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Diana Pulliam

Although I’ve been a Christian since the age of 22, it wasn’t until 2008, while going through an especially trying time, that I asked God what He intended for my life. I told Him I wanted my life to give Him Glory, but didn’t see how it was making any difference at all for His kingdom. I asked Him to not hold anything back, I wanted it all – EVERYTHING – He intended for me, that I would do whatever He told me to do.

Two weeks later, during my quiet time with the Lord, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Clean your house and write.” In 2011, I started the blog http://themightyhandofgod.com/ as a place to write whatever the Lord inspires. I began having dreams and visions in the mid 90’s, mostly about things the Lord wanted to relay to me regarding personal issues. But the last few years, they have become almost exclusively about the times in which we live.

Spiritual Warfare (Our Stance)

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     These are dangerous times we’re living in. Wars and rumors of wars are in the news every day. There’s war and fighting between nations, within nations, in our neighborhoods, and even between family members. Despite advances in science and technology, sickness and disease still wreck havoc in many lives. There’s trouble of one sort or another on every side. Jesus warned of these troubling times in Matthew 24. He said that unless these days be shortened, there would no flesh be saved alive. It’s going to get so bad that unless God intervenes, all human life will be wiped out. The good news is, God will not allow that to happen!

     Mankind chose to believe a lie, and built a world that now teeters on the brink of destruction.  But God has provided a way of escape through His Son. A whole new system of government will soon be instituted upon the earth, bringing with it everything man has always wanted; health, prosperity, peace,  happiness; that utopian state which existed in the beginning. But until that government is set up on the earth,  Jesus said, “See that you are not troubled. In this world you will have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome the world.” So what exactly was it in this world that He overcame?

The Source of Trouble

     When God first created mankind, He blessed him. He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, to have dominion over everything created. So in essence, man was given the reins to rule on this earth. The blessing of God provided them with peace, joy, beauty, abundant health and prosperity. God gave them instructions on how to walk and remain in His blessing. They could stay in direct cummunion with God and live under His provision as long as they didn’t eat of the forbidden fruit – didn’t take to themselves the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, it would mean certain death and eternal separation from Him. But the choice was theirs to make. God didn’t force His way on them. At first, everything was wonderful. All their needs were met. There was no sickness, no poverty, no labor and toil.  Then the original liar showed up on the scene.

    Satan cast doubt on everything God had told Adam and Eve. In essence, he said, “You can’t believe everything God’s said. He’s holding out on you. You should decide for yourself.  And God knows when you do, you’ll be like God, deciding for yourself what’s good and evil – and you won’t die either!”  It all sounded great, so they made the decision to go their own way. Basically, they told God, “Thanks, but no thanks! Don’t think we need you telling us what’s good or bad for us, we’re smart enough to figure all that out. We can handle it from here.” Although the Bible says God cast them out of the garden, it was their decision that took them out. It took them out from under the protective provision and blessings of God. They gave their dominion over to Satan, whom the New Testament calls, “the god of this world.” But Satan’s way is the exact opposite of God. Instead of blessing mankind, Satan cursed mankind. The curse produces labor and toil, sickness, poverty, despair, war and death. And since the day they departed from the presence of God, and gave the reins over to Satan, this way of living has become the norm. But God has given mankind a way out of this mess, and provided the path that leads us back to Him and all His blessings.

God’s Answer to Our Trouble

     Jesus, a member of the Godhead, devested himself of his divinity, came to this earth as a human, and lived a perfect life before the Father. He gave his life, poured out His blood, as a sacrifice to pay the death penalty in our stead, to take back the rein of power from Satan, and reconcile us to the Father. Isaiah 53 is a prophecy describing the life and death of Jesus, and states, “For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Colossians 1:13 says “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” II Corinthians 5:18  “…God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ…”  Jesus came to pay the penalty, to redeem us, and became the bridge back to our Father.  John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I  am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  So Jesus came to pay the penalty and reconcile us to God. He had to suceed where the first man had failed. But to do so, he had to face and defeat the devil.

