My family was attacked by a demon.
Crazy, yes, but true.
Check out what happened, and what you should do if it ever happens to you
James 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
I ran into a man who dislikes Jesus; yet, we watched together as Jesus healed his leg pain and a blood clot. I see him regularly on my walks, so the adventure will continue I am sure #NormalChristianLife
I got pray for an agnostic guy with Chronic Lyme pain. The pain in his knee left, but more importantly he was so thankful that I would care about him that he hugged me. I hope I see him again as I know he has some other pain issues I’d love to pray for.. #NormalChristianLife
There are reports worldwide of incredible miracles being done in the name of Jesus. Claims that the sick are healed, the blind receive site, the deaf receive hearing, and the dead are being raised.
Is it true, is it a hoax, is it just placebo effect?
Check out the first video (right) and tell me what you think?
In the past year, I have witnessed a number of miracles that have challenged my traditional thinking. Traditional in that I have long worked in the most data-driven scientific industry that exists: biotechnology/pharma. I am naturally a skeptical person, and am well-experienced in the scientific method, and so I demand data and evidence before forming my conclusions – especially when people tell me the dead are being raised and the sick are being healed!
The lady had a husband she hated because he was violent and abusive. Then he got sick and died, and she was so happy. She was only saved one week, but she remembered that Mama Heidi said we should forgive. So she forgave her dead husband, and he suddenly got up, resurrected! She brought him to church, and here he is with Heidi giving his heart to Jesus! – Heidi Baker (Follow on Facebook)
At first, these stories of healings came through the testimony of friends and acquaintances, so I had to just take their word for it – not an easy thing for me to do. For example, I heard that someone I respect prayed for a blind person, and their sight returned. I heard again that a pastor prayed over a dead man, and they came back to life. A friend of mine on Facebook shared many testimonies of Jesus calling them to pray for others, and the people were healed. These stories, such as the ones to the right and below, seemed incredible to me; yet, it is what the bible says is possible with Jesus, so I kept an open mind and started a conversation with God about it.
My friend Judith, a reputable high government official here, was used by the Lord to raise a lady from the dead here in Nairobi. The EMT had done everything to try and revive the woman and they failed after 30 minutes and declared her dead. Judith, after praying, walked up to the lady and commanded her to LIVE in Jesus Name. She sat up, and went home to her children.
Even though I remained skeptical, especially with there being so many healings that could have fallen into the placebo effect or even lying category, the stories continued to grow in reliability around me. For example, my biological mother – whom I had only recently met since I had been adopted at birth – prayed for my grandmother’s broken shoulder in the hospital, and the shoulder was healed, proved by x-rays. Then the Lord healed my furnace, which seems ridiculous to some but was a powerful proof to me. Then a friend asked to me pray for their leg pain, and it was immediately healed. Another friend had neck pain for months, and a single prayer, along with God’s grace, healed it.
I had throbbing pain at the top of my neck and base of my skull that would wake me up at night for 6 months. While spending time with friends, God showed my friend Jeff a vision of someone in the room having that exact pain, but another friend said she had neck pain, so I remained silent. Jeff prayed for them; yet, I ended up being completely healed. I have not had any pain since.– Sally
The same with a couple other friends as well, where I saw fear of flying disappear, crippling back pain relieved in a couple of people, anxiety replaced with peace, traumatic injuries healed, migraines melt away, and more.
I mentioned that my knee was still hurting after an impact injury 2 weeks before that kept me limping a bit, when my 2 year old son put his hand on it and said something like: “pain go away, Dios loves Dada”, (Dios is Spanish for “God”). My pain was instantly gone and never returned. I told my son I had much to learn from him.
– Jeff Daniels (Follow on Facebook)
I am glad to say that the testimonies around me also became more than word of mouth, as many people I know, many of whom a year ago did not believe in such miracles, have not only been seeing such miracles happen regularly, but many have started video recording them to share encouragement to the world that Jesus Christ is God, that what He says is true, and that He loves people.
Said a simple command prayer in Jesus name and his leg gets healed and he hands me his cain…He said he doesn’t have any pain, and he can walk normal….Go Jesus!!!!!!
Jesus healed our friend tonight. Frank came to the meeting in excruciating back pain, and now look at him…doing windmills!
