(293) “Running with the Fire” with Dorothy Riedford

0:00 I saw there were like six horses and every one of them had a huge flame of fire around them. They weren't running through the fire. The fire was running with them. There's no way to separate yourself. Once you've allowed God to envelop you, literally, we are that horse running inside of his flame. God promises in Joel 2 .28 to pour out His Spirit on all humanity. Welcome to Global Outpouring, where we contend for that promise outpouring, we equip for that outpouring, so that we may engage in that very outpouring. I'm Philip Buss. And I'm Sharon Buss. Welcome to the podcast today. We have with us a lady that's becoming a friend, and her name is Dorothy Reedford, and she just... all of a sudden stopped in for a visit. And so we've been visiting at the table and said, these testimonies have to be shared.

1:02 This isn't something that's just for us. So we're bringing her to you, listeners, so that you can be encouraged in your faith, knowing the faithfulness of God as she shares testimonies of how God has dealt with her in her life as she's been running with him, running with the fire. Thanks so much for joining us today. We're so glad that you're with us. And before we get started with our friend Dorothy, we want to encourage you, if you haven't already done so, to go to our website, globaloutpouring .net. Make sure that you are on our mailing list and that you will be able to receive emails from us. And we also want to encourage you to go looking around on our website and leave us some feedback from time to time. We'd love to hear from you if the Lord is using this podcast in your life to help you to grow, to help equip you, to be prepared for the Lord to use you any way he wants to in the outpouring, to encourage you in contending for the outpouring in your life and in your situation, in your town, in your nation. We want to encourage you and we want to stay connected with you. So make sure that you're hearing from us on our emails. We don't send out a whole lot of them, but we just want to make sure that we are able to connect with you. Make sure also that you've got it on your calendar to plan to be with us at Convention 2026. We're going to be at the

2:32 Hilton Hotel in St. Louis right at the airport, May 21st through 24th. It's going to be a life -changing time. going to be a time when you and your family can come and grow in the things of God and build relationships with people from the nations, with people that are going to be of like precious faith with you. So Dorothy, this is really an amazing thing that you have stopped by. You just contacted us yesterday and said, can I come by? And now here you are. Just driving through. Just passing through on my way home. Yes. And God has been taking you on a journey.

3:13 Yes. And wow, I've just enjoyed story after story, testimony after testimony that you've shared with us today of the things that God has done in your life. So give us a little bit of background, first of all, about... where you were born, how you were raised, were you raised in a Christian home? How did things go? Okay. Well, I am Dorothy Reedford, and I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. And I was raised, born in California, in Sacramento. My dad was in the Air Force. And we had a Christian -based home, yes. My grandfather was a Methodist minister. He raised my dad to be Christian. My mom actually gave her life to the Lord because of his ministry. So she was 18 when she gave her life to the Lord. Glory to God. Well, that's wonderful. Hallelujah. But if you're the child of someone in the Air Force, you probably moved around a bit. We did. We did. I had my beginning in Taipei, Taiwan for kindergarten. And through the years and some of the experiences, I was in 19 schools, kindergarten through 12th grade.

4:23 I loved it, though. I love traveling. Really? I love new people. I love new adventures. So it didn't break your heart every time you left your friends? I was sad. Yeah, I would be sad. I always knew there would be more friends around the next corner. Well, God designed you for this then. That's a good perspective. He did. That's tremendous. He did. And so at some point, you made your own commitment to the Lord. How was that? Yes. Well, I've had... Different experiences because when I was a little child, I just knew Jesus was real. He would speak to me. I didn't realize that other people didn't hear him talk to them like I heard him talk to me. I can hear Jesus just like I hear you guys talking to me.

5:08 And so when I was little, I believed in Jesus. I know I was led to the Lord by my mom when I was four years old. I gave my heart to Jesus and she knew that I knew that. And then the next year. I helped witness to my brother. My brother gave his heart to the Lord when he was three. And my mom said she wanted to know if he, you know, verified that he really understood what he was getting into. And she said, well, how do you know you have Jesus in your heart? And he said, because it feels like warm, hot chocolate. Oh, wow. That is so cool. Yeah. And then I did have a few years where I just kind of I felt a little lost, but it wasn't Jesus that had wandered away. It was me. Right. And he, as soon as I was fully ready, he brought me right back in with open arms like he was waiting for me the whole time. Beautiful. Beautiful. He's so faithful.

