14 years ago
2 Corinthians 12:6-10
If I had a
mind to brag a little, I could probably do it without looking ridiculous, and
I’d still be speaking plain truth all the way. But I’ll spare you. I don’t want
anyone imagining me as anything other than the fool you’d encounter if you saw
me on the street or heard me talk. Because of the extravagance of those
revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a
handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did
his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger
then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a
gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
"My grace is
enough; it’s all you need.My strength
comes into its own in your weakness."
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit
focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of
Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride,
and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse,
accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over!
And so the
weaker I get, the stronger I become.
He's God and You're Just Rafael
Rafael
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
Pro – On the first date we talked until the sun came up
Con – 85% of the conversation was about his ex-girlfriend
Pro – I had a key to his house by day 4.
Con – Uh, I had a key to his house by day 4.
Con – He acted like a Jerk #capitalJ
Pro – The Lord started speaking to me about the fact that he was about to act like a jerk.
So let me run you quickly through the drama so we can get to the good part.
Rafael worked midnight's at Walgreen's so when I would end my shift at the casino, I usually stopped there for a few things. He was always pleasant. Always smiling. I meant to tell him he made a better cashier than a boyfriend. #sticktoyourdayjobhomey
He had this amazing girlfriend that he told me was an awful EX-girlfriend. Her name was *Stella. I only know how amazing she is because I talked to her and found out that Rafael was seeing us both. He told me she had no compassion and was a mean #insertcusswordhere. He told her I was naive and that he was using me for my money.
While he and I were dating, I’d get off of work and go chill at Walgreen's with him. This one particular night he told me he would call me when he got off lunch. Since I was off work anyway, I just popped up at Walgreen's, like I always do. I pulled in next to him and saw he was on the phone. He looked at me and kept talking. No acknowledgment. I went and stood at the window. No acknowledgement. I tapped on the window, he gave me the 'sshh' sign. I asked “Are you talking to her?” he nodded yes. When it was time to get off his break he walked right past me and into the store #noacknowledgment. I had never been so blatantly rejected in my life.
God’s side:
A few weeks before this horrible incident happened, I gave Brandee a dream to alert her that Rafael was going to hurt her. When she woke up, she penned a one page journal entry.
Brandee: I don’t remember what it said now but my dream inspired it. Despite what my Father told me, I still saw Raphael. I showed him what I wrote concerning my dream and his jaw literally dropped. He looked at me in shock and slowly said, “How did you know?” That night he dumped me to get back with his ex. See? I should have listened to God.
Learn from my disobedience: When God warns you, listen. He loves you and only wants the best for you. So if he's giving you a NO where you're pulling at the hem of His garment for a yes, um, trust that HE knows what He's talking about. I mean, after-all... He's God.
Prayer: Even when I was in the world, I cried out to You God. And because of the quality of life I was living, I was unable to hear You. And when I did hear you I trusted man more than I trusted You. You are my love, God, my healer, my protector and my friend. From this day forward, I will heed Your words. May each day involve me loving You, for who You are, even more.
Snatched...by God's design
When I was pregnant, my greatest fear was that I would suck at being a mom. I absolutely LOVED being pregnant; the stretch marks, the inner movement, just the thought that this damaged body was creating a beautiful life had me in a place of bliss. Carrying the baby was an absurdly easy task, but raising a baby seemed to be something you either get right or get wrong. And the love I had for my unborn son mixed with a tendency towards perfection meant one thing, and one thing only: failure was not an option.
After having such a wonderful pregnancy, I expected to have an even more awesome birthing experience. My vision: #insertideahandshere A mix of Fred Hammond and Faith Evans playing softly in the background. My husband kissing me on the forehead and telling me what an awesome job I was doing.
#Reality
There was no music playing, but conveniently my mom's favorite show "Law and Order" was playing on the television set. And even though I was on the cusp of birthing life into the universe, the half dozen or so people in my hospital room were more interested in what was on tv. I guess I expected people to ask me, "How are you feeling?" "Are you excited?" I hoped for meaningful conversation as I waded through the contractions. Instead I was called a brat and a drama queen for wanting the moment to be about me.
Even the husband kissing me on the forehead dream failed. I had been in labor for some hours, but had only dilated up to around 2 centimeters and I wouldn't open up much more. A few more hours of contractions and then a nurse came in and checked me and said enthusiastically, "Mrs. Jones, you're now at 3 CENTIMETERS!" Ok, that's progress! I'm with it! I'm getting there...slowly but surely. I was happy to be at 3, so when my husband blurted out "3? That's it?" he and his non-edifying comment were quickly and tersely ordered to leave.
