Chapter 9    

 No wonder that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, "I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ." This was addressed to Spirit-filled Christians who had refused to take their first steps but wanted to remain as infants and spend their worship hours in fleshly excitement. But "flesh" cannot receive spiritual truth!  

"..the natural man receiveth NOT the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.." (1 Cor 2:14) 

One time I was having a small, morning prayer service. Usually there would be about 20 people attending. We were having a good time of it, God was blessing and people were seeing their prayers answered. However, one night I had a strange dream. I had been questioning God about the subject of grace. I knew that it meant "unmerited favor"--that we cannot work for it, but it is God's gift alone. That much I understood. But in reading the Word, I came across several scriptures that puzzled me. Paul was very liberal with grace...he would end many of his epistles with the saying, "God's grace be upon you.."  How could Paul give it away? Was it possible for us to ask God for that "unmerited favor" 

God taught me about grace in a remarkable way...in a dream. In this dream, I had witnessed a terrible accident on a freeway. There were five cars involved, and people were lying all over the roadway injured and crying for help. I got out of my car to see if I could assist anyone, but there was little I could do...they were bleeding and broken. So I quickly ran back to my car, where there was a CB radio. I began to turn the dial, desperately trying to find someone to answer me and get help. But no response. Just then, a man came up to me, put his hand on my left shoulder, and spoke in a soft voice: "If you will put it on channel FIVE, you will get the help they need."  I obeyed, and sure enough...a voice answered my call. 

What did this dream mean, if anything? Nothing...except through spiritual eyes. When I awoke the next morning, the dream was still very vivid, and I inquired of the Lord its meaning and significance. The Lord reminded me that there were five cars in the dream, plus the channel five which responded to my call. Five is the number of God's grace. He told me that whenever I found myself with no help, if I would simply ask for His grace upon their needs, help would come.  

God had taught me a lesson by the Holy Ghost...and He had taught it in a way I could understand it! 

Did I ever have an opportunity to use this lesson? Many times! But one of the most remarkable miracles regarding my new-found insight into Grace happened when a lady came to me for prayer. This happened during one of those morning meetings, when I had shared this dream with the people. The woman told me that she did not need a healing, but she had a specific request for money. Her brother owed her $1000, and had been owing it over a year now. He had lived with her and her husband briefly, but after a disagreement he had left without repaying the debt. She did not know where he was living now, but "I need my $1000 returned" she told me. I prayed a simple, brief prayer. I only asked the Lord to send His grace upon her brother's head at that very moment, wherever he was, and cause him to remember this debt he owed his sister. 

We prayed this prayer at about 11:30 that morning, then left the meeting. Later that evening, my husband suggested we go out to eat at a local cafeteria, which we did. As we finished and were coming out of the building, this same woman and her husband were coming in. She saw me, and came running. "Sister Adams!" she shouted. "I just got to tell you what happened! At 3:00pm this afternoon I heard a knock on my door. I opened it, and there stood my brother! Sister Adams, he had a check for $1000 in his hand! He had "suddenly" remembered his debt to me!!" She was ecstatic!  

Later, when she calmed down, she explained that he had moved away to another town some 170 miles distant and now had a good job. But when we had prayed that morning, he "suddenly" remembered... got into his car and began driving to his sister's house!  

Needless to say, we have never forgotten this miracle nor just how awesome is that grace! 

The School of the Spirit never closed its doors once I knocked.   was to find that many times the things He wanted me to know came like some tender leaf falling from a tree and nudging my face. Out of nowhere a thought or a revelation...and I would often wonder to myself, "where did THAT come from?" 

I was to learn that this gentle rain upon my spirit would never, never cease...even if I never stopped to profit by it; for I did not always ACT upon them...but only by DOING what the Spirit wanted was I to see the fruit manifest itself. But like many, I was sometimes troubled in KNOWING I was hearing from Him. My self-doubts often checked my obedience.  

Jesus said, "My sheep know my voice."  Yet I was to learn that new-born lambs do not automatically know his voice...they must learn it for themselves by sticking close to the flock and eating from the rich pasture that the Shepherd has led them to. But there are lambs that stray, and there are lambs that get lost and fend for themselves, leaving it to others to hear the voice of the Shepherd. Jesus cared for lost lambs and those that strayed, leaving the flock to find them.   

