11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Today I rededicate myself to making God and his plan for my life Plan A.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Plan B
We've all done it, if this doesn't work then I'll do this, we call this making a "Plan B". I think many of us, definitely myself, even let this thinking intrude in our walk with God. I heard Plan B best described in a science fiction show my son and I used to watch and it went along the lines of -if Plan B was so good it would be Plan A! When our Plan A is Almighty God, do we really need a Plan B? When we make a Plan B aren't we really saying "God, I know you'll take care of this but if you don't then this is what I'll do"? I tried to do things on my own for a large part of my life and I can say from experience that Plan B sucks! There is no way I would be where I'm at, even here at all if I had kept doing things my way. In my life I have decided to make God my Plan A and trust that he knows what is best for me and know that I don't have to do it all, he is with me and watching over me. Like he says in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Land of the Living
When our trial or tribulation first started, I felt strongly that the way out, the way for me to make this right was suicide. If not for the grace of God, the direct divine intervention in my life, I would not be here today. God showed me another way, another path and on that path I repented and ask Jesus to be the Lord of my life. On this journey together He brought me to several scriptures that have been life changing and have helped me stand in faith against the attacks of the enemy. One that stands out today is Psalm 27: 13 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living.
I have recited this verse hundreds, if not thousands, of times since this began and today it struck me why God brought me to that one. God is saying that he is in control of the storm in my life and he can and will take what the enemy meant for my harm and use it for my good and he will do it while I am here in the land of the living. "In the land of the living." God is saying that he can fix what I have so thoroughly screwed up and he will do it while I am still here in the land of the living.
I have recited this verse hundreds, if not thousands, of times since this began and today it struck me why God brought me to that one. God is saying that he is in control of the storm in my life and he can and will take what the enemy meant for my harm and use it for my good and he will do it while I am here in the land of the living. "In the land of the living." God is saying that he can fix what I have so thoroughly screwed up and he will do it while I am still here in the land of the living.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Putting God First
Well it happened again, I got a couple of letters from my least favorite agencies. I have someone that I believe was put into our path by God to help use deal with them so I scanned the letters in and emailed them to him, sure that I would receive a reply later that day. Normally, that's all the time that it takes, out in the am and reply by the afternoon, this time was different. No reply came Monday and while it was outside of what we normally experienced with him I tried not worry. Tuesday came and went also with no reply. Tuesday evening I was starting to listen to the lies of the enemy and was started to go into a light panic and I knew we needed God. So I went to my wife and told her that I wanted to start praying again - together every morning and every night before bed like we used to. She was very receptive and we began to pray before going into work and before going to bed. Wednesday, we continued praying and went to Bible study after work. I would not have minded skipping and going on home to watch TV or play video games, I have a lot of experience putting myself first, but I felt that this was the right thing to do. In addition to praying, I came back to my blog and began writing again but there was still no answer from our man. Each day the enemy would bring his lies back again and again, no matter how many times we would rebuke them he would wait for another opportune time and would try again. But we did not give up, on Thursday, we went to another church that had invited our pastor to speak and what a service that was, the Holy Spirit was in the church that night! But still no reply at the end of Thursday. Friday morning came and as I sat at my computer and waited for the new email to load, I said that I knew that the reply to our message would be there in God's perfect time and as the messages loaded, there it was the message that we had waited all week for. The difference between Monday and Friday? We started putting God first in our everyday lives and it made all the difference.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Instruction Manual
People complain all the time about not having an instruction book for life, for their children. The bible is exactly that, if we can live our lives by God's instructions life can be so much simpler. My son and I have been restoring an old for a couple of years and have many bought many repair manuals to guide us in fixing the broken things. It occurred to me the other day that the bible is much more than an instruction manual, it is also a repair manual. When you get off track, away from God it is the perfect "repair manual" a guide for fixing what is broken in your life and relationship with God.
Monday, July 8, 2013
He gives freely
Jesus shows just how freely he heals and forgives in Luke 8:43-48.
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" 46 But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
When I read it as part of an email from Dr. Rod Hoskins this morning, it struck me that the woman was healed by Jesus when she simply touched his robe. She had not spoken to Jesus, not asked him for healing first, she simply believed that if she could touch his robe she would be healed and when she did she was healed. It says that the multitudes throng and pressed Jesus but it only mentions this one woman as being healed simply by her touching Jesus. Jesus knew he had healed someone but not who, when she revealed herself he tells us what the difference was between her and the multitudes. Jesus says to her "...your faith has made you well...." Jesus could have healed her a number of other ways but shhe had faith enough that a simple touch of his garmet healed her, it was her faith that made that work.
Before I was saved I was Mr. Doom and Gloom, if a situation came up I would always look at the downside, never the optimist rarely believing in things going my way just on faith. Recently I have begun a sort of self-censorship, instead of speaking defeat, speaking negative outcomes I speak faith over the situation and over the outcome that I desire. I have finally learned in my life that there is no profit (spiritual or material) in being negative. One of the ways that I do this is through scripture one in particular is Psalm 27:13-14 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Or as my good friend Pastor Mark would say Come'on Jesus! (this is good both before and after the victory). (As I write this, good news came in that I had been believing for, Come'on Jesus!) How did the woman in Luke know Jesus would heal her? She believed, she had faith that healing would be the outcome of her touching Jesus' robe and that is exactly what happened.
If you ever have any doubt about how God feels about you:
In Isaiah 41, GOD himself says "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" 46 But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace."
When I read it as part of an email from Dr. Rod Hoskins this morning, it struck me that the woman was healed by Jesus when she simply touched his robe. She had not spoken to Jesus, not asked him for healing first, she simply believed that if she could touch his robe she would be healed and when she did she was healed. It says that the multitudes throng and pressed Jesus but it only mentions this one woman as being healed simply by her touching Jesus. Jesus knew he had healed someone but not who, when she revealed herself he tells us what the difference was between her and the multitudes. Jesus says to her "...your faith has made you well...." Jesus could have healed her a number of other ways but shhe had faith enough that a simple touch of his garmet healed her, it was her faith that made that work.
Before I was saved I was Mr. Doom and Gloom, if a situation came up I would always look at the downside, never the optimist rarely believing in things going my way just on faith. Recently I have begun a sort of self-censorship, instead of speaking defeat, speaking negative outcomes I speak faith over the situation and over the outcome that I desire. I have finally learned in my life that there is no profit (spiritual or material) in being negative. One of the ways that I do this is through scripture one in particular is Psalm 27:13-14 Yet I am confident I will see the LORD's goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Or as my good friend Pastor Mark would say Come'on Jesus! (this is good both before and after the victory). (As I write this, good news came in that I had been believing for, Come'on Jesus!) How did the woman in Luke know Jesus would heal her? She believed, she had faith that healing would be the outcome of her touching Jesus' robe and that is exactly what happened.
If you ever have any doubt about how God feels about you:
In Isaiah 41, GOD himself says "I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, 'You are my servant.' For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."
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