Seeing in the Spirit, Bringing Hope

One of the foundational practices we have here at our base is “seeing people in the Spirit”.  The idea is looking beyond what we see with our natural eyes and to “see” people the way God sees them.  That, in fact, the person God sees is who we really are.  That who we see in with our natural eyes is a manifestation of what is happening spiritually inside someone.

 

This month we are housing a World Race team and I went with their 2 guys to the town square to minister to the people of the community.  As we strolled the streets we were approached by a man who looked ROUGH.  His name is Jimmy.

 

Jimmy is a Nicaraguan man who was raised in the United States before being deported to Nicaragua and, recently, was kicked out of his own country.  He has been wandering the streets of Antigua begging for money.  Jimmy doesn’t look older than 30. 

 

As he approached, we were greeted by the stench of alcohol on his breath.  Jimmy is a very animated man.  As we were talking, we were serenaded by an impromptu hip-hop freestyle (and I may have been beatboxing for him).  Jimmy asked what we were doing at the square.  We said, “We are missionaries.”  That’s when his demeanor changed.

 

He started quoting Bible Scriptures, claiming he was a believer and follower of Christ.  In that vein, he began to try to manipulate us into giving him money for food. 

 

Now we didn’t have money to give him, what we did have was spiritual blessing.

 

After several attempts to scare us into giving him money, visibly upset, Jimmy balled up his fists with a crazy look in his eye.  I was certain that he was going to punch me in the face for not responding to him the way he had hoped.

 

Before I continue I want to say this.  Most people wouldn’t have given Jimmy the time of day.  In the natural, he is bad news.  In the Spirit, however, he is a child and beloved by His Father.  That is the man we were speaking to, the spirit Jimmy, not the natural Jimmy.  In the Spirit, Jimmy was a man of peace, a man who fights against injustice, a man who I bold and calls out things that are fake.  He is a man who speaks truth with love.

 

Back to the scene, and certain that a right hook was coming, I decided to stand my ground and continue to speak boldly into his life.

 

Then Jimmy broke.  He began to tear up.

 

He told me he feels like Jesus wandering in the desert.  I responded that it wasn’t natural bread that gave Jesus life but the very word of God.

 

While we didn’t have anything in the natural to supply Jimmy with, we asked him if we can send him off with every blessing that we have to give. 

 

He conceded.

 

As I prayed over Jimmy, He began to worship God.  His arms were raised, verbally confirming each spoken blessing with a loud “AMEN Father!”

 

Jimmy was seen for the man he truly was.  A man created to bring God glory.  This blog sharing a bit of his testimony is already doing that.

 

A week later, the 2 guys that joined me in ministering to Jimmy saw him again in town.  Since we met, Jimmy has stayed off drugs and alcohol for the first time in a long time.  He greeted the guys with hugs and joy. 

 

Jimmy was producing life when before it was only death.  Jimmy is beginning to reflect part of who he is in the Spirit.  Jimmy just needed someone to remind him who he TRULY is.