Amazingly, dozens of my friends are now seeing miracles regularly, nearly 30 of whom are recording them, and that number is growing quickly! Keep in mind that several of these friends do not know each other and are not influenced by each other.
I’ve had issues with breathing over the years. My nose gets really dry and bleeds and hurts. Tonight on the way home I told [my wife] to pray for my nose to be healed and in the name of Jesus she prayed several times and my nose feels perfectly normal (which is not normal for me at all). Praise God miracles are still happening! Weeks Later, still healed.
– Ian Macomber (Follow on Facebook)
Since the media has no interest in such stories, I thought I’d compile some from my friend’s stories (and a few others) so the church might see God’s goodness is at work.
If you are reading this and don’t understand what Jesus has done for you nor have accepted the life that He is offering as a free gift to you, please ask God to tell you about Jesus, or message any one of the people mentioned in this blog and ask them to tell you Who Jesus is and how you might come to know Him.
I hope you enjoy the videos, and that you’ll SHARE this with your friends as a challenge and an encouragement. I included Facebook links to those friends that welcome friend requests if you’re interested in continuing the conversation. Feel free to follow me as well for more updates. More importantly, I encourage you to strike up a conversation with God Himself about how you can grow in intimacy with Him – as He calls you alongside Him in His amazing work.
I ran into a friend in the ER hallway. She told me she has plantar fasciitis in both feet and lives with constant pain. I knelt down on the floor and placed my hands on her feet and commanded them to be healed. A minute later she said all the pain was gone and she was rejoicing – rather loudly. She yelled out, “How did you do that?” I told her I cheated. “It was God and He loves you very much.”
Jesus said: “heal the sick and say to them, The kingdom of God is near” – Luke10:9
https://youtu.be/fQP8hH_6Yy8?t=57s
Had pain in His chest due to sore muscles.Asked a guy if He would mind If I filmed Him for teaching purposes.
For 16 years, I have experienced migraines that are triggered by bright light, and last an entire day. One day, I got a glimpse of the sun soaked snow out of the window. It was so brief, I doubted it would result in a migraine, but it did. The entire day was horrible, and I struggled greatly to care for my 2 year old and 4 month old that day. When the day was over and I promised myself I wouldn’t look outside the next day. Despise my efforts, another migraine began to set in. Devastated, I laid down on the couch with my eyes covered, and felt flattened at the thought of having another horrible day. The migraine was already in full swing, and that’s when I felt the Lord say: “Don’t hide from the light”. So, while I was thinking about how that was all I WANTED to do, he said: “Rise Up”. I knew immediately, this meant to get up and carry on with the day. For some extraordinary reason, I did! I stood up, and as soon as I did felt like I would vomit. So, I walked into the bathroom and suddenly had tons of verses and sentences come to my mind about who I am in Christ. I began to speak them out loud as declarations to the demonic realm. As I did this, I felt the migraine losing its grip on me! I continued for a few minutes, and then felt the Lord say: “Now worship me!” So, I turned on some music and began to praise Him with my son. I felt like I was floating, and the migraine had completely disappeared. All of this happened in a span of approximately 30 minutes! What a miracle! What extraordinary love, that God would come on that gray winter morning, to my little snow buried house, and rescue me from that pain! I have experienced two similar situations since then, and now know that I must resist the temptation to fear them!
Chris…tore his hamstring last night playing touch football. He could not walk at all with out his crutches because of the pain. So we prayed for him and he was totally healed!! He Is now walking around pain free! He said his biggest concern now was having to carry his crutches around. YAY JESUS! #UNSWREVIVAL #normalchristianlife #revival #jesus #healed
Jesus was able to touch a Hispanic young man with his wrist wrapped up…he’d been bitten by a spider…Jesus healed the spider bite and there was no more itch. Then Jesus touched a man named Roy. He had pain in his left foot and knee. The pain left his knee…going from a [level] 7 down to just a slight irritation, despite his [negative] words about surgery.
I woke up four days ago and could hardly breathe. I knew in my spirit that it was an attack that I had never experienced before. It lasted about three days. I kept speaking God’s Word regarding fear and standing on God’s Word until last night I felt a “breakthrough” and knew God had given the victory. The entire time a lot of my friends held me up in prayer. Had they not done so, I probably would not be here today.
