Are You Willing To Give To Others When God Nudges You, Even Though It Just May Cost You Something From Your Own Life?

I attend a church in which we are very blessed to have very anointed people step into the pulpit when the pastor is away. Tonight was one of those nights. I arrived at church and the worship was incredible again tonight. I had a brief moment to ask the lady next to me who was preaching tonight and she told me their name. I thought it was someone totally different when she said the name. I think I even commented oh he's from FL. Now that I look back on it she was probably thinking to herself who is she thinking it is? When he began to speak and the subject in which he spoke about I then realized I read this man's book, You Were Born For This. He is also the same man that wrote the ever popular book, The Prayer of Jabez. When that book was popular and I had it. Did you know that one of my children memorized the actual prayer of Jabez and I am not sure but I think they still remember it to this day. It is very wise to be cautious as to what reading material you allow into your home. You just never know which child will pick up the reading material you have in your home and just read it. It can be something that will bring life to their very life or they can read words that will bring unpleasant things into their life.
As he was teaching about how God uses people that are willing to respond to His nudges and then follow through with giving money to people around you that He brings into your life Holy Spirit began to remind me of a few recent encounters along with another one that happened several years ago. Let me share with you...Many years ago my father went to be with the Lord and at his death his will was shared with us at his attorney's office a few days after we buried him. It was really like something you would have seen in a movie. The family one one side of the desk and the attorney on the other side of his desk. We are handed the will and could not believe what we were reading right before our very eyes. We knew to expect that our father was leaving money to churches and church organizations for he told us that almost all of our lives. That did not surprise us, I must admit some of the monetary amounts were rather large in size and maybe it opened up my eyes just a bit wider at seeing the amounts. The majority of my father's estate went to three main people, three males on my father's side of the family. You need to know this for what I am about to share with you. We waited until the very end of the time allowed for one to contest a will. None of them extended to us anything to bless their family members children and grandchildren. That day never came so we found ourselves contesting his will.
Recently, one of the recipients died suddenly and left behind a wife and children. At that point in my life I saw a grieving wife/mother and children for their father/husband. It was a few weeks after the death and I felt Holy Spirit nudge me to look up this family (that I have never met before) and take to them a sympathy card and tuck in it a few gift cards to go get something to eat for the children. Not knowing their current circumstances in the financial arena a meal or two out could be welcome for the kids right. I introduced myself to them and gave them the card. I explained that I am also a single mother and I wanted to share something with them. We sat and they showed me family pictures and I was on my way. What caused me to put aside the past and my father's will distribution? It was the heart of a mother reaching out to another mother and her children. Grief can be very hard on a family especially when the one that died just died suddenly. That is a shock also. Was it easy for me to approach total strangers that I never met before and introduce myself? In the natural I would say yes but with Holy Spirit leading you it is as though you heart leads you with compassion and the very words to share also. It was an enjoyable visit but my heart really did ache for them as I left their home. This was now a family that had an important member of their family gone. I cried and I cried hard on the drive home.
As I left their home I still remembered the children and how one of them looked just like their grandmother would have looked when she was a child. Even though their father recently died the children took great delight in sharing with me family pictures and pointing out to me who people were in the pictures. It was a few months ago when this happened. It was getting close to Easter and Holy Spirit began to nudge my heart again. This time it was to go and make an Easter basket for the children. I went and made a basket and got a card and took it to their house. No one was there so I left it on their porch and hoped that they got it before the sun got hot and melted some of the chocolate. What stirred my heart then? Children, for children should be able to enjoy a holiday that for many years I enjoyed as a child and then as a parent myself seeing it through the eyes of my children.
Tonight I was reminded of another time in my life many years ago. Neighbors of mine were getting ready to take a family road trip and I saw the mom at the grocery store getting the snacks for the trip. When you are a parent and you may have limited funds to get groceries, there is this certain concentrated look you have while you are in line getting ready to pay for them. I have seen and experienced that very look myself and you are able to recognize it in others. I saw it that day. If you have not had to experience this let me share with you what causes this look while you are in line to pay for your groceries. You are concentrating and trying to figure out in your mind if what you have in your cart will be covered with the amount of money you have to spend. I felt that nudge by Holy Spirit and I turned to her and said that I would pay for their snacks, I wanted to bless them. I let the clerk know that I would pay once they were totaled up and I did.
God is always looking for those that are willing to not just hear the nudge but to act upon it too. It may cost you something that you had set aside for something else. Trust Holy Spirit when He moves upon you to help others. You just never know if that person was crying out to Him. That if He is really real for Him to show it to them that very day with the very amount of money to bless them with, the amount of money they needed. Do not just assume that street people are the only ones that need help. There may be someone out there that is better dressed than yourself or drives a nicer car. You really do not know their story until you begin to share what you have with them. God knows their very needs and He is looking for you to bless His people. Are you willing to take a step in faith and put your thoughts and agenda aside to let His agenda be forefront? Try it, step out in faith and see what He does. He sure is faithful and there is no greater feeling as you walk away from one of these God encounters knowing it was Him that led you in that very moment.
When I read the book several months ago I gleaned something from it and have added that to my daily prayer time. This is what I pray now as part of my prayers: "Father dispatch as many angels that are needed in the name of Jesus that will place people across and on my path to let me be a conduit to them in a miracle/blessing in their life this very day." I sought prayer tonight when Holy Spirit was nudging me to write on this topic. I wanted to write with tender words, I trust I did just that. Thank you for the prayer.