Tag: shawnbolz

Bible Chapter 8:1-8 passages in the Gospels #1 Matthew

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Most mornings, I am awake enough to see John’s clock beside the bed. Usually, the clock says somewhere between 8:02 and 8:08. In James Goll’s advice about journaling and getting your dreams recorded, he stressed getting down the exact time, because it’s probably a Scripture the Spirit is leading you to look up. This led the Spirit to prompt me to do another Bible series. It’s been a while since I’ve done one, so here goes. I begin with Matthew 8:1.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

8:1 When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

This is the story of a single leper, as opposed to the story of the ten. Notice, Jesus had to be ready “in season and out of season” to minister to great multitudes, but at the same time, minister to the one person in front of him. Another thing I notice is that the leper came and worshipped Jesus, probably kneeling at his feet. Let us worship Him for who He is before we bring our requests.

The Leper’s question is one most of us ask, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” We must believe Jesus is willing to answer our prayers when we pray them. Jesus reached out and touched the diseased man, and said, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Faith, which includes the idea of trust in our Heavenly Father, and His Son, is what needs to be exercised. “Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

My hands were healed of housewife’s eczema, which could qualify as leprosy according to the Bible definition.

Jesus urged the healed man to not tell anyone but go straight to the priests. Can you imagine what would have happened if the man spread the news and it got to the priests before he did? I wonder how many priests over the generations got a chance to see a healed leper. Being from the community, they would have recognized the man as a leper, even as he came to them healed.

Appearing with the offering prescribed by the Law, fully cleansed, was to be a testimony to the priests. These days we live in, many need a testimony of seeing Jesus healing people to believe. Blessed is he that believes without seeing! But also bless the one who needs a sign to move their heart, bypassing their head knowledge!

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” 7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.

Jesus entered Capernaum, meaning the village of consolation/comfort. The centurion, leader of one hundred soldiers, came to Jesus, pleading with him. Centurions weren’t known for pleading with anyone! Jesus has compassion for those who humble themselves before him. The servant was paralyzed, dreadfully tormented. This centurion was also tormented, by his love and respect for the servant. In Jesus’ compassion, he offered to go straight to the centurion’s home. The centurion was a military man, trained to follow protocol. He knew he was not worthy to have Jesus come to his home. He trusted Jesus to have the power to heal his servant without touching him.

What about us? Most of us have not seen Jesus with our own eyes, but he is just as willing today to honor the scripture from Psalm 107:20 He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions (or fears). What happened in the Bible and in past generations is still available for us today. If it was done in the past, the Lord can still do it today! Let us believe that we serve a prayer hearing, prayer answering Father God. As His children, connected with Jesus, we have the same power and authority available to us that Jesus did.

Here is the most recent book I have read. Wow! Shawn’s accounts of his heavenly encounters through dreams and visions are inspiring. He shares how God is doing a maturing process that will make us as strong oak trees with deep roots. He shares seeing Father, Son, and Spirit working on creating us. Jesus is ecstatic about the destiny they are planning for each one, each person is his favorite. There is a perfect plan for each of us, but the enemy thwarts as much of that plan as he can manage with his minions. It inspired me to dig in deep and realize I don’t have to let the evil one into my plans. If we don’t partner with the evil spirits, they cannot have any power on earth. I encourage you to read this book. It reveals a lot of what’s happened and is happening, and what is about to happen! We who know Jesus have bright days ahead!

I leave you with a photo I took one morning as I awoke, the sunlight shining through the blinds. Notice the Ukranian doilies I have on my dresser. It’s a great memory of our trips there and good for remembering to pray. Since my page won’t let me leave the box below empty, I’ll let you contemplate what’s going on in the firmament between us and heaven.

Tropical Depression Alex (Atlantic Ocean) by NASA Goddard Photo and Video is licensed under CC-BY 2.0

Random Mid-August Musing

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Welcome readers to another random post. I hope some of these thoughts will bless you or cause you to act as you muse with me this week!

I have been listening to Exploring the Industry with Shawn Bolz. https://bolzministries.com/ It is encouraging for me to hear what God is doing through obedient servants in Los Angeles. My daughter and her husband are raising their two children there and it has given me hope that they will come into their destiny in Christ as many others have in the Hollywood area. There are many people in the industry that went against their families or church to follow the dream in their heart and walked away from God and church. Those who have done ministry within the industry are finding these lost ones and bringing them back into the fold. It’s good to hear about the excellent Christian content in media that is coming forth when these people catch the fire of God’s love.

Do you realize we can die peacefully in our bed, couch or favorite chair; or like Enoch, Elijah and Moses, be taken up to heaven; in perfect health of body, mind and soul?

Deuteronomy 34:7Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.

I’ve heard that because Moses saw God’s glory, that glory made it so he would never die [remember his glowing face that the people made him cover?], so God had to take him out of this world. What will it look like when we shine with the Glory of God? God hid Moses’ body so the people couldn’t find his tomb and worship him as their idol.

But not all the patriarchs made it to old age unscathed. Isaac’s eyes were dim.

Genesis 27:1a ‘Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son…’ 21 Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.”

King David could not get warm.

1 Kings 1:1 Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm. 2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.” 3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

Notice the end of 1 Kings 1:4 says “but the king did not know her.” She was in his bed. But they had no sexual relations.

Getting back to the glory shining on Moses’ face: I heard about families affected by God’s glory during the Azusa Street Revival in California in the early 1900s. They lived in divine health and healing. If one of the children was injured, they would pray right away and the child would be healed. In fact, Sid Roth has interviewed a man who was one of those children who is still alive to tell about the glory cloud in the church. It was so heavy the children played hide and seek in it!

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Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Let the ‘good wheat’ the Father planted continue to grow and the ‘tares’ or weeds the enemy planted grow with them until the harvest. I’ve had an authentic example of this in my garden. Some of my pea plants are growing right out of a weed, and I found I cannot pull up the weed without pulling up the plant. In our life, there are ‘tares’ sown among the Church brethren, but taking them out before harvest ruins both the good and the bad. What do you think this looks like in practice with people? Have you seen an example in your own life?

Image result for racial unrest

Racial unrest? Check out https://civilrighteousness.org/ for help to process the racial unrest from a Biblical perspective and take action to beat back the tide of divide. I heard about this sit when Shawn Bolz interviewed Jonathan Tremaine (JT) Thomas on Exploring the Prophetic Season 3, Episode 50 [I watch these episodes on Podbean].

Another podcast I follow is Bethel Church Sermon of the Week. The one that intrigued me is The Game is Rigged from July 11, 2020. As Dr. Kevin Zadai says, “The game is rigged. There’s no way we can lose because God has a plan and failure is not part of it.” Games have rules and consequences, so people know how to play. The Hunger Games show us a zero-sum ending where you kill before they kill you. In Jesus, we have a higher level of play than this.

We need to learn how to live from Scriptures, not the world’s game makers. Jesus sets us up for success. We need to fight the kind of fights He did. Look for redemption, make room for apology and forgiveness, and have restoration as a goal. Not the ‘cancel culture’ with an accusatory attitude. The woman caught in adultery; He did not condemn, but told her “go and sin no more.” May we be redemptive and restorative in our battles here on earth as He was. See each person as God sees them, a beloved one that needs to be gently put back on the right path. Learn what is going on, lean in to connect with the person; not the mantra or movement. And then use confrontation in love. Offering restoration will bring forth good fruits of salvation and more workers into the kingdom.

Shalom Dear Readers!