$161,684 Tithe Check!

Standing at the back of the worship center our Finance Ministry Assistant (Linda) came up to me and one of the members I was speaking to. She was beaming but at the same time cautiously inquisitive. She asked this member in front of me - "did you mean to make out your tithe check for $161,684 dollars?"  His response was a simple 'yes, I did' and he explained he had received some royalty on something...  She responded; "praise God! I was almost afraid the decimal point was moved to the right too far...!"  Elated and joyful my heart leapt and then - I woke up from my dream.

Waking up, my heart was pounding and really regretted waking up. I checked to see what time it was (5:38AM), reminded myself I was at the Holiday Inn Express in Albuquerque. I went in to brush my teeth and started wondering about the dream. I came up with a few of interpretations:

1. The dream was prophetical in nature. I rationalized briefly that because the amount was so specific, the dream was in color, the responses of everyone in the dream would have been expected. That business background rationale quickly faded.
2. The dream was culinary in nature. I quickly remembered the 'Cookie Doughn't You Want Some?' from Cold Stone before I went to bed. That then seemed probable cause to me. I kept brushing...
3. The dream was financial in nature. While I know the news is filled with 'sequestration' (which honestly sounds more like a 3-legged horse running in the Kentucky Derby), I know the economic reality in our nation is anything but 'good'. I also know that the Lord is in control of the financial situation in each and every church...
4. (Finally) The dream was doctrinal in nature. One of the previous night's messages by Dr. Greg Frizzell was about powerful prayers resulting in powerful miracles (James 5:15 stuff!)

Oh yeah, #4, that was it! As the Holy Spirit began to unwind that message in my heart while I finished brushing my teeth, I was deeply inspired but also convicted. While I know it's always a good thing to pray for Aunt Susie's infected, in-grown toe nail so she doesn't die and go to heaven and walk the golden paved streets with an eternal limp, the clear realization that deep-seated cleansing prayer on my own part and prayer for the lost in our community is really at the heart of God.

Prayers that transform the heart of mankind come from clean, confident and desperate hearts before God. I was reminded last night that this type of prayer requires my time, attention and devotion in solitude. I will still look for prophetical, culinary, and financial answers to my own whacked out dreams... but when the Lord is speaking Transformationally - I need to put my tooth brush away and pray... With God all things are possible - even handling my morning breath before I hit the bathroom...

In Christ!