Peace in the Storm

  More than a Promise of Abundant Life When I was a young teenager my Dad told me time and time again that he would buy me a car and teach me to drive when I turned 17.  This was a promise and I had no reason to doubt him.  I believed him. I didn't know what type of car and I had no idea how to drive, but I believed it.  Then when I was 17, my Dad came into the house and called me downstairs and reached out his hand and he was holding a set of car keys.  He took me outside to show me my first car - a little 1980 mini - and took me for my first driving lesson.  This photo shows my younger brother pointing out that I am just a Learner and my beautiful baby sister and of course my treasured first car.  My dad had fulfilled his promise.  I didn't earn it, I had believed but now I had received it.   This is like Salvation, from the beginning God told about and promised to send the Messiah, the Redeemer.  Though out  the Old Testamen...

 Miracles of Jesus Part 6 Jesus heals the man at the pool of Bethesda - John 5 vs 1-9 5  After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2  Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3  In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4  For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 5  And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6  When Jesus saw him, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? 7  The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me...

  Miracles of Jesus Part 5 Jesus Heals Peter's Mother-in-law Matthew 8 vs 14-15 When Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw Peter's Mother-in-law lying sick with a fever, He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. No-one asked Jesus to pray, but it says that he saw her, and we see again the great compassion that Jesus had for the sick.  He touched her hand and the fever left - what a beautiful picture of the love and gentleness of his power. Many times, I hesitate to reach out and pray for someone because I don't know how they will react or I'm not confident enough.  But I am praying and asking the Holy Spirit to teach me to have the eyes to see and the compassion to reach out. Do you ever read these scriptures and think "Why are we not seeing these things happen today"?  Remember it is written "Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever" - Could it be that faith is not being preached?  Could it be that pe...

 Miracles of Jesus part 4 Jesus heals the Centurion's servant Matthew 8 vs 5-13 The Centurion came to Jesus "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly"  Jesus said "I will come and heal him". The Centurion answered "Lord, speak only and my servant shall be healed".   The Centurion explained how he understood 'Authority' because he himself was a man under Authority and had men under his Authority.  He recognised that Jesus was under the Authority of the Living God and that if he 'spoke' the sickness would have to obey him.  Jesus told this Centurion that he had great faith. Jesus said "Go - let it be done for you as you believed"  and the servant was healed at that very moment. We see that this Centurion had great faith because he understood about Authority and this is very important, because there are many Christians who believe that Jesus has All Power - but they do not understand that Jesus has not only...

 Miracles of Jesus Part 3 Jesus heals a Leper Matthew 8v 2-3  "And behold a leper came to Jesus and knelt before him, saying "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean".  Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will, be clean" and immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  I always thought that Leprosy was a skin disease, that made people 'unclean' or contagious so they were forced to live in isolation.  But in my study I have found that Leprosy in the Bible was much more than this.   This is the most simple definition I could find. Leprosy  was "the outward and visible sign of the innermost spiritual corruption; a meet emblem in its small beginnings, its gradual spread, its internal disfigurement, its dissolution little by little of the whole body, of that which corrupts, degrades, and defiles man's inner nature, and renders him unmeet to enter the presence of a pure and holy God" The most simple way I can put it -  is Leprosy...