Christmas is over, let's go back to our lives

Christmas is over.

We can now turn off the 'holiday cheer' attitude that we turned on for one month out of the year.

Time to flash a look of anger and maybe say a choice word to that person who came the wrong way in a parking lot and took our parking spot.

Time to quit being so patient in the line at the grocery store or post office, and purposefully let out a loud sigh when the person at the counter doesn't have their things together...who is causing a delay in the line.

Time to sweep discord back out from under the carpet (where we swept them last month), and re-engage in open strife with those around us. Backbiting, gossip and slander are welcomed again...until mid-November next year.

Time for shouts and sign language to other drivers...until the week before Thanksgiving next year.

The homeless and hurting will be fine for the next ten and a half months. They do just come out of the woodwork in November and December, don't they?

How fortunate we are to have a turn-on, turn-off faith. Isn't it great to know we will only be judged by the Lord for our actions and attitude during the mid-November-to-late-December timeframe? (Oh, and our Sunday morning actions and attitude, too.)

Our God is so merciful. He overlooks our January-to-October lives of self-absorption and fleshly living.

He showers nothing but mercy for our Monday-through-Saturday living. It's okay His heart aches and breaks six days of the week and ten and a half months of the year. Our righteousness on Sunday morning and November/December heals His heart and grants us favor from all else we do.

Bless us, Lord. Bless our lives, though we only give You a fraction of the week and year!

Bless our country, Lord. Though we don't stand up against the increasing godlessness in it. "God bless America" anyway! It's our right! Our forefathers loved and served You. It's okay that we don't stand up and proclaim You, Jesus. You just go ahead and bless us for our country's past instead of what we're currently doing and living as a nation.

Bless us, Lord, for these next ten and a half months. We'll mention You out of the corner of our mouths in mid-November next year.

In the mean time, watch over our favorite sports teams and give us everything we ask for, so our lives can be comfortable and blessed. And if any tragedies or disasters happen between now and then, why'd You cause or allow those?

We love you, Lord! See Ya!

a Christian Christmas

What would a true Christian Christmas consist of?

• giving each other an apple (or some other kind of basic, unglamorous item)
• taking into our home someone who is lonely or homeless, and sharing a meal and fellowship with them. Regardless of their appearance, regardless of how graceful or educated or unrefined they are.

If you don't think America is full of pious religion, stop and think how few well-meaning Christians would take someone in off the street and share a meal like this. Here's the true gut check. We'll do a meal like this in December (at a church, school or homeless shelter), but how many of us do it on Christmas day? We'll serve the homeless a Thanksgiving meal on a weekend in November. How many of us will bring a smelly, unshaven "least of the brethren" into our home on Thanksgiving Day itself? We don't. Our cozy, well-kept homes are not welcomed places for the unrefined.

America is engulfed with the dainty decorations and wanting everything to be so quaint and warm and perfect for ourselves. Largely absorbed with our own comfort. (And this doesn't even touch on the abounding glut of consumerism.)

This notion of self-comfort is definitely part of what the American media says makes Christmas Christmas. It's part of "the spirit of Christmas" and "the spirit of the season".

It's not the spirit of Jesus. He came to earth in humility and without fanfare. He showed no regard or favoritism among mankind.

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick", Jesus said. (Matthew 9:12)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted..." (Isaiah 61:1)

America (Body included) is largely about the production and panache of what Christmas has been made out to be by the media. If you don't have a decorated place to be with family and presents, well then something is wrong with your Christmas picture.

What a crock of crap, and the Body of Jesus buys into it hook, line and sinker.

I am not knocking anyone who has been blessed of the Lord and has His favor. I'm just taking a sober look at the commercialism and separatism in American society, and its infiltration into the Body.

Christmas in this Christian-based society has become much more than the simple celebration of Jesus coming into the world.

40 days of defense, 3 years of offense, key to offense

"Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit
2 For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil." (Luke 4:1-2, Amplified Bible)

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(CAPS mine for emphasis)

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to BIND UP and HEAL the brokenhearted, to PROCLAIM liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the OPENING of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,
2To PROCLAIM the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to COMFORT all who mourn,
3To GRANT [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion--to GIVE them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit--that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3, Amplified)

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, TEACHING in their synagogues, PREACHING the good news of the kingdom and HEALING every disease and sickness." (Matthew 9:35, NIV)

"The blind RECEIVE sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are CURED, the deaf hear, the dead are RAISED, and the good news is PREACHED to the poor." (Matthew 11:5, NIV)

"he SENT THEM out two by two and GAVE THEM AUTHORITY OVER EVIL SPIRITS." (Mark 6:7)

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and SENT THEM two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go." (Luke 10:1)

"Go! I am SENDING YOU out like lambs among wolves." (Luke 10:3)

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' 18 He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE ON SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND TO OVERCOME ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY; NOTHING WILL HARM YOU. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.' 21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'" (Luke 10:17-21)

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

"And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or HOLD OUT AGAINST IT]." (Matthew 16:18, Amplified)

"...The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)

Have we stopped to consider the overwhelming majority of Jesus' ministry was offense, not defense?

Upon Jesus' baptism and His being filled with the Holy Spirit He was led into the desert to be tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1). Once Jesus stood this test, without sin or blemish, the remainder of His ministry (until He allowed His arrest, beating and crucifixion--which was for mankind, not Him)...the remainder of Jesus' ministry was offense, not defense.

"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil". satan was on offense. Was his offense fierce? Must have been. Even as God incarnate, when the temptation was over angels came to Jesus to attend to Him (Matt 4:11).

There is little else in the gospels which suggests Jesus was (or was concerned with being) primarily subject to Satan's offense. When Jesus approached someone with a foul spirit, the demon shrieked. They begged Him not to torture them before the appointed time. (Matthew 8) Jesus simply told them to go. He didn't make a big deal about them. Didn't make a big deal about people's suffering at satan's expense. He simply moved in power, restoring.

Jesus' ministry was power, signs, prophecy, teaching, miracles, healing, deliverance, resurrection and Truth. Jesus went to the people, into the crowd, proactively, and revealed the kingdom of God in power, word and miracles. He and the disciples were on offense, not defense. He dealt with the works of the devil, by simply destroying them with a word or a touch. He did not give any homage or fanfare to satan's crud which He came across. (Know anyone who gets dramatic about satan's attacks? "Oh my gosh, so-n-so is REALLY under attack! Pray for them!") This was not Jesus' attitude or approach, and it should not be ours.

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8) It does not say Jesus appeared to withstand the devil's attacks. It doesn't say Jesus appeared to resist, rebuke or oppose Satan's offense.

Ever prayed, or know some who pray, to rebuke the devil and all his schemes? That begs a question for another blog sometime: when did Jesus ever address satan in any prayer? He prayed to the Father "deliver us from evil", and He prayed to the Father "I pray...that You protect them from the evil one" (Jn 17:15). I know someone who addresses satan in most prayers I've heard them pray...and it made me think of this. I didn't think so much about it the first couple of times I heard this person, but when it became so frequent I began to ponder this. Why didn't Jesus rebuke (or even mention) satan in prayer? I don't pose this question as a point of theology, it's just the frequency with which I've heard this it makes me think "are we praying and talking to God, or to satan?"

Satan back on offense
It was not until Jesus' final hours had come that His hands prophetically came down. He had been destroying satan's work powerfully and decisively. Since the end of His temptation, He had been on offense, advancing and revealing God's Kingdom.

When His hour had come, Jesus was no longer on offense. He had taught and said all He was to say...for the moment. He had healed and freed all He was to have healed and freed...for a season. And only a fraction of the things He did were recorded in the gospels. (John 21:25)

It was now time for Him to become the sacrificial Lamb. "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.". (Isaiah 53:7)

The Creator of the universe, the One through Whom the universe keeps existing as we know it (Hebrews 1:2-3), the One Who could have spoken a word and called over 80,000 angels to His side...did not.

At the time of suffering and crucifixion, Jesus took what was dealt out. He was taking it...for us. Until then, His ministry since His temptation had been one of offense for God's Kingdom.

Body of Jesus on offense
What percentage of the American Body sits back, comfy in our church pews, enjoying our salvation, so thankful we have it, and wait for the unsaved, wounded and dying to come to us?

Does Christianity involve church activities, and that's pretty much it? Did we somehow stumble into a church, and now that we're in that 'safe haven' are we just to sit there, comfy and secure, warm and blessed?

Is a Christian a disciple of Jesus? If so, are we disciples same as any other disciples who have walked the earth at any time, or is there a different (man-made) classification or qualification of disciple that makes us different than any previous? (And "those who actually saw Jesus" doesn't count. That's irrelevant. If you're of the opinion it's relevant, there's no need to read the rest of this.)

As disciples who are no less (nor more) than any other disciples, the question bids: why are we sitting on our lazy kiesters when we've been given the SAME authority, same Power to plug into that raised the dead (Acts 20:7-12), defied natural circumstances (Acts 28:1-6), healed (Acts 3:1-10)? The list goes on and on and on.

Going On Offense For The Kingdom
First, Jesus wants our hearts before anything else. Specifically, He says to repent. Repent means to change of one's mind for the better, heartily amending one's ways, with abhorrence of past sins.

