Obedience

So far this year I have lost $200, and I hold on to my money, at least up until this year.  Every time the Lord told me I would lose this money even before it happened.

And every time I disagreed and said that I would be careful and not lose it.  My opinion was based on the past years but the Lord knows the future.

This last time I asked Him what I should do to prevent losing the money when He told me I would lose it. He said to hand it back to the person that just gave it to me, which I did not do.

This time I said that I would be more careful about not losing it, but it was not possible and I still lost it.  The Lord is teaching me that obedience far exceeds any knowledge of the past, the world or human ability.

Obedience takes the desire to put God first and the self control to do it in a relationship with Jesus for His direction and strength.  This is a very uncomfortable but important lesson to learn.

Thank You, Jesus, for teaching me how to become like You!  Jesus is available 24/7 anywhere in the world for spiritual growth, comfort and protection.

Evil Attack

As Christians, we are in spiritual warfare against evil, so we must be prepared all the time.  We prepare for these battles by praying so much that it becomes an automatic response, even when awakened from a sound sleep.

This is what happened to my husband a few nights ago.  He woke up suddenly because claws were wrapped around his ankles pulling him to the foot of the bed.

Lifting up his head, he saw a huge dark dragon-like humanoid form with red eyes at the foot of our bed in the moonlight.  My husband felt its evil desire to joyfully devour him, and he was terrified.

Immediately, he called on Jesus for help and it disappeared.  Then he was gently slid back onto his pillow at the top of the bed and lovingly put back to sleep.

As I looked at the marks on his ankles the next morning, I told him that I, too, had seen demons.  Spiritual warfare is a miraculous blessing because it shows us that we are a threat to the devil, so we must be doing good work for Jesus.

Thank You, Jesus, for saving us from evil any where, at any time and in any situation!

Coming and Going

Jesus strengthens me as I help so many suffering people right now that I don't know whether I'm coming or going.  I hate to see suffering, and there is so much of it here.

In our suffering, we have an opportunity to stop, evaluate our lives, call out to God and grow spiritually.  I have witnessed this miracle in others and myself many times.

Even the Bible says that Jesus learned obedience through His suffering.  How wonderful that our suffering can have an eternal purpose!

Thank You, Jesus, for Your example, understanding and 24/7 help.  We can do all things through Christ, Who strengths us!

The Miracle of Marriage

A friend of mine got married this past week and the couple's joy filled the church.  I had been praying for about two years for the Lord to send my friend a soul mate, and He did.

Their relationship has been a series of miracles from their meeting to the wedding and honeymoon.  When the Lord brings a couple together under His direction, their holy unity and unconditional love is awesome to witness.

This type of marriage is a reflection of Christ and His church.  With Jesus as our Groom and us Christians as His bride, we are all in an incredible relationship of overflowing love and pure holiness.

However, Christians have the free will to not experience this supernatural love with Jesus when we do not let Him direct our lives.  But this miraculous relationship can happen at any time when we pray and repent.

Celebrate Mother's Day With Prayer

I know many Christian mothers that worry themselves sick about their children.  They say that worrying is part of being a mother, so they will do it until they die.

Worry is fear.  Apostle Paul wrote that Christ does not give us a spirit of fear, but of a sound mind.

Christ Jesus said that when we abide in Him and His word, He will give us continuous overflowing joy.  How can we have both excessive joy and know our children are suffering?

We must pray for our children and to build our own faith because worry is a lack of faith.  I have seen Jesus deliver people from addictions, illness, selfishness and even death with amazing miracles to give them eternal life.

When my daughter was dying in the hospital, I prayed for help and the Lord Jesus came to me.  He gave me His love, peace, strength and reassurance that He was in control of this situation, so I did not need to worry.

After my daughter came out of her coma, she was delivered from a deadly addiction and ready to follow Jesus.  Mothers need to pray for their children and build their faith in the One with supernatural power to change all circumstances.

To Be or To Do

Jesus has been teaching my husband and I about being.  This is a lot more work than doing.

We have read books on how to be like Jesus, which includes the Bible.  And the Lord has been giving us lots of insights and dreams on this important subject.

However, worldly thinking is very difficult to change because it is constantly being reinforced.  I still was not getting it and continued to pray for Jesus to give me more to do for Him.

Finally Jesus came to me when I was praying and said, "Susan, you are praying wrong."  "You need to pray to be like Me, because only then will you be able to do more for Me."

Thank You, Jesus, for this clear message that even I could not miss!  I now pray to be like Jesus, and He is available for any one, any where and at any time.

Humility and Prayer

Last Sunday at my evening service, I had a strange experience.  The pastor had called us to the front altar for a renewal and we were feeling the Lord's presence.

Since the altar was full, I was kneeling at a front pew.  Just after the pastor prayed out loud for us to have a new experience, the pew I was leaning on began to rock.

I opened my eyes and looked around because I thought we were having an earthquake.  Nothing was moving except my pew.

It was rocking about 1-2 inches back and forth.  These are big traditional, heavy wooden bolted down and not "able" to move pews.

When I got up the rocking stopped and when I knelt back down it started again.  The Lord gave me an external sign to reinforce what He had been teaching me about the importance of humility and prayer bringing me closer into His presence.

Thank You, Jesus, for wanting a miraculous relationship with each one of us that is available any where and any place with humble, sincere prayer.