Moved By The Spirit

Luke 2:27 Moved by the Spirit, he went …...

Genesis 45:7 But God sent me ahead of you

These words are just part of the above verses, I didn't write out the whole verse because these words were enough to stop me in my tracks.

I always try and make God's word personal to me.

Gena, moved by the Spirit, she went. Moved by the spirit she went, those words are much easier on paper.

God sent Gena ahead of you. This verse seems to be fitting for me and my family. I seem to go ahead of them and after they have seen God's faithfulness it allows them to move more freely to their own “moved by the spirit he/she went” life.

Before I “went” to Tennessee, Amanda went to Africa, Jessica went to Lakeland, Nathanael, Alex & Ezra went to Tavares and Anthony will make his own move hopefully soon.

I guess the Lord was going to make sure I went to my own spot as all my children were now spread out. My prayer of course is that they all will meet me here at some point :) A mom can hope right?

So let's pick up where I left off. How to pay the rent....

As I shared in my last jewel I was waiting for my start date to my new job.

I had mailed my application for my license to be transferred and called almost daily to see how the paper work was going. I was on a first name basis with the woman who handled these request and I'm sure she was just as anxious for me to have my license as I was to get it.

One night I was reading my Bible and re-read one of my favorite verses.

Matthew 10:27 What I whisper in your ears, proclaim from the housetops! 

I love the thought of the Holy Spirit whispering things to me. You know if your whispering it's a secret. That just excites me to no end, to hear a secret from Heaven. So I prayed Dear Jesus please whisper to me how you plan on paying the rent and I will definitely shout it from the roof top!

The next morning my sister and I were talking and she offered to send me my rent money but I said no. I explained to her it wasn't about the money it was about God's faithfulness, He said He would send it, not for me to borrow it. About 5 minutes after our conversation my phone rang with a number I didn't recognize. I answered it and it was a woman calling from an organization I send money to. I heard her mention year end and assumed she was calling for a final 2014 donation. 

I was waiting for her to pause so I could explain I had no money right now but would donate again in the future, but that's not why she called. 

She went on to thank me for my support and was calling to see if I had a prayer request. 

You bet I have a prayer request! I gave her a brief summary of my current situation, the “moved by the Spirit she went” and how I was believing God for my rent. I told her I checked the mailbox daily expecting the money. The only problem was no one actually knew my address yet.

She laughed and began to pray for me in Hebrew. It sounded beautiful. She then began praying in English then suddenly paused. She said she felt the Holy Spirit was whispering something to her. WHAT? Did she just say WHISPERING???

Dear Jesus please don't let my phone quit on me now. I listened intently waiting to hear the secret. She continued “ I feel the Holy Spirit saying He will send some one directly to your apartment to give you money toward your rent.” She said it would be the start of a new relationship.

This woman was a complete stranger to me yet she took the time to not only pray but listen to what the Holy Spirit had to say specifically to me. I can't tell you how much I NEEDED that word.

Of course for the next few days anyone who walked by my apartment was a possible suspect. I greeted each one with “Hi I'm Gena do you have my money?” No one was safe from my anticipation. When the man came to pick up the trash outside my door I met him with a huge smile on my face and hand extended.

I don't think he had ever seen anyone so happy to have their trash picked up. 

I heard another whisper, "It not him....."

Before the rent money came I got a call from the State Licensing department and it appeared my license that I thought would be here any day was not transferable after all. I would have to go back to school and take the Tennessee state test. Bottom line I would not be starting my new job after all.

Gems, not gonna lie I was freaked out!  It was now December 26^th and rent was due in 6 days. I was beside myself, I couldn't understand what was wrong. I began to cry and ask God what I missed. I called my oldest son Anthony and just wept in despair. The thoughts that ran through my head. Oh my gosh I just got this apartment set up and now I have to pack it all up and move. Move where?

Anthony prayed a powerful prayer for me and later I did the only thing I knew to do.

I laid on the floor in fetal position, listened to praise music and cried in desperation.

The verse that came to me was “I will never leave or forsake you.”

The Lord reminded me He had shown me the mountain and just because the fog may roll in and the clouds were low didn't mean the mountain had moved.

The same promise was there. If I would move where He sent me, He would provide.

God why did you let me think I had a job and sign a lease on an apartment?

He said He let me think I had that job so I would sign the lease. He was ready for me to have my home so I could get settled and even rest a bit before the next assignment. If I didn't think I had a job I wouldn't have moved forward. He went ahead of me but I would not have had enough faith to follow, He allowed me to have my sense of false security in a job so I would move. He was right!

I finally settled down and once again had that overwhelming sense of peace that cannot be understood. I was reading a book at the time called Hinds Feet In High Places (if you haven't read it I would suggest it) and this was the page I opened at that moment.

Laying down my own will still continues to be a daily exercise. Doing it with joy and acceptance at times seems impossible. Only God.

Gems I don't know what the Spirit is whispering to you. I don't know where He has moved you by His Spirit or what secret thing He has for you to do, but I know He has gone ahead of you. I know in spite of the circumstances He will never leave or forsake you. I will remind you as Jesus reminded me, just because you don't see the promise doesn't mean the promise isn't still there.

I know the only way to increase your faith is to move beyond your comfort zone.

Yours not mine. Even if it leaves you lying on the floor in a desperate heap for a while it's OK. It's sharing these moments honestly with others, the power of the testimony, going before others so they will have the courage to move too.

Of course the Lord has a way of making everything really personal the next thing he gave me from the book was:

Like I said I made it personal, just changed Hannah to Gena.

Oh by the way, a couple days later I had an unexpected guest show up at my apartment. She stayed the night with me and early the next morning we shared our hearts and our relationship grew to a deeper place. She said “the Lord told me to give you some money toward your rent.”  There it was just like He said a new relationship would be formed and money to my apartment. 
On the 26^th Jessica my youngest daughter called to tell me someone gave an anonymous donation toward my rent. I was still about $250.00 short. On December 31^st I got a text from a friend saying the Lord told her and her husband to ask me what I needed. There it was the final money.

And of course our God, the more than enough God, had friends send me Christmas cards containing financial blessings which allowed me to pay all the other bills that needed paying like heat, car payment, insurance, phone bill, did I mention HEAT!

So Gems rent is paid and  there is more to the story but you will have to read my next jewel to hear what happened next.

When the Spirit moved she went........ I pray you will go too.