Wonderful Jesus!

Category: Faith

• A Bold Example!

  Posted at 3:52 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on March 26, 2020

  John 9:6-7 – “When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.” NKJV

  Jesus is amazing! And when He was on the Earth, there was none who compared to Him! And that is even truer today, although He uses us to keep His kingdom running smoothly!This account of the healing of the blind man could very easily be my absolute favorite! One of the things I love about this miracle is that there was so much going on and John told us all about it!

  For those of you who may not be as familiar with this miracle, I’ll give you a summary: Jesus was leaving the temple and as He did He passed a man who born blind. The disciples asked Jesus who sinned, the man or his parents? (The reason they asked Jesus this could be based on Exodus 15:26 where God promised that He wouldn’t allow sickness and disease to come upon them if they obeyed Him). I don’t know for sure, but it is pretty obvious that they felt the man was blind because someone sinned.

  Jesus goes on to tell the disciples that neither one had sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (Let me pause here and say that Jesus isn’t saying that this man was born blind so that God could get glory from His life! God is not the one who puts sickness and disease on people)! Many people wonder why sickness and disease is even in the world if it isn’t God’s will for His people, and that’s a good question. Just remember that sin entered the world through Adam’s treason and this world has not been redeemed! Sin is still in the earth and all of its consequences, humanity suffers as a result of sin and that’s why we need Jesus!

  However, more likely than not the rendering of this verse is incorrect in the NKJV. In one of my Logos commentaries, this verse is rendered quite differently. Here’s what I discovered: First of all, the commentator wrote that the phrase, “this happened” was added into the text. He also explained that since the original text didn’t have punctuation, it could have been punctuated incorrectly. Then he wrote, “It is possible to punctuate this so as to provide the following translation: ‘Jesus replied, “Neither this man sinned nor his parents. But so that the works of God may be revealed in him it is necessary for us to work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no-one is able to work.” ’ Punctuated in this way, the text implies not that the man was born blind so that the works of God may be revealed in him, but that Jesus had to carry out the work of God while it was day so that God’s work might be revealed in the life of the man born blind.” Now that will preach!!! And it better fits with the character of Jesus!

  Anyway, Jesus made clay with His saliva, anointed the man’s eyes with the clay and told him to go and wash his eyes in the pool of Siloam. (I wonder sometimes what would happen if we made clay for someone’s eyes what would be their response)? If you read my blog “A Special Occassion” you will remember that I mentioned obedience is a first step in getting a miracle. This man had to obey Jesus’ directive to not only go and wash, but to wash in the pool of Siloam. What if a person had a jug of water nearby and had offered it to him to keep him from having to stumble about looking for the pool? Would he have been healed? I don’t think so. Jesus didn’t say go and wash, He said go and wash in the pool of Siloam.

  I believe we want to see miracles in our lives, but when we pray, and God gives us directions through His Spirit, we either change the directions or think the details are unimportant, That won’t produce a miracle. I had a friend who was attacked in her body and had gotten an evil report from the doctor. She was also losing her sight and was unable to drive anymore. The Lord told me to go over to her house, decree the healing scriptures over her and to then pray. I was really nervous about doing this because she had more years in the Lord then I did. But I obeyed God! And not long after, her health and her sight returned! He’s awesome like that!!

  I’ve prayed for a lot of people over the years. Most of the time I am just obeying the word that states if we lay hands on the sick they shall recover, or the vision that as I lay my hands on people, God’s power will flow into them and they will be healed. But there are times, when God speaks to my spirit and give me instructions and I am absolutely sure a miracle will take place. That’s when I am bold for the Lord! But then there are times God speak to me, and I struggle with doing what He asks. I wonder if it’s just me or if it’s the devil trying to make me look like a fool. So I have not yet perfected obedience in this area!

  If you want to see God move in your life or the life of someone else, you will have to be bold in the thing the Lord tell you to do! Faith is bold, faith is radical! And that kind of faith brings heaven to earth! Jesus was bold in everything He did! I want to be just like Him and do the things He did! But if I am going to follow Him in walking in the supernatural, then I understand that I am going to have to follow Him in being bold! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, Healing, Jesus, miracle | 6 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Jesus, miraculous, supernatural, testimony

• Miraculous Provision

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 23, 2020

  Matthew 14:18-21 – “He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” NKJV

  It’s really hard to give one verse and then to talk about a miracle. Especially since sometimes the details are the best part of the actual miracle!

