I can attest to this happening because I have experienced it. I was perfectly fine living in Ohio in which I did not see discrimination of any sort whatsoever including me attending a multi-cultural, multi-racial church. I did not see color in people I worshiped with at all. I saw the love of Jesus in people I worshiped, prayed with and served the church community with.
It was not until I moved to the Atlanta region (a southern state) in which 2 times I can recall in which it as blatant and quite obvious that my skin color (white/Caucasian) was a factor in which I was well overqualified for two particular jobs I went on interviews for. I think somewhere in my blog entries I already wrote about this. I was basically at the hands/mercy of the people of color that were interviewing me at the time. When did race become a factor in a job interview. I wish I was a little bit more aggressive at the time in reporting this sort of stuff going on to someone.
My children would say to me Mom have a heart for those that experience this all the time because of the color of their skin. You only experienced this a few times in your life. What about them that have experienced this over and over again? Was I safer living in Ohio in which this was not a part of my world so to speak or was I called out of my safe space to experience what the rest of the country experiences? I do not know, and it would not be fair to say leaving Ohio was a mistake because I have seen miracles, open doors for me to walk through and beautiful moves of God in my life even though I experienced them in Ohio. I was experiencing them outside of the borders of Ohio. I do believe that once I decided to leave Ohio my faith level actually increased. I truly do walk by faith in my life. When others may be gifted to see in the spirit realm I only sense even though so many times I asked to see what I sense from Holy Spirit.
It was at a retreat a few years ago in Gatlinburg, TN that I experienced for myself supernatural happenings the weekend. I believe it was at the last session that Saturday night. I believe angels were there in that lodge where the meetings were held. The rest of the attendees were seated in front of the speaker that night. I for some reason chose sitting on the step leading up to the upstairs area as the spot for me to sit during this retreat. It was comfortable for my back because I brought a memory cushion type of chair pad for me to sit on while sitting on the steps. It worked for me.
I guess you could say I was elevated above others physically in the room because I would sit on one of the steps going up the staircase. The other thing to mention was I was seeing a side view as opposed to seeing the speaker facing the main audience. There were times during that session in which the speaker would turn their head in the direction of the stairs (there were a few other people sitting on the stairs also) as if they were speaking/preaching to me directly. On those very stairs I experienced 2 supernatural events in my life. There was a point in which we were asked to stand up and take a step-in faith. Quandary of some sort how does one do this being on a step, you only have the space that a step allows you. I followed through in the act of faith and found that somehow, I was gently pushed over downward in direction on that step. When I tried to get up upright again it was as if I was being held down by an angel and then I felt the release as I was unfrozen in action to stand up upright again. On the step location I was standing where my left shoulder was closest to the stair railing and so stepping out in faith as the instruction was given to us meant turning to my right on the single step to take the physical step in faith. That never happened to me before in this type of situation. In Ohio when I would be slain in the spirit at the altar, I did experience several times when laying on the floor resting in the Spirit not being able to just get up on my own. It was like I knew there was more work Holy Spirit was doing in me as I laid there. Then the release would come, and I knew my time to get up was then because the Holy Spirit work was done in me, and I was released to get up off of the floor and go back to my seat. There would be times as I laid there, I can only describe it as having moments of divine ecstasy if that makes sense to you. Not in a weird way but a heavenly way, this feeling of total and incredible love flowed in me, and I knew it was the presence of God because this deep-down smile would come on my face because of the overwhelming love of God resting upon me healing my heart.
What I experienced in Gatlinburg was elevated from what I just described about resting in the spirit. The second supernatural experience took place at the close of this session. My eyes were supernaturally open to seeing in the spirit realm as if I was seeing what I saw in the natural realm. From where I stood, I actually saw a flame of fire. I thought to myself are they burning something in the area in which I saw this flame of fire. This experience caused me to be drawn to that very spot after the session ended to see if there was an actual flame of fire of some sort burning there in the natural. There was not in the natural, but I was allowed to have the veil pulled back from my spiritual eyes/vision to see the flame burning in the spiritual realm. I waited in line to speak briefly to the speaker, and they were ministering to another person. They briefly opened their eyes and when they looked at me for a moment, I also saw their blue colored eyes look like flames of fire in their eyes. Imagine that I was not even going to attend this retreat, but God wanted me there, so I went by walking in faith. My life was changed at that very retreat and I would never be the same again so to speak after my supernatural experiences.