6:04 Faithful love. Oh, my. Yes. Yes. Yes. So tell us about his faithfulness to you when he really called you into walking with him. Tell us about that. Well. My first knowing that he was calling me into something kind of unique was when I was 17 years old. I was awakened in the middle of the night and he told me to pray for somebody and I didn't know who that person was. And that led me on about a three year journey of just privately learning how intercessory prayer worked, just Holy Spirit teaching me. And after that, I had different experiences with churches and stuff. But then a lady minister invited me to come join her in Kentucky. And we had a ministry in the hotel that she and I managed. And we got to witness to truckers and we got to see miracles happen. People healed and set free from demons.

6:57 And it was incredible. It was an incredible journey. Wow. So was that when you had a vehicle and the Lord told you to pray for your tires? Yes. Tell us that story. Yes. Actually, on my drive to Kentucky from Illinois, where we lived, the Lord, I was driving and just singing and worshiping and just, I love you, Lord, you know, things like that. And I just having a great praise party and I hear, pray for your tires. I was like, okay, I pray for my tires. My tires need prayer. And instantly I saw two demons on the right side of the road, right by the yellow line. One was tall and thin and the other one was round and short and stubby. And both of them had their arms long enough. They were just hanging. The back sides of the hands were hanging on the yellow line. And behind them were long talons. And they just glared at me as I passed by. And I said, oh. I really pray for my tires. And I know that had I not prayed for my tires, those shredded tires you see on the side of the road where people have their tires just like torn off their car, that is exactly what would have happened to my tires. Wow. So if you guys ever see that, I'm just warning you, you have the authority to pray for your vehicle, your tires, and protect yourself from these demons. You have angels that protect you, angels that warn you. And if you're told to pray for something, just obey. Beautiful.

8:18 You know, that reminds me of a story that Sam Matthews told us, Dr. Sam Matthews. He's gone home to be with the Lord now, but he told us when, now he was a Baptist pastor and he came into the baptism in the Holy Spirit and he's learning all of this stuff about spiritual warfare, learning about prayer, learning about, you know, the deeper walk in the Spirit. I don't know if he had a vision or a dream, but he saw this situation where he and his wife would be in the car and they were on their way to a certain intersection. And he saw in the dream or the vision, this accident happened where this truck careened out of control and smashed into their car. And so they had to go someplace where they would pass this intersection.

9:09 He said, you know, that they prayed together and they bound this thing, that it couldn't touch them. And so they cautiously went through this intersection. And he's saying, glory to God, we made it through this intersection. And then he looked in his rearview mirror and the truck that he had seen in the vision careened into the car behind him. So he learned from that that they needed to not only negate the thing that was an assignment against them, but to absolutely negate it, completely neutralize it so that it couldn't be used against anybody else. So that's a little clue for us that God really wants us to go deeper. in our intercession, that it's not just to protect me and mine, but you can extend the border of your mantle over those that are around you. You can pray for all the people that are on the road at the same time that you are. You can pray for, as you're going through a city, you can pray for the whole city, for God to move. Just let the Holy Spirit move in your prayer life. So true. So true. It's amazing.

10:18 So you went to Kentucky and you were there for nine months? Yes, I was there helping in the ministry as well as managing the hotel that her son and a friend had bought for that nine month time period. And while I was there, I really felt God was telling me I needed to go to Europe. And when I was praying about it, I wanted to make sure it wasn't just me wishing to travel elsewhere. So you were in your 20s, right? I was. I was 23 years old at the time. So at that point in your life, it's really wisdom to sit back a little bit and make sure that you're not just wishful thinking, that this is really the Lord. So what did you do? Well, I asked the lady minister I was working with. Her name was Mary Johnson. And I asked her to please pray over this with me. Just wanted to make sure that I wasn't the only one hearing this. And she prayed about it. And not too long later, she said, yes, I. feel like God is telling you to go. She's like, I'll miss you, but if you got to go, you got to go. So then what happened? Well, I ended up selling my car, which was only like $900 worth, but it ended up paying off bills I had, but that took everything I had. And so I prayed more because I'm like, Lord, I don't have anything to work with here. And so I got a Greyhound bus ticket back home to my town in Illinois. How did you get the bus ticket if you had no money? Mary bought it for me. Oh, God bless Mary. I know.

11:47 She believed in you. Yes, she did. She believed in the word of the Lord to you. Good. She did. And when I got back to the town, it was like Tuesday, and the next day was Wednesday, and we had Wednesday night service at the little Church of God I attended before I left for Kentucky. And God had told me as I prayed on my way back that I needed to ask the pastor to see if the church would help fund my trip to Europe. And to make sure that it was also God, right? Yes. And so I did. That Wednesday night I went in and I pulled him inside and I said, would you do me a favor? I said, I feel like God's asking me to go to Europe. I said, but I would like you to pray and get confirmation for me as well.

