Standing in Faith

This was originaly written on June 8th, 2010 (After being diagnosed with a heart condition that needed surgery)
I had to do some housecleaning today, natural and spiritual. I commanded the spirits of infirmity, self pity and despair to leave my home. Isn’t it funny how without daily upkeep our houses get messy? Well it works the same way with our spirit. If we don’t maintain our faith, get rid of those “un-Godly” beliefs and replace them with the Word of God, things get out right nasty. As I ran the vacuum and got rid of all the cobwebs that had been accumulating in my house, I realized the areas of neglect in my spiritual walk. You can do much soul searching while setting your natural house in order. God is so patient with us, and so encouraging. He really has been so loving to me. One day I was complaining to God about my being ill, and not receiving a healing, and like a petulant toddler said, “Jesus do you even know how I feel, you are God, were you ever even sick a day in your life?” and my patient Lord chuckled at me, just like a parent when their child, makes an illogical accusation, and replied, “Only while on the cross, when I bore your infirmities, and those of everyone else.” What could I answer …besides to see Him in pain on that cross…cry and ask Him to forgive my self pity. Another day, as I lay in bed, feeling very sorry for myself and even more confused, I cried and begged, “Why do I have to go through all of this again! Why do I have to have surgery! Why, why, why!” I was in despair. I received no answer from God, no great revelation, no reason for my suffering. My mind rolled and whined until finally I was too tired to even make sense. It was then I heard, so clearly, “I LOVE YOU”. I sniffed, took a breath, sighed in surrender and said, “I love you too.” I closed my eyes and slept in peace. Friends and Family, God doesn’t condemn us-He loves. Yes, he chastens, (for me quit frequently recently), but always from the heart of a Loving Father. Jesus knows our pain, He cried out to His Father begging for another way, but in the end, He did the will of His Father. Let us do the same. We may not like the path set before us, it may look dark and scary. But He who knows best will light our way! He’ll give us the strength, and walk there beside us. He will deliver my healing! I can count on Him! He is ever loving, and ever FAITHFUL!
P.S. The surgery was not finished due to “equipment malfunction”, what the doctors couldn’t fix, God totally healed!

What is Your Dream?

We all have dreams, aspirations, a call to greatness, a yearning to make a difference. Ask any five year old. They know what they want. You’ll here answers that vary. Some want to be ballerinas, basketball players, doctors, astronauts, rappers, dancers and the list goes on. They all have a great dream. We had those dreams. Mine included most of those already mentioned, plus be a painter, writer and all around creative genius. Then we grow up. What happens to our dreams? Do we just let life carry us away on a path that we never wanted? Do our experiences, failures and lack of recognition deflate our dreams? In retrospect, I would have made a poor astronaut; I get sick on carnival rides…and my artistic talent falls a tad short of genius; however I do have gifts and talents. I think that though some of our dreams are just that, dreams, we can still accommodate, or alter slightly, those dreams that just seem to hang on. They crop up when we least expect it, that something tugging at our heart, that quiet whisper. What is your dream?

The Perfect Church

“It does not take a perfect church to introduce a man to the perfect Christ.” -Richard Woodsome
Ok, so the title is deceiving, because there is no “Perfect Church,” at least in our eyes. To the Father, the Perfect Church is His children, who love Him with all their hearts, growing His Family. We are human. Period. We have our good days and bad days. We can be the most wonderful person you ever met, and the next day is a pain in the neck. Truth. However, if we walk in love, forgiving each other our faults, and errors, then we can still fulfill God’s purpose for His Church here on this messed up place. We don’t have to be perfect to serve God. Look at Peter, David, Moses, the list goes on, they were by no means perfect, but all were used mightily by God. (For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” NKJV I Corinthians 1:26-31) It’s pretty simple. I am foolish, weak and base, so God will use me! We cannot leave the Church because there are imperfect people there. A wise man once told me that if there was a perfect church as soon as he started attending, it wouldn’t be perfect anymore! We also cannot use our faults and failures as an excuse to stop serving God, or to not even start. Our imperfections should drive us to lean on the “Perfect Christ”! Next time the enemy, whether it is your own flesh, or the devil, tries to tell you that you are messed up, just tell them to SHUT UP! And keep doing whatever it is that Our Father has asked us to do. Walk in the strength of the Holy Spirit, and trust Him to lead you rightly.