Читать книгу Relight the Fire! - Debra George - Страница 4

If you want to become a soul winner, you have to recognize that soul winning is for right now and that soul winning is for you! The Bible says in II Corinthians 6:2, “I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” Jesus wants you and me to know that in order to become a soul winner, we have to recognize that soul winning is for right now and soul winning is for you. Jesus wants us to know that we can become a soul winner.

A number of years ago my whole life changed for the better. Suddenly one night as I was sitting in my living room, Jesus walked into my room and He visited me. I didn’t see Jesus, although I understand that this has happened to other people. However, I knew when He came into my one bedroom pink apartment, for His presence filled the place. He said to me that night, “Debra, I’ve called you to be a soul winner and from this moment forward, the anointing that I’ve placed upon your life to win the lost is about to intensify.” I was excited, but I did not realize at that moment, the impact of everything that Jesus was telling me would change my life forever.

The following evening after this great visitation, I was returning from the grocery store at about 10:00 p.m. when I recognized a young man named Steven who was walking along the side of the street. I knew Steven from the grocery store and also from my local church. I pulled my car over and offered him a ride home which he gladly accepted. When I asked him where he lived, I realized that he lived in an apartment complex that was filled with drugs, violence, and crime. I thought to myself, “This is not a safe place for a woman to be driving at this time of the night. However, after Steven got out of my car and said goodbye, I pulled my car into a dark alley way, which was the only place to turn around. As I pulled into the alley, I noticed about sixteen teenagers. Some of them were playing basketball and others were hitting a volleyball around. They did not seem to be too happy with me for interrupting their game to turn my car around.

I was somewhat relieved as I was driving away from the apartment complex when suddenly the Holy Spirit spoke down deep in my spirit and said, “Debra, turn your car around, go back down the alley way and preach Jesus to those teenagers.” I was amazed that God would require something so radical from a woman like me alone in the middle of the night. I thought to myself, “How could I be qualified to preach to teenagers in the middle of the night?” However, God chooses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27). Remember in the book of I Samuel how God told Samuel to anoint David as king. He was the most unlikely person to ever be used by God, but we all know what a mighty servant of the Lord David became. This is a perfect illustration of how God has chosen you and me to be used in His Kingdom to become great soul winners to our families and to the world around us.

On this particular night, God’s voice was like a gentle tapping on the shoulder or a passing thought that said, “Go and preach to those teenagers.” I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the voice I heard was God’s voice because when the Holy Spirit speaks to us, His voice and His commands will always bring glory to Jesus. (John 16:14). As I turned my car around in order to obey God, my flesh was dying a thousand deaths. I could not believe that God could use such an ordinary person to do something so extraordinary in His Kingdom.

As I drove into the alley way for the second time, I got out of my car, turned my ignition and headlights off, and walked right into the middle of the teenager’s volleyball and basketball games. I cleared my throat, paused for a moment and then I said, “Can I have your attention for just a moment, please?” As I looked up, a huge guy was staring down at me dribbling a basketball as I silently prayed, “Oh, Lord, let him like me.” I knew that if he didn’t, that this big, burly guy could smash me into the ground in a second flat! As I waited for his response, he said “Okay.” After I took a deep breath, I proceeded.

By this time I had the attention of the whole group, JUST AS GOD HAD PLANNED! I said to the teens, “I normally do not come down dark alley ways in the middle of the night, however, GOD SENT ME HERE.” Now if you ever tell anyone that God has sent you, they will listen to you simply because they think you’re crazy. This was probably the case with them!

I went on to preach MY FIRST ALLEY WAY SERMON. I said, “Jesus loves you. You are so very special to Him. He died for you and wants you to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. You can be one hundred percent sure tonight that you will spend eternity in Heaven. Can I join hands and pray with you to receive Jesus into your heart as your Savior?” They said, “Yeah, that will be alright.” As we were about to pray, one of the teenager’s mother, who was standing several yards behind me, yelled out with a loud voice, “Don’t start praying without me. I want to make sure I’m going to Heaven, too.” Then she ran over to the circle of teens and grabbed hands and prayed with us.

I rejoiced as I left the alley way that night because approximately sixteen teens and one little mother had been BORN AGAIN BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD! HIS CALLING ON ME TO WIN SOULS WAS JUST BEGINNING.

In the next few days that followed, a young man at a local swimming pool was born again. As I walked past him I heard Jesus say, “I want to save him now,” and He did! A woman at the dry cleaners was saved. A man at the racquetball court who was involved in a cult was saved. Two maintenance men who worked in my apartment complex were riding on their golf cart whenever the Holy Spirit hit me. I jumped onto the golf cart with them, preached Jesus Christ to the two of them and they prayed with me to be saved! What an awesome God we serve!

A soul winning fire had begun to burn within me, an unquenchable fire that cannot be put out. The Bible says in Hebrews 1:7 that “...HIS MINISTERS ARE A FLAME OF FIRE.” What a glorious thing it is to lead a wandering soul into the Kingdom of Heaven. It is surely the highest calling in the church today to obey Jesus’ great commission, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15). Go ahead and become one of God’s overnight soul winners. Jump on a golf cart or two. Witness at the cleaners or the grocery store. Snatch someone out of darkness. Do something!

The Bible says in Matthew 11:12, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Let’s you and I snatch some folks out of Hell and into Heaven. You can become a soul winner! God has incredible assignments just for you. No one can do what you can do in God’s Kingdom. It’s time for all of us to roll up our sleeves, so to speak, and make a difference in someone’s life.