Turns out 3 centimeters was as far as I could get. I wouldn't open up so my little precious boy could come out. Hence, I had a C-section.
How was it? You ask. Easy-peezy. As soon as they pulled the baby out of my stomach, they wiped him off and handed him to my mother. Yes, my mother. And she has been trying ever since to take the boy away from me.
Fast forward 14 years and she has finally gotten her wish. Stealthily she sought guardianship and won. Not because I was a bad parent but due to lies she and my sister told. That court date was, hands down, one of the worst days of my life.
But I seek to speak healing within this scenario. And it is only by the grace of God that this can happen. Lord, I know that nobody, nothing, no situation is larger than You. The fact that this has gone in the direction that it has gone let's me know that it is happening for a reason FAR beyond my comprehension. In this, I acknowledge You as sovereign Lord, Head of my life. Not my will, but THINE be done.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
After having such a wonderful pregnancy, I expected to have an even more awesome birthing experience. My vision: #insertideahandshere A mix of Fred Hammond and Faith Evans playing softly in the background. My husband kissing me on the forehead and telling me what an awesome job I was doing.
#Reality
There was no music playing, but conveniently my mom's favorite show "Law and Order" was playing on the television set. And even though I was on the cusp of birthing life into the universe, the half dozen or so people in my hospital room were more interested in what was on tv. I guess I expected people to ask me, "How are you feeling?" "Are you excited?" I hoped for meaningful conversation as I waded through the contractions. Instead I was called a brat and a drama queen for wanting the moment to be about me.
Even the husband kissing me on the forehead dream failed. I had been in labor for some hours, but had only dilated up to around 2 centimeters and I wouldn't open up much more. A few more hours of contractions and then a nurse came in and checked me and said enthusiastically, "Mrs. Jones, you're now at 3 CENTIMETERS!" Ok, that's progress! I'm with it! I'm getting there...slowly but surely. I was happy to be at 3, so when my husband blurted out "3? That's it?" he and his non-edifying comment were quickly and tersely ordered to leave.
Turns out 3 centimeters was as far as I could get. I wouldn't open up so my little precious boy could come out. Hence, I had a C-section.
How was it? You ask. Easy-peezy. As soon as they pulled the baby out of my stomach, they wiped him off and handed him to my mother. Yes, my mother. And she has been trying ever since to take the boy away from me.
Fast forward 14 years and she has finally gotten her wish. Stealthily she sought guardianship and won. Not because I was a bad parent but due to lies she and my sister told. That court date was, hands down, one of the worst days of my life.
But I seek to speak healing within this scenario. And it is only by the grace of God that this can happen. Lord, I know that nobody, nothing, no situation is larger than You. The fact that this has gone in the direction that it has gone let's me know that it is happening for a reason FAR beyond my comprehension. In this, I acknowledge You as sovereign Lord, Head of my life. Not my will, but THINE be done.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Is It Wrong to be Angry with God?
Being angry at God is something that many
people, both believers and unbelievers, have wrestled with throughout
time. When something tragic happens in our lives, we ask God the
question, “Why?” because it is our natural response. What we are really
asking Him, though, is not so much “Why, God?” as “Why me, God?”
This response indicates two flaws in our thinking. First, as believers
we operate under the impression that life should be easy, and that God
should prevent tragedy from happening to us. When He does not, we get
angry with Him. Second, when we do not understand the extent of God’s
sovereignty, we lose confidence in His ability to control circumstances,
other people, and the way they affect us. Then we get angry with God
because He seems to have lost control of the universe and especially
control of our lives. When we lose faith in God’s sovereignty, it is
because our frail human flesh is grappling with our own frustration and
our lack of control over events. When good things happen, we all too
often attribute it to our own achievements and success. When bad things
happen, however, we are quick to blame God, and we get angry with Him
for not preventing it, which indicates the first flaw in our
thinking—that we deserve to be immune to unpleasant circumstances.
