AFTER 10+ YEARS OF PRAYER, SALVATION HAS COME! (end revised on 2/19/13)

    In the middle of a Sunday night, God woke me, and I felt led to pray. I asked the Holy Spirit who he wanted me to pray for, and a specific neighbor family was impressed upon my heart.  As I prayed down the demonic realm for these neighbors, the Holy Spirit prompted my heart to pray for an opportunity to speak to my neighbors about Christ.  That very morning it happened!!!
         As my husband was leaving for work, God burdened his heart to have certain weeds removed out of a certain area of the drive next to our neighbors home.  He asked me if I wouldn't mind doing it.  I felt peace about it.  God wanted me to do it even though I had other things on my plate for the day. 
        God helped me find a perfect cutting tool, and I went to work on the area.  The father of the family started up his car.  I began to pray, and sought the Holy Spirit on how He wanted me to approach this man that I had been praying for for over 10 years.  The Holy Spirit prompted my heart that I must ask him how I could pray for him as I worked on the weeds.  I figured he was just leaving to find a job, but he wasn't....
           As the neighbor drove by, I noticed he had his window down.  I felt he was leaving an open door for me to talk to him.  I put out the question of how could I pray for him.   He looked down, and then back at me and said he was just about to head out and go talk to God.  He began to open up to me as never before.  God had me speak so much truth to him with such a godly love that could only have come from the Holy Spirit, and I am sure it overwhelmed him.  Verses even came to my lips with such ease!
        I told him that it had to start with his relationship with Jesus before he could have the power to pray for his family.  It was the Holy Spirit who guided me as I spoke to him.   This man started to cry, and I reached over and put my hands on his arm.
        He was so heartsick with what was happening with his marriage.  He said things were happening to their family that had never happened before.   He was afraid he might lose his wife of 30 years because he had made some wrong moves in the last month.  
        We talked about many spiritual truths of the Bible!   I answer many questions he had about God.  Especially the one of why can a God allow such suffering?  The Holy Spirit did an amazing job leading me to know what to say!
       I told him it was God who would change him once he received him as his Savior.  He said, "Really?!"   Then I prayed with him.  During the prayer, the Holy Spirit prompted me to encourage him to pray to either recommit his life to Christ or to cried out to God in repentance.  When I was done praying, we looked at each other.  A softness had come across his face that I had never seen before.  I encouraged him to go off and talk to God.
       About a day later, I asked the God to let me come in contact with him again to find out what were the catalysts that drove him to Jesus.  Finally, the moment came.  I was driving up the neighborhood road when he was just about to exit his drive.   He chose to pull forward and let me get by first.
       As I drove by, I stopped the car and jumped out.   The neighbor moved towards me with a big smile on his face.  However, just then one of his dogs came up to me.   I was ready to love on the dog when things turned vicious!  Visually he looked as though he was nuzzling me, but what I felt were bites that hurt!  The neighbor did not call his dog off, but smiled real big because he knew his dog.  It doesn't bite!   My spirit sensed it as satanic attack, so quickly I cried out in my spirit, "God help me!"  The dog stopped coming at me, and later I looked at the areas, and there were no injuries as a true bite would have done.
       Satan tried to use this to keep me away or cause friction, but I chose to ignore it.   I ended up asking my neighbor pinpointed questions like "Do you believe that Jesus is God?"  He said"Yes!"  "Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again to save you?" Again, he said yes!   I asked him if he had "agonized with God over his sin, and understood he needed a Savior?"  He said "yes!"   He agreed with me that it was not just saying words of a prayer with a wall of Pride still up, but it had to be with a humbled heart agonizing over one's sin, understanding the need of a Savior, that would bring about a true change.
       Once the Holy Spirit confirmed in my heart he was a Christian, I hugged him and said, "Welcome to the family!"  He grinned big.  I asked him if he knew where his boys were in their spiritual journey.  He said he didn't know.  I recommended that he have them listen to Lee Strobel - a CD I had given one of his boys about two years ago.
       Days later, for a Valentines gift, I found in our gift room two DVD's, one that was by Lee Strobel.   I had no idea we even had it!   Our family ended up giving this neighbor family not only the DVD of "Facing the Giants,"  but also the DVD, "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel.
       This man loves his wife and wants her back in his arms again.   God used me to help lead him to the truth and confirm his salvation, and teach him how to pray.    I will now encourage him to come under a church, and I will help to pray his wife back to him.   I am seeking the Holy Spirit for guidance.