My friend says, “The quickest way to deliverance is repentance.”
Many of our interactions with people in Brazil this year were with men addicted to alcohol, drugs, and spending money on prostitutes at the brothel - things they NEED to be delivered from, to be freed from. Nearly every day God blessed us to be in conversations with men and women who repented and cried out for the life of God for the first time. Some cried out to God themselves, while others were too undone and they asked us to lead them in prayer. A wonderful experience - for them and for us!
After doing a drama outside of the brothel I saw a man just standing in the street. He was drunk. I asked him if I could pray with him and made gestures about giving his heart to God. The man grabbed my hand and held very tightly. He seemed fairly incoherent and we weren’t communicating well so I began to look into his eyes and sing over him - “life, sanctuse (I hoped it was one of the Portuguese words for ‘holy’).” At that point one of our great translators came over and began speaking to him. The man responded, “My wife loves me, but I spend all my money on alcohol and the women at the brothel.” Rock bottom. Although drunk, the man was pouring out honestly from his heart. It was like his real self was crying out to be released from the shameful corpse he had become. We asked him if he wanted to repent and receive the Lord, be forgiven, and free to live a real life. Without reservation he agreed and we prayed together! The man hugged me over and over.
In the type of service we do, it can be easy to question the validity of someone’s response to God’s love, especially if they are under the influence, but I am believing for an authentic work of our God in this man’s life - that his repentance was of the heart and that God’s faithfulness has delivered him.
Oh, God’s eternal and everlasting purpose - “...the glory of God and the glory of the children of God.” Thank You, Lord.
“Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything He wants to do in and through me is taking shape.” - Philippians 1:19 -
much love,
- Riley -
Megan, Fernanda, and I sharing with a man at the brothel. We were in costume most of the night. The graffiti on the door seems to say, LORD!
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