Tragedies bring home the awful truth that we are not in charge. All of us think at one time or another that we can control the outcomes of situations, but in reality it is God who is in charge of all of His creation. Everything that happens is either caused by or allowed by God. Not a sparrow falls to the ground nor a hair from our head without God knowing about it (Matthew 10:29-31). We can complain, get angry, and blame God for what is happening. Yet if we will trust Him and yield our bitterness and pain to Him, acknowledging the prideful sin of trying to force our own will over His, He can and will grant us His peace and strength to get us through any difficult situation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Many believers in Jesus Christ can testify to that very fact. We can be angry with God for many reasons, so we all have to accept at some point that there are things we cannot control or even understand with our finite minds.
Our understanding of the sovereignty of God in all circumstances must be accompanied by our understanding of His other attributes: love, mercy, kindness, goodness, righteousness, justice, and holiness. When we see our difficulties through the truth of God’s Word—which tells us that our loving and holy God works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), and that He has a perfect plan and purpose for us which cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24, 46:9-10)—we begin to see our problems in a different light. We also know from Scripture that this life will never be one of continual joy and happiness. Rather, Job reminds us that “man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7), and that life is short and “full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Just because we come to Christ for salvation from sin does not mean we are guaranteed a life free from problems. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” but that He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33), enabling us to have peace within, in spite of the storms that rage around us (John 14:27).
One thing is certain: inappropriate anger is sin (Galatians 5:20; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31; Colossians 3:8). Ungodly anger is self-defeating, gives the devil a foothold in our lives, and can destroy our joy and peace if we hang on to it. Holding on to our anger will allow bitterness and resentment to spring up in our hearts. We must confess it to the Lord, and then in His forgiveness, we can release those feelings to Him. We must go before the Lord in prayer often in our grief, anger, and pain. The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 that David went before the throne of grace on behalf of his sick baby, fasting, weeping, and praying for him to survive. When the baby passed away, David got up and worshipped the Lord and then told his servants that he knew where his baby was and that he would someday be with him in God’s presence. David cried out to God during the baby’s illness, and afterward he bowed before Him in worship. That is a wonderful testimony. God knows our hearts, and it is pointless to try to hide how we really feel, so talking to Him about it is one of the best ways to handle our grief. If we do so humbly, pouring out our hearts to Him, He will work through us, and in the process, will make us more like Him.
The bottom line is can we trust God with everything, our very lives and the lives of our loved ones? Of course we can! Our God is compassionate, full of grace and love, and as disciples of Christ we can trust Him with all things. When tragedies happen to us, we know God can use them to bring us closer to Him and to strengthen our faith, bringing us to maturity and completeness (Psalm 34:18; James 1:2-4). Then, we can be a comforting testimony to others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). That is easier said than done, however. It requires a daily surrendering of our own will to His, a faithful study of His attributes as seen in God’s Word, much prayer, and then applying what we learn to our own situation. By doing so, our faith will progressively grow and mature, making it easier to trust Him to get us through the next tragedy that most certainly will take place.
So, to answer the question directly, yes, it is wrong to be angry at God. Anger at God is a result of an inability or unwillingness to trust God even when we do not understand what He is doing. Anger at God is essentially telling God that He has done something wrong, which He never does. Does God understand when we are angry, frustrated, or disappointed with Him? Yes, He knows our hearts and He knows how difficult and painful life in this world can be. Does that make it right to be angry with God? Absolutely not. Instead of being angry with God, we should pour out our hearts to God in prayer and then trust that He is in control and that His plan is perfect.
Recommended Resource: Knowing God by J.I. Packer
Tragedies bring home the awful truth that we are not in charge. All of us think at one time or another that we can control the outcomes of situations, but in reality it is God who is in charge of all of His creation. Everything that happens is either caused by or allowed by God. Not a sparrow falls to the ground nor a hair from our head without God knowing about it (Matthew 10:29-31). We can complain, get angry, and blame God for what is happening. Yet if we will trust Him and yield our bitterness and pain to Him, acknowledging the prideful sin of trying to force our own will over His, He can and will grant us His peace and strength to get us through any difficult situation (1 Corinthians 10:13). Many believers in Jesus Christ can testify to that very fact. We can be angry with God for many reasons, so we all have to accept at some point that there are things we cannot control or even understand with our finite minds.
