Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Healing Testimony (26/01/12)
So... it's been a while since I've updated this, however this one is a great one from a few weeks ago. So quite often I'm involved with the prayer ministry team at my church, and a few weeks ago, a girl approached me and asked me to pray for her knee. Basically, she often feels knee around her knee, and she was having a final MRI scan before deciding whether she would need an operation or not. So me and my pastor's lovely wife prayed for this knee and she went away. It was only a few days ago that I bumped into her again. I asked her about her knee and she told that since that day, her pain went away, and she had her MRI scan and no longer needed an operation! God is so incredible!
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Prayer and Faith
Every single day, I know somebody is out there praying. It doesn't matter what the time is, or the language. It could be about world politics, a family member with cancer, a couple wanting a baby or even just a guy praying for right questions in his exams, even if he doesn't believe in God. But how much faith do we actually have that these prayers will be answered?
I know sometimes I don't. It's always frustrating when you know somebody, probably that girl who goes to church, who always has amazing stories about how God answers her prayers. She isn't there to brag or boast, but it feels like it. So we start to feel jealousy, maybe even resentment. Why does God favour her, but not me?
Well my reply to you is this: When was the last time that you honestly trusted that God would hear and answer you? Somebody once told me, "Expectancy is the catalyst for prayers." When we pray and act as though what we're praying will/has happened, we are stepping out in faith that God will answer.
It doesn't have to be a big thing. What you pray doesn't have to change. But your attitude to what your pray does matter. Only you can make that active choice to believe in the words that you pray.
I know it can be a struggle sometimes. I know having faith in the impossible to happen is difficult. And I know how exposed a person can feel. And I know how much it hurts when things don't happen the way you prayed for them to happen. But in the end, I know it was worth it.
I know sometimes I don't. It's always frustrating when you know somebody, probably that girl who goes to church, who always has amazing stories about how God answers her prayers. She isn't there to brag or boast, but it feels like it. So we start to feel jealousy, maybe even resentment. Why does God favour her, but not me?
Well my reply to you is this: When was the last time that you honestly trusted that God would hear and answer you? Somebody once told me, "Expectancy is the catalyst for prayers." When we pray and act as though what we're praying will/has happened, we are stepping out in faith that God will answer.
It doesn't have to be a big thing. What you pray doesn't have to change. But your attitude to what your pray does matter. Only you can make that active choice to believe in the words that you pray.
I know it can be a struggle sometimes. I know having faith in the impossible to happen is difficult. And I know how exposed a person can feel. And I know how much it hurts when things don't happen the way you prayed for them to happen. But in the end, I know it was worth it.
Friday, 9 December 2011
Healing Testimonies (30/10/11)
So this has been a very exciting month for all of us. This actually happened a few weeks but I just haven't had time to write this up! I was at my local church, and doing the usual stuff, and I just suddenly get the feeling that we should pray for people with sore right shoulders and bad ankles. I decided to tell my friend, who told my awesome pastor Neil at the end, and he asked people to come forward. Three people came forward!
The first woman had crutches and bad ankles, but also had a sore right shoulder! So we prayed with her and her pain mostly went away, which was amazing! Another woman had a sore ankles and I think she got partially healed too! A third woman had a tight shoulder, and after praying, her shoulder immediately loosened up! How incredible!
So I guess this is the start of something new that we're all excited about! I'm just so honoured to see some of the healings! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!
The first woman had crutches and bad ankles, but also had a sore right shoulder! So we prayed with her and her pain mostly went away, which was amazing! Another woman had a sore ankles and I think she got partially healed too! A third woman had a tight shoulder, and after praying, her shoulder immediately loosened up! How incredible!
So I guess this is the start of something new that we're all excited about! I'm just so honoured to see some of the healings! If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below!
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Breaking the Chains
I was listening a live version of "Break Every Chain" by United Pursuit Band, and I was just moved by the presence of God in this song. But what blew me away at the end was this short prayer right at the end of the song. I decided to transcribe it because I thought it was just an incredible prayer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mohyR5xowFw
"Lord... I just praise you tonight because, Father, it's... it's like a yes or no. Whether that we can see our lives, whether we can see a freedom, Lord. A lightness, a brightness. And Lord, for any here that just don't recognise that there is light, and there is dark. And there is pain and there is suffering, there is depression and there is fear and there is... hopelessness, but there is goodness, there is truth, and there is life and there is joy: abundant and free. God, help us see that's you, that the light is you... that you're interested... you're interested in breaking us free... that you're interested in seeing your light come, right here and right now. That's what you're about Jesus, and help us be about the same thing. Help us be about the same thing. We wanna rise up with you God, we wanna be about the things you're about. We wanna be about life."
There were many things that challenged me in this prayer. The first big thing being whether I myself can see freedom in my life. What is freedom? Freedom in Christ used to always seem like a big paradox to me, as when I was younger, I believed we were never really free with so many rules to follow. I was wrong. Freedom in Christ, means we are free from that guilt and condemnation, that sometimes we may feel when we sin. I'm not saying that its okay to not care whether you sin or not, rather to let it go completely to God so He can restore you to your identity in Christ. When Jesus died, He took all of our sin, and covered us with grace.
The second thing that challenged me was the contrast of light and dark. So often we can wind up thinking about all the bad things in life like pain, suffering, depression, fear and hopelessness. I know I've experienced many of these things within my life, and I ended up in a cycle focusing on negative without any positive. I can tell you now, that isn't a healthy place to be, regardless whether you have faith or not. Fortunately, I had a few good friends help me pull through, and they helped by reminding about the goodness in life. And if you're in that vicious cycle now, send me a message and I'll be open to chat and to pray for you, because I know there is so much good out there.
