Mary closed her eyes and lifted her head and hands toward heaven. "Lord Jesus, we welcome You here. Father God, we worship You. Holy Spirit, we invite You to recreate this place into a reflection of You and a fulfillment of Your plans and purposes. In Jesus name, Amen."
Every eye was filled with tears at the beauty of what God had done. It was with reverence and awe that each woman hugged the other, and then headed toward their cars. The day had been so amazing that Nicole couldn't even begin to think what lay ahead. In that moment, she realized that the intercessors had become both watchmen and warriors.
CHAPTER 8
THE INN
The following week, Jake and Nicole stood outside the Inn. "Lord, what do you want to do with this place? What do you want us to do about it?" they prayed.
When no answer came, they asked that the Father would send His angel of Provision to open up the doors of opportunity for the Inn, and then drove back to the ranch. When Jake opened his email, he had a note from Frederick, a friend who lived several hours away and was a successful business man. There was an attachment about the foreclosure of the Samaritan Inn. Jake read the note to Nicole.
"You are probably already aware of the status on the Inn, but thought I'd let you know of the foreclosure. When I saw it, I remembered the time that you and Nicole took Judy and me to lunch there. It was such an interesting place, it's sad to see it go down. We can only hope that someone will buy it and that it will be even better than before."
Jake hit reply. He responded, "Thanks for the heads up. We are aware, and in fact have been praying about buying it. Of course that would be a miracle and a half. Nicole and some other ladies believe that the Lord is going to give it to them. They have plans for making it into a ministry center, so we'll see what the Lord does. It's all up to Him."
Two days later, Frederick called and asked if they could meet him and Judy for lunch in Samaria. He wanted to talk business.
They met him that afternoon at the café. After catching up with each other's lives, Frederick said, "I want to hear your thoughts and plans for the Inn." So Nicole shared her heart and the things that the intercessors had been praying about.
When Nicole was done, He turned to Jake. "How do you feel about it Jake? Do you share the same vision for the Inn?"
Jake smiled. "Well, it's overwhelming if I stop to think about all the responsibility of running an Inn and restaurant. As for the vision? I’m not sure about anything. At first I was opposed to the idea and didn't want anything to do with it. But it must be God because I found myself saying that we could look into it, and then praying about it. I have to be honest though. I don't have the faith that Nicole does. There is just no way that we can buy it short of a miracle. I won't go into debt to purchase it, and that's pretty much where I stand."
Frederick pressed a little further. "Let's say that God provides the money for you to purchase it. Would you be willing to run it?"
"I'd like to say yes, but all I can really say is that I'm willing to take this a step at a time. Again, I'll be very honest with you. I have no experience running a business and while it sounds good, I wouldn't have a clue how to go about it. I can maintain a building, do repairs and such, but all the other things that go along with it seem overwhelming to me," Jake answered.
Nicole spoke up. "I agree with Jake that we have no experience, and even the time commitment for this project could be overwhelming. However, I have told Jake that if God gives this to us, it is not our personal property, it is God's. The vision the intercessors and I have for it is much more than a one person or one family job. There are others who would have to step in and function with the gifts they have, and I believe that they are ready to do that. It would take some organizing, but the point is, this would be God's Inn, His business and He would show us step by step what we need to do. I would not consider purchasing it for any other reason."
Jake looked intently at Frederick and asked, "What's with all the questions, Fred? What are you thinking?"
Frederick smiled. "I wondered when you'd ask that." He took a swig of coffee before answering. "Several weeks ago before I even saw the foreclosure notice, I had been thinking about the Inn. Like you Jake, all I can figure is that it was God because I couldn't seem to get it out of my mind. I've only been there once with you guys, but I kept seeing it in my mind to the point that it was distracting. I wondered what was wrong with me. I had no idea it was for sale. Then I just happened to see the foreclosure notice and realized that I was supposed to buy it. We have the funds, but the trouble is, there is no way that I can run it. So Judy and I have been praying about what to do about this, and when I read your email, we knew we needed to meet up with you guys and hear your vision for it."
"Wow." That was all Jake could think of to say. Nicole just sat there smiling like she was not surprised at all.
Judy leaned over and shook her husband's arm. "Well don't just leave these people hanging, Fred. Explain what we're thinking."
"Ok. We're talking speculation here." Frederick was smiling now, and he shifted his weight on the bench as if in anticipation of sharing a big surprise. "Let's say that we would purchase the Inn. There are several options here. We could either remain as the owners and you could be the managers, or when you get a board established, we could turn the deed over to you so that you would be the owners. We could provide people to run the business end for as long as you would want them to run it. They can be training you or one of your other people with that leading and gift so that you could take it over when you were ready to if that would be your desire."
Judy added, "We want you to understand that there would be no strings attached. We feel as you do, that God wants this Inn. He has given you a vision for it, and so if this all lines up as it seems to be doing, we would like to gift this to you. But we also understand that you may need more than monetary help at first. We are willing to do whatever we can to help fulfill God's plan for the Inn and for Samaria." She looked at her husband, and then with a funny half smile on her face said to Jake and Nicole, "In speculation, of course."