Our understanding of the sovereignty of God in all circumstances must be accompanied by our understanding of His other attributes: love, mercy, kindness, goodness, righteousness, justice, and holiness. When we see our difficulties through the truth of God’s Word—which tells us that our loving and holy God works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), and that He has a perfect plan and purpose for us which cannot be thwarted (Isaiah 14:24, 46:9-10)—we begin to see our problems in a different light. We also know from Scripture that this life will never be one of continual joy and happiness. Rather, Job reminds us that “man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7), and that life is short and “full of trouble” (Job 14:1). Just because we come to Christ for salvation from sin does not mean we are guaranteed a life free from problems. In fact, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” but that He has “overcome the world” (John 16:33), enabling us to have peace within, in spite of the storms that rage around us (John 14:27).
One thing is certain: inappropriate anger is sin (Galatians 5:20; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31; Colossians 3:8). Ungodly anger is self-defeating, gives the devil a foothold in our lives, and can destroy our joy and peace if we hang on to it. Holding on to our anger will allow bitterness and resentment to spring up in our hearts. We must confess it to the Lord, and then in His forgiveness, we can release those feelings to Him. We must go before the Lord in prayer often in our grief, anger, and pain. The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 that David went before the throne of grace on behalf of his sick baby, fasting, weeping, and praying for him to survive. When the baby passed away, David got up and worshipped the Lord and then told his servants that he knew where his baby was and that he would someday be with him in God’s presence. David cried out to God during the baby’s illness, and afterward he bowed before Him in worship. That is a wonderful testimony. God knows our hearts, and it is pointless to try to hide how we really feel, so talking to Him about it is one of the best ways to handle our grief. If we do so humbly, pouring out our hearts to Him, He will work through us, and in the process, will make us more like Him.
The bottom line is can we trust God with everything, our very lives and the lives of our loved ones? Of course we can! Our God is compassionate, full of grace and love, and as disciples of Christ we can trust Him with all things. When tragedies happen to us, we know God can use them to bring us closer to Him and to strengthen our faith, bringing us to maturity and completeness (Psalm 34:18; James 1:2-4). Then, we can be a comforting testimony to others (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). That is easier said than done, however. It requires a daily surrendering of our own will to His, a faithful study of His attributes as seen in God’s Word, much prayer, and then applying what we learn to our own situation. By doing so, our faith will progressively grow and mature, making it easier to trust Him to get us through the next tragedy that most certainly will take place.
So, to answer the question directly, yes, it is wrong to be angry at God. Anger at God is a result of an inability or unwillingness to trust God even when we do not understand what He is doing. Anger at God is essentially telling God that He has done something wrong, which He never does. Does God understand when we are angry, frustrated, or disappointed with Him? Yes, He knows our hearts and He knows how difficult and painful life in this world can be. Does that make it right to be angry with God? Absolutely not. Instead of being angry with God, we should pour out our hearts to God in prayer and then trust that He is in control and that His plan is perfect.
Recommended Resource: Knowing God by J.I. Packer
TEN WAYS YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
TEN WAYS YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD
....You know you have a relationship with the Lord when..
1. You realize you were in a storm only after it's over.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
2. You are at your lowest, absolute lowest point, but at the same time it's making you the best version of you there's ever been.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
3. The enemy says "You love God too much" or "It don't take all that".
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
4. People you love try to bring you down and instead of giving in you say "God bless you" and pray for them that night.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
5. You call it GODfidence as opposed to confidence.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
6. You have a bad day and want to complain to somebody, but when they ask you how your day was, all you can say is "God is good".
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
7. You can skip joyfully through the valley.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
8. You are down to your last penny, yet you still tithe.
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
9. You can understand why David danced out of his clothes.
And last, but not least...
You know you have a relationship with the Lord when.....
10. You love Him, not for just the things He does, but for who He is.
Light Affliction
John
13:3-9
“Jesus
knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was
come from God, and went to God…. He riseth from supper, and laid aside his
garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth
water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them
with the towel wherewith he was girded.”
It
is from this text that I’d like to share with you a short story entitled, Light
Affliction.
“I
just wanted you to know I love you.”
These
were the last words she texted to her mom. She texted these words the night
before their court date. Her mom was taking her to court for custody of her
son. The days leading up to this she felt like she hated her. And the hatred
bore down on her heavier than the earth. How does one get away with murder?
Simple. Kill them with kindness. And that is what she set out to do. She chose
to let her love outshine her hate. She thought, “maybe if I said I love her”
enough the hate would go away.
Her
"I love you" stayed in her mother’s text inbox, her mother politely
got on the stand the very next day in court and regaled the judge with
exaggerated stories of how crazy she was, how abusive she was, how awful of a
mother she was. As the bile rose in her throat, she told herself "love
her". When her mother admitted that she made a side deal with the devil,
she told herself, "forgive her".
