I Should Share My Testimony

I would like to share a little about my background. Where it is I have come from spiritually, and how it is I have come to where I am now.

I was saved when I was twelve years old. For a good while, throughout most of my teenage years actually, I was really on fire for God. I would seek to learn more. I was always praying, reading scriptures, and seeking more of Him. I remember as a kid I would have elders from my church say, "God is going to use her". . . Then, at the age of seventeen I started to fall away.

For nearly a decade I really backslid. I guess it is like what the Bible says about pride coming before a fall. I was convinced that I would not backslide. There were times before my fall when I would pray and insist to God that I would never stray. That it just would not happen. That is one example, and for me a lesson learned. No matter where it is we may be at any given time, we cannott let our guard down. We cannot assume that we are beyond the reach of temptation, because that is not true, and if we do not think it could happen, then we will not be expecting the potential to arise. Therefore we will be weak when the test comes, when the trials arrive.

For me it started when I became heavily involved with a so-called 'Christian' group. Though as I got to know them better, I began to realise they really had more of a cult-like mentality and a grip on the people involved. As I noticed this I began to rebel against the group. Though I began to experience a blurring between the lines of truth and deception, because it had a lot of Christian teachings mixed in with the lies. What initially became my rebellion against that group grew into a rebellion against God as well. I was trying to move further and further away from them, and then doing things that I knew would be against what they would approve of. Though in the process I found myself doing this same thing with Biblical teachings as well, and only moved further away from my Lord.

You may have noticed that when someone who is a Christian strays from their faith in any manner, there seems to be almost an anger that comes with it. I have noticed this with my own experience, and I have seen this again and again in others. So many times you see someone who first professes their faith and then fall from it. . . there is an anger that replaces it. An anger against the Church, and an anger against God. I know I definitely felt that. Though at the same time I also felt a strong sense and hunger in my spirit, So I would seek out a means of filling that desire. I have always been one to do a lot of research, a lot of studying on anything that happened to catch my attention, and so I ended up doing a lot of study on various other religions and spiritualities.

Along the way, I began to adopt a different world-view. It started with my doing a lot of research into Wicca. There was about a year or two that I considered myself to be a wiccan. I would do a lot of research into it, read a lot of books, I had note journals, and supplies. Even though it was still around the beginning of my moving away from God, away from Jesus, He would still try to reach out and get my attention to let me know He was still there, waiting for me to notice.   

On one occasion when He was reaching out I had gone to the store, and I was getting some different items and candles that went along with the new path I was following. As I was looking at my stuff, all at once I heard the Lord's Prayer being recited right beside me. It was a big step for me, going in such a drastic direction away from Christ, and right beside me was a little boy standing in the book section. He had a children's Bible that had a little voice box on it with different buttons that could be pressed. He pressed the button to the Lord's Prayer. That definitely gave me a jolt and got my attention. I thought about it for a little while, but it was one of those things I just kind of brushed off as coincidence.

As I continued to move forward down this particular path, I found myself to be more of a pagan, as I decided my ideas at the time branched out further than what wicca taught. I would come up with my own ideas, and decided that pagan would be a more appropriate label. My mind frame and view point was just so different from what it had been when I was younger and in Christ. It was so radically different. When remembering how the Church elders from my past would talk about how they believed God was going to use me, I would find it humorous and sad at the same time. Humorous because I thought if only they knew how wrong they were, and sad because there was a part of me that would think back on where I was and had come from. I just did not see it being possible for me to ever be there again. Too much had changed, and too much had happened. I just did not see it being possible in any form, because of the way I viewed the world . . . everything was just too different. I could not comprehend the idea of coming back to Christ as I once had been.

The path that I had been on for about a decade kept progressing and transitioning along the way. After wicca had turned into more of paganism, it then became a mixture of paganism and new age beliefs. I really got into crystals, channeling, astrology, and other things that went along with it. I was just a whole other person. I saw it as my spiritual evolution from point A to Z. Even throughout all of this transition, there were still times here and there that God was trying to pull me back in. For a while different things were brought to my attention, things that I would dream about, and so much here and there that I would bury, not wanting to think about it.

I began to notice within the new age teachings I had gotten into was the notion that we are our own gods. I recognised this was the same thought that caused Lucifer himself to fall, wanting to become like God. It was also the same lie he used against Eve in the garden, which led to the fall of mankind into sin. Then with the channelings I began to notice it sounded more like what I would read about while I was in Christ. I began to wonder if these "ascended beings" were really demons whispering lies.

Not long after I began to notice these things I came across a link to a Christian on Youtube. This was back when they first started talking about the swine flue on the news. I went to her channel because she was a soldier who was talking about the swine flu. So I was curious about what she had to say. It was through her that I discovered Millie's channel. There was something about the things she said, though at the time I didn't realise why they were creating such an affect on me. I realise now it is because God anointed her. She was very strong in the Spirit and spoke in the Spirit. Despite feeling a resistance to what she was saying I was drawn to watch her videos. To pay attention to what she was saying. The fact that I was watching them was amazing because I still had that anger within me that was directed towards anything dealing with God. I would watch those videos, and as I watched I would still argue in my mind with what she was saying. Though again I kept finding myself drawn back to listen to more. This went on for a period of months. It was no longer just the videos. There were other things going on. More things being brought to my attention.  There was a battle raging in my mind. Though little by little I began opening up to these pullings of the Spirit. Until quite surprisingly and unexpectedly a full transition occurred.