     Jesus not only faced the devil, but He soundly defeated him. The first head-to-head meeting is described in Matthew 4. Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. First, the devil tried to provoke him to perform a miracle, to prove himself and satisfy his physical hunger.  But Jesus quoted scripture and said, “It is written; Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Then he tried to get Jesus to jump off a mountain, just to prove God would rescue him. But again, Jesus quoted scripture saying, “It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” Then the devil pulled out his biggest gun. He offered Jesus rulership over all the kingdoms of the world if he would only bow down and serve him. Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For is is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and Him only will you serve.”  Jesus defeated Satan that day by standing on the written Word of God.  And Jesus not only defeated Satan, but displaced him as ruler over the Earth. Jesus took back the dominion Adam had given to Satan.

     Not only has Jesus taken back the authority to rule over the Earth, but Colossians 2:15 says he disarmed Satan and his hordes and made a public spectacle of them. Jesus has been given the keys to the Kingdom of God. And the most amazing thing about this is the fact that it was all done for us.  He redeemed us from the curse! Eph. 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Jesus now sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Eph. 2: 6 states that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms.  Eph 1:22 “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body…”  Jesus is the head of the Church, and we are His body!  Hebrews 1:13 says “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool.” And chapter 10:13 says “Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.”

Our Stance

     Jesus, the head of the church, is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. The church, Jesus’ body, though physically on the earth, is spiritually seated with Him in the heavenly realm.  All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, and he in turn has given that same authority to his followers. Jesus said in Luke 10:19 “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”  The victory has been won! The Church’s commission is to stand in that victory until all things in heaven and earth are reconciled and made one through Christ Jesus. We’ve been given our marching orders, the commission to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

     Although Satan was defeated, he hasn’t been removed from the scene yet. That will take place upon the return of Christ and the literal setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth. Until that time, our enemy tries to stand against every advancement of the Kingdom. But thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph through Christ Jesus, we have the example of Jesus himself, and thorough instructions on how to trample the enemy under foot. And best of all, we’ve been given the armor of Almighty God, not only as a defense, but as an offensive weapon to destroy the works of the devil!

     As Christians, we need to keep in mind that the battles are actually being fought in the heavenly realm. And 2 Corinthians 10:4 says “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” These strongholds have been set up by the devil, and he will come against any attempt to remove them.  Eph 6:10-18 gives battle instructions to the saints of God, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…… so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand…..with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place……the shield of faith…..and with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God….”  Notice, we are to stand.  Once we do all God shows us to do, we are to STAND!  The war has already been won by Jesus, and we his soldiers are to occupy the territory until He comes. We stand against the devil’s attacks by standing on the word of God – just as Jesus did. Everything the devil brought against him was shot down by the word of God that came out of Jesus’ mouth!  It doesn’t matter what the evil one brings against us: war, sickness, financial peril – disasters of any kind;  We stand in full assurance of the truth and faithfulness of our God – and we speak that truth out of our mouth! The truth – the Word of God will destroy all the works of the devil!

     We win! You can read about it yourself at the end of the Book.  Revelation 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”  And chapter 21 describes the wonderful world that is coming. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.  The Spirit says, “Come! And let him who hears say, Come! Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”  God is offering this wonderful life to all who will come and receive.What an awesome God we have!

2HimBeTheGlory

Heaven Will Back You!

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Don’t be afraid to speak the truth of God. We have full assurance in His Word that He’ll back us up. I often find myself holding back from speaking the truth about a matter, whether it be with friends, family, or even casual acquaintances, because I’m afraid of what they’ll think.  Every time I feel the Holy Spirit leading me to say or do something, and I back away from doing it, it’s because I know it goes against the grain of popular thinking. I’m afraid of how it’ll make me look, concerned about what people will think. We’re all concerned about our reputation. But since Christians are to be imitators of Christ, we need to know how Jesus handled this.

