Whenever I'm driving to another town or in a country I've never been before, I look for signs. Some signs tell you the maximum speed you can legally travel. Other signs tell you what mile marker you are at or which direction you are traveling (i.e. north, south, east, west)Some signs tell you how far you are from your destination.
God also has sign posts along our way. The nation of Israel is a sign post, according to the words of Jesus in Matthew 24. Jesus also gave another sign post, "As it was in the days of Lot.... Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Luke 17:28,30). We read in the book of Genesis how God and two angels visited Abraham. When they left, the two angels traveled on to Sodom to destroy the city. However, before the city could be destroyed, Lot, his wife and two daughters were delivered from the there. In fact, the angels said judgement could not even start till they were out of the city.
Many years ago, a man of God compared Oral Roberts and Billy Graham to these two angels. Oral Roberts passed away in 2009 and around that time, I begin to be admonished that when Billy Graham died it would be a sign post that judgement for this nation would be unleashed. It is as if his life has been a living intercession for the nation of America.
This morning, Rev. Billy Graham passed away.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Thursday, February 15, 2018
An Update on my journey of Faith
This past Sunday, after I had prayed, read my Bible and studied my lesson for the day [I have been reading through the devotional With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray], I begin thinking about my work with people with dementia. Then I thought about my mother and how Alzheimer's robbed her of her memory precious memories. We were very blessed, however, as my mother was never robbed of her sweet spirit or her love for God. I have seen many church-going women who through Alzheimer's disease curse like sailors; sweet men turn into hateful, aggressive men.
I asked the Lord, "If I'm going to have dementia, would you just take me before that? Otherwise, I'm asking You to protect my brain from the disease." Almost instantaneously, my head began to throb in the left temporal area above my ear in two locations. I am not a scientist or doctor, but to my knowledge that is the area affected first by Alzheimer's type dementia. I know that God has placed a safeguard in my brain that I don't have to worry.
Later on, that evening, I was again sitting in my study, reading. My throat had been hurting and I was just not feeling well. I have already been claiming the promise: No plague shall come nigh your dwelling. However, I was thinking how I did not want to miss work on Monday for being sick. I laid my head down on the desk and simply asked God to heal my throat. When I raised up my head, the pain was gone. That night, before bed I gargled and the next morning, woke up ready for work.
This morning, my lesson was on "The Power of United Prayer" with the text being from Matt18:19-20:"If two of you shall agree on earth..." I was thinking about how I don't have a fellowship of people locally that I feel comfortable fellowshipping with for one reason or another. I told the Lord how I would just love to have the opportunity to share my faith with someone. Tonight, as I was laying on the carpet, dozing, someone knocked on the door. It was two Jehovah's Witness ladies who had visited one weekend. We talked for almost 30 minutes about the Kingdom of God. I had the opportunity to share with them about the beginning and how God's Word was the seed from the beginning. When they left, I felt like I had been to church. We may have differed on theology and doctrines, but I could feel the sweet Spirit of God in our midst.
I asked the Lord, "If I'm going to have dementia, would you just take me before that? Otherwise, I'm asking You to protect my brain from the disease." Almost instantaneously, my head began to throb in the left temporal area above my ear in two locations. I am not a scientist or doctor, but to my knowledge that is the area affected first by Alzheimer's type dementia. I know that God has placed a safeguard in my brain that I don't have to worry.
Later on, that evening, I was again sitting in my study, reading. My throat had been hurting and I was just not feeling well. I have already been claiming the promise: No plague shall come nigh your dwelling. However, I was thinking how I did not want to miss work on Monday for being sick. I laid my head down on the desk and simply asked God to heal my throat. When I raised up my head, the pain was gone. That night, before bed I gargled and the next morning, woke up ready for work.