12:29 That's wisdom. And I told him that my friend Mary had also received confirmation from the Lord. But I also had been told by the Father that if I would ask the church, whatever they gave me, that provision. would be what I needed to go to Europe with. So I asked the pastor this, and he said he would pray about it. So that Sunday morning, I hadn't heard from him yet, and he ended up coming in. We had our Sunday school. We had our church service. And it was interesting because I was like, okay, he hasn't said anything to me. He hasn't barely even looked at me. But I was sitting there and he said, well, we're going to go ahead and take our offering. And I was like, okay, Lord, maybe the answer was no. I'm just going to leave this alone. But then as service was ending, he said, you guys all know Dorothy. I just want to welcome her up here because God's given her a desire to go to Europe.

13:21 And I prayed about it, and I feel like she's supposed to go. So the congregation and I both found out at the same time. And how big was the congregation? There were about 17 people, and that was including children at the time. And then he asked, he said, well, we're going to take up a love offering. And she feels that whatever she gets is what God's sending her to Europe with. So if you guys have anything to give, please give it. And they ended up raising $300. And I just was so... moved by that. Back in 1993, that was a lot of money. And it also was so touching that these people would be willing to give of themselves for me. Beautiful. Beautiful. And then what happened? Well, I ended up calling my stepdad like the next day and he said, well, we've already kind of figured out that you're coming. Okay. Where were they? They were in Bielsko -Biala, Poland. Oh, in Europe. In Europe. And that's another reason I wanted confirmation because I didn't want this to be a fleshly thing of me saying I just wanted to travel. And see family.

14:27 Yeah. And Holy Spirit had already given them knowledge, a word of knowledge that I would be coming. And so he actually reached out to his cousin. who I didn't even know, and she worked for TWA, Trans World Airlines. We used to call it traveling with angels. Oh, cool. I like that. And she was able to get a buddy pass for me, and he paid for my buddy pass. It was $20. Isn't that amazing? I flew to Berlin from Chicago on $20. Wow. With $300 in your pocket. Yeah, I didn't have to spend it. My stepdad purchased the ticket for me. Wow. Wow. And then what happened next?

15:07 Well, you landed in Berlin. I did. And what year was this? This is 1993. Okay. Five years after the Berlin Wall had fallen between East and West Germany. Right. And there were still portions of the wall there that you could see the evidence of. It was so moving to me. My heart just, it was powerful to know I could cross freely from West to East. Yes. And just five years earlier, it wouldn't have been possible. No, not at all. For them or for us. Yeah. The other way around. Yeah. Yeah. So that was a moving moment of reality for you. It really was. It truly was. And my stepdad, Dan Scalf, is who I'm talking about.

15:50 He's always been such a powerful prayer warrior and significant supporter of my spiritual walk. And I'm just so grateful for him. That's wonderful. He and my mom were willing to come pick me up. And we ended up going to a cafe for dinner. And from that cafe window, I could see the Berlin Wall. And I was on the east side of the wall. And it just, it was powerful. It was powerful to realize that God brought me here and he had called me there. Yes. And I didn't know why. Well, then when we finished lunch at the cafe, we went about two blocks and turned the corner. And it came to a T because there was a walkway and a wall because there was a canal on the other side of that wall. And as we turned the corner, there was a terrible scene. There was a bombing that had happened. A car bomb had been thrown into a police officer's open window. So his sirens were going, but it didn't matter because he had plowed into tourists and the tourists had flown.

16:54 Some had flown over the boat. One guy was laying there with... both thighs broken on a tourist boat below. And there was just chaotic scene. There were people screaming and crying and running and trying to help others that were bleeding because the car had plowed into other people walking. It had happened so, so soon while we were eating lunch that there was no help yet. There were no other police officers, no ambulance, nothing yet. But once the ambulance came and started helping people, we went ahead and went down the back alley and kind of got our way out of there. But we prayed. We just prayed for an hour or so for all those people. Wow. And if you had gotten there a moment or two sooner, you'd have been in the middle of it. Had we not stopped for eating at the cafe, we don't know.

17:39 It might have been us. Yeah. Wow. It was very eye -opening. It was just like, wow, okay, Lord, I'm not here for playing. This is for real. Yes. It was a reality check, wasn't it? A big one, yeah. Wow. Yeah. So then you got to Poland. Yeah. We got to enjoy some time. My mom and I kind of got a little bit of a reestablishment in our relationship, and we got to do some small trips together. And then my stepdad let me know that they were going to be going to the Moscow Bible School and turning in the van that they had and giving it as a gift, donating it to the Bible School because they needed it. That we would be going there, but we needed to take the train back. Knowing my funds were limited, my mom said to me, she said, we're here on other people's money. You know, people support us and they don't support you. So you need to pay for yourself.