First of all, scripture says in Philippians 2:7, that Jesus made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of a servant.  In John 4:34, Jesus said his mission was “….to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”  Jesus wasn’t concerned about his reputation. If you read through the gospels, it’s apparent Jesus said and did things that people found odd, disagreed with, and downright thought were crazy. He was accused of being possessed of the devil, a drunkard, hanging around undesirables – you name it.  Mark 3: 21 shows that even Jesus’ own family began to think he was out of his mind. It’s obvious Jesus didn’t concern himself with what people thought. He said he only spoke and did as the Father showed him. And he said his followers are to do the same.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these……….” (John 14: 12).  And 1 John 4:17 says, “Love has been perfected amoung us in this …… because as He is, so are we in this world.”  The first century church followed the lead of the Holy Spirit, saying and doing as God led. Jesus promised that signs would follow those that believe. In Mark 16:17-20 he said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  After Jesus was taken into heaven, the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.  In Acts 4:29-30, the church asked God to enable them to speak with great boldness, to stretch out His hand and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus. And God answered that prayer. Throughout the New Testament, we are told of the great miracles that accompany the preaching of His word. Acts 14: 4 says that the Lord confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders! 

 The God of all creation says that signs shall follow those that believe! If we’ll be bold, saying and doing as the Spirit leads, God will back it up.  He’ll confirm the message of his grace. Our job is to yield to Him, allowing Him to use our hands, our feet, our mouth, to be a blessing where ever we go. Just as Jesus is, so are we to be in the earth.  We’re not to be afraid of what people think, because this world desperately needs the Word of God spoken in it as never before. Can we imagine what it would be like if the BODY of CHRIST rose up and were Jesus Christ in the earth today?  That’s our calling! That’s who lives in us! 

Let’s pray the same prayer our fellow believers prayed;  “Enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Lord, stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Amen!

ToHimBetheGlory

 

Finish Your Race

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It amazes me how God communicates with us and shows us His heart as we go through our daily lives. If you seek Him, He is faithful to show Himself strong on your behalf, and give you a word in due season – just what you need to hear, exactly when you need to hear it.

About a year ago, I felt like I was standing on top of the mountain. After all, God had seen my husband and me through a long deep valley. The walk through that valley began in September, 2006, when I started having acute premature ventricular contractions (PVC’s), and took us through the economic perils of 2008, when we lost our business, and were both unemployed for many months. I’ve been through many trials in my life, but this was different. From health to finances, everything around us began to crash – all at the same time. But, although my  world seemed to be crumbling around me, I’ve never felt closer to God than I felt during that period in my life. Because as I leaned on Him to see us through, sitting in His presence to receive guidance and direction, He spoke things to my heart that would forever impact me.

One of the things He told me was, “Clean your house and write.” I won’t address the “Clean your house” part here, but the part about writing – I wasn’t sure what He wanted me to do. I’d been journaling off and on for some time, so I thought maybe I was to be more diligent about that. So I asked God, “What do you want me to write, and what am I to do with what is written? I’m trusting you to lead me in the right direction.” So I cast all my cares on Him, knowing He is faithful and would show me what He wanted me to do. And He did just that.

Step by step, God brought us up out of that deep valley. He healed my heart completely and opened doors that saw each of us on to new careers. The blessings were piling up. Not only had my health and finances been restored, but finally the prayers for the salvation of my family were coming to pass. One-by-one they were baptized and joined me in my walk with God. As far as the writing part, I felt God leading me to start a blog, so my son helped me set one up.

I’d just completed my first couple of posts in July, 2011, when I went to a Believer’s Convention in Ft Worth, TX. Like I said, I felt like I was standing on top of the mountain. God was blessing me in every way. I was so inspired at the convention, I felt like I was floating. All kinds of topics for the blog were coming to me at rapid-fire pace. I couldn’t wait to get back home and resume writing. But what happened next derailed that plan.

