Jesus Meets You Where You Are

There was a man who was crippled for 38 years laying by a pool side that was known for healing powers; please read John 5:1-15.

Jesus was passing by and asked this man if he wanted to be well.  The man explained to Jesus that he was waiting for someone to help him get to the pool.

At that very moment, He was challenged in one way: to believe God or to continue laying there.

How many times, do we hear of Jesus coming to help us right where we are but instead we choose to find our own way?

Jesus is never surprised by anything about you. When He makes the offer to give you a new life it is always intentional. Jesus planned to meet that man at that time the same way he wants to help you right now.  Think about how many things you have seen or heard, including this blog, about Jesus Christ,the Son of God who seeks to redeem mankind. The one who heals every disease, and who brings the dead back to life.

For 38 years, this man was known as a paralytic.  But now this man in an example to you and  I, thousands of years later, that Jesus can meet us where we are.

Your past is not waste, can be used as a great testimony of what God can do in a moment and how much of a great future you have in store!

The transformation of God’s presence in our lives is instantaneous. When we believe in the power of God in Christ Jesus, miracle, signs and wonders take place.  Depression is broken, and a new mind of peace is the gift of God. We don’t have to live under the bondage of sin: fear, doubt, unbelief will lead us to self-destructive behaviours. Instead, the promise of God is eternal life, reigning with Him. 

Today is your day to see the power of God displayed in your life. It doesn’t matter how long you have been struggling or even whether it was your fault or someone else’s… You could have been abused or been an abuser. You could be drinker, smoker, promiscuous…whatever the case may be, know today that Jesus is at your door, knocking to come in.

You don’t have to wait anymore. Like the man at the pool, believe Jesus Christ. He came form heaven, lived among us here in human flesh, took on our sins, died and rose again defeating EVERYTHING that stands to destroy us. Surely this same Jesus has the power to give you a better life now and in the life to come.

The choice is yours right now.

Like to man at the pool, admit that you cannot help yourself. Believe that Jesus can help you. Accept Him in to your heart and make a public declaration that you receive Him.

After you have received Him, He is yours. You don’t need to sin anymore – no more self-dependence. No more drugs, lying, stealing or anything else that only makes your life more of a living hell. You can be totally free. You can always trust God to come through in the way that is best for you. That’s His plan.

Will you trust Him today?

Until we meet again, get connected! Read the Word of God, pray and ask Him into your heart. He longs for that connection with you – His beloved.

 

Superhero

From early childhood to present day, I have always been fascinated with superheros.

Superman, Spider-man, Shera the Princess of Power- you name it; I was glued!

There was nothing more gratifying than to watch the action of one person with weaknesses and flaws rise to an occasion that all others would flee from.  They would be heralded by the masses of people who’s lives had been saved while villains would plot their revenge waiting to take the next one down.

While thinking about a recent heroic endeavor in our society; I thought about one true super being that often flies under the radar yet rescuing countless people every day.

Antoinette Tuff reminded me how one Superhero has been championing for humanity for centuries. Basically, by relying on God, Antoinette was able to stop a massacre of hundreds of people. Read about this story here.

Fundamental to her account of the events was that she was connected to Jesus. Several reports including television interviews document this woman “praying in her heart” and the Lord giving her what to say in the hour most needed.

What’s most impressive about this story is that at some point in her life, she needed to be rescued and almost gave up during hard times. She persevered and was used in such an impact way. Although the nation labels her as a hero, (which I think she is too), yet Antoinette gives the credit to the heavenly Father, knowing that it was only Him that could accomplish this happy ending to near fatal event .

Sometimes the everyday obstacles in your life prepare you for that moment when our superhero steps on the scene to do his saving work. Never give up in those hard seasons knowing that our Hero promises to never leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). He proves Himself throughout the ages and today can  be your day!

Jesus’ mandate was always clear:

Luke 4:18

New Living Translation (NLT)

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,

For everything that the Rescuer had been to Antoinette, she in turn could be that for someone else.

This is how wars are stopped. This is how fighting will cease. This is the mark left by not a Marvel comic story but rather the Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I encourage you to get to know this champion more intimately through the bible. If you are going through a tumultuous experience in your life, just call on the Lord for rescue. Hang in there, don’t give up! Keep praying, reading the Word and getting o know who He is. He still lives and wants to be your help in every aspect of your life.