Cindy Samani, Steven James Austin and I laid hands on my Dad when he had stage 3 throat cancer…he was completely healed…You have the power that raised Christ from the dead in you, in your born again spirit to heal others in the mighty name of Jesus!
I was a police officer in narcotics, and abused my body and mind. I was diagnosed with macular degeneration and became completely blind…put on disability, sent to Oregon Commission for the Blind. I was introduced to Jesus. My prayer was “Lord, cleanse my mind.” I felt the Lord say “you are clean”. I opened my eyes and realized I could see – my vision was totally restored. I was able to come off disability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7WJeyEomhs
Miracle testimony Easton, Pa June 6, 2015. Rotator cuff healed after 10 years of suffering.
Posted by Roger Webb on Sunday, June 7, 2015
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End
This morning I took some warm bread and coffee for a walk down a tiny forest path leading to a lake. As I walked, I prayed I wouldn’t get destroyed by bugs and cobwebs. As I walked, there were no mosquitos, but I did get a number of webs on me. It was well worth it though as I arrived to the beautiful seen below, being reminded of where the journey through this valley of darkness ultimately leads me.
While I was frustrated by the cobwebs, it made me think about those who have walked down the dark paths before me, removing many hindrances. So many amazing people have led the way in this world for me to now receive the graces I have from God – I cannot help but be in awe.
There is of course Jesus who gave me victory over all my sin and Who set my feet on a path called “Grace by Faith” which will lead me home. Through the path He cut, people labored to clear many obstacles, such as Martin Luther who cut away the belief that we must “earn” grace from God. I no longer have to fight that battle, as we know Jesus clearly taught that grace is a gift from God’s love for us. Many others cut the way for me to see that faith prevails in hardship, such as George Washington Carver, Smith Wigglesworth, and the many unknown people who stood in faith against persecution – such as the blacks at Emmanuel Church in South Carolina who stood immovable for the right to worship God through a long history that continues even today. I have personally been blessed by the faith and stepping out of many people in my own life as well, who God used to change my life forever.
There are far too many to name them all, but these are the ones I was remembering this morning. Be blessed by the stories of each:
Firstly, My family, who I added details at the end, who cared for me and became a tangible way for God to teach me about who I am and who He is making me to be.
Charissa Nuttleman in NE and the people of Cru who did nothing more than display their personal love for God publicly and without shame, showing me that perhaps my hatred of God should be reconsidered.
The faithless friends I lived a wretched lifestyle with who revealed to me that no hope or lasting joy will ever be found in the things of this world.
Savannah my beautiful bride who taught me that we can rest in God, and showed me endurance and love that never fails, and showed me that even in our weakest times God grants grace to rise up with power over the things that oppress us. And for Bruce, Valorie, Drew, and Laura for investing in Savannah and helping to build her faith into the strong tower she has become.
Gale Gibson in WY, a woman unknown to me until less than 2 years ago. She turned out to be my biological mother, whom God called into the faith very possibly the same day of the same year as He called me – 11 years prior – reuniting us through grand design for an amazing purpose. She introduced me to the Spirit of God inside me and His desire to show His love in tangible and limitless ways in and through me.
David Joseph in AZ, a former atheist turned into ‘Praying Medic’ through his willingness to step out in the faith God spoke into him, resulting in an incredible journey of thousands of people being healed of severe sicknesses, and now for his going where God leads him in discipling the church.
Abner Sriramula in India, a 20 year old in India who showed me that God’s miraculous power does not require any earthly resources to accomplish its goals. He has seen the sick healed, orphans find a loving Father, and the oppressed find compassion and grace.
Sandra Gannon who taught me that when we trust in what God has shown to us, and step out in faith based on it, we will see mountains move and new life brought to thousands of people through true miracle after miracle.
Todd White in PA for showing me that when we go to God and let Him pour HIS love into us, that we can pour that love out on others and see the lame walk, the blind see, and all pain go away in the name of Jesus.
Tracey Benscoter for showing me that the Lord Himself will pay our bills, take away our pain, and carry us through every difficult circumstance.
Jamil Abraham Barnabas in Uganda who showed me God’s love breaks through to every corner of the earth and He shall make Himself known to every man, woman and child.