One night after having gone through some Christian materials about prayer, I could feel the Spirit had lifted things back up within me that I had not felt in years. It was so familiar, and never ever had I thought I would feel this again. Still skeptical in the back of my mind I thought it might just be an emotional response. I wondered how I would feel in the following morning. Though I felt such a spiritual high from it. The next day I was talking with my mom about this, and she said that she had goosebumps, and that, "You're Brandy again! I haven't heard you talk this way in ages!"

What I felt that night did not fizzle out the next day, but only continued. I am not saying it has been an easy journey. There has definitely been spiritual struggle along the way. The difference is this time, even with all the struggle, I still have the Spirit moving within me. I can feel the Spirit within me. I am in Christ. I know where I stand and I know Who I belong to. I can feel the Spirit leading me and guiding me as I go. The things that are put on my mind even, I know it is not me, not my thoughts. Things are just so different. So real and alive! Since then there has been so much progress and growth. Like I mentioned earlier, I did not imagined I could be that way again. However now God has taken me even further than where I was before. I know that it is Him, because in all of my searching, never did anything else ever feel like this.

There was one occasion I wondered if I had really come back to God. I came across a teaching saying that if you were ever in Christ and fell away, there was no coming back. So I began to worry and wonder. I finally I began praying about my concern. Immediately, I felt the Spirit rise up in me. I felt that I was being told I knew better, that I knew God was with me. Then those doubts were pushed out of me and God gave me a peace.

I've discovered it is almost like you can have a two way conversation with God when praying and in the Spirit. A lot of people think it is only a one way thing, but really it is not. When you are in Christ, when you truly are Spirit filled; when you pray and you have learned how to just stop and pay attention, you actually do get feedback. It is not in the way that people might think of it though. You will not just be sitting there and hear this great voice booming down at you, giving you an answer. You can feel His response though. It comes into your mind. I wish I could explain it in such a way that would make it clear to those who have not experienced it. But it truly is amazing.

If you have not come to Christ yet, or if you once did but you fell away, I want to encourage you to just talk to God. Pray to Him. If you are not at the point where you feel you can give yourself over to Him, still, just talk to Him. You would be amazed at how much can happen, how much can change just by talking to Him. You would be amazed at the answers you can get when you pray. Even if you feel like you are not getting answers right away, do not give up. It can happen during an instance where you come across a quote, or video. Or you might be talking to someone and you will notice something that is said is exactly what you were praying about. God answers in so many ways, so pray and pay attention. There is nothing like Christ.
You may be asking, "What does it take to be saved?" Repentance is the key issue. Sincerely repenting. Not just saying something in your mind with no real thought or emotion, but feeling what you are saying to God and truly meaning what you say. Repent of all of your sins, and ask Him to come into your life. When Christ actually comes into your life, this changes you. It can't NOT change you. It is not that you will not ever struggle, but you will have it in your heart to become obedient.

If you truly have the Holy Spirit in you, and if you have truly come to Christ, you WILL be changed. I cannot encourage you enough, I really can't. Even if you do not think you are ready yet, search out an answer, search God out and see. Do not just look at Christians you know or the church that you know. Christians are supposed to be His representatives in the world but unfortunately many are not representing Him very well. There are a lot of people out there who have decided against God, against Jesus, based on what they are seeing within the church. Do not assume that what you see in the Church represents who He is. I made that mistake, even though back then before I backslid, I preached against it. I said we should not judge Him by the people who serve Him, but I forgot that lesson myself. Just search Jesus out. Go to Him in prayer and in His word. Search Him out for yourself.

How Do I Know When God is Directing Me?

Different people have asked me the question, "How can we know when we're hearing from God?" Well first I want to stress that this is something I am still learning about as well, but I thought that I would share with you some of what I have learned so far.

I associate a sensation in my chest with a stirring of the Holy Spirit. And for anyone who has felt this for themselves, you know what I mean. For anyone who has not experienced this, it is a little difficult to describe it except it is a light, peaceful sensation. I have noticed that I feel the Spirit most while in praise and worship, repenting, and when I am studying the Scriptures and come across something that has really grabbed my focus and attention. I can feel it when I have messed up and let in some form of sin. When you do sin, the Spirit will let you know. Our minds can try to deny it and rationalize it, but the Spirit will keep bringing it to your attention, not letting you forget it for too long.

If you are a Christian and sin has entered your life and you are NOT feeling anything, then I recommend you stop and examine yourself. If you are a Christian and you are not feeling the grievance of the Holy Spirit, then that means you have been ignoring Him for some time. You are going to have a difficult time hearing Him at all until you repent and get back on track.

I will also feel the Holy Spirit when I am praying over something or receiving guidance from Him in some manner. For example, a few months back I came across a passage in Scripture talking about how once you have been saved and forgiven and then turn away from that, then there is no further sacrifice. That actually had me concerned for a little bit because I had backslidden for a good while in the past. When I read this I began to wonder if I was really back on track like I thought that I was, or was it possible that I had just been going through the motions of it only thinking I was okay, when in reality there was no way for me to get back on track? This had troubled me for a few hours actually, and I finally brought it to God in prayer. When I did that almost immediately I could feel the Holy Spirit rising up in me as if to say, "Why are you so concerned? You know this already. You see I'm with you." Needless to say, receiving this kind of a response quieted that concern entirely.

I have noticed the same type of response with other things as well. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a Teacher, Comforter, and Counselor. I believe that it is through being able to understand when you are receiving this guidance from the Holy Spirit that we can understand what it is that God is trying to get across to us. So what I have been doing to grow in this area, in understanding and learning how to listen, is simply to ask God questions while I am praying about things that have been troubling me. Like I will ask what He is wanting me to do, or something along those lines. You will not always be able to feel this kind of leading. Sometimes this guidance will occur at a different timing than you expect it to. Or maybe He will choose another manner to answer you. Maybe it will be through circumstances in your life. Maybe you will find that one door closes to you and another one will be opening up.

