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Deliverance of a Homeless Man
August 20, 2007
In the last reflection, I shared that Doug Walton, a businessman from Raleigh, organized a group of 18 people from North Carolina to participate in the Harvest Evangelism Overseas Training Mission (OTM) which was held from June 28 to July 10, 2007. Most of the group was under 25 years of age. You learned about the group's visit to Christ The Only Hope Prison. Today, we continute the story of this NC team and their encounter with a homeless man.
A homeless man who was very intoxicated approached the North Carolina group one evening in the open mall area in downtown Buenos Aires. Doug tried to ignore the man. The young people of the team responded differently. They had compassion and began to pray for him. The man immediately began shaking physically. He was sweating profusely. When he finally vomited it appeared that the Lord had freed him from demonic forces that had been controlling him. The young people got him something to eat and drink. They continued to minister to him and he received the Lord as his savior. When he left he was fully under control. His bright countenance reflected the spiritual transformation that had taken place. Doug felt a little ashamed because he had showed little initial interest in the man's plight.
The next night Doug went to dinner with a group of successful Christian businessman from Buenos Aires. One the men shared his testimony that he had once been homeless and that someone had ministered the love of Jesus to him on the street and his life was forever changed. Doug was immediately convicted of his lack of compassion and shared the prior night's experience with the man. The two men hugged and wept as Doug shared his story and confession.
How does this relate to North Carolina?
Now that they are home, the North Carolina team is reaching out to their co-workers in ways that they have never reached out before. As they hear about the needs of their co-workers they offer to pray with them right on the spot. Those who are students have already gone to their campuses and have prayer walked their dorms and classrooms. School officials they encountered inquired, "what are you doing on campus today?"
After explaining that they were prayer walking, they asked the school officials if they could pray for them. When they were given permission, the students laid hands on the school officials and prayed powerful prayers over them. A new level of boldness has been released into everyone to see Jesus lifted up over a city and all men drawn to Him. It seems that the team has received an impartation of God's heart of compassion for the lost. Matthew 9:36 says this about Jesus,
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
PRAYER POWER
Dear Heavenly Father, we ask you to give us your heart of compassion for the lost. We pray that the anointing of compassion for the lost on the North Carolina team would be infectious and that many other believers in that state will catch it from them. Lord, we also ask that you will speak to leaders in other cities about how the OTM training in Argentina can prepare their young people to operate in their careers as ministers in the marketplace. We ask these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Blessings to see God do exceedingly abundantly in your life!
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