joy – Signs, Wonders, Miracles

By His Stripes I’m Healed: What This Means to Me

“By His stripes I’m healed” means so much to me, For I am the one who caused His injury, bruising Him for how I’ve hurt myself and others; Failing to do good; revenge I took on brothers; Idle words I’ve spoken, idols I have built, So easily offended, Crunched by sin and guilt. With my own needs consumed, rarely giving glory To the author of this awesome Christmas story.

Sin parted me from God, for I was so hateful, At war with my own self, rarely acting grateful. But the Father sent His only Son for me. Men jabbed His head with thorns, whipped His back savagely. Nails pierced His hands and feet. That’s how He broke the wall Of hostility dividing me from God. Blood poured from His wounds to give me liberty. As I drink it in, He enables me to see

In those blessed stripes, God reveals His will for me.

My life is in His blood, which shields me from God’s wrath, For, like a sheep I’ve strayed but He makes straight my path. Abel’s blood cried “Vengeance. Justice must be done.” But Jesus’ blood declares “The battle has been won.” He bore my punishment to bring me victory. So now, when anger comes, it needn’t rest on me. No longer must I eat the fruit of misery, For His blood gives me hope and immortality.

His righteousness is mine. For shame I have relief, Because He bore my sorrows to blot out my grief. His love drives out the fear that used to cleave to me. The Father has accepted me. I have security, With hugs that say I’m His, and in His house I’ll dine, For He Himself provides both the bread and wine. Fruits of the Holy Spirit make His presence real, Because it is His nature to save, restore and heal.

Feasting on His goodness, resting in His joy. The heavy yoke has lifted, no longer to annoy. All bitterness gives way to blessings that sustain, Love beyond all reason, peace I can’t explain. To make me rich in faith, my Jesus became poor, And those who trust in Him He saves forevermore. His grace has set me free to dance, rejoice, and sing, And with cheerfulness to give an offering.

His stripes reverse the curse as if it never came to be. Joy to all the world, for He brings us liberty.

Because I have the mindset of my sovereign Lord, And as I lean on Him, my vision is restored. Nobody can condemn me; no weapon can succeed Against me because I am following His lead. In Jesus I have access to every miracle Because in Him all of God’s promises are possible. In boldness I can speak and know they will come true, Because the things He’s spoken He will surely do.

https://atomic-temporary-102676306.wpcomstaging.com/spiritual-gifts/gifts-god-gives-excellent/

To Survive This Christmas Season: My End of Year Goal

To survive this Christmas season,

Ending the year with a good reason,

Has become my current goal.

Because I want to be made whole.

But December has proven to be a rough month. Get out your snow boots.

Because I feel a drift coming on.

Thanksgiving was nice,

A time to celebrate

Family, friendships, happy times.

Success is a different story though. The lack of books sales says it isn’t ending with a bang.

As for writing, I don’t feel motivated.

Trials have gotten me down.

Encouragement came, followed by false accusation.

It’s all I can do not to drown in it.

I can’t really tell you how or when or who, but when I feel the heaviness pressing down on me,

I know It’s more than winter blues. It’s what others choose,

Not just what I read in the news,

But other worldly views. Can’t lie in bed

Because it’s hard to get the words out of my head.

Then they come back to haunt me, to taunt me. If you’ve ever had an angry finger pointed at you

Then maybe you know how I feel.

But it’s the start of Hanukkah.

I need to light a candle,

Let it shine. Light divine,

It’s Advent Time. Looking forward to Christ’s return. No room to spurn

The memory of His coming. Much to learn.

He’s coming soon.

Look up, your redemption

Draws near. Have no fear, because this is meant to be a time of good cheer.

To survive this Christmas season

I can’t allow the treason

Of sins past, present, or future

To cloud my way. It’s a good day.

Blessings new every morning, though there come a storm warning.

To survive this Christmas season

Takes more than human reason.

So, lift your eyes. Deny the shame.

It’s time to rejoice. Lift up the name.

Jesus came once. He’ll come again. It’s more than just a season. He’s the reason.

https://atomic-temporary-102676306.wpcomstaging.com/wisdom/success-stress-blessed/

Stinky Stuff God Has Used to Set People Free

How stinky the prison in which Joseph sat.

He ended up there because some lady rat

Accused him of doing what no man should do.

She said he attacked her, but that was not true.

But in that foul hole, this young man found release

From her accusations through THE prince of peace.

Her lies didn’t hurt because God set him free

So that he could follow his true destiny.

Jeremiah the prophet was tossed in a pit,

And sank in the muck where men left him to sit,

Because they did not want to heed what he said.

