Who the Son sets free is free indeed!

I originally emailed this out to a few friends about two months ago, and thought I might as well add it here. =)

"...The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10

Last night was one of those nights that requires sharing for the sake of encouragement and simply a great testimony. Sharing a testimony of God's love and faithfulness not only declares His greatness, but it also shows that whatever great thing that happened is available to others. By declaring, you are in effect prophesying that it will happen again. Pretty sweet.


God recently put me in the position to lead a hand-full of some amazing students whom I have grown to love over the past two years. Last night we were all at my house for Bible study and, as we have been going over some basic doctrine for a few weks, last night we discussed our identity in Christ and what all that means. It is always so exciting to watch people start to see for themselves that the Christian life was never intended to look just like everyone else; there is power in a life found in Christ!

I could go on and on recapturing everything we discussed, but that was and is not my point.

There are two middle school girls in the group that have become quite attached to me, and I them. Every once in a while God will remind me how much we are living epistles read by all men through these girls and how much what I say influences their lives. It is a place of great privilege and awesome responsibility and I would have it no other way. =)

The point of my story....
One of the girls has been really sick for a few days. I didn't know the extent of it until last night when she told me she had a kidney infection and has been taking medication because she is in so much pain. Immediately the other middle school student matter-of-factly tells her to, "Dance. The Bible says Jesus took away our sins when He died on the cross, and sick people don't dance. Soooo you should dance."
"I DID already!" came the reply. (I didn't realize they listened to me so much!)

Later on that evening, I took the girl with the kidney infection home and shared some stories about the physical healings I have heard, witnessed, and experienced in my own body. I explained when the Bible says that all things are made new, it really means all things, and aimed at increasing her faith and expectancy from God. Once we got to her house I prayed and believed with her and told her to call me in the morning when she woke up without any pain.

7:01am I get a pain-free girl's text message! God is soo good!


As an update, she went to see her doctor a few days later and he confirmed that she no longer had the infection.


I encourage all of you to bank on the promises of God! If He wasn't faithful just once, He wouldn't be God. He wouldn't be the Father that loves us so much and has already given us every spiritual blessing in heaven places. Now its just a matter of us receiving those things.


I love you and be blessed as you fix your eyes on Jesus.

Life Changing Letters

A friend of mine recently sent me a few letters from Brother Lawrence. If you have never heard of this man, you are missing out. He was a monk who lived in the 1600s and knew God; google him pronto. :)

I was reading one of his letters this morning, which talks about how he effectively finds himself in the presence of God all the time. A few things really stand out to me about this letter:

"...I sought after, which was nothing but how to become wholly God's... After having given myself wholly to God to make all the satisfaction I could for my sins, I renounced, for the love of Him, everything that was not God; and I began to live as if there was none but He and I in the world."

Whether at work or school, or doing laundry, or driving in traffic; the presence of God is always with every believer. It is our job, then, to seek after -or be aware - of that presence.

God has rocked my life so much in the past few months. I have experienced grace to go deeper into His love than I thought possible and now I see that I have yet to comprehend what is the height and depth and width and breadth of the love of God. A sanctifying work of ridding my life of needless distractions comes at such a wonderful time. Now, I can see that my spirit, the essence of me, truly longs for nothing but to be found in the presence and power of Love.

Just like Adam in the garden before the fall, so I want to walk in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. "...and I began to live as if there was nothing but He and I in the world."

Nothing but He and I... no man, job, friend, or situation will endure, but the relationship of being found in God continues for all of time. Jesus says that eternal life is know Him. So, we can experience eternal life NOW in our mortal bodies by pressing into our Beloved Redeemer. Brothers, sisters, and self: I encourage you to set your eyes on none but Jesus.