A couple of weeks ago I did not go to the church gathering that I am attending, I did not feel like going and was going through a bit of a trial with my bones, and I began to think 'Maybe I will come out of this church gathering and see if I can find a Pentecostal one nearby.' I believe the reason I was thinking this was that I have seen a lack of the spiritual gifts operating in the churches, including the gifts of healing and miracles. Very soon after, I had a dream in which these words were spoken to me 'Do not say that you will come out', but not only were these words spoken to me, a picture of the words were in front of my eyes in the dream. I knew it was speaking about me not coming out of the church at this moment, as God warns us in dreams.
Last Saturday I was not only suffering from pain in my bones, as I had done a lot of walking on the Thursday and Friday that week, but I stepped on something in the mat in the en suite in our bedroom that felt like a needle, and I could not walk on that foot. My carnal mind told me that there was no way that I could go to church the next morning, and yet when I sought the Lord about it He had me open to Psalm 122 twice. This is a Psalm that has always spoken to me about going to a church gathering when I have asked about it, so I prayed to the Lord that if I was meant to go then He would enable me to.
I awoke the next morning with no problem in my foot and feeling well able to go to the church gathering, and wanting to do so.
I noticed on my bedside cabinet as I awoke that my husband had cleaned the bedroom furniture the day before because I was feeling weak. He had jiggled the lamp and other things that I had there and one of the things that he had moved around was a little picture of a rose and a scripture on it. This was looking straight at me as I awoke.
This is the picture that I have on my bedside cabinet, it is in a frame on there. I knew immediately that I was to go to church, it had been enabled through His strength in my weakness, and it was meant to be.
This incident made me realize once again that the Word spoken to us will prove true if we just trust in the Lord, knowing that all things are possible with Him.
Fear and doubt can actually prevent us from trusting in what the Lord is saying, and cause us to trust in what the enemy is putting within our carnal minds. We must not forget that once we are born again and have become a child of God then we have the mind of Christ.
1 Corinthians ch. 2 vs. 14-16 states:-
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.'
1 Corinthians ch. 2 vs. 14-16 states:-
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.'
This is absolutely true, and I finish this post with a prayer that I wrote many years ago and which is still my prayer today:-
It broke all the rules
Lord make me like Mary, so quick to believe
when the angel foretold what would be
take doubt from my heart that my mind might perceivewhat Your Spirit is able to see
Yes make me like Mary that I might receive
with a heart and a mind that are meek
unlike Zechariah who would not believe
and for months was unable to speak
Lord make me like Joseph who thinking it right
would quietly put Mary away
but when visited by an angel one night
straightway at her side he did stay
Yes make me like Joseph who simply obeyed
when instructed that night in a dream
to do what You ask Lord and not be afraid
how to others it might make me seem
Lord make me like Jesus - a babe in a womb
awaiting His birth in this world
though knowing one day He'd be sealed in that tomb
was obedient as God's plan unfurled
Yes make me like Jesus - a true child of God
Who came into this world to serve
and was born in a manger, where animals trod
not the palace that He did deserve
For God is not ordered by man's plan or choice
and it broke on that day all the rules
when He spoke to a maiden through angel's voice
in spite of religion and wisdom of fools
No God was not ordered by man's plan or choice
when He sent You Lord Jesus to earth
and through riddle and parable echoes His voice
as He brings His great Kingdom to birth.
31 comments:
I find reading about your spiritual experiences encouraging and reassuring.
Hi Sandi,
nice to see you, I am so glad that you find them reassuring. I believe that is what we are all called to do, share our experiences and hopefully build one another up. The enemy is a great thief and a liar and will try to persuade us through our carnal minds not to believe or trust in God. My thirty odd years of walking with the Lord have shown me, and still are showing me, that with God all things are possible. 'Believing' in Jesus means that knowing what He has said to us is 'truth', and has a power to bring into existence that which does not exist.
God bless you.
Hi Brenda,
Praise the Lord that He always gives us the encouragement and direction we need, exactly when we need it! May we always listen attentively to His voice and obey, as is your testimony. Thank you for this uplifting post and poem and may God bless you richly!
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
thank you for your kind comment. Praise the Lord indeed for the encouragement and direction we need when we need it. If I was to rely on my carnal mind I would be in a dark place.
God bless you too Laurie.
Dear Brenda,
I always like to remind myself of the Nativity. It is not unusual for me to read "The Christmas Story" in the Bible at any time of the year, even in the heat of the Summer.