So let's say you are having trouble feeling this guidance at all. Say you have been trying, praying, and paying attention, but still struggling to understand what it is that God is trying to get across to you. Maybe you have a question about something and you wonder what is the right answer. What is it He wants you to do about a particular situation? My suggestion is look and see what it is you have going on in your life. Sin will be something that makes it hard to hear Him. Though it can be other things too, such as distractions. Look and see if you have anything placed between you and God. It might be something that you do not even realize is there. Something that is causing this muffling effect. It could even be something simple as regular daily life that can cause these distractions. Just look at what has your focus. What has your attention? How does this compare with the focus and attention that you give to God?

There is one illustration I came across recently I thought really made a lot of sense...

Imagine yourself in a big spacey room. You are on one end of it and God is on the other end. The more stuff you have placed between the two of you, the more cluttered and distracting it becomes. Then you find it isharder to hear this gentle voice that is calling to you. When God is directing you it is a gentle pull. If you have something on your mind that feels intrusive. It is dragging you to a certain point or conclusion, then I would be questioning whether that is the voice of God at all. When you have God's guidance, it is gentle. So when you have clutter and distractions between you and Him, you are going to have a hard time understanding Him. Though when all of it is cleared out, suddenly you find it much easier to hear and to understand what it is that He has to share.

You only have this type of guidance though, if you have the Holy Spirit. If you have not been saved, you will not experience guidance in this manner. You are only saved if you have confessed your sins and received Jesus Christ as your Savior. If you have not done this, I urge you - do not wait! Do not put it off. I know it sounds cliche to say that you do not know how long it is you have, but it is true. If you are not saved, and you figure you will wait until later, sometime down the road . . . can you say with absolute certainty that you will have that chance later? If not, why wait?


²⁵These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

²⁶But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

~ John 14:25-26 (KJV)

Gates, Fruit, and Judgement

¹³Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

¹⁵Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

¹⁶Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

¹⁷Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

¹⁸A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

¹⁹Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

²⁰Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

~ Matthew 7:13-23 (KJV)

At the beginning of these verses it refers to the Narrow Gate and the Broad Gate. Entering through the Narrow Gate is going to be difficult. It is going to be hard to find and most will overlook it. Only a few will find it. Think about what that means. Think of all the people who are alive today, and all of the people who have ever lived. Only a very small number of all of these people will find this Narrow Gate. The one that leads to destruction is the one that most people are on. It is the one most people are content with, and the one that they will remain on. Only a few will leave behind the Broad Gate in favor of the Narrow Gate. Only a few will be saved . . . Only a few will escape condemnation. Not only is the gate narrow, but once you go through it, it is going to be difficult. It is not going to be easy. You will hear some people say that Jesus will change everything in your life. Which is true, but they say He will make it all easier, better, happier, and your whole life will fall into place . . . that everything will be so good. But that is not true in the way they are saying it. Yes things will change, and yes you will change. Jesus will change things in your life entirely, but it is not going to be easy. It is not supposed to be easy. If it is easy, then something is wrong. If you are finding yourself just floating through life, having it all so laid back, then something is wrong. Either you are not moving forward on this path, or you are not on it at all.

So how do you go about checking yourself? It is always good to check yourself. It is always good to know exactly where it is you are standing spiritually. What fruit are you bearing? If you are on the right path, the Spirit is going to be moving in you. It will be alive and moving through you. There will not be any guess work. You and those around you will know that the Spirit is alive in you. It can be seen in your life, your deeds, and your words. You will follow God's word. Not because you feel you have to, but because you want to. You will be seeking to please God. You will want what He wants of you. The Spirit will be moving you there, guiding you, and you will be producing good fruit. But if you are looking like the world, that is when you need to watch out. If you want the things of this world, if you are being envious, prideful, lustful, angry, hateful, feeling apathy, vengeful, and so on; then you are producing bad fruit. I am not saying that any of us will be without sin, because even when we are saved we are still sinful beings while in the flesh.

What is it you see when you look at your life? What is it that' i driving you? Do you want to be saved, but then live worldly? Do you repent daily? Do you strive to change? Strive to grow? Are you aiming for holiness, because God is holy? When you examine your life, what do you see? Not everyone who professes Jesus to be Lord will enter into Heaven. Even Satan knows that Jesus is Lord. He acknowledges this, but you and I both know that he is not going to Heaven. So what makes us so certain that just because we say we believe Jesus is Lord . . . how do we know that simply acknowledging this is enough to get us to Heaven?

There are a lot of people out there who claim to be Christians. Many who profess themselves to be saved, but they are going to be turned away. They will say, "Lord, didn't I do this for you, and didn't I do that?" They're going to live their lives assuming they are okay, but on Judgement Day when they are standing before the Lord, He will say to them, "Depart from Me, I never knew you". This is why it is so important for us to examine ourselves, so we can make sure.

You might say, "Sure I'm saved. I got saved when I was younger." But did you really? Are you sure? Jesus tells us that only those who do the Father's Will will enter into Heaven. Does this mean that salvation is by works? Of course not. The Bible tells us that salvation is by grace, but when you are truly saved, the works will follow. When you are truly saved, you will be made new. The Bible does not say that you can get saved and then live like you have always lived prior to that, but it says that you are to turn from your old ways and to seek God. Seek the will of the Father, and become a new creation.

