Tag: Praise

Adversity

Today’s a new day! Are you currently walking through a storm? Maybe you just came out of a season of trials. We have all been in one of those seasons at some point in our lives. But as we deal with the different trials of life, I believe that God has placed within each of us, seeds of strength, resilience, and fortitude. We can tap into an unbeatable spirit to overcome the adversities of life.

As I have run this crazy beautiful health journey for the last 22 years, I have leaned on the word of God to help me navigate through the storms of life. I pray the following words will help and encourage you as you run your own life journey.

(1) We can run in God’s Presence. In Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always even to the end of the world. And in Isaiah 41:10, we can lean into this promise “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
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Even when we suffer adversity, we can know that we are in the presence of God. What a great encouragement and comfort to help us through those difficult times.

(2) We can learn from God’s Promises. The Psalmist affirmed that God would be with us. That he is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” God promises help. Comfort. Hope. And in 1 Peter 5:7, we read “And I will care for you.” God feels our pain. He will supply our every need.

(3) We can lean on God’s Power. No matter what we are facing in life, the love and power of God is with us. Finite strength is undependable and expendable, but God’s infinite power is sufficient for every need. Indeed we are “kept by the power of God” (1 Peter 1:5)

(4) We can look for God’s Purpose. I promise you God’s purpose is not to make you miserable. The Apostle Paul said to “rejoice in the Lord” God does not send pain, problems and pressures. God is the giver of good gifts. “Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” ~James‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭

So what is God’s purpose for us when we face adversity? That’s a big question. But for me, it has taught me to Walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7) My season of adversity as made me stronger (James 1:2-3) I have learned to focus on the eternal plan in Jesus. (Ephesians 3:11) To claim victory through his love, grace and mercy. (Romans 8:30-31).

As we continue to run this race called life, we all will suffer moments of adversity. Sometimes we will experience extreme tragedy. Yet, whatever the trials, storms and tragedies we face, we can always walk in the hope, comfort, grace, strength and love of God. ~OC

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Morning Prayer

Dear Lord, we humbly approach you with hearts overflowing with thankfulness and praise. Your boundless love and mercy and your enduring faithfulness fills us with awe. We are grateful for the precious gift of life; for every breath we take and for every heartbeat. Lord, we thank you for all the blessings you have generously given. We are thankful for the people you have brought into our lives. We are deeply grateful for the precious gift of your son, Jesus Christ. We humbly seek your forgiveness for the times we have fallen short and for the moments we overlook the blessings you have granted us. We commit to follow you with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
Lord, we humbly ask for your healing touch in every aspect of our lives – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Heal all illnesses, Lord, all diseases, and all weaknesses in our bodies. Mend every emotional wound and soothe every heartache, and heal every trauma. Lord, renew our minds and transform them through your word and fill us with your peace. We ask for your protection over our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. Lord, shield us from every deception and every trap set by the enemy toward any spirit that enters our lives with intentions to harm, to steal, and to destroy. Provide us, Lord, with your peace and safeguard us in times of turmoil by your grace and mercy. We pray all this in Jesus Name.

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I Am A…..

Today’s a new day! Over the last few years, when people ask me if I am a Christian I hesitate for just a second. It’s not that I am ashamed of being a follower of Jesus, but so many Christians have given the word “Christian “ a bad name. So I usually answer by sharing my Mission Statement for Life which states, “I am a flawed individual chasing after Jesus.”

“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭

When I was ten years old, I asked Jesus to come into my life and was baptized. For years I would refer to myself as a Christian when asked. But in the last few years, the word “Christian” has been hijacked by a certain segment of the Christian community that looks nothing like the Jesus I read about in the Bible. So personally, I need to make the distinction between Christian and a person running after Jesus.

Because when people look at my faith, I do not want them seeing a judgmental, close minded Christian that is sadly so prevalent in the Christian community these days. No, I want anyone that God brings my way, to see someone who loves and respects people right where they’re at in life. I want to build relationships that go far beyond any differences we may have. I pray people walk away from their interaction with me feeling loved and encouraged. Also maybe with a better understanding of Jesus, who gave all on the Cross for all of us. ~OC

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Dear God, It’s Me Again

Today’s a new day! Dear God, in this moment of stillness and reflection we humbly come before Your presence with hearts full of faith, hope, love and trust. We thank You for the countless blessings You have bestowed upon us, and for Your unwavering love that guides us through every season of life. Lord, as we humbly stand at the threshold of this journey we surrender our fears and doubts into Your capable hands. We trust that Your plans for us are far greater than we can fathom. Dear Lord, fill our hearts with unwavering faith that even in the midst of challenges we will not falter. You have promised that You will never leave us nor forsake us. May this truth resonate within us, allowing us to humbly rise above any circumstances that may come our way. We ask that You help us anchor our hope and faith in Your promises knowing that Your word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In moments of problems, remind us of Your unchanging nature. We ask that Your love and Grace continue to shine upon us. In Your precious name we pray. Amen. ~OC

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Is the Church Ready for Revival?