However, I thank God for sending his Son to atone for our sins, and rose physically from the dead three days later, therefore defeating death. And he did that during his adult life, and not as a helpless baby in a crib!
It's good to discern God's message to you in a dream and to take heed.
May God bless you richly.
Hi Frank,
yes, when I was a child the nativity was the main subject of Christmas, but Jesus did not stay as a baby. Through His obedience and sacrifice He became our One mediator between God and man and brought reconciliation back to all on earth when they put their trust in Him and that Word.
This verse says it all:-
'But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:'
I have had many dreams that speak to me Frank, and I always keep in mind that what man is not able to do, God can do.
God bless you and Alex as you believe and trust in our Lord Jesus- all things are possible with God through Jesus.
Thank you for your visit to my blog.
Your spiritual life is alien to me, but obviously gives you a lot of comfort - which is lovely.
Hi Elephant's Child,
I understand that you may not understand the life of a born again Christian, but I came over to your blog out of curiosity after visiting Sandi's blog. It was lovely to see your pictures and I felt led to comment on it.
Thank you for these thoughts and scriptures and poem. Very encouraging. I pray you are feeling better.
Hi Karen,
I am very grateful for your encouragement and I have to say, as my walk with the Lord has always been, the more I trust in that Word spoken to me by the Holy Spirit's enlightenment each day, the stronger I feel in my trials. The power that is in that Word to bring into existence that which does not exist is achieved through absolute trust in that Word. I have to say that I have loved growing spiritually in the Lord and realize more and more how the carnal mind can in no way understand the things of God, but as in Him we have the mind of Christ then God's thoughts and ways gradually become our thoughts and ways and all things become possible to us.
God bless you Karen.
Yes yes, Brenda. I agree, That was definitely the Lord speaking boldly to you and giving you immediate direction...not only direction...but His strength to go where you did not want to go. I love those simple communications with the Lord. Nice to know that you are to remain where you are for this season. There is a reason. He will unfold it as you continue to go and believe. He has chosen that church for you...and I pray that that reason will unfold for you. Maybe He is waiting for a boldness in you to step up to His platform for you...in this season...in that church. Maybe. You have a lot of gifts waiting to be shared. I will be praying about God's reason for you staying.
loved the poem, I often pray to be like Mary...so devoted...so trusting...She believed the Lord's words spoken to her. Just like you and I believe when we hear his voice or see, as you did in this dream. hearing and seeing is truly confirmation of the word. I ponder Luke 1:45 sometimes.. Elizabeth's words to her..."And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
hugs,Brenda
Blessings for this Christmas season
patrina
Hi Patrina,
Ever since I have been born again of God's Holy Spirit I have felt led to go wherever He sends me. One of the first songs that dropped into my head begins 'Wherever You lead me I will follow You.' and that is what I endeavour to do, even though sometimes I have been rejected by some leaders. I am a firm believer that all parts of the body of Christ must do whatever the Lord has called them to do for the church to operate as it is supposed to operate. Otherwise the Spirit is being quenched, and the gifts will not be shared, even the gifts of miracles and healing. The sharing of the gifts do not bring glory to us, it is simply 'obedience'. They have been given by God, and all glory goes to God the Father and His precious Son Jesus.
Thank you for your prayers, I know I was meant to go as something that I will share in my next post (God willing) will verify this.
God bless you Patrina, I look forward to seeing your next blog post.
It’s amazing how the strength of God fills us, when we step out on faith. When we shun the worlds influence and Satan’s little voice, God is always there to take our hand and lead us through and even carry us, when necessary. Your comment about having the Mind of Christ reminded me of Philippians 2. In most Bibles, Philippians 2:5 states,
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
In the Judaism, this reflects a Mitzvah, that commands us to actively and continually have the thoughts of God in us. We must speak out the will of God, thereby exercising that part of our minds to allow his Spirit to purge out the evil thoughts and doubts. Amazingly, if you go to the actual Greek and Aramaic, Philippians 2:5 says,
Exercise your mind, in yourselves, with the same mindset, which also is in Messiah Y’shua.
Isn't it amazing how God is consistent with his message?
Hi Keith,
lovely to hear from you. Absolutely agree with what you have said, and something happened in the church last Sunday that linked up with something I did, which I will probably share in my next post. God's ways are not our ways and neither are His thoughts our thoughts. I love the way that the Word given to me is part and parcel of my salvation - and how I must not let the enemy's voice in my carnal mind rob me of it's truth.