Examine yourself carefully. Not just once and then you are done, but make sure that you examine yourself regularly. Repent daily and make sure which path you are on. Keep an eye on what fruit you are bearing. You do not want to just assume that you are okay, that you are good to go. Then realize when you are standing before the Savior on Judgement Day that you made a mistake and was not okay after all. At that point, you will not be able to change your path, your actions or anything. It will be a done deal. You want to take NOW, the time you have now and whatever time you have left, to make sure you get it right. Now is the time, then it will be too late.

Don't Let the Enemy Get You Down

I want to give a word of encouragement to my fellow Christians out there. I have noticed that there are a lot of us who are going through periods of discouragement, distractions, and other such things right now. I want to remind you that everyday we are dealing with more than what we see here at face value. There is literally a spiritual world all around us, and in this spiritual realm we have an adversary and his minions. They do not want us to succeed. The more we are out there doing God's work, the more we can expect to have obstacles thrown onto our paths.

Ephesians 6:11-13 (KJV) tells us...

¹¹Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹²For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

If you are following the path that God wants you to be on, then you can be certain the devil will be trying to derail you at every turn you make. Maybe for example, you have people coming into your life trying to tempt you back into old habits. Maybe you have a spirit of division causing trouble between you and your loved ones. Sometimes it can even be something as simple as the phone ringing, or a visitor coming, just as you are getting ready to sit down to read your Bible or pray.

The devil is sneaky, and he is conniving. It is his goal to get us down and to keep us down. He does not want us spreading the word of God. He does not want us praying and praising the Lord. He does not want us to follow the will of God for our lives. He wants nothing more than to bring us down. He wants to make us fall. He wants to keep us preoccupied with things of this world, little things that do not even matter. He wants us to forget what we need to be focused on. He wants us to fall from our faith. He wants us to be too discouraged, embarrassed, or complacent to share our faith with those around us. He does not want us telling people about Jesus, and the mercy and grace that He offers us. Most of all, he wants to bring as many people down with him as he can possibly manage.

In 1 Peter 5:8-9 (KJV) it says...

⁸Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

⁹Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Do not let yourselves become distracted. Do not let yourselves become discouraged. When you are experiencing these troubles, or any kind of trouble, seek God all the more. You know you are on the right track when you have obstacles coming into your life like that. We were told this in advance, that it is not supposed to be easy. If things are easy, and you are going through life smooth sailing without a problem in the world, and you consider yourself a Christian, you may want to stop and consider your life. Consider what you are doing, because something is wrong. If it is easy then we are not being seen as a threat to the enemy (Satan), and if we are not being seen as a threat, then we are certainly not doing something right.

Do not let your circumstances get you down. Any time that you have obstacles or any difficulties in life, use these occasions to lean even more on the Lord, not away from Him. He will see you through. This is something He has promised. Remember, greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

Beacon

There is a concern that I used to have, and I think that it's perhaps one that's been shared by a lot of others, as well. That is looking out around us, at the people and things in the community around us, and things happening in the world. We see so much that is wrong, that need to be changed. We see so many people that need to be reached for Christ. Sometimes you cannot help but wonder . . . Like the Bible tells us to go out and spread God's word . . . The thought that I believe comes to a lot of people is, How can I, just being one person, do any good whatsoever in this world?

You know how the Bible tells us we need to let our light shine so that others can see. Well, take a candle for example. You can see the light from the candle as it burns, even when lights are on around it. But the candle's light does not draw the same attention when there is so much other light around it. However as the light around it starts to diminish (as the room gets dark), the same candle that is burning just as bright as it ever was, seems even brighter. Suddenly the candle's light shines out further than it did before. When all the other lights around it go out, it is the only light that is seen. Suddenly it becomes a beacon . . . When all those around who have no other light to see by, see that light which is still shining, it is the only light that can guide them to where they need to go.




This light that shines in us, Christ, the Holy Spirit shining through us, is the same way. When we are in a situation where we are surrounded by light all around us, when everything seems to be in good condition, you can still see that light. Though the impact is not quite the same. It does not quite have the same far-reaching aspects as it does when the world all around you suddenly starts to get darker. As the world around you starts getting darker, that light within you, Christ that is shining through you, suddenly seems to get brighter. People can see it better. They see a difference. And the darker this world gets, the more people around you will need that light. They will be able to see the light that is in you, seeing a difference, and you can be a beacon, a lighthouse, to show them where they need to be.

Even just one person who is following Christ and His example can make a difference, and be a beacon. So just imagine if all the Christians out there, every one of us, would make an effort for people to see that light within us. Just how many people would want to follow this light right back to its source?

¹⁴Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

¹⁵Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

¹⁶Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

~ Matthew 5:14-16 (KJV)

Are You Comfortable?

The Lord put it on my spirit saying that one of the ways we can really grow spiritually is when we move outside of our comfort zone. When I look at my own life for examples, so many of the times that I've had spiritual breakthroughs was when I was willing to do something that was uncomfortable, something I would rather not do. I have found myself again having to learn to move outside of my comfort zone recently, to really be willing to put myself out there. It has been a little scary, truth be told, but each time it gets easier. It is being willing to take that first step that is the hardest part.

When we are too comfortable, it is easy to get lazy. It is easy to lose sight of the goal in being obedient to Christ. Even worse, it is easier to find ourselves falling into a state of lukewarmness. Look at many of the comfortable churches, and then look at the church and nations where persecution exists and is common place, and consider the two examples. What do you see?