  Many years ago, I sat in a service listening to a missionary. He spoke of the salvations and the many wonderful people he met and ministered to. But then he began talking about a miracle that he witnessed. He shared how they had prepared food for a certain number of people but as it came time to feed them, more than double showed up. So they began praying over the food and it turned out to be more than enough. He knew Jesus had multiplied food again! I knew I wanted to know that Jesus and was the first at the altar!

  By again, I’m referring to our passage for today! Jesus had a crowd following behind Him to be ministered to and He realized they were hungry. We know from other accounts that the disciples wanted them to go somewhere else and eat, but Jesus had a different plan. They saw a young lad with five loaves and two fish and Jesus said it was enough. The disciples had to have been thinking that there was no way that they could feed all of those people with so little. Yet, He did!

  Jesus took the meal and blessed it. Right here is a shouting moment! Anything that Jesus blesses is going to multiply! There’s no stopping that! Then He broke the loaves of bread and gave them to the disciples and they passed it out. But in the passing it out, they never ran out. They fed five thousand men, plus the women and children that was with the men. But even if they had only feed 5,000, that’s amazing. On top of that, there were twelve baskets of food remaining. The kid not only had more than enough for lunch, but quite a bit left over for his family and to share. That’s God! More than enough!

  So many people are out of work right now. We’re headed for some tough times if things don’t turn around quickly. But I just want to remind you that the One who performed this miracle in the book of Mark, is still capable of performing miracles of provision today!

  I heard another time, that a young lady had taken a suitcase of clothes to an orphanage to distribute to the children. Only she saw more children then she had clothes in the suitcase. But guess what? The clothes never did run out. How’s is that possible? Jesus! And I think she took that same suitcase to other orphanages and did the same thing.

  When I was in Bible school I had a roommate. We had to pay rent and tuition, and we had to eat. I was working at Pizza Inn making minimum wages and tips. (I think it was about $1.15 at the time). So we didn’t have a lot of extra anything! It was announced that we would be having a work week at the church. Men from all over the States came to work on the headquarters. I didn’t think anything of it because I didn’t have any involvement with all of that. As I was leaving class, I waved to them and said hello to others, but then God spoke to me.

  God told me to take them something to eat for lunch. We didn’t have a lot, but I went to our apartment, found some bread and meat and made sandwiches and Kool-aid. It just happened to be enough for the men that were working. I hadn’t even stopped to count. It just was! For the rest of the week I took them lunch every day, at my expense, and met some really nice people. But the really special thing that happened was that God told me that I would never go hungry. And I never have, although I struggled to take care of myself for several years. He’s always provided!

  He may not multiply your fish and bread, but He can surely stretch your money. Or He can send you groceries. (I have heard several of those types of testimonies, also). Or someone can invite you over for dinner or pay for your food in the grocery line. He has so many creative ways of taking care of us. And I have experienced a few of them!

  Another time, after I got married, I wanted to give my daughter a birthday party. But I didn’t want to ask my husband for the money because he was the only one working and I thought it would be a good time to exercise my faith. So I asked God for the money. Not long after that, we went out for ice cream and my husband spotted a wallet near my feet. It was empty of everything but money. I told the workers there that they could have my number and if the person came back looking for the wallet they could call me and I would return it. But I made it perfectly clear that they would have to be able to tell me exactly how much was in the wallet. The call never came, and I had a party for my baby on Jesus!

  I am fortunate that although I am out of work, I am getting paid. (My pastor would say it is because I am a tither). I know this is nothing but God! I have experienced His goodness to me so many times that I would have just trusted Him to do some other wonderful thing in providing for us if I wasn’t getting paid. He hasn’t failed us yet, and He never will!