Hi Brenda, It is wonderful that you are open and able to receive direction through the Lord in your dreams and through "little" messages like the picture of the rose — and that you have a heart of obedience to accept and follow where He is leading. Your poem is lovely! I love the beautiful examples we find of faith through Mary and Joseph — and of course Jesus' amazing expression of love for us. I pray this Christmas season Blesses you — and that God continues to heal you (as he heals the dry bones of His church and Israel)! In Jesus Name!
Brenda, I have a friend who is scheduled for surgery on Monday, December 17. Please pray for healing! Thank you. Sandi
Hi Jephyr, thank you for your kind comment, I really believe that God will heal me as He has promised to me long ago, telling me to trust absolutely in what He says to me. There is a time for everything and I know that part and parcel of what I am experiencing is linked to the 'dry bones' of the church. I get days when it almost seems to disappear and I feel healed, and then days when it returns, but I feel the most important thing for me is to pray for the gifts to fully operate within the church as I know exactly what difference that makes and have seen many miracles and healings happen when it is operating according to scripture.
God bless you Jephyr.
Father I pray that Your presence and power will be with Sandi's friend regarding this issue she has with illness. I know that You have the power to heal completely and pray that Your will be done in her situation, and that she will be made well and that You will be glorifies. I ask this in Jesus' precious name, giving thanks and all glory to You Amen.
well written and lovely post.
God bless you
Hi Tanza, nice to meet you and thank you for your kind comment. I love the picture of the bird. I think it is a humming bird, but could be wrong.
God bless you too.
This is really encouraging Brenda. I've been feeling a bit low emotionally over the past few days especially but for weeks at a time honestly. A sister in Christ reminded me to trust in God and not to let my emotions rule me. I was encouraged to do what is right and pleasing to God even when I don't feel up to it. Just needing to work on not letting my feelings be lord of my life. I've been letting my emotions get the best of me. I have one Lord and King and I need to remember that and live knowing that and that He is good and loves and cares for me. I read another blog post on another website that was so encouraging just like yours. God bless you Brenda. :)
Aw Sateigdra,
this is what I feel Christianity is about, encouraging and praying for one another to trust in our Saviour. We are one Spiritual family and I totally understand that not everything is emotionally perfect in this world. The lovely thing is that I was reminded once more today that God's plans are for our welfare and not to harm us. It is the spiritual enemy who will try to divert our thoughts away from God and His Word, especially when we are feeling emotionally low. He understands we are flesh Sateigdra, and his unconditional love will carry us through our trials and strengthen us. There is a power in that Word that has the ability to bring into existence that which does not exist when we endeavour to trust in it.
I know it is hard sometimes, but we will stand together and wait upon the Lord Who will cause us to renew our strength and mount up with wings as eagles.
God bless you and strengthen you my lovely sister in the Lord.
Dear Brenda,
As the End Times draw near it seems that many are tempted to give up on churches, and yet Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, especially as we come closer to Christ's return. No church is perfect as everyone in them still has a sin nature. Yet Christ has fitted each of us into His body for a specific purpose, and as a body we can sustain and encourage one another and work collectively to further His kingdom.
May God bless you richly for all you do to further His Word,
Laurie
Hi Laurie,
yes, it is not what the carnal mind tells us but what the mind of Christ tells us. I agree that none of us are perfect, but I pray for the gifts to operate as they should in all church gatherings. I have to say that the pastor in the church I attend is very free to let people bring what they feel they have to share, and it is a nice place to be. I agree that we can all sustain and encourage one another and work collectively, being all parts of the body of Christ.
God bless you too Laurie in all that you do and share.
Brenda thank you so much for your encouraging words. The Lord has definitely been encouraging me over the past few days and I am glad. God is so faithful to us. Your words are true and a reminder of God's perfect love. Thank you again Brenda. God bless you. :-)
Hi Sateigdra,
knowing that the Lord is encouraging you with His faithful word is a lovely Christmas present for me. I love to see believers in Christ overcome the enemy. Our Lord is a strong shield, and has achieved all the victory for us, we need not fear.
God bless you and have a lovely Christmas time remembering - He was born to bring LIFE. Praise our lovely Father for sending His Son.
Brenda,
Update...
Thank you for praying! My friend's surgerywas delayed due to an irregularity with the heart they want to fix first.
Hi Sandi,
may the Holy Spirit rest over your friend as she goes through this hard trial.
Philippians 4:13 "I have strength for all things in him that gives me power."
Hi David,
that is true, as has been proved many times in my walk with the Lord.
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