Let me back up a bit to what took place earlier that day. I heard Holy Spirit ever so clear to wear my solid orange top that day. I did, and as I was getting ready in the bathroom of the air b-n-b I stayed at I saw a very large in size feather just gently float from the sky as I watched it. When I was walking to my car, I looked for this feather and it was nowhere for me to find that morning. I did inquire of someone at the retreat about that happening to me and they replied it was a sign from Holy Spirit that I was meant to be there at that retreat that very weekend. At the morning session the main speaker stated that they wondered why someone wore an orange top that day. Oh, how I wanted to spurt out because Holy Spirit told me to wear it, but I did not. After that comment was made I gingerly/discreetly looked around the room and I was the only one wearing an orange top. I have shared with you before that it is Holy Spirit that directs me what to wear and when to wear it because he is so much a part of my daily walk with Him. I do believe that even things in your daily walk with Him matter to Him. Listen to His still, soft voice because He is never wrong. Could it be that wearing the orange top earlier that day was the precursor to me seeing a flame that very night. I know this for a fact that someone in the audience must have been paying attention to me in the orange top. I baked like I so often do to bless hosts of events and I made the oatmeal bars and brought a plate for the host apostle to have. I also left a plate of dessert with the hosts of the place I stayed at along with a thank you note. It was an 1800's farmhouse that had individual suites. The most beautiful mural was painted on the walls in the hallway as you walked to your room. Recently I searched for that air b-n-b, and it must have been bought by new owners. Unfortunately, they did not have the vision to keep the painted mural scenes on the hallway wall. See, it was a destiny moment for me staying there when I did because it is no longer the same place today.
Back to the story now. That night I noticed the plate of oatmeal bars was still by the registration table and I inquired to don't forget to bless the apostle with them. No sooner did I say that, and a woman of color spoke up I guess on my behalf and said it was ok for them to give it to the apostle because I was the lady in the orange top. Was someone talking about me during the day? I have no idea because I did not stay at the lodge but rented my own place away from the city lights of downtown Gatlinburg, I believe I stayed in Sevierville. I enjoyed the drive back and forth to the retreat in between sessions. I almost don't want to go back to Gatlinburg because I would classify it in some respect as a holy weekend ordained by God for me to have been there. How could I go back when I had amazing things to experience at that retreat because I would not want to experience a letdown if things were not on the same level or even more so than what I already experienced that weekend.
Somehow, I am to incorporate into this blog entry that to people not of color in the USA watching what just took place in the exchange of prisoners with Russia does not look good. Why was one race chosen over another to fight for their release and not the other person not of color? It looks like blatant choosing to fight for one over the other. If you look at the facts one did do something illegal by taking in drugs to the country and the other was alleged of a crime, did they really commit it. Wrongfully being detained for a few years now. I do not only point this out to the current administration but also the former administration was offered a deal for a swap with Russia, and they turned down the deal. Well, did anyone ever think that the current administration should have negotiated a bit better like we are not taking 1 over the other because we have to face the American people with the choice we made, to choose one over the other. That is basic common sense. You stand firm and say both or nothing and walk away from the table and let them counter the offer if they really wanted the person they were placing before you as the swap in prisoners. Maybe they should have sent a woman that is a mother to negotiate that deal. A mother would not pick one child over the other. Remember the account in the bible when 2 mothers wanted the same child, and both claimed it was their baby. They went before King Solomon read it in 1Kings 3:16-28. The truth was revealed, and God will not be mocked. You chose one of His children over the other when He loves all of His children. You will be held accountable to God Almighty one day to hold accountability for your actions here on earth. We all will be held accountable for our actions here on earth when we are before God on that day. People repent while there is still time left because the time may be sooner than later that Jesus is coming to claim His people. Be ready for it could happen when you least expect it and are you in the group of the 5 prepared virgins in the bible or the group of the 5 unprepared virgins? Read about that also in the bible in Matthew 25:1-13.
Maybe there is a lot of overloads in this blog entry today, but it is something to think about. There I go speaking out loud again.
No comments:
Post a Comment