Kingdom Appointment
Debbie and I were already heading to the cashier when right in front of us, an older man and woman passed in front of our shopping cart. The man was leading the charge and his wife, who was wearing pajama bottoms and limping along, followed in obedience. As she was passing right in front of the cart I said to her, “You don’t look like you’re feeling too good.” She turned and said, “No, my left knee is killing me.”
“Why are you letting it do that?”, I asked her. She said she didn’t know what the problem was but she was in terrible pain. I asked her if she was teachable and she turned and stood in front of me with a quizzical look on her face. She was sizing me up to see if I was somebody she would take teaching in from. Franky, this was one of the first times in a long time when I found someone teachable. Over the last few weeks, the spirit of doubt and unbelief in people I have tried to minister to has been as strong as I have ever seen.
Her husband soon came back and wondered who this guy was talking to his wife. I didn’t even bother to pause to introduce myself to him, I saw the doubt and unbelief in his life oozing from every pore. Instead, I took the opportunity to continue on with the wife. I explained to her that she was walking in sin as she was carrying burdens over her left shoulder which had become too heavy for her body to carry any longer. Her knees just couldn’t take it anymore. She smiled and said, “Well, it’s probably for my husband! His health isn’t very good”. I turned and asked him what was wrong with his health and instead of owning up to his sin, he said he was fine. Then he made some wise crack about how his wife was always mad at him. I didn’t bother to respond to his comment as he didn’t know where it was coming from.
I then asked her if she was ready to let God take the burdens from her so she could be set free. She perked up when I told her God didn’t like the competition very much, you know, of her playing God.
Right there in the produce department, she asked Jesus to forgive her for all the worry, burdens and other issues she knew she had allowed in and on her. And right there in the middle of WalMart she realized the pain was almost gone. What was so interesting to me was that her husband stood against her healing. You see, he was keeping it from fully manifesting in her. Does this sound familiar? Jesus had the same issue with a family who didn’t believe what He was about to do for a dead child. Jesus was going to raise the dead child back to life, but the family was too busy grieving over the loss. They couldn’t see the possibility of that child coming back to life. Nor had they discerned the child had died because of spiritual warfare. In the same way, I had to really war for this woman to receive her healing because of the sin in her husband. Oh…the unbelief in this country. It needs to be thrown out.
As we were almost done talking and praying, she said, “I also have osteoarthritis!” I noticed that she said it in a way of almost bragging. As if she was waving a banner of her sin before me. Truly, this sin was a strong spirit within her. Yet it made a mistake. It gave voice to the presence of it being in her. It was vocal and prideful. I explained to her that arthritis comes from a host of little spirits who come to work in unison to tear the body apart one piece at a time. Bitterness, anger, self-hatred, self-contempt etc. By that time, the husband was really scoffing. But she didn’t care. She confessed her sin before the Lord right then and there. And I did what the Spirit told me to do… I kicked it all out. She had no pain in her body by the time we left. She is already a believer in Christ. I could see the Light. In fact, she quoted two scriptures to me as we were turning to leave. Something about, “Resist the devil and he will flee!”
What a blessing to Debbie and me when we can talk to perfectly unknown people to us and set them free of their sin. When in reality they had a Kingdom appointment because they are surely known by God…
May this testimony go out as a prophetic word for you to help others and bless you.
Pastor
