.)

Judges 6 – Gideon Gets a Sign

34 So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon…

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said, 37 then behold, I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that You are going to save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

38 And that is what happened. When Gideon arose the next morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew — a bowlful of water.

39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time let it be dry, and the ground covered with dew.”

40 And that night God did so. Only the fleece was dry, and dew-covered the ground.

Gideon hesitated and sought confirmation from God because of the potential destruction that could have transpired if it was not truly God leading him into battle. Gideon asked for a sign because he wanted to make sure that he was following God. And God was more than willing to oblige him because asking God for confirmation to avoid making a major mistake is not a bad thing. On the contrary, being certain that we are following God is the wisest thing that we can do.

A Lady & A Sign

One night, Jeremiah decided he wanted to play a game of billiards, so off we went. As soon as we

arrived at the billiards place, I went straight to the ladies’ room.

On my way back to the registration desk, I saw a couple standing by a wall in what seemed like a deep conversation.

I suddenly had a strong word in my spirit, saying, “The answer is yes.” So, I made a sharp right turn and walked straight over to where they were standing, and said, “Hi, I hope this doesn’t seem too bizarre … but I’m supposed to tell you the answer is: yes.”

At that point, that was all that I knew.

(This is not a hard and fast rule, BUT: When God gives me a message for someone, He often only gives me the first piece or a single sentence. If I don’t deliver that part, I don’t need to know anymore. Once I deliver the first part, if there is more information to be given, He sends more.)

Both sets of the two pairs of eyes that were staring at me widened noticeably.

As God gave me more, I relayed it to the couple.

Next, I turned to the lady, and said, “You really love God.”

Immediately, she replied, and said, “Yes, I do!” with so much emphasis that I could feel down to my bones.

Then, God revealed that this woman went through something awful. It was so bad that it was preventing her from having a committed relationship with the man standing next to her.

So to him, I said, “She was in a terrible relationship. It was just bad, bad, bad, and she never, ever, ever, wants to do that again.”

Back to her, God said, “But this guy is not that guy.”

At which point the gentleman boiled over with enthusiasm, and said, “Man! Wow!! Just wow!!! It’s like I’m paying you to say all of this!!!!”

God knew her thoughts, which probably were, Did he pay her? So, God revealed that she asked Him for a sign.

I was stunned, and sounded it when I said to her, “You asked God for a sign.”

“Yes, I did!!” she replied, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Now, my eyes widened because it suddenly dawned on me that the only reason we are at this billiard hall, at this exact moment, is because this lady asked God for a sign and He sent us by inspiring us to play a game of billiards.

At this point, I’m smiling from ear to ear because it was just plain cool, and my smile grew even wider when I said to her, “I’m pretty sure that’s your sign.”

I’ll never forget this couple and the way God spectacularly reached out to help this lady to overcome a horrific past so that she could have a beautiful future.

If you need confirmation, ask. God promised to direct our steps and He will send the comfort and the guidance that we need if we humble ourselves and ask. So don’t feel bad about asking God for a sign because it’s Biblical and God answers. And sometimes the sign is pretty dang cool.

"direction signs" by emreterok is licensed under CC BY 2.0