18:31 If you're going to buy that ticket, you're either going to use some of your $300 or you're going to need to ask God for some more money. And I started praying. I'm like, Lord, I don't want to break into this money. I don't know how long you've got me here. I don't know. Yeah, it was open -ended, right? It was open -ended. I actually had got rid of everything, gotten rid of all my clothing, everything except for one suitcase with clothing and shoes and one suitcase with my Bible and some notebooks and books I wanted to read and all my pens. Wow. Yeah. So I wasn't sure how that was going to happen. But, you know, you got to pray and you got to trust God because he got me that far. So I knew he had a plan.

19:12 So you decided to go with your parents. I did. We ended up having a beautiful trip up through Poland, up through Belarus and into Moscow. It's crazy in Moscow, the driving back in even 1993, there were like 14 lanes across. It was only supposed to be like four or five lanes wide. And they were like, they made 14 lanes. People were just willy nilly everywhere. Kind of lawlessness, huh? It is a little bit. Yeah, it was. It was kind of funny because you never know what you're going to do. I had an ice cream cone that was dripping really bad. So I sat down Indian style in Red Square in Moscow and sat there eating with it dripping out in front of me. And some Asian tourists took pictures of me. So somewhere in this world, there's pictures of me eating ice cream in Red Square in Moscow. I think you're Russian, you know. Something. Wow. That's amazing.

20:04 So then you're at this Bible school. You don't know if you're going to have to break into your $300. Then what happened? Well... That was the second day that the Moscow McDonald's had opened. They had opened the day before. And as we were sitting at breakfast, we were all discussing what we were going to do. And my stepdad's very gregarious and just real personable. And he had gotten to know quite a few people. And these three American pastors had come and sat at the table with us for breakfast at the Bible school before our day got started. He had, I guess when I got up to go to the bathroom or something, had said something to these pastors because this one pastor had come up to me on the bus. We had gotten off the bus at the McDonald's and he came up to me as I sat there and asked if he could sit with me. And he said, your stepdad said you've got quite a story. Why don't you sit down and tell me about it? I said, sure. So I ended up sitting there and sharing a meal with him at this beautiful. double -story McDonald's looking out over the street in Moscow. It was so surreal.

21:05 And he asked about, you know, how I got there and explained some of the things that had happened and just how amazing it was. And how God works. And he was like, well, you know what? I'm so proud of you. I'm so happy you did that. He goes, I just want to give you something. He pulls out his wallet and hands me a $20 bill. And I'm like, okay, thank you so much. And so then we get back to the Bible school. And as we're walking around, I see this bench in this beautiful, almost park -like setting out in the campus area. So I sit down and just admire nature. And another one of the pastors from the morning breakfast comes up and sits down next to me. And I did forget to mention one of the God moments on the pastors.

21:48 They were three pastors from three different states. coming over to see if their churches would be supporting this Bible school. And so that's why they were coming over to Moscow as well. And God had arranged them all to sit together on the airplane. They didn't even know each other beforehand, but had become fast friends on the plane. So this was pretty awesome. And none of them knew that the other one was doing this. Well, this pastor sits down next to me at the bench, and he... asks me to tell him my story. Because of your stepdad. Because of my stepdad. Again, he said, yeah, you said you've got quite a story. What's your story? And so I tell him and he's pretty awesome. He ends up telling me about his son who's interested in following God and that his daughter needed prayer. And it was interesting to, you know, just hear the personal level. of how people's stories kind of intermesh and interweave. And I guess I think that's kind of when I started seeing a little bit of the tapestry of life, you know? Oh, yes. Yeah. How it seems like a mess, but God pulls so many things together. Well, as we talked, he's like, well, thanks for sharing your story. And he pulls out his wallet and he has me another 20. And your fare was going to be? 60. Yeah. And that was just too much for you to think about taking out of here? Out of $300 now. Yeah. That afternoon, I had gone back to my room and then come back to dinner. And at dinner, that third American pastor had come to sit with us. And he asked me what my story was because my stepdad mentioning

23:19 it. And again, I explained my story. And he said that he had been moved by God and he pulls just out of his shirt pocket. He just hands me. He goes, I wanted to give this to you. He goes, I want to bless you on your journey. By the end of one day, I had that $60 to get my train ride back the next afternoon. So each of them had been moved by God to give you $20. Individually, and none of them knew about each other doing so. I just love that. That's God. That's so encouraging. It is. So encouraging, because you're kind of out on a limb, so to speak. I am, because it was either use that money and be unsure or trust God. Yeah. I mean, we have to obey. Right. And it's important to listen. If it was time for me to use my money, I would have. Right. Then the Lord would have showed you that. He would have. And he would have given you the grace to do it. And he would have given you the faith that he's going to provide beyond it. But he doesn't hardly ever do the same thing twice.

