If you do not want to read all of this.... I would ask that you not leave this page until you read the last portion.... my encounter with the palm reader.
I often come across people of different beliefes.... those who have not had an experience
in their life that would change their views...They seriously do not understand and disagree with some things.... I understand this... but must say.... I have an experience that goes beyond just believing what someone has said or what someone else may believe.....
I was blessed, as many of you were, to be raised in a home where I was taught that there was a creator.... and His name Jesus Christ. I was also taken to worship with others weekly.... I was young... I didn't really understand walking with God.... I didn't
understand relationship with Him..... I recall we would enjoy worshiping at church, I loved the music... I loved the friendships we made with other believers..... this was my life..... I remember the choir would sing and worship would be in the house!
My friends.... at the time I was about 8 or 9 years old.... we would gather under the balcony as the choir would sing... they would have the lights out and would leave just the platform lights on.... we would become lost in the presence of Jesus Christ!
Our creator.... our Lord and Saviour... but again... I was too young to really understand...... but I LOVED the feeling I got when I was lost in His Presence and no one could tell me that what I felt was not real..... I would worship and praise Him.... hands
lifted..... I surrender my everything to you Lord.... use me.... wrap your arms of love and mercy around me.... I recall praying these things at a very young age..... and I felt Him... I felt His presence! I ask Jesus to come into my heart and be my Saviour,
to be Lord of my life, at just 5 years old.. I was also baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ..... (Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38)...... I wanted Him to be Lord of everything....
Worship was as much apart of my life as breathing..... that is just what we
did..... even though everything was not perfect in my life.... there was a Joy and Peace that is unexplainable..... I know today it was nothing but the Love and Spirit of Jesus Christ.....
When I was 8 years old I watched my Dad as he gave his life to
Jesus around the alter with his hands lifted and the presence of God all over him..... I also watched him go home a changed man.... free of prescription drugs that had controlled his life for 6 years.... unable to become free of them before... now free at
last! This little girls life went from great troubles to incredible peace! That is what the infilling of the Spirit will do for you. A man of great troubles... I was witness to incredible change..... I saw God transform my Dad..... and this little girl never
forgot what happen and knows today that only God can bring the changes we witnessed.
I was 10 years old when I went to Augusta Ga to stay with my Aunt..... while there we attended a church play.... I do not recall much about it.... I'm thinking it was
an Easter program ... I am not sure.... but what I am sure of is that after this program I was around the front.... hands lifted with tears streaming down my face.... and the presence of God so strong.... I too was filled with His Spirit and over whelmed in
His presence. An incredible, exhilarating feeling was from the top of my head to the sole of my feet! The Joy unexplainable!!!
Acts 10: 46 You can read of this experience as it was poured out on the day of Pentecost. I too had recieved the
promise spoken of in the Word of God... the promise that was made to us first spoken of by the prophet Joel! Acts 2:16 Isaiah 28: 11-12 His Word tells us, "This IS the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this IS the refreshing: yet they
would not hear."
Isn't it interesting that even today.... they do not hear... even though the Word speaks of it they discount it.... say it isn't for us today.... I am so thankful ..... so thankful.... because the rest... this refreshing has kept me
in an world full of heartache and full of troubles.
Acts 8:17-19 "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,
Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.
If their was no supernatural occurrence.... why would he care to purchase this power? When the Holy Ghost fell upon them people round about thought they
were drunk.... they were told... "no.. not as you suppose" Acts 2:15
Why would we want anything less than we were given in God's word.... why would we settle for less than the infilling of His Spirit?
Romans 8:11-17 tells us that this is the
power, the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now will dwell in you...this will be what quickens YOUR mortal body when Christ returns!
I recall those times under the balcony at First Apostolic Church often in my mind..... I recall them because those
are the days that kept me! I went on to face many opposition..... maybe nothing like others have faced.... but things that no young person should see..... because we are still human... and we still deal with human nature..... there is what most of us know
as "church troubles" any time you have a gathering of 'people' you will have them.... no matter what the setting..... because my parents were heavily involved in the functioning of the church I seen more than my share.... I could go into some horror stories...
but it's not necessary... I only tell you this....to tell you THIS.... I am beyond thankful for the ROOTS I was given while under the balcony!!! There were many adults in our services who would worship and praise Him.... and usher in the Presence of God....
the Spirit of God would move through the place... you could 'feel' His presence in such a mighty way.... tears would flow.... and as I lifted my hands I would be filled again and again as the years moved on with His Spirit! Each time I was in His presence
I now know I was being rooted deeply for the days to come.... nothing could shake me.... I entered a day shortly after Rob and I married... well... actually the day we married... :-) seriously... many who know me know the story some what... I don't think many
'really' know the depths of it.... but regardless it was a dark day that began to work in every evil way to change me..... to strip from me my Faith... to knock me down to never get up again Spiritually..... this wasn't the first battle I would face.... but
so far it was the largest.... and it wasn't the last one I would face.... I struggled... and yes I failed miserably.... my Faith was shaken.... but when I laid my head down at night... I recalled my under the balcony experience with much detail..... I would
cry tears as I remembered His presence.... as I remembered reaching my hands toward heaven in total surender to this Spirit of God that I felt and that changed me....... I struggled and I released..... and I knew I couldn't stay away.... in His presence is
where I longed to stay.... even when the on lookers in my life judged my stance.... I knew in my heart I was holding on.... my grasp may have appeared slack.... but I was holding on... I was dreaming of His presence and knowing that I had to remain near and
close to Him.... I couldn't walk this life without the Spirit of God close......
