Walking back through a shopping centre pre-Christmas, my attention was drawn to a sales stand in the distance being staffed by three guys from different cultural backgrounds. I sensed that Father was highlighting them to me so He could make Himself known to them, so I began asking Holy Spirit what He’d like me to do. As I walked further towards the stand, I sensed He wanted me to release identity words of encouragement to each of them and, before I could think about it too much, three separate words or phrases seem to “drop” into my mind, one after the other. in quick succession. Without any time to refine or reflect, I came right up to the stand – something that one of them remarked on quizzically, with a good-natured smile:
“Oh, we don’t often get people approaching us” he said. Who are you? Are you some sort of secret agent?!
“Well, I suppose you could say that!” came my reply.
“Really?? Who do you work for?”
“God!”
“Are you serious!?”
“Yes!” and I explained a little about listening to God’s heart for people and then sharing that specific encouragement with them. A kind of heavenly secret intelligence!!
He seemed really positive and interested in this and the other two were listening attentively too, so I asked if they would like to me to share the specific things I felt God had showed me for them?
YES PLEASE!!
For the first man who had spoken with me, I had a word that would either be accurate or not at all relevant! The word really didn’t seem to match the outward appearance of the man, but I’ve been learning not to be influenced by outward visuals and to move out with what I had received. So off I went! The word was that he was a “devourer of books” – someone with a real thirst for reading, who loves not only to learn things in books but also to inhabit the different worlds they take him into, immersing himself in them and devouring their content hungrily.
I could hardly finish my sentence when he put his hand up in a gesture of “stop”! Uh-oh, whatever was he going to say? Had I offended him? What if he couldn’t read? But, in an animated voice he said: “Let me stop you there – I actually have goose bumps all over my body from what you’ve just told me. You won’t know this, but before you arrived, I had just come back from the Library after stocking up on a fresh supply of books to read! So what you’ve told me could not be more accurate!!
It was so easy after that to share more about the God who sees and knows each of them so completely, who cares deeply about every detail of their lives and wants them to know Him closely. The “book man” was really so touched and impacted by all this. Thank you, Lord!
The other two men were also expectant to hear what words God had for them too!
One had the identity word “The Play Captain”! That he is the one who, whether at work or with family, friends etc would bring the light touch, the fun and games and childlike joy into the scene, dispelling the heavy, dull seriousness of things. His other two colleagues were nodding vigorously, saying “Oh, that definitely sums him up! And the man himself smiled widely, agreeing that he loves to do that and wants that to be true of him”
“It is how God has purposefully made you, so it is absolutely true of you!” He loves that about you” I assured him.
Finally, the word for the third man had dual words and a dual meaning. It was that he was “headstrong”. The sense of it was that, once he had thought through and decided on something in his head, he would stay strong to that and firmly pursue those things with determination; he would not depart from that course once made. I could see him nodding as I spoke and he openly agreed to this being true of him.
The second part of his word meaning was a little more delicate but I knew I needed to release it. It was that God wanted to encourage him about the state of his mind. That his mind, his head, is strong – and where he has felt mentally fragile and lost confidence in the state of his mind in different ways, God is assuring him that He has given him strength in his head/mind and he is not to doubt it. That seemed to mean a lot to him and he was very grateful for this reassurance which he confirmed he had needed to hear.
All three were keen to receive a copy of the Father’s Love Letter to take away and read on their own after work. Then, after blessing their stand and their business, we shared friendly farewells together.and I walked on towards the car park.
I love being one of God’s secret agents!!
Dear Reader - thank you for giving some time to reading this blog, whether as a regular visitor through the year or as a newcomer to this website. I truly hope you have been encouraged by what you have read. Christmas is just a few short hours away - some of you in the southern hemisphere are already in Christmas Day!! Either way, I want to bless you to have the most wonderful, surprising and uplifting Christmas through Jesus our Emmanuel. He still speaks today and He wants to speak to YOU! Why don’t you ask Him for an identity word for yourself - to tell you how He really sees you? He LOVES how He made you and wants to share that joy with you. Go on! Ask Him! Then go out and be His secret agent passing on special God intelligence to someone else!!
Blessings always in our Laughing Lion, Jesus
Gilly