  If you are struggling at this time in your finances, because of the coronavirus, this is a good time to use your faith. Begin to talk to the miracle worker, who can turn a little into a lot or who can turn nothing into something. He sees it as His personal responsibility to provide for us, so ask Him today for what you need! Then trust Him to provide it! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, miracle, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, blessings, encouragement, Faith, feeding of five thousand, Jesus, miraculous, provision, testimony, trust in God

• A Special Occassion

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 21, 2020

  John 2:7-8,10-11 – “Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it…And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”
  NKJV

  Have you ever stopped and wondered why Jesus’ first miracle was turning water to wine at a wedding? I remember when our children were younger they watched the Superbook cartoons. I believe in one of the episodes they portrayed Jesus and His disciples at the wedding in Cana; the bride and groom was upset about not having enough wine, and Mary went to Jesus. Then He turned the water to wine and the first miracle happened.

  I don’t know if any of that really happened, but I do know that since this was the first miracle that Jesus performed and that this miracle is a sign that points to Him being the Son of God, that something else was going on. As I was thinking about this miracle, I had a thought that I want to share.

  First, let’s begin with the miracle, water was turned to wine. Mary told Jesus of the need and He remarked that His time had not yet come, and what did this have to do with Him? (In my blog, “Faith is a Time Changer” I expound a little more on this). Mary responded by turning to the servants of the wedding and telling them to do whatever He tells them to do. This seems to be one of the first steps in getting a miracle. When you ask for a miracle, listen for instructions from Him, then obey them!

  We are told that there are 6 water pots, each capable of holding about 30 gallons of water. Jesus told the servants to fill the water pots with water. They obey Him, filling the pots to the brim. He then tells them to dip water and take it to the master of the feast. (By the way, they have been celebrating for about a week already). From the time the water is dipped out of the pot to the tasting of the water, it becomes wine. Not only the water in the dipper, but in all the pots. A miracle has happened. No one has duplicated this miracle. If you want wine, you need grapes, not water!

  However, I did hear a testimony of a missionary who was driving through some dangerous terrain when he ran out of gas. While praying about the situation he saw water nearby and the thought came to him that if God could turn water into wine, He could turn water into gasoline. He got out of the car, got the water and poured it into his tank! And voila! His car started and he made it safely to his destination! Please don’t do this without His instructions!!

  The success of this miracle was in the obedience of the servants. Jesus gave instructions and they were followed to the letter. We don’t know why they obeyed Him, but we do know that they didn’t add to or take from His instructions. Neither did they stop to figure out why Mary asked for wine, and why He was telling them to get water. (Like some of us would gripe and complain about)!

  Why a wedding for the first miracle? I was thinking about that when God reminded me of an assignment I had in Bible School. I was given an assignment to write about the motifs of the Bible. Of course, I was clueless to what a motif was and google was yet to be discovered. I waited until a few days before the assignment was due and approached my professor. (I am still a little put out with him for giving me a grade of a D, then writing on the assignment that it was because I procrastinated. Humm, my principal would have my head)!! Anyway, he explained to me that a motif is a theme or a pattern that is in the Bible.

  When the Holy Spirit reminded me that He works in motifs I saw where He was going with that. Jesus started with a wedding because all that He did will end with a wedding. The wedding of the Bride of Christ! I have absolutely never thought of this before, so I will have to say I received revelation on this last night as I was thinking about this blog! And when you think about new wine, it is symbolic of the Holy Spirit! He provided new wine in abundance as He would release His Spirit in abundance upon His Bride! And water is symbolic of the word, Jesus! He can be so deep! All of this beautiful imagery of God the Father in what seems to be a simple answer to a need in someone’s life! Amazing!

  This is why I believe that the first miracle, which points to Jesus as the Son of God happened at a wedding! Why did Mary have to say anything? I don’t know for sure, but I do know that she pondered every thing that she was told about her son! I believe that she recognized that it was His time and it was up to her to use her faith to help and push Him into His purpose.

  This coronavirus is a terrible pandemic. What is going on around the world is hard to take in. But I believe that this is also a time of destiny for the Body of Christ. I believe that God will use all that is happening to strengthen His Bride in these last days. I also believe that for some of us, it is our time to step into our destiny for the time is getting short. If not now, then when? When we will begin to dare to believe in the Savior who gave so much for us? When will we step out into the unknown realm and dare to believe that a miracle is waiting on the other side!