Hit By A Freight Train

Upon my return home, I was hit with what felt like a freight train from more than one direction. On my first day back at work, I was informed that a key employee was leaving the company. Because another co-worker in my department was already leaving about the same time, this translated into me working 50 and 60 hour work weeks for several months. Then in quick succession, various trials hit my friends and family members, one right after the other. Several of those I loved became disillusioned by the storms in their life, gave up on God, and walked away. Not only was I physically drained from the long hours I was putting in at work, but my heart was aching for all the loved ones going through so much suffering. I was so mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, I couldn’t even think about writing. But at the same time, I felt guilty for not doing what I knew God had told me to do. As the months passed, I started to justify not writing by asking God, “Did I take what I heard you say about writing, and misinterprete what I was supposed to do with it? Maybe you didn’t mean for me to write on a blog. I need You to show me that it’s the right direction.” After all, if writing was what I was supposed to be doing, shouldn’t God put me in a position where I could have the peace of mind to do it?

 Weeks went by, then months. My work environment gradually got back to normal. But with heavy storms still swirling in the lives of those I loved – I was so distracted and exhausted, I still couldn’t bring myself to sit down and write. But at the same time, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I knew something had to give. Either God needed to release me from this writing thing – or provide a way for me to do it. I so desperately needed some peace of mind, and kept thinking, “If only things would settle down around me, or if God would enable me to be financially set, so that I could quit working and devote myself to writing.” What happened next still blows my mind. Talk about a Word in due season!

A Needed Diversion

So there I was, mentally, physically, and spiritually drained; feeling like I was drifting through each day without purpose. But I kept thinking about the blog, whether I should just take it down. I couldn’t even bring myself to open the site and look at it. Why wouldn’t God just make it clear to me what I was supposed to do? Finally, I pretty much decided I wouldn’t do anything until I got a clear message. I told God, “If you want me to write, You’re going to have to hit me over the head with it, and show me how I’m to accomplish it with all this mess swirling around me. I need some peace and quiet.”

One day at work, a co-worker came up with this bright idea, that it would be wonderful if we participated in the OKC Memorial Marathon! She said they had a 5K available, so when three of my co-workers said they were game, I nervously agreed to participate. Two of us said we would run it, the other two decided they could at least walk the distance. The other runner and I had three months to prepare, so we downloaded the article ‘From Couch Potato to 5K’ and began training. My personal goal was to do the three miles in less than 40 minutes. I told God I would dedicate this race to Him. He’d healed me of the heart problem, and I believed somehow this was my way of giving Him glory for what He had done.

I started out mostly walking for 30 minutes, with short intervals of running, three times a week – all on my treadmill. Each week I progressed to a new level by running a little longer, with less and less walking time. The training process was very demanding, because with a deadline ahead, I had to continually press harder each week in order to gain precious ground. To progress to the next level, you can’t skip your training sessions, or you’ll loose the ground you’ve gained. I gradually got up to covering two miles, but felt like I was pushing against a brick wall to get any further than that. With only a month left until the run, I had made it up to two and a half miles in 40 minutes. Somehow, I needed to squeeze in that extra half mile, while decreasing my time. Another thing I had to consider was that running on concrete, along with the hills, twists and turns along the path, would greatly increase my level of difficulty. So at this point I adjusted my treadmill so that the running surface was as firm as possible, and increased the incline.

I finally made it to three miles! But I couldn’t seem to make it in less than 43 minutes. I’d read that, because of the adrenaline and excitement, you usually run faster during the actual race than you do in training. So I determined to do my best, hoping what I’d read was correct. But I sure wanted to beat that 40 minute mark!

