Today, one of the most inspirational men I have ever had the privilege to meet spoke in church. He has a fatal disease that I don't know very much about, but the main symptom is lameness, being physically paralyzed. He has been through so many treatments and since he is a member at church we are notified of his status and some of the things he goes through. He has a beautiful, faithful wife, and two precious little boys. If I remember correctly he was diagnosed with this several years ago. He is already doing more and living longer than the doctors expected, but this is not the most inspirational thing about him. Brian has faith like no one I have ever seen! He has memorized over 300 verses during this time. He KNOWS he is going to be healed without the shadow of a doubt. He appears to have the faith of a Bible character, the faith that to me sometimes seems unattainable. This morning he quoted "And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." [Matt. 21:22] I feel like a lot of people, myself included, don't take this verse to heart. We hear the ask and receive and just forget about the BELIEVE. You can't ask for something and say "you know God, if you could do this for me that would be great, but then if you don't I have this back up plan"...God should be plans A-Z. We should trust Him so much that if he didn't come through we would be in a bind (Francis Chan). Brian told a story about one day he needed God to speak to him, but then again, he thought better yet, speak to my wife--give her a dream or vision. He woke up the next morning and she didn't say anything about it but at 3 or 4 she said she told him she had a dream that she was in the den cleaning up toys and he started calling her name and came walking into her...then his son who i believe is 6 told his dad that he had a dream about him that he was walking up the stairs in their house and was shouting "I'm healed! I'm healed!" This and the other things he said touched my heart and made me want to have more faith in God--the church should be the ones doing most of the encouraging for Brian...but I feel like he does even more for us. He sees right now--the waiting period--as a time that his testimony is being built up and when he gets healed people from all over will praise the name of Jesus because they hear about his miracle.
When Brian is able to come to church he comes in his wheel chair and his oxygen mask...but I know he's so thankful to be able to make it there even though I'm sure he doesn't physically feel that great. I can't believe sometimes I find it a hassle to get up and go to church when I don't feel well, or I'm too tired. I get to WALK to my car and use my muscles to DRIVE myself to church, I get to WALK, yet again into the building, and I get to LIFT my hands in praise! What a blessing in itself!
Brian put it like this...if you have the ability to lift your hands in praise, take advantage of it because He is worthy!
I truly believe along with so many other people that Brian's healing is on the way...please help pray for him whether you know him or not because it's going to be worth it all!
--"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." [Heb. 1:11]
--"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith." [1 John 5:4]
--"But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed." [James 1:6]
--"What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you tells them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled;” and yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself." [James 2:14-17]
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Least of These
"The Least of These"
This bible verse just keeps coming up every time I turn around. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" [Matt 25:40]
I think it's God's way of telling me to get going. Life isn't about me, it's about helping those around me as if they were God himself. As Francis Chan puts it, we are only extras in God's movie on Earth. We get like 2/5ths of a second to live and that little millisecond of time, that is our lives, needs to be focused on Him.
I feel like a lot of times, just from personal experience when you start doing what God wants you to do that's when the devil fights his hardest to get you to stop. He plants confusion in your life, and unsure thoughts, and different obstacles for different people to slow us down, but we just need to keep our eyes on the prize! The Lord is not the author of confusion, [1 Cor 14:33], we as Christians know this, and we also know that the devil is indeed the father of lies [John 8:44]. Our biggest goal should not be to let him hinder us and stop us from fulfilling our part in God's ultimate plan.
When we truly start to focus on God, He puts a burden on our hearts for those that are broken, sick, needy, confused. So many people are in these situations. People that we come in contact with daily. I just saw this kid's status, and he was so confused about Christianity in general, it made me want to sit him down and just tell him everything I know, in hope that it would help. Seeing things like that make you want to help people in both the physical and understanding things spiritually sense. Just going out and doing it seems to be the more difficult part, but obviously, it is necessary.
In the end, He will separate those who loved Him by loving others--the sheep on his right hand side, from those who did not help the needy--the goats on His left hand side. [Matt 25:31-46]
I definitely want to be at His right hand. I pray that the devil, nor my selfish nature will get in the way of God's plan and my duty to Him and His children.
This bible verse just keeps coming up every time I turn around. "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" [Matt 25:40]
I think it's God's way of telling me to get going. Life isn't about me, it's about helping those around me as if they were God himself. As Francis Chan puts it, we are only extras in God's movie on Earth. We get like 2/5ths of a second to live and that little millisecond of time, that is our lives, needs to be focused on Him.
I feel like a lot of times, just from personal experience when you start doing what God wants you to do that's when the devil fights his hardest to get you to stop. He plants confusion in your life, and unsure thoughts, and different obstacles for different people to slow us down, but we just need to keep our eyes on the prize! The Lord is not the author of confusion, [1 Cor 14:33], we as Christians know this, and we also know that the devil is indeed the father of lies [John 8:44]. Our biggest goal should not be to let him hinder us and stop us from fulfilling our part in God's ultimate plan.