  I just made that leap of faith and have officially started a teaching ministry, Wonderful Jesus Ministries! The funny thing about the name is that I meant to put Ministry instead of Ministries. I had to laugh at myself and say to the Lord, “How did I make that mistake? I don’t have a ministry let alone, ministries!” Anyway, during this time off I am using it for good, to identify what I am being called to do with this ministry, to spend time in prayer and fasting about it, and to send out words of encouragement and teachings to those of you who read my blog. Thanks for your continued support and know that I covet your prayers for this ministry! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, Jesus, John 2, miracle | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, coronavirus, encouragemnt, Faith, Holy Spirit, Jesus, miraculous, obedience, supernatural, water turned to wine

• Faith That Grows!

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on December 31, 2019

  Matthew 17:20 – So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

  We’ve been looking at this verse and learning about faith that is like a grain of mustard seed. I won’t review what I have written, but if you are just getting in on the blogs, I encourage you to go to the beginning, “Mustard Seed Faith 1” and then come back to this post.

  Jesus talks about a faith that moves mountains. Many have, I believe in error, taught that a little faith will move mountains. Of course, you already know that I don’t agree with that. But here’s a point about little faith that I think is truly important, it can grow to become great faith!

  A mustard seed in a capsule around your neck is a dead seed. It isn’t doing anything. But had that seed been planted and cultivated, it would have grown. I learned recently that mustard seeds are grown into plants and they are grown for the seed. In the form of a seed it can be used to grow mustard greens, it can be used for medicinal means, and it can be used to make mustard. But a seed encased for a necklace is a dead seed.

  Using the simile that faith is like a mustard seed, I would first like to say that it must be used. Faith that is not used is faith that dies and becomes unfruitful. So if we want a vibrant faith that will grow, we must use it. And like a mustard seed, it will produce a variety of products. And when we use it, it grows!

  Some of the ways we can cultivate and use our faith is:

  1. The seed of God’s word. Faith must always start with the word of God. I once heard that faith begins where the will of God is known. Well, that happens by getting into God’s word and gaining insight to His will. As you study and meditate on what the word says about finances, healing, or anything else, faith will begin to arise in your spirit and then you can put it to work for you!

  2. Then you must begin to use your faith. The first time any of us will use our faith in God is when we receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. But after that, we must continue to use it. For the just shall live by their faith.

  3. Begin exercising your faith for things in your life that are not major but give you an opportunity to learn to trust God. For example, you are running late for work and you believe God that the traffic will clear up and that you will make it on time. I’ve done this on more than one occasion, making it to work with time to spare.

  Or you have a headache or pain in your body, exercise your faith, don’t reach for medicine, and believe that God will heal it. Again, I have done this and seen great results. This is how I started praying for the sick. Someone would get sick in the house and I would pray and ask God for healing. And the majority of the time, it would happen, without the aid of medicine. Just this week a woman came to the altar in intense pain in her right knee, but left free of pain! Glory to God! Faith increases!

  Word based faith that is exercised will grow. Paul said that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is not some mystical, fanatical, hocus pocus stuff, for faith in God and His word is sure. But if you don’t know what His word says, and you don’t believe it and obey it, then you won’t see it come to pass. But if you get in the word, and obey the word, you will see it come to pass. And one day, your faith will move mountains in your life and in the lives of others.

  As 2019 come to a close and move into 2020, a new decade, make this decade the one that will find you exercising your faith and growing in faith! I know I plan to! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, Matthew 17:20, Victorious Living | 3 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, Faith, Jesus, Matthew 17:20, mustard seed, word of God

• Mustard Seed Faith Explained!

  Posted at 4:39 am by wonderfuljesus8, on December 24, 2019

  Matthew 17:20 – So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

  So I’ve been reading everything I can find on the topic of mustard seed faith and I have listened to a lot of sermons on the subject, and I am amazed that so many theologians are stuck on the size of the mustard seed. I won’t pretend that I understand all of what Jesus said and meant, and I am still searching for answers, but I am absolutely certain that a small amount of faith doesn’t move mountains, trees, or Jesus!

  If we look at the situation that causes Jesus to make this statement in Matthew and again in Luke, we can hopefully get some more understanding of what mustard seed faith might mean.

  A man came to Jesus, knelt before Him and asked for mercy for his son who was epileptic. Now I don’t know if that catches your attention, but I have been a parent of a child who was diagnosed with abnormal seizure disorder, which from what I can tell, is epilepsy. As a two week old baby she was having involuntary shakes that led to the diagnosis. She was immediately put on phenobarbital and given an evil report of things only getting worst and of never having a normal life.

