Last night I had a number of dreams/visions and in each one there was a scenario happening where there was opportunity to share the gospel, opportunity to warn someone of something I could see happening, opportunity to take advantage of but if we didn't act then that opportunity would be gone. Opportunity to teach someone something that they were hiding from that they didn't need to. So many opportunities and I thought of the scripture in Gal 6:10 which says "Therefore as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people especially to those who belong to the family of believers." and in Eph 5:15 "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what The Lord's will is."
Recently we were driving to Hamilton to go to church but along the way we saw a woman on the road who looked dejected and looked like she needed a lift. She was going in the opposite direction. We stopped to ask her if she needed a ride and she told us she was heading to Paroea, totally different direction about 40 mins away from where we were. But we said, hop in we will take her. It turned out to be an amazing day with all sorts of adventures that happened along the way but had we not stopped and picked her up, was not willing for our plan to be changed, we would have missed out on the blessing of that day that The Lord had for us, let alone helping someone in need.
Last night we were sharing at a group and what The Lord was bringing out was that we are so much in routine, we so much have a plan and direction of where we are going but in that if God were wanting to highjack your day, could He? If He wanted you to do something else would you be available and willing for him to take you on a different path than you were planning to go? Are we flexible to move with the wind of the Spirit as He leads and guides or do we have our plan and that is where we are heading? Is there any room in your day for the Lords leading and guiding?
I believe The Lord is wanting to do something different than before, it is new wine for a new wineskin and in this we need to be willing for things to be changed. We need to have a flexibility to move with what God is doing. I believe too in our church services at present as a people you need to be willing to move with what the Holy Spirit is wanting to do and to let go of some of our preconceived ideas about how things are going to work as we are so used to the familiar pattern of our structures. We need to make room for the Holy Spirit to do as He wants to do, no matter how that may look or how 'messy' it may seem and trust that the Holy Spirit knows what He is doing with His people. We have recently held a three day gathering and in those three days every meeting was different than before, the blueprint was different in every meeting as the people were different, the needs that The Lord was ministering too was different, the Spirit was moving in a different way and so we had to move with what the Spirit was doing. Yet in that we do not realise how much a plan we go to something with and our expectations are not met according to that plan and in that often we don't receive what The Lord is wanting to show us or do because we are being shifted out of our comfort zone. God wants to shift us, he wants to show us things and often unless that shift is pretty radical we often don't receive what He is wanting to do. Like when we are driving along the road heading in a direction in a hurry but it is not until a car accident happens in front of you that we are willing to suddenly stop and our day is changed and it is alright. Sometimes God wants to do something radical that will make us stop and reassess what is important in life so that we can see clearly and go a new way.
So going back to my dreams and visions last night, let us be a people that take the opportunities that are in front of us. Let us be a people who make room for the Holy Spirit to shift our day, to shift our thinking, to allow Him to change the road we may be travelling as He has many new adventures that He wants to show you and invite you to partner with Him that you might miss out on otherwise. Let us be a people who are flexible and able to move with the opportunities that they Lord will bring your way whatever they may look like. Many blessings!