Some people think God doesn’t answer prayers, and yet He’s answered so many things even when they weren’t exactly prayers. I’ve often just thought or wondered things and then God has provided answers or responses. Once I was wondering why people lift their hands during worship. I got answers in the Sunday sermon, in a Christian song about it (“Lift My Hands” by Chuck Girard), and most directly in the Bible passage I happened to be on next in my personal Bible reading. It’s crazy that I happened to be on it just as I’d been wondering about it and that answers were given so quickly there and elsewhere. God’s an amazing orchestrator. It was about how when Moses had his hands raised, they were winning the battle, but when he got tired and lowered them they started losing. Therefore, Aaron and someone else helped raise Moses’ arms. There does seem to be an important connection with our physical body and the spiritual realm. I noticed and pointed it out as well when it comes to the laying on of hands. The woman who was bleeding was even healed after simply touching Jesus’ garment. Ananias came and laid hands on Paul and God healed his blindness through that. We can always pray without doing so, but there are many examples in the Bible of people getting healed after prayer and the “laying on of hands” over them. It seems to be more effective for healing and deliverance prayers for example and is probably why they did it in the Bible when people were sick. However, it also says to be careful who lays hands on you. False “spirits” also get transferred through hands, so be careful. Anyway, I digress…
Back to the topic at hand, another time I was having a conversation with someone about something completely different when they said something about the Holy Spirit that was new to me. Ephesians 1:13 about being sealed with the Spirit is the one that came up as well as verse 14 about the Spirit being the guarantee of our inheritance. God used them to help me come to a new understanding as I also researched and read about it elsewhere. And here’s where the “coincidence” part comes in. I had just added a person on social media that day and even though I had never clicked on anyone’s “story,” that day I clicked on theirs to see what it was. It was a Bible verse (2 Corinthians 5:5 about God putting the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee) that was exactly what God had been highlighting for me elsewhere. Let me explain a little. Some Bible translations use words like “pledge, earnest, down payment, or first installment,” so that was something my brain sort of glossed over and didn’t really understand. This version of the verses said “guarantee.” I then spent some time thinking about it and this concept of being “sealed” with the Holy Spirit. If I didn’t believe in God I’d think it was a crazy coincidence, but I know God works all things for the good of them that love Him and that in His sovereignty He is working in everything. I hadn’t been sure before, but it had been made clear that a born-again believer would not lose the Holy Spirit they were sealed with. However, they could still quench it and stop it from working in their life and the lives of others. We can walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), pray in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18), be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)… Therefore, the opposite can be true. That we are not walking in, praying in, or being filled with the Holy Spirit. Finally, there are a few things that come to mind that I included in my miracles/supernatural tab. Some of those are clearer and perhaps harder to believe, but that’s why they’re under the miracles tab. Call me crazy if you like, but God does answer if you honestly seek Him. If you don’t believe, I think most people would fall into 3 categories. You don’t know because you never had knowledge or experiences to know (nobody ever taught you and you never looked). You grew up with it but didn’t really believe it, especially with the things you learned at school that made you more certain it was false. Or you used to believe it but then for various reasons stopped believing or think that if it is true, something else is wrong or you disagree with something. For the first type, I recommend you do your own research and find out who Jesus is before it’s too late. We all have an expiration date and nobody knows when our last day will be. The virus going through just one household, husband had it first, their son last, but only my aunt died and we don’t know why. She was the closest to God and went in peace, but how many have died without knowing Jesus? If school knowledge made you cast away your faith, don’t throw it away without truly verifying what the truth is. Have you stopped to consider the opposing viewpoint? Or just blindly accepted what you were told because someone in authority told you it was fact? There are so many assumptions behind those supposed facts. For the third type, I don’t know what made you change your mind or heart. Did something happen? Often pain and suffering will drive people away. I’m sorry for whatever you may have gone through, but don’t blame God. It’s not His fault. Satan is the temporary ruler of this world and it is full of sin and broken. God will restore it all one day with no more pain, tears, or suffering. He loves you and is waiting for you, but won’t force Himself on you if you don’t want Him. Don’t miss out. To all three, seek Him. As a song by Scott Wesley Brown says, I could wish you anything but I wish you Jesus. Take care all. Comments are closed.
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DisclaimerWhile I love open discussions, not all internet users are kind. I'd like to build people up, not have others cut people down. Therefore, no comments, but feel free to email me if there's something you'd like to share with me. Archives
July 2020
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