  I can tell you right now that this man’s son was not in a good place. So he goes to Jesus’ disciples and they could not cure his son. But Jesus could and He did! Thank God for Jesus! Then the disciples asked, “Why could we not cast it out?” Jesus replied, “Because of your unbelief, for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you…”

  I think that because Jesus first mentions that the disciples were in unbelief, many have come to think that a little bit of faith is all we need to move mountains. I believe this is a trick of the enemy to keep us from receiving the things that we desire when we pray, as he knows small faith doesn’t move the hand of God, it only disappoints the individual.

  When we compare things in writing, we use similes or metaphors. As a matter of fact, in the YLT it states that Jesus is using a simile in Matthew 13, comparing the size of the kingdom of heaven to the size of a mustard seed. Let’s take a quick look at this passage:

  Jesus mentions the mustard seed in only three conversations in the word of God. In Matthew 13:31 -“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Here, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed. He talks about the mustard seed being sown into the land. He then makes the point that if you sow this seed, though it is the least (smallest) of all seeds, it will become a tree that birds of the air flock to. I do believe that in this instance Jesus is referring to the size of the seed. After all, the kingdom started with Him, then He included His disciples, and it has grown to billions of souls over the centuries. I get it!

  Now in our key verse, faith is compared to a grain of mustard seed. This is also a simile, where we compare two things using the words “like” or “as”. A familiar simile would be, “I am as hungry as a bear.” My hunger is being compared to the hunger of a bear, not to the bear itself. I believe that faith is being compared to a grain of mustard, not in size, but in its productivity.

  You see, when a grain of mustard is planted or sown, it produces a mustard plant and nothing else; so faith when it is sown should produce what it is sown for. In Matthew 17 Jesus was instructing the disciples to know that when demons manifest, sow faith to cast out demons.

  In Luke 17:6, “So the Lord said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard see, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.”‘ As I was typing, I heard in my spirit, “If you faith as a mustard seed” meaning, if you have the same kind of faith that a mustard see has you will say…Meaning that a mustard seed will produce a mustard plant, and when it is sown, it knows it will produce mustard and not apples. And if you have that kind of faith, the kind that knows what it is producing, you will be able to say to the mulberry tree…or even forgive seventy times seven.

  After Jesus tells the disciples that faith as a mustard seed (this time He doesn’t say “grain”) will give them the ability to say to a mulberry tree to be uprooted, He goes on to talk about the role of a servant. He tells the disciples that a servant serves, even when he is tired and doesn’t receive thanks because it is his duty. I believe that Jesus is saying that faith has a responsibility to get done what we believe it will do, even if that means telling a mulberry tree to be uprooted or a mountain to be cast into a sea.

  When the doctors gave us the evil report about our baby, we put faith to work. Six months later, our baby was off the phenobarbital and given a clean bill of health. She has gone on to graduate from law school and has authored and published several novels. And she has never had another seizure. The seed of God’s word was planted in our hearts and we sowed it for her complete healing, and that’s what we received!

  What do you expect a mustard seed to produce? Mustard plants or trees! What should faith produce? The thing hoped for! Even today, I am still learning about faith. I can quote the scriptures and pull the books off the shelf, but I don’t always operate in mountain moving faith. But this blog has even opened my eyes to understanding faith in a different way. Faith, like a mustard seed, will produce what it is sown for: healing, finances, forgiveness, deliverance, a mate, a job…the possibilities are unlimited! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christian, Faith, Jesus, Matthew 17:20 | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, Faith, Forgiveness, Jesus, Matthew 17:20, miraculous, mustard seed

• Mustard Seed Faith-Part 2-R&R

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on December 16, 2019

  In my previous post, I wrote how I don’t believe that Jesus was referring to size in Matthew 17:20 when He spoke to His disciples about mustard seed faith. Let’s look at that verse again:

  Matthew 17:20-So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

  I don’t want to leave the impression that I don’t believe in mountain moving faith, because I do. I just think you need more than a “little faith, the size of a mustard seed” to move it.

  The Word of God does not share much with us about Jesus being impressed with people, but when it came to great faith, He did not hold back His praise!

