JESUS SPEAKING

                “I still have numerous things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  However, when He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you in all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.  He will glorify me, for He will take of what is mine and declare it to you.  All things that the Father has are mine.  Therefore I said that He will take of mine and declare it to you” (John 16: 12-15.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Shortly before Jesus was crucified, he foretold of the arrival of a mysterious entity known as the ‘Holy Spirit;’ after the resurrection he ascended in to heaven; and he fulfilled his promise to every believer by sending “the Spirit of Truth.”  For nearly 2000 years, Jesus has been seated in glory at the right hand of God; and for 2000 years there have been countless true confessions of faith.  With every confession received, a gift has been given; the faithful obtain the indwelling of the fullness of God’s Spirit.  (Through the Holy Spirit) The desires of Christ become intuition; his path becomes transparent; evil (unable to hide) is exposed by the divine light of the living God.  Finally able to discern what is true from what is false, the new born child of God recognizes counterfeit prophets and artificial religions; the inner Spirit boldly declares the authority and authenticity of a single book; the Holy Bible.  Ignorance is no longer an excuse, as God Himself directs the steps of His Faithful followers.    

                Many years ago, I was invited to attend a church service.  Near the end of the service, there was an opportunity to walk to the front of the stage and publicly profess a faith in Jesus Christ; I went forward.  Afterwards, I was given a bible (I was afraid that the church might be a cult.)  I didn’t trust the accuracy of the bible they had given me.  So, I made my way to the local bookstore.  I asked one of the employees where I could find the “original bible.”  With a confused look she replied, ‘Let me get another employee who is a Christian; she will know more about this than I will.’  When the Christian girl returned, I explained my situation to her; “I want the original bible.”  She replied, ‘Well it doesn’t really work that way.  The original is in a different language’ (a language I did not understand.)  [Note:  she did impress upon me that the English translations were very accurate.]  After our discussion I had one of my first experiences with the Holy Spirit.  A voice spoke from my heart; a voice I didn’t hear with my ears; yet my mind perfectly comprehended what was said; the voice said, “You’ve always been too smart for your own good; just read the bible I gave you.”  Through the Holy Spirit, God had spoken to me.  I began reading the bible God wanted me to read; the bible I had received at my conversion (it proved to be exactly what I needed at the time; it was easy to read and understand.)  With every turn of the page, my heart turned more fully toward God (without the Holy Spirit I might have fallen victim to my own pride and arrogance.)

                The Holy Spirit is essential; without it we are blind, ignorant and lost.  But God in His great wisdom has said, “I will not leave you orphans.”  The Spirit proclaims God’s desires; he testifies of what is true; he helps us to choose what is good and avoid what is evil.  Believe in Jesus Christ, and you will fellowship with the living God.  Receive His Holy Spirit and you will share in the knowledge, power, and love of the Eternal Father, and His beloved Son.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we love Your Son, and we thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit.  Continue to guide us and speak to us.  With every breath, we desire to draw nearer to You.  Lead us, that we might do Your will in this place; may we bring glory and honor to You and to Your Son.  We love You Father, we praise You and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you. 

JESUS SPEAKING

                 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God (Luke 13: 10-13.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

               Jesus regularly taught in the synagogues on the Sabbath day. One particular Sabbath day the attentive listeners witnessed a wonderful act of divine charity. In the midst of the crowd, there sat a deformed woman, who unknowingly would become the target of God’s merciful affections. For 18 years her twisted spine had condemned her to a life of humiliating hardship. Jesus beckoned her forward; and with one touch, she received her long awaited freedom; freedom from embarrassment and ridicule; freedom from shame; freedom from unending pain and discomfort. Overjoyed, and filled with gratitude, the once twisted woman honored and praised God for his merciful work. Miracles and healings such as this, serve two wonderful functions; they relieve suffering; and inspire others to honor and glorify God.