Let's first realize we can attempt to change ourselves. This is done as an act of our own will to "be better" or "be a better person". We determine within ourselves "darn it, I'm going to change!"

There's a big difference between this versus saying "Jesus, I can't help myself. Change me, Jesus."

If we determine to make this change ourself, the change will be partial and incomplete. The majority of our walk will be struggle and defeat, not victory. We will have a form of godliness but will not be walking in His power.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).

Repentance is linked to the first part--deny. None of us has to spend much effort to live a fleshly life in rebellion against God. Doesn't take much at all. We have the choice at any time, any moment, to live according to our flesh (aka sin nature).

I'm not going to address the "take up his cross" phrase in this particular blog. (saving for later)

Jesus also says to follow Him. That's kind of broad. What do you mean by that, Jesus?

"Follow Me." Hmmm. Have we ever stopped to realize that we can do the first two without doing the third? We can deny ourself and take up our cross, but not follow. It happens all the time. Continuously.

We may be denying ourself and sincerely desiring to walk with Jesus. We may even know what taking up our cross is, and be doing so. But if we're not following Jesus then what we're doing doesn't count for beans.

What do you mean? You mean that my living a clean life, according to the precepts of the Bible, striving to live by it, having a decent prayer life and asking forgiveness when I know I've missed the mark is not "it"? How can that be?

These next verses come up pretty frequently in this blog. Matthew 7:21-23.

Did Jesus just say this because He was bored? Had nothing else to say or do? No, He was simply laying out the tenets of the Way.

Many say: accept Jesus, study the Word and develop a prayer life. Do this and you're on the Way.

There is scant teaching on learning to follow Jesus. Yet He emphatically says that unless what we do is of Him and through Him then what we do is useless (John 15:5, Matt 7:19).

Learning to follow Jesus, tangibly and actually in our lives (not theroetically or philosophically in our minds), should become our way of life before going any further in this thread.

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So when we are following Jesus. As we learn to follow Him and are chosen to be His hands and feet through which He moves in power, it's important both our motives and hearts about it stay in check. If we have any self-glory in desiring to be used of the Lord, or any self-glory when used of the Lord, this is absolutely not of Him. There is very specific note of this in Scripture (Acts 8:9-25, Luke 17:10).

Getting back on track. The power of the Gospel. Offense.

"Jesus came...to destroy the works of the devil."

This doesn't read "When the Son of God appeared on earth the devil's work was destroyed", nor "the devil was destroyed". satan's work did not disappear or go away just because Jesus was on earth. The removal of satan's handiwork required Jesus' proactive touch or word for healing, restoration and strengthening to occur.

Colossians 2:15. The power of satan and his hordes was rendered powerless through the cross. Doesn't say "the power and authorities were removed" or "...were thrown into hell".

No, they are still in our midst. The world is under the control of the devil. I raise this point after hearing someone recently say "satan is already defeated". Folks, satan doesn't get thrown into the lake of sulfur until Revelation 20. He is alive and doing much evil in increasing measure all over the globe.

There is a difference between satan's power being rendered powerless and him already being defeated. A difference between his works being destoyed and he being destroyed. To say he (himself) is defeated indicates the battle/engagement/fight/war is over. And it's not...yet.

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

"Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'" (Matthew 4:8-9)

"The world hates me because I testify that what it does is evil" (John 7:7)

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19)

Here's the good news. Actually, it's more than good. We as Followers have the authority in the name of Jesus to trample on scorpions and snakes, and to destroy the works of the devil even moreso than Jesus did (John 14:12).

Again, bear in mind that walking in the power of Jesus must coincide with being led by the Holy Spirit.

I spent time with a brother in Jesus last night who was involved in a horrific accident early this year. He was thrown by a man off a 50 foot building. He has a brain injury, a bad back, and either hip can become dislocated at any time.

This brother's heart belongs to Jesus. He loves the Lord deeply and truly. My heart went out to him, and we ended up praying together. As much as in my Christian flesh I would have liked to have seen the Lord heal him on the spot, that was not in the works last night. Can God heal him? Absolutely. Instantly? Absolutely. But it was not to be last night.

As we prayed I did not get a green light from the Holy Spirit about healing last night.. The Spirit did not fall down or lead in power for that purpose. We had great fellowship and prayer time together, and I did anoint him with oil, but his thorn remains at least for a moment.

After we prayed together, we were walking over to another location. He told me of an experience he'd had recently. He was in public somewhere, and a lady came eagerly toward him. As she approached she said "Where have you been? Where have you been?!?" Turns out she was a Follower, and she prayed for him and anointed him with oil, etc.

This brother walks with a stroller/walker with wheels. After this sister prayed for him, she said "You can walk without that now. You don't need it anymore." He appreciated her compassion, her time and her desire for the Lord to work powerfully at that moment, but it didn't happen. Why not? It wasn't God's timing. I guarantee it was not due to a lack of faith in this brother. There was nothing "wrong" with him. There is no unbelief. There is no "hidden sin" that prevented anything.

it is admirable that this sister acknowledges Jesus' ability and power to heal. That's awesome. She's already ahead of the part of the Body that thinks the power of God was for times past, not present. And I'm glad she felt compassion for this brother upon seeing his situation.

What I'm most thankful for is that this brother's faith did not waver one bit. How many thousands have been turned off because of someone whose heart and intentions were in the right place, but whose actions were not by the leading of the Holy Spirit? Matthew 7:21-23, Romans 8:14. My two staple verses.

it's about learning to be led by the Holy Spirit, friends. As I spent time with this brother last night, and heard his story, the compassion and longing for him was strong beyond description. Nothing could have been more glorious than for the Lord to reach down and touch him.

And why wouldn't He? I mean, this man is around many others. Many people know he walks with a stroller walker. They know of his affliction. Wouldn't it absolutely glorify God for this man to be touched? Yep.

Friends, we are called to follow Jesus. He is not called to follow us.

One of the spiritual cancers in America is the Dominion Gospel, where there is teaching that we are to invoke and/or "name and claim" things we want to see, things we want God to do, people we want to see healed...and God and Jesus are to just do it all.

Do what I want, Lord. Make my life content and prosperous. Bless me, Lord. Give me smooth sailing. Make my job enjoyable. Make sure my car runs well. Solve all my family conflict. Make sure there's plenty of food in the cupboard.
Bless my life, Lord, and I praise You and thank You for doing it and making it so. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Friend, you need to get back to the basics of the Lord's prayer. "Not my will, but Yours be done".

I reminded someone of this this past week, their response is "Oh, I know. I know." I saw right through their crap. I exposed their Dominion Gospel for what it is, and they gave lip service to knowing and following the Truth.

Same thing applies to this "Wild At Heart" crud. The Wild At Heart author says man should "live from his deep heart".

Really? How about living according to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit?

This advocacy of this author, for people to live from what's in their heart, without clearly drawing a distinction between the thin line of living a Scripture-based life versus a Scripture-based life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is a recipe for disaster.

There are three sources of thoughts in my head: my flesh, the devil, and the Holy Spirit. How is telling someone "live from your heart" clarifying any distinction between these three? There are plenty already, and here come more Believers who will be living, doing and invoking their own Bible-based flesh into the world. Just like this lady who approached the brother to pray for him and he could throw his walker down.

Is she a Christian? Yes. Mean well? Yes. Love the Lord? Yes. Scripture-based Believer? Yes. Heart go out for this man? Yes. Led by the Holy Spirit? No.

Are you being led by the Holy Spirit, friend? Are you following Jesus...or asking Him to follow you?

Are we hearing the Holy Spirit? Are we learning in increasing measure to distinguish between the Holy Spirit, our own thoughts and the thoughts planted by the enemy?

We may be reading our Bible and striving to live by its principles. When we're faced with a situation, what do we do? Are we to "turn the other cheek", or do we "trample on snakes and scorpions"? The Bible says both of these things. Which is it? "There's a time for peace and a time for war" (Eccl 3). How do I know which to do?

Tune in to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was not just speaking to hear Himself talk when He said:

""I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5, Amplified)

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things..." (John 14:26a)

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears..." (John 16:13)

John said, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11)

A couple of things I share about the Holy Spirit that you need to know about my background.

I grew up in a dead church. Dead. Full of religion. Full of ritual. At Christmas time Jesus was referred to as "the Christ child". What? That would be like me calling my blood brother "the male who was born before I".

The Holy Spirit was referred to as "one of the mysteries of God". Also commonly heard "that we don't understand" added to that statement.

I grew up not having the faintest clue about the Holy Spirit. He was mentioned as some distant, vague, unknowable entity.

Jesus made no bones about the Holy Spirit. Jesus was quite clear about Him, and more overt than many American churches care to acknowledge.

There is no mystery to the Holy Spirit. If you wish to know Him as you would get to know any other person or friend, you can.

"What father among you, if his son asks for]a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:11-13, Amplified)

One of the most incredible things I come across in talking with other Followers is their fear/hostility/avoidance with regard to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a GIFT. A gift from God.

Jesus clearly affirms the Holy Spirit is a good gift. The Greek word for "good" He uses also means advantageous.

