October 12, 2022
Jesus in the Casino!
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (John 10:27)
My precious one, ‘what is your greatest struggle?’ God created you to enjoy the journey and He desires to set you free. I must confess that I am learning how to stop and smell the roses along the way on my journey. I grew up on a farm, and we worked from the moment we got out of bed until it was time to go to bed six days a week. Being raised to live a very disciplined life became a lifestyle for me. When I grew up, and on my own, I found myself not knowing when to stop. Having an office in my home did not help. When I sold Real Estate, clients would call, and schedule late appointments, and I was very accommodating. Many nights it would be 10:00 -11:00 p.m., but as a single woman, that didn’t impact me. I’ve always made time for family, but rarely myself. When I entered the ministry, it was even worse. Your gift can make you or break you. My mercy gift used to be in overload, and it almost destroyed me. Why? I genuinely care about people. Balance and boundaries are beautiful things!
Scheduling time for yourself and Jesus’ time is of utmost importance in your daily walk. Several years ago, my spiritual Mom was working with me, trying to get to the root of not knowing when to stop, and Nothing! Shortly after, I went to dinner with close friends, and he prophesied, ‘I see silver all over you. Silver means Redemption in Hebrew! (Isaiah 44:22) God is about to heal you every place you have been broken/wounded and He’s going to place large gemstones of sapphire on each as a reminder He’s redeemed you from that event!’ I thought, ‘I am already healed!’ I know I am sharing this, and it is for someone!
The next day, I flew to Baltimore, Maryland, to officiate a wedding. Upon arrival, the bride and I went to have lunch, and then she said, ‘Momma Judy, let’s go to the casino for fun!’ Oh, my goodness! My spirit and flesh were warring with each other as we were walking toward the casino. I didn’t say a word, but on my top five list of things I hate the most, gambling may be #1! Why? During, the twenty-one years, I was married, my husband would sneak around going to casinos, horse races, dog races, and gambling frequently. We couldn’t pay our bills many times, and we lost everything we owned in bankruptcy after twenty years of marriage, so this was a hot button for me. I had forgiven him, but there was still a wound in my spirit that needed healing and I was unaware it was there. I have seen many people who gamble and lose it all!
We got about eleven feet from the casino door, and suddenly, Jesus appeared about five feet in front of me in a vision! He was wearing a long ecru robe, a brown sash around His waist, and sandals! He looked at me as if to say, ‘Follow Me!’ (John 10:27) I thought, oh my goodness! ‘Jesus is going in the door to the casino!’ I followed, and quite frankly, the whole thing was like a whirlwind. My spiritual daughter put money in the machine and told me to pull the bar; I did. We were all over that casino trying to find a machine that would give us the big win! However, while I was pulling the bar, I had two encounters with the Holy Spirit that changed my life. Little did I know I was about to be delivered of overworking!
The first thing that happened, was God brought my ex-husband’s face before me and reminded me of the place this happened and what it felt like as I was pulling the bars. The Holy Spirit healed me from the deceit and betrayal sown into me that day! I thought I was healed because I had forgiven him. He lost a lot of money, and we lost everything we had worked for during the marriage. God completely healed me and restored me as I was pulling the bar of a casino slot machine. Fighting the tears, I didn’t want her to know what was going on! Who would imagine?
The next face on the screen (like a vision/movie) was my dad. I kept pulling the bar – then I saw this young eleven or twelve-year-old little girl, Judy. Sunday afternoons were the only playtime we had. My siblings and I had no toys, so I decided to lay out in the sun! I was wearing a pink Sunday dress; I rolled my sleeves up and pulled my skirt up to tan my arms and legs. My Dad saw me and yelled, ‘JUDY, IF YOU CAN’T FIND SOMETHING TO DO, GO TO THE FIELD AND PULL WEEKS!’ As I pulled the bar, I was trying to hide the tears when suddenly, Bar! Bar! Bar! came up on the screen, and I won $1.26. That excited me! Bar! Bar! Bar! came up three times in a row, and I was pulling a bar! Unexpectedly, I saw prison bars in front of me on the screen (in a vision). Jesus took his bare hands, pulled the bars apart, and said, ‘walk through!’ I stepped through the bars! Jesus said, ‘No longer will you be punished for having fun!’ Oh, my heavenly Father, that was the root of me working all the time! I used to work all the time because I didn’t want to be punished for spending the money and later needing it and having regret. I was free and whom the Son has set free is free indeed! (John 8:36)
Then a gentleman in a business suit and headset tapped me on the shoulder from behind and said, ‘excuse me, ma’am, we’re going to have to ask you to leave!’ Loudly I said, ‘WHY?’ Just when I was starting to have fun, I had to go! The man chuckled and said, ‘Judy, it’s me, Dave!’ It was the bridegroom! (Matthew 24:42, 25:13) I got up to hug him and could not believe my eyes! On the back wall in huge, large red-lighted capital letters said, ‘REDEMPTION!’ (Hebrews 9:15)
As we were leaving, the Holy Spirit said, ‘I brought you to the place you were broken/wounded so I could heal you! Today, I placed a huge gemstone of sapphire on the casino in
Baltimore, Maryland, as a monument, to remind you that I healed and redeemed you from both of those events. (Isaiah 54:11b-12, Galatians 3:13) The Word of God says, ‘Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story, those He redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalms 107::2) What the enemy means for your harm, God will turn it around for your good and His glory! (Genesis 50:20) If you struggle with being a workaholic, or any other addiction, I challenge you to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden things of darkness and bring them to light for you to be healed and restored. (1 Corinthians 4:5) Set boundaries and schedule time for yourself and Jesus on your calendar. Allow the Holy Spirit to heal and restore you. (Psalms 147:3) If He can do it for me, He can do it for you!
You can read other supernatural moments that will change your life in my new book: ‘Supernatural Interventions’ and Ignite the Power of God in Your Daily Walk!’ Order your signed copy today at www.judybrooks.org or amazon.com