Race Day

Out of the original four women that committed to participate, only three of us showed up on race day. I was so nervous standing there, waiting to begin. Never having done anything like this in my life, I really didn’t know what I might encounter. Oh, how I wished I’d trained harder. Would I even make it across the finish line? Looking past the barrier fence, I see my husband. He’s smiling and waving, but I know he’s concerned. He made me promise that if I felt the slightest irregular rhythm in my heart beat, I would stop. I wish he were running beside me……

About that time, I hear the start shot. Off we went, slowly at first, all of us pressed together like sardines. Then gradually everyone started spreading out, with the seasoned runners going on ahead. I’d been running several minutes when I see the first hill, and it looked so steep. I decide to walk the hill, feeling if I didn’t, I may not have enough energy to go the distance. Here and there throughout the run, my body kept telling me I was running out of steam and I should walk a minute – so I did that several times. And those hills, I didn’t run any of them. I just slowed down to a fast walk.

What amazed me is how lonely I felt out there. It dawned on me that I was totally on my own. This was something no one else could do for me. Although there were crowds of people along the sidelines, some of them cheering, it didn’t seem to help. Some were holding signs with their loved ones name on it, but I didn’t see any familiar faces, and felt no connection to the crowd. I remember even thinking, “Why aren’t they participating in the race?” I began to wonder why I had entered, what was the purpose? My breathing was off, my heart pounding, and I kept caving in to the feeling I needed to slow down to a walk for the hills and turns. The highlight for me was when I saw the finish line almost a quarter mile away. I encouraged myself with the fact it was almost over, and even found it within myself to encourage a few others who looked like they were in agony. I told them, “We can do this thing!”

I made it to the finish line! But it was then that I realized, although I had beaten my own record at 41 minutes, I’d failed to meet my ultimate goal of running the 5K in under 40 minutes. I couldn’t believe what I’d done. I missed my goal by only 2 minutes! I was so disappointed by my inability to discipline myself. Why had I been so intimidated by the hills, the fatigue, the loneliness of no one to cheer for me, all those silly distractions? If I had only ran those hills – instead of walking them!

God’s Answer

With the marathon over, things pretty much went back to the way it had been before my training program, except for the fact I continued running to stay in shape. With the pressure of training gone, I had begun to use my running time to praise God in prayer, and by singing along with my favorite Christian songs from my iPhone. Running was now becoming something I looked forward to, another way of getting alone with God, just the two of us.

One morning, about a month after the race, I was on the treadmill singing along to Chris Tomlin’s ‘Our God,’ praising God for all His wonders. All of a sudden, the full impact hit me, and I became overwhelmed by the goodness of the Lord.  It was at that moment, the wall in front of me lit up like a television screen:

I saw a race track, and I was running on it. Straight ahead, up in the distance, there was a bright light that grew larger and brighter as I ran towards it. Now, I was no longer just watching myself run on the track, but was on the track in real time. There were bleachers lining both sides of the track filled with an innumerable crowd cheering me on. But then all of a sudden, there were things like large rocks and huge boulders coming down from the sky out of nowhere, being hurled towards me and onto the track directly in front of me. Just as I began to slow down to avoid being hit, I heard a voice say, “Look straight ahead, and keep your eyes fixed on Me. Don’t look to the right hand or to the left.” As I looked straight ahead into the light, it grew brighter. I was running full speed now, this time with all my might. In my peripheral vision, I could see most of the objects were disappearing before they even hit the track. Those that did fall in front of me, I scooped up in my arms and lifted them up to God – without even breaking my stride. They disappeared as He took them from me. Nothing could stop me now as I focused straight ahead and ran towards the light!  The light grew bigger and brighter.  End of Vision.

As I got off the treadmill, I was in awe of what God had just shown me. Our job is to run the race. The path has already been prepared and laid out by God. But once you enter the race, the evil one will throw all kinds of obstacles and distractions your way in his attempt to derail God’s plan for you. And if he can’t touch you, he’ll mess in the lives of everyone around you. He’ll brew up every storm imaginable to swirl around you, to get you to take your eyes off God and what He has called you to do. Just as I had allowed all the distractions during the 5K keep me from accomplishing my goal, so had I also allowed the distractions swirling around in my life keep me from doing what God had clearly called me to do. Do Not Look at the Storm! We are to keep our eyes looking straight ahead towards God. Those obstacles that present themselves along the way, we are to lift up to God and keep on running. He is faithful. We can trust Him to take care of everything around us. And just as Hebrews 12:1 states, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, so we are never alone. All of heaven is cheering us on!

