The Reason For Miracles

Annoyed at the propsect of the person limping around with a bad knee, I typed back to them, “I don’t like it when knees are hurt.  Jesus heals knees.  Can I pray for you?”

The person said that I could, and I proceeded to type the command over the internet.  After a pause, they responded with an “OMG” and began to testify how their knee was almost back to normal.  As we chatted a little more, the knee in question began to get even better.  Jesus likes healing knees.  In fact, He’s very interested in your knees because He said that “every knee shall bow” to Him [insert studio audience laughter here].

This is reality, Christ’s reality.  Jesus still heals, and He still does miracles.  As the writer of Hebrews declares, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  It’s an awesome thing to watch God be God.  I can testify that I witness the Lord healing or restoring something on a somewhat regular basis.  Probably once or twice a month.  I’m praying for it to be everyday, numerous times a day.

It’s vital that believers are able to demonstrate the reality of God’s kingdom in everyday life to everyday people.  Why?  Because that’s what Jesus did, and that’s what He taught His disciples to do.   Power is the distingusishing mark that gives weight to the good news.  It does matter what we tell the world, but it makes more that we back it up with.

So, to make my thoughts legal, let me present some biblical examples.  In Exodus, God charged Moses to openly display the power of God to confront Pharoah.  The goal was to prove God’s sumpremacy to Pharoah so that he’d let God’s people go.  The enemy had power as well.  Pharoah’s magicians were able to reproduce the miracles that Moses performed…but only to a point.  It came a point when the power of God  was shown to have no equal, and Pharoah had to loosen his grip on God’s people.  The result was the instantaeous release of over one million people as a result of God manifesting His power.

When Jesus comes onto the scene, we see Him begin the New Testament parallel of the same event:  openly displaying the power of God to release God’s chosen people.  This time, however, the charge to display God’s power wasn’t just in Jesus’ hands, but in the hands of all that followed Him (read John 14:10-12).  And the point wasn’t just to free one group of people, but the entire world.  Lastly, Jesus didn’t display the power of God to plague people, but to show the love and compassion of the Father to a dying world. 

The word says that Jesus was manifested to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).  Jesus didn’t come bearing a plauge; but He used the power His Father gave Him to dispell them.  The works of the devil are disease, torment, broken families, and all the other plagues that haunt mankind.  This truth tells us that the display of power through Jesus’ life was intended to reveal one of the main intents of all of scripture:  God’s intense fiery, love for His most prized creation:  man.  Whatever God loves is a target for His power and presence. 

What do miracles sound like?  They sound like breaking chains.  Every believer is destined to experience their Father’s power and give the people around access to His goodness.   Do you need a change in your life?  Ask God to show you His power today.  Have you already experienced His power in your life?  Open the door for someone else to.

Gun In The Holster.

i was reading an article on this new website i found called boundless.org.  it has really some really good information on here for singles.  since i currently am single and eventually want to be married, i figured that i would check it out.

the article is about why premartial sex is a bad idea.  i mean, most christians would agree that it’s wrong.  but we often have trouble locking down the specific reasons why you should keep your gun in the holster.  personally, it makes it difficult to obey something if i don’t see the immediate relevance for me.  i think a lot of people can relate to that.  and since that’s the case let me give you some free advice…

GROW UP.  if you have that mindset you’ll ultimately walk into a trap.  if someone trustworthy tells you something, you should listen because it’s ultimately for your benefit.  now, all people don’t care for you, so i’m not saying to blindly trust people. however, God’s concern and love for us is totally pure.  our inability to take Him at His word isn’t a show of our independence, but our lack of knowledge and trust in our Father.

anyways, here are some of the reasons why the article said that you should wait until marriage to have sex:

“Couples who engage in sex before marriage are far more likely to divorce. According to a study by the National Survey of Family Growth, women who have the kind of sexual experience Hax advocates — the premarital kind — increase their odds of divorce by about 60 percent. It is, McManus notes, “secular evidence for St. Paul’s injunction, “flee fornication.”   (Dell’s dish:  me no likey divorce.  it’s too expensive.)

and here’s my favorite!!!

People who have premarital sex run the chance of marrying someone who’s not right for them. Why? Because sexual intimacy can be emotionally blinding: it makes couples feel closer than they really are. “Real love,” McManus says, “can stand the test of time without physical intimacy. The sexually active lose objectivity.”

