Just one week later, Beverly was radiant. I approached her after the church service.

“How was your week?” I asked.

“God was so good,” she replied. She had asked God to resolve a long-standing accounting problem at work and it cleared up that day. By Friday, when she normally would deal with the week’s stresses by having dinner and cocktails with friends, she ordered ice tea.

“What did your husband think?

“It’s funny,” Beverly explained, “but it’s not my husband that encourages my having a few cocktails. It’s me. He hasn’t had a drink in fifteen years! He’s actually said before, ‘you don’t have to drink if you don’t want to’. It’s more me and the relaxation thing. I believe the crux of the matter is the stress that comes with my work and finding a new/alternative way to blow off some steam!”

Beverly then shared about a phone call from two girlfriends on Wednesday. Both had had too much to drink. Beverly was able to call one of her friends back on Thursday. She shared how God was helping her and encouraged her friend to return to church.

“It was good for me to be aware of how silly my friends were when they were drunk,” Beverly continued. “I love the interaction with our friends, and I think it’s important that I face the temptation to drink because it’s always going to be there one way or the other throughout the rest of my life. It’s a matter of my being willing and able to listen to my ‘inner voice’. One of the girls I socialize with is one that I’m praying for her salvation, and if I avoid contact with her, how can I ever share the gospel with her and be a witness as far as the changes in my life? I’ve already told her that I’m going to church, and shared with her.”

Beverly and I had exchanged a few e-mails during the week after she had prayed to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She closed one of her e-mails with: “What you showed me yesterday regarding asking forgiveness immediately and not letting the guilt fester is important for me to do. I’ve already put that into action. Thanks for your concern and help. Please keep in touch with me.”

So already, in one week, Beverly has applied allowing the Holy Spirit to direct her life and begun sharing about her new life with her family and several friends.

Part 2 of 2 < Prev Next >