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January 20, 2003 Dear Gabby,
I was baptized this past summer after attending a Pentecostal church for about two years. I have heard time and time again about people pretending to get the Holy Ghost and pretending to get a blessing from God. My question is this: How do I know if I'm receiving the true blessing I have been seeking? Yes, I feel the Lord's spirit wash over me when I’m speaking in tongues. But I am still in control and I understand and sense what’s happening to me. My friends act like they don’t remember any of it when they’re blessed. It’s like it’s all a dream. Is that how it’s supposed to be? Am I faking? Sort of Confused in California Dear Sort of Confused,
My dear husband Harry bought a brand new buttercup yellow Mercury Montclair
convertible back in 1953. We affectionately called her “Buttercup Baby.”
Harry took care of that car like it was a gold mine or something. He was careful
when he drove it through town so no one would bump it. On the weekends, he
polished it so much that the sun shining off the chrome would blind someone
walking past it. He treated Buttercup Baby like a cherished member of the
VanBurden family. Sometimes I wondered if he loved that car more than he loved
me! Anyway, since he treated Buttercup Baby with kid gloves, that time out in the
middle of Kansas when he drove her over one hundred miles an hour, I was
shocked! We’d been meandering along on our way to visit friends in California,
stopping at interesting towns on the way, when suddenly, with no particular
warning, Buttercup Baby shot out past another car and flew like the wind. I
looked up quickly from the book I’d been reading. “What are you doing?” I shouted at Harry. “I’m seeing how fast she’ll go,” he answered, his hands coolly
gripping the steering wheel, his eyes flicking back and forth between the
speedometer and the windshield. “You’ll kill us both!” I screeched, clutching the seat. My book bounced
off my lap onto the floor. “How fast are you going anyway?” “One hundred and four, no, one hundred and five miles an hour.” A smile
played about his mouth and his eyes twinkled as we approached a car, slowing
down to a nice safe speed again. Harry just acted nonchalant, like he hadn’t
just put both of our lives in jeopardy. And I remember that he seemed happy the
rest of that afternoon, smiling like he did when we first married. There was a lot of power under the hood of Buttercup Baby. We didn’t use it
much. Actually, that was the only time Harry ever tested her to see how much she
really had – at least in front of me. God’s spirit is like that. He has much more than we really need – or that
we could ever get a real sense of. Every once in awhile, though, we get the
opportunity to “test drive” a little of His power. Yes, we’re still in the
driver’s seat. Yes, we have the ability to take our foot off the accelerator
if we choose. And, yes, we remember what happened and what we felt later. But
it’s His power under the hood of our souls. And, when we get a chance to feel
that power, we always want to feel it again. Feel free to enjoy the great power available from God every chance you get.
And don’t let your friends and their comments stop you! Drive! Sincerely Sincere, ninetyandnine.com © 2003, ninetyandnine.com --------- Gabrigail VanBurden
has been offering advice for longer than most of you have been alive. Email your
practical Apostolic life questions to Gabby@ninetyandnine.com
and be prepared for some straight answers!
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