Both Dave and MIchelle Stratton, Dave who each showed me what it means to trust completely in God such that nothing rocks his boat or prevents God’s peace from being made manifest through him as he pastors God’s flock with humility and love, and Michelle for showing me that no mater how crazy things get in life, God can still pour his love through us in impactful ways.
Tracey Stavnitski who showed me that God can heal anything, and that His love exceeds anything we could ever hope for or imagine.
Elya and Ian Macomber for showing me that God can break any curse and bring healing to any situation, no matter how bad it gets.
Al Mack in WA for revealing that God still speaks powerfully and for a purpose for His church to become free from all oppression.
Cameron Bartlett in TN for teaching me that when you show others the love that God showed you, that you will bring incredible joy and freedom to their lives. The love we have isn’t just for storing up for ourselves.
Monica Sweeny for teaching me that we can stop and smell the flower and not feel bad about what I once called “lost productivity”.
David Beals for showing me that God’s journey for each of us never ends – He always continues to stretch and free and show love to those who call Him dad.
Sally Clark for being faithful to release what God speaks to her over those He shows her
David Cantor in CA for his constant desire to show the world the love he sees in Jesus, and his continued pursuit of closer and closer intimacy with the Father even when things get tough.
Kristin Wichrowski for showing me that we can press through the walls of what we assume about God and discover greater things on the other side
Ed Wichrowski for teaching me the importance of being thoughtful and considerate of what we know about God before speaking
Frank Mukiliza in Uganda for teaching me that God may bring leanness to our souls, but He will always work everything for our ultimate good and will lift His children up into glory in the end.
Dan Rondeau in NH for teaching me that we can be a channel for God to speak to others, without our own mind having to be involved in that work – but rather just our faith allowing God to speak.
Josh Clancy for teaching me that God gives us music and worship as a tool to unite, bring joy, and release love over the world.
Drew and Deanna Hauk, Nancy Leskiw, Victoria Buckley, Luis Sanchez, Cheryl Fritz for showing me that showing love is the most effective way to help people.
Heidi Baker, for showing me that when we lay down everything before God, including our selves, that God can change the entire world through us, display power to raise the dead, heal the sick, save hundreds of thousands of children, and even greater things
Ngoni Nyapokoto in Tzaneen and Patrick Simwa in Kenya who showed me that God’s word is powerful and His message is consistent and clear: Jesus Himself saved the world, and for those who accept God’s reconciliation, abundant life is available to you now!
Antonella Portal-Venturi who taught me that God waits for those who are lagging behind.
May Lou Sargeant for teaching me that wisdom comes from first knowing that we know nothing, and we should see the amazing blessing when any true revelation is given to us.
Danny Lee for teaching me that God pursues us and will not stop – because He loves us Soo much and has much better plans for us than our own plans!
My old Quincy friends (you know who you are) for desiring to learn about God and being an encouragement and family to each other and us when we had no one else.
My family-in Christ locally who have been here for me in tangible ways so many times I can’t count. There are too many to name, but thank you all for helping with moves, house repairs, rides to the airport, meals during hard times, rejoicing during good times, constant prayers and encouragement, and so much more!!!
Saeed Abedini in Iran and his wife Naghmeh who show what faith and endurance looks like when God calls you into chains to bring His Light to those locked in darkness
Mickey Miela who taught me that when we obey that which God leads us to, that God Himself prepares the way and brings astonishing victory.
Paddy Walakira and Hope Kalibbala, and the many Kisoboka staff and helpers in Uganda, who showed me what it looks like when the Rock of Jesus Christ makes us into an immovable tower that will hold firm through the storms and attacks in the land.
Dave and Darla Daniels in Kansas for showing me that we can trust in God and His love and leading us
Christine Errington who taught me that God deeply cares about our bondage and is willing to go to great lengths to free us personally.
Drew Errington for teaching me that in the hardest times, we can falls on Jesus and He will comfort us
And all those who showed me that everything Jesus did, we will do even greater things in His name – healing the sick, raising the dead, breaking all oppression: Sergio Acosta, Peter Ahlman, Pete Cabrera Jr, Jason Chin, Pauly B, John Meller, Christopher Huszar, Nathaniel Oliveri, Art Montgomery, Richard Steel, Eniko Soon, Eric Markum, Tom Loud, Luis Sanchez, John Fisher, Cheryl Firtz, Rowan Eagles, John Latini Jr, Daniel Chand, Daniel Bryant Cook III, Cameron Garner, Casey Johnson, and Roger Webb.