So, putting this all together: the Holy Spirit is a gift from God that is to our advantage to have. He is not a mystery. He is not something we're incapable of understanding. Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit to disciples, and He delivers.

Remember this. The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all gentlemen. They do not dwell where they are not welcome. If they are disbelieved, scorned, yawned at or uninvited, they may show up briefly, but they don't dwell.

This blog may have drifted from its original, but to wrap it all together: we must live by the Holy Spirit's guidance, not our Christian-based flesh or our own Christian-based thoughts, if we are to be the Lord's hands and feet, His offense, in this world.

Trust in, cling to and rely on the Lord. Seek Him. Ask Him for the advantageous gift of the Holy Spirit, that He may guide, lead and teach. If we are to walk in the power of the Spirit (Acts 10 :38), then let us be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

There is mighty Power of the gospel we are called to walk in for the advancing of God's Kingdom. It is not our own. We are simply the conduit through which God does amazing works, to draw people unto Himself, not draw them unto us. This is not a gospel of words or human wisdom, but rather a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:4-5).

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39

We have the option to be and do for God, or to shrink back. Shrink back into comfort. Shrink back into our cushioned pews. Shrink back into conformity with society. Shrink back into man's opinion.

Shrink back into thinking that things like potluck dinners in the name of Jesus are the "works" He has called us to. Shrink back into thinking that being a Christian means conducting a PR campaign for Jesus, where we're to be admired and liked for being Christians instead of hated (Matthew 10:22, Luke 6:22, John 15:19, John 17:14).

Maybe we need a soul search as to what we're truly called to as followers of Jesus. Apart from the scales over our eyes, as to what our society says our faith and our calling consists of. Apart from what a denomination says. Apart from the opinions we have formed ourselves about God. Aside from the teaching of the Holy Spirit and God's Word which we've received from man (rather than from God).

Let's hit our knees and hear straight from the Holy Spirit. Let's be transformed, as He renews our mind. We will not only be surprised. More importantly we will be empowered by the very hand and heart of God.

Holy Spirit on the move

Thursday evening I went over to a couple's house from my fellowship to have dinner. We ended up talking for several hours about the Lord--it was great fellowship.

This particular couple has two adult handicapped children, I believe their ages are 30 and 32. They are both precious and funny. The male is a laugh a minute. The female, she's a sweetheart. I love them and their parents.

The female adult had a couple of grand mal seizures this summer, to the point during one of them they did not know if she'd make it. The Lord has put the children deeply on my heart ever since I've known them.

The female has had minor seizures since this summer, and sleeps with oxygen to help her breathing and reduce the possibility of their occuring while she sleeps.

The night that I was over, the wife's sister came over to stay the night as the daughter's caretaker (make sure oxygen is secure, watch her). I was sitting at the kitchen table talking with husband, it was getting late and I was about to head home.

I noticed the wife and sister were in the daughter's bedroom, and as I thought about leaving I got a nudge from the Holy Spirit. It wasn't just to go say goodbye and leave. It was to go pray for the daughter.

I went into the bedroom. The daughter sleeps in a hospital-type bed (with the tilt and elevation features). I stood beside her bed, reached out and put my hand on her left shoulder. She was already asleep. I began to pray quietly out loud as the Spirit led, at first just invoking the Lord's hand, then praying in the Spirit for awhile, then finishing either with the interpretation or in English. I wasn't paying attention if it was actually an interp or simply back into English, I just did as the Spirit led.

Even though the wife and her sister were in there, the Spirit didn't lead for there to be group prayer. The wife was standing beside me as I prayed, and I knew she was likewise in prayer when I was. The sister was behind us on the couch in the bedroom.

When I finished praying I said goodbye to the family and headed home. No fireworks. No strong drama or emotional in the praying (though there are times where the Spirit falls during prayer and prayer is very intense). It was not so this night, in praying for the daughter. I knew the Spirit had led everything, from nudging to pray, to praying solo and quietly instead of as a group, and what to pray.

Today, two days later, I saw the wife again up at the fellowship. She pulled me aside and said "I want to thank you for praying the other night. I don't know if it was before or after you came in the room, but my sister expressed she had an eerie, bad feeling about that night. She had a strong intuition that something was amiss." I shared with her that I had not heard her sister say that.

She went on to say that as I stood there praying she physically felt a burden being lifted from that room. I didn't sense anything, I just knew the Holy Spirit was guiding. She said that even after I finished praying that she felt the burden continuing even afterward to be still lifting.

From what she said, a normal night will involve her tossing and turning, peeking down the hall to see if the light in her daughter's bedroom is on, indicating whoever is watching her daughter through the night is having to do something. It's common for the daughter to have minor seizures when she sleeps, or some other kind of something during the night that requires attention regularly.

She said Thursday night her daughter slept all the way through, which is very much not the normal thing to happen. She said she likewise slept all the way through that night. She didn't sleep lightly, as she normally does, to peek and see if anything is going on or needs attention.

I got a little choked as she said this, for once again as in many situations in the recent past, the Lord has shown His mighty power while veiling my eyes from seeing it. I began to praise Him and praise Him. He has been showing Himself so strongly lately, and choosing to show this power to me after the fact.

I'm perfectly okay with Him doing so this way (like I'd have any say-so anyway, heh heh). The tears stream from humility, that He is gracious enough to reveal what He is doing. There are so many times where the Spirit leads something, and the result will likely not be seen until that Day. And I'm okay with that.

To know that I'm following the leading of the Holy Spirit in something is all that matters to me. I don't have to know or see what God is doing. If I'm following the Spirit, I know He's doing something. If it's for me to see, great. If it's not for me to see, great. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). I know when I'm nudged to do something, to simply do it and know I'm following the Spirit's lead is enough by me.

"So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' " (Luke 17:10)

To be shown glimpses of what He is actually doing in a situation, by the testimony of brothers and sisters, is glorifying to Him and at the same time so incredibly humbling. Who is man, that God should reveal His intents and purposes to?

There is absolutely nothing special about me, that the Lord should show me what He as Master and Creator is doing. I'm just called to follow. He nudges to do, and I do. Knowing I did for Him, that is all I need. For God to reveal His glory and His workmanship to this imperfect servant, is humbling beyond description. All glory to His Name.

Maybe it's cause I'm foolish enough to take Him at His word. I know He can do absolutely anything. No, really--He can do not only neat things, but "far and above all we could ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20). He works in power and amazement and wonder constantly. Would that we would all be so foolish as to believe (1 Cor 1:27). If we would, we might see that He shows us things, not because we're worthy, but simply because it is His good pleasure to do so (Luke 10:21, Ephesians 1:9).

the attitude in miracles

Yesterday afternoon I sensed the Holy Spirit nudge me to call up a brother from my fellowship and ask him if he wanted to meet me up at the fellowship in the evening. I wasn't sure if it was myself thinking this at first, but after the third nudge I was "okay, I'll call him."

When I reached him by phone and asked him about meeting me up there at night, his response was "sure, what's up?"

I told him I didn't know, maybe that we would just pray or anoint with oil. Said I didn't know specifically why, I only knew I was prompted to ask. Said I didn't know he and his wife's schedules this week, but if it could work out some night this week to let me know.

As it turned out, I went to dinner with them and their daughter, then the brother and I met up at the fellowship after he dropped his wife and daughter off at home.

We went into the worship area, and shared for awhile, caught up with each other. Eventually we anointed and prayed for each other. After we prayed I got the oil and started going around to all the door facings that enter the worship area. My buddy still wanted to spend some time praying for his mom (has extensive brain cancer) and a few other things we didn't cover.

I started anointing all the door facings, starting at front by the stage, then going to the back. As I went to the back, I felt nudged to start singing a praise song, so I did. The one that came to mind was "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord" (it's kind of a slow song, where frequently men and women will sing in rounds--the men sing a line, and the women repeat, more or less).

My voice wasn't so warmed up, and I haven't sang much recently, so I didn't sing real loud. As I finished anointing the door posts in the back, I came into the sanctuary. I was still singing various verses of this song, but I stopped and sang in one spot. All of a sudden something clicked, and I felt led to sing uninhibited instead of singing quietly as I had been doing.

Something happened the whole time I was singing both quietly and regularly. Nearly the whole time I sang, I wondered if the Lord was going to somehow anoint my singing. All I could hear was myself, but I kept wondering if it was just me or if the Lord would or was somehow amplifying it.

So, here I was near the back of the worship area, probably about 80 feet or so from where my buddy was up front kneeling and praying for his mom and the church.

I sang two verses in the worship area standing in that spot, and it then seemed the time to stop singing. Right about this time, my buddy finished his prayer. I silently walked up to the front.

When I got up there, my buddy turned to me and said "I don't know what you were doing or what was happening, but as you sang it sounded like it was more than just you singing. It sounded like there was a group of men singing. Kinda like when a group of monks sing, as though there were multiple voices. And it was loud! It didn't distract me from my prayer, I knew the singing was in the background, but it was very, very loud. As though this place was full and everyone was singing. It was so surreal. it didn't distract me from my prayer, but man it was loud!"