The last thing got me is that God is interested in us. Just WOW. It blows my mind every time I think about it. God, who created EVERYTHING, is interested in me. And it's the same for you too. Whether you want to believe it or not, God is interested in you and how you feel! That's just incredible, right?
I want to end with Will Reagan's final line. "We wanna be about life." I want to be about that freedom, that joy, and about that goodness, and to spread it everywhere. What do you want to be about?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mohyR5xowFw
"Lord... I just praise you tonight because, Father, it's... it's like a yes or no. Whether that we can see our lives, whether we can see a freedom, Lord. A lightness, a brightness. And Lord, for any here that just don't recognise that there is light, and there is dark. And there is pain and there is suffering, there is depression and there is fear and there is... hopelessness, but there is goodness, there is truth, and there is life and there is joy: abundant and free. God, help us see that's you, that the light is you... that you're interested... you're interested in breaking us free... that you're interested in seeing your light come, right here and right now. That's what you're about Jesus, and help us be about the same thing. Help us be about the same thing. We wanna rise up with you God, we wanna be about the things you're about. We wanna be about life."
There were many things that challenged me in this prayer. The first big thing being whether I myself can see freedom in my life. What is freedom? Freedom in Christ used to always seem like a big paradox to me, as when I was younger, I believed we were never really free with so many rules to follow. I was wrong. Freedom in Christ, means we are free from that guilt and condemnation, that sometimes we may feel when we sin. I'm not saying that its okay to not care whether you sin or not, rather to let it go completely to God so He can restore you to your identity in Christ. When Jesus died, He took all of our sin, and covered us with grace.
The second thing that challenged me was the contrast of light and dark. So often we can wind up thinking about all the bad things in life like pain, suffering, depression, fear and hopelessness. I know I've experienced many of these things within my life, and I ended up in a cycle focusing on negative without any positive. I can tell you now, that isn't a healthy place to be, regardless whether you have faith or not. Fortunately, I had a few good friends help me pull through, and they helped by reminding about the goodness in life. And if you're in that vicious cycle now, send me a message and I'll be open to chat and to pray for you, because I know there is so much good out there.
The last thing got me is that God is interested in us. Just WOW. It blows my mind every time I think about it. God, who created EVERYTHING, is interested in me. And it's the same for you too. Whether you want to believe it or not, God is interested in you and how you feel! That's just incredible, right?
I want to end with Will Reagan's final line. "We wanna be about life." I want to be about that freedom, that joy, and about that goodness, and to spread it everywhere. What do you want to be about?
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Hitting The Wall...
Recently, I was on a plane journey flying from Hong Kong back to Heathrow, and as with most long flights, I couldn't sleep. So I decided to flick through the channels and see what films were on. This one film in particular caught my eye, and so I put it on. It was called Run, Fatboy, Run. At this point in the post, you're probably wondering what this film has to do with title... bear with me...
So for those of you who haven't watched it (you should definitely watch it!), its about a guy who always gives up, but then decides to participate in a marathon... About midway through the film, Simon Pegg's character receives some advice about running from his opponent:
"I'm talking about discipline and perseverance. And all cute little comments aside... there comes a point in every race... it could be the fifth mile, it could be the twenty fifth... but, eventually, you're gonna hit... what runners like to call "the wall." And when you do...you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you're gonna wanna do is give up." Whit - Run, Fatboy, Run (Warner Bros. 2007)
After hearing this quote, it kind of provoked me into thinking about God, and actually how similar running is to living a life of faith. You can live for God every day, and it doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, but at some point, you'll probably hit the wall, and just as above quote mentions "you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you wanna do is give up." And a lot of people take the easy way out and give up, but what would happen if they didn't?
Throughout my life, I've hit so many walls, and at times, I literally couldn't move on. Walls can be made up of disappointment, hurt, pain and frustration, just to name a few. It isn't easy, but I would like to encourage you all to carry on because the rewards are just so good. I promise you all that it's worth it.
So, what do you do when you hit the wall? Do you give up, or carry on? I know what I'd do.
So for those of you who haven't watched it (you should definitely watch it!), its about a guy who always gives up, but then decides to participate in a marathon... About midway through the film, Simon Pegg's character receives some advice about running from his opponent:
"I'm talking about discipline and perseverance. And all cute little comments aside... there comes a point in every race... it could be the fifth mile, it could be the twenty fifth... but, eventually, you're gonna hit... what runners like to call "the wall." And when you do...you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you're gonna wanna do is give up." Whit - Run, Fatboy, Run (Warner Bros. 2007)
After hearing this quote, it kind of provoked me into thinking about God, and actually how similar running is to living a life of faith. You can live for God every day, and it doesn't matter how long you've been a Christian, but at some point, you'll probably hit the wall, and just as above quote mentions "you won't be able to breathe or think or even move. All you wanna do is give up." And a lot of people take the easy way out and give up, but what would happen if they didn't?
Throughout my life, I've hit so many walls, and at times, I literally couldn't move on. Walls can be made up of disappointment, hurt, pain and frustration, just to name a few. It isn't easy, but I would like to encourage you all to carry on because the rewards are just so good. I promise you all that it's worth it.
So, what do you do when you hit the wall? Do you give up, or carry on? I know what I'd do.
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