GOD IS WITH US

Yesterday God helped me,
Today He'll do the same.
How long will that continue?
Forever, Praise His Name!

If your a Christian you've got to know that what that poem says is true. How many times in a day does God help you with things? How many times in a day do you ask Him to help you? I hear people all the time ask Him for help with all kinds of things. Some are big and some are as small as asking for help to find a parking place close to the door. There are many times during my day that I just ask for help not to get stressed over what I'm doing at work. Just recently I've been training someone to help in our department at work. I asked Him to give me someone that was easily trainable, someone I could relate to so it would be easier to train them. Not only did He send me a quick learner but she is also a Christian. That's helpful because she is also praying that He helps her to understand what I'm saying. One of the things that's great about God is...We don't always have to ask for His help. He just helps us because we are His kids. That's an amazing thing. When we have kids and they're in trouble that's what we do. We just help without having to be asked. When God knows that we are in trouble He sends us help too.

About two weeks ago I was driving to work and I didn't even know that there was potential trouble waiting for me. I go to work in the early morning so most mornings traffic is minimal. The road I travel is straight with two lanes heading east and two lanes heading west. I'm heading east and up ahead of me I notice the light has turned red. In the right lane is a semi so I switched to the left thinking by the time I got there the light would be green and I wouldn't have to slow down. I was traveling between 40 and 45. The light changed and just as I got close to the intersection I noticed the truck put his signal on to turn left. Then he veered a little to the right as if going to make a wide turn left. Well...the problem with this was that I was on the left and fast approaching him. I couldn't stop and I don't think he even knew I was there. He traveled about halfway into the intersection and started turning in front of me. I don't even remember thinking what to do. I didn't apply the brakes, which was good because I would have just slid into the side of him. All I did was grab the wheel with both hands and turn with him. I was going much faster so as I did this I just zipped right in front of him and next thing I knew I was headed down the street that runs north and south! Not only didn't we collide but I didn't slide or roll. My car is a Jeep Liberty so it's short and a little top heavy. At the speed I was going I was lucky to not flip it. The truck just acted like he didn't even see me and continued making a "u-turn" right in the middle of the road. When I stopped and looked back at him he was going the other direction as if nothing even happened. I turned around and went on to work. Now, I know that it wasn't just luck that I didn't hit him and that my Jeep didn't roll. It was only God that kept me safe that day. I didn't have time to say a specific prayer about the situation. I didn't even ask God to help me. He just did because that's what He does. We are His kids and He helps us when we need Him.

God is our ever present help in times of trouble. He won't leave us or forsake us. He is our constant source of help. We need to always be communicating with Him. Always praying to Him. Then when things happen and we need His help He's there. I try to make it a habit to pray while I'm driving to work everyday. Now...I'm not perfect by any means and somedays I don't pray for long. But...that day I was and I believe it helped. I also know that since I am His child, that He will take care of me as long as I'm living for Him. We just have to trust Him. He loves us and He keeps us safe. He is always working on our behalf. And...I will continue to pray when I go to work each day!

Psalms 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Psalms 9:10
Those who know your name trust in You, for You, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for You.

Psalms 91:14
The Lord says, "I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name."

KEEP PRAYING

I haven't written about my past for a few posts now. It seems that God was having me write some different things. I've been trying to figure out why but as usual I don't have a clue. He keeps bringing this one event in my life to memory the last couple of weeks and I think I'm supposed to write about it. I'm not sure where this is going to lead so I guess we will find out together.

During my high school years my friend and I decided to have a party at her house. Her parents were gone so we went and bought a bottle of gin,a bottle of vodka and some mixers and settled in for a good night. We smoked a couple of joints and decided to call some friends. It was going to be hours before they showed up so we started drinking. We were getting a little wasted with everything we had so we weren't thinking real well. We decided to have a smoking contest, along with everything else, and chain smoked a pack of cigarettes+ a piece. It was getting late and other people from school started showing up. They all brought whatever they had and before long people were passed out everywhere. I woke up at some point in the early morning hours not feeling too good. Imagine that!! It was winter and raining like crazy. Apparently, I didn't care because I went outside anyway. I remember sitting down out on the lawn and next thing I knew I was waking up drenched from the rain. Well...I thought I got up and went in the house but, I didn't. My friend lived on a gravel road with about six more houses on it. They all had to drive by her house to get to the main street. It was just a one lane road with no lights and lots of trees. Really, I was quite lucky I survived the night. I was so wasted I didn't know what I was doing. When I got up the first time I thought I was going to the house but...next time I came to I found myself lying on the edge of the road with my head and shoulders in the tire path. I kept passing out but finally managed to get up. Actually, (and it's amazing I remember this), it was more like I crawled off the road and back over in front of the house. As I was doing that a car came whizzing up the road right where I had been laying. Had I not moved when I did...well you probably wouldn't be suffering through this blog.

