Mark 7: 34 Ephphatha

I fasted Thursday morning for breakfast. I was prompted by Holy Spirit to make for the first time, homemade cream of tomato soup and focaccia bread. I was then on a mission, I traded my chef hat in for a delivery person hat so to speak. When you least expect it you end up being the one that gets blessed in the midst of Holy Spirit work. I truly love this work and have a passion for reaching out to others. I do not share my experiences with you in a boasting manner please know this about me. I have a concern that others have a heart to reach out to help others, they just may need a few ideas along the way to get them started. Please know that what I share with you are not my ideas they are by the inspiration of Holy Spirit. I then act upon them. Remember, it is good to be willing and obedient when the voice and prompting of Holy Spirit beckons you forth to do a bit of kingdom work.
There may be a neighbor or a friend/relative in a nursing home/assisted living facility that needs a bit of company, along with a healthy snack to not only warm their tummy but your presence will warm their heart.
One of my stops Thursday was to the nursing home. I had a very pleasant visit with my friend and her roommates. As usual, at the conclusion of the visit all four of us sang 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart' and then we clapped. I noticed that when we sing together for the brief few minutes we sing it brings smiles upon their faces. When I visited with her Thursday I reminded her of what happens when God is present during praise and worship. She remembered a particular song (as I shared with her an explanation) at church when she use to attend.
We were talking about the anointing and she was wondering why her hand began to ever so gently shake/quiver when I placed a particular object in her hands that day. We talked about this and I reminded her that when the anointing and the presence of God is somewhere or in something the manifest presence of God can come forth with this gentle shaking that flows through the hand(s.) I do not know if you ever have seen the tangible presence of God in praise/worship at church. I have experienced this several times. Not all the time. You are so caught up in worship and the presence of God is pronounced that the tangible presence actually flows through your physical body. I can only describe it this way, as your hands are raised in worship a gentle quiver begins to come forth through your hand(s.) It does not hurt or anything like that it just happens. You are not seeking it out or anything like that. I guess I would compare it to this...if you are a true worshipper and your heart is right with the Lord and He knows you are sincere. That you are not looking for anything or asking for anything from God you are just there worshipping Him with all that you are, in that moment of reaching your hands upward as a sign of surrender to Him it is as though He reaches to you and you become blessed with His presence. This has not happened for quite a while to me until recently it happened the other day. Maybe God is about to do something really big in this region and He is calling forth the worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth?
I placed this certain object in her hands several times throughout the visit and when it was held in her hands that tangible presence of God was evident. When I would remove it from her hands the gentle shaking/quiver would stop. This object was so anointed with the presence of God that she felt compelled to place this object on her aching legs, her heart area and her forehead. I can only describe it like this. Throughout the years she has been my Holy Spirit barometer so to speak. When I would write and share it with her her reaction would be my confirmation that God was in it so to speak. When I would share with her something not so good without letting her know what the total situation was she would also confirm to me that I was right with not feeling comfortable with something or someone. I knew things were not of God when she would get a not good feeling and she would always motion her hands as if she was shooing something away from her that signaled to me that it definitely was not of God and to be cautious. The Lord really does use her in this capacity.
On Thursday evening my pastor taught the church on the word "Ephphatha." In Mark 7:34it states: "And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him Ephphatha, that is, Be opened." He shared with us to be opened to your greatness. Let Jesus be seen and felt and have access to Jesus and the people access to Him. Since I am sharing briefly about this openness I feel inspired to also write and share with you how I was taught about "resting in the spirit." Several years ago while I was still a practicing Catholic I would attend a monthly healing service after one of the masses. A dear husband and his wife would call you up onto the altar (this was after the church service concluded) and you would share with them your prayer need. As they would be praying with me I would find myself ever so naturally and gracefully falling backward. Someone would be there to catch me so to speak as I would fall backward and then I would lay on the altar floor. I asked her one day why this happened to me and what was it. She explained it ever so beautiful to me with the selection of words she chose. She said there are times when the Lord wanted to minister to me and as I would lay there it was called "resting in the spirit." It was time that the Lord wanted me to rest in His presence. You have probably heard people say that a preacher pushed them backward and that is why they fell backward. I am here to tell you that that has never been my experience.
There is nothing wrong with the tangible presence of God being a part of a church service. The demonstration and true presence of God will be the thing to draw in unbelievers. To be able to experience the Lord will cause even the hardest heart to break the solid shield/barrier around their heart. To expose the tender heart that is just waiting to break forth. Do not have fear of these moves of God, as long as there is order in the church service and things are not running crazy it is OK to allow Holy Spirit to have His way in a church service. So, do not judge others when they speak of this or if you have the occasion to see this happen. It is in those moments while the person in resting (in the presence of the Lord) on the floor that there can be great healing taking place in that persons life. I share these things with you so you have knowledge. If it is the case that you do not fall backward and you remain standing at the altar, the Lord can still heal you in that position also.
If I, being a former Catholic girl raised in a pretty mainline religion, in which I followed rules and protocol, can be taught that there is a world out there that exists beyond the secure walls of religion, surely you too can be open to experiencing God in a way that you may have never known before. I extend an open invitation to you to seek the Lord while you still can and He will direct your path and don't forget to lean not on your own understanding for He will direct your path. Let God be God and you be a willing vessel that He can flow through you as He would best flow through you. He knows you for He created you and He knows your personality and the talents that are inside of you, let Him flow.