January 14, 2014: HELLO,OH (in a singsong voice)???!!!

Matthew 10:1-20

Amplified Bible (AMP)

10 And Jesus summoned to Him His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out, and to cure all kinds of disease and all kinds of weakness and infirmity.

2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles (special messengers): first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip and Bartholomew [Nathaniel]; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus [Judas, not Iscariot];

4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

5 Jesus sent out these twelve, charging them, Go nowhere among the Gentiles and do not go into any town of the Samaritans;

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely (without pay) you have received, freely (without charge) give.

9 Take no gold nor silver nor [even] copper money in your purses (belts);

10 And do not take a provision bag or a wallet for a collection bag for your journey, nor two undergarments, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the workman deserves his support (his living, his food).

11 And into whatever town or village you go, inquire who in it is deserving, and stay there [at his house] until you leave [that vicinity].

12 As you go into the house, give your greetings and wish it well.

13 Then if indeed that house is deserving, let come upon it your peace [that is, freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as the result of sin]. But if it is not deserving, let your peace return to you.

14 And whoever will not receive and accept and welcome you nor listen to your message, as you leave that house or town, shake the dust [of it] from your feet.

15 Truly I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.

16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves; be wary and wise as serpents, and be innocent (harmless, guileless, and without falsity) as doves.

17 Be on guard against men [whose way or nature is to act in opposition to God]; for they will deliver you up to councils and flog you in their synagogues,

18 And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a witness to bear testimony before them and to the Gentiles (the nations).

19 But when they deliver you up, do not be anxious about how or what you are to speak; for what you are to say will be given you in that very hour and moment,

20 For it is not you who are speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Now that I'm healed, I have to stay healed. One of the ways I stay healed is to tell everyone. Over and over I share my testimony of healing from anxiety and depression. To any and everyone who cares to listen. I pretty much frequent the same places. The gas station, Walmart, Wallgreens, Costco, Woodmans, Copps, Salvation Army Thrift Store, church, and work. I work at a church, so unless someone walks in or calls, I don't see a lot of needy people during the day there. What I'm saying is, I see mainly the same set of people everywhere I go during the course of each day. And as a music minister, I am stuck on the platform a lot during service times, so I'm unable to minister one on one the way I'd like to.
So I started door knocking. I was very scared at first. I had door knocked as a teenager and it was awful. I was the one who made it awful. I hated it. I always hoped no one came to the door. I was full of anxiety about the whole experience. The first time I went door knocking here in Madison, my friend Christina asked me to go. Oh my goodness. A drunk guy followed us around and kept telling us to "get on out of here." I was trembling, but Christina was very confident and gave me courage. Then, Scott and I and another couple started having weekly services in a community with drug dealers on every corner. I was scared to death. Scott didn't seem scared at all! He was so brave! He would go up and talk freely to anyone. I just stood by his side trembling.
God started moving and I lost my fear. Totally! My fear has been replaced with a deep burden and love for these dear people. They have become my friends. 
Hello??? There is a dying world out there! We must reach them! We must open up our mouths and talk to people! God will give us the words. Even if we stumble over our words, its okay. Even if we have a completely different culture or upbringing than the person we are witnessing to, God can use us anyway!!! 
Just two days ago I saw a dear lady raise her hands and begin to speak in tongues for the very first time. It all started by me asking what she wanted prayer for. She said everything. As I left, she put her hand on her chest and said, "I feel something here!" I said, "That's the Holy Ghost! Just keep speaking that language to Jesus!"
God will give us POWER! HOLY GHOST POWER to witness!
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free," Luke 4:18
I love verse 20.
"It is not YOU who are speaking, but the SPIRIT of your FATHER speaking through you."
You are merely the vessel. 
"God, thanks for speaking to my heart once again. I must open my mouth and share the gospel. You have promised to give me POWER. I must use the power You've given me. You died a horrific death for me. I must be a living sacrifice for You. How I love You, How I adore You! My breath, my sunshine, my All in all! The great Creator became my Savior! Bless Your Holy Name, Jesus, forever and ever! AMEN."