I choose to believe in miracles

For over 20 years, I have prayed for my family. Many of them to this day are not saved. Days, months, and years have passed with the all too familiar words "What else could happen?" or "That's life". It is almost as if they expect the worse to happen. Maybe it is a cultural thing but ever since I was a kid, I was taught that problems were simply a part of everyday life. This is a good lesson to learn but an incomplete one, in my opinion. For every problem, we have a choice: we can choose to allow the problems to consume us or we can choose to use the power and authority that God has given us to rebuke them. It doesn't mean that the problem will disappear; it simply means that we have the authority to not allow the problem(s) to affect us in any way, shape, or form.

Recently, I have been led to go back to basics. I started to re-read "Believer's Authority" by Kenneth Hagin. It that book, Kenneth speaks about the authority we have in Christ and refers the reader to Ephesians Chapters 1-3. The author recommends that we read this day and night and to use it as part of our daily prayers. I had done this a few years ago, including in my prayers, my family members. After a while, however, I stopped. The daily prayer became a weekly prayer, then a monthly until eventually it got shelved along with the many items of my "to do list".

For about a year now, I have been under constant attack by the enemy, my flesh, and my mind. It has been quite a struggle for me. However, as I said in the past 2 blogs, you have to continue to serve God and praise Him "in spite of" your circumstances. About a month ago, I had the unique opportunity to talk to my sister. In our conversation, I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her life. To my surprise, she said "Yes". We prayed together and the miracle happened: her salvation. During Thanksgiving weekend, my mother called and told me that she witnessed an event that can only be defined as a miracle. She told me that after the event, a Christian woman told her to believe that God can perform miracles. As she told me the story over the phone, she said "If it is in God's will, miracles can happen." I corrected her and told her that "Miracles do happen because it is God's will".

I firmly believe that the shackles and chain of oppression, sickness, and any other attack from the enemy are broken, if we speak in authority over them. I believe that we have authority in Christ to trample under our feet the serpent, to bind our souls (mind and flesh), and that God will always show us the miracle of His love through scripture, the church, and other people. I choose to believe in miracles. Do you believe in miracles?

The "If Onlys"

To continue from the last blog, I mentioned that in spite of your feelings and your flesh, you need to persevere in your walk with Christ. You may think "easier said than done." You may scoff at this and think that you just don't have time for Him.

Life, at times gets so overwhelming, that sadly our walk with Him diminishes. Lately, I have felt a strong hunger and desire to walk with God. I want to walk with God "in spite of" and not through the "if onlys". Let me explain myself. When life's demands increase, we think "if only I had the time to serve God" or "if only I had my bills in order and working overtime becomes a thing of the past" or "if only I was single and without kids, I would be in church 24-7." Recently, I spoke to a good friend of mine and mother of 5. She spoke to me about how she manages her time with God "in spite of" all her responsibilities. When she showers, she plays gospel music. While she cooks, she turns on the TV to hear the word of God, while she drives to the grocery store, she plays CDs with the message of God. Before her children go to bed, she prays for them. While she performs her daily duties, she is in constant communication and in meditation of His Word.

Wow! This is a life of "in spite of". I just realized that I can still walk with God "in spite of" our problems, our lives, and our feelings. Joshua 1:8 says "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (NIV)
I am not going to give up on God and I exhort you to do the same. Make your walk with Him happen "in spite of" and not on the sidelines of the "if onlys".