Finally, my family details, who put up with me and cared for me even though it wasn’t easy. My sister Sami to whom belongs the first memory I have of someone with the faith-of-a-child that we are all called to live by, as she trusted God’s love for her and His creation. My dad, Wally, who taught me many skills I now use every day to bless those around me. My mom, Kathy, for showing me sacrificial love despite a life of difficulty and struggle. My brother Luke for not killing me despite my atrocious behavior toward him. My step-dad Steve for showing me dedication, hard work and an attitude to press-on through even the most difficult times. My step-mom Celeste for showing me that reconciliation is more than a theological concept, but one we are called to experience in this life. My grandma Pat for being an encouragement in God’s loving work in my life. And of course the rest of my family who each showed love and care for me throughout my life, such as Kevin showing me grace and love on many occasions, Kerry reminding me that there is time to make work fun and discover fun results! Debbie for showing me the importance of putting in effort to bring a family together. And the rest of the family for showing me what a knit-together family looks like – packed with all kinds of memories and lessons that I carry daily with me today.
So many obstacles have been removed, and so much of God’s kingdom in heaven has been loosed on earth because of all your faithfulness. Don’t ever stop, my brothers and sisters, my children, and my mothers and fathers, because you are paving the way for the next generation to see “religion” wiped away, all oppression cease, and the Kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.
The path may be dark and filled with nuisances, but the Light will break forth into glory.
Have a blessed morning friends
Today I woke up feeling motivated to make a nice breakfast. Though 5:00 am and having to leave to work in 30 minutes, I baked some Pillsbury croissants with chocolate chips wrapped in them, as well as made an English muffin with a sausage paddy, an over easy egg, and maple syrup. And of course: Coffee – black!
After eating and spending some time in Isaiah, I headed to work a little later than I wanted. On my commute, I noticed a certain car in front of me. I should point out that my morning commute is endless stop-and-go for anywhere from and hour to two, so I often find myself wanting to maneuver to the fastest lanes, and I mentally mark cars in my mind to know if I am making progress. I decided to move to a faster lane this morning; but somehow, miles ahead I noticed the car I used to be behind way up ahead of me. This bothered me – all my work and I lost ground! I made it my goal 
to get back behind that car, as if that would be some sort of victory. But as I made progress, I began to think: “do I live all my experiences this way?” (my wife will likely chuckle at this point, knowing me all too well)
I realized that if my greatest goal when things get rough is to get back where I started – behind someone else – then I am missing out on a lot in life!! For one thing, comparing myself to someone else’s progress makes the assumption that my success is based on criteria set by others. For another thing, hopefully I picked someone amazing to follow because if I am always trying to catch up to others, then the most I can ever accomplish is whatever the other person is able to accomplish!
So I decided that wouldn’t be my plan anymore. Instead, I would trust God’s timing in my life and let Him take me where He wants to. In this case, I passed that car – leaving them in the dust. This isn’t the point though, as I could have easily fallen further behind in terms of “who’s ahead on the road”; yet, having put my trust in God to lead my steps I would find that His timing would have advanced me further in the purposes HE has for me.
An example is from my wife who went to a party not knowing it was a formal ordeal as she dressed in jeans. This could have been seen as a failure except that another woman was sitting outside the event devastated and upset because she also didn’t dress appropriately. My wife was able to encourage her and they both went boldly into the party and had a great time despite the error. My point is that the upset woman had compared herself to the expectations of others and found herself lacking; yet, God’s plan for my wife was to be a comfort to her, and so my wife’s mistake ended up not being an error at all, but a blessing. This is how it is with all of us when we entrust our paths to God. To the world we will appear foolish, but God will shut the mouth of the world through the fruit produced by our foolishness.
For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. – 1 Cor 1:25-29
This morning I was inspired to do a twist on the age old classic – egg in-a-frame – by adding bacon to it. Simple, but delicious! Even my two-year old enjoyed it. Honestly, I don’t really like toast, I am not a huge fan of eggs, of course I like bacon, but when you put them all together it satisfies the soul and provides the energy to get through the day.
