AMUSED AND AMAZED

Some people can plan ahead what they will do for God and when. That I find hard. I had been planning and looking forward to attending a Friday night prayer meeting for most of the week but a family matter detained me so that I was more than an hour late. Because the meeting was in the basement of a building and there was no "security staff" at ground floor I found the doors locked with little prospect of entry. Seeing as I was in Temple Bar and it was close to 9pm I decided to do a wee prayer walk myself around the precinct. When I walked by a particular brightly lit corner outside a pub called...you guessed it "The Temple Bar" I asked God to help me and reached into my inside pocket, took out the new Jesus sign which Maurice gave me last week and toold me some "black brothers" had made it.
As always the moment I lifted high HIs name joy and peace flooded me and a Holy boldness. Shortly after Jo and Andy an english couple came up to me asking "What's this?". We spoke about Jesus and what He did for us. I silently asked the Holy Spirit if there was anything wrong with them and then I asked Jo "Do you have a heart murmer?". She said that Andy has heart trouble. I again asked her if she had a heart murmur to which she said yes. She was quite amazed at this. I explained that God knows everything about her, loves her and wants to bring her to HImself. She was open for prayer and so without laying on hands (I felt the Lord said not to lay on hands this time) I asked the Lord to heal them both. The ensuing chat was good and I believe they left with some undertanding of God's love for them in Jesus. They promised they'd go back to their hotels and look at the Bibles in the room.
Later on I said to the Lord "I don't know if they really get healed". I believe the Lord then said to me "nor did you know she had a heart murmur!". He has a great sense of humour!

A MIRACLE, A NEW BIRTH AND AN ACTION THRILLER

"Prove to us that God exists" one of the lads said. "Are you open to persuasion?" I asked. They were and I then asked who had the pain behind their knee (word of knowledge). Jason, the chap in the middle said it was him and after prayer in the name of Jesus he testified, to his friends of course, that it was amazingly better (miracle and a sign). He then asked if he could get forgiveness of sins. After a brief explanation of his sin being carried on the cross by Jesus I invited him to pray in his own words. One of the pals was sniggering after the prayer and I said to Jason "Will you say before your friends that Jesus is Lord". He did not hesitate and boldly spoke it out and confessed belief in the resurrection. The divine exchange happened (new birth) and he even began to witness to his friends without delay! (evangelism). I left him with my card and a paperback action packed thriller...The gospel of Mark. Thus ended my brief fishing expedition with Oliver at Crown Alley in Temple Bar on a wintery Thursday night. Hallelujah! Pray for Jason.