In 2023, I attended the Asbury Revival with some friends. During and after that experience, we saw pockets of revival happen across America. But the small fires of revival never turned into a spiritual wildfire. Why is that?

Let me start off by saying, I believe that revival is a gift from God and He grants it sovereignly according to His will. But sadly, I do not believe the American Church or the Christian community is living out scripture in a way that revival can spread beyond those small pockets of fire. The following are some things I believe need to happen before revival can be experienced across America. Remember, these are just my thoughts. Things I believe God has revealed to me, since the Asbury Revival of 2023. But of course, God can bring revival to America and the world anytime He wants. I pray He would.

1). I do not believe God’s people in America are truly desperate for God. We may say we’re desperate for God, but our hearts do not match our words. It has been some time since I have seen a church or faith gathering truly plead for God’s presence.

2).The Church and its members tend to be more concerned about the sins of others and less concerned about their own shortcomings. Few people in the church are so broken over their personal shortcomings that all they can do is cry out to God.

3). In America we love our stuff. That includes Christians. We know it’s all fleeting, but we treat it as if it weren’t. The more stuff we have, the happier we feel and the less we feel we need God – and most people in America have much more stuff than the majority of the people around the world do.

4).Most Christians do not take time to know God’s word. To really let it sink into our hearts. Those that really do know the word, tend to have more of a head knowledge and less of a heart transformation. I am thankful for those believers who not only know the word, but actually live it out.

5).The Church is lacking prayer warriors. Have you tried to put together a prayer gathering lately? You usually get the same few people and even that can be like pulling teeth. Our prayers tend to be reactionary; that is, we pray only when we must. Not many people are lying on their faces at one or two in the morning, pleading with God to fall on us with His power.

6).Too many churches appear more concerned about opening up more campuses and less concerned about growing more disciples. In my experience, a lot of churches that show any signs of growth seldom feel the need for revival.

7). Is the Church and the Christian community ready to pay the cost of revival? When God falls on us in His power, the result must be a brokenness that leads to repentance from sin and weeping over lostness. It means calling the church to holiness. Revival often wounds first before it heals – and I’m simply not convinced that the American Church is ready for all of that.

I will continue to pray for real revival to move through God’s people and the Church. I pray with anticipation for God to move in a mighty way across America and the world. Blessings. ~OC

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Speaking in Tongues

Today’s a new day! This past weekend, I was watching a prayer gathering online, where I saw someone praying over a woman with cancer. The lady praying asked the woman dealing with cancer if she had the gift of speaking in tongues. The cancer warrior stated she did not. The woman praying then made the comment that maybe that’s the reason this lady fighting cancer had not experienced a healing. My heart broke. This is false teaching! You will not find this teaching anywhere in the Bible.

Sadly, I have been at gatherings like the one above and have seen many Christians manipulate people into speaking in tongues. They have people basically parrot what they’re hearing. This is wrong and definitely not from Jesus. He never did that. No where in scripture, do you ever read where Jesus told anyone to be healed as long as they spoke in tongues. I have been in numerous religious settings where everyone is speaking in tongues and there is no interpreter. That is not Biblical.

I have also been to religious meetings where it taught that speaking in tongues is evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Once again, the Bible does not support this. We do see in the Bible that sometimes when people received the Holy Spirit that they spoke in tongues (another language).  All believers have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and are baptized with the Holy Spirit.  All, however, do not speak in tongues.

A point I want to make here is, I believe people have the gift of speaking in tongues. Just like some people have the gift of Serving, Healing, Teaching, Leadership, Evangelism, etc. But not everyone has all the gifts. And that’s okay.

Just like with speaking in tongues, we cannot coach or manipulate someone into having any of spiritual gifts unless the Holy Spirit gives them a particular gift. Some people have been blessed with multiple gifts. And that’s awesome!

Not all Christians need to speak in tongues and not all Christians will. Once again, that’s okay.

My heart is broken, when I see people who are hurting walk away from a religious gathering feeling like they did not measure up or they did not receive a healing because they did not speak in tongues. I believe God will deal with people who preach this false gospel in His own way.

I encourage every Christian to seek a personal and intimate relationship with God. Pursue your dreams and live your life to the fullest. Acknowledge God in whatever you do and he will show you the way you should go.

You do not need to speak in tongues to experience a more effective prayer life. The Bible says that if we pray according to God’s will, then he hears us and will meet our needs. Jesus can heal that person with cancer or some other health issue who does not speak in tongues, just as easily as He can decide to bring that person with cancer who does speak in tongues home to Heaven. There is never a requirement to speak in tongues to get your prayers answered or to experience salvation in Jesus.