Jesus said,

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ~ Matthew 16:24 (KJV)


What I wonder is, why is it common assumption that this does not apply to us? Why is it believed that we do not need to do anything else once we are saved? I once heard it said that when it comes to our relationship with God, we are either moving forward in it or we are moving back. There is no standing still. If we expect to move forward, we need to be willing to do our part as well. It's not all on God. He wants us to do our part. We have to move whichever way He wants us to move. We need to be willing to take up our crosses and follow Christ.

Do you really want to know how far ahead you can move? Do you want to see God really moving in your life? Do you want God to use you? Then when there is something He wants you to do, no matter what it is, even if it is something you really don't want to do . . . do it anyway. It's hard, but like I said before, the hardest part is simply being willing. Once we have taken that first step, it gets easier. When you are willing, when you do step out there and do whatever it is He is moving you to do, you will find yourself advancing spiritually. You will find Him moving in your life.

Are You Looking at the Storm?

In Matthew 14:23-33, we read:

²³And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

²⁴But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

²⁶And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

²⁷But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

²⁸And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

²⁹And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

³⁰But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

³¹And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

³²And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

³³Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.


Many of you may be facing storms in your life right now. Maybe you've found yourself unemployed, and having a hard time finding work. Maybe you're having trouble paying your bills, or simply having a hard time keeping up with them at all. Maybe there is some kind of drama in your family right now, or maybe you are feeling that your job is making more demands than what you are able to give. In some ways, you may be feeling overwhelmed by the situations that you face. Even looking outside of personal experiences, you may be thinking that the future looks harsh. Prices being raised, a struggling economy, increasing tensions among nations, and simply bazarre news stories. These things can be enough to create fear in people, wondering what's next.

In all of these concerns, and all of these struggles, it's important to keep our eyes on Jesus. If you have a storm that is brewing in your life, or even if it is raging, keep your eyes on Jesus. Just as Peter when he was standing on the water, Jesus is able to keep us afloat. The greater the storms we face, the more cautious we need to be of where our focus is at. These things we have to deal with, they demand our focus and they insist on our attention. It can be really hard not to find ourselves dwelling on these things. Then like Peter, we find ourselves sinking and struggling, fearful. But even then Jesus will be there, reaching out His hand to us, saying, 'You of little faith. Why did you doubt?'

You see, no matter what we are facing, no matter what our obstacles are, no matter how high the odds are stacked against us - Jesus is there. He is with us, and He will keep us afloat. We just need to be sure that we are keeping our eyes on Him rather than the storm.

Don't let the storm capture your focus. Keep your eyes on Jesus!

Armor of God

I've been wanting to do a message regarding the armor of God for a while now. But for one reason or another, wasn't able to quite get it put together. I have a renewed sense of importance that we need to examine just what it means to be clothed in the full armor of God. I've been observing things that have been going on in the world, and things that are happening with Christians right now, and there's a lot of spiritual influence going on that we need to be careful of. I believe that there is a lot going on in the spiritual realm. I believe our adversary seeks to knock us from our paths, and the closer you're following God's will for your life, the more focus that "bull's eye" will be on you. So I believe it's important to understand the armor of God, and how it is that we can apply it to our lives.

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Ephesians 6:10-17 (NIV)

So, looking at these verses, how is it we can do this? How can we apply this to our lives? Well, this is at least the way I've come to understand it.

The first part, Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist...

I believe it's important that we live in truth, and speak in truth. If we find deceit to be a regular player in our lives, then we will not be able to wear the belt of truth. Likewise, the occassional lie here and there, even "white lies", make it increasingly difficult to properly wield the belt of truth. Like the Roman soldiers in the past whose belts' sole purpose was to support the rest of the armor and their weapon, this, too, will support the rest of the armor of God. Jesus is truth, and therefore the support and foundation for the rest of the armor.

The next part, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...

In battle, the breastplate serves one purpose, and that is to protect the vital organs. We need to understand that our own righteousness will not protect us. Only through God do we receive protection. However, we should make every effort to follow God's commandments. While we're not perfect, we cannot use this fact and the gift of grace as an excuse to go out doing whatever it is we want to do. We need to seek to live righteous lives through Christ. God grants protection for those who follow His commands. This protection, I believe, is mostly observed in the spiritual, though it can translate into the physical as well. This doesn't mean that we won't be without hard times, it's the hard times that allow us to grow and rely more heavily on God. It does help us in dealing with these hard times, though. Those who live in active sin open a doorway to spiritual influence. Oppression, and in most extreme cases even possession. If we apply the breastplate of righteousness by living under His will and repenting of any sin in our lives, then the foothold the enemy can gain against us will crumble. The door we didn't even realize was opened, would be slammed shut.

It goes on to say, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace...

I believe that this means we need to be prepared with the good news of Jesus Christ, and to be ready to share this with others. It is through Jesus that we can be brought into peace with God. Show peace in your actions and the way you encounter others, and allow this to be your firm foothold.

Then it says, In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one...

Faith is truly important. With faith, mountains can be moved. The enemy will use any tactic against us he can manage, but having faith that God is greater than anything that comes against us will shield us from their advances. If we hold tight to the shield of faith, then we are protected. Without the shield, we rely only on ourselves, our own abilities. But if you think about it, just like the person standing in the battlefield without a shield, can they rely on their own ability for protection from the rain of arrows that's coming down on them? Likewise, we can't rely on our own defenses against the arrows of the enemy. But with faith in Christ, we are shielded.

Take the helmet of salvation...

Needless to say, without being saved we cannot wear the helmet of salvation. It is an essential part of the armor, and without it there is no survival. We have to give ourselves fully over to Jesus, and allow Him to be our Savior, our Deliverer, because we can neither save nor deliver ourselves.

