Remember some of the stories I referred to in Blog entry number 45 - Healing? That I heard the testimony of a woman who'd been healed of a heart condition called POTS? Remind yourself if not.
http://findingthereasons.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/45-healing.html
Well, for those who are interested, here's her full story. It is amazing. What a God we worship!
http://newdaygeneration.org/blog/article/jesus_heals_today
Saturday 31 August 2013
Saturday 24 August 2013
49 - Tithes
'And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.' (Genesis 28:22)
God has given us so, so much. And all He asks is a tenth (that kind of belonged to Him to begin with.)
Yet I'm reluctant to draw money out of my account. 'It seems like so much!' I moan. It's not.
I should be grateful that God has given me this chance to show my love for Him.
'I love You Lord, for You died for Me!' should be my response.
'You gave me this money, but I want to give a tenth of it back to You. Not because I feel I should...but because You are changing my heart, filling me with love, so I want to give.'
Thank You Lord for the chance to worship You in tithes!
God has given us so, so much. And all He asks is a tenth (that kind of belonged to Him to begin with.)
Yet I'm reluctant to draw money out of my account. 'It seems like so much!' I moan. It's not.
I should be grateful that God has given me this chance to show my love for Him.
'I love You Lord, for You died for Me!' should be my response.
'You gave me this money, but I want to give a tenth of it back to You. Not because I feel I should...but because You are changing my heart, filling me with love, so I want to give.'
Thank You Lord for the chance to worship You in tithes!
Wednesday 21 August 2013
48 - Furniture
'Exactly as I show you concerning the pattern of the tabernacle, and of all its furniture, so you shall make it.' (Exodus 25:9)
I didn't realise just how much I take furniture for granted until an incident that happened while we were on holiday last week.
I didn't realise just how much I take furniture for granted until an incident that happened while we were on holiday last week.
The bed I was sleeping on...don't laugh...collapsed in the middle of the night. NOTHING to do with my weight. Everything to do with poor quality and the sides of the bed moving further apart.
But God is good! There was a spare bed in the same room! So, I moved to the other bed. The next night, I was starting to lie down, there was a crash.
Yup.
A bed slate supporting the mattress had popped out and hit the the floor.
Who says God doesn't have a sense of humour?
I ended up sleeping on a mattress on the floor. At least this can't collapse I reasoned.
Hopefully.
Anyway, the point of that story is that I realised how grateful I am for my bed at home that I flop down into each night.
Because everytime you put your weight on furniture, you are putting your trust in something unseen.
Sound familiar?
Thank you God for the furniture we have that is well made and holds us up.
Thank you that You never let us down!
Tuesday 20 August 2013
47 - The end of fear
'...fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand...' (Isaiah 41:10)
Because of God, no fear is ever, ever permanent.
Let me illustrate. Here are a few of the most common fears.
Because of God, no fear is ever, ever permanent.
Let me illustrate. Here are a few of the most common fears.
- Spiders.
- Dogs.
- Heights.
- Flying.
- Thunder and lightening.
- Being evaluated/judged negatively in social situations.
- Snakes
- Death
Look how each fear can be ended.
Spiders and dogs ...there's always someone who can remove them for you.
Heights and flying...The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you. (Deut 33:27) This verse has been a help for a certain relative of mine who has these fears.
Thunder and lightning...Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go? Apparently this song lyric came from Job 36:32. Storms don't last forever - and while they do, God controls it all.
Negative judgement...I think the people passing judgement have more to fear. Just look at Matthew 7:1. And remember...God has declared you righteous. Nothing else matters.
Snakes...well...don't we worship the serpent crusher?
Which brings us to what may be the most common fear of all. Death. And we all know what happened to that. Jesus's words on the cross remind us.
It is finished.
Through death he destroyed the one who has the power of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15)
Now the worse thing that can happen to us - death - is actually the best. Because we will go to heaven and live forever with the one who casts out all fears with His perfect love!
Thank you Lord!
(I understand writing something is one thing and practising it is another. Please don't feel I'm belittling any fears you have.
Furthermore, if you're reading this and you're not saved, then understand that Christ died to put an end to all fears you may have. Please turn to Him and find the peace you long for!)
Wednesday 7 August 2013
46 - Cooking
'...take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and emmer, and put them into a single vessel and make your bread from them.' (Ezekiel 4:9)
One way or another, I'm sure most people are thankful for cooking.
Perhaps you like the products. Perhaps you like the actual activity, the preparation of ingredients and the mouth-watering smell that comes from the oven.
Or maybe you like both. I know I do!
There's something satisfying, I think, in putting together a bunch of ingredients and see it turn into an edible substance (or not, depending on how good a cook you are.)
We can be thankful God gave us the skills and means to work out what ingredients, blended in a certain way, will produce the best results. We can be thankful for the fun that can be found in cooking, for the way we learn each time. Don't cook that for as long. Prepare your dishes beforehand. Stop picking as you cook!