"We would be like your financial covering until you are able to get established," Fredrick added.
Nicole just sat there, speechless, and smiling bigger than ever. Jake's mouth was hanging open and his eyes were glazed over. Fredrick reached across the table and touched his shoulder. "You ok buddy?"
Jake shook his head as if waking up from a dream. "I don't know. I don't know what to say."
Fredrick laughed. "You don't have to say anything. Tell you what. Let's all go home and pray about this before we make any decisions."
After an incredibly fast escrow, the Samaritan Inn had new owners. They had decided that for the time, Frederick and Judy would remain as owners, and because BLAZE was the community tie between churches, they would be the spiritual covering for the Inn as well as choosing a board of hand picked people who had business experience and a heart for this ministry to help run it.
The first order of business was for the intercessors to spiritually cleanse every inch of that building and property, and the second was to erect a new sign in place of the old one that had said, "A friendly ghost lives here." It now read, "The Holy Ghost lives here."
Frederick and Judy hired Zeke as business manager, and they began working toward getting the Juice and Coffee Bar up and running first, with the opening of the Inn right behind. The large room upstairs was set up as a Worship Center with a stage area awaiting instruments. They set up chairs, but it was not arranged like a church. The vision was for it to be more like someone's living room with couches and tables and lamps. They wanted it to be a place where people could come and relax in the presence of God.
The Lord God had just moved into the heart of Samaria, right where He longed to be.
As the final papers were signed and the Inn became the property of Fredrick and Judy, there was an explosion in the spiritual realm that was hurling IS away from Samaria, and he was spinning out of control. He was being thr
ust from his throne in the heavenlies above Samaria. IS had done everything in his power to stop the sale, but to no avail. When he finally came to a stop, he took stock of his situation. He was on the outskirts of Samaria, and there was a huge portal between the earth and God's domain over the Inn. He was no longer the ruler in the areas where the portals had opened. He had lost his rights to control the heart of Samaria.
IS sat licking his wounds for several minutes, and then began to formulate his plans. He never gave up. He was a relentless soul hunter and there were plenty of people that he could still manipulate and control within Samaria. He would work on taking back the ground he had lost. He would just have to find the back door. In fact that back door was just across the street! He may have lost his throne, but his next thoughts comforted him and stroked his damaged pride. He would set up shop in the Banning Building. A perfect place to begin staging a kidnapping, murder, and oh so much more. Yes!
CHAPTER 9
ZERA
As the Inn was getting established, Nicole and Casie were both spending a lot of time there, and loving every minute of it! For Nicole, it was like a dream that was coming true. Even Jo had his special place on the patio under the big oak tree where he could watch over all the people who came and went. He quickly became a favorite and had no objections when he was rewarded with goodies.
Worship took place every morning at 9:00 and it was open to everyone. The weather was nice, so they were able to do this outside on the patio. At times, people walking by stopped and joined them. Nicole was also pleased that people who hadn't felt welcome there before were now coming for morning worship and were also enjoying the new coffee and juice bar. There had been some disappointed customers when they realized that the bar no longer served alcohol, but even some of them had returned to purchase a cup of coffee and visit.
This was to be a place of miracles because God's heart of love for His people was in the heart of Samaria. The intercessors wanted people to know and experience the God of the Bible, the God who loved them, forgave them, accepted them, delivered and healed them.
Nicole battled with the programming of the religious voices she heard inside her mind. She did believe that God still worked miracles, but she questioned if He would do miracles for people who didn't seem to care anything about following Him. She prayed for answers and that her faith would increase. And God provided opportunity for both.
She was outside sweeping the patio when she heard a thud followed by screams. She looked up and saw that someone had been hit by a car in front of the Inn. Without thinking, she dropped the broom and ran toward the accident. As she approached the front of the car, she heard the driver get out and cry, "Oh No! Oh please, No! He stepped right out in front of me!"
She saw that the man lying in the street was Aleck, a crotchety older man who lived strictly for himself and had rejected God and anything having to do with Him, time and time again.
Nicole saw that he was conscious, although in shock. His leg was lying at an extremely bad angle and blood was beginning to seep through his jeans onto the pavement.
She heard someone calling 911. She wondered why no one from the fire department had responded, then remembered that they were out on a call. People were gathering around the scene, but no one knew what to do for the man in the street.
Nicole knelt down beside him and leaned over his face. "Aleck, I'm Nicole. Do you remember me?"
He opened his eyes and although they were glazed with pain, he looked at her and said, "Yes."
She smiled. "Aleck, the ambulance is on the way, but I would like to pray for you. Is that ok with you?"
He closed his eyes. "It won't do any good. God hates me."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because I hate Him."
"It may be true that you hate Him, but He doesn't hate you. He loves you! There is nothing you could do to cause God to hate you because that would go against His very nature."
