I remember quite clearly a few weeks ago, I planned to do things for the day - (1) visit a car dealership to see about leasing a car, and (2) after the dealership go to Home Depot to pick up some items.
My Visit to the Car Dealership!
I arrived at the dealership around 9:45 and spent approximately two and half hours talking to a salesperson who I know very well. We talked the entire time not about cars but about religion. This was not planned but was the leading of the Holy Spirit. He does not believe in God.
He was brought up in a Baptist Church and someone told him when he was ten years old that if he did not believe in Jesus he was going to hell. This is a true statement but for some reason he never forgot this statement for it frightened him and it completely turned him against the Lord.
He did most of the talking why he does not believe in God, and I just listened and kept praying what I could say to him, but the Lord told me to be still and listen and love him.
I did eventually share with him my experience of how I came to the Lord, and he listened. I did not argue with him about his unbelief but very gently and quietly affirmed to him how the Lord delivered me from going off the deep end of life.
I did not argue with Him or try to use Scripture to confront his unbelief. I felt restrained by the Holy Spirit. I just wanted the glory of the Lord to be present and guide me.
Our conversation was one of respect for each other as I accepted him and told him that the Lord deals with people in different ways. After two hours, we finally started talking about cars. I just had to release him to Jesus and let Him work on my friend’s unbelief.
There was no way I could have ministered to him but only by listening and sharing how I came to the Lord He completely turned my life around from being lost in secular living to being found by the Lord Jesus and living for Him. I planted the seed, and someone someday may come along and water the seed with someone else harvesting this man’s life into the Kingdom of God.
My Visit to Home Depot
I left the dealership and drove to Home Depot to pick up some items I mentioned earlier. When I got to Home Depot, I got out of my car and started walking toward the entrance when a man and wife were right behind me. For some reason, I slowed down and felt I was to talk to them.
As I asked them their names, I told them my name and said a few warmup things to them. I asked the man what kind of occupation he was in. He and his wife clean houses for a living and work with inner city youth to help the youth avoid the pitfalls of the things which take place in the “hood.” They live in Akron, Ohio.
We were standing right inside the entrance of Home Depot and kept talking for several minutes. They were a beautiful couple and I sensed they knew the Lord. I asked if they went to church and they said they go to the “Word Church” which is a large church in Akron.
The more we talked the more my heart went out to them, and I just felt the love of the Christ working through me to give to them His love as well has His glory which he has given me to give away.
I was able to share some things about how the Lord had used me in supernatural ways to minister to inner city churches and to inner city people..
They were quite all ears as I shared with them. The Holy Spirit was moving quickly on this couple and me as well. This was a divine set-up by the Lord, and I knew it for it happens to me regularly.
After about 30 minutes or so, I said let’s pray for one another. I asked the man to pray, and I would follow.
As soon as he started praying the Lord shared a picture with me or a vision of two hot steel rods which came out of a smelting furnace and these two hot steel rods were brought together into one rod and then allowed to cool down.
When the man finished I shared with him what the Lord showed me, and I then interpreted the vision to him by saying the two hot rods represented he and his wife and the Lord was bringing them together and melting their hearts to become one and in unity in spiritual understandings and spiritual work.
The hot furnace was a time of preparation to burn out the impurities in their lives so that the two rods (man and wife) could be in agreement with each other and in their walk with the Lord.
I noticed that tears were flowing from the wife and then the man spoke. He said that as they were driving to Home Depot today and when they were getting out of their car, they were discussing how they could better work together in spiritual things and how they needed to both listen to one another.
As I listened to him I said to him, “I want you to know that the Holy Spirit is here and over us as well in us and is speaking to you and your wife and using me to bring this word to you for I believe the Lord has His hand on you and is going to use you in a great big way.
Christ loves you my brother and sister and wants to draw you into a greater unity - a greater togetherness so He can thrust you into His calling with His purpose and power coming to you to do His work.”
I asked them what was the chance that they came to Home Depot at the same time I did, and we both got out of our cars at the same time, and I turned and started talking to them and one thing led to another thing with the Lord speaking to their hearts as well as my heart. They knew it was the Lord.
As we parted, I told them that I loved them, and my heart was being warmed by the Lord for them. We walked away from each other, and I began to pray the whole time while looking for the items I came to get.
O’ Jesus,
I thank you and thank You
that you have so many You
want to speak to through those
given to the Prophetic
and
the Word of Knowledge
and
Word of Wisdom as well
as the other Gifts of the Spirit.
I love you Father,
I love you Jesus,
I love you Holy Spirit,
and
say to You,
that I am nothing but
Your servant crying out to You
to use me to further Your Kingdom
in those you call me to minister to.
All I can do is to daily
cling to Your Cross
and
allow Your Cross
to do its work within me.
Empty me Father,
and
then fill me with
your glory and majesty.
Continue Father,
to set up these
divine encounters
that Your message
can be brought forth
to encourage, exhort,
comfort,
and
warn in those
You are calling to walk with You.
I know the time grows short and
Your
coming is drawing near,
so,
use us to accomplish
Your perfect will
and
keep us humble
and
listening to Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Rich Arnold
Servant of the Lord
311 Adelaide Ave SW
Hartville, Ohio 44632
330-704-9306
Thank you for sharing these encounters. So much to glean and ponder. Blessings