Irony or an Answer to Prayer?

Currently, I live in Pinones, Puerto Rico.  Pinones is in the San Juan metro area- actually, we are right behind the airport.  Anyway, the area where I live has a long, long, long history of witch craft, satanism, and voodoo.  I understand from a friend that when the slaves were freed that the Governor of Puerto Rico offered them asylum here. Evidently, there were still slaves here on the island and the people were very upset about this situation because they didn't know who was free and who wasn't.  So, all of the freed slaves were pushed into living in this area of the island and in Loiza which is another town just up the road in order that the islanders would know who was free and who wasn't.  Anyway, with all of this, we live in a culture that is "rich" in practicing witchcraft and  voodooism.

I've always wondered about this area and even have been to one of the beaches a few times, but like the old adage goes-"Out of site out of mind."  Well, now that I'm here- it's on my mind.  I have met some of my neighbors and am plotting and planning ways in which I can reach out to them.  I think I need to note that not all of them have gotten caught up in the ways of this culture, but a few of them have.  I also have been praying for the community in general.  The last couple of days, I have found myself asking the Lord to transform this place, this community, into something that people will not even recognize.  A community in which people will say..."it once was...but not anymore."  And, I have the audacity to believe that this will actually happen.

Tonight, as I was walking along the boardwalk, I was praying for exactly what I shared in the previous paragraph.  As I walked along, I saw a tall bamboo like pole that had been placed in the sand.  As I got closer, I saw that the pole had a smaller limb tied to it making it look like a cross.

As I stood on the boardwalk and looked at this cross in the sand, I noticed that there were no footprints near or around the pole.  It could be that I didn't see any because the sand under the boardwalk and about 3-4 feet in front of it is soft and so foot prints don't show. I also considered the possibility that because the pole was in the more "solid" part of the beach that maybe, the tide had washed the footprints away.  But, when I was there,  the tide wasn't that far up the beach.

So, is it irony?  I don't think so.  I have the audacity to believe that God placed it there and that it is symbolic to the answer of my prayer.  God is going to take this community back and He has left his sign on the beach to prove it.

Now, let the transformation begin!

You've Got the Power

This morning, as I was walking on the Board Walk, I turned and started walking towards the rising sun.  I couldn't help but begin to Praise His name as I walked towards its direction.  My praising reminded me that we have the power.  In Revelation 4 John writes about what he is seeing in heaven.  He writes that "Each of the four living creatures has six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stopped saying:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

In verse nine he goes on to say that

"Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever.  They lay their crowns before the thrown and say, 'You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being'."

 A few years ago, the Lord spoke to me about this verse and how we, like the living creatures in heaven, have power when we are praising Him.  He showed me that we too are living creatures and when we give thanks to him who sits on the throne forever and ever that the twenty four elders fall down before him and worship him forever and ever.  We have the power!  This is an awesome insight to know that when we praise Him here on earth that we create a reaction in the heavens that is a reflection of what is happening here.    We have the power!  But, do we use it to its fullest potential?  I don't think so because as I continued to reflect the Lord showed me water flowing from the heavens. It wasn't rain, but rather a sheet of water.  Just imagine when something like a sink overflows and you have a large amount of water running over the side. The impression I had in my spirit is that God is just waiting for us to praise Him so much that the heavens overflow back to the earth and that we keep this flow of praising Him going strong so that the waters will never stop flowing. This has so many implications...we can keep the well from running dry....we can be continually washed...the world around us can be transformed...but, not if we don't use our power....