24:20 No, no, no. I've tested that one in the past. It's never happened the same again. Wow. Wow. So you rode the train back with your parents. I did. I did. And I ended up staying with them for... I think it was about another week and a half and a pastor and associate pastor from a church in Finspång, Sweden came by and they were just coming by to visit and on their way kind of thing, asked me what I was doing next. And I said, well, I don't know what I'm doing next. And so they invited me to ride along with them and it was quite a journey. We ended up having to help a horse that had been stuck in a barn fire. Oh, my. Along the way. It's incredible.

25:04 The pastor and the associate pastor were bigger than me, but they were afraid of this huge, like, percheron -style horse. Oh, yeah, that's a big horse. And he had tried to get... away from the raging fire and his front half was over top of the gate that was locked and the back half of him was still on the other side. So I ended up getting him unwedged and pushed at the same time. And I ended up getting this gate unhooked and getting this horse back into his corral, which actually wasn't by the fire, thankfully. There were two horses that had been in the barn fire that had escaped. They ran past us the other way. But by the time we left and I... got that horse back in his actual corral, the fire trucks were starting to show up to spray out the fire.

25:49 So it's just, you never know what you're going to have to encounter in life. Really? Wow. So had you had any previous experience with horses? Yeah. I mean, I've been around horses a lot. And one of my good friends in high school had horses, so I was able to ride a lot. So it wasn't a big deal to you to handle the horse? It was the biggest horse I'd ever seen in my life. I just prayed in tongues. Encourage the horse the other way. Wow. I love that. So then you went to Sweden. I did. I did. One of the main reasons the pastor was excited to have me join them was because they were going to be repainting the church and it was a pretty large building. So I was willing to help. God provided a place for me to stay. They had an apartment at the top of their home. And so I had a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom and a sitting area for eating my meals if I would just help with their laundry. Wow. They fed me. They provided home for me. I stayed for three months. Wow.

26:51 And all I had to do was their laundry. His wife hated doing laundry. Oh, my goodness. It was a beautiful place to be. It was a lovely experience. And I got to read some of my books and learn a bit more in my Bible and just kind of spend time with God there. Wow. Wow. That's a great thing for a young person to do. It is. So then what happened? You didn't stay? Well, the only other thing I do want to add to that is, to encourage those who are on a journey that feel like they're not getting where they want to be with God is seek the healing and help that you need. Because I also learned that no matter where I go, there I am. That's true. In the problems I was having, they were following me. Yeah. So my problem with the heart attitude, a little bit of anger issue, they didn't stay back in America. They followed me where I had gone. It's your own baggage. Yeah.

27:46 Your inner baggage. Yeah. I think what I've really learned the most is just forgiveness is key. Absolutely. In order to grow into the loving person that God wants you to be, we've got to learn how to forgive others and ourselves. Very true. And receive the forgiveness that God gives. Very, very true. Well, where did God take you after Sweden? I ended up in the Czech Republic. uh sklenarska which is a little house that they had for a czech bible school that was kind of out in the middle of nowhere about four four miles from town and um they needed help with the housekeeping and cooking and so i learned how to cook for 60 people three meals a day it was actually really fun because and god has used that over the years to be able to just kind of you know cater parties or make sure things are still flowing If I end up at a banquet or something, I've really just enjoyed being able to just use what he taught me along the way. But during the time that I was at the Moscow Bible School, I had a coat. Oh, yes. This is a good story. That God had allowed me to fall in love with when I was still in the United States. taken my time and put it on layaway, spent three months or four months paying for this $99 wool coat. It was one of those, oh, I've got to have it kind of things. And that was one of the things I had

29:16 saved room for in my suitcase. And when I ended up meeting one of the ladies at the Moscow Bible School, she was going to be graduating in like a couple of weeks and she was going to be heading straight. to Uzbekistan. And she said that it was going to be so cold there and she had no coat. And when I thought about my coat that I had in my suitcase, I thought, you know, I actually am going to need that because it's going to get cold. I got up to my room that night and Holy Spirit had asked me to give her my coat. And I said, I didn't want to give her my coat. That I had taken time to pay for that. And I wrestled for a couple of days. And finally, Father said, if you give her your coat. I will replace it.

