A Few Sobering Thoughts

     

It is important to take on life with an open mind and willingness to learn.  It can be easy to place ourselves in a different box than others because we understand our own lives and perspectives more than we do those around us.  The following are just a few sobering thoughts to remind us all of how related we all truly are and highlight the beauty of not always needing to have every answer.  Enjoy:

1)      God will move through your life despite all of your wrong theologies:

Take it as a relief or a disappointment, but God is not fixated and nit-picky about making sure that your ideas of who He is are in perfect order.  (41,000 Christian denominations will prove this point pretty fast.)  It can be a humbling realization when we discover that some ‘fact’ or concept we believed is not (entirely) true.  But do not become so worked up about the little things, as if the reason for our existence was to always be ‘right’.  Live with the open mind of a child, God is far too big for us to ever run short on new discoveries, and so why should we allow our stubbornness to blind our eyes and tie our feet?

God is far bigger and better than we have ever imagined.

2)      Every face came at the same inconceivable price:

In these blogs I focus a lot of my writings on the perspectives that we have regarding other people.  It is not about how ‘right’ you do against how ‘wrong’ someone else does.  We are not here to raise or lower the price tag on something that has already been purchased.  When Christ died for your freedom, Heaven proved your and all of humanity’s equal worth through the price that it paid to attain us.

3)      Jesus did not come to give the world a “right religion”:

Let’s give God the credit of having a little more creativity here.  Since the beginning of time, mankind has come up with countless systems, prices and steps that they instruct themselves and others to follow in an attempt to appease or discover God.  Jesus did not come to add his own arguments to the table; he came to finish the dispute altogether by paying the single price needed for reconciliation.  All humanity has left to do is realize (a.k.a believe) the friendship that has already been established.  And trust me, that realization changes everything for those that discover it.

4)      Your experiences do not determine or alter truth:

Truth should be expected to bear fruit in our experiences, but when they do not align as we expected, it is not a reason to say "all is wrong" and make an about-face and beeline the other way.  One of the most common reasons that I hear regarding God’s “unwillingness” to physically heal someone, is their own experience in not seeing a loved one, or even their own selves healed.  But thankfully, our experiences do not have to determine what we believe, and when we read, "lay hands on the sick and they will recover," we can feel comfortable leaving it at just that; without trying to explain our potentials away by something that we did or did not see.   It is the same with forgiveness.  Your mental ability to not feel forgiven in every moment does not justify the reasoning that your sins have not been completely wiped clean.  It is the same reasoning that exists in a child when he covers his eyes: his failure to see you is not equated to him being alone.  

Testimony Tuesday: Simon Hudson (Melbourne, Australia)

We were in the Mozambican 'bush bush', and had just finished screening the Jesus film, which meant that is was now time to begin praying for people. Two young deaf brothers approached us and we began to pray for them. As we prayed, one brother began experiencing healing, and the other one - not! In what I confess was a difficult situation, I became frustrated, and to be honest: concerned at how this young guy was feeling, having just watched his brother experience healing, but not see it for himself.

During the evening, we'd done our best to love on this brother with hugs, kind words, speaking life, caring for him, etc. etc. and so the next morning, despite my concerns that he might be disappointed or angry at God, instead, he was happy! It was then that I knew: although praying for the sick is pure, holy, and very important to do, if you pray without love then it is a fail! Love never fails! Aside from this scenario, I have seen heaps of miracles, salvation, etc. but I enjoy when God speaks to us, and shares his heart for people, which, one might say, is love!

Testimony Tuesday: Chris Collins of Colorado Springs, Colorado

I was on a ministering trip with my bible college that brought us to Louisiana.  After the main speaker gave his message, the rest of the prayer ministers and I went upfront to pray with anyone that had need.  An older gentleman approached me in frustration. His discontentment was not at anyone specifically, but that he had not yet been healed of the cancer that was manifesting itself on his face in giant scabs. He explained that he didn't want to just be prayed for, but that he wanted to be healed. I said, "Alright man, let’s do this!" As I prayed, I knew it was not by my own power that this man could be healed but that it was all by the power and authority that God has given me to heal the sick and to raise the dead. So I commanded the cancer to leave in Jesus’ name.

We got off topic and talked about football for several minutes. It was nice to see this man get his eyes off of his situation and onto something that he loved. The man started smiling and lighting up. It was incredible. I finally stopped the conversation and asked, “Is there anything else I can pray with you for?” And he said, "Yeah my eye! My right eye went completely blind about 6 months ago. The doctor said it was a detached retina." he explained.  "Okay man, let’s go!" I prayed a 10 second prayer for this man’s eye; I didn't use big theological words or try to convince God to heal this man because I understand that Jesus has already paid that price, and realize the power he has given me! I simply released that healing power right into that man’s eye. After praying, the man thanked me and walked away.


About 20 minutes went by and I heard the man calling for me again as I packed. “Chris! Chris! Come here!”

"What’s up man? How are you doing?" I asked.

"My eye! I can see out of it!" He said.

This man had received a complete healing in his eye that night – 20/20 vision. He was so stoked about his eye! It was not because of me, or any wise words that I used in my prayer, but simply the love of God expressed through my life towards this man.  God wants all his children healed. It's not about some hidden formula; but comes in an understanding of the beautiful fact that our God is love.

Testimony Tuesday: Shelly McWilliams of Covington, Georgia

I have recently started working night shifts at Dunkin Donuts selling coffee and donuts, while loving on people in my community just as Christ would.  I have been praying and asking the Lord to show up in the work place so that I might be a light into the darkness that surrounds us daily.

About a month ago I started seeing my prayers come to pass as co-workers and customers were getting healed, set free and saved! One night while I was working me and one of my co-workers struck up a conversation about the Lord and how he still had the power to heal.  He began to share with me that he had survived cancer and went through tons of chemo treatments when he was in his early 20s.  Since then he had suffered with tons of pain all throughout his body and even had one leg shorter than the other.  So me being me, I felt led to share with him some of the awesome miracles that I had seen take place concerning legs growing out and asked him if I could pray for his healing after our shift was finished that night, and to my surprise he said, “Yes!”

So after we had finished cleaning, we walked out to the lobby where I asked him to sit in a chair and hold his legs out so I could see which leg was shorter.  After seeing that the right leg was the shorter of the two, I began to pray and ask the Lord for complete restoration in his legs and that all pain would flee in the name of Jesus.  I asked him on a scale from one to ten how bad his pain level was and he answered with the number 7. That's when I felt to pray for the fire of the Holy Ghost to come and rest upon his legs and then shortly after that, his healing started to manifest.

Right before my eyes I began to feel something pop in his leg and then realized that it was his right leg growing out and becoming in line with the word of God and even with the left.  He told me that he had felt something shift and I explained to him that it was a touch from the Holy Spirit and that Jesus was taking all his pain away because he loved him. It has been almost two months since he has dealt with any pain, which is amazing and he is now even trying to mend the relationship that he once had with Jesus.

The other crazy part of this whole story is that this was the first of about 9 healings that took place with in a 3 week time span!!!

P.S here is just a short list I made up of all the healings that took place last month.

1. Coworkers leg grew out/wrist healed

2. Customer with carpel tunnel healed

3. Restored hope to Haitian customer

4. Restored hope to two college students

5. Coworkers back pain healed

6. Customer healed of dizzy spells (believing MS to be healed)

7. Coworkers wrist healed

8. Coworkers pain in hands healed

9. Customers back pain healed/pain in foot