Then it says, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God...

God's Word is powerful, and it can cut down the defenses of the enemy. The written word is the Bible, and the living word is Jesus Christ. The power of both the living word, and the written word are mighty weapons against the adversary. Simply the name of Jesus alone holds much power. His name alone causes demons to flee. We can even see the power that His name holds, or even that the Bible holds, in the physical as well.

Looking at names like Muhammad and Buddha, Krishna, Zeus, or any of the many that you can take your pick from, if you mention these names in front of a group of people you won't create nearly the reaction that you would if you'd speak the name of Jesus Christ instead. All we have to do is mention HIS name or quote a verse from scripture and the world squirms and takes offense. When we wield the sword of the Spirit and allow it to be directed by God, it then becomes a very powerful piece of the armor.

The important thing is to be sure to equip the full armor. If any piece is missing, that leaves us open to attack and we become less effective.

Also notice that there seems to be two aspects of applying each piece. The first and most important is that every piece always comes back to Jesus. Without Jesus, we cannot apply this armor. The second is the condition of our lives. We need to examine ourselves and see how our lives line up with this. We need to examine what areas we need to change in order for the armor to be able to fit. This doesn't mean that you won't slip up, but what's important is that when you do, you just need to be certain that you pray and repent over it. Active sin, as I mentioned before, will open us up to spiritual attack and spiritual strongholds. A stronghold is an area of your life in which the devil knows is a weakness for you. It's an area that they will seek to use against you, and it's particular strong spiritual influence is aimed at disturbing your walk with Christ. Now, if we've opened ourselves up to influence and strongholds through sin, how can we expect the protection that the armor of God will grant us if we have allowed ourselves to be exposed in the first place?

A Royal Invitation

People have been enthralled by royalty for ages now. People have wanted to know everything there is to know about the lives of the kings, queens, princes, and princesses. In modern times this also includes celebrities because they function as American royalty.

Prior to the wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton, so many were watching and waiting for every detail. Many of the ladies have been intrigued by the fashion and learning ways to make it their own. People swoon over and idolize royalty and Stars. Many are willing to spend a lot of money on a ticket in hopes of finding themselves in close proximity to one of their favorites.

So many are so caught up in a life they will never be a part of. But don’t you know? You have the King of all kings wanting YOUR attention! The Lord of all things longs for your love, for your acceptance, He wants YOU! Why do you wait? He offers eternity! He offers you the Cross! Through the cross forgiveness of sins, ALL sins can be had. What greater gift could you possibly receive? All He asks for in return is repentance and obedience. This in exchange for LIFE!

Cities in Ruin and a Message (A Dream)

This is the dream that I woke up from yesterday. I think my dream started out here at home. My mother was with me and it was evening time. We were looking out the window and mom was sharing some ideas about how to deter an intruder should they try to come through these windows. I remember looking out the windows and was drawn outside because there was more people out there than what there should be. We went outside to see what was going on and I noticed that the scenery outside wasn’t quite like that of what home should be. I thought this was a little strange because usually when I have a dream and the setting isn’t quite right I don’t notice this until after I wake up. But this time I was observing it in the dream. There was a certain amount of people walking around and driving though as if it were perfectly normal for so many to be there. In reality my road is typically very quiet and only occasionally traveled.

I looked around and noticed there was a very large and steep hill right in front of the house. As I observed this hill I became concerned because of there being a number of very large rocks on top of this hill right over the house. I mean these were like huge boulders, more than capable of crushing the house should they come falling down. While I was observing them the verse came to my mind about how in the day of the Lord men would be hiding themselves beneath rocks, begging that these rocks would fall down on them and hide them from the face of the Lamb.

As I began to look around some more I realized I was seeing a lot more than what I should be able to see. Mom was still with me and she was seeing them too. We were pointing things out to each other as we looked around. We could see images of various world landmarks all around us. I can’t remember what they all were, but I know that a few were from the United States. The ones I remember for sure was the statue of liberty. Another I saw and I said liberty building, I'm not sure if there is actually anything called liberty building. I’m thinking it was supposed to be the Freedom Tower that they are constructing in New York. The thing is every single landmark we saw was in ruin. Then I saw an image of a baby being held by its mother, mom saw it as two babies side by side because this is what she said to me in my dream. But we both saw a look of sadness on this baby's face.

Suddenly I’m in this building. I realize that I’m with a small group of people, but they aren’t in there with me. They are outside somewhere. We have contacts with other groups. I think we are preparing to meet up with one. While I’m in there this communication device starts ringing or buzzing or something. It reminded me of a fax machine at first, except it had a handset to answer it and you could speak through it like it was a radio. While this was ringing I had in mind one of my contacts who was a police officer. She was one of the group we were supposed to meet. While this radio or whatever it is keeps ringing I keep trying to turn it off. Every time I think it’s disconnected, it just starts ringing again. I keep disconnecting it over and over again, and it just keeps ringing. At one point during this I receive a voice mail on my phone. So I listen. I hear the voice of the police officer amid a lot of static saying that they wouldn’t be meeting with us. They got hit and they all died. She even said she died! I’m thinking to myself, "What? What do you mean you died? You’re leaving me a voice mail." I realize at this time it was this same thing that was trying to come across on the radio I kept trying to disconnect. Then I have a second voicemail. This time there is still static, but I can here her a little bit better. Again she says that her group was hit and they all died. But then she says that there was another group that was hit as well and they all died. She mentions another person who was killed. This person is someone I remember from youtube. She is a member of the military and the thought in my mind was a realization that she was our military contact. She then goes on to tell me information directly from God Himself. I don’t remember all of it, but I got the impression there was something for us to do. I specifically remember her mentioning that God was putting His mark on us, what crossed my mind was that God was spiritually putting His seal upon our foreheads. There was more that was said, but it wasn’t much more and I don’t remember what it was. In my dream I broke down balling because of all the sudden death of these people who were my friends. I intended to alert the rest of my group once I recovered my composure. It was at this time that I woke up.