So I got my answer from God. As I stated in the beginning, He is always faithful to give us a word in due season. I’m writing again! No matter what happens, I’ll not stop unless God directs me to do something else. Now I’m running my race looking straight ahead, keeping my focus on the Light, and refusing to be distracted by the storm. I’m handing off anything that falls along my path to the One who can handle it, casting all my care on Him.

Oh, and the 5K marathon is coming up again. I think I’ll run it this year for old time’s sake. This time, I’ll be praising God and singing praises to Him along the way. And I’m pretty sure I’ll make my ‘under 40 minutes’ goal this time!

To Him be the Glory!

Dreams and Visions

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We all have dreams, and some of us have had visions. Science tells us that during our dream state, the brain is basically filing away the happenings of the day, categorizing everything – similar to the defrag and disk clean up function of our computers.  But scripture indicates there are also other reasons for dreams and visions. From the book of Genesis, all the way through to Revelation, the Bible is full of references of dreams and visions used by God to communicate with mankind.

In the Old Testament, beginning with the patriarchs of Genesis, God often times gave His promises, and revealed the future of the descendants of Abraham, through dreams and visions. And think of all the prophets of the Old Testament who received instructions or prophecy through dreams and visions, of things happening not only in their day, but future events.   Joseph was given a dream (Genesis 37:5) concerning a future time when his brothers would bow down to him.  The king of Egypt was given a dream, which God interpreted through Joseph concerning a famine to last 7 years. Because of this dream, actions were taken to store up enough food to feed Egypt and surrounding nations during that horrific famine. In the book of Daniel (Dan. 1:17 – 2:45), Daniel was given understanding of all visions and dreams. He was used by God to interprets the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar.  This dream reveals the succession of kingdoms that would reign from the Babylonian kingdom to when “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed….”  Dreams and visions are referenced throughout the Old Testament, but the New Testament also contains many such references.

The New Testament starts off in the book of Matthew with dreams given multiple times in relation to the birth of Jesus, and then to show Joseph what to do to protect the baby from those wishing to kill him. Look at the vision given to Peter, James, and John when Jesus took them up into a high mountain and was transfigured before them (Mark 9:2). Jesus told them to tell the vision to no one until after His resurrection. In addition to the time period when Jesus walked the earth, dreams and visions are referenced many times after His death, beginning in the book of Acts and continuing through the book of Revelation.

In Acts 2:17, Peter quoted the prophet Joel in explaining the miraculous events the people were witnessing – the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”   Peter reinterates what the prophets of old said – In the last days the Holy Spirit would be poured out on God’s servants. They will see dreams and visions.

Jesus told us part of what the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives would be. In John 14:26, Jesus said, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  In John 15:12-15, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth…..and he will tell you what is yet to come.”  So the Holy Spirit will teach us all things, remind us of what Jesus said, guide us into all truth, and tell us what is yet to come!  And Peter’s explaination to the crowd, that what they were witnessing on the day of Pentecost, was the move of the Holy Spirit, letting everyone know that in the last days, when the Holy Spirit is poured out – they should expect miraculous events like dreams and visions, correlates exactly with what Jesus foretold. 

The Bible clearly shows God communicates with us through His Word, and sometimes that communication is through dreams and visions.  From what scripture says, the move of the Holy Spirit in these last days will produce mighty signs and wonders, and His people will dream dreams and see visions.  God is so good and merciful.  He will not let His people be caught unaware – but the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth and show us things to come. 

To Him Be the Glory!

Our Source

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This is the day The Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24). The Bible tells us that the way to be joyful is to spend time in the presence of God. Psalm 16:11 says, “In His presence there is fulness of joy.” So take some time today to get alone with God, to spend time in His presence. And soak up that joy!!