That’s why they decided he needed that bed.

Imagine him mourn as they lower him down,

Bemoaning the evil that stinks up his town.

“Repent of old mindsets that offer no glee

And you won’t be harmed by this captivity.”

The officials determined to starve him to death,

But he looked to God, who had given him breath.

Then up from above – was it manna? Not quite.

How stinky the rags that enabled his flight!

They didn’t smell pretty yet helped rescue him

From being shut up in that prison so dim.

For, those who love freedom must deal with the stench

Of soul-binding fetters that make their guts wrench.

See Lazarus leaving his now-empty tomb,

Wrapped up like a mummy, with so little room

To walk or to move or to breathe out a word.

Martha said, “It’ll smell,” and I think they all heard

Jesus say, “Take the stinky stuff off. Set him free.”

What stench! Hold your nose if you love liberty

That comes when you have faith to move any stone

Which stands in the way of approaching God’s throne.

Though confession be smelly, it helps to reveal

God’s mercy through Christ who has power to heal.

For, consider the man who lived close to some pigs,

While cutting himself among burial digs.

His devils did not smell good, even in pink.

When Christ cast them out, they sure did make a stink.

But Jesus still used it to set the man free.

For, He can use all things to help you and me. .

https://atomic-temporary-102676306.wpcomstaging.com/resurrection/when-life-stinks/

Surprise: When Jesus Sneaks up on You

When Jesus sneaks up on you, what a surprise!

Death is upended, with all of its lies.

When He takes the worst of your fears by surprise.

Discouragement shatters, and all compromise.

God’s elect have been crying out all through the night,

Longing to see dreams and visions take flight,

The things they’ve been hoping for so many years.

“Lord, save us from bondage. We’ve so many fears.”

Prayer warriors knocking upon heaven’s door

Cry, “God, grant us justice we’ve not seen before.

The enemy’s raging. We cannot hold back

These poisonous darts of his latest attack.

“We stick to your Word and your promises claim,

Yet satan’s been getting the glory and fame.

We’re weary of battling the spirit of death.

Silence rules while we fight with our last dying breath.”

Then, behold! Jesus enters the temple: Surprise!

He conquers all fear with one look from His eyes.

“Treason!” shouts Athaliah, the wicked old queen,

As the brightness of His sudden coming is seen.

The thief sent the whirlwind that shattered Job’s house,

And made the poor sufferer feel like a louse.

His heart had been broken, success stripped away,

Disease gripped his body, he cursed his birthday.

His friends sought for reasons. Why did this occur?

But their words held no comfort. Their words could not cure.

Then, surprise! God showed up. Through a whirlwind He spoke,

And by His appearing, fresh faith He awoke

Restoring the joy that those old guys had lost

(And reminding a few of the lines they had crossed,

In not speaking right of the life-giving One

Who endured greater loss but the victory has won.

For, many years later, upon a long road

That led to Emmaus, two sad people strode.

Then a stranger snuck up, someone they did not know.

Where did this man come from and where would he go?

They spoke of their sorrow and all of their strife.

“We’re so disappointed right now with this life.

We thought we had found our Messiah at last.

But now He has died and our hopes are all past.”

Then, how their hearts burned as he opened God’s Word

To understand scriptures they knew they had heard.

They begged him to stay, and with them he shared bread

Which opened their eyes to great truths they had read.

When Jesus sneaks up on you, what a surprise!

Death is upended, and all of its lies.

Watch HIM take the worst of your fears by surprise

Revealing the truth behind your greatest “why’s.”

https://atomic-temporary-102676306.wpcomstaging.com/faith/seeing-believing/

Christians Prepared for War or Battle-sore?

I. Can Armor Meant For War Restore the Battle-sore?

Prepared for war or battle-sore?

What does each Christian need

To fight forces of darkness

Draped in bitterness and greed?

Ephesians chapter six speaks of

The full armor of God –

We need to take it on, Paul says,

And with these things be shod:

Truth, righteousness, the gospel message;

Shield of faith as well,

Plus helmet of salvation

To withstand the gates of hell.

He mentions, too, the Word of God

And also speaks of prayer.

Hey, wait a minute!

Did I really see prayer mentioned there?

(In some circles, to make prayer a priority seems rare!)

II. Prayer to Restore the Battle-sore Also Helps Prepare for War

Prayer’s vital to the process of

Preparing us for war.

But as we pray, we may discern

That some are battle-sore.

They’re suffering from wounds

Resulting from a lack of time

Spent strengthening themselves

In Jesus Christ, the one true vine.

