Go out in a blaze of thunder!

Johannesburg is well known for its awesome and mighty thunderstorms, and they’re beautiful. But lately, it has just been out of control. The wind was so bad the other night that it ripped this street light in two!

 

All this weird weather got me thinking about the fiery personalities in the Bible. In the Garden of Eden God would “walk in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). The Hebrew word for cool is ruwach which means heavenly wind, a breath of air, but also impatience and anger. So God entered the garden on a breath of heavenly wind, but angry and impatient with what had just transpired! Talk about traveling in style!

James and John were known as the sons of thunder. It delights me that two human beings were given a nickname by God Himself! This nickname, Boanerges, referred to their fiery zeal which was much like a thunderstorm. Turbulent. Stormy. As destructive as these guys could be, I like them, because they loved Jesus so much yet were so ‘human’.
Imagine being so full of zeal for God that the Lord Himself gives you a nickname. How incredible! I often wonder that if Jesus had to give me a nickname, what it would be.
James and John are the prime example that shows us that Jesus does not see what we are, but He sees the best we can become. John eventually received the nickname “Apostle of love”.

This leads me to the point of this post. What has God been stirring in your heart to do for Him in the Kingdom? What fire has He lit in you that you can do with so much zeal and impact, that He may secretly have His own nickname for you?
He has stirred something inside of me for three years to implement on a national level and I have finally started it. I feel a rumbling in the heavenlies lately. Big things are coming – and I must be part of it! No greater Orchestrator has the world seen than God Himself! I want to go out with such a fiery zeal in doing the Lord’s work that He can’t help but want to give me a nickname of my own. Breathed on me from His own lips- I am excited! 

I would love to hear, if you can share, what the Lord has been leading you to do. Let’s pray for discernment so that we may know without a doubt what impact we can make from this day on. Suit up and ride a wind called Ruwach- the whole of Heaven is watching!

How the armour of God stopped a gun in my face

This was a living nightmare I will never forget. I don’t think anyone would.

One dark night in 2003, just before I moved to the States, my friend Wendy and I had planned to go out with some friends. We were all dressed up and off we went, she was driving. The plan was to fetch her new boyfriend first and go on from there. On the highway, twenty minutes from his house I got this terrible fear over me. Out of nowhere. This fear was taunting me about arriving at Luke’s house.

“Listen Wendy, when we get there, just tell him to get into the car and drive off. No chatting. Something doesn’t feel right.”

Lord, please protect us.

There was nothing sinister going on. The stars were out, the highway was clear. But this horrible sense of foreboding would not leave me. I tried not to harp on about it because people love to call me paranoid.

What is it about evil always operating under the cover of darkness? Gee, spiritual warfare would be much less scary in broad daylight!

We enter his neighbourhood and by now I’m frantically looking around and again I say, “Let’s just make this quick please, don’t stop for too long.” Fear has this wonderful power of paralyzing you – in hindsight I should have taken authority over this fear and commanded any demons associated with it to flee. If I had, would the horror have not happened?

Wendy parks right by his house. And then the fear washed over me like a tidal wave. I just felt it. I said “Wendy! Just tell him to hurry so we can go!!” As I said that, I turned around and looked behind – this car had screeched up behind us and four men started running toward our car. I knew it. Every South African’s worst nightmare. I’m being hijacked.

Both physical and spiritual instinct kicked in. I turned around to face the front, and as if I did not want to see or hear anything, I shut my eyes and blocked my ears. Funny thing how the Lord protected my mind here. I’m a scaredy-cat, I really am. Always have been. I have had to cling onto 2 Tim 1:7 many times in my life. But when I saw the men running towards us, I saw them in brightly coloured t-shirts and surfer shorts! Reds, yellows, green. Not the pitch black outfits that Wendy and Luke told me was what they were actually wearing! God gives such small but powerful mercies – perhaps if I saw all the black I would have freaked out completely and not concentrated on prayer!

As I turned to face the front, all I managed to spurt out was “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus” over and over. I immediately asked that God place His armour over me. Christians often think that you need to ask for the armour on bended knee in a fancy pose of prayer. No. It is a simple, “Father, please place Your armour on me.” And it lasts 24 hours, so every morning when you wake up you can ask for it. I love and adore the armour! I find it fascinating! Just the thought that God has given us this magnificent protective gift for free is amazing! Here we are, little humans running around the earth and have this armour to place on us right off Heaven’s doorstep! What a great God we serve! What an honour!

As he opened my door, all I saw was a gun pointing directly to my eyes. Looking down the barrel of a gun is hideous. I put my face back into my hands and carried on rebuking him. I ensured to pray out loud and also asked that God send His angels to surround us.

It was the loudest silence I had ever heard.

I never once stopped praying out loud. I never once saw his face.

My cell phone was sitting by my feet and my bag was on my lap. I must have for a split second glanced at Wendy because I remember her removing all her jewelry. Besides praying, the one thought that ran through my mind was rape. I continued praying out loud. He sat down next to me. And he just sat there. I would have loved to have seen the expression on his face, because he literally just sat there. He never touched me, he never stole a thing. He just sat next to me with this huge gun in his hand staring at me. I often think what went through his mind. Did God open his spiritual eyes so that he could see the armour or guardian angel protecting me? Was he convicted hearing the name of Jesus come out of my mouth?

At this time they had pushed Luke out of the car and onto the floor. I did not witness this but Wendy said Luke was lying on the floor while the one gunman stood at his feet and took a shot. The bullet landed a meter away from Luke! A three year old would have been successful with that shot being so close! I know why he missed, and so do you…

They had already taken the car keys away from Wendy – clearly their idea was to shoot Luke and drive away with us to a remote place, rape us then take the car. No one was around. We were all alone. Except for an army of angels. I know that without a doubt. I wish God had opened my spiritual eyes then because I know I would have seen angels all around us! What a sight!

After taking that shot something scared them and they all fled as fast as they approached us.

I was the only one not stolen from, hurt or touched in that attempted hijacking. I was the only saved Christian in that car. Coincidence? I think not!

Even though there was a human being sitting next to me with a gun, I was not wrestling with him, but the demons that accompanied him! (Eph 6:12) Always make an effort to put your armour on daily – God has not provided it for us so that we only look dressed to kill in the spiritual realm. The armour works! It is provided by God Almighty Himself for our protection and to fight! It helped me withstand that evil day, and after the whole episode, I was left standing! (Eph 6:13) He had a gun, but I had a sword (Eph 6:17). Don’t ever worry that your attacker or persecutor can’t see your armour and weapon. Have faith that it is there, (Eph 6:16) that’s all you need. God takes care of the rest.