I then told him that as I had been going around anointing with oil, that it crossed my mind if the Lord was going to do something during my singing, and wondering in my mind as I sang if I was the only one singing.

We both began to glorify the Lord! The Lord (just as in my driving travel a few weeks ago [see 'Capernaum 2005' entry of my blog]), kept me and my senses in the physical world, yet He allowed my brother as he was praying to experience the spirit realm.

What's amazing is, less than a month ago I was at this brother's house, and his wife had just a few days before had a vision. She and I talked about what it was like to be in the spirit realm (I was allowed to have an experience in the spirit realm this past summer), and the husband was just kinda sitting there. I looked at her and said "We ought to pray for him to experience the spirit realm so he'll know what we're talking about. We ought to pray this happen in less than a month."

My brother's ears were opened to the spirit realm (by the Lord) for a few minutes last night. Glory to God! This was none of my brother's doing, and the Lord kept me strictly in the physical world. I could only hear my voice singing, but in my spirit there was an intuition, a pondering if there was more than just my singing going on. Turns out there was. Bless the Lord.

Bear in mind above all these things being testified about: the glory and amazement of the supernatural events is not the point. The ambition is not to have experiences. The point is to know Jesus. To know His Father, the Creator of this universe and our heavenly Father. To know the Holy Spirit, who Jesus promised He would send after He ascended into heaven. The point is to know Them.

Many people live for the signs. They thirst for the miracles. That's not what Jesus said it was about. Matthew 16:1-4.

"1 Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came up to Jesus, and they asked Him to show them a sign (spectacular miracle) from heaven [attesting His divine authority]. 2 He replied to them, When it is evening you say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red, 3 And in the morning, It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and has a gloomy and threatening look. You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and morally unfaithful generation craves a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then He left them and went away. (Amplified Bible)

These were religious people. Religious leaders. People who believed in God. They asked Jesus for a sign. Asked Him for a miracle. Jesus saw their hearts. He knew why they were asking. They weren't asking for a sign so that they would then follow Him and trust Him as Savior and the Messiah. They wanted to see a sign or miracle for the purpose of seeing a sign or miracle.

So what did Jesus do? He told them no sign would be given except the sign of Jonah, then He turned and walked away. If they (we) weren't (aren't) willing to ingrain into the soul and heart the most important miracle and sign of all, His resurrection triumph over sin and death, then no other sign matters.

We see a similar example of this in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. At the end of the parable, the rich man, in torment, says:

"send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." (Luke 16:28-31; context verses 19-31)

Jesus spoke of mankind's heart here. The parable says the man in torment was a rich man. Would it be too much of a stretch to say that because he had gone to hell his heart was proud, unbending, arrogant and unrepentant? He pleaded that he had brothers who needed to hear the message, so that they could escape the same fate as he.

When he asked "can you send someone to warn my brothers", the reply was "they have Moses and the Prophets, let them listen to them". In other words, there is plenty of Biblical testimony for them, to know how to to escape punishment.

The rich man replied (paraphrased) "that ain't gonna do it". The rich man said this because he himself had studied the law of Moses and the Prophets. He knew the prophecies of the Old Testament to a "t". Knew them well. He believed in God (the Father).

He thought his brothers would believe if someone raised from the dead were sent to give the warning. Surely this miraculous a sign would be sufficient to cause his brothers to repent!

What was the reply to "send someone raised from the dead to warn them"? Yes, that would make them repent"?

No, the parable finishes by saying "they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead".

Jesus was talking about the heart of mankind here, saying that for some people even if a miracle happened right before their eyes they still will not believe (trust in, cling to, rely on) Him. (John 12:37)

Human logic says if someone was raised from the dead, that would be enough for ANYONE to believe (trust in, cling to, rely on).

Unfortunately, I've seen this happen here on earth. I have seen the Lord perform an absolute, undeniable miracle of healing, and seen people be in absolute denial of the moving and power of His Hand right before their eyes.

Will Jesus still sometimes heal even if there is unbelief present? He can do some, if He chooses. He can't do as much as He could do if there is belief in a place or among a people. At least once He willing to do some miracles among unbelievers who were offended by Him. (Matt 13:58, context verses 54-58)

Bear in mind healing occurs at His choosing. How often do people (even well-meaning, Jesus-loving Believers) claim the right and authority to invoke the Lord's healing at THEIR bidding, their timing, their choosing (instead of the Lord's)?

How many people put God and Jesus on the spot, essentially saying "Heal, Lord, or else"?

Some folks become spiritually stagnant unless God moves His Hand to heal.

Others play roulette with God, saying that He needs to heal so that their unbelieving friend or family member will become a Christian. Didn't we just read that Jesus said some will not believe even if there be miracles? And some won't believe even when the miracle is the raising of the dead?

Since when is it okay to tell God how and when to be God? Don't we take note of Jesus healing when humility is present?

"When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy." (Matt 8:1-3)

This leper showed two important traits when he asked Jesus for healing: respect and humility.

He knelt down before Him. Do we bow (either physically or in our attitude) when we approach Jesus? Or do we go to Jesus with a need, and in addition to saying "I know You can do this" is there also an attitude of "and I expect You to" along with it?

When we're in a human situation in life, what's our gut instinct when a stranger approaches us with a strong expectancy for us to do something for them? What about when it's a friend or acquaintance, and again there's a strong "I expect you to do this" in their voice? What's our instinct to manipulation by those who don't know us or those who do know us, either one having an overbearing spirit when they ask us to do something for them?

There seems to be a lot of prideful expectation in the Body of Christ in America when asking the Father or Jesus to do something (heal or miracle), instead of humble requests before Jesus and humble submission with regard to the Father's will (versus our will).

Right on the heels of this healing of the leper in Matthew 8, Jesus entered Capernaum, where he came across a centurion:

""Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." (Matt 8: 6-8).

What would most of us say to Jesus if He physically walked the earth and said "I will go and heal who is sick in your house"?

Would we call home and frantically tell whoever was at home to clean up? Would we say "And do it right! The King of Kings is coming!"

Would we make fifty calls on our cell phone to everyone we know and say "Guess what!?! Jesus is coming to MY house! Yes, yes, Jesus!!! Can you believe it?!? I know!! Yeah, He chose me!!"

Where is our humility before Jesus and Father? What a stark contrast between this attitude and the centurion's "I do not deserve for You to come under my roof".

With unbelief in a lot of places (churches included), and with pride (instead of humility) running rampant (even within the Body), it makes you wonder--is Jesus willing to still do miracles?

Sure He is. He wants to! He yearns to, yet bear these things in mind:

--He doesn't want to just "do miracles". Above everything He wants mankind to come to repentance, turn from sin and Follow Him. That is His first priority, to save us from ourselves and/or from satan's grip, more than anything else. Repentance and salvation are the main course. Miracles are the side dish, but a very important and powerful one.

We see the importance of miracles in Mark 16:20 and 1 Cor 2:4-5:

"Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." (Mark 16:20)

Jesus is in sync with His disciples. He works in a tag team effort to confirm preaching of the good news of His forgiveness and victory over sin and death with signs.

"My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." (1 Cor 2:4-5, context is verses 1-5)

The Christian faith is not a faith of words alone. There are a lot of churches who conduct their Christian ministry and business without any signs. A lot of churches have pastors who are polished in both appearance and speech. Is the gospel they preach one of words, or is it a gospel of words AND the demonstration of the power of God?

In asking this question I'm not saying to switch churches necessarily. I'm saying (1) to examine the fruit on the tree (Matthew 7: 17-18), and (2) Pastors, wake up to the Bible you preach and embrace.

Drop your denominational and theological rigidity. Why hold on to tradition, ceremony, structure and dull repetitiveness if there is no demonstration of God's power?

People wonder why the youth of America are where they are in terms of God. There are several factors. One of them is there is no power demonstrated in some churches of today. They see more make-believe power in Harry Potter movies than they see the real power of God moving in the church their parents drag them to every Sunday.

There is an intrinsic capacity inside every human being to believe and savor the supernatural.

If the Body of Christ is not walking and living in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, kids/people are going to look to alternate (fake) sources of the supernatural. Would it be true to say that in America more people embrace Harry Potter (though it's clearly a make believe movie) than embrace the true miracles done here on Earth by God's Hand? This should not be the case.

We have a resurrected Lord, who overcame and put death to shame. The gospels are full of His miraculous moving and power to heal and save. He then charged us to do the same (Mark 16:17-18). Jesus also said His followers will do the same things, and in fact greater things than He because He was going to the Father (John 14:12).

What are we waiting for? Are we requiring that Jesus Himself appear to us personally in our bedroom before we "get it", and start doing what He said His Followers WILL (not might) do?

I am so convicted right now.

Bear in mind, our moving in His power MUST be done at His direction, not ours. Period. To walk on the same page with the Lord simply means being led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14), with Jesus working with and alongside us (Mark 16:20). By walking in His power under His guidance, we are not in peril of His telling us "I never knew you, depart from Me" (Matt 7:21-23).

This is very sobering to ponder, but it is Truth. Let's strive to be led by the Spirit.

Jesus

I love you, Lord Jesus, the Lover of my soul.

the heart of God

May my walk take me so deep into the heart of God that if anyone would find me they must likewise journey to the deepest depths of the heart of God Himself.