In
the Bible it says to keep your mind stayed on the things above and not of
things in the Earth. And this test was cutting her heart, killing her flesh…
yet unbeknownst to her it was enabling her to be more like Christ.
Well,
she is me.
It
hurt my soul when I realized that at the last supper Jesus washed Judas' feet.
But when I told my mom I love her knowing the next day she would betray me, I
was comforted.
When the court case was complete, and I was out of eye water to
even cry, the Lord asked me "If you could say one thing to her right now
what would it be?" with some hesitation I said "I forgive you."
Jesus
has been where I am trying to go. He was betrayed, He was lied on, yet He still
loved and forgave. And as if that wasn't enough, He even shed His blood and
died!
No
one is asking me to give my life for my mom. No one is asking me to sacrifice
myself on the behalf of those who treat me wrongly. I am not
required to have nails put through my hands and feet, a crown of thorns on my
head, and a spear stuck in my side. Yet, as much as He was hated, as much as we
sinned against Him, God Himself in the flesh willingly died so our evil and corrupt
selves could be washed in the blood and spend eternity with God Himself.
Now,
I don't know about the next guy, but I wouldn't even want to spend eternity
with someone who rose up against me. Yet, we are so loved, and so precious, and
so cared for that, in spite of it all, God wants us to spend eternity with Him.
Looking
at my situation from a spiritual perspective, this is only a light affliction
(2 Cor. 4:17). And this situation is working a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory. So even though I lost the battle, My Savior and I shall win
the war.
My
prayer is that my mom fully accepts Christ's gift of salvation. That she lives
a life so pleasing to God, the first thing He says when He sees her is
"Well done my good and faithful servant." And I'm hoping that by
forgiving and loving, my God will say those same words to me.
Dealing with the Spirit of Pharaoh
Dealing with the Spirit of Pharaoh
The spirit of Pharaoh is a very stubborn spirit that like to see people in bondage.
Pharaoh means Destroyer or curtailer, the king, mouth of the sun.
The
spirit of Pharaoh is a strongman-principal demon controlling a person,
family, place or thing to bondage. This spirit will never allow a slave
to be free, as a curtailer, he curtails your spiritual, physical,
financial, marital, and all freedom that will enable you live your full
potential for the Lord.
The spirit of Pharaoh is the spirit that destroys kids with divine leadership potentials.
It is a spirit that puts one to task: task of working and living below poverty line, task of marital distress.
The spirit of Pharaoh is any spirit that challenges your God by magic, witchcraft, sorcery, and divination. It is a spirit that threatens a man of God that is bent on setting God's people free.
The spirit of Pharaoh denies you benefits and subjects you to rigorous bondage. It
is the spirit that refuses to allow God's people go to their promised
land when their servitude is over (the enemy sometimes intrudes into
God's chastisement of His children and tries to perpetuate suffering in
their lives).
It is any stubborn spirit that chases you around (anywhere you) go to bring you back to bondage.
Ex 13:21‑22
21And
the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them
the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by
day and night:
22He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Further Scripture Reading.
Num 14:14; Neh 9:19; Ex 14:19‑25
To defeat your Pharaoh, you must understand that he does not need to be negotiated with. The
only language the spirit of Pharaoh will understand is the language of
signs, wonders, fire, and power, demonstrated in the Spirit of God.
The glory of God is the greatest instrument of dfeating your Pharaoh.
Strive to stay in the presence of the Lore until you are filled with his
glory To walk in the realm that can bring defeat to this spirit, you must:
1) Eat the pass over covenant meal (Jesus is the Passover Lamb - you must be born again);
2) The blood must be on the lintel of your life (you are te house of God);
3) Follow the instruction and leadership of the Lord through the man of God (your Moses)
4) You must persevere and pray without ceasing: this spirit is very stubborn.
5) When you obey the Lord, allow him to fight for you. If you fight Pharaoh, you will loose the battle.
6) Release plague against Pharaoh as you plead the Blood of Jesus. Pharaoh
was getting weaker and weaker as Moses by the spirit of the Lord
released plagues against Pharaoh, though you may not know for Pharaoh
will pretend that nothing is happening.
7) Expect a last minute miracle of Deliverance after the fight of faith.Source: http://injesus.com/message-archives/prayer/venintercessors/spirit-of-pharaoh
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