This morning, my lesson was on "The Power of United Prayer" with the text being from Matt18:19-20:"If two of you shall agree on earth..." I was thinking about how I don't have a fellowship of people locally that I feel comfortable fellowshipping with for one reason or another. I told the Lord how I would just love to have the opportunity to share my faith with someone. Tonight, as I was laying on the carpet, dozing, someone knocked on the door. It was two Jehovah's Witness ladies who had visited one weekend. We talked for almost 30 minutes about the Kingdom of God. I had the opportunity to share with them about the beginning and how God's Word was the seed from the beginning. When they left, I felt like I had been to church. We may have differed on theology and doctrines, but I could feel the sweet Spirit of God in our midst.
God is the answer to all your prayers.
~JoNathan Hollis~
Thursday, February 8, 2018
A Friend of God
I never want to boast or take pride in my relationship with God. First off, I am a very poor servant in His Kingdom. Second, I am not a faithful servant. But when I am not faithful, He is ALWAYS faithful. Whenever I let Him down, He has never let me down.
Over the past several years, I have come to recognize God's voice speaking to me in confirmations through my daily Bible reading, through my daily journals, through work and may other outlets that He chooses. I know that probably sounds schizophrenic to some, but if I didn't serve a living God that has two way conversations, I would rather be an atheist.
Here's a for instance: on Wednesday of last week (1/31/18), I had purposed to wake up earlier than my norm: 6:00am. However, when the clock went off at 5:45am, I reset it until 6:05. When the alarm sounded at 6:05am, I was about to hit snooze again, when I heard ringing in my head: "The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh...so that you cannot do the things you would." I got on up, got showered and dressed and headed into my study for morning prayers and devotions. I opened my Daily Light devotional and there in the middle of the daily reading - "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would." (Gal 5:17)
Last month, I read the book Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray. It is a 31 chapter book designed to be read daily for a month. I purposed in my heart that this month I would read With Christ in the School of Prayer also by Andrew Murray. Today's lesson was discussing the parable Jesus shared about the friend at midnight. "And He said unto them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come from a long journey, and I have nothing to set before him;' and he from within shall answer and say, 'Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.' I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." (Luke 11:5-8) The lesson discussed our relationship first with God and how Abraham was a friend of God. Then it discussed our relationship to our fellow human beings. I began to pray on this and my relationship to God. I felt compelled to read in John 15 where Jesus spoke and said, "I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father." (John 15:15 ISV) Then I open my Daily Light and to my wonderful amazement, the head verse for today was: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends." (John 15:15 KJV)
To walk with God as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the disciples, this is my prayer.
Over the past several years, I have come to recognize God's voice speaking to me in confirmations through my daily Bible reading, through my daily journals, through work and may other outlets that He chooses. I know that probably sounds schizophrenic to some, but if I didn't serve a living God that has two way conversations, I would rather be an atheist.
Here's a for instance: on Wednesday of last week (1/31/18), I had purposed to wake up earlier than my norm: 6:00am. However, when the clock went off at 5:45am, I reset it until 6:05. When the alarm sounded at 6:05am, I was about to hit snooze again, when I heard ringing in my head: "The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh...so that you cannot do the things you would." I got on up, got showered and dressed and headed into my study for morning prayers and devotions. I opened my Daily Light devotional and there in the middle of the daily reading - "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would." (Gal 5:17)
Last month, I read the book Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray. It is a 31 chapter book designed to be read daily for a month. I purposed in my heart that this month I would read With Christ in the School of Prayer also by Andrew Murray. Today's lesson was discussing the parable Jesus shared about the friend at midnight. "And He said unto them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine is come from a long journey, and I have nothing to set before him;' and he from within shall answer and say, 'Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.' I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity, he will rise and give him as many as he needeth." (Luke 11:5-8) The lesson discussed our relationship first with God and how Abraham was a friend of God. Then it discussed our relationship to our fellow human beings. I began to pray on this and my relationship to God. I felt compelled to read in John 15 where Jesus spoke and said, "I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father." (John 15:15 ISV) Then I open my Daily Light and to my wonderful amazement, the head verse for today was: "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends." (John 15:15 KJV)
To walk with God as Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and the disciples, this is my prayer.
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