Praise You? Right now?

Triumphant Victorious Reminder

Inspired by Holy Spirit

Written by: Teresa Criswell

It was that moment where panic tried to stir when SUDDENLY I heard in my spirit, "Praise Me now..." - and so I began praising God right there (Here I was at a stoplight on my way home in my vehicle that I call my JESUS car as it was a gift from HIM through some very special people in my life)! Let me not forget to point out that the whole week the engine light had come on and I ignored it and not only did I ignore it but I also didn't tell my husband on purpose (We'll go there later).

So fast forward to the moment as the light turned green, I stepped on the gas pedal and my car would not go more than about 10 miles an hour when I noticed my car was revving. As I looked down at the dashboard I noticed my RPM's were going over 7,000 while simultaneously I noticed cars were fast approaching behind me as they didn't realize I was almost at a stop. At first my "knee jerk" reaction was to "fight" the enemy by telling him where to go as so many thoughts were whirling as that still small voice instructed me to turn my hazards on, tap on the break to communicate to the other drivers approaching to slow down all the while He was showing me not to fight the enemy but instead to praise HIM.  I laugh looking back at that moment as wait until you see what happens next...

I know it was a GOD moment when this Cadillac Escalade came up closely behind me and patiently followed me as the driver must have known something was wrong.  With that Escalade behind me, they unknowingly escorted me from the middle lane to the right lane so I could turn right on the closest street which just so happened to be Angus Street. As I pulled over on the shoulder I turned my car off for a few minutes and then turned it back on as I noticed I was in between an apartment complex and a Prosperity Bank...don't you love that name...Prosperity?

So here I am praising GOD, while now asking Holy Spirit, "What do I do next?" First I called my local Firestone and let them know to be expecting me in a couple hours and then I called road side assistance in which I was told it would be the typical 50-70 minute wait.  A seemingly inconvenient moment turned into a Philippians 4:6 moment, "Do not worry about anything, pray about everything..." for this is the reason...."it will guard your heart and mind with the peace of GOD..." And here are some of the things I prayed:
- Favor and I'll have so much joy stirring when the tow truck driver comes
- Driver will come fast and not have to wait too long
- if this is for the driver to see GOD's hope, then I'm all for this
- What was meant for distractions and inconvenience is an opportunity for GOD TO BE SEEN IN JESUS NAME
- Diagnosis and car cost will be paid for and covered with GOD's provision
- Let me remind myself and anyone else who reads this, the enemy gets no glory for this - ONLY GOD's provision of what HE's about to do next!!! I can't wait to see!!!!!!! 

Without fail, the results of GOD's WORD  from Philippians 4:6 is exactly what happened - peace seemed to rest on and in the car, all the while seeming to surround me and although at first it was an intentional moment to praise as I didn't "feel" like it - in that moment as I felt the goodness of GOD I told HIM I was sorry for not telling my husband about the engine indicator light - after that I began to praise GOD again, not singing (O Lord, you wouldn't want to hear that, HA!), but just simply declaring WHO HE IS!

In moments my ability to understand seemed to explode and it became like first nature as I prayed in the Spirit and in that time I said, "Lord, I know I'm here for a reason, what is it?" And that is when I felt that impression/unction to pray for the area I was in.  I remember saying, "I don't have authority in this area", and that is when I knew, HE was giving me the right to pray in HIS authority. In that moment as I prayed in the Spirit, I don't remember if I said it out loud or if I just saw or heard in my spirit, but in that moment the words, "Set the captives free" came to me.  That's when I felt that unction to look down at my dashboard and I noticed the engine indicator light was off.  I was puzzled and then said, "Lord! Is this You okaying me to drive to the Firestone?" "Or do you want me to wait for the tow truck driver?" "Lord, I don't want to do the "Gideon" on you, but if you want me to stay here, then the indicator light will come back on - but if You are okay with me leaving then I will praise and pray all the way there. Now mind you my car is where I love to pray and many times get unction to do so on a regular basis, but this time had ever greater intention of focusing on THE FATHER more than anything else, even more than "hoping" for a good result with my car.

As I arrived at the Firestone, of course they were amazing and after diagnosing the issue they found no codes appearing except an old history code and something else that would be best for the dealer to look at...but other than that the car was just fine and guess what?  Do you remember my number 5 declaration? It was that the diagnosis and car cost will be paid for and covered with GOD's provision, well it was covered as they said I owed nothing. No matter what the issue or circumstances are - GOD is worthy to be praised.

Yet there's one more important thing to know...as I shared this testimony with a few ladies at a meeting I had in my home - one of the ladies looked up the name "Angus" - remember that's the name of the road I turned right on to pull over...well guess what it means? It comes from the Celtic meaning of "God of Love" and also means unnaturally strong and ONLY choice! In that moment on November 1st, I ran right smack into the deeper parts of the GOD of LOVE as HE was my only choice; one WHO IS supernaturally strong but who is also STRENGTH HIMSELF WHO I got to see in a new way - yet again! A seemingly inconvenience turned into a divine appointment of HIM showing me how HE inhabits the praises of HIS people.

(Oh and yes, as my husband picked me up at the Firestone, I did let him know that I knew about the indicator light and told him I didn't want him to know so he wouldn't stop me from going and doing the things I needed to get done throughout the week.  He looked at me and such patience plainly said, "Teresa, please don't do that again...this is about your safety and the longevity of the car and we would have figured out a way for you to get what you needed to get done throughout the week.")