When we truly start to focus on God, He puts a burden on our hearts for those that are broken, sick, needy, confused. So many people are in these situations. People that we come in contact with daily. I just saw this kid's status, and he was so confused about Christianity in general, it made me want to sit him down and just tell him everything I know, in hope that it would help. Seeing things like that make you want to help people in both the physical and understanding things spiritually sense. Just going out and doing it seems to be the more difficult part, but obviously, it is necessary.
In the end, He will separate those who loved Him by loving others--the sheep on his right hand side, from those who did not help the needy--the goats on His left hand side. [Matt 25:31-46]
I definitely want to be at His right hand. I pray that the devil, nor my selfish nature will get in the way of God's plan and my duty to Him and His children.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
A New Song!
I definitely have not done this in awhile, but I want to try and start back more often because it requires me to look into the Bible and think about it and break it down into something that means something on another level.
I've said it before, God definitely has a way of reaching you, and hammering things into your spirit until you just can't get past it. I've realized recently that my relationship with God isn't where it needs to be right now. I've let myself get slack and put other things before Him and He sat waiting for a little while, but finally I just needed that brick dropped on my head. I've been feeling led to do more things for God than before. I truly feel like I'm growing spiritually.
I realized that you have to want a relationship with Jesus because you need it, and you see that you can't live without Him. The biggest thing, I think, for that relationship is just the time spent with Him aspect. You can't hold a friendship or a relationship without sharing your heart and talking and spending time together, it's just not possible, then you just become acquaintances.
Another huge thing is worship! I've come to realize this through watching someone with the purest worship and the deepest praise and an intimate relationship with God. It's our repayment to Him for dying on the cross for us! Simply, to praise Him because He is who He is. Not only because He died on the cross, and because he loves us unconditionally, but also because He is the God of the universe!--the creator, not only, of everything that we sense with our five senses, and everything we feel in our hearts, but everything beyond what we can see and what we know. That is worthy of praise and worship. It makes Him worthy enough for us to be bold enough to lift our hands and say here I am, Lord, take me as an offering. It makes Him worthy enough for us to worship Him with our lives, and living in a constant state of prayer.
God called David a man after His own heart. He had an intimate, deep, passionate, worship for God and relationship with God. I mean, take a look at Psalms and how many verses begin, end, and all throughout it talk about praising Him and how everything that has...and doesn't have breath...praises their God. How much more should we praise Him? I definitely don't want the rocks to cry out in my place if I don't worship Him! Go look these up. They are some good ones!
1 Chron 16:9
1 Chron 16:25
1 Chron 29:13
Ps 2:11
Ps 9:2
Ps 18:3
Ps 30:11-12
Ps 34:1
Luke 19:40
I'm continuing to pray for a new song in my heart to sing to Him and a fiery passion for Him and the need to get to know Him more. These are two of the songs that have been on my heart lately. The first one is definitely more contemporary. The second one is definitely not most people's style, it's southern gospel, but the words are true and the girl's voice is beautiful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys8RlUbaJ20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vlrn7mVqrw
I've said it before, God definitely has a way of reaching you, and hammering things into your spirit until you just can't get past it. I've realized recently that my relationship with God isn't where it needs to be right now. I've let myself get slack and put other things before Him and He sat waiting for a little while, but finally I just needed that brick dropped on my head. I've been feeling led to do more things for God than before. I truly feel like I'm growing spiritually.
I realized that you have to want a relationship with Jesus because you need it, and you see that you can't live without Him. The biggest thing, I think, for that relationship is just the time spent with Him aspect. You can't hold a friendship or a relationship without sharing your heart and talking and spending time together, it's just not possible, then you just become acquaintances.
Another huge thing is worship! I've come to realize this through watching someone with the purest worship and the deepest praise and an intimate relationship with God. It's our repayment to Him for dying on the cross for us! Simply, to praise Him because He is who He is. Not only because He died on the cross, and because he loves us unconditionally, but also because He is the God of the universe!--the creator, not only, of everything that we sense with our five senses, and everything we feel in our hearts, but everything beyond what we can see and what we know. That is worthy of praise and worship. It makes Him worthy enough for us to be bold enough to lift our hands and say here I am, Lord, take me as an offering. It makes Him worthy enough for us to worship Him with our lives, and living in a constant state of prayer.
God called David a man after His own heart. He had an intimate, deep, passionate, worship for God and relationship with God. I mean, take a look at Psalms and how many verses begin, end, and all throughout it talk about praising Him and how everything that has...and doesn't have breath...praises their God. How much more should we praise Him? I definitely don't want the rocks to cry out in my place if I don't worship Him! Go look these up. They are some good ones!
1 Chron 16:9
1 Chron 16:25
1 Chron 29:13
Ps 2:11
Ps 9:2
Ps 18:3
Ps 30:11-12
Ps 34:1
Luke 19:40
I'm continuing to pray for a new song in my heart to sing to Him and a fiery passion for Him and the need to get to know Him more. These are two of the songs that have been on my heart lately. The first one is definitely more contemporary. The second one is definitely not most people's style, it's southern gospel, but the words are true and the girl's voice is beautiful!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys8RlUbaJ20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vlrn7mVqrw
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