Adventures in Gainesville

On the way home today, I did a little ATL (Ask The Lord) evangelism. I felt like He just said “Go and I’ll direct you.” So I started heading home, taking the route through town. I figured I would just go to Kroger and pray with a few people there. I came up on Waffle House and felt Holy Spirit say I should go in there. So after double checking what I thought I was hearing, I made a u-turn and headed to Waffle House. I pulled in and prayed and asked the Lord what He wanted me to do or say. I felt like He said to listen to people’s stories and He would give me the words to speak to them as needed. There were literally no customers in there. I went in and met Darci, an older woman working there. I told her I wasn’t there to eat but wanted to know how I could be praying for her. She opened up how her relationship with her daughter was weighing on her because her daughter was struggling in life and Darci was moving to a town not too far away from Gainesville. Darci was tired. She needed a fresh breath of love and encouragement. She let me pray with her and she seemed like she knew the Lord. I talked with her for a few more minutes before I left and she gave me a drink.

I continued on, thinking I was going to Kroger. I got about a hundred yards down the road when Holy Spirit prompted me to go into this other smaller grocery store. I pulled in and felt like He was saying there was a cashier who needed some loving; that she was in a real rough place and it wasn’t easy to connect with her. Before I went in, I got to pray with Monica, a believer, for her family’s numerous health issues and her church’s peace and unity. I wen tin and say only two cashiers and only one was a woman. I walked around the store and noticed the man working behind the deli counter, Eric. I walked around a little more praying and felt God say He had been speaking to him but he hasn’t recognized it as God. Again, there were no customers in that area. 

I went up and asked how I could pray for him. He said he was concerned about the outcome of the upcoming presidential election. We talked for a few minutes, then I prayed with him for our future president. I then told him what I felt the Lord had said. He didn’t respond too much to it. It was hard to get a read on him. There was definitely some fear on him. He rarely would look me in the eye while talking to me. Always looking off to the side somewhere. I shared that I felt God had more for him; that there were some giftings or dreams that he had given up on, that maybe God wanted to call him into. He talked about how he had worked here, left, then ended up coming back. Again, he didn’t give a solid, positie confirmation, but thanked me a couple times for stopping by. He let me pray blessing and courage over him before we parted ways. 

Next, I got to talk to Lydia and pray with her for a co-worker she was concerned about, after a little encouragement from Holy Spirit saying there was something going on at her work. I talked to one more lady before heading to the cashier. I grabbed a Monster and got in line. I payed and asked her how I could pray for her to which she replied, “No, there’s nothing. Have a nice day.” I gave her a “God bless you” and left. I wondered if I should have tried to push the conversation a little more, but I can still pray for Amanda anyway. 

Before I left, I met Janie, who I had seen earlier in the store and felt like maybe God was saying she had back pain, but she had been busy talking with the guy working the butchery. I asked how I could be praying for her and she said her health. She had been in an accident or something recently and her husband had had a stroke. She said she still had some back/neck pain. She let me pray with her. I asked how her back was feeling. She said it was ok; she was going to get some medicine for it. I don’t think she understood what exactly I was asking and I should’ve clarified I wanted her to test her back out. But I just kept talking with her while she loaded the last of her groceries in her car. I said goodbye and headed home. 

I hesitate to share this because I want to make sure I share it for the right reasons. I don’t share this to bring attention to myself. My prayer is that God will use these testimonies of His goodness and faithfulness to encourage you, my brothers and sisters. Whatever fearful excuse you come up with for not going for it when Kingdom opportunities present themselves, you’re not the only one. Being interruptible and sharing the gospel simply out of love and not to prove something to God, myself, or others is something I’m still growing in as well. Be encouraged. God doesn’t need perfect, mess-less people to usher in His Kingdom. He just needs available ones. Be interruptible and see the goodness of the Kingdom break out!…Oh and quit being so hard on yourself. God’s not busting you upside the head for not having your crap together yet, why are you? Be confident in His power in you (2 Timothy 1:7) not your feeble attempts at making stuff happen in your own strength! 🙂