Capernaum 2005

Last Saturday I left Texas heading to Tennessee (Nashville area) at 6:30pm. My goal was to get back the next morning for Sunday stuff at 9:30am.

This is a 13-hour drive, one which I've made numerous times this year.

If I was to get back in time, I had 15 hours to make a 13 hour trip. If all went as hoped I could nap two hours and still make it in time.

I wanted to get back, as I thought the Lord was going to do something way cool. I sensed this because earlier that week (before heading to Texas) the Lord prompted me to do something at the church.

I went up to the church late Thursday night that week. The Lord had me take oil and anoint and pray over every door that enters the worship area. I prayed the name and power of Jesus throughout and asked the Lord to cleanse and seal that place.

I did not get Holy Ghost goose bumps doing this, but I definitely sensed the Lord's prompting as I went around.

At that time my hope was to be back in time from my trip to see what the Lord ended up doing. I knew His Hand was over and in it, and anticipated to see the fruits of it.

Back to the trip. When I left Texas, it came to my heart to ask the Lord to shorten my trip. To supernaturally make the trip shorter than it would actually take in terms of driving hours. I asked if He could take 3-4 hours off the trip.

As I drove my request got even more bold. I got tired after about 5 hours on the road and pulled off to sleep.

At that point I asked the Lord to transport me to Tennessee. Yes, to "beam" me and my car (just like Star Trek, except with a car included) to my home in Tennessee. I absolutely know He can do this, without a shadow of a doubt. And I petitioned Him to do so.

(If you wonder how/why on earth this would be prayed, read what happened when Jesus got in the boat with His disciples in John chapter 6. Jesus, His disciples and a boat, no problem. One disciple (me) and a car? No bigger thing to do. You can also read about Phillip in Acts chapter 8.)

When I stopped to sleep, my prayer was "Lord, I'm about to go to sleep. When I wake up, let me wake up in the parking lot of my apartment complex in Nashville. Show Your glory, Lord. Do this to show Your power and your glory, that You Are." I asked it be done for a miraculous testimony of some kind, somehow. (I didn't necessarily need Him to do it for me, cause I wouldn't have prayed He do it in the first place if I didn't know He can absolutely do it.)

Apparently my body was pretty exhausted, because I ended up sleeping for 7 hours. I woke up...in Texarkana, where I'd pulled over to rest. 500 miles away from my destination in Tennessee. I hadn't been beamed while I slept.

Under normal circumstances, driving within 5 mph of the speed limit, this meant about eight hours still to drive (even when you drive 70-75 mph, stopping for gas makes long trips average out to 60 mph including the stops).

In the natural world, barring a miracle, I wouldn't be getting back at the time desired, to see what God might be up to at the service I'd prayed about.

The Lord had not transported me, but even as I got back on the highway in Texarkana I kept petitioning Him to do it throughout the trip.

"Transport me to Loop 440 in Nashville, Lord. Beam me to I-24 near the exit I take to get off the highway. Do it, Lord. Put me on I-40 in Nashville. Didn't happen while I slept, do it now while I'm awake. Show Yourself, Lord."

I wasn't being choosy, just gave the Lord several options, any of which would be miraculous...literally. And I ABSOLUTELY KNOW He can and could do this. Undeniably He can.

I drove, still with the expectancy and petitioning for the Lord to do it. I was eager to see what He would have happen.

As I got about 30 miles west of Memphis, TN, my cell phone rang. It was a brother from fellowship, just calling to check up. "I'm about 30 miles outside of Memphis" I told him. The time was right around 12:15 pm.

He mentioned that he and his wife had been asked to share their testimony that morning. They and I have become pretty tight in just the short time we've known each other. He said "I was going to mention you and our friendship even though we've been coming only a short time, but I didn't see you so I didn't mention your name."

They are a great couple, with an amazing testimony. Hearing they'd done that made me wish even more that I'd been there, but I knew the Lord had had things pan out as they did. Life is not about what I want, even if those wants are God-centered and God-focused.

I told him I'd call him again when I got near Nashville, told him I might swing by their house on my way home. I had never been to their home, so I told him I'd call for directions when I got close into town.

I was still about 230-240 miles out when we spoke. About 25 miles west of Memphis, then right around 210 miles from Memphis to Nashville.

The other thing he mentioned as we spoke was him being under the weather. Their 14-month old daughter had caught a bad cold that week, and he and his wife had both caught some of it. He moreso than his wife.

I then made a call to another buddy. I knew he would not be home yet, so I left a voicemail on his answering machine mentioning I was under the impression the Lord was going to do something cool that morning, and to let me know how it went, etc.

He called back a little later, said it went great, that my new couple friends had spoken, that the pastor had been led to change his message at the last second to other than what he had prepared, and that it rocked.

Cool, I thought.

As I kept driving, between Memphis and Nashville, I got tired. I pulled off at an exit I frequently stop in that part of the state when traveling...and took a nap. The nap was just under an hour. I then went through a drive-through and got a quick bite and got back on the road.

Even though it was mid-afternoon now on my car clock, I still kept praying for the transport. Don't know why, I'd already gotten two calls earlier about the service being cool, but over.

As I got back into the Nashville area, I pondered if I should call my new buddy and his wife or if I should just go home and take a nap.

I began to think about their being under the weather, and it came to my heart to swing by their place, anoint with oil and pray.

I then grappled for a few moments. Is this just something I'm thinking about doing, or are God's fingerprints on this desire? After a few minutes of wondering this I got a nudge one way or the other, and dialed their number.

"I'm on Loop 440 near Briley Parkway. Where is y'all's house?" I knew I was not far. He gave me directions, and I told him it would be about five minutes.

Here's where things get very interesting.

When I got to their house, they were at the kitchen table eating lunch. I thought to myself "they're sure eating a late lunch" but I didn't say this out loud, the thought just passed through my mind. It was mid-afternoon by my clock in the car.

We talked for a little bit, then prayed, then got some oil and anointed their daughter. I hung out there for a little while, then went to my place and dropped some things off before going somewhere around 5pm.

So, from all indicators to me, the Lord had simply said "no" to my request for transporting me and cutting the drive time down. God saying no doesn't change one thing about Him.

It just appeared at the time that He had chosen not to. So I thought...

Just over a week later, on Monday November 14th, I went over to this same couples' house. At one point the conversation turned to that previous Sunday when they'd given their testimony. I made the comment "Yeah, I wish I could have been there."

The wife turned to me, looked me dead in the eye, and said "You were."

"What?" I said.

She said "You were there. When we got up to give our testimony, I scanned the church to see who among the friends we've met so far were there. I didn't see you where you usually sit, but I looked at the back, where the doors with windows are where people come in, and I saw your face pop up in one of the windows. I thought to myself 'oh, he must have arrived late and is waiting for an appropriate time to come in'. Knowing that you were there gave me an extra assurance as I was about to talk. We've only been here a short while, but it was an extra boost before I spoke to know that you were there. I didn't see you after service, and asked 'where is he? He's here. I saw him waiting to come in.'"

The husband said "I haven't seen him".

As they left the service, in the parking lot as they got into their car, at 12:15pm, that is when the husband called me (when I was west of Memphis, driving in east Arkansas), to ask where I was--because she had asked, since she'd seen me.

On the 14th when we talked about this in hindsight, she remarked how emphatic she had been to him to call me and ask where I was. Because, she said, "it was not someone who looked like him. It WAS him."

After the west-of-Memphis phone call, they drove home, changed clothes, heated up food in the microwave and sat down to eat lunch. From the time of their phone call until their sitting down to eat lunch at their house was about 35-40 minutes.

Okay, now check this out.

When they sat down to eat lunch, 35-40 minutes after the 12:15pm phone call, is when I called back and said "I'm on Loop 440 near Briley Parkway. Where is y'all's house?"

• When the husband called I was still in the flat plains of east Arkansas on Interstate 40. I have driven that route numerous times in the last 8 months, so I had a good gauge of where I was when he called. Nearing the east side of Arkansas, but not quite to the large truck stops which are 5-10 miles west of the state line.

• Once you cross the Mississippi River into Memphis coming from Arkansas, it takes about 20-25 minutes (in normal traffic) to get to the east side of Memphis heading to Nashville. It takes this long whether you take I-40 (on the north side of Memphis) or Loop 240 (on the south side of Memphis).

• Memphis to Nashville is 210 miles. (On Interstate 40, Mile #1 begins on the west tip of the state, a mile inside the Mississippi River in Memphis. Downtown Nashville is Mile # 210 on Interstate 40.)

Putting this driving math together, I was about 230-240 miles from Nashville when the husband called at 12:15pm.

When they got home, changed clothes and heated up lunch in the microwave, about 35 minutes later, is when I called and said "I'm nearby, how do I get to your house?"

As mentioned, the Lord did NOT alter the clock in my car. The clock in my car showed 12:15p when the husband first called, and showed normal time progression for the rest of the drive.

When I pulled up to their house, my car clock showed mid afternoon. That's why when I went inside and they were at the table eating I had thought to myself "they're sure eating a late lunch". Why they'd be eating lunch so late, especially with a 14-month old, made no sense.