30:00 So I gave her my coat that morning and she just. At the last minute. It was like three minutes before they were leaving. I finally had obeyed. Well, thank God you did. I'm so grateful I did because she just, she fell into a pile weeping just because that was really her greatest need. It really was her greatest need. And it was a coat that would really keep her warm. It was a long wool coat. Beautiful. So I'm in the Czech Republic, and I'm helping, just serving. I've only been in the Czech Republic about three weeks at this point. And a lady came who was one of the Bible school head people. His mom, she had come to visit. Day after she arrived, she called me up to her room, which was a sweet little room up at the very top, kind of a little secreted room at the top of a staircase. And she said, I just wanted to give you something. She said, God made me bring this with me. And as we were talking, she started uncovering this beautiful mink coat. Oh, wow. And I said, I kind of caught my breath and she said, well, God told me to bring it. She said, I didn't know who he was going to go to until I saw you yesterday. And he said, it was you. He replaced my coat with a beautiful mink coat from one of the best furriers

31:31 in Sweden. Wow. Yep. God is so faithful. He is. And he doesn't, I remember Sister Gwen, our founder used to say, and she was quoting her dad, that God is no man's debtor. And that whatever you give to God, he'll give back to you, but he has a bigger shovel. So true. So true. Like he's dumping gold. Beautiful. Yeah, it was incredible. God is so faithful. Yes. I just love that. Tell us some more stories about his faithfulness that you've experienced. Oh, well, he is definitely faithful when it comes to finances. Anytime that he has called me to do something. Oh, wait a minute. Did you finish what happened in Europe?

32:18 You were there for 10 months. Yeah. Oh, yeah. You were there for 10 months. How many nations did you go to? Ten. And how much money did you come back with when you left? When I came home, I came back with one of the original $100 bills not spent. Isn't that amazing? Not even broken. Look at that. $200, 10 countries, 10 months. Faithfulness of God. I remember our founder, Sister Gwen, went to, it was Indonesia. Yeah. And the Lord spoke to her, says, you're not going to have to buy anything. Yeah, she was going to change money. Change money. At the airport. And she didn't have a lot of money anyway. No. Yeah, she went on the shoestring, says, going to change money. And she changed just enough money to buy some stamps. And then later, somebody.

33:05 I think gave her some stamps. And she didn't have to use any of her money at all. God took care of everything. She wouldn't have even had to buy the stamps. But that was just God's faithfulness. Right. Yeah. So tell some more stories about his faithfulness. Well, right now I'm on a journey. I've been gone since October 27th, and today is November 24th. And he told me to go on a 29 -day journey. So I'll be going home tomorrow. And when I left home, I really didn't have much in the bank account to leave with. I shouldn't have left. If you were going to look at man's standards, I shouldn't have left. And the day before I left on the biggest part of the journey that he sent me on, there was four times my husband's paycheck in our bank account. Wow. Glory to God.

33:57 It just showed up. It just showed up. And my husband has no idea why that money was there. I love it. It's been a blessing for me and for other people because I've been able to share the wealth. Glory to God. He's so faithful. He's so faithful. Tell about the perfume. That's such a sweet story. It's a sweet thing. Back in December of 2020, I gave my heart back to Jesus. I had been kind of wandering for about eight years. And during the time that... that was happening i was really really depressed and honestly december 17th i was either going to kill myself or i was going to give my heart back to jesus fully wow those were my two options i was really at rock bottom the good thing is i found that the rock at the bottom is the rock of jesus he is the solid rock and it took me about three months of of going through learning who he saw me as before I would even believe that he loved me.

35:01 I couldn't receive love. I couldn't accept love at the time. I was really just in a broken state of mind. And when he finally started convincing me that he loved me, it was number one. absolutely necessary for where i am today yes and where we all need to be in receiving his love but as i was going through the bible and especially the book of proverbs and he said he calls us his beloved i hated that i i'm gonna be honest it was like hearing somebody call their girlfriend baby Come on, baby, baby, baby. You know, I just, I find it so offensive. And I was literally offended when I would read the word beloved in the Bible.

35:45 And I was writing out the Proverbs and that I came to those words. And every time I did, I would leave it blank. I wouldn't even write it. I would, I literally told God, I said, God, I cannot, I can't, I can't stand you calling me that. And finally, one day, Holy Spirit says to me, he says, Dorothy, I said, what? Yes, I had an attitude. I said, what? And he said, you love words, right? And I said, yes, I do. You know I do. He says, well, can you do me a favor? I'm like, what? And he said, can you break it apart? I said, what? He said, can you be loved?

