New Testament Reading: Luke 8
Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 53:1-5
On Friday night, our church had a prayer meeting. The living room was packed with people. Throughout the night, God spoke through different people. It was a joy to see God speaking to different people linking their words, images, and visions together. It is like you were actually hearing the voice of God. One young woman felt God spoke to her that God wanted to, "Heal incurable diseases and sicknesses."
On Sunday, God totally changed what I had planned to speak on directing my attention minutes before I preached to Luke 8 and the story of the demoniac. The result was 2 people surrendered their lives to Jesus asking him to forgive them of their sins and free them from shame and pain. Several more people responded coming to Jesus to ask him to free them from various patterns they felt bound to. One person expressed feeling as if "a weight" had been lifted off her.
After the Sunday meeting, I talked to one young man who said that he felt that God was saying, "I want to forgive sins that seem unforgivable and heal sicknesses that seem incurable."
To be honest, unlike Friday where I felt the overflow of the Holy Spirit filling me with joy and faith, on Sunday I felt completely dry. Yet, God kept speaking, and God accomplished so much on Sunday despite how I felt. Faith is not based on a feeling. Faith is based on the truth of God's word; and in Luke 8, we see that it is Jesus that sets the demoniac free, makes the incurable woman well, and raises the little girl from the dead. This Jesus is still alive; he is still setting people free. He died to make it possible. Let your faith rise as you read these stories and let us remember from Isaiah 53 that Jesus made it all possible through his death on the cross. Praise God!
On Friday night, our church had a prayer meeting. The living room was packed with people. Throughout the night, God spoke through different people. It was a joy to see God speaking to different people linking their words, images, and visions together. It is like you were actually hearing the voice of God. One young woman felt God spoke to her that God wanted to, "Heal incurable diseases and sicknesses."
On Sunday, God totally changed what I had planned to speak on directing my attention minutes before I preached to Luke 8 and the story of the demoniac. The result was 2 people surrendered their lives to Jesus asking him to forgive them of their sins and free them from shame and pain. Several more people responded coming to Jesus to ask him to free them from various patterns they felt bound to. One person expressed feeling as if "a weight" had been lifted off her.
After the Sunday meeting, I talked to one young man who said that he felt that God was saying, "I want to forgive sins that seem unforgivable and heal sicknesses that seem incurable."
To be honest, unlike Friday where I felt the overflow of the Holy Spirit filling me with joy and faith, on Sunday I felt completely dry. Yet, God kept speaking, and God accomplished so much on Sunday despite how I felt. Faith is not based on a feeling. Faith is based on the truth of God's word; and in Luke 8, we see that it is Jesus that sets the demoniac free, makes the incurable woman well, and raises the little girl from the dead. This Jesus is still alive; he is still setting people free. He died to make it possible. Let your faith rise as you read these stories and let us remember from Isaiah 53 that Jesus made it all possible through his death on the cross. Praise God!
"And by his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5b)
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