Isn’t that how the body of Christ works? I don’t really like Smith, and Jude bugs me, and Fred and I get along well, but when you put us all together, led by Christ, our souls are satisfied, and miraculous power wells up and overflows to the people and to the world.
As I eat, I talk with my two-year old, Simon, and ponder our trip to the ocean over the weekend. As soon as he saw the water, he got very excited and wanted to go play in it. As he entered the water, with me at his side, a small wave caused him to lose his balance and he fell. He was so upset, and I could also clearly see fear in his eyes.
I instantly reassured him and helped him up, telling him I wouldn’t let him get hurt if he held my hand.
He looked right at me, as if to say, “agreed!”, and he turned and ran, hand in hand with me, straight into the waves. I was amazed to see such faith in him. Some big waves hit him, but I kept my promise and he never fell or got hurt. It was a blast!!
I immediately thought about how God has made similar promises to me. He calls me to be united with Him and other believers to find stability
“be built up together until we all reach unity in the faith. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves” Eph 4:14 (para)
His word says that I am safe in His hands, and as long as I hold firm to my faith and trust in Him, He will not lead me to ruin
“Anyone who believes in Jesus will never be put to shame. – Rom 10:11
But in pondering this, I can’t help but think about how many times I let go of Daddy’s hand, and found myself on my behind, soaked-and-wet, crying like a toddler. I realized looking back at those times that even then God was by my side, limiting the damage and reaching out to me; wanting to restore me to my feet and to His hand.
My two year-old displayed this perfectly, in that after a while he got so comfortable with not falling that he forgot that my stabilizing hand was the reason for his not falling. His grip got looser, and looser, until a wave almost knocked him down again – had my grip not tightened to hold him. How exactly like our experience with God – as our faith in him shifts to faith in ourselves. Luckily, even a loose grip is more than enough for God to keep us safe. His grip is more than sufficient!
What is amusing was how I myself gained confidence in myself as being stable and unmovable. We looked on at a larger oncoming wave, and as it hit us, I was prepared and kept Simon stable. Afterwards, we were both laughing at how big it was when suddenly a tiny little wave sputtered up and almost knocked us BOTH over. How like life this is, that we can manage even the worst situations if we anticipate it, but even the smallest things can knock us down when we are unprepared.
I asked God about this for myself, and He spoke to me in a vision, comparing me to a baby tiger – with a baby growl. I have enemies in the spiritual realm that are very afraid of my Father, but they are less afraid of me because I don’t have a history of showing the power that’s inside of me. I may be a small tiger, but I still have more than enough power in my claws and bite, and in the power that comes when I call out to my Dad for help, to devastate any enemy. Because I have neither believed nor “walked in” the identity that God says is true of me, I have been easily destabilized even by life’s smallest inconveniences. It is time to put a stop to this, and God has shown me that my “believing Him” is the path for me now to walk to no longer be so easily tossed about.
There’s so much more I’d like to say here, but to keep it short (er) I will say only this: If you have believed in Jesus, you have become a part of a perfect mix of ingredients, which when brought together will result in incredible stability and even power in your life and the lives of those around you. I challenge us all to seek God on what that means for us individually.
This morning as I drive to work, I mourn the fact that I left my breakfast on the counter at home. Luckily I have cereal at work for such situations, having learned long ago that my early morning performance is often left wanting.
Despite such things, I couldn’t help this morning but having a spirit of thanksgiving rise up in me. It would be easy of me to look at the difficulties I am facing right now and feel burdened and frustrated, even fearful; but I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).
And so all the things I am thankful for flew through my mind faster than my feeble words could give thanks for. Not only the huge blessings, but even the trials.
I have seen how my suffering has produced in me incredible faith and perseverance in the faith. “Faith” used to be a vague concept to me. I would say things like “what can I do to increase my faith”, or “I need to muster up more faith to get through this”.
But after you have suffered through extreme pain and physical oppression, you get to discover what God means when He calls us to “live by faith”. I now have clarity that faith was a gift from God, a gift that I can either accept or reject every day, every hour. In the times I looked at my failing health and gave into fear, I lived by fear, which led me to sorrow and even worse health. In the times I looked at my failing health, yet, like Abraham, chose instead to believe what God has promised (that He will carry my burden with me and get me through it) I discovered all kinds of sweet grace showered over me, freeing me of fear, and often freeing me even from my suffering. So while the enemy desires my destruction, the Lord uses even the dark things to bless me. So I give thanks to the Lord Who loves me, and Who has proven that He bears the burdens with me and for me when I lean on Him for strength.