36:27 Be loved. I said, I don't know if I can. I don't know if I want to. I'd been hurt so many times by so many people. And he said, I'm not a man that I should lie. And I had to get to that point where I believed him, that he really truly is not the man and the men and the women who have lied and hurt me. And so I finally got to a place that I love to be his beloved. And he is mine. Amen. Song of Solomon, I am my beloved and he is mine. My beloved is mine. Yes. So from that, he started giving me times where I would have an outfit on and he'd be like pointing something out in my closet with more flower, more color, more beauty. And he'd be like, don't you want to wear that? And so I'd be like, I'm just going to the grocery store. And so, but I would change clothes because of course it's a cute outfit or whatever. So I'd change into it and he would be like. Well, why don't you go over there to that coffee shop? Or why don't you go over there and have lunch over there? I hadn't intended on staying out and having coffee or staying out and having a lunch. But he would take it and he would turn it into a date with Jesus. Okay.

37:45 So if anybody sees my Facebook posts, they would see that I have occasionally. One of the only things I actually post are Facebook dates with Jesus. Oh, sweet. So he would take those moments and he would highlight somebody, either my waiter or waitress or a server across the room or a person that's sitting there eating. And he would have me find out their name and write an acrostic word for them about their name or about their identity in him or about who he sees them as. So an acrostic, just explain that for somebody who doesn't understand. So like if your name is Laura, I would take the name. But I would spell it all the way down like I was writing a paragraph. So each line is a different letter.

38:29 So you take L. Let me give an example. L -A -U -R -A. Love isn't always what we expect. Usually you see rightly after God's love hits your heart. Something like that. So it would be the word Laura written straight down instead of across. And then a word would be given from those letters. Yes. That's so beautiful. So he would give me those moments, and it would just encourage me also, not just those people. I can't tell you how many places I've gone. I don't even remember who it was I got the word for. But if it's a server, they'll open up their little book and they'll say, see, look, I still have it. And I couldn't believe they would remember me because a lot of times I would sneak out. Like I didn't want them to know who had left it. Well, one day I was writing and I like to use little Sharpie markers and it's got a little stand and it flips up and then the whole marker package stands there.

39:37 Well, one day I looked over and there's the little muted rectangle and inside is the shiny word Sharpie. And I was like, I never paid attention to that before. And Jesus said, well, that's what I call you. Oh. I said, what do you mean? He said, your nickname. I call you Sharpie. Oh, that's sweet. And I said, well, I don't think that's a good. thing is it a sharpie i mean all i had ever heard was like a pool sharp or something you know somebody who's kind of a scammer and he said well look it up so i go to look it up and he goes look it up in the slang in the american slang dictionary a sharpie is an ostentatiously stylish person oh and i love fashion i love Dressing up and just, you know, feeling freely. And he would encourage you to dress up nicely. Yeah.

40:27 So it's so fun. So this cruise ended up becoming an ultimate date with Jesus. I ended up going on a cruise just a few days ago, getting off the cruise, I should say. And it was a revelation of a promise that he had given to me years ago. But during that cruise, I smelled the smell. And it was this beautiful perfume kind of smell. Well, I smelled it two times in the first day. And then finally that evening, I was like, is there a perfume shop around here somewhere? And one of the stewards was like, yes, there is. So I ended up going down and finding this perfume shop, sniff bottle after bottle. And I finally, about the sixth one, I found it, the smell that I'd been smelling. And it was a perfume called I Want You. C -H -O -O. And it was made by Jimmy Choo. Well, I didn't pay attention. I just thought that was so cute. And I bought the perfume and I get it back to my room. And as I open it and pull it out, it's a gold bottle, which, you know, God in his royalty, all that gold is beautiful.

41:32 And on the front of it, all it says is JC. Yes. So it's put there by Jimmy too, but we know it means Jesus Christ. He made me search out that scent and it was just added in addition to just the beautiful time that I got to have just intimate time with him and learning more about how he loves me. It's just, it's so God is, God is just so good to us and he can be just as good for you if you just give him the opportunity to. To know your heart and for you to know his heart for you. We had one of our interview we did with Cheryl Sempers. I was thinking the same thing. Go ahead. She says, OK, Lord. Yeah. So, you know, she had grown up in a home where her father was a Bible teacher. So, you know, Bible, Bible, Bible all the time she's growing up. But she had had kind of some rough situations that went on. So she was trying really hard to live life without God. And then finally she says, all right, God, I'm going to date you for one year. And if this is really real, then I'll know. And then, you know, if it's not, then I'm walking away.

