In Right Place, At The Right Time

The other day I rushed out of the house to head to the grocery store. I did not pay attention to my gas tank, but I assumed I had enough gas for the trip. As I was sitting in traffic my gas light made a noise and reminded me that I was low. I assumed I had 10 miles at least, but my dashboard said I had 0 miles left. In a panic, afraid that I was going to run out of gas in the middle of the street, I had no choice but to turn into a gas station on a dangerous part of town that I was just passing through.

When I arrived at the gas station it was crowded and the card reader was not working. So I had to stand in a long line with everyone else. Before I could walk over to the line a man exploded with anger and was trying to fight the gas station cashier. I am not sure of what happened I only heard the escalation. The man was beating on the bullet proof glass like a gorilla screaming that he was going to kill the cashier, and everyone at the gas station was terrified including me. My first thought was, get back in the car and drive away. But when I got back in the car I remembered I had no gas. I begin to pray Lord please don’t let this man shoot up with gas station. And the Lord responded to me and told me to get out of the car. I responded to the Holy Spirit,” no I’m not getting out of the car” (disobeying what I just heard). A few seconds went by with the man increasing in anger and being violent, so I took a deep breath and followed the instructions of the Holy Spirit and got out of the car. The Holy Spirit told me to speak to the man, but I was praying that the man would not come anywhere near me. As I looked up, the man started walking directly in my direction because his car was parked at the same pump on the opposite side as me.

My palms begin to sweat as I was nervous and scared for my life. But the Lord had given me instructions to speak so I spoke with wisdom by testing the spirit first. As the man walk closer to me angry and talking to himself, I said in the gentlest sweetest voice possible, “how are you doing today brother?” When the man heard my voice he looked up and said I’m OK in an angry voice. So I spoke again, “I know that people are sometimes mean and cruel but we should never let them get us out of our character because we are better than that.” I noticed the man’s eyes changed and I saw kindness as he agreed with me. That’s when I knew I needed to slip in the word of God. I begin to tell him who his identity was in Christ and no matter how much he’s fallen away that he can repent and return to the Father. Before I knew it I was prophesying and encouraging him. Lord sent me to tell him that he was the one sheep that got away, but the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one, and is the one. And the same angry man that was threatening to kill the cashier and beating on the bullet proof glass like an animal had suddenly broke into tears. As I continue to encourage him in the word of God he begin to praise the Lord out loud, dancing and crying is pain away. I could see that he was reminded of a word that he was taught in his younger years that he has walked away from many years ago. But the sheep know the shepherds voice in a stranger they shall not follow! Before I could even finish pumping my gas we were hugging and praying for each other in the parking lot. And he drove away with the peace of the Lord upon him.

I was compelled to share this testimony because we have to live the word of God. I was in a panic, I was in a jam, I was rushing worried about myself but God had other plans. I believe the Holy Spirit caused me to run out of gas in that part of town because he knows I would have never stopped to speak to anyone over there. Once I came upon this revelation I begin to feel convicted in the Holy Spirit. What about the lost sheep who are on the corner, cussing people out at the gas station, gangbanging, selling drugs, strung out on drugs? Who is coming to them? Who is speaking the word of God to them?

In feeling that conviction, I made a promise to God that whenever I left the house I would be looking for the assignment that he is giving me to encourage someone in him. It’s been three days now and I have encouraged three different people in God. We have to learn how to ignore the flesh of a man and see him in the spirit. We cannot do this if we discriminate against them for any reason. So I wanted to share this brief testimony to encourage each and everyone of you to go out and live the word of God, to feed the loss sheep and follow the voice of God as he sends you on assignments to speak to his people.

God bless and run well.