The Day That Changed My Life Forever

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I would like to say that the day started off like any other, but it certainly did not. It was Sunday, and I woke up around 8:45 am. I knew we needed to leave by 10:30 to get to church on time.  I made a big mistake that day, I decided to go back to sleep. I remember NOT wanting to get up. I stayed in bed for another hour or so, then made coffee, as I began to start my day. I heard my dad yell “We missed church!” He was somewhat upset, and told me he thought it was 10:00 – instead of 11:00.  I’ll regret my lousy decision to procrastinate for the rest of my life. Little did I know then, but I would need that sermon later in the day. Read More >>>

As He Is, So Are We In The World

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We’ve all seen the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) shirts and bracelets.  I’ve found it very helpful to ask that very question when faced with various trials and life’s difficult decisions. But when I look at the life of Jesus, there’s a sharp contrast between what He did, and what I do.  This shouldn’t be the case.  Instead, when people look at followers of Christ, they should be looking at the express image of Jesus.

Being imitators of Christ should be the essence of our Christian walk. “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ…..” (Eph 5: 1-2).  And 1 John 4:17 says, “Love has been perfected amoung us in this …… because as He is, so are we in this world.”  My question is this: What would it look like if we lived as He lived in this world?

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these……….” (John 14: 12).  In this chapter Philip had asked Jesus to show them the Father.  Jesus said if they had seen Him, they had already seen the Father.  He said the words He spoke were not His own, but the Father living in Him doing His work.  So the works He did, and even the very words He spoke, were the Father’s – not His!

Throughout the New Testament, the Church is called the Body of Christ. Jesus is the head, we are His body. We are to be His hands, feet, and mouth here on the Earth. He directs, we follow.  When Jesus walked the earth, He comforted those that mourned, healed the sick, cast out demons, and many other miracles.  Before He was taken up to heaven, He gave His followers their marching orders.  In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus gave the signs that would follow those that believe:  In His name they would drive out demons; they would speak in new tongues; they would not be hurt by deadly things; they would place their hands on the sick, and the sick would be made well.

We have to ask ourselves if we believe Jesus was serious when He made these statements. If we are followers of Jesus, and believe as He is, so are we in this world,  but at the same time acknowledge that our lives do not look like His – then where are we missing it?

Why is it, that there just doesn’t seem to be much contrast between professing Christians and the world in general today? Let’s face it – unless you venture out and actually ask someone if they’re a Christian, oftentimes it’s hard to tell.  I know myself, I’ve had thoughts about various individuals, thinking, “I’m not positive, but I think they’re a Christian.”   If what Jesus said about His followers was evident, it should be the easiest thing in the world to spot a Christian.

The Christian in the group will be the one that stands out.   There’s no way a follower of Jesus is going to blend in with this world.    As a matter of fact, a Holy Spirit filled, begotten child of God, walking in the power and authority of Jesus Christ, doing what Jesus said His followers would be doing (John 14:12), is going to be hard to miss!  As a matter of fact, they may even be looked upon by the world as aliens, oddballs, and despised.  What is it about a true Christian that causes the world to see them this way?

Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”   So, according to scripture, the more you’re like the world, the more the world will love you. And the less you are like the world, the more you are hated…….

That may explain why most Christians are hard to spot. We so fear being disliked, and viewed as “different” that we do our best not to stand out. We like to stay under cover, trying not to say, or do, anything that might draw undue attention.   What a contrast today’s church is from that first century church,  when the powers that be did everything they could to shut the mouths of the faithful followers of Jesus.   Although we all desire to be loved and accepted, we need to be satisfied that we are already loved and accepted by our Father.  We need to stop trying to gain the acceptance of this world, and remember the mission we have been given. Jesus told his followers to “Occupy until I come.”  He has already won the victory for us, and we are now to stand in that victory.  So what does God intend for His followers to be doing – exactly what is our role today?

To be continued………….

To Him Be the Glory!