When I arrived at their house the husband likewise thought (but didn't say out loud) "he must have really sped to get here this quick from Memphis".

When we discussed this later he said was waiting for me to brag how fast I had been going between Memphis and Nashville.

There was no story of speeding to tell him (pedal to the metal, etc) because I wasn't.

My cruise control was set 3-4 mph above the speed limit for the entire trip. At this rate it is about three hours from Memphis to Nashville.

The extra cherry on top of this is that I'd stopped about half way between Memphis and Nashville and taken a nap of about 50 minutes. After the nap I went through the drive-thru at a Dairy Queen and got an ice cream before getting back on the Interstate.

So the trip from when my buddy had called, including the time of the nap, is normally four hours.

There was no reason to speed, number one because I don't like tickets for several reasons (fines, inconvenience of court, defensive driving, etc). That in and of itself is motivation for me not to speed.

Number two, since the 13-hour trip only allowed a 2-hour buffer of sleep along the way to get back in time, and since I had slept for 7 hours in Texarkana, I was 5 hours off the mark of getting back at the time desired.

There was no human way to make up the difference, so no use trying and no use risking a ticket.

(For those of you decent at math, i would have to have gone 70 mph over the speed limit for four hours straight to make up the Texarkana sleep time. I would have to have gone 140 mph for four consecutive hours somewhere between Texarkana and Nashville to make up the time.)

Third, and finally, I was in expectancy of the Lord to do a miracle the entire trip. If I sped excessively I would take away His ability to prove that a miracle was authored by Him.

If I had cranked it up to 140 mph then tried to say "the Lord worked a miracle during the trip" that would be a bunch of baloney.

knew that in order for a miracle to occur I would need to stay right at the speed limit, in order for the circumstances to undeniably prove it was God and not human circumstances that did it.

Back to my arriving at their house.

As mentioned, when I got there I had thought to myself (but not said out loud) "they're eating a late lunch". I knew they were just then eating because of a bratwurst sitting in a hot dog bun on the table.

The brat was glistening with moisture, indicating it was still warm/hot. If the brat was cooled off from sitting there for any period of time it wouldn't be glistening. Its appearance would be dull with no moisture.

This obviously-still-warm brat indicated the meal was fresh, plus their plates were still more than half full of food.

The husband said on the Monday night that we discovered this that as we talked around the table on that Sunday afternoon he was waiting at any second for me to start bragging or telling a 'war story' about how fast I had been going on the Interstate...but I never did.

He also had this thought going through his mind, but didn't say anything out loud to me about it: he knew something was definitely not computing about the timing of everything (that I was outside Memphis when he'd first called, and was sitting at his kitchen table 40 minutes later), but he didn't vocalize it.

When I entered his house and as we chatted, he wondered why I was just sitting there nonchalant, not saying a word about an attempted land-speed-record between Memphis and Nashville.

You know how guys are. Any time we do something daring or crazy involving a car and speed, we talk about it.

The Lord clearly did a miracle and He undeniably DID answer my prayer of asking He cut time off the trip. He simply chose to hide it from me at the moment He did it, and then revealed it later.

And He did show His power and His ability to do it...to my friends, in real time. To me later.

• All the time that passed on the clock in my car did not indicate the Lord was doing anything. During my driving time the clock correlated with my speedometer in terms of normal time and distance. I did not disbelieve the Lord, I simply thought He'd said no to my prayer request. It didn't change my belief, I just ate it at His answer for that situation.

• speaking of prayer request, my hope/thought had been to get to Nashville in time for that church service on Sunday morning. I had anointed the church earlier in the week for some reason, and sensed the Lord was going to do something cool. My own desire was to be there to see what it was. So, given this, and the wife saw me at the back of church just before she spoke, miracle number two (aside from the driving one). Her comment was "It was not someone who looked like you. It was you. That's why I asked afterward where you were."

In Colossians 2:5, Paul talks about being absent in body but present in spirit with other believers. If the Lord knew my desire to be in Nashville that morning was strong, would He have had me there in spirit? And in so doing, momentarily allowed the wife to see in the Spirit that I was there?

There are moments where God temporarily allows people to see in the spirit world. This is more rare than frequent, for God often has us live by faith and not by sight (2 Cor 5:7, John 20:29).

Jesus did a Capernaum experience as in John chapter 6. He hid it from me initially. My friends knew something wasn't computing, but just shrugged it off--til we talked it out a week later.

You are mighty, Lord Jesus. Keep showing Yourself in power, for Your glory and the Father's glory. You show Yourself to those who believe. You and the Father are gentlemen--You don't go where You're not invited.

Where faith is You can do mighty, amazing, miraculous things (Luke 7:1-10, Matthew 15:22-28). Where there is lack of faith, Lord Jesus, You don't do much (Matt 13:53-58).

Thank You for being a gentleman, Lord Jesus. And thank You for allowing to see Your undeniable, strong, mighty, miraculous power.

I have seen You save me multiple times in my life from car wrecks, broken bones, severed fingers, being crushed. My life has not been and is in no way pain free or incident free, but You have directly saved me from so much more.

You have healed me, both progressively and instantly.

You grew my shortened leg, right before my eyes, to match the length of my other leg. Undeniable miracle of God right before my eyes and the eyes of three other witnesses.

Another time You miraculously healed my back, where I couldn't even bend over 5 degrees, the pain was so intense. With faith believing, Lord, You touched me supernaturally, and the moment You did I could bend full over and touch my toes with no pain in my back. The pain had increased over three days to unbearable, and my back had become very close to unmovable. For close to two solid days I prayed and asked others if they would also pray. In the evening of the second day of fervent prayer, You touched.

And now, Lord, by just a simple request to do a miracle of time on a trip, You delivered. Not in the way I thought, to get me back so I could go to that service, but simply to show Your glory, witnessed by three Believers. You did cut three hours off my driving time as I had asked. Actually you went an extra step, because I took a nap of just under an hour during those last 230+ miles as well, so it was actually just under four hours that were cut off. You rock, Lord.

Your mercy and power are so phenomenal, Lord Jesus. I believe, Lord. You keep showing Yourself. I simply decided years ago to take You at Your Word. I was foolish enough to drop the religion, denominational opinions and the opinions of mankind and simply believe that You are the same today as You were when You walked this earth (Heb 13:8).

Thank You for dropping the scales of rigid religious upbringing from my eyes. Thank You for breaking through the lack of faith that is so rampant in the United States. I grew up with no example or visible witness of Your power. Thank You for the grace to believe which took root. Please grant anyone who reads this the grace to develop child-like faith in You as well, Lord.

Because of the root, which has grown as You continue to show Your might, You have free reign to do as mighty and powerful miracles as You will, to show people that the Kingdom of God is near to them.

Just these last few months, I have witnessed You heal cancer in someone who had degenerated to within days of their death. That was in September, Lord. This woman now gloriously laughs and praises You as she lives. She is in better health now than when she first became sick!

I have seen You touch a pregnant woman with complications, who cried out for Your mercy as she received serious news about her pregnancy during her eighth month. You touched, Lord, and after her sonogram four days later there was absolutely no sign of the complication.

I have seen You touch a burned hand right before my eyes and the eyes of two other people. A hand which had been burned on a stove. The flesh was shriveled like a prune, had whitecaps on the peak ridges, was swollen, and on two of the four burned fingers the flesh was brown (indicating strong burn areas. Skin brown upon burn has the potential to simply fall off.) Knowing Your power, and humbly asking for Your touch, Lord in less than five minutes of prayer the pruning and whitecaps and brown and swelling were totally gone. The skin was flush, no ridges or peaks or pruning wrinkles. The skin was flesh-colored. Most amazing of all was You had taken away all pain from the burn. Even a sunburn hurts, and this was much more severe than a sunburn, and zero pain.

I have witnessed You deliver someone bound by foul spirits set free. I broke out in laughter and tears the next time I saw that person. To have seen what they looked like before, confused and restless and hurting inside, then the next time to see Your countenance and the Holy Spirit upon them--Lord Jesus, You came to set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1), and You are continuing to do so, right here in America in 2005. Bless Your name.

You have the freedom, Lord, to show Your power and glory. Thank You for not having a powerless gospel, but a Gospel that demonstrates Your power (1 Cor 2:4-5). Thank You for working with Your disciples, Your disciples today, now, and accompanying with Your power and signs (Mark 16:20).

Jesus, help us all to understand that You do not take miracles lightly. For those of us who want to see miracles, help us understand the point of miracles is to show the kingdom of God among men. That You, Jesus, are from God and are the Savior of the world. That You are the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that no one comes to the Father except by and through You. Miracles are not about entertainment or comfort, they have more to do with repentance (Matthew 11:20-24).

No other miracles matter until or unless we follow You, Jesus, and You reign (Matt 12:38-40). The most important thing to You is that we follow You, and that we count the cost of Your becoming Master (Matt 19:16-22).

Help us to see this difference, Lord, and do what You need to do in our lives to make us realize that above everything You want our hearts. Not half of them. Not just the part of them that is convenient to give to You. Not just in the areas of life we've been told or trained or "feel like" giving you.

