Sift Is Not A Bad Word

I had an amazing night recently that I want to share with you.
First I have to tell you something you may or may not know. The number 17 is very special to me. The Lord has used it in my life for as long as I can remember. With that said.....
I have been seriously praying this week for the Holy Spirit to give me more understanding as I read God's word and listen to prophesy. I have had so many emotional experiences on this journey so I was asking for clarity.
During these times I often call my dear friend Dawn for a “weird-O'"check up.

Yesterday was one of my "weird-O" checkup times.
I share with Dawn what's going on in my little world and I allow her to give me insight or call a doctor... Whichever she feels is appropriate. 

Sometimes when you spend too much time alone you can lose your perspective. I don't believe in coincidence but I have been known to have an over active imagination. 
 I shared with Dawn that at times I feel like I'm living in the twilight zone .
What I mean by that is I seem to experience unusual events in my life. 
For example, not long ago the Lord told me to crash a funeral. Yes I said a funeral. I didn't know the deceased and yes I felt weird. He was a well known composer and obviously a strong believer in Jesus. The service was held at a large church and a lot of people attended so no one actually noticed me. 
They played a video of the dearly departed speaking throughout his career. Gems something he shared spoke to me so clearly, it gave me answers to questions I had been asking the Lord about recently. Kind of weird the only guy in the room that wasn't among the living spoke to the funeral crasher.

OK back to the other night. After I shared with Dawn my feelings the Holy Spirit revealed to me that what I have been experiencing is an awareness of more of the spiritual realm going on around me.
John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Lord reminded me that He is sifting me.
Sifting: To examine and sort carefully: sift the evidence

During the "sifting" I had 3 water issues with my new apartment.

1. Water came in a window from lots of rain.

2. My neighbor across the hall (outside halls) had a pipe burst in the freeze and the water flowed under my door into my apartment.

3. New neighbors moved in above me and at 12:00 AM They decided to do laundry only they didn't hook the washing machine up right so all the water came into my apartment though my ceiling. My smoke alarms were all blaring because the water was flowing through them as well. Sifting......

1 Chronicles 29:17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.

Proverbs 17:3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart

#17 in both verses hmmmm

I went to bed after examining things with Dawn and picked up a book I have been reading.

A Time To Advance by Chuck Pierce.
This excerpt is from that book:
“This is a time to let God sift your heart and let the wind of His Spirit blow on you. In this season, an Angelic Highway is becoming prevalent between heaven and earth. The Lord is calling us to get still and know that angels are in our midst, working on our behalf. If we get our spirit still and in oneness with the Lord, we can recognize His help around us.”

Talk about confirmation on my sifting message. After I read this I put the book down and meditated on this paragraph for a while. Gems as I got focused I could feel the presence of Angelic forces around me. I could not see them with my eyes but I could feel how they looked. I'm not talking about little angles. I could feel large strong warring angels in my room. 

I thanked the Father for them and I prayed for each one of them to have the power they needed to finish the assignment the Lord had given them. I could feel a smile or thankful acceptance of the prayer from each of them.

I tried to stay awake as long as possible to bask in this holy presence but eventually I drifted to sleep. I was later awakened by a voice that spoke one word “libation.”
It woke me from a sound sleep and I knew it was the Lord. I quickly looked at the clock and it was 11:17 PM. I smiled and immediately turned on the light and grabbed my Ipad to look up what libation meant as I had no idea. If God was speaking I wanted to know exactly what He was saying. I was so full of excitement and awe as I waited for the definition to appear.
Libation: A drink poured out as an offering to a deity. Synonyms: liquid offering, tribute, oblation “they pour libations into the holy well”
oblation- a thing presented or offered to God.
The God of the universe was telling me my time on the sifting/threshing floor was turning me into an offering poured out to my King! A thing presented to God!!

I was on my face before the King in absolute reverence.....
Then I did what any woman would do after hearing from the man of her dreams, I text a girl friend to share the news. 
For some reason I needed another live person on the face of this big world to know I had heard the voice of the lover of my soul.
I shared this story with my friend TBone, he told me the Hebrew meaning of the number 17 is: sense of desiring, want
How cool is that! Yes God I both desire and want to be an offering to you.

Gems sometimes when we are going through trials we think God is mad at us, the truth is we are just dealing with life on a fallen planet. If you spend time with God and are allowing the Holy Spirit to lovingly sift you, it's when these trials come you examine and sort carefully the evidence of your growth.  How you react to the flood in your apartment or the annoying dogs barking all day. How you react to the hard to love person or the one who has let you down. How you react is your evidence.  

I pray you will allow the Holy Spirit to take you to unusual places and experience unseen events. Dare I say be weird!
I pray you will allow Him to lovingly sift you and allow your obedience to be a pleasing aroma to our King.
Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Sift is a 4 letter word but it doesn't have to be a bad one.