  Matthew 8:10 – When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

  Earlier in this chapter Jesus was asked by a Roman centurion to heal his servant. And Jesus told him that He would come and heal the servant. “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. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. ” (Matthew 8:8-9) Jesus marveled at his faith and said it was “great faith” and his servant was healed. Jesus marveled, meaning He was impressed by this man’s faith in His ability to speak the word and his servant would be healed!

  Matthew 15:28 – “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.”
  This is another beautiful account of Jesus being impressed with someone’s faith. And it was great faith that got her daughter healed, not a little faith. If you are unfamiliar with the passage, let me paraphrase and you can go back and read it on your own: The woman came to Jesus and wanted Him to heal her daughter. He didn’t acknowledge her presence. She continued to plead with Him, and then He said something that would have totally offended the average person, “But He answered and said, ‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.’ (Matthew 15:26)
  This woman came to Jesus for a healing for her daughter and instead of getting offended she replied that even the dogs get to eat the crumbs which fall from the master’s table. In other words, she dared to believe that she would get the thing she desired and she wasn’t going to let ANYTHING hinder her faith! It is at this point He makes the above statement from verse 28- “great is your faith!”

  All you need to do is read Hebrews 11 to see that the people mentioned in the “Faith chapter” had great faith! Mustard seed faith means something other than the size of our faith. If we want to move the mountains in our lives, we are going to have to understand that “little” faith won’t get it done! Wonderful Jesus!!

   

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, Matthew 17:20, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, Faith, Jesus, Matthew 17:20, miraculous

• Mustard Seed Faith! Repost and Revised!

  Posted at 3:56 am by wonderfuljesus8, on December 14, 2019

  With all of the end of the year things going on, I thought I would repost a blog I enjoyed writing in my early days when no one was reading my blog! LOL! Hope you enjoy this blog!

  What did Jesus mean about mustard seed faith? While I cannot say with certainty what He meant, I can say with certainty, what He didn’t mean. Traditionally, we have been taught that mustard seed faith was having just “a little faith, the size of a mustard seed” to move a great big mountain. Well, I don’t think so!

  Matthew 17:20-“So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “move from here to there’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”NKJV

  In the Young’s Literal Translation, this verse reads, “And Jesus said to them, ‘Through your want of faith; for verily I say to you, if ye may have faith as a grain of mustard, ye shall say to this mount, remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you.”

  As I have already mentioned, Jesus is not talking about the size of the seed. In both of the above versions, size isn’t even mentioned  But we have taught faithfully that Jesus is talking about the size of the seed comparing it to the size of our faith. Let’s look at what Jesus thinks about “small” faith:

  Matthew 6:30-Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (This doesn’t read as a compliment!)

  Matthew 8:26- But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea and there was a great calm.” (In this verse they were both fearful and had little faith, no wonder they couldn’t rebuke the storm!)

  Matthew 14:31- “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ” (Peter walked on water, but “little faith” caused him to doubt and sink). How can little faith move a mountain when it couldn’t handle a storm or keep Peter on the surface of the water?

  Matthew 16:8-But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread?” (Again, little faith is not being applauded as a wonderful thing by Jesus.) Just the opposite!

  These four scriptures of truth, spoken directly by Jesus, confirms that the size of the mustard seed is not what Jesus was referring to in mountain moving faith. Many Christians have been disappointed in the results of their “little faith” not producing mountain moving results. I believe it is time to get rid of this myth in the Body of Christ and that is why it was my first post and I have chosen to repost it! I thought it was a very valid point and yet it had gone unseen!

  Think about the times you have been disappointed in not seeing faith produce for you what the word promised when you knew that you didn’t have great faith, but you had a little? Well, that’s because little faith didn’t produce anything for the people in Jesus’s day and it won’t produce anything today! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Faith, God’s Blessings, Matthew 17:20 | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, encouragement, Faith, Jesus, Matthew 17:20, Prayer, testimony

• Where Are All the Miracles?

  Posted at 2:20 am by wonderfuljesus8, on November 11, 2019

  Judges 6:13 – Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”

  If you haven’t read the account of Gideon in a while, or never, you may not remember that during the discourse between him and the Angel of the Lord that he asked this question, “If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about…?”

