3 posts tagged “god”
Mark 3:22 “And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He [Jesus] is possessed by Beelzebub ! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
I am finally laughing right now – you see, I am a threat to the devil because the Lord did an amazing work in me on Sunday, and now he’s "honked off". I give God all the glory. I had someone tell me that the stuff I am going through (sickness in my body) is basically because of a demon, and that it just needs to come out. You’re saying I’m demon possessed? Are you joking? Seriously. I do not believe a Christian can be demon possessed, and I’ll tell you why. When I said that simple prayer and invited Jesus into my life, He became ruler over my life and came into my heart. My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe that the two could reside together in my body. Come on!
Matthew 12:29 “ “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.”
I am listing these things not to brag on me, but to brag on the Lord. He was the One who chose to use me this week. I include these to encourage you to be obedient when He asks you to do something. I Cor. 1:31 “Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
You see, on Monday the Lord allowed me to minister to a homeless woman, and gave her a word from the Lord – I knew it was right on because she began crying right then and there. On that same Monday, went to a meeting with the senior pastor and elders of our new church, witnessed to them with my testimony and got prayed for for healing, and they (and we) also began praying that the Lord would show Joe and I what our part is at our new church.
On Tuesday, same homeless woman, now says something that lets me know she is a Believer! Wednesday the Lord allowed me to pray with a clerk in one of the local stores after she told me her dog was ill and in critical condition, and may not make it. I asked her if I could pray for her. Praise God, when I talked to her today, the dog is doing better! On Wednesday I also got an invite to a new group in Snohomish County of Christian legal professionals!!
Thursday, I was in the doctor's office getting checked in for my MRI, and the woman checking me in begins having a heart attack. They immediately called 911, and then I immediately called my 911. Jesus Christ! I asked her if I could come around and pray for her. She let me, and I felt the Lord totally move. There were many people in that office today (15-20), and the Lord did a work! I believe through that witness of Jesus people will come to know the Lord. By the time the paramedics got there her pain had diminished almost completely. Also, my step-daughter had been witnessing to a young man about Jesus, and he was at youth group Thursday night!
Today (Friday), the local clerk tells me that now she and her husband are now praying! Dog is still holding on, but not fully better yet. Praise the Lord! I told her I would continue to pray for little Susie the dog.
Don’t tell me I’m demon possessed because here’s the thing, the Lord is using me. If I was demon possessed the Lord would not use me the way He has chosen to this last week after my spiritual breakthrough. The Pharisees of that day said that Jesus was demon possessed, so I am encouraged that I am more like Jesus now. The devil meant to use this comment as a tool to discourage and stop me. I am using it to propel me!
No, my body is not cooperating in complete healing just yet, but here’s the thing, I wouldn’t have been at that doctor’s office if my body was completely healed now would I? Paul had a thorn in his flesh (God says “my grace is sufficient for you”). Jesus was crucified (God’s will). John the Baptist was beheaded. Paul was eventually beheaded, after being shipwrecked, imprisoned, etc. Peter was crucified (and here’s the thing with THAT, he (Peter) knew that he would be crucified because Jesus told him – also God’s will)!
Don’t ever discount anything that you do for the Lord because it is a seed that is planted, and the Lord is the one who waters it. And don’t let anyone discourage you or stop you from moving forward into all that God has for you or wants you to do.
When I heard that comment I was upset to say the least, and it started to make me want to draw back because my thought was “what if I am demon possessed, I don’t want to get that on someone else.” Then the Lord started showing me these things. So, thank you Jesus for using me this week – I give YOU all the glory forever and ever amen!
Oh, so why am I telling you this? I’ll tell ya, because the same thing may happen to you someday and I want you to be encouraged, and not give up on Jesus because He says He will never leave us nor forsake us. As to the person who said this, I have forgiven, I still love them, and want to thank them! Why? Because I have now grown about a foot more in the Lord this week! So I pray the Lord blesses the person who is saying this about me because I believe they just know not what they do.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” My life is so FULL today!
http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-demon-possessed.html -- or another good one http://www.letusreason.org/Pent24.htm for more information on whether a Christian can be demon possessed. What do you think? Can we? Or can't we? My vote is no.
Psalms 119:32 "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."
I am so excited. As many of you know, Joe and I made a change in our lives and one of them was leaving our home church. We knew the Lord wanted us to leave, but just didn't know where He wanted us to go. Well, we finally jumped ship, stepped out in faith and went to the church we believe that He wanted us at.