How did the little lamb get lost? He ignored the voice of the Shepherd and was enticed to go out on his own. Then, when he strayed away long enough, he was soon running to every voice that beckoned. So many of God's people are wandering about the hillsides like the lost sheep. Far in the distance, the Shepherd calls, yet beyond the hill comes another voice with another message. The little lamb thinks within himself, "who is talking to me? The Shepherd? Or is it the wolf, coming to kill me?"  

"How do I know when it is GOD talking, and not the devil?"  So many times people have asked me that question. I always remind them that a thousand babies may cry, but the mother will always know her own...because she carries that child next to her bosom. A baby zebra exists with hundreds of striped animals...but by staying next to its mother it knows the distinct pattern on her hide. It is when we entertain the presence of the Lord and desire that most intimate relationship with Him, we will know His voice and recognize His ways.  

One afternoon I was driving home in a terrible rainstorm.  I had no intention of stopping for anything...I just wanted to get home as quickly as possible. But about a half-mile from our apartment, I passed a small car on the side of the road. A black man had the hood up and was working on the motor. I first thought about helping him, but I could hear a voice reminding me how dangerous it was to stop and help anyone in THIS city..."too many rapists and thugs." 

So I went on...acting very "sensible". 

At that point, I had not recognized who had just spoken...thinking I was just talking to myself. I turned and drove under the freeway...now just lacking about 5 blocks to the house. But just then, ANOTHER VOICE spoke to me. It was like that "leaf falling on my head" that I talked about.  

"Go back and water that man's camel!" 

Camel? What was THAT? 

The voice came again:"Go back and water that man's camel." 

What was this? "Water the man's camel?"  That was a crazy thought...there were no camels anywhere...was I losing my mind or something? I stopped my car and sat there a moment in the driving rain. Was this GOD talking to me? What did this all mean? 

As I sat there, the Lord suddenly reminded me of the story of Rebekah at the well. Abraham wanted a bride for his son Isaac and had sent his servant back to the ancestral home to find her. The servant had been afraid he might make a mistake and had prayed to the Lord that when he reached the village, the first maiden who offered to "water his camels" would be the chosen one. And so it had happened.  

What was God saying to me, then? Was that little car back on the freeway needing some gasoline? 

I was debating it all, churning the questions in my mind. What if I was wrong? What if I was just "thinking" all of this? But I began to compare the two voices that had spoken to me...the first one had tried to instill fear in me. But Jesus had told us not to be fearful. 

"Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?"  That couldn't have been HIM speaking! 

But the second voice...so gentle and full of meaning. Who would have ever thought to compare that little car to a camel? This must be God talking to me. And so I drove back to the black man and his small car. 

"Sir, do you need help?"  I asked, pulling alongside his vehicle. 

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I think I must have run out of gasoline." 

"Well, get in and I will take you to the service station just over the hill,"  I answered.  

And so he got into my car and I drove him to the station where he purchased a gallon of gas. As we were driving back to his car, I thought to myself...."Well, that WAS the Lord after all. His "camel" was his car which needed "watering"... and I was rejoicing that I had been right about His voice and what a neat way God had got my attention. 

The black man thanked me for helping him, and on the way back to his car he told me,"You know, sister, I saw you pass me before. Why did you return to help me?"  I was almost fearing he would think I was crazy or something, but I told him exactly what had transpired. He suddenly began to laugh aloud. "Sister, I am a preacher. I had pushed my car as far up the hill as I could, then just got into the front seat and began to pray for God to send me someone to help. So while I was praying on this side of the freeway...God was talking to you on the other!" The "camel" had found its "Rebekah!"  

We did not know whether to laugh, cry, or just simply rejoice. But the voice of the Lord had made our hearts to overflow with the great gladness and awesome wonder at the Holy Ghost...who had blessed us in the middle of a rainstorm! 

All these wonderful experiences will happen to us AS WE SEEK TO DO HIS WILL. Flesh is never satisfied until it sees the "nail prints in the hands," but spiritual eyes can see the "abundance of rain in blue skies." How God cries for us to become such "faith-walkers," persons who will allow themselves to get in on that which God is doing RIGHT NOW! It is not wrong to try the spirits, to question. Certainly, I would never have stopped unless I knew for certain it was God talking. But when Jesus says, "Come!" we can walk on water! 

Mary E. Adams 

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Remember: All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-21 is our assurance)