Streetwise

In God's word we learn of how to fight against spiritual foes that come against us. In our walk    we
have learned from the actual accounts of our experience.

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   YOU DIDN'T FAST, SO I DON'T HAVE TO COME OUT!

During a course of ten months we were blessed with the opportunity to walk with a wonderful
woman. She had at that time been working among the homeless and street people of the
downtown Seattle area for eleven years.

Each Saturday we would meet with the others of the group and go to a location in Seattle with
another church group from a Baptist church.   They would bring the most wonderful meal for the
homeless. We quite often would go home to much less of a meal for ourselves afterward. During
the time the people would be going through the line to pick up their plates we would talk with
different ones, love on them, give out clothing, hand out Bibles and tracts, and pray with those who
wished us to.

Before going downtown the team always joined together to pray in preparation. This day was to be
different. While watching over the food line Holy Spirit was drawing different ones of us to one area
of the courtyard where we had been speaking with the people. One of our people was sitting down
with a man from the streets and begins to speak to him about the Lord. The man laid his head in
Tom's lap and began to speak. As Tom listened to him he realized the man was saying a satanic
prayer over him. Tom gentle and quietly begin to say, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus", over
and over.

The man suddenly rose up and began to come at Tom. In the process of this happening those of
us Holy Spirit had called forth had already began to pray in the Spirit. The man started to walk away
and Tom continued to rebuke the demon in him. The man turned and began to run at Tom. When
he came within a few feet of him it was as if he hit a brick wall and was thrown backwards landing
on his back on the concrete. The man looked stunned and ran back at Tom again. Again, he was
thrown back.

After several attempts the man turned and walked out of the courtyard, around the surrounding wall
and came back in the other end of the courtyard. He again began to charge at Tom. This time all of
the team that were in pray were located between him and Tom. The man stopped at mid court,
pointed to the sky and yelled, "he once was Yours and now he is mine and I am not letting him go!"
He then turned to Tom and pointed at him and said, "I don't have to come out, you have not been
fasting!" He then turned and walked away.

Tom confessed to us later the Lord had been dealing with him about fasting. We all learned and
from that day forth we would fast before we went to the streets. As a result of our fasting we saw
more people won to the Lord and a strengthening of our authority.

Scripture basis:

Matthew 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

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DON'T TOUCH ME! WHY DO YOU TOUCH ME! YOU LEAVE SOMETHING!

This is a lesson of loving the lost and again of what we can learn from satan's stupidity.

We had come for the day to minister again to the street people. A man stood by the food table. It
was a cold day. Some of the people didn't have coats. We were blessed to be able to give many a
warm coat and show God's love. They were so appreciative, except for this one man. All he had
was an old green ragged blanket around his shoulders. He would not take a coat nor speak to
anyone. He just stood there.

Someone handed him a large cup of hot soup. As he would put it up to his mouth to drink the soup
a large portion of it dumped down the front of him. His hands were covered with dry soup as he
tried to wipe his face. Some of the other team looked at him and would walk around him. A couple
of them even rebuked him. He would not move from the area and was really in the way of the
people getting their plates. His manner of eating also was rather repulsive in appearance but yet
there was something about this man. I kept watching him and asking Holy Spirit what it was about
him. Why was he standing there? He didn't appear to be any threat and when the others rebuked
him he didn't respond.

As the day went on he continued to stay there. The food table was beginning to be cleared and
most of the team had left for the day. The Lord told me to go now. As I approached him and looked
him in the face I noticed for the first time that he had gum disease so badly that he only had a
couple teeth left and even those were ghastly standing in badly inflamed gums with almost the total
root of the tooth showing. He would take another drink of the soup he had been "trying" to eat all
day and it again spilled out of his mouth. I then realized for the first time this man was not able to
eat properly. He didn't have the gums nor teeth to hold the soup in his mouth long enough to
swallow.

He was so thin, so frail looking. My heart went out to him. I asked his name. Immediately a voice
answered me and cynically asked my name. I recognized who was speaking and immediately
responded with, "no, I am not speaking to you, what is "your" name?" Again the voice answered
me. Again I responded in the same way. The man looked at me with a puzzled look. The rest is
burned into my mind for life. The man looked at me with puzzlement in his face and tried to speak.
He struggled for what seemed a long time and then in a weak voice said, "Anthony". I smiled and
told him, "Anthony, Jesus loves you". He looked down at the ground and said, "no, he loves you".
The look in his face was of such rejection and sadness. Then all of a sudden the other voice came
forth in strength. "Why can't you guys just talk to us. Why can't you just stand there and say what
you have to say and not touch us. Every time you touch us you leave something. Just don't touch
us." Then Anthony came back.

Ah, I thought, so we leave something. Interesting? Then the Lord reminded me that we are told to
go and preach the gospel. We are to use the laying on of hands. This was not just a suggestion.
There was obviously a real reason here that we had missed. This thing was telling me with great
anger to not be touching them because we leave something. Then the Lord reminded me how the
cloths were taken from Paul and the anointing was so strong that people were healed and
delivered. Could it be? Yes, we have the same anointing within us. Yes, when we touch we cause
the demons to flee from the anointing of Holy Spirit upon and within us. So, touch, touch, touch.

Two of the team members were still around and had come over to see what was happening. They
saw the conversation between Anthony and myself. After the anger of the demon I looked at
Anthony and said, "Anthony, can I pray for you?" He said, "yes." I then looked at him and asked,
"can I please touch you?" I then extended my hand and Anthony hesitated and then reached out
and took it. I asked him if the others could pray with us and touch him also. He gave his
permission. We prayed for Anthony that day. When we were finished I don't think one of us was
dried eye. Afterward I looked Anthony in the face and said, "Anthony, Jesus loves you." Anthony
looked back with a big smile and said, "yes, Jesus loves me."

As I said, this will ever be burned into my mind. Anthony, the most unlovable man in the courtyard.
Possibly the most repulsive. Standing there with his toothless smile and accepting Jesus' love.

I have never seen Anthony since. I looked each time we would go after that but he wasn't there
again and now the Lord has moved us to other territories. I pray for Anthony everyday. I pray that
one day we will meet again. Perhaps in heaven.

Scripture basis:

Luke 4:18     The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to
the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery
of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed: to proclaim the acceptable year of
the Lord.

Acts 14:3     Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing
witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.