42:43 I think that was in her mind. So the next day she lost her job. So she had plenty of time. For one year, she was alone with God. Wow. And then God gave her a job and put her to work as an evangelist. And, you know, because she took that time to be alone with God, it developed a relationship where, you know, she's a seer now. She hears from God, just, you know, like you are. Letting him get into your heart, letting him get into your senses, get into your eyes and your ears and your feelings and, you know, really have this walk in the spirit with him.

43:29 Right. It will help you get out from walking in the flesh if you'll take time to let him love you. Amen. So beautiful. So tell us about what you saw as we were praying before we started on this podcast. Just as you asked Holy Spirit what he wanted, I saw horses, dark horses running through and they were running with flames of fire. There were like six horses and every one of them had a huge flame of fire around them. They weren't running through the fire. The fire was running with them. And that's really what your life has been as you've walked with him. And express how that works. There's no way to separate. There's no way to separate yourself.

44:12 Once you've allowed God to envelop you, literally, we are that horse running inside of his flame. Yes. That's beautiful. Yes. I love how the Passion Translation puts it, that his presence is your wraparound shield. Yes. And we've heard Dean Braxton. the man that we know that went to heaven for an hour and 45 minutes, he talks about how it's like you have this bubble around you. So it literally is a wraparound presence, like a sphere around you. You know, it's his presence and he's present inside of you if you've asked him to come and be present inside of you. So you're kind of like sandwiched with his presence inside and outside. You are in him, right? And he is in you. letting him love you because he is love. He is love. And another thing that Dean helped us understand, I had had this experience a number of years ago where I was just really lost in the presence of God. And I felt like he was showing me that originally when he made Adam, he made him so that he would breathe in the presence of God and breathe out worship, that that was the original intent of respiration, you know, before the fall. Then I also saw at the same time, I saw that the presence of God is like oxygen. You can't sense it with your senses, but it's all around you and you can't live without it. Yeah. And that's really what

45:43 the presence of God is. And he made us. we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. You know, he's intimately involved in our lives in so, so many ways. And your testimonies today have helped us see some of the little details that he loves to see too. He just loves, he's in the details, right? So we made the acquaintance of Ivan Tuttle, who also had an experience outside of his body. His body died and only he went to hell. And God, delivered him from hell. He heard this voice ring out that you can't have him. It's not his time. I made a promise to his mother.

46:24 And he was caught away to heaven, to the gate of heaven. He wasn't ready to go in, but he had a little bit of a heaven experience. So I told him what I just told you about this idea of oxygen being like the presence of God. He said, oxygen is the presence of God. So then I asked Dean Braxton about it. He says, well, I guess you could say that oxygen is the presence of God, but I think it would be more accurate to say that oxygen is the love of God. So the very thing that gives us life in our breath, you know, our spirit, the word in Hebrew, ruach, and the word in Greek, which is pneuma. both of them have three meanings, and it's breath, wind, and spirit.

47:15 All three of those in one word. Well, we have three words for it, so we kind of lose the continuity of all those things really belonging together. So our very breath is bringing in the presence of God, is bringing in his love. And so, listener, if you are having trouble sorting out well, I don't feel the love of God. Well, it's all around you and you can't live without it. Just breathe in his love and accept it. Accept it. It's there for you. Would you pray for our listeners? Sure. Father God, we just thank you so much for everything you do for us. We just ask right now that your love would surround those who are listening.

48:01 Father God, we just thank you so much for everything that you do for us. for your favor, for your protection, for your angels that guide and help keep our foot from falling on stones. Father God, we just ask right now that you would continue to impress upon everyone how much your Holy Spirit is meant for their comfort. their friendship and their guidance, Father, that they would not rely upon themselves, that they would learn to lean on Jesus and rely on him for their direction. If they need direction, all they need to do is look at the footsteps of Jesus. Mirror the Father. That's what he said. He said, I do what I see my Father doing. And Father, all you do is love.

48:44 You direct, you guide, you help. So I ask, Father God, that you would help us to follow you, to mirror you, to copy you. We give you all the glory and the honor and the praise, and I just thank you so much for these beautiful people. I ask, Father God, that you bless them in their ministry and bless them in every turn, everything that they need to do to further the kingdom of God and to bring the kingdom of God to earth. I ask for your assistance in their lives and your provision in their life and in their walk and in their ministry. I ask, Father God, that you continue to bless. everything that they've choose to do for you. In Jesus' name, we just thank you. Amen. Amen. Check out our website at globaloutpouring .org to find out more information, read our blogs, connect with us, and donate.

49:52 You can also browse our web store for life -changing anointed books. Until next time, this is Sharon Buss. And I'm Philip Buss. God bless you with His overwhelming, loving presence.