If you are reading this and have not come to know Him as your personal Saviour, today can be your special day to invite Him into your heart.

I gave my heart to the Lord  and have never regretted this decision. As my relationship continues with him, it gets better everyday. I have been rescued from previous fears that I had, and healed from hurts. I am confident to live each day knowing that I am in the care of an invincible Saviour who can even take the challenges of life and work them out for good. There is nothing too hard for God and I dare you to trust what He says!!!

If you would like someone to pray with you, send a message and I would be honored. If you have accepted the Lord, confessed that you need Him and would like to find a bible based church to support your decision, please send a message and I will help you to locate one.

Until next time, may God bless you and stay connected!

Counterfeit Faith – Beware

 

There are counterfeit bags, counterfeit money, even fake hair…lol i’m so guilty of the hair thing!

Whatever you can think of, there is corresponding counterfeit model.

There are many things that exist in substitution for the real thing. Perhaps because we cannot afford the real thing we opt to spend on a replica… the problem is, nothing beats the real thing. The bag zippers come apart quickly and lining begins to fray. They don’t last and in the end, you might just find out that it would have been better to have the real thing – that which has been proven, and found to stand the test. When it is counterfeit, it has no real value. Nor can it make any significant impact or change for an extended period of time. 

Let me be real with you for a moment. There are tasks that I have taken on in my personal life that have taken me longer than it should have. Even though I am faithfully committed to finishing what I have started I have just realized that believing that I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me is only half the battle. Real faith is actually doing all things. Instead, I hesitate and sometimes find myself praying for things that I already have the ability to do. Instead of being organized and planning, I can be haphazard and last minute with tasks.

Most recently, I realized that I became comfortable with knowing that I believed but not actually living out that belief out in every area of my life.  I recognized this problem and began to fast about it. My pastor and his wife fasted with me and prayed over me so that I could develop the discipline to change this behavior. 

Day by day, God continues to send me encouragement as I walk and even when I don’t feel like it’s the absolute right time to do something – I have become frustrated and intolerant with hesitation. It’s like everything is coming apart and I’m glad because I need to know and experience real faith. I am grabbing this thing by the reigns and making every effort to keep this ship on the course predestined for me. 

Faith without works is dead!

James 2:14-26 (NLT) states:

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. 20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. 23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”[b] He was even called the friend of God.[c] 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.26 Just as the body is dead without breath,[d] so also faith is dead without good works.

The reason why we can read about the great feats of very ordinary people is because they didn’t settle for the knock or regular ho-hum “yah, I believe in God” response. They chose to act on their belief and because of their decisions-actions relationship, they are examples for us. They have contributed to the life changing gift of Salvation coming through many generations for you and I.

So, there are some bold moves that I will be making over the next few days and will share with you my experiences as they unfold. I want the real thing – faith that is. I don’t want to settle for less.

I know that God has every intention and ability to complete the work that He started in me and so I look forward to what is about to happen in my life.

I want to share this with you because I want very much for you to experience the promises of God in your life. Some times we are deceived and don’t know it until someone points it out right? Thank God for those scriptures, people, blogs, and songs which help us to those points of awareness:)

Can you identify areas in your life that have this hesitation feeling and you might be staying in the same position longer than you ought to?

Is there something that you are doing that shouldn’t take as long?

Be honest with yourself: Is it problem of God answering your prayer or a problem of you making the right moves believing that He already has?

Especially for those who are on the brink of Salvation’s destiny. You have the gift of an eternal life right in front of you. It is a promise from God Himself. Nevertheless, you choose to stay on the side that say’s “maybe tomorrow” or “when I get my life together”. My friend, I guarantee you that tomorrow is not promised to anyone. I can also guarantee you that the Father wants you just as you are. Let Him in so that He can transform your life as you journey toward and eternity with Him. You can do it on your own and thank God that He has offered to come into your heart to help you. 

The consequence of spending an eternity burning in Hell just doesn’t seem like a choice you would willingly make so why live with the deception that Salvation was not meant for you right now ? 

It’s a choice.

Stay connected to God because only then can you expose the fakes for the real thing. The True and Faithful One does not desire to leave us in the wilderness but it is up to us to believe that He is with us every step of the way. The steps are the true testimony of faith. Throw out the phony faith and start living like you know what you know to be true about God!

Be blessed!