So today, walk in the freedom of Jesus and watch Him move in your life. ~OC

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A Milestone

Good Morning! Today I hit a milestone. Earlier this morning, I wrote my 1,000 post. Well, I guess this is 1,001. I could never have imagined writing a thousand post when I started this blog back on June 28, 2018 with the help of my amazing bride Laura and wonderful sister in love Faith. I could never have imagined that I would write and have a book published based on my blog entries.

Over the past six years, I have always tried to write what I believe God put on my heart. The majority of my blogposts have been written from a hospital room on 4 South at Good Samaritan Medical Center. My post have been about my experiences and my observations of the world as I have run this crazy beautiful health journey. A lot of the post were written long before I even started my blog. That’s why it’s a good idea to journal.

I know over the years, my writings have caused a lot of conversations. Some good. Some not so good. But they have started much needed conversations. That’s what a writer is supposed to do. Stir up conversation.

Over the years, many people have shared my blog gave them the courage to start writing their own story. Some have even published their own books. That means a lot to me.

So I will continue sharing my thoughts. I am not sure how many more post I have in me, but I will keep writing until the day comes to put a period on my journey. Thankfully that’s not today. ~OC

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What Do You See?

Today’s a new day!

What do you see in the world around you? Broken hearts, broken souls, or even lives that seem lost forever?  Some say they will never change or they aren’t worth it.

So here’s my question… If we see these things and don’t reach out with compassion and love to help their situation, are we saying they don’t matter?

Maybe we are saying it’s not my problem, or someone else will handle it. Seeing the world today makes me wonder, are we truly seeing all these things but our hearts are blind to caring for others through compassion, sharing God’s love and reaching out to see what we may do to ease the pain?

Now for those of you thinking, I understand some folks don’t want or can’t expect help.  But what about the ones who want help but don’t reach out because of judgement?  How about sharing with them that God never wants our perfect plans, He wants us the imperfect us. 

He wants my heart open to give someone hope and to show them love and joy through Him.  God’s heart beats for the broken.  If we cling to the Spirit of God, we will begin to see it is not by sight, nor by might, but by the Spirit of God.

Open your heart to those hurting and lost; show them how God loves them today, yesterday and in the days to come. He will stop at nothing to hear our broken cries. 

So I ask you to close your eyes right now, so your heart can see again.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us: Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

I pray your day is filled with amazing moments and God’s blessings. ~OC

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Cracked Ground

Today’s a new day! In life, we will go through dry seasons. The land under our feet will be cracked. During those dry and broken seasons, all we want is to experience a little hope and joy.

But as we walk through those dry seasons, we have to lean into hope. That genuine hope that can bring joy back to our lives. Like rain on a drought-ridden desert, hope refreshes our lives and brings us lasting peace. Where does such hope come from?

It comes from placing our hope and trust in God. He came to solve a problem that every person faces in life. It is called sin.

The Bible says that because of the wrong things we do, everyone falls short of who God wants us to be. Because of the wrong things that we do, sin separates us from God. But, Jesus came to earth over two thousand years ago to pay the price for our sins. When he died in our place on that old rugged Cross, He broke the power of sin and death and created a new relationship with God for us. By rising from the grave, His promise of new life became hope and change.

When we allow God to take control of our lives, He will bring life-giving forgiveness into our situation and bring us that beautiful hope; real hope that is as precious to you as rain falling on a drought-ridden land.

With God in our life, we will never face our problems alone. We will experience victory instead of failure. We can stand with God and watch Him guide us through life in ways that are far better than we could ever think or imagine.  God will put our lives back together again and walk with us one step at a time. ~OC

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Brokenness….A Gift

Today’s a new day!

Sometimes I feel broken.

There are times I look at my life and see all the ways I fall short. Maybe it was my negative attitude or words that negatively affected someone else.

There are so many ways to feel broken- physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. In the middle of our brokenness, it’s easy to agonize over whether or not we can ever be acceptable to God or be used by Him during our brokenness. I know I struggle with this sometimes.

During this crazy beautiful health journey, God has taught me a valuable lesson about being broken.

Our brokenness is a gift. A gift? Yes, a gift because our brokenness connects us to other people walking through their own brokenness. A gift because our brokenness brings us closer to God. It is during our brokenness that God makes us whole.

Sharing our brokenness brings meaning and healing to our own crazy beautiful journey.

Blessings happen during the brokenness. As I have shared my health journey with others, people have reached out to me and shared how my journey has helped them walk through their own crazy beautiful journey. It has been a blessing to see God move through my brokenness.

Being broken is a gift, because through our brokenness we recognize our need for God. Because only through God can our broken life be made whole.

I am so grateful for the gift of being broken. During my brokenness God has continued to love me and use me in spite of my brokenness. What a gift.

My prayer for you is that during your brokenness, you will look to God and allow Him to use you during this time. I pray you will find the gift of brokenness as God puts your broken pieces back together. ~OC

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