God, Father, Jesus on the Throne!  i think this speaks volumes.  sex is the ultimate spiritual glue.  it’s suppose to unite two people together for life.  unfortunately, it does that whether you’re in God’s will or not.  it’s like tape.  it sticks to whatever it’s placed on.

i honestly believe that sexual immortality clouds your judgement.  it’s compromise, and compromise is cancer to a christian.  left unchecked, compromise will bring your whole house down.  maybe i’ll get into that on another note.

speaking as someone who’s yet to engage in sexual intercourse, it inspires me to stay pure.  imagine all the heartache!  the drama!  living for the moment in that way will make me suffer for days and days to come.  not worth it.  the safest place in the kingdom is radical obedience, right on the front lines.  that’s why there’s no armor on your back in Ephesians 6; the fight isn’t behind you but in front of you.  we’re just too caught up in our past to look forward, rendering us ineffective to advance the kingdom.

now, if you’re already had sex, God is good.  read 2 corinthians 5:17.  if ANY man (that includes people that have had sex before) be in Christ, he is a new creature (an entirely new person altogether), old things are passed away (your current lifestyle and the bondages that come with it), behold, all things are become new (insert newness here).  dive into Christ and experience His freedom!

Sidenote:  what topics/questions do you all have?  i love addressing stuff.  so, send me a message if you have a particular question.  it’ll find it’s way into a post eventually. 

chow.

Heart of Purity

It appears that the Lord has begun moving on people’s heart in the area of sexual purity.  That’s awesome!  So, I guess we’ll keep striking while the iron is hot. 

Lust and sexual immorality are giants that taunt the armies of the living God.  It’s time for these tormentors to experience the defeat that Jesus dealt them through His death and resurrection.  it’s the desire of the lord, and the PROMISE of the lord that we should live and enjoy purity.

In order to get to the promise, we have to understand what we’re dealing with.  when the israelites took the promised land, they knew that giants were there.  they had to rely on God to help take them down.  few would argue that the society we live in is very free with sexuality.  sex sells, as the saying goes.  sex is in our music, our television shows, even our video games.  pre-martial sex is normal, and seen as a rite of passage.

In the last post, I wrote that the first step to walking into sexual purity is deep confession.  face the total fact of what your past was.  for me, i had to admit that i habitually watched pornography.  it was my HABIT and TENACADY.  pornography and masturbation were on my weekly to-do list.  i was trapped.  even when i knew that i should’ve said no, my answer was yes.  pornography and masturbation owned me.

when i acknowledged this to God , He began to do things in my heart.  my heart broke for the things that broke His.   It’s the cry of the Lord in our hearts.  the word says in philippians 2:13 that it’s “God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  God began to create the desire in me to want to live different. 

when god begins to work on your heart concerning sexual purity, you begin to realize things that you didn’t see before.  as my time walking in purity went on, certain things that didn’t bother me before started to bother me.  now, most people that know me understand that i’m all about being free in christ and not being bound to regulations, rules, etc.  however, i found that i just couldn’t watch some things on tv anymore.  some movies i can’t watch.  some conversations i just can’t have.  the reality is, what you tolerate in your life will eventually have a major hold in your life.  because we are so used to sexual immorality in our culture, it doesn’t bother us.  because we aren’t bothered, we aren’t fazed by the inconsistency of Christ’s standard and our behavior.  i’m still amazed at how much of our humor as christians revolves around sexual innuendos and the like.  i used to do that, but god’s breaking me from that.

ask God to encounter you.  ask Him to come in and break the chains.  when you walk in sexual immorality you are inviting the enemy to torment you. 

Father, I ask that very one that reads this post is touched by You.  Tear our hearts with what tears Your heart, Lord.  Shake us to the very foundation in how we handle ourselves concerning purity.  Cause us to experience the purity of Jesus…without spot or winkle.  Holy Spirit, shake and rattle everything in us that doesn’t stand on the foundation of the word and Your character.

“I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst.  Then the nations will know that I am the LORD,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.  For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring yo into your own land.  Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and i will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”  Ezekiel 36:23-27

Power in Purity…

So………………..

one of the major things that have been on my heart lately has been a cry for sexual purity.  a few months ago, the lord led me on a journey and led me out of some areas that i had been trapped in for years.  it was difficult at times, but i bless god for the works He’s done…and is doing…in me!

the burden for others in this area, especially men, has been growing for a while.  i wanted to help people become free.  the word was confirmed by a dream through one of my wonderful dove sisters (thanks alesha).  i strongly believe that this area will be one where the lord uses me to minister strongly for at least a season.

on wednesday, i saw an internal vision.  i get those a lot.  an internal vision is a group of pictures that the lord will show you using your imagination.  this is different from an open vision (i.e. john in revelation or paul in 2 corinithians) where you see stuff with you natural eye. 

in the vision, i saw a figure.  the had, “shackles on the hands, blinders on the eyes, and a brace on the heart.”  the phrase came to me exactly that way.  the shackles on the hands are because people are trapped in their old ways, practicing the evil that you don’t want to do (romans 7:19).  the blinders on the eyes represent the spiritual darkness that is taking place.  the brace on the heart is what got me the most.  it reminded me of a brace that someone would use to walk with for extra support.  their are issues in the heart that haven’t been dealt with…and sexual immorality is used as a way to make one feel better.

there’s freedom.  there honestly is.  a lot of you really don’t want to be stuck in those situations…you just don’t know a better way.  the better way is to have a vibrant, awesome relationship with God that fulfills your heart in every way.  now, i realize that may seem cliche; however, it’s the truth. the problem is that we don’t know how to get from where we are to were freedom is.  prayerfully we get there! 

i can give you the preview into the first step now:  confession.  be honest about it.  allow the lord to show you just how deep it goes.  be specific about the confession to Him.  bring that joint to the light.  darkness can’t survive when the light comes on.  open up to Him and ask Him to help you.  he will.  more tips concerning this topic to come. 

please pray for me to hear His voice concerning what steps to take next.