But even if we're rubbish cooks, the kind that produces something vaguely resembling a cake, save for its strange black colour, we still have reason to be thankful. We can be thankful that there are better cooks than us in the world!
Finally, here's something interesting to remember. In John 21, Jesus cooked fish for his disciples on a charcoal fire on the beach.
The Son of God...cooked.
Now there's food for thought.
One way or another, I'm sure most people are thankful for cooking.
Perhaps you like the products. Perhaps you like the actual activity, the preparation of ingredients and the mouth-watering smell that comes from the oven.
Or maybe you like both. I know I do!
There's something satisfying, I think, in putting together a bunch of ingredients and see it turn into an edible substance (or not, depending on how good a cook you are.)
We can be thankful God gave us the skills and means to work out what ingredients, blended in a certain way, will produce the best results. We can be thankful for the fun that can be found in cooking, for the way we learn each time. Don't cook that for as long. Prepare your dishes beforehand. Stop picking as you cook!
But even if we're rubbish cooks, the kind that produces something vaguely resembling a cake, save for its strange black colour, we still have reason to be thankful. We can be thankful that there are better cooks than us in the world!
Finally, here's something interesting to remember. In John 21, Jesus cooked fish for his disciples on a charcoal fire on the beach.
The Son of God...cooked.
Now there's food for thought.
Monday 5 August 2013
45 - Healing
'...who heals all your diseases...' (Psalm 102:3)
Again, sorry for the delay! This time, I was away at a Christian camp - New Day - in Norfolk, for a week.
Wow.
Just wow. I have never experienced anything like that in my life.
There are so many things I could talk of that reminded me of all we have to be thankful for, but let me start with one in particular.
Healing.
On the Thursday night, they brought up on stage some people who'd been prayed for last year and where healed.
A girl of lactose intolerance.
One guy of asthma.
Another no longer had to use glasses and could finally join the air force and do missionary work.
And a woman had been healed of a heart condition called POTS, which caused a increase in heartbeat that meant she used to be unable to raise her hands above her head for more than 5 seconds before she passed out. A doctor confirmed she was healed. And he said he'd never heard of anyone who'd been healed of the condition before!
These people were just a few of the hundred or so who'd been healed last year.
This year, people were prayed for again, and I think it was over 200 were healed! We got to hear their stories - one girl was healed of leg and lung conditions, another from her sprained shoulder joint, another of her short-sightedness, another of being colour blind. A boy was healed of a leg problem, another of his eye sight.
One girl had been in a car crash and hadn't been able to touch her toes, dance or do the crab position. Well, after the prayer, we saw her do the crab position on stage, in front of us, to prove what God had done!
And one of the most moving stories was a girl who used to self harm, who was healed of severe scarring on her arms.
Again, these were a few on many.
Don't tell me God isn't real. Don't tell me He isn't powerful. Don't tell me He isn't loving.
Because that night I saw solid proof that He is all of these things!
But who says He has to heal us? Why not just leave us until we reach heaven?
Because He is God and He loves to give us tastes of heaven and glimpses of His glory.
THANK YOU LORD!
Again, sorry for the delay! This time, I was away at a Christian camp - New Day - in Norfolk, for a week.
Wow.
Just wow. I have never experienced anything like that in my life.
There are so many things I could talk of that reminded me of all we have to be thankful for, but let me start with one in particular.
Healing.
On the Thursday night, they brought up on stage some people who'd been prayed for last year and where healed.
A girl of lactose intolerance.
One guy of asthma.
Another no longer had to use glasses and could finally join the air force and do missionary work.
And a woman had been healed of a heart condition called POTS, which caused a increase in heartbeat that meant she used to be unable to raise her hands above her head for more than 5 seconds before she passed out. A doctor confirmed she was healed. And he said he'd never heard of anyone who'd been healed of the condition before!
These people were just a few of the hundred or so who'd been healed last year.
This year, people were prayed for again, and I think it was over 200 were healed! We got to hear their stories - one girl was healed of leg and lung conditions, another from her sprained shoulder joint, another of her short-sightedness, another of being colour blind. A boy was healed of a leg problem, another of his eye sight.
One girl had been in a car crash and hadn't been able to touch her toes, dance or do the crab position. Well, after the prayer, we saw her do the crab position on stage, in front of us, to prove what God had done!
And one of the most moving stories was a girl who used to self harm, who was healed of severe scarring on her arms.
Again, these were a few on many.
Don't tell me God isn't real. Don't tell me He isn't powerful. Don't tell me He isn't loving.
Because that night I saw solid proof that He is all of these things!
But who says He has to heal us? Why not just leave us until we reach heaven?
Because He is God and He loves to give us tastes of heaven and glimpses of His glory.
THANK YOU LORD!
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