Heaven is for Real

Not to long ago I read the book "Heaven is for Real" it was a great book and I thought I would share it with you. The website is http://heavenisforreal.net. Its a great read and you can download the digital version of the second book "Heaven changes everything" for free from the website. I hope you enjoy it.

God Is With Us.

Today I was watching the news. The stories were full of violence and death, killing, assaults, and explosions. It got me wondering what can I do to protect my family from the dangers of the world today. The truth is I can't completely protect them. I can do stuff to lessen the chance of something bad happening to them. Make sure all the doors and windows are locked when we sleep. Stay alert for danger when we are out of the house, but there is a limit to what I can do.So what do I do? I have to acknowledge that completely protect them and rely on God to protect them. in Genesis 28:15 God says;  "I am with you, and I will protect you everywhere you go. I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised." and again in Jeremiah 1:7-8 it says;  But the LORD said to me, "Don't say, 'I am only a boy.' You must go everywhere I send you and say everything I tell you to say.  (8)  Don't be afraid of anyone. I am with you, and I will protect you." This message is from the LORD.

Romans 8:31-34  So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.  (32)  He even let his own Son suffer for us. God gave his Son for all of us. So now with Jesus, God will surely give us all things.  (33)  Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right.  (34)  Who can say that God's people are guilty? No one! Christ Jesus died for us, but that is not all. He was also raised from death. And now he is at God's right side, speaking to him for us.

The True Story of St. Patrick

 If you ask people who Saint Patrick was, you're likely to hear that he was an Irishman who chased the snakes out of Ireland.

It may surprise you to learn that the real Saint Patrick was not actually Irish -- yet his robust faith changed the Emerald Isle forever.

Patrick was born in Roman Britain to a middle-class family in about A.D. 390. When Patrick was a teenager, marauding Irish raiders attacked his home. Patrick was captured, taken to Ireland, and sold to an Irish king, who put him to work as a shepherd.

In his excellent book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, Thomas Cahill describes the life Patrick lived. Cahill writes, "The work of such slave-shepherds was bitterly isolated, months at a time spent alone in the hills."

Patrick had been raised in a Christian home, but he didn't really believe in God. But now -- hungry, lonely, frightened, and bitterly cold -- Patrick began seeking out a relationship with his Heavenly Father. As he wrote in his Confessions, "I would pray constantly during the daylight hours" and "the love of God . . . surrounded me more and more."

Six years after his capture, God spoke to Patrick in a dream, saying, "Your hungers are rewarded. You are going home. Look -- your ship is ready."

What a startling command! If he obeyed, Patrick would become a fugitive slave, constantly in danger of capture and punishment. But he did obey -- and God protected him. The young slave walked nearly 200 miles to the Irish coast. There he boarded a waiting ship and traveled back to Britain and his family.

But, as you might expect, Patrick was a different person now, and the restless young man could not settle back into his old life. Eventually, Patrick recognized that God was calling him to enter a monastery. In time, he was ordained as a priest, then as a bishop.

Finally -- thirty years after God had led Patrick away from Ireland -- he called him back to the Emerald Isle as a missionary.

The Irish of the fifth century were a pagan, violent, and barbaric people. Human sacrifice was commonplace. Patrick understood the danger and wrote: "I am ready to be murdered, betrayed, enslaved -- whatever may come my way."

Cahill notes that Patrick's love for the Irish "shines through his writings . . . He [worried] constantly for his people, not just for their spiritual but for their physical welfare."

Through Patrick, God converted thousands. Cahill writes, "Only this former slave had the right instincts to impart to the Irish a New Story, one that made sense of all their old stories and brought them a peace they had never known before." Because of Patrick, a warrior people "lay down the swords of battle, flung away the knives of sacrifice, and cast away the chains of slavery."

As it is with many Christian holidays, Saint Patrick's Day has lost much of its original meaning. Instead of settling for parades, cardboard leprechauns, and "the wearing of the green," we ought to recover our Christian heritage, celebrate the great evangelist, and teach our kids about this Christian hero.

Saint Patrick didn't chase the snakes out of Ireland, as many believe. Instead, the Lord used him to bring into Ireland a sturdy faith in the one true God - and to forever transform the Irish people.

Story taken from http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/ChurchAndMinistry/ChurchHistory/colson_stpatrick.aspx

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God Can Use Everyone

Sometimes we find reasons in our life to say God can't use me. Sometimes we even say I'm not as good a person as someone else. Or maybe If anyone found out about my past they won't listen to me.

I was reading a small book called "A call to Courageous Living" and it said "The heroes of the bible did not emerge form a cookie cutter factory. They were all unique and distinctively different. They would not let the culture or the times define them. They refused to fit into a religious box." God will provide us all this the strength to overcome our fears if we let him.

