Recognizing and Responding to a Move of God

"Alexander Alexander, Alexander Alexander..." is all I heard repeatedly. It became louder and louder, until I had to stop. I had to ask her the question.

"Excuse me," I interrupted, "Can we stop for just a minute? May I ask you a question? Does the name Alexander mean anything to you? I keep hearing the Spirit speak this name in my mind, repeatedly in a pattern Alexander Alexander, Alexander Alexander. It got so loud, I couldn't hear you anymore."

Her eyes widened. "Why are you bringing him up? I thought I was here to get healed and we were seeking God for answers." She answered.

"We are. Perhaps Alexander is the key to your healing today. It might help us to explore this and the door to your healing will be opened. Who is Alexander to you? If you don't mind answering the question." I pursued the question once again.

"Alexander is my grandfather. Alexander Alexander. Alexander was his first and last name. He was a Freemason and not exactly a blessing to the family. What exactly does this have to do with my healing and why would God bring him up now?" She asked with a puzzled look on her sweet face.

Then we began to unveil the mystery of her body's aches and pains that would never go away, her self hatred and fears, a family line hijacked by freemasonry. God stepped in to make His move, and it began with what I would call, The Stirring.

In the Gospel of John of the Bible, There is a story in Chapter 5 of the healing at Bethesda. It reads like this:

John 5

After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in [a]Hebrew [b]Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [[c]waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 A man was there who had been [d]ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He *said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus *said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. (NASB)

In verse 4 the text states that in "an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water", what do you think the stirring up looked like? Did it look the same to everyone? Was there a feeling in the air that accompanied it? Was there a sound surrounding it? A scent? A taste? Was it only something that could be seen? What about the blind? They couldn't physically see the stirring.

What is the mystery of the stirring? What is the sensation of a stirring, that special something signaling the Presence?

The stirring probably manifests differently for everyone. For me, the signals are different with each visitation.

In the scenario of Alexander Alexander, I heard a whisper but it was up to me to step into the stirring and respond to the whisper, to jump into the water when it was stirred.

Sometimes we can miss it. There is a window of opportunity and if we don't go through the open window when it is in front of us, it will pass us by.

The key is in the recognition of the moment.

Holy Moments

There is a vocabulary we can develop between us and God. The more time we spend with Him and the more we respond to the calling and the holy moments we will begin to spot the flash point as it comes.

I'll share some of my language with God for examples of what I mean.

Physical Healing: One of the things that happens with me is my hands begin to produce oil. I mean dripping oil, not sweaty hands but literally oil is dripping from my hands when there is a stirring for healing. Often the window of opportunity and the person is right within the immediate area. I have a choice of whether or not to engage the holy moment. I find that when I choose to engage it, miracles, signs and wonders follow.

Deliverance: I will be out somewhere and someone will say something or have an unusual outburst around me. It usually will be something directed at me like a stranger will walk by and randomly call me a bad name or even perhaps growl at me. Yeah, I know it sounds weird and it is. It's then that I know I am being summoned into an encounter. I had a woman point at me once in a room of about 20 people and say, "I don't like her, get her out of here! Oh my God, I've never met that woman! I don't know why I said that!" She looked at me and apologized, saying, "I don't know why I responded to you like that, I've never laid eyes on you before, I never say things like that. I'm so sorry. I still need you to go though."

Inner Healing: I will find myself in a situation and someone will randomly begin crying and telling me their problems. I was recently at a party and when I walked into the room I walked by a woman and she started balling. "What is that? I just started crying when I felt something move past me. I have so much pain physically and now emotionally, it's weird." I will be in a check out line at a store and people will start telling me about how their husband abandoned them or they had a child die. Again, it is an invitation into an encounter, and more than that, it's an opportunity to love.

Dreams and Visions: I will have dreams about things before they take place. I will have strategies for things that don't exist yet. I will dream of people and circumstances. I have had dreams or visions of people I don't know and meet them later. When I was pregnant with my second daughter, I was terrified of having another pregnancy with pre-eclampsia and emergency c-section. I prayed for God to send me to the doctor I needed. I had a vision of a man's face. I felt a peace come over me during the vision. I knew I would know if he was the right doctor for me, if in reality his face matched my vision. A few weeks later when I was assigned a doctor by my HMO, I went in for my appointment and it was HIM. I got the doctor I saw in my vision and he was a wonderful, kind and gentle doctor.

Supernatural Language: God speaks to me in unusual ways, he will use songs, cartoons, memories, perfumes, if you name it. He will use it. He has allowed me to understand foreign languages, and speak foreign languages through the gift of tongues. I was in a prayer meeting once and ended up in a Spanish-speaking group. They all prayed in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. The man next to me asked me afterword if I spoke Spanish. I told him no. He said that I prayed word for word what they other prayers were in the group. For a practical example, when my granddaughter was a young infant she was keeping my daughter awake all night and she was exhausted. I went in and offered to take this exhausted baby and relieve the tired mama. When I was alone with my screaming granddaughter the Lord reminded me of the time I received my prayer language (tongues). I thought to myself, hmm, I wonder if praying in tongues would work for baby with colic. Guess what? Praying in tongues is the perfect remedy for colic.

The Lord gives us the ability to sense the stirring of the water. Jump in!

Keys to The Stirring

Don't over think it.

Obey the instinct, even if it's weird.

Don't second-guess yourself.

Trust Him.

Follow through.

Stop when He stops.

Let love guide you.

Take risks.

Keep your senses alert.

If you blow it, forgive yourself and learn.

You will begin to see the prompting for what it is much sooner. The more you practice, the better you will become at discerning what is happening and what to do in response.

Remember the move of the Spirit, the love of the Father and the friendship of Jesus is found in The Stirring.

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