Rom 8:26 says that the Spirit of God “helps” us in our weakness. The word for ‘helps’ literally means “to take hold of opposite, together”, with the implication that when we do any action that proceeds from our faith in God, God’s Spirit will go over to the opposite side of whatever needs to be accomplished and lift up every ounce of weight that we ourselves can’t bear. If God leads you to lift a car off someone, He will “co-labor” with you by lifting every ounce of weight you can’t. If God leads you to get off the couch even though you are depressed, the Spirit Himself will “work in you both to will and to do” what He calls you to (Phil 2:13). We need only to choose to believe Him when He calls us to do something – as He promises to show up if we obey.
Let us give thanks for both the blessings and trials this morning, as we know we have a God Who works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).
2 Cor 4:15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
Today I am having a toasted English muffin with butter and honey and a light-roast Day Break coffee with a little half-and-half.
I was thinking about this past few weeks and how I have allowed my fatigue and emotions to control my behavior and attitude toward those I love. As a little context, we have a group of people that come over once a week to spend some amazing time listening to God and walking in the ways He leads us. God has been using this group to build some incredible things that are resulting in His power and glory being made manifest. It has been a powerful and incredible time together, and as such, I think we have attracted some spiritual resistance.
The day of getting together – every week – it seems like everything that can go wrong does. The nights before are often filled with bad dreams, my health seems to deteriorate that day, fatigue overwhelms me, I am often unprepared, and thoughts enter my mind that seem unlike me, such as depression, judgementalism, and a desire to just quit. Scripture has shown me something about all this that I think will be an encouragement to us all:
When Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the fallen walls around the newly restored temple in Jerusalem, he regularly met with fellow believers to accomplish the task. He too faced an enemy who provided resistance, wanting to see him fail. This enemy did five things to try to stop Nehemiah.
Nehemiah held firm to that which God showed him, rejecting the enemy’s “offers” and standing firm in his faith that God would take care of him. The wall was completed with extraordinary swiftness, and the enemy lost their confidence and became fearful at what was done.
I can see all these things at work on the days we meet. I look at my knowledge and experience, and I can see clearly that I don’t have what it takes to accomplish the task God has called me to. Thoughts come to mind as to whether or not we can afford to provide a snack or tea. Fear comes as to how much damage the enemy is doing to my health. All the things that need to get done – such a cleaning, printing materials, and keeping the needs of my family met – become overwhelming, drawing my attention away from what God is doing instead to the “stuff” around me. Unwarranted thoughts enter my mind, unlike my normal thinking, which question whether or not my wife supports me, or if my friends in the group are truly united together, or if such-and-such friend is frustrating the ‘work’. My health often gets worse that day, stress rises, and I fear I will be destroyed and should retreat or hide rather than get together with the group.
These things all have one thing in common: they are all lies, attacks from the enemy intended to rob me of what is factual in Christ.
I have learned that we have been given (already) all kinds of amazing things from God when we came to trust in Him, but that our unbelief and corrupt thinking prevents us from experiencing those things in our experience. I can see clearly that God’s Spirit is working in me and other Christians to unite us and to manifest all that He has given to us, but there is a process leading there where we are vulnerable to being deceived.
God tells us that we are His temple, and just like for Nehemiah, the temple and all its riches have been restored and “sealed” by God’s Spirit, but the walls and gates around it need rebuilding. As Isaiah says, “your walls will be called salvation, and your gates praise”. In other words, the only way to rebuild our walls is by placing our confidence in God, rejecting those things that undermine God’s promises to us.
This is the work of the body – our work – and we have an enemy that doesn’t want to see that happen.
If we want to see the kingdom experience in this life, we must reject all the enemy’s undermining “offers”, and continue doing that which God has shown us to do. So keep building and keep believing that God will protect you when you hold firmly in Jesus as the source of your salvation and hope.
So enjoy your english muffin in one hand, while you stand firm with your spear in the other, and the Lord is faithful to bring you to victory through all your trials.
Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God,so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvationand the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.