I Can’t Do That!

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John 14:12-13 (NIV) “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

How many of us have read this verse and felt a little overwhelmed? Or we read about the things that people like Moses, David, Elijah and the twelve did, and wish we were just like them? We want to do something grand. We would love to have our shadow heal those who need it, to have a showdown like Elijah and the prophets of Baal. But deep in our hearts we may be begging God to just help us get through the day. I know I have been there. I have heard and said the words, (and most of us can admit that we at least have thought them at one time) “I’m not Jesus!” (or Elijah, or Paul, Etc).

So then why does God expect us, and Jesus tell us Himself, that we will do the works He did and even greater?
We have to start by looking at Jesus. He is the Son of God! No doubt about it. Deity. Period. However, when He came to legally get back everything that had been given to Satan, by Adam, He was fully man. Jesus didn’t walk the earth after His human birth as God. The pre-incarnate Jesus, who came as the Angel of the Lord, that was Jesus in His heavenly body. But when He was here among us, He was just like us. If Jesus had come as anything other than a man, He wouldn’t have been able to fulfill the law or to take our place in the consequences of our sin. Only a man could do that.

Just a few places that show His humanity:
His human birth (Luke 2).
Jesus got tired, and slept (John 4:6, Matthew 8:24).
He got sad and suffered agony (John 11:33-35, Luke 22:44).
He was tempted just like we are, in every area! (Hebrews 2:14-17, Mark 1:13).

There are many scriptures that talk about Jesus. It is so important that we really know Him! So then how did He do it? The healings, the miracles and how did he suffer the agony of the cross?
Matthew 12:28 (NIV) “But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

Jesus is pretty clear. He performed miracles by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Then He goes on to say in Luke 24:40 (NLT) “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
No more excuses. We can do what Jesus did!
That’s how Peter, Paul and Elijah did it.

Romans 8:11 (NIV) “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
His shed blood on Calvary gave us back our health, our right standing with God, and our authority as Children of God. The power of the Holy Spirit gives us the power to witness and to do exactly what Jesus did. We have so many Spirit Filled believers what is hindering the miracles? Maybe the excuses and the wrong thinking.
No more say, “I can’t” but “I can.”

Wise-hearted or Wise-headed?

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Exodus 31:6b “And all who are wise-hearted I have given wisdom and ability to make all that I commanded you.”

Daniel was a ‘wise-hearted’ man. Joseph was a ‘wise-hearted’ man. Moses was a ‘wise-hearted’ man.
All of these men proved the wisdom God had placed in their hearts when they each had to face the so-called-wise-men of their day. When the wise men of Babylon couldn’t decipher Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel did. When Pharaoh’s wise men couldn’t interpret his dream, Joseph did. When the wise men of Egypt mimicked the miracle of God and turned their staffs into snakes, Moses’ snake ate theirs. Apart from the power of God, what is the difference between wise-hearted and wise-headed?

The wise men of the world are depending on their five senses, what they can hear, taste, touch, feel and see. But our senses can deceive us. They operate out of their minds, their heads. The heart is the place of truth. The heart believes! It doesn’t even need the bodies senses. We can’t obtain salvation through our minds, only through our hearts. We can’t understand God’s word with our minds, only with our hearts. We can gather facts with our minds, God gave us wonderful brains, but it is through our hearts that we act on what we know.

So who is a wise-hearted man?
Someone who by-passes their head and believes in their heart that God is good! That He is on our side! That His word is true and He will do what He says He will.

What kind of man are you?

Book Review for “Tales of the Wovlen”-Fantasy

I was given a copy of “Tales of the Wovlen” by the author, Kathryn Fogleman, in exchange for an honest review. The story is set in a fantasy world where there is the ever present evil and good. In this story, the evil is beginning to show itself and we have an unlikely hero emerging. I really wanted to love this book and I think it is a good beginning and a great first book for this author. I felt like part of it was a little disjointed and some of the content seemed to repeat itself. So many of the characters reminded me of some of the Lord of the Rings characters that I couldn’t help comparing the two writers, which is totally unfair to Miss Fogleman. I am giving it 3 stars. It was ok. Will I read the rest of the series? Probably. There are so many unanswered questions and some unexplained things that I want to see it through. I can recommend for Jr. High age and up. Nothing offensive, some violence.

Book Review for “Agent For A Cause”- Christian Fiction

This is book two in the “Agents For Good” series. What a great secret agent story! Damsel in distress, single mom, with an autistic son meets emotionally shut off agent Tyre. Sounds a little like your typical agent story, but wait…it’s all written from a Christian perspective. Lots of romance, lots of fighting, but, not explicit at all and no swearing. Perfect in my eyes. Needs a little editing, but I have come to love this author. This is book two out of six and I will be reading the rest. Only .99 Kindle version, so worth the buck. I give it 4 stars. I can recommend for ages 16 and these books can be read as stand alone. I can recommend for age 16 and up, due to mature content.

Book Review for “A Warrior’s Revenge”-Christian Science Fiction

I was given a copy of “A Warrior’s Revenge” by the author, Guy Stanton III, in exchange for an honest review. This is the last book of The Warrior Kind series. I loved them all! This one was no different than the rest in the fact that it is unapologetically Christian, has a ton of romance, fighting, science fiction, fantasy and strong morals. Did I mention I loved it? I give it five solid stars. Since reading the first book, I see some improvement in grammar and editing in this one. Mr. Stanton is one of my new favorite authors. I put him up there with Ted Dekker. I can recommend this book for Jr. High and up. There is some fighting and violence. Sad to see the series finish up, but will be moving on to his other work.