Before they put God’s armor on,

They need to reconnect,

Not just with faithful followers

Of Christ, as some suspect,

But with the mercy that flows freely

From His gracious throne,

Imbibing of His healing stream

To make His truth their own.

(Though sometimes it is so much easier to use the phone)

III. Jesus Restores the Battle Sore and Makes Them Fit For War

It’s something we all need each day,

Without it, we can’t walk.

Come, battle-sore believer!

Let us leave the empty talk,

Release the heavy sorrow

That so easily besets

And find hope for tomorrow,

Leaving no room for regrets.

Let Jesus clothe you with the glory

That protects your back.

He is your refuge from the storm

Who shields you from attack.

In an age where every person

Wields their own “opinion pole,”

The whole armor of God descends

From Him who makes you whole.

(It pays to cling to Jesus who alone can save your soul).

His peace, it is our freedom.

His joy, it is our strength.

To rejoice In His salvation,

Let us go to any length!

What if They’d Thought to Praise Him?

I. What if the Boatmen Had Thought to Praise Him?

What if they’d thought to praise Him?

Might Christ’s followers in the boat

Perhaps have been commended

For keeping it afloat?

Instead, they woke the Master

With rebukes like “You don’t care!”

And “How can you sleep while we sink?

It simply isn’t fair!”

What if they’d thrown a praise party

When first they saw the storm

Begin to rage around them

Like a yellow jacket swarm?

Might they have scared the devils

That were stirring up the sea

And threatening to drown them

In that lake of Galilee?

And what if they’d praised God

When they saw Jesus walk on water

Instead of crying “Ghost!”

Like any fearful son or daughter

Whose trust in God lasts for a day

But in the night grows dim?

What if in every thought and deed

They’d sought to honor Him?

What if they had, like Peter,

Dared to step outside the boat,

Declaring with great boldness,

“Lord, you make my feet to float!”?

Imagine Jesus’ pleasure

As he watched their budding faith

Spring to life in awesome ways.

But no, they feared a wraith.

II. What if the Farmers Had Welcomed Him?

And what if those who saw the man

Who once was demonized

Clothed, sitting, and in his right mind –

What if they’d recognized

The wonders God had done for him?

What if great joy they’d voiced?

Instead of begging him to leave,

What if they had rejoiced?

The farmers in that last tale

Would have surely been commended

Had they not focused on the way

Their lives had been upended.

But when they lost their livelihood,

They forfeited their joy,

Rejecting Christ’s deliverance

For creatures that annoy.

Yet who expects a pig

To sing a happy worship song?

But when we offer praise to God,

It makes our frail faith strong.

Based on events recorded in Matthew 8:23-34 and Matthew 14:23-32

Jumping Through Hoops to Get Healed?

Have you ever tried jumping through hoops to get healed,

In search of a cure not yet fully revealed?

For example, how long do you think you must pray

To maintain your health so it won’t go away?

Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Isaiah 53:1

Perhaps if you could, you’d get healing right now,

Because if God would, He could heal you somehow.

But do you believe you must first act just right?

Because jumping through hoops might just make you uptight.

Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Does unconfessed sin seem to block healing’s path,

requiring hoop jumping to shun God’s fierce wrath?

If so, how many sins would you have to confess

In order to get relief from all that stress?

When the evening came, they brought unto him many. . . with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick (to fulfill Isaiah 53:4, which says), “(He) Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17

Do you have to wait for the right place and time,

Jumping through hoops with no reason or rhyme?

While religious guys urge you to “Just go away,”

To “Come, get your healing some other bright day”?

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day? Luke 13:16

“Do you want to get healed?” Jesus asked someone lame

Whose condition for decades had stayed just the same.

He desired to be well, but the line was too long.

Besides, to jump such a hoop, he wasn’t strong.

Jesus said unto him, “Rise, take up your bed, and walk.” And immediately the man (became) whole, and took up his bed, and walked. John 5:8-9

But what if something tragic has beaten you down,

Because death’s own shadow just entered the town?

You can’t bear the facts staring you in the face.

Where can you find a trace of God’s unending grace?

Didn’t I say to you that if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? John 11:40

We don’t need to jump through hoops to find healing. We just need to reach out to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

https://miracle-times.com/faith/seeing-believing/

At the Cusp of a New Beginning

I. A New Beginning

I’m at the cusp of a new beginning.

What to take? What to let go?

For as I head toward a new place,

Old cursed ways will have to go.

I can’t pin down this new beginning though,

Nor forge the path alone,

But friendliness is my best bet

To set the proper tone.