Then, with our hearts and our following, You want us to take You at Your word. May we not be bound to what we were raised to believe or have been told to believe. Help us to take You, Jesus, at Your word. First and foremost about Your desire to be our Master. May we get off the throne of our own lives, humble ourselves and give ourselves to You. Break the constraints and cords of religion and denominationalism and humanistic Christianity that are in or over anyone who reads this, Lord.

Jesus, You thanked the Father that these things had been hidden from the wise and revealed to little children, and that doing this is God the Father's good pleasure (Matthew 11:20-26).

Lord, if we want a sign but our hearts are cold, let us ponder these verses about Your miracles. Holy Spirit, reveal our own hearts to us, and to whatever length or degree we need to change, whatever we need to surrender to become as little children, show us.

Father, You have chosen the foolish things of this world to shame the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). May we become foolish children instead of wise adults, that we might see Your power, Your might and Your glory. Your Kingdom is truly at hand.

In Your name, Jesus, so be it.

band-aid Christianity

"God's got a plan" (add "for you" or "for your life")

"I'll be praying for you."

"The Lord is with you whatever happens."

"Oh, God bless your heart."

"God's got a purpose"

"Jesus is Lord"


Are these sayings true? Yes. Do they have a sliver of Truth in them by the Scriptures "nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus" and "Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"? Yes.

Are they also inherently rude, shallow Christian catch-phrase religious babble that Believers often/frequently/sometimes spew out of their mouths? Yes.

Canned statements such as this are a putrid stench to the hurting. These loose-tongued, band-aid Christian phrases are often said by the "well" who walk around blindly in what I call the Christian Flesh.

Their statements are simply regurgitations of things they've heard, things they've read, Scripture, etc. Despite these Christian-sounding phrases, these words are not uttered under the leading of the Holy Spirit, and their words therefore have no true, effective ministry of Jesus nor the anointing of the Holy Spirit in them.

This is evidence of what we were warned of in the last days..."the love of most will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).

So many Believers walk in some form of a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude), Polly Anna, Health & Wealth, Prosperity, Blessing and/or Dominion Gospel that is a stench to God Almighty.

These "gospels" are shallow. They are hollow. They are superficial. They are a thin film of truth around a big fat lie.

"20 ...Turn away from the irreverent babble and godless chatter, with the vain and empty and worldly phrases, and the subtleties and the contradictions in what is falsely called knowledge and spiritual illumination. 21[For] by making such profession some have erred (missed the mark) as regards the faith..." (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Band-aid Christianity. Ain't it great!

a word to the hurting

There are a lot of things (most of them from tough moments) that I will never know (while here on earth) why they happened. We cannot always trace God's hand in life, but we are given the option to trust His heart. This may be hard to digest, when the depth of our pain is beyond description.

I have been at the point where I hurt so bad that I could not believe as true a verse of Scripture I had known for years: "all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose". I'd known that verse for years, shared it with others, believed it for myself.

Then something in life happened so raw and hurtful that I could not believe that verse when it was shared with me. I was honest enough to tell the person "I know that verse, but in all honesty I cannot believe it true for me in my life now." That's how much I hurt. And God appreciated my honesty when I told Him this same thing. And He appreciates your honesty with Him too, wherever your heart is.

He welcomes being able to prove and show Himself, if we're willing to shake off all the religion and erroneous stuff we're fed about His nature through church, TV, the opinions of others, etc. and go straight to Him. I know part of my problem for so long was getting my information and opinion of Him from sources other than He Himself.

Anyone who wants religion can have it, I'll take Jesus thank you very much. Religion is man's idea of what and who God is, and the overwhelming majority of it is dead wrong about His nature, His love, His strength, His power.

Religion does not welcome the hurting. Religion expects you to be happy and blessed. Religion says to wear a smile and tell everyone you're doing fine...even when you are not.

Jesus Christ hates religion.

Jesus wants you to be raw and honest with Him. If you're hurt, downtrodden, pissed--Jesus wants you to tell Him so, just like that. He doesn't want you to put on some fake aura of reverence or get-it-togetherness before you come talk to Him. He wants to hear your heart as it is, with your words and your language, letting Him know EXACTLY how it is. Would doing so include some rough language and choice words in sharing your heart to Jesus? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, He wants to hear it straight, all of it, how your heart wants to say it. Don't hold anything back: don't hold back your words, don't hold back your tone, don't hold back your heart. Lay it out full throttle. That's what Jesus wants you to do.

Religion tells you to ignore or shun your feelings, and be something you're not. Religion tells us we are to have a certain disposition about us if we're going to approach God/Jesus.

Jesus says "Come talk to me, raw. Don't make up your hair or your face. Don't put on certain clothes. Don't 'prepare' in any way, shape or form. Forget that! I want to hear straight from your heart."

You wonder if Jesus really says this? Know this, He scorns the pompous, self-righteous and indignant.

"Woe to you, you actors and pretenders! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces; for you neither enter yourselves, nor do you allow those who are about to go in to do so." (Matthew 23:13)

The ground is level at the foot of the cross. You and I stand equal there. None of us is higher than anyone else, nor lower.

I don't know if this is a challenge or an encouragement. But I simply say to shake off all the stuff that is preached and that American believers share with each other how God is. Drop all that stuff, and go to the Cross with whatever is bottled up inside and let it out. Strong, emotional, angry, hurt--whatever it is, be raw and honest with Him about it. Let it fly. Don't worry about using a respectful, reserved tone because it's Him. Let the true sentiment of your heart loose. However long, however strong, and tell Jesus. This may sound crazy, but He WANTS to hear the true emotion of your heart. He can take it. He doesn't want you to hold back.

Then, when you've let it out in totality and He has absolutely heard it all, true and raw, do one or two things. (1) listen. See what He says to your heart and spirit. If you sense nothing, then maybe there is something more to get off your chest. (2) ask Him for a trade. I'm going to personalize something Jesus said while on earth and make it for you. Jesus says to you, "Come to me, (say your name). You are weary, and burdened. I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, (your name), for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden light, (your name)."

Jesus wants to make a trade with you. He wants your pain, your hurt, your ache, your anger, your brokenness, your anguish--from anything current or past. He is asking YOU for it. Yes, yours. What you have experienced and have carried (or are still carrying) with you.

Please don't be like me. When I drifted from Him, it started off as disappointment, and grew into a jaded resentment. My faith waned. I didn't hang on just a little bit further til He would have brought me out into the clear. I was impatient toward His timing on things.

The result? I strayed for twelve years. Wandering. Hurting. Avoiding. Acting out. Bitter. Empty.

Wanna know something? I was going to church for 10 of those 12 years.

I was going to church. I wasn't going to Jesus.

I went to church, expecting that some miracle sermon about pain was going to right my ship, or that some brother or sister was going to be sent over to me by the Lord and say "The Lord has revealed to me you might be hurting. Will you share?"

Could that have happened? Yes, but it didn't. And though it COULD have happened, the problem is I was not looking to God. I was looking to man in God's house. Huge difference, and a huge mistake on my part. Don't make my mistake.

Brothers and sisters can be a great ear, and they can be a shoulder and/or a voice of wisdom (if they have godly wisdom). Fellowship is great, but do NOT have the expectation that another Christian is going to be the key to the healing of your heart. As long as you look to man to do what only God can do, you're going to be disappointed, and wasting your time looking to the wrong source.

Man can give empathy. Man can be a voice that they have been through similar or know what you're going through. But only your spending time with Jesus at the cross and spending time letting the Holy Spirit minister to you are going to do the real healing.

I don't know where your heart is now. If you're still not as close to Him as at some period of life before (or never been close to Him at all), if you're disappointed still on a large scale from what has happened in your life, God is okay with this, whether this entails being angry at Him about it or not.

Do you wonder or doubt if God could really understand what's going on? Read Psalm 139.

He is perfectly fine with where you are about it all. Unfortunately, from American church preaching we now have this idea that things have to be good in order to approach God. We go to Him when things are blessed, to ask for more blessing. Hogwash. Jesus wants you to talk with Him now exactly as you are, wherever your heart is: wounds, hurting or whatever.

Do not believe the lie that you have to be at a certain point or level of happiness or blessedness to approach the Lord. That is a lie from the pit to try and keep you from going to God as things are. Jesus said time and again that He came for the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, the sick. I had it all wrong for years. In my inner heart, raw honest, I knew I wasn't walking with Him, and instead of coming into His light I hid like Adam & Eve. Guess what? There's nowhere to hide. God knows.

Why do we think we can hide from Him? It's cause we're hurt. We're hurt and so we put the hand out at arms length. And we don't come to Jesus because we see all the fake smiles on Sunday morning and do the superficial "how are you? Great, how are you" talk with fellow believers, and we think we're not supposed to be gut honest and truthful with Him about our hurts.

And it breaks His heart that we don't come to Him with our burdens, our wounds. Jesus says, to YOU and ME, "I came for the brokenhearted", "I'll trade my easy burden for all your pain and garbage", "Blessed are those whose spirit is broken".

These are His words, spoken then...and spoken now to us. Do we take Him at His word and see if He'll come through? Are we prideful to not let our guard down and admit our weaknesses and hurts to Him.