               Nearly 6 years ago, I was in a mental institution; I was unable to work; unable to complete menial tasks like laundry and cooking; filled with fear and overwhelmed with nervousness I couldn’t sit still for any extended period of time without being afflicted with fits of extreme anxiety. Trapped in a delusional world devoid of mental stability, I was surrounded by other disturbed individuals (one poor woman had tried and failed every form of treatment and had to endure electro-shock-therapy.) In a place where pajamas and slippers were the everyday attire, I was unaware that God would soon call me forward; I was ignorant of His future plan; one day He did lay His hand on me, and He healed my twisted and unhealthy mind. Not only did He heal me, He created in me a completely new person. Today, I hold down a job and have wonderful friendships; not only do I work, I volunteer; I’m involved in many ministries; I give as much as I can, and serve others whenever possible; I truly love people and feel deep empathy for those who are hurting; I counsel people on right living; I pay bills, and I am a responsible person that can be relied upon. A man who was once dead has been brought to life. I am an example of God’s miraculous power; He is a great and awesome God; a God of mercy and love; I am whole today, not because of anything I have done, but because of what God has done.

               Have you experienced a miracle? Has God called you forward; has He done something amazing? If so, then you are truly blessed; if not, He can and will if You let Him. Have faith in the Lord and nothing will be impossible; trust in God and you will experience miraculous things; and when you do, give God the glory and honor He so greatly deserves; point at Him and proclaim, ‘My deliverer has arrived, and I have been set free; praise be to God.’

               “Lord Heavenly Father You are worthy to receive glory and honor and praise. We want to thank You for all of the amazing things You have accomplished in and through us. We desire to see even greater miracles; increase our faith and do the impossible; we are excited to see You move and do great and mighty works. We love You Father, we praise You and we thank You; and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.  For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Therefore do not be like them.  For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him” (Mathew 6: 7-8.)             

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                By the first century, the repetitious prayer so common to the heathen nations surrounding Israel had infiltrated the Jewish ranks.  By repeating the same prayer many times in one sitting, they believed God was more inclined to listen and respond (in their estimation God was hard of hearing.)  To the unwise, the blessings of God were not just gifts received from above, but wages earned from below.  The quantity of prayer soon replaced the quality of prayer.  As repetition increased, genuine belief decreased; as religious practice became the focus, true expression of faith began to whither [Note:  Jesus was not referring to daily prayer.  He specifically commanded that his followers persist in petitioning God for their daily needs.  Ex., to pray for a wife or husband daily is good.  What is not good, is to sit down and petition God 30 times in one day (he hears the first request.)]

                In the Catholic Church, the members confess their sins to a priest, and the priest gives them an assigned act of penance (or repentance.)  Repentant acts are considered payment for the wrongs done. Commonly, many priests sentence the sinner to a few minutes of repetitious prayer (the amount varies based upon the severity of the sin.)  For example, if a man confesses to the act of adultery, he might be commanded to say 50 hail Maries (a short prayer lifting up the Virgin Mary.)  And again one week later, the adulterer returns after committing adultery again; and again he is sentenced to 50 hail Maries.  For three years, the man returns, until finally his wife has left him and his marriage is destroyed.  The man was allowed to believe that God’s forgiveness could be attained through ritualistic repetitive prayer; forgiveness however is only bestowed upon those who truly repent; had the man truly felt shame and guilt in his heart he would have confessed his sin and discontinued it.  The religious system fails anyone who is taught that repetitious prayer can take the place of true genuine repentance (Note:  This does not mean that Catholicism is evil; it is simply one practice in Christianity that can be used as an illustration.  There are many faithful believers in the Catholic Church.)

                Rituals and traditions have infiltrated the body of Christ.  Genuine faith has been crushed beneath the weight of religion.  Long repetitious prayers are wasted on God.  And not only are they wasted, they obstruct true faith and prohibit authenticity.  Draw near to Him with your heart, not just your posture; may your words be few, and may your requests be genuine and congruent with the perfect will of our loving God and Father.

                “Lord Heavenly Father we come before You today and thank You for all that You have done for us; please strengthen us and make us more genuine believers.  May we not fall victim to the trappings of tradition, but instead, be reborn in the newness of Your Spirit.  Hear our prayers Father.  We love You, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.