Praise Report!
I'm pretty open about my life with my friends and family on mediums such as Facebook so my recent problems with and at work have been documented. It's to the point of an increasing feeling of dread as the start of my shift approaches each day, but I go nonetheless, because I'm doing my best to utilize the wisdom I pray for and to give the respect my supervisor deserves for re-hiring me.
Today was especially bad, though. Before even clocking in I determined to hit up Circle K directly after my shift for at least a 6 of Coors, but God Himself interfered with my plans.You might be asking yourself how I claim God Almighty Himself interfered? It's simple, He called my phone at 6:10 this evening. Before I get all the "You talked to God...on your phone??" responses let me say, no, I didn't talk to God on my phone or directly in any other way because I was working and my phone was off. The truth is my friend and Brother from church, Ira, called and left a voicemail that he hasn't heard from me and wanted to check in to see how I was doing. I got his message during my lunch break and called him back. During our conversation I let him know I was struggling getting through the night, at which point he immediately went into prayer; I then let him know about my thoughts about the six-pack. Right away he started speaking against it, but not in terms of not drinking or having to fight it, but in terms of already having the victory, telling me I will have another testimony under my belt.
So why did Ira call? Was it random? Did I suddenly pop into Ira's head while he was watching the ducks swim in his pool like "Hey, there's ducks in my pool, I wonder how Joe is doing?" I think not. And not only do I think not, but I believe not, with a fairly high degree of certainty.
I do not doubt God, through His Spirit made Ira aware of my situation. Whether it was a conscious or subconscious awareness I do not know and that part doesn't matter, but I believe it. Why? I have a couple of reasons. First, I seriously doubt I randomly pop into people's heads. Second, to me it appears to line up with Scripture in how God operates. Here's my examples: The Bible says God disciplines those He loves. Right? Rev 3:19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."; Proverb 3:12 "For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth."; Hebrew 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Well, how does God discipline is when we are rebellious or stubborn or we're being the brightest candle in the menorah? Does His hand reach down from Heaven to tan our fannies, or does He send 5-0 to cuff us up? It's the latter rather than the former. When we are out of line at church, the Pastor gangster-slaps us with a stern rebuke, or we may find ourselves out of a good job. You follow me. He does it through others.
In the same manner is His Gospel being spread across the World. 1Cor 1:21 "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
God could audibly speak the Gospel from His Throne so that everyone who can hear could hear Him but He doesn't, He chose to have us who believe to deliver the Good News to others. It is written that wise believe preaching a foolish thing, but hey, obviously that's how He rolls.
By the way, I did stop at Circle K and grabbed a pint instead of a six-pack.
Cherry Garcia!
I'm sober tonight - all glory to God! I thank Ira for being obedient to whatever it was, but more thankful God stepped in during a time of weakness! Hallelujah!
God bless, everybody! Good night, Good & Plenty, and let the Good Times Roll.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
God called my phone tonight
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Wanted for murdering Phoenix pastor.
The other man is described a Black male between 20 and 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and 170 pounds. He was last seen wearing dark clothing and a dark "beanie" cap.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sad times and prophesy calls for earnest prayer and seeking our Merciful God.
Revelation 20:4
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
Prophesy is unfolding before our eyes. We in the Christian faith always hear of these being the end times and, indeed, I believe these are. But do the unsaved know what's going on? The answer is, no, they do not.
Before coming to saving faith in what was accomplished by Jesus on the cross, any kind of event like this would have been just another horrible event in history, but when God lifts the veils from our eyes, opens our minds to the truth of His Word, His Holy Spirit helps us understand Scripture and Prophecy and we recognize the context of these events with relation to the Bible and it brings sorrow and urgency to our hearts.
Before coming to Christ my initial reaction may have been outrage and a cry for retaliation. After my conversion, however, my initial reaction was to pray for mercy - on all of us. Then followed a deep desire to get out there and share the Gospel of Jesus, the Author of Peace. Not in any condemning way, but in love because my Saviour is returning soon and I wish for no one to be left behind, including those who have done this.
Jesus, says to love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you and persecute you, (Matt 5:44). Why? Why would He say something that is the opposite of what we believe or feel is right? He answers in the first part of the next verse, verse 45a: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven. I happen to read a little more in to it, though: Isn't this how He treated us before we were saved? Did not Jesus love us when we were yet unsaved and in rebellion to Him? Didn't He bless us even though we cursed Him? Didn't He do good to us when we hated Him? And doesn't the Bible say He is our Mediator between us and the Father? Did He not pray for us as recorded in John 17? Is it not written that while we were still sinners He died for us? And, is He not the Son of God? Jesus is the One we desire to be like, right? To be Christ-like is to be forgiving.
So let us pray for all those who are suffering, and will suffer, like these 21 Christians did for their faith in Jesus, but let us also pray our Father to be merciful to the unsaved, including those committing these acts, for the veil be lifted from their eyes as well.
http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Coptic-Church-confirms-21-Egyptian-Christians-dead-after-ISIS-issues-said-beheading-video-391139
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Lord of our lives?
When I woke up I said Good morning to our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit but instead of using Jesus' name I said Lord. I then pondered what it means when we call Him Lord. What should it mean? Is it just a title or a nickname we vainly say without thinking? Does that title contain any gravitas within our hearts, minds and souls? Do we really understand what we are acknowledging when we call Him the Lord of our lives? Do we grasp the full magnitude of what it cost to call Him Lord? What it cost God for the opportunity; and what it cost us? It is written "...whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33. Is not that exactly what the Son did for us? He left Eternity, perfect Communion with His Father and the Holy Spirit, emptied Himself of all His glory, took on the form of His own Creation and suffered more than we will ever comprehend, just to redeem us back unto Himself. So, what does it mean to you that Jesus is Lord?