Month: June 2016

Praying Medic: Seeing In The Spirit Made Simple

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seeing-in-the spirit

Many Christians assent to the reality of miracles, dreams and visions and other supernatural encounters with Jesus. Yet the vast majority rarely move in these things. Often God seems to be at a distance or only understood at the level of the mind.

Part of the reason for this is bad teaching (“The gifts are not for today.”) or bad practice which suggests that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are rarely given and only to a few special “men of God.”

This book written anonymously by a paramedic dispels this notion. Praying Medic prays often with his patients on the way to hospital and sees many of them healed. Often he employs a process he calls “seeing in the spirit” which is visualising what God is doing in the present situation.

This book is really easy to read and simply written. It encourages the reader to step out in faith and to use their “spiritual eyes” as a part of their prayer life. A number of exercises are given to help this process along.

 

 

Reflection on Galatians 5:13-25

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images

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+5.13-25

Scripture
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace,patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. There is no law against these things.

Observation
Let the Holy Spirit guide your life and you won’t be walking in sin. Our sinful nature opposes the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit gives us desires that counteract our human nature. So, if we obey the Spirit we don’t need external agencies such as the Law of Moses to keep us on the path of righteousness.

The works of the sinful nature are evident: sexual immorality, selfishness, fighting and witchcraft. These things have no part in God’s kingdom. But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Those who belong to Christ have nailed these things to the cross. As people of the Spirit, we must live by the Spirit in every part of our lives.

Application
The true follower of Christ is constantly advancing, changing to become more like Christ. The Holy Spirit is transforming us away from our sinful self-directed ways and towards the Spirit-directed was.

We must be careful to yield every part of our life to Christ- home, family, work, leisure, friendships and so on. Every part of my life must be nailed to the cross, handed over to Christ. My repeated prayer must be, “Lord have your way in this aspect of my life.”

Sometimes the changes seem slow and imperceptible. Sometimes we face challenges that seem to throw us back into selfishness. As we daily seek to yield everything to the Lord, change will come and we will be people of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, grow your fruit in my life. Please help me to turn away from my own desires and to let your desires grow in me. Amen.

Reflection on 2 Kings 2:1-14

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elisha-watching-elijah-depart-1

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2Kings+2.1-14

Scripture

Elisha struck the water with Elijah’s cloak and cried out, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” Then the river divided, and Elisha went across.

Observation

Elijah and Elisha travel to some of the key places in Israel. At each place, Elijah tells Elisha to stay while he travels on, but Elisha is determined to follow Elijah.

At each place, the local prophetic community come and tell Elisha that the Lord is going to take Elijah away that day.

Elijah and Elisha cross the Jordan near Jericho. Elijah asks Elisha what he can do for him. Elisha asks for a double portion of the Spirit that is on Elisha. Suddenly a chariot of fire appears, and Elijah is taken up in a whirlwind.

Elisha takes up Elijah’s cloak and crossed the Jordan.

Application

This is a story about spiritual sonship. Elisha, the son to Elijah, is determined to walk with Elijah to the end. Nothing will deter him. When asked what he wants from Elijah, Elisha asks for a double portion of the Spirit that is on Elijah- this is the language of inheritance not of arithmetic.

Everyone needs a spiritual father- someone whom they can love and learn from, serve and walk with. Out orphan society, in its obsession with individual fulfilment, misses the point that our biggest joys come in close relationships.

Elisha received the “double portion” and the cloak of authority precisely because of his love and commitment to Elijah.

Prayer

Lord help me to be a son/daughter to a spiritual father. May I walk in the grace of passionate commitment to the people you place me in relationship with. Amen.

20 Reason Why Euthanasia Corrupts Everything.

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Euthanasia is the latest feature of the culture of death to be promoted in the West. The positives are trumpeted in the media but the full story is never told. Here are some reasons why euthanasia is bad for us.

From Lifesitenews.com:

20 reasons why euthanasia corrupts everything it touches, and must be opposed

There are many in-depth analyses of assisted suicide and euthanasia flying about the Internet as the debate heats up in the Canadian Parliament and Senate. I’ve written several myself. Today, however, I want to give twenty summarized reasons for why people should reconsider euthanasia. Canada’s media – with notable exceptions like theNational Post’sAndrew Coyne – have consistently promoted assisted suicide, with the result that many of the consequences and implications have not been adequately considered:

1.  Assisted suicide suggests that for people to “die with dignity,” they must die faster. The underlying insinuation of the “Death with Dignity” movement is that those who do not opt for an expedited exit are not dying with dignity.  

2. Assisted suicide undermines the supposed purpose of the medical establishment: To heal patients, save lives, and reduce pain. To refer to killing patients as a “medical service” is an assault on medicine and on the English language. 