Nicole touched his hand and asked again. "May I pray for you, Aleck?"
"If you want."
Surprised but pleased, she wasted no time. "Lord Jesus, You are the creator of the earth and nothing is too hard for You. You are God of love, compassion, grace and mercy. I am appealing to You right now on behalf of my friend Aleck. Please show Him how much You love Him. Please heal this broken leg." Nicole lightly touched the area above the wound. "I'm asking in Jesus name that You Lord God will put the bone back in place and that you will take away the pain and heal all the wounds. I ask this in faith believing that by Jesus' stripes, Aleck is healed. Thank you for hearing and answering. Amen."
When Nicole opened her eyes, Aleck was looking at her rather strangely. "What is it, Aleck?"
He lifted his head a bit and said, "It's not possible. I don't believe it."
"What don't you believe?"
"That God will help me. But the weird thing is that the pain is gone."
Nicole smiled and clapped her hands. "Well I believe it! I have faith for you, and I know that God is healing you because He wants you to know that He loves you!"
They heard the sirens in the distance coming closer. Aleck closed his eyes a moment, then pushed himself up into a sitting position as the ambulance pulled up beside them.
Nicole got out of the way and the paramedics moved in. One of them began splitting the leg of Aleck's jeans from the bottom up. The other had urged Aleck to lie back down and was questioning him.
"Sir, can you tell me your name?"
"Aleck."
"Ok Aleck, we are going to get you fixed up here in just a minute. Can you tell me about your pain? On a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst, what number is your pain?"
Aleck didn't even hesitate. "Zero."
"I don't think you understood the question Aleck…"
"I understood just fine, mister!" Aleck grumbled. "You don't understand the answer. I said I don't have any pain!"
Nicole watched as the medic at Aleck's leg stopped cutting the material and a quizzical expression crossed his face. One eyebrow lifted and he called for his partner.
"Marty, what do you make of this?"
Marty moved down and looked at the leg, then at Aleck, then back at the leg. He scratched his head.
The first medic said, "I don't understand this. Your leg should be broken. And there's wet blood here, but no wound. Aleck, can you move your leg at all?"
Slowly Aleck began to move his leg back into its rightful position. "Well I'll be!" He exclaimed. He started to get up and the paramedics tried to keep him down.
"We should take you in and get you checked out, Aleck."
"Oh no you don't!" he said and jumped up before they could restrain him. "God healed me, and I'm goin' home."
Ray pulled up just in time to watch him pick up his hat and dust it off against his thigh.
With a disgusted look on his face Aleck said, "Now what'd you have to go and ruin a perfectly good pair of pants for?" And to everyone's amazement, he marched off toward his house.
Nicole was stunned. God had healed him! But had it changed him? She realized that she didn't need to worry about that. All she needed to do was to administer God's love to the hungry, hurting people like Jesus did when He was on earth, and He would do the changing as people were willing.
And, when they were willing, God's people would be there to help deliver them from the hindrances of their past and to teach and disciple them in God's Word and His love and His holiness.
She suddenly saw that the battle within her had been religion against God's love. She should have known that God's love always wins!
She smiled about God's goodness and Aleck's stubbornness all the way back to the Inn. Jesus surely was here in Samaria, just like He had said He would be.
Miracles began happening every day. Some seemed small, but Nicole was just as thankful for those as she was the big ones. Things like a shipment of coffee getting lost and then another arriving unexpectedly just before they ran out. Or the beginning of a relationshi
p with a hot, thirsty child stopping in to ask for a drink of water…or a cookie. Nicole always had a plate of her homemade "Trinity" cookies sitting out for the customers, especially the children, because she wanted them to feel comfortable and welcome at the Inn. Or the healing of a broken heart, a broken spirit, a broken arm; anything broken.
Or lost.
One afternoon a woman came bursting into the Inn. "Help! Somebody help me!" she yelled as she stood in the entryway. Everyone came running.
"What is it?" Nicole asked? "What's wrong?"
"My baby! My baby!" she began sobbing and fell to the floor as if all the energy in her body had left her.
Nicole and Casie knelt down beside her. "What about your baby?" Casie asked.
"She's been kidnapped!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Between sobs the mother poured out the story. "She was in the front yard waiting for the school bus. I went inside for just a minute to get a cup of coffee and when I came back, she was gone. At first I thought that the bus had come early, and then I realized that I hadn't heard the bus. I walked around the yard calling her but she wasn't there. I looked up the street and saw some other children still waiting, and no bus. When the kids saw me, two of them came running and told me that they had seen a car pull up beside her and that it looked like she was pulled inside, and then it drove away. How did that happen so fast? Why did I leave her out there alone?" And the lady began to moan and cry. "My poor, poor baby!"
Casie asked, "What's your name?"
"Shari."
"Have you called 911?"
"Yes, Ray and Gary came right away and got a report."
The Soul Redeemer: From Victim to Victory Page 11
