ColleensLife

¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. – John 14:12-13

When Jesus chooses to bless us with physical healings in this present age, it is mind boggling.  A prayer, a leap of faith, hold your breath, and then….

The Story

God has blessed Brett and I with some new friends these past few months.  Jonathan and his beautiful wife Danielle have quickly become close friends of ours.  We have been enjoying many games of Catan, and many bible studies with them as of late.

A few mondays ago, it was the same as any old monday night bible study.  A bunch of us were having casual conversation as we waited for everyone to arrive.   As Danielle and Jonathan walked in to the room, we noticed she her right hand was tightly wrapped in an ace bandage.

We came to find that on Sunday, as Danielle was cleaning, a vacuum fell on her hand.  After awhile she noticed the pain was not going away as minor bumps or whacks normally do.  By the end of Sunday, her hand was badly swollen, bruised, and she was in more pain then when the injury happened.

Having no insurance, she wasnt quite sure what to do.  After a difficult and painful night sleep, Monday morning she  had her mother, who is a nurse, look over the injury.  Her mother said, “It’s most-likely broken.  Keep it still and wrap it tight.  You dont want this healing incorrectly.”  Danielles pain was so horrible that her mother wrapped her hand for her.

(Sometimes in our lives, when we are in the midst of a horrible situation, all we can do is pray and ask for Jesus to step in with Grace.)

As we normally do at the end of bible study, we prayed for each other.  Brett (no credit to him but only God) decided to pray for Jesus to heal Danielle’s had.  Half way through the prayer brett stopped and said, “Jesus, I am doubting this can happen.  I want to apologize and repent of my unbelief.  Please forgive me.  Jesus i believe but help my unbelief.  We ask that you would heal Danielle’s hand by morning.”

Danielle later told me that after Brett prayed, it was like someone placed a bag of ice on her hand.  Then she felt her bones shift back in to place and the pain started to drastically diminish.  That night she saw that her hand was still pretty swollen and bruised.  But she thought to herself, “well, Brett asked that it would be healed by morning so, thats what ill expect had have faith for.”

The next morning she woke up to find the ace bandage was removed form her hand and was drapped in a spiral across the bed.  In shock, she looked at her hand to find that all of the swelling and bruising was gone.  She could fully mover her hand with no pain.

Jesus did indeed heal her by morning.

The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit

¹⁴When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. ¹⁵As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶“What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

¹⁹“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²²“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³” ‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

²⁴Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Stop chasing comfort!  Chase Me!  I have called you to a life of sacrifice – not of comfort.  Those who are wandering lost are not drawn to Me through you because you are not willing to sacrifice your comfort to serve them.  To follow and serve Me takes more then just sharing My truth- it takes sacrifice.

You say you want to be filled with My Spirit, you say you want those who are lost to be drawn to Me by your life, but you are unwilling to give up all that is “comfortable” for these things to happen.

When I search your heart, I see you would rather live a mediocre life with Me then sacrifice all that is comfortable to you in order to be filled with My Spirit. It is time for you to see what is really going on. I am tired of your Mediocrity.

In your heart you are grumbling that you don’t feel close to Me.  This is why you cant: you are unwilling to leave your comfortable, mediocre life to get it.

You are mad and frustrated that you are not living life to the fullest – yet you are unwilling to lift a foot to get it.  You say you want to be filled with my spirit yet when I ask you to serve you refuse or you pretend you don’t hear Me.              Do you want me to speak to you or not? You only listen when the least amount of sacrifice is required.  Then you say, “I sacrificed” to justify.  The True life I’m calling you to requires much more of your heart – it requires ALL of your heart.

You feel like you are missing out on me and full life- YOU ARE!   You cannot have a mediocre life with Me and be filled with the spirit at the same time.  Your walk is mediocre because you are not willing to give up all your comforts, which are idols.  Then you accuse Me of not drawing close to you and filling you with My Spirit.  Draw close to me and I will draw close to you.  HOW? By living a life of sacrifice – which is obedience.

What I am requiring is more then just reading My word, and intimate times together, though those are needed.  It is about giving up what most comforts you to serve Me and others.  You serve Me by serving others.  You love Me by loving others.  Love by sacrifice.  THAT will grab their attention.   Right now those who are wondering in the dark are not getting My message – It is NOT getting through.  It’s going to take sacrifice and discomfort for them to see.

What if I asked you to give up your most favorite comfort for a month in order to draw closer to Me.  Would you do it?  What if I asked you to give up your most favorite comfort for the REST…..of…. your…… LIFE in order to draw closer to Me……would you do it?  These are the type of sacrifices I am talking about.  I am telling you now, these things are keeping you from knowing and experiencing Me on the deep level i desire for you.

You ARE more then what you have become. You sense it and now I’m telling you.  A life that follows Me is more then how you see it right now.  You ARE missing out, you are getting it wrong- its time to set the record straight.  This is how much i LOVE you. I want you to have the true life I called you to.

Hebrews 10:32-34      Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.

Here is what im going to promise to you because I love you SO much.  When you do choose to follow Me the way I really called you to, your fellowship with Me will be more then you can even imagine.  THEN I will truly be able to show you what its like to be filled with and to walk in My spirit.

I am requiring much from you – your life and comfort.  But the trade-off will be a filling of My Spirit, a love like you have never known before, and the lost flocking to My throne.

I love you.  It is time.  Leave your life of mediocrity and come see what its really like to live the life I have called you to….the one I AM calling you to…the one i will always call you to.  BUT DO NOT MISS THIS: IT WILL REQUIRE EVERYTHING –  YOUR LIFE- YOUR VERY DEEPEST COMFORT.

This pic is a little bit of what we do randomly during the week or on the weekend.  The board game we are playing is called Settlers of Catan.  Very popular game around these parts.  Brett introduced it to some church friends.  Then, people who love this game started pouring out of the woodworks and now we play at least once a week.  A few Sundays ago, we played for 8 hrs straight.