What time is it?

To God be the GLORY for everything because He is the one who works in and through us! Hallelujah!

Day 2 of 3 of fasting.  I wake up from a great sleep which is awesome because last time I fasted I had trouble sleeping because of my intense hunger pangs.  Ready for the day, I go downstairs, drink water and start to pray, repenting of my stubbornness and asking God for greater faith and to show me anything He wants me to know today.  I feel great. God fills me and covers me with his mercy and grace.  I get ready for class slowly and weakly, then remind myself that the Lord is my strength which turns around my weary attitude.  I am late to class again, big surprise.

OKAY SO HERE'S WHERE IT GETS GOOD

Here I am minding my own business walking to class, praying off and on and wondering if the class has already started the daily quiz.  All of a sudden I hear a guy's voice, "Excuse me, what time is it?"  I stopped and for some reason came up the steps of the walkway to the front porch where a guy was sitting inquiring about the time.  I tell him.  He then asks if I have my phone to know the exact time and I tell him I don't have it, sorry-thinking he was messing with me.  Anyway, a big garbage truck drives by and is incredibly noisy, so I walk up even closer to see what he is saying..just small talk. Then, out of the blue he says, I believe God is my dad and He is mad at me because he keeps breaking my walkman.  Do you have a faith? He asks.  Yes , I say. I believe in God and follow Jesus.  JESUS? His face lights up and he summons me to sit next to him on his porch.  Talk to me, he says.  I'm a very lost and confused man.

Side note- This is the exact same house that I walked past yesterday and had the short chat with the two guys and then earnestly prayed for salvation for them.  I knew this was kind of like my second chance to do what God had asked of me yesterday, so I decided to forget about class and talk to this guy. even though it meant missing a quiz and 2 hour lab that I can't make up.

I sit down and he tells me he knows God is speaking to Him and get a hold of him but He also says that God hates him because he wants to be himself.  For the duration of our conversation, he is smoking pot, drinking pepsi, has tobacco in his mouth behind his lower lip, and is lighting cigarette butts getting all he can out of each one.

We talked for about an hour.  Our conversation consisted of him telling me some horrible things he had experienced in the military with heads being smashed, limbs being scattered, etc.   He talked about how he hates his life and that he is effed up.  He talked about how many different types of religions he believed in from being around the world and seeing these innocent people with these beliefs suffer horrendously.  He also told me that when God has told him to do something it has all worked out and he feels like God is calling him/forcing him to come to Him and give up who he is.  He told me how beautiful I was several times and I replied with a "thank you" which completely surprised him.  I guess most girls he hangs out with can't take a complement or don't believe they are created by the Lord in His image.  He said he was afraid to talk to girls because of a scab on his face.  He told me he was 27 and how he has had about seven girlfriends who seemed to have all left him and he still hasn't been able to figure out what he did wrong.  He said they all started with "getting in each other's pants" and I said, well there's a part of the problem right there! And he completely agreed!  I was like, that's not God's plan for relationships.  And he said, "I KNOW!  I used to think it was....Things always get weird after that happens."  He talked most of the time continuing about all the stuff he has gone through and experienced.  Telling me he is a bad person and taking a huff of pot and shaking his head whenever I started in about God, resisting like crazy.

Something totally amazing was when he started saying that I broke his CD player (remember, earlier he said that God broke it).  Like, he knew better than I did that the holy spirit is in me.  I replied with no I didn't.  You said God did.. And he said, Same thing.

Fundamental truths I spoke to him..
-God loves you the same as he loves me nomatter what you've done or who you are
-God doesn't want you to hate your life
-God has amazing plans for you and will use all of the horrible things you have experienced for good
-Your future can be glorious because of how God works out the bad
-God will not force you to do anything you don't want to

He then told me that a guy from my college group had come and prayed for him the other day while he was completely wasted and doing "crazy s#%t".  Which totally blew my mind! God is seriously trying to get a hold of you, I said.   He also said that the guy invited him to the college bible study tonight and he is going!  Praise the Lord.  God is in control and fights for the most unlikely people (not to mention uses the most unlikely people in His battle aka-ME).  I'm praying that God will really reveal Himself to him tonight.  Which, obviously God set all of this up in His perfect plan so that He could reveal Himself to him.  Thank you Jesus!

One more thing to add...

While I was on his porch, a homeless guy was there asking a question about the bottles he was collecting from their yard.  On my way home, I ran into the guy again and started talking to him in the back alley.  I just asked him how his day was going and he said it was good and he was just trying to get by, collecting cans for a little money.  He asked me about school and then was on my way shortly after.  When I came in the house, I knew I had to give him the entire full container of trail mix I just made the day before my fast.  I came outside and he wasn't there, but I just set it in his cart.  I hope he isn't allergic to nuts, I thought as I plopped it in his cart.  God knew he wasn't :)

I doubt I would've done that if I wasn't fasting, and half of it probably would've been gone by then too.  God is so good.  He is revealing to me more and more of who I am called to be in this world and showing me just how much He does and how little I do.  I want this abundant living all the time!  I know I can do nothing without God's love in me.  He really poured it in today.  I am seeing how God really meant it for good reason when he called his people to fast regularly.

For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things -Psalm 107:9