Because of my experiences I knew that my children had to be in His presence often.... they had to be LOST IN HIS PRESENCE often!!! I KNEW beyond a shadow of a doubt that
THAT is what would keep them through the trials of this life!!! So I didn't make it my goal to give them a long set of do's and do not's to live by... I made it my goal to keep them in His Presence here at home 7 days a week.... and to have them in a place
of worship with others as often as possible..... to hear me calling their name to the heavens... pleading the blood of Jesus Christ over their lives daily.... asking God to be the fence around their lives!
I am so thankful today for those who created
an atmosphere of worship for this little girl who didn't understand the 'why's' yet..... I am so thankful that I was allowed to be there under that balcony and to worship freely...... thankful seems so inadequate to what I feel.
THE PALM READER:
I must tell you one more story that relates to this.... Working in sales we often had large training gatherings in Biloxi MS. This trip was a three day training.... I had been in a dry place Spiritually.... tears seemed dried up.... I was cold.... I would
talk to God and it was simple.... and I still felt dry. This had been going on for a while.... and I told God I needed a refreshing. When I left the meeting one evening I was going back to my hotel room and an incredible Spirit of travel hit me..... I could
have hit my knees right then and there.... I made it to my room as quickly and possible and fell to my knees in prayer..... I poured my heart out to God and I felt Him with me.... I felt the refreshing and the Spirit flowed through me for almost an hour...the
Presence of God was so strong in the room I didn't want to stop praising and worshiping Him...... I was SO full of peace and joy... so refreshed.... I decided that I would go down stairs to eat that night...yes, I know.. I eat when I am happy... LOL
. I usually ordered in.... but this time I would go out.... I walked around the corner and there were about 12 of my friends.... sitting in a circle on the floor and about 3 of them on a couch ...... there was a women sitting in the center of the circle that
I did not recognize..... as I walked by a friend grabbed my arm and pulled me down to the circle... she said... "hey, where you going?" I told her I was heading to eat...... about that time a friend on the couch said..."Hey.... read her!" What?? read her?
..... I looked at them funny I guess.... because he explained... "She reads palms!" Oh boy!!! What have I walked in on!
She grabbed the hand of the girl next to me as she was making her way down the line..... she began to tell her things that were going
on in her life that I KNEW were true..... I started praying to myself.... "Lord... get me out of here, what have I done!!" LOL As she held my friends hand she was just looking deeply in her eyes.... she said... "what? tell me, what are you seeing?" I said....
"LOL, She is thinking up what to say" LOL The women then turned her eyes to me and gave me a 'look' and then went back to speaking to my friend..... again she told her things that I knew to be true..... she let go of her hand and then 'skipped right over me'
and went to the girl to my right...... she read her palm... then she turned around as if she were done..... the friend on the couch said.... "Hey! You forgot Monica!!" She stopped right in front of me.... she never touched me.... she looked in my eyes and
the room went silent..... and she said "You know your special, your covered, and you know I can't go there"
If ever before I had any question.... if ever before I had any doubt.... they were permanently laid to rest! My Faith was built to an overwhelming
degree! My Lord knew what I was about to face an hour earlier when I had left that training room... he knew that my Spirit was weak........ and he met me in my hotel room and he poured out a refreshing on me... . and He covered me in His Presence to a degree
that no other spirit could get past it!! You come to late to tell me my God is not real.... you come to late to tell me He does not bring Peace and Joy that no man can give..... If you do not know Him in Spirit and in Truth..... Let me introduce you to this
man named Jesus... not just another fairly tale... not just another great disciple... but to your Lord, creator, Almighty Lord & Saviour!
I once heard a missionary talk about his trip over to a country where they were living in huts.... these people
knew nothing of the materialistic things we enjoy here.... when arriving there was a young girl from the States with him..... they journeyed into this area to meet the people there.... the young girl had no way of communicating.... but remembered that she
had a candy bar in her purse.... she excitedly pulled it from her purse to share it with a young boy..... the missionary frantically dove toward her and yelled "NO!, you can't give him that!!!" Why? the girl ask..... "Because... they can never have such things
here... you will give him a taste of something he will never be able to have again and he will crave it!" THAT is what receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost is like! It is an unexplainable infilling of the Spirit of God that will make you a new person in
Christ Jesus! You will never be the same! As I watch people who are miserable... looking for peace in a bottle... in a drug.... going from one relationship to the other.... they are searching for Peace.... we were designed to worship Him... and in that we
find peace..... you are forever searching until this emptiness is satisfied. If you're searching for peace... you can find it in Him.