This May Surprise You

I’m going to say some things here that will likely shock some of you. At the same time, I believe there are others on here who will find confirmation in it. Earlier this evening I had a thought put on my mind. I felt the Spirit was very insistent that I put this out here, and I’ve been trying to listen more to what the Spirit leads me in.

There are a multitude of people in this world who see Christianity as little more than a religion dead in its claims; one option among many; one path no different than the rest. They say why does the Bible speak of miracles yet we see nothing? Even many churches no longer believe in the capabilities of God. Doubt plagues the mind of even some believers. The Bible speaks of great things which many don’t expect to see today. Why is this?

Is it because God no longer does these things? Is He less capable today than He was then? No . . . He is just as capable as He has ever been. The problem is many of His people have forgotten. The Bible speaks of great things that would be demonstrated in the lives of believers. Jesus said that they would go on to perform exploits even greater than He did. The early church was on fire! The book of Acts shows many great things performed by the Spirit through the believers in Christ. Did these things pass away?

Would it surprise you if I told you many great things were occurring today in the Church in other areas of the world? The underground church in China has seen miracles on par with the book of Acts. This is only one such example. Why? Why do they see these things and those of us in the West, for the most part, have not? Because they have believed. They took Jesus at His word. When the Bible speaks of such things being possible, they believed it! Therefore they have seen it. These areas in the world have seen great revival because the believers know the Spirit is alive and active in this world. They know the Bible is true to its word, even in the areas that can prove hardest for people to believe. And they know if they do what the Bible teaches then God will come through.

The western Church tends to have trouble in some of these areas. Many try to find ways to make their faith fit with what the world expects. Many have been taught a watered down Gospel lacking the power of the Spirit. When they are told these things are not for today, they believe it. My suggestion is this. Stop listening to what you are being told. I don’t care who tells you. Stop listening. Pick up your Bible and read it for yourself. You might find yourself truly amazed at how different the teachings you have been hearing are from what you can find in the written Word of God. You will find Jesus teaches you to live a life quite different from what many churches practice. You will see a great importance placed on faith, prayer and fasting. And you will discover a variety of possible giftings of the Holy Spirit freely given to the believers in Christ to build up the spiritual lives of the believers; and to build up the Church.

We have not been utilizing these spiritual giftings. It’s because we lack the faith that they are there. For the most part churches have even stopped teaching them, or they have not been teaching them in their entirety. Now if this has surprised you so far, then I’m about to surprise you again.

When I say much of the western Church has been lacking in these ways, I’m not speaking about everyone. I say this not as a guess or assumption. I say this because of experience. I know the Spirit is still greatly active in this world because I have seen the results first hand. And I also know there are still many others even right here in the western church that has as well. I believe a number of you have as well, but we’ve not been talking about it. We’ve been afraid to share these things. We figure who will believe us, and so we keep quiet. I believe we should stop remaining quiet and start declaring the ways in which God has worked in our lives. Fully, not holding back because the world is skeptical. Part of the reason some are skeptical is because they have not learned of just how God has been moving still.

So I’m going to take my own advice here and put some things out there. I’ve had dreams, which I’ve recently mentioned on here once before, that I have no doubt were God given. It was such dreams that drew me to Christ to begin with. On one occasion my life and the life of my sister was spared when others insisted a car we were in should have burst into flames. Twice I’ve known first hand of miraculous instantaneous healings from those who were dying. One was a lady from a church I attended for years. She had cancer. Her stomach was eaten up by it and it was continuing to get worse. One day the pastor went up to her and her husband and told her she had been healed. They were in shock and didn’t quite understand what he was saying. So he said, “God has healed you. You no longer need your treatments.” This was confirmed when the doctor could no longer find her tumors. The second, and I know some of you will find this silly. Though it was something that was important to me and I believe if things are important to His children then it's important to God. A few years back I received this little puppy that after a little while became sick. I had been reading about Jesus talking about the importance of faith and how even faith the size of mustard seed could move mountains. So I decided to apply this lesson to my prayer and pray in full faith for the health of this pup. The very next day he was in perfect health. His sister however became sick and went down fast. We didn’t even have the chance to get her to the vet because we hadn’t realized she was so sick. The two slept in the same house and ate from the same food. After she died and the next started showing signs of this same illness we took him to a vet. This one was diagnosed with parvo and was treated. My puppy, the first to show symptoms, (and as it turns out were the later stage symptoms) was still doing well. When we described to them at the vets office how close he lived with the one which died and his age, they said there was no way he wouldn’t get sick and it was unlikely he would even survive it because he was so young. Yet he was in perfect health without even receiving veterinary assistance. All this time later I still have him, and he never did fall back into ill health. I call him my miracle dog.

Another instance of God at work is that a number of times God has provided for my family when we found ourselves in need at the exact time this help was needed. There was no previous indication that any form of help was coming and if it had not we would have been in trouble.

Another time I was in the room with my maternal grandmother as she passed away. Minutes before it happened the little dog which had been too afraid to come into this room for the whole week prior came running in with excitement. It stared at the space above my grandmother's bed, wagging its tale making happy puppy noises, and looking as if it wanted to approach before deciding to leave the room again. I believe it was watching something occur that the people in there could not see. These are only a few of the instances in which I’ve experienced something beyond what people tend to expect these days.