3. Assisted suicide reduces those who qualify for this “service” to second-class citizen status. If someone without depression does not qualify for assisted suicide, for example, but someone with depression does, the state has effectively judged the life of the person with depression as being less valuable. 

Read the full article here

Reflection on Luke 7:36-8:3

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7-woman-at-jesus-feet

Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7:36-8:3

Scripture

“She has been forgiven all her many sins. This is why she has shown me such extravagant love. But those who assume they have very little to be forgiven will love me very little.”

Observation

A Jewish religious leader invites Jesus to dinner. A local prostitute joins the party. She falls at Jesus’ feet, washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. She then takes an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and anoints His feet.

Simon thinks that Jesus cannot be a prophet to accept this worship from this woman.

Jesus tells a story of two men who could not repay their debts. The banker forgives these debts. Jesus asks Simon who would be the most thankful. Simon replies, “The one who owed the most.”

Jesus then rebukes Simon for not even doing the minimum for Jesus as a guest. In contrast the woman had poured out her heart and her tears in love for Jesus. Her extravagant worship was because she knew she had been forgiven much.

Jesus then tells her that her sins are forgiven.

Application

We all carry a huge burden of sin. Some of us are more aware of this burden than others.

Some try to cure it with religion. They try to prove to God that they really are good people and not awful sinners. Religion might make us feel better about ourselves but it doesn’t deal with the real problem.

Only the free grace and love of Jesus can set us free from our sin. We cannot pay the debt we owe God, so He forgives the debt.

When we realise that, then our hearts are overwhelmed with joy and adoration.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for forgiving me. You have taken that burden of guilt away. Amen.

Dear Sons…

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In the United States this week a particularly nasty sexual assault case has made headlines. A young woman was raped but had the courage to confront her rapist in court. The rapist’s father called for leniency in a way that made it clear that the perpetrator was his father’s son, and the young criminal was sentenced to just 6 months prison time, where the standard is more like 10 years.

Ann Voskamp writes a powerful letter to her own sons encouraging them to be real men.

Dear Sons,

When you’re the mother of four sons,the Stanford rape case— it’s not about somebody else… it’s about us.

Let’s be real clear, boys — I’m never writing you a letter like the father of Brock Turner, defending any sexual assault of a horrifically traumatized young woman as merely as “20 minutes of action.”

Rape is not “20 minutes of action” — it’s a violent act with lifetime consequences and it’s time for parents to takefar less than 20 minutes of actionand stand up right now and say hard things to our sons right now before it’s too late.

The Stanford rape case is about having a conversation with sons about hard things and asking sons to do holy things.

Read the full article at Ann’s blog

Reflection on Galatians 2:15-21

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+2.15-21

Scripture
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me.

Observation
Paul is a Jew by birth but he knows that it is faith in Christ, not the Law that makes him right with God. No one will ever be made right with God by obeying the Law.

Sin is not in following Christ but in seeking to rebuild the old system of Law. The Law condemns; Paul died to the Law and stopped trying to meet its demands.

His old self was crucified with Christ. He no longer lives but Christ lives in him.

Application
Many christians want to re-introduce various Old Testament laws and ordinances to make them super-christians, different and better than ordinary christians.

Paul makes it clear that the Law only brings condemnation and judgement. He should know as He was the Pharisee’s Pharisee, the champion of law-keeping.

There is nothing that we can add to grace to make God live us more. There is nothing we can do that will earn God’s favour. We already have it all through Christ our Lord.

Prayer
Thank you Lord for your deep and eternal love. I can do nothing to grow your love for me so I simply receive it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Kings 21:1-24

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Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+21.1-24

Scripture
Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.”

Observation
King Ahab demands that Naboth sell his vineyard to him. When Naboth refuses because it is his ancestral land, Ahab gets all sulky.

Queen Jezebel, always a woman of action, arranges a public feast where some scoundrels are to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. Naboth is stoned and Ahab gets the vineyard.

The Lord is angered by this. Elijah pronounces judgement against Ahab and Jezebel.

Application
We all exercise power and influence over others to some extent even though we are not all leaders of nations.

The issue here is how we exercise this power. Ahab and Jezebel used their power for purely selfish goals rather than for the good f their kingdom. They were not afraid to take the life of a man of integrity in order to get their way.

Our words and deeds can build people up or pull them down. Our actions may seem acceptable to us but destroy the livelihood, reputation or family of another.

The way of godly influence is through service, laying down our own rights and desires for the sake of others.

Prayer
Father help me to live a life of sacrifice and service to build others up and to glorify your name. Amen.