The reason I think I wrote this is for a reminder to any one reading this that is a Christian. Basically God just wants me to tell you to not give up praying for family and friends. I would imagine that even though my parents didn't know that I drank and did drugs they were still praying for me. I believe it was their prayers, and the prayers of other Christians that knew me, that kept me from being killed or injured. You just have to continue to pray, for all the people you care about, that God will take care of them until they give their lives to Him. Sometimes when you're involved in those things you are looking for a way out. If people don't continue to pray for you that escape may never come. I believe it's only by the grace of God, through prayers of Christians, that you do get out. So...don't ever stop praying. It might not even be that they are doing these kinds of things. They just might not be living for the Lord. Whatever the case...continue to pray. God hears the prayers of Believers. No one can find eternal life without finding Jesus. You don't know what kind of a difference your prayers can make in someones life.

James 5:16b
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

John 9: 31
Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears Him.

John 14:6
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.

ONCE BLIND

There's a story in the Bible that talks about healing of the eyes. A physical healing. But, it is also about healing of the heart. As Christians who were once sinners...We were all "Once Blind" but now "We See".

I never was physically blind but I was definitely spiritually blind. I just couldn't believe that Jesus could love me. But...I was wrong and if that's how you believe your wrong to. I had been blinded to the fact that Jesus loves all of us, no matter what we have done. Sometimes, the more you do the more that satan convinces you God doesn't love you. That's just not true. I believe that the harder you work at trying to get away from God, the harder He works at trying to bring you to Him.

In the Gospel of John the Bible talks about a man that was born blind. The disciples asked Jesus...Why, was it because of his sins or his parents?

John 9:3-5
3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Sin wasn't the reason for it. He was born this way so that Jesus could perform a miracle in his life and reveal the healing power of GOD. Jesus came to earth to be "The Light of the world". So, as long as He was on the earth He had to do what God sent Him to do. One thing was-to bring "Sight to the Blind". Not only physically but spiritually as well. It's the same as when He opens the "sinners" (our) eyes and shows us how much we need Him.

John 9:6
Then he spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.

I recently read that in Jesus time saliva was thought to be the "essential being of a person". So...in actuality Jesus was giving of Himself to the blind man. It's the same as when Jesus died on the cross for us. He gave the "ultimate" part of Himself. HIS LIFE

John 9:7
He told him, “Go wash yourself in the pool of Siloam” (Siloam means “sent”). So the man went and washed and came back seeing!

After the blind man obeyed Jesus he could see. Can you imagine what it must have been like to see for the first time! Try to imagine it. Just to look at the sky and see the clouds. Maybe there were birds flying. All the different colored flowers and the animals. The people...You sat at the gate and begged with them everyday. This has been your life for as long as you can remember. And now...You Can See!! You would probably be the happiest you can ever remember being. But...there's something even better. Not only does Jesus heal us physically, He also heals us spiritually. As soon as we ask for forgiveness...Jesus cleanses us. In a sense our sight is restored. Where we were once blind to the things of God we now can see. Just like the blind man. It's really like seeing for the first time. Life seems brighter. We are happier, people seem nicer. You see things through different eyes. Everything that God has created just seems more alive.

When the blind man went home no one could believe it was him. Some said, "he was just like him." But the man said, "I am he." Many times that's how it is for us when we become Christians. Our friends and family can't believe it's us because we are different. People ask us what happened and when we tell them what Jesus did for us some will believe and some won't. You can't convince people that don't want to believe. You can just answer the way the blind man did, he said;

John 9:25b
One thing I know; I was blind but now I can see"!

It doesn't matter if people believe that Jesus "healed" you or not. All that matters is that you believe. Jesus has "healed" you from the inside out. What a testimony that will be. "once I was blind but now I can see."

So many times we are like the blind man. No hope and no where to turn. Friends can't help us, family can't help us, and we can't even help ourselves. Only Jesus can help us. He is the Master Healer of our souls...our bodies...our minds. Many times we are Christians and physically we are well. But...because of our sin Jesus needs to heal our minds. Sometimes we just need to be able to get over our pasts and look towards the future. He can help you to do that. Sometimes it's harder to be healed from your past memories because you have to be the one to let them go. There kind of like habits. As long as you want to hold on to the habit, or the hurt, God will let you. But once you really decide you want to let it go He will help you to do that. Just surrender it to Him. He's just waiting for you to make the choice.