He is now beginning to open doors like I have never seen before in my life alone. It has been absolutely amazing. More ministering to the homeless. Hearing of a man who had received one of my water bottles, and he told our new pastor. Our new pastor did not know who it was that gave it to him. The man told the pastor that I told him I would pray for him, and he said "and I knew she would." That so encouraged me.
On Sunday I had one of the worst headaches ever, but I knew the Lord wanted us at church on Sunday. I didn't want to go to the ER, so we prayed, and I got up and moved around continuing to pray in the spirit. The Lord did a change in my mind and my heart about whatever this illness is that is attacking my body. I am no longer going to be a victim to it, but I am going to be victorious in Christ Jesus!
Even though my body still hurts, and at times I just have to rest, and I still don't know what it is, I have a different mind set thanks to the Lord. Even though I felt like crap that morning, I went out and bought more water bottles, granola bars, and fixings to make my family breakfast and dinner AND we got to church. At the end when they prayed for everyone, I felt the Lord move during that time and do more healing in my heart. It was awesome and amazing.
On Monday, the senior pastor invited Joe and I to come to the pastors/elders prayer meeting so they could pray for us, and they wanted us to share. We were so honored. They let me share what was going on in my life, and whatever else I wanted to share. It was awesome to be able to share my testimony again, and the new additions that the Lord has added.
I also set up a facebook site because I had joined a knitting group at my new church, and she had information on her facebook. Well, that opened up a whole new opportunity. All these people that I had gone to school with in high school are all connecting with me. It is absolutely the coolest thing ever!
I don't know what is next, but I know that the Lord is with me every step of the way. His word says He will never leave us nor forsake us, and I am holding tight to that. I continue to pray for healing, but am embracing this journey in my life and excited about who and what He wants to bring next. May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Psalms 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalms 16:8 “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
When you've done all that you know to do, and there is nothing else to do, stand. I've spent countless hours in prayer asking the Lord for forgiveness, confessing my sins, etc, because I have read and heard that sin can cause illness in our lives. I try to make a point of confessing often anyways, or immediately after I sin, but I like to spend extra time with the Lord and ask Him to reveal to me those things that He wants me to confess -- to create in me a clean heart.
I've gone through and made inventories of all that I've done or not done, then confessed after that. I am to the point now that all I can do is stand. The Lord gave me these two scriptures this morning, and I believe He has healed my body and continue to confess that belief. I also see a greater purpose for this trial I am in, and that is touching those who may not come to church and getting to witness to them about the Lord's goodness in spite of how I may be feeling at the moment.
Honestly, I'd felt like a failure as a Christian when I went to the doctor many months ago, and asked for help. I'd needed help for well over 2 years, but refused to get the help because I'd felt like if I did that I was a failure as a Christian or that I didn't have enough faith that the Lord would heal me, or that I wasn't praying hard enough, etc. All of that stuff. When I was living by myself it was easy to hide how I was feeling because if I felt crappy, I could just go away for a while until it passed, but when I got married, I could no longer hide it. I needed medication to help balance out my body. There -- I admitted it. I've been taking this anti-depressant now for over 8 months. I'm not 100% yet, but am also dealing with all this pain in my body -- which is something I've dealt with for over 4 years -- but has just gotten worse over the last year.
When I had to get the medication, the Lord reminded me of a time that a woman came to me in CR and told me she was struggling with depression, and how she knew that the Lord had healed her, but she still felt bad. In looking back on that I don't think I was as compassionate as I should have been. Sometimes I wonder if I'm going through all of this sickness for an even greater purpose. I know one good thing that has come from it is that I have grown to have an even greater compassion for those who are sick.
Over the last 4 years, I have had such GREAT victory over so many things -- alcohol, codependence, sex addiction, love addiction, financial recovery, etc., that I think it is possible that I started to get prideful and would wonder why when people were struggling why they wouldn't have immediate victory -- and would think that they need to pray more, or whatever. Being sick this long with no victory in this area has helped me to see that sometimes it doesn't happen immediately, and it doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong.
In 2006, the Lord told me in a dream that He was taking away His protection of me much like He did with Job. I found that journal recently, and in my dream I was screaming "NO." The Lord also told me in 2007 that it would get worse before it got better. I even got confirmation of this from my husband after the Lord told me. I didn't like that, but told the Lord that I trusted Him and His plan and purposes for my life.
Sometimes when you've done all that you know and can do, sometimes you just have to stand.