The interesting thing is, since coming online I have discovered that there are a number of others who are having these same types of experiences. I believe there are a lot more as well.

For so long I wouldn’t talk about these things unless I really trusted the person I was telling. I knew people wouldn’t believe me. Even members of the church wouldn’t believe me. I suspect that many of the people out there who have witnessed these things have had the same thoughts. “Why share? They’ll just think I’m lying or crazy.” But here is the thing. As long as we remain silent on these things then people are going to continue believing them impossible. The Bible mentions there will be certain attributes that will be seen in the lives of believers. Not for us to take pride in. But to serve as confirmation of the Gospel being preached. Will people disbelieve if you tell them these things? There are those who will. However the more willing we are to talk about the full extent of the things God is doing in our lives the more you may find others admitting these same things. Beloved don’t be afraid to share. Don’t be afraid to admit that your God still has power in this world. He is just as capable today as He was yesterday. The greater the faith of His people, the greater He will move among us. When God is moving, true revival follows. When Elijah stood before the prophets of Baal it was the God of Abraham that had the true power. And today when His people are faced with preaching the gospel in a disbelieving generation; a generation who believes that Jesus is no different than any other, it will again be our God that has the true power. His people just need to believe again and those who have witnessed it first hand need to be honest about what they have encountered.

The Church needs to come alive. Deception is taking hold of those around you. To those of you who have experienced the miraculous start talking about it. The Church needs to remember who their God is. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. People should know there is still real spiritual power in the name of Christ. So beloved I urge you, if God has done something in your life beyond what people believe is possible, don’t hide it. If you’ve had a prayer answered, known someone healed or been healed yourself, been given a prophecy, spoken in tongues or any number of possibilities don’t be afraid to talk about it. Share it! Let people know this was done by your God and you serve a risen King.

It Will Cost You Everything

     I had a dream this morning. I went back and forward from thinking it was real, because it was very vivid and detailed to knowing it was a dream. Either way I felt it was important to pay attention.

     I was lying on the couch sleeping when I heard a motor. I got up to see what was going on when I spotted a UPS truck coming around the corner of the road. I thought it was a little unusual because I live on a little country road just outside of town and I don't order from somewhere that uses UPS only shipping because they have a hard time finding my house and the packages are left elsewhere.

     As I was watching I noticed a rather large package was being carted out and set up on the bank behind my house. When it was opened up there was something along the lines of a large radio. From what I could hear of the conversation of those up there (now it was more than just a single delivery man) I got the impression this radio was something being used to keep track of and spy on people. I heard a mention of the Census people as well. Like the excuse was to keep the Census takers safe when they came back through. (In real life when the Census takers came through there was one that was brutally murdered and strung up somewhere close to my area maybe a state over. The official report was suicide . . . )

     Then I noticed two men up there talking with each other. They were almost like parodies of what they were supposed to represent. One was like an old testament prophet complete with long white hair and beard and robes. The other was a modern Christian who looked a little like a hippie. He came off a bit on the ignorant side. Like he didn't really understand spiritual truths and was more parroting things he's heard. They were having a conversation. It was like the prophet was trying to teach things to the Christian, and he was having a hard time understanding. I remember the Christian asking the prophet if he had been baptized at one point. I also remember the prophet looking slightly annoyed, but still patient that he was having a hard time getting this man to understand the things he was trying to tell him. Although I heard the conversation in my dream, I've forgotten much of it. Though at the end they were talking about the cost. How much being a Christian would cost us. The Christian man still wasn't understanding the importance of the conversation. Then I heard a very clear voice-over saying, "It will cost you everything." It then flashed back to an image that was a closeup of this same Christian man's face. I realised that it was his head lying on the ground. He had been beheaded. It wasn't the prophet that had done it through. It was more along the lines of, this is what his future was. At this point I woke up.

What Are Your Intentions?

In what manner do we tend to approach God? Do we go to Him with a wanting mindset, or giving intentions? Which thought occupies more time? "What am I going to get out of my prayers this time?", or "Lord, what can I do for you?"

How many times do we find ourselves contemplating the rewards? Not that it is wrong to desire and seek growth. After all 1 Corinthians 14:1 tells us to eagerly desire gifts of the spirit. The thing is, this isn't so that we can advance and benefit ourselves. Instead it is to advance and buildup the body of believers in the world. It seems that many are spending much of their meditation on the different ways to grow from the perspective of the flesh rather than of the spirit.

Maybe we are going about things the wrong way. When you go before God in any manner, don't go with the expectation of receiving. Go with the intention of giving. Give God your praise, your worship. Give Him honor and glory. Give your concerns over to Him. Give your will to Him. Seek His will. Consider instead of praying for the different scenarios we wish to play out, pray instead for His will to be done.

Sometimes what we want and what God wants are contrary to each other. Even if the intention is not meant to be selfish, perhaps we spend so much time seeking things for ourselves that we neglect moving in God's will. When our focus waivers from letting God work through us in the manner He intends to, then we hamper our own spiritual growth as well as the works He could be doing through us. Don't be afraid to ask for the things needed though. There is a difference in asking out of need. Nor should you be hesitant to ask for God to grant you the ability to be more effective for His kingdom and any spiritual giftings that would allow for this.

It is hard to imagine just what God can do through a willing servant until it is experienced. He can move through you and your life in ways that you would have never expected. Before this can happen though, we need to learn to approach Him as a humble servant rather than checking off on a list of 'I want this' and 'I want that'.