Jesus said "My strength is made perfect in your weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Word also says God's weakness is stronger than man's strongest strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). Do we come to the Lord when we're weak, broken and say so? Do we stay prideful and stubborn? Do we snub His offer to deliver on His promise and ability to not only heal our wounds but give us His strength, not as the world gives or knows strength, but His strength?

Don't we teach our kids the "Jesus Loves Me" song, whose lyrics include "I am weak, but He is strong"? Do we practice what we preach? Do we give lip service to God's strength, His healing, His touch? Or do we come to Him with our broken heart, our anger, our anguish? Are we too hurt to? Too scared? Too prideful?

When God stung me in a microburst to get my attention earlier this year, my twelve years of pride in not wanting to be honest with Him about my wounds and subsequent rebellion was gone real quick. I was too prideful to simply go to Him and have an honest talk with Him.

I had refused for twelve years to come to Him with my heart full of disappointments, so He put me on my back to get me to look up at Him, and I'm better for it. "The Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father the son who he delights in" (Prov 3:12)

If there is hurt in you, please don't be a fool like me. I had a storehouse of anger, but wouldn't go to the Lord. His heart hungers more than you can imagine for you to come to Him with whatever you have in your heart. Scars, current wounds, anger and all.

Again, I don't know if this is an encouragement or a challenge. Get alone, and go to the cross...with everything, and lay it out. Honest, angry, whatever is inside you. Don't hold back. Speak your language to Jesus. This is Jesus you're talking to--the guy who hung out with sinners and robbers. He is not like the high-brow, judgmental, religious, prim and proper people who'll gasp at the language you might use in talking about your wounds. He wants and appreciates unfiltered truth.

Then listen, and/or ask for a trade--your crud and all you've felt, for the easy burden He offers. You will be absolutely blown away by what happens.

He could have stopped the universe

"For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life--to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father." (John 10:17-18, Amplified Bible)

Why did Jesus say He laid his life down voluntarily?

"He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order]. He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the [c]out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power." (Hebrews 1:2-3, Amplified)

It was voluntarily for Jesus to lay down His life...because He created the universe (along with the Father).

Let's look just a little further into this and come back around.

"Do you suppose that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will immediately provide Me with more than twelve legions [more than 80,000] of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must come about this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54)

"And it all came to pass, for that night the angel of the Lord went forth and slew 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when [the living] arose early in the morning, behold, all these were dead bodies." (2 Kings 19:35)

"When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high, 4[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. 5For to which of the angels did [God] ever say, You are My Son, today I have begotten You [established You in an official Sonship relation, with kingly dignity]? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He will be to Me a Son? [II Sam. 7:14; Ps. 2:7.] 6Moreover, when He brings the firstborn Son [d]again into the habitable world, He says, Let all the angels of God worship Him." (Hebrews 1:3-6, Amplified)

So, we have an account where one angel slew 185,000 men. Jesus, at the time of his arrest, could have called 80,000 angels to His side.

80,000 angels times 185,000 men per angel. Could Jesus have stopped His suffering and death? Absolutely. Hebrews then reminds us Jesus' place and rank is far superior to the angels. He could have called any number of them, to put asunder His accusers and those who beat Him beyond recognition and crucified Him. And, since Jesus is above all angels in terms of power, authority and standing with the Father, He could have said or done anything He'd wanted about his captors.

What else could Jesus have done if He'd chosen?

He could have turned to His accusers, spoken a word, and they themselves would have shriveled like the fig tree (Mark 11:12-21).

(He could have, but this type of action was NOT Jesus. Jesus' entire ministry and message was the exact opposite of this. He brought a NEW Testament to mankind. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but rather to save it through Him" (John 3:17). Life is not about revenge. It's not about always wielding our authority, our power, our rights. Jesus gave a New commandment. (Matthew 5)

Another example of Jesus showing the NEW Testament to mankind:

"And He sent messengers before Him; and they reached and entered a Samaritan village to make [things] ready for Him; But [the people] would not welcome or receive or accept Him, because His face was [set as if He was] going to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John observed this, they said, Lord, do You wish us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did? But He turned and rebuked and severely censured them. He said, You do not know of what sort of spirit you are, For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them [from the penalty of eternal death]." (Luke 9:52-56, Amplified).

James and John were thinking Old Testament. Jesus lived and showed a New Testament.

Jesus could have simply walked through their midst. (Luke 4:28-30) He didn't. He could have.

Looking back at all these verses, and coming back to the time of His arrest, beating and crucifixion:

Hebrews 1 tells us by and through Jesus the universe is held together and operates. Here is the Creator of the universe, by whose word the universe ticks, knowing the pain and agony He is about to face is beyond the worst imaginable to the human mind. (Isaiah 52 tells us the beating Jesus received was so horrific He didn't even look like a human being (verse 14).)

Jesus knew what He was facing. He knew what He was going to endure. As the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, do we realize Jesus could have stopped the universe right then and there, by speaking the word for it to cease? Could have changed the course of Earth at His own command, to cause or avert whatever He wished.

He could have spoken, and the guards and accusers shrivel like the fig tree. He could have called down fire from Heaven, as James and John had suggested when He previously was rejected and opposed. He could have called one angel (able to slay 185,000 men) as occurred in the Old Testament. He could have called upwards of 80,000 angels to His side in an instant. He could have passed through their midst like a vapor and disappeared (Luke 4). He could have transported himself instantly to another place (John 6:21, Acts 8:38-40).

"Now My soul is troubled and distressed, and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour [of trial and agony]? But it was for this very purpose that I have come to this hour [that I might undergo it]. [Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name!" (John 12:27-28a, Amplified)

Jesus knew one day you and I were going to walk this earth. He already knew two thousand years-plus down the road you and I were going to live. That we were going to be alive here.

Before you were even born He knew you (Jeremiah 1:5). He knows everything about you, from before you were born, to when you get up and lie down, to how many hairs are on your head (Psalm 139:1-16).

He knows every thing you've ever done, every thought you've ever had, and every intention of your heart. He knows every struggle, every triumph, every failure, every joy and every wound...ever. And every one of those things about you matters to Him. Every single one of them.

He wants to celebrate everything good you've ever experienced or done. More importantly, He wants to heal every wound, every scar, every torment you've ever endured.

It's easy to celebrate victories. Within human nature it easy to enjoy the good. Jesus shows who He is in healing the wounded, brokenhearted and afflicted--both physically and spiritually. "to preach good news to the poor and afflicted, to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1, Amplified)

He is able at a touch or a word to heal whatever sin, whatever horror, whatever baggage, whatever garbage, whatever disappointment we've ever experienced. He is able to free you from anything weighing you down: any heaviness, any depression, any spirit, any struggle, any addiction, any compulsion, any habit, any actions you do, anything you think, anything you hate about yourself, anything you hate about life.

He came to set the captives free.

Stop and let this soak into your entire soul.

Let this seep into every corner and crevice of your mind and heart:

"He came to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound."

He had the guts to let the universe keep spinning, even as He faced the most horrific disfiguring any human ever had, for He knew one day you would live. He knew you would need forgiveness. He knew you would need healing.

He also knew you'd stumble but somehow make it in life to the point you are now. You're here, you're breathing, but do you have His life? Jesus said "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35).

Do you have His Life? Or do you find yourself occasionally (or often) unable to sustain spiritual momentum or spiritual power with Him? Is your relationship with God hit and miss?

Do you find yourself hungry in life? occasionally? regularly? frequently? Are you unsettled? Disturbed? Angry? Restless? Empty? Thinking "there's something more than this" or "what's the point of this"?

Do you ever sense you're in bondage of some kind? Are you truly and unshakably free from the emptiness and tug of this world? Are you truly, truly free? (Gut honesty between you and God. You know, as does He.)

Are you free from the horrors of your past? Were you playing the music of your life when something happened that slammed the piano shut and put your whole life out of tune, and you don't care to ever play your song again? Have you refused to talk with Jesus about what happened because of embarrassment, shame, guilt, or just plain had the wind taken out of your sail?

Jesus proclaims freedom to the captives.

He is powerful and able--above any lie, false voice or tormentor that says you're trapped, unable or not worth it. You ARE worth it.

Know this. Jesus does not give freedom or healing unless asked, and He may check the strength of our desire before taking action (Matthew 15:22-28). Have you asked Him before, but unlike the woman in these verses not persisted with Him? Did you just walk away and write Him off because He didn't answer you right away?

The woman in these verses persisted beyond His initial silence. She persisted beyond His disciples trying to shoo her away. She persisted even after Jesus said "I was only sent here for certain people" (verse 24). She persisted even after He told her "it's not right to take bread from children and feed it to the dogs" (v 26-27).

It was only after showing an undying faith in Him as able to heal and restore that He acted. Have you given up on Jesus for something that was of utmost importance to you? I have.

Take Him at His word. Ask Him to free you. If you hunger for it as the woman in Matthew 15:22-28, watch Him move. Maybe you're not at a point of asking Jesus Christ for anything. Maybe you're too tired, or too hurt. In that case, dare Him. Dare Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Then watch. Things may not churn that moment or that day, but just watch.