The Power and Authority in Christ

Before I left the States, God kept showing me that there is "power/authority" with the Holy Spirit living in me.  I kept asking Big Papa to show me what that means.  Nothing clear but He would show me in scripture, books, and sermons I would listen to, and yet I still couldn't wrap my head around it.  He just kept telling me to seek Him for it.  Okey dokey, Papa.  So, I still don't know exactly what that looks like for a Christ follower but He told me that I would need to learn about it do His will here.  Tonight, I got a taste of what He is talking about.   We rented a car for the weekend.  It is Labor Day today for the DR.  I have a lot to say about our weekend in Bayahibe, but for now I will talk about what happened in Santiago.  Our car had so many problems, to say the least.  As we headed home from La Sirena, DR Wal-Mart, we heard a noise.  We had an open area to the side of the road, so we pulled off and roomie and I jumped out to check it out.  Our tire is completely shot.  It was about 6:30 and the sun was going down, but we still had light.  Okay, fine.  I have changed a tire with a friend before.  We can do this, I thought.  Nope.  The lug wrench doesn't work on the tire.  Wow.  So a man stops to help and he tells us he will be back soon with another wrench from home.  In the meantime, I decide to screw with it.  Roomie tried to help as we take turns trying to rig it to move them.  Nope.  A police officer pulls up on a moto.  These guys are pretty much worthless.  I felt no safer having this guy stop and help the pretty white girls.   I just kept praying, "God, we are Your girls, I know you will take care of us."  Repeat. Repeat. So, this officer wasn't happy and he was actually pretty creepy.  Even though I was messing with the tire, he didnt really care to help.  I think he wanted to just get some money out of us for trying to help.  White people= money, or at least, that is what they think.  So, he takes over trying to help with his huge gun up against his leg as he is now trying to jump on the wrench.  This is insane.  Put the gun down already before you drop it and it shoots us by accident. Guns are common and I have started to wonder if any of them are even loaded by the way they carry them so nonchalantly.  So I hear God say "walk closer to the road," and I saunter over not really knowing what He wants me to do.  So I stare at cars driving by as I ask, "Lord, help us find someone to help us.  Take control of this situation."  I didn't have fear, I just wanted off the side of the road with random Dominican men.  If anything, He has given me this incredible sense to fight, no flight.  I dont even understand the balls I have had since I got to this country.  So I say,  "God, give us wifi.  Let me text my dad or one of my brothers and we can get this wrench to do the job.  They always know what to do!  God said, "You dont need them."  Yes, I do!!  "You have Me."  Oh, Papa.  Ohhh..kay. I look up from daydreaming in my rambles to God and see a white car coming.  In my head I say, "Lord, stop this car to help us.  IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, man driving this car, stop and help us."  The car passes.  I see brake lights.  I wave for him to come back.  He pulls off and comes back.  OH MY GOSH, are you freaking kidding me, GOD!! He is driving an older Honda.  We are driving a Honda, too.  He gets out and tells us he has what we need.  He also has 2 jacks in his trunk.  He is dressed well and is Asian/Dominican mixed.  He is probably about 45 years old.  He has a ring on.  He isn't flirty.  He didn't look not one of us up and down like the others did.  He got to work.  This is what He was talking about.  My God.  My King.  I almost feel shaky inside.  Tears filled up my eyes and one of the girls asked if I was scared with the situation.  I said no.  These are peaceful tears.  I told them what happened as my voice cracked and tears welled up.  So, he works on the car and roomie gets a flashlight to help. I got the pair of shorts I bought that day for him to put under his knees b/c I noticed he was putting the other wrench under it, so he wouldnt get himself dirty.  He said no thanks but then used it.   I helped hold the tire in place after he gets the other off and roomie has the light going.  The cop is barely doing anything but being very creepy.  He held the tire with me a few times but really could have just left but I know he is there to collect money for helping.  We finish and God tells me to ask him how much he wants for helping.  God tells me before we even ask that HE WILL NOT ACCEPT any money for helping.  The whole time E is telling us that we have to pay all these men some pesos for helping.  I really don't care.  My money comes from God.  God says give it, I give it.  So, Bennito looks up and says in Spanish, "Oh no, no money.  You do not have to pay me for this."  I am pretty sure I am going to hysterically start crying to his response.  This isn't common and this took up so much time b/c the tire wouldn't flipping come off.  Oh, and when the tire was a pain in the butt, I asked God to be his strength and move the lugs...What happened next??  The lugs started moving.  Of course.  E speaks with him and I told the girls that God told me he wouldn't be accepting money for this.  I tell E to ask if Bennito knows Jesus Christ.  He goes on to tell her that he believes in some sort of God and that he knows he isn't ready right now.  I told E to translate that he doesn't need to do anything, that Jesus makes it right.  Jesus is all you need.  They talked about things I couldn't understand. I tell E to ask why he stopped to help and he just said because he saw that we needed him.   We say goodbye. Mr. cop is lingering and we dont over money.  We start to pass  Bennito washing his hands outside his car and E tells me how to say Jesus loves you.  He said Amen.  I screamed MUCHO!!!!  :)  He laughed.  I prayed in the car, "Lord, reveal yourself to that man!!  Save Him!  Help Him to come to Christ tonight!"  We put on our hazards and slowly went on our way.  We hear a beep, beep along side after a minute or two.  It is Bennito.  He gets in front of us with his hazards and is leading our way to La Vega.  Our spare tire wasn't a donut, but it was just as awful as this horrible tire that busted, so he said we have to go slowly bc this one is just as bad.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I told the girls this is Jesus taking control.  This is God taking care of His girls.  Are you telling me a man that doesn't claim the Name, that has a wife at home, maybe kids, that is dressed nicely, took up 2 hrs of his night to help strangers, and IS NOW going to lead us SLOWLY to Vega!!  This is shear madness.  Oh, and won't accept money in a country that is always looking for money for everything they do.  What!?  I cried in the car a few times.  I don't believe it.  Thank you, Lord.  Just when I think I can't possibly feel another ounce of love from the Lord, He shows me that He is more than I will ever understand or know.  That He loves me (and you) more than I could ever imagine.  As tears flow down my face, He says, "You continue to do as I tell you to do and I will always lead and take care of you."  So I sit back and smile... and feel this love that is unspeakable.  Love that I wish would never go away b/c it is so euphoric.  I find myself saying I love you Lord so many times that I dont know how many exactly.  I sound crazy to those of you that haven't felt filled with the Holy Spirit.  To those of you reading this that have felt that love, you think, "I freaking know!  It is so amazing!!  I wish i could always feel that!"  I freaking love HIM!!  He is so incredible.  More than enough.  He is enough.  Bennito, thank you for taking me to a new level with Jesus.  Jesus, thank you for letting me know you the way I do.  I am in.  All in for You.  Oh, yea.  I am reading this Christian parenting book that is helping me discipline my students in a Christian focused way.  The author mentioned about how we teach our kids that if they do as we know is best, they are under our umbrella of safety. As soon as kids decide not to listen and make choices outside of what we know is best, then they are not under our umbrella and things can happen that we cant control b/c they didn't listen.  God said, "just stay under My umbrella.  I got this.  When you make your own choices/decisions, you aren't covered anymore and the consequences are yours, not Mine."  I can't worry about this life.  I lost control of it the day I got on that plane here.  I wrote in my journal from TPA to MIA with tears flowing down my face as I tried desperately to hold on to this life and wanting to whole-heartedly to follow the Lord at the same time, "today, I learn what it means to die to yourself."  I never cried another tear of my heart feeling like it was a rubberband.  Still haven't.  Done.