(btw, i know that the tags might seem offensive.  it’s my hope that someone that was looking for those things find this instead)

Medicial, Dental, and Laying On Of Hands

Please Read this story b4 continuing…

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/19/faith.healer.deaths.ap/index.html

in case you choose to be disobedient (lol) and not read it, the story talks about a boy that died because he refused medical treatment.  he and his family believed in “faith healing.”

Now, as someone that’s been trained in praying for the sick and otherwise afflicted, AND as a person that’s called to demonstrate the power of God, AND as a person that’s seen results in that area…here’s my 3 cents on the article.

god’s a healer.  gifts of healing are real.  they are for today.  old school healing revivalists would say if you took medicine that you weren’t believing god for your total healing.  i disagree, and a lot of prominent “faith healers” as we would call them today would as well.  john wimber, a modern day father of power evangelism, was quoted as saying “If I have a headache, I pray and I take an aspirin, and which ever one works first is fine with me!”

god doesn’t want you to live in pain.  jesus took the pain of sickness so you wouldn’t have to.  believe god for your healing…better yet for your health.  the israelites walked in divine health during their time in the wilderness.  however, god has no problem with you seeking professional help.  there are godly doctors, you know.  luke was a physican.  some of the most dramatic demonstrations of god’s healing power are recorded in the two books accredited to him, the gospel according to luke and acts.

it’s funny because yet again it’s one of those situations that believers pick either one extreme or the other.  either we forsake all medical treatment (clear your bathroom of those band-aids and that toothpaste, you heathens!), or we say that healing isn’t the will of god…but go to the doctor to be treated.  why go to the doctor to be healed if it isn’t god’s will for you to be healed?  that’s called disobedience, right? 

i’ll say this thought.  we as a body need to begin to understand the value of sacrifice.  i honestly don’t know if foul play or anything was involved in the aforementioned story, but let’s just assume that everything was on the up and up.  he died for what he believed in.  when someone does that, their life becomes a seed that a harvest can be reaped from. 

“Truly, Truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it reminas alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24

“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13

our sacrifice can be the foundation that a mighty house is built upon.  i know what it is to pray for someone and see them restored in front of my eyes.  i know how it is to pray for someone and see them recover gradually.  i know what it is to pray for someone and have them get worse and die.  how will i steward this moment?  how you handle it determines what god can do with it, but that’s a topic for another blog.

NEW BLOG!!!!

Howdy-

I forgot that I actually had a wordpress page.  I think I’m going to use this page for a few purposes:

1. To share the happens of my life (which, to me, plays like a comedic soap opera with moments of high drama and morals).
2. Talk about the scripture/revelations/other Jesus stuff that I’m current into.
3. Entertain you, because that’s what I do.

With that being said, I think that I’m in a wonderful place in my life.  It’s a time of new beginnings.  At first, all of the upcoming changes made me worry.  wait, sorry, I ALLOWED MYSELF TO WORRY.  i just realized today that the changes that I’m going through are the result of growth.  growth as a person.  growth in gawd (said with black church mother voice).  It’s just the way it works.  in order for abram to become abraham (which is who he was destined to be), he had to leave what was familiar.  the same thing’s happening to me…i just wasn’t expecting it.  it’s for the good, though.  god is ALWAYS good…he’s so good that it’s frightening. 

sometimes, when i get worried, which is more often than i would like, i remember matthew 6:25-33.  jesus talks about how the birds of the air are fed well every day, and how people are much more important to God than birds.  so, a little phrase i came up with is this:

“there’s no bird on earth that went hungry today….”  when i think of the fact that God took the time out to make sure that every bird ate…even when there are more important things to do…i become assured that He’ll take care of me. (BTW i like phrases.  john wimber and bill johnson use short phrases in their teachings.  i like to do the same.  important concepts in an easy to remember sentence).

watching god work in my finances has been very interesting…and educational.  my debt is going down, and that makes me smile.  god’s not doing it my way though.  it would make me feel so much better if he did, however, he has that whole thing about being god almighty and stuff, so i figure that i’ll let him do his job. it’s stil my press to owe no one anything except love like it says in romans 13:8.  just keep me in prayer concerning the elmination of debt, the release of resources, and the wisdom to handle it all!

so, wordpress fans…leave me your comments!  POST, AND POST AWAY!!  also, leave your prayers, encourgement, and anything else that’s laid on your heart.  i’m learning more and more that prayer is what keeps my boat afloat.  god bless!!!