Before arising like an eagle

To soar past mountains decked with snow,

I first desire to see your glory, Lord.

That’s all I want to know.

For to rest in your sweet presence

Is my one true destination.

So, to follow after you

Let me have zero hesitation.

Because to fly, I must be free from

Heavy weights that bring me down.

But as I rise, though, let me not seek honor

Or my own renown.

Rather, let me give you praise

And carry me upon your wings

While I surrender to your goodness

With a song of joy that sings.

II. God Makes it Possible

You help me zip past stumbling blocks

That seek to block my path,

Rocks of unreal expectations

Glued to jealousy and wrath.

So, as you bring this new beginning,

Shine your light and heal my soul,

That past hurts might not dictate.

Impart fresh vision, make me whole.

Show me your easy yoke that

Frees me up to do your will,

Releases me from worry,

Gives me strength to climb each hill.

It protects me from all danger,

Never focuses on my sin,

And in every bitter struggle

Causes peace to reign within.

Lord, I thank you, you are great

No matter what I face.

I’ll conquer every obstacle

By leaning on your grace.

Not looking to past failures

Or consumed with hurt and pain,

Though willing to endure suffering

For the sake of your great name.

Because godliness with contentment

Results in greatest gain,

And as I seek to do your will

There is no need to strain.

https://miracle-times.com/poetry/give-thanks-every-circumstance/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/speed-of-sight-c-r-flamingbush/112879

Rejected and Abandoned Ones Need Joy, Not Solutions

Rejected and abandoned ones need joy, not more “How-To’s,”

Because their hearts are broken and they’re longing for good news.

But sometimes all they hear is “You have brought this on yourself.”

“Don’t pour your tears on me, dear. Leave that jar upon the shelf.”

“You mustn’t fall apart for I can’t stand to see you cry.

Your greatest need is to remove the log from your own eye.”

Instead of seeking comfort, they must check their broken hearts

And turn from any sin they see inside those inward parts.

They mustn’t pour their hearts like perfume on the Master’s feet

Because it isn’t practical. They must honor that seat.

“Don’t let the healer see your pain. You have to be heroic.

It’s time to turn the other cheek. So stand tall and be stoic.”

“The Word says this is what to do, so do it perfectly!

To prove that you believe, control your feelings expertly.

Do not admit you have a wound you want Jesus to heal.

Just hurry up and fix the problem. Show your faith is real!

Like Eli scolding Hannah, they assume that you’ve done wrong

Because Penninah’s needling you. “Stand up, girl, and be strong!”

But to a hurting person, such solutions can condemn

Because they focus on what’s bad and put more blame on them.

But oh, if they could see the bright side and break free to joy,

Instead of wagging fingers telling them how they annoy!

In order to release their grief, the hurt ones need to laugh,

Even though it seems as foolish as a young giraffe,

Its head caught in the branches of a tree it cannot climb.

God’s comfort comes through childlike play or with a silly rhyme.

Because when hearts are broken and they’re longing for good news,

Rejected and abandoned ones need joy, not more “How-To’s,”

The Very Best Miracle Cure for Depression

Shake Off All Shame, Blame, and Pain

Why fret when you can shake off all shame and shake off all blame?

Shake it off, shake it off. Shake off all pain in Jesus’ name.

Have you ever had just a really tough day,

When nothing ever seemed to go quite your way?

People made you mad and you reacted in sin.

There seems to be no way out of the mess you’re in.

Well, then, you’ve got to:

Quit your fretting and begin to shake off all shame and shake off all blame.

Shake it off, shake it off. Shake off all pain in Jesus’ name.

There’s really no reason to get all uptight

If you believe that God can make things all right.

He’ll help you forget the hurts of the past

And shake off the blame for a life that will last.

I believe that you can have a blast if you’ll just

Take the time and try to learn to shake off all shame and shake off all blame.

Shake it off, shake it off. Shake off all pain in Jesus’ name.

Stop blaming others for your misery

Because you know forgiveness is the only key

Out of your dungeon of gloom and doom.

So, take hold of God’s joy, for there’s plenty of room to:

Leave the past behind, so why not shake off all shame and shake off all blame?

Shake it off, shake it off. Shake off all pain in Jesus’ name.

Jesus doesn’t want you to moan and complain

When you can know the power of His mighty name!

So, throw off every dead weight that’s been dragging you down.

Rise in faith and spread the good news all around.

For that is the best way to shake off all shame and shake off all blame.

Shake it off, shake it off. Shake off all pain in Jesus’ name.