The story of Saul (later to be known as Paul)


Acts 9:1-20 ERV  In Jerusalem Saul was still trying to scare the followers of the Lord, even saying he would kill them. He went to the high priest  (2)  and asked him to write letters to the synagogues in the city of Damascus. Saul wanted the high priest to give him the authority to find people in Damascus who were followers of the Way. If he found any believers there, men or women, he would arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem.  (3)  So Saul went to Damascus. When he came near the city, a very bright light from heaven suddenly shined around him.  (4)  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"  (5)  Saul said, "Who are you, Lord?" The voice answered, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting.  (6)  Get up now and go into the city. Someone there will tell you what you must do."  (7)  The men traveling with Saul just stood there, unable to speak. They heard the voice, but they saw no one.  (8)  Saul got up from the ground and opened his eyes, but he could not see. So the men with him held his hand and led him into Damascus.  (9)  For three days, Saul could not see; he did not eat or drink.  (10)  There was a follower of Jesus in Damascus named Ananias. In a vision the Lord said to him, "Ananias!" Ananias answered, "Here I am, Lord."  (11)  The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight Street. Find the house of Judas and ask for a man named Saul from the city of Tarsus. He is there now, praying.  (12)  He has seen a vision in which a man named Ananias came and laid his hands on him so that he could see again."  (13)  But Ananias answered, "Lord, many people have told me about this man. They told me about the many bad things he did to your holy people in Jerusalem.  (14)  Now he has come here to Damascus. The leading priests have given him the power to arrest all people who trust in you."  (15)  But the Lord Jesus said to Ananias, "Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work. I want him to tell other nations, their rulers, and the people of Israel about me.  (16)  I will show him all that he must suffer for me."  (17)  So Ananias left and went to the house of Judas. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Saul, my brother, the Lord Jesus sent me. He is the one you saw on the road when you came here. He sent me so that you can see again and also be filled with the Holy Spirit."  (18)  Immediately, something that looked like fish scales fell off Saul's eyes. He was able to see! Then he got up and was baptized.  (19)  After he ate, he began to feel strong again. Saul stayed with the followers of Jesus in Damascus for a few days.  (20)  Soon he began to go to the synagogues and tell people about Jesus. He told the people, "Jesus is the Son of God!"

Paul was a persecutor of the Disciples and the followers of Jesus. When touched by the lord he become one of the most profound Followers. He went on to establish churches Heal other and Bring many to Christ. If God could use a man such as Saul. He can do the same with each of us if we let him.

My Life is Not My Own

About a year and a half ago I made a choice that changed my life. I was at a point where I had had given up on life. Although I had repented of my sins. I was trying to go to church when I could and I wanted God in my life I could not find a way to break free of the things that kept pulling me away from God. I was ready to end my own life. That evening I spent all night talking with one of my best friends. I finally went to sleep and I woke up more than just physically but mentally. I knew at that point I needed help. My first thought was to see a Dr. and they gave me some drugs to help me. All the drugs did is keep me from getting really depressed they didn't make me happy and they didn't solve my problem. It was then that I knew what I had to do. I had to give my life to God. By this I do not mean that I suddenly dropped everything and became a pastor. What I did is I gave up control of my life to God. I stopped trying to make everything go the way I thought it should. I began to pray, Admitting to god and myself that I have had control for too long and all I'm doing is making a mess of things. I said “God I cannot do this anymore, I do not want to do this anymore, my problems are too big for me, I've made a mess of things and I don't want to be this way anymore, I surrender myself to you wholly and completely. My life is no longer my own but it is yours to do with as you please.” I would love to be able to tell you there was a bright light and God spoke back to me but there wasn't. What there was, was a feeling of the weight of the world that rested on my shoulders begin to get a little lighter. As I began to learn to listen to and obey God my Life began to improve. He brought together with Melissa and through her I found Joy, Love and Faith. Through my Back injury I have found understanding and peace. Being saved Does not make you a good christian. For the term Christian means “Christ like” you must give yourself to god and live a life of Love.  

By Faith we are Healed.

Matthew 8:5-13  Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. When he entered the city, an army officer came to him and begged for help.  (6)  The officer said, "Lord, my servant is very sick at home in bed. He can't move his body and has much pain."  (7)  Jesus said to the officer, "I will go and heal him."  (8)  The officer answered, "Lord, I am not good enough for you to come into my house. You need only to give the order, and my servant will be healed.  (9)  I know this, because I understand authority. There are people who have authority over me, and I have soldiers under my authority. I tell one soldier, 'Go,' and he goes. I tell another soldier, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and my servant obeys me."  (10)  When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those who were with him, "The truth is, this man has more faith than anyone I have found, even in Israel.  (11)  Many people will come from the east and from the west. These people will sit and eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in God's kingdom.  (12)  And those who should have the kingdom will be thrown out. They will be thrown outside into the darkness, where people will cry and grind their teeth with pain."  (13)  Then Jesus said to the officer, "Go home. Your servant will be healed the way you believed he would." Right then his servant was healed.

As many of you know I injured my back in January 2012. My back reached a point where none of the drugs they gave me or treatments they tried would help my back. I had to us a cane everywhere I went and the back problems had caused problems with my knee and I was wearing a knee brace. Each doctor I saw had a different ideal of what was causing my pain and how it needed to be treated. I knew there was really only one way to repair the damage to my back. So I went to church and was prayed over I was asking got for relief from the pain. I received what I asked from God. I improved to the point where my pain was under control as long as took the Morphine they were giving. I kind of accepted the fact that this may be as good as it will get. Then the other day I was at Church when the pastor said we had to have faith that God is healing us when we ask it and if we don't we need other that do. When I began to accept that it was not all about me being a man of great faith that through the faith of others I could be healed I really began to feel God's healing touch. As in the story above it was not the sick mans faith that healed him but the faith of another.

I have been off of the morphine for a week now and I feel my back getting stronger and better each day. This is thanks to those around me that have the faith to keep praying for my healing.. Thank you all.