Note To Self: I Am OK

The more I learn about discipleship the more I love God and who He truly is. Two years ago I was chained to my need to climb the corporate ladder and see more zeroes on my paycheck. When I felt God saying it was time to leave my job--the only job I had had since I was 19--I admittedly started panicking. With each confirmation I received that I had heard correctly I challenged the idea even more. I had grown accustomed to the lifestyle that my job had allowed me to lead. I never had to tell myself no if I wanted something. When I finally said OK give me peace and I'll take the step--He did. A job that I loved I was suddenly filled with contempt for. When I thought about the money part of the decision, again I was accustomed to my lifestyle, I was almost instantly filled with peace. The words that gave me the peace that quieted my fears? "You were born in this earth to be the righteousness of God. My word says 'I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed out begging for bread.'" I know now that the reason I had to leave the job I once loved wasn't only because God was calling me, but because it was becoming something that I could have ended up worshipping and serving. I also know now that the more I stayed at that job the closer I was to bringing my life to an early end. I was literally working myself to death. It wasn't until I stopped working that my body was able to tell me just how ill I truly was. It had been living off of ambition and stress. When those two components were gone it was like the tape coming off a broken window pane. A little more than a year and a half of not working and just studying the word of God, and I am still learning my call and my direction I am to follow. I bless God because of His faithfulness, Love and provision. I love him and am truly indebted to Him for His life changing nature. My way to pay off this debt I feel towards Him? Offering my life to Him to with as He pleases. Two years ago I would have said I was nuts. Today I am OK with that. Even more than OK--I am excited. No income coming in right now. But that is OK too. I can honestly say that I have not missed anything. He has truly changed my priorities. The most awesome part about that for me is that the less I have, the more that I have been able to give--and give with faith knowing that my Father is going to take care of me. I know there isn't a need (past, present or future) that my father doesn't know about and that He won't be faithful to provide for. It is amazing to me to think that even if I don't have money or things to give, I will still be able to give something amazing away. Peter taught me that. Acts 3:6 was my lesson: "But Peter said, 'I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!'” I love the verse in The Message too: "Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked." I don't know why I am writing this today...Maybe for you or maybe it is just a message to myself that I need to read when I get it in my email today. If the second option is the reason then pay attention Mike and keep this message near the top of your email so you can reference it when you need to remind yourself that God is faithful, you are more blessed than you ever thought was possible, you are happier than you ever thought was possible, and of course, you are OK.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Saturday Morning Worship

I love worship music that moves me. It moves me when it says what I am feeling and helps me to say what I am feeling even better. I love it when I find that song I can play over and over and over and over and I just feel like I am sitting in the throne room of God. This is that song for me right now. It's from a guy named Coffey. Truly gifted and I know his career is gonna take off.

Holy Is The Lamb.m...

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Healing the Body and the Heart

So often throughout the scriptures we see that Jesus had compassion on people. He allowed them to follow Him, and He ministered to them. He allowed them to interrupt Him, and He heard their needs. He allowed them to touch Him and take what they needed. There were times when He just simply spoke the word and the need (whether it was deliverance, healing, or forgiveness) was met. It wasn't His touch that healed their body or met their physical need or quieted their emotional distress, it was His words. There is so much we can do with our words; we can encourage, we can support, we can correct, we can edify and we can heal with our words. Then again there is only so much that we can do with our words; we can only speak them, they might help someone understand the point we are trying to make but they can never demonstrate the point we are making. If I tell you that I support you or that I forgive you, I might quiet your emotions but there is still something instantaneous lacking in our exchange. But if I say those things to you and then I reach for you and hug you, then I have conveyed physically what I have said verbally. When we take the time to touch we put a physical punctuation mark on our verbal statements. For some that touch is what it takes for them to understand what you have been saying. If I told you I loved you but didn't touch you, would you believe me? If I told you were healed or that I had faith your were healed but wouldn't touch you because you were contagious or had sores, would you believe. Sometimes touch is required for people to finally hear what we have been saying. Touch the untouchable. When we do that we do what our words can't--we heal the heart. When Jesus touched people and took time for people He healed their hearts because oftentimes they were the outcasts of society--the untouchables. Who are the untouchables around you? Are you ready to be His hands, to heal hearts?

Matthew 8:1-3--The leper only wanted the words to heal his body, Jesus said the words, touched him (an untouchable) and He healed his heart too.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!
Mike

Whirlwind Stop!

I imagine as a whirlwind gets stronger it gets bigger. I don't know for certain, but I picture it getting more devastating as it grows and needs more space to destroy. The headache that won't quit for me is often the result of the the mind that won't rest. When that mind that won't rest does not rest for days on end, the headache that won't quit needs more room to grow into and overflows in my neck and back. That's where I am at today. there is so much going on around me and only some of it is mine. I need to put it all down on paper and attack it one thing at a time. But then the war starts as the things in my head fight to see who is going down on the paper first and then to see which item is going to get crossed off first. I can't take it much more the whirlwind stops tonight. I need rest.