  The thing is, people are still asking the same question today! They may not know that Gideon asked it of the Lord many centuries ago, but it is a question many have asked; if not verbally, than certainly in their hearts. I know that I asked it!

  The Angel told Gideon that the Lord was with him, and Gideon responded, “if the Lord is with us?” I can imagine that the thought that the Lord was supposed to be with him was too much for him to take in at the time, so he included others in his question. He couldn’t believe that in his present circumstance that God was with him because the proof of God’s presence to Israel was always demonstrated through miracles. And since he was in hiding from the Midianites trying to scrape up enough wheat for food, he wasn’t buying it! No miracles, no God, no brainer!

  People are so confused today about miracles. Does God perform miracles today like He did in the Old Testament and the New Testament? If so, where are they? This is a legitimate question that needs to be answered in the Body of Christ! After all, how can we say that we serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God who sent His Son Jesus through a virgin, the very God whose name conjures up miracles in our mind, and yet we have never seen a miracle?

  Jesus’ ministry was validated with miracles. John asked, are you the Messiah? Jesus said, check out all the miracles! (Luke 7:19) The miracle working power of God had to be in the life of the Messiah! And the Son of God would definitely have to operate in miracles, since the Father did!!

  Before Jesus left the earth He gave what we call the Great Commission in Mark 16:15-18. And in this commission He stated that if we believed in His name, signs would follow us; and He named a few—they would cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will lay hands on the sick and the sick shall recover! People who believe God, see miracles. He fully expected His church to operate in miracles as He did. Remember He even said the Church would do greater works than He did! (John 14:12)

  In Acts the disciples were threatened and told not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus, but they prayed that God would stretch forth His hand to heal, and that signs and wonders (miracles) may be done through the Name of Jesus! They absolutely expected miracles to be with them!

  But today, we have a problem with wondering if miracles are for the church. We argue about the validity of any miracle that we hear, calling it hype, fake news or anything else to discredit it. We would rather look for any explanation we can come up with than to believe that God would intervene on our behalf. But He does, and He will!

  Gideon did see the miraculous, once he began to trust God. God told him that he would deliver Israel, and with 300 men that’s exactly what he did! As a matter of truth, God gave Him several miracles before that one. He was and is the God of miracles!

  So where are all the miracles? Well, what are you believing? Do you believe that God doesn’t care enough about you and your circumstance to give you a miracle? Or do you believe that miracles are not for today? Or maybe your believe that miracles happen but only when God wants them to! Well, therein lies your problem! None of this junk will produce a miracle! Faith produces miracle!! Not a little faith (read my post on the mustard seed), but great faith moves the hand of God!

  I have seen God move miraculously in my life. I’ll only share one. It’s at the forefront of my mind because of a song I heard this morning. The song my husband and I sang to each other on our wedding day! “Only God Could Love You More!”

  As a young woman I watched many of my girlfriends get married. Always the bridesmaid and never the bride. But when I began to pray for a husband, I asked God to give me a love story in the process. Well, one day, out of nowhere, He told me to join the Navy. I didn’t really have an interest in the military, but I obeyed. After I did, He told me that I would marry an officer.

  I shared this with friends and one told me that it would never happen. But I want you to know that one day I was sitting in an airport in Sicily waiting for a flight to the States when he walked in and spotted me. A naval officer, single, saved, and handpicked by God was sent to say hello! And the rest, as we say, is history! A miraculous meeting, a call to a phone booth in a military barracks in Italy, and a date to meet in Florida ended with a wonderful love story, an amazing friendship and a godly marriage that demonstrates there is no area of our lives that is unimportant to Him! He’s just good like that! He gave me a miracle love story that I can’t tell in its entirety, but you can believe me when I say it was so!

  I encourage you today to stop asking “where are the miracles” and start trusting Him to do the miraculous in your life! You don’t have to continue a humdrum life. Find out what the word says about your situation and what God has promised to do. If it is your finances that need a miracle, He has one for you! If it is your body, your relationship, your children, your job, or whatever, He cares and He can and will perform a miracle for you! Read Pastor Brannon Carnes miracle on my blog-“Tell Me Your Story” to get another witness to the miracle working power of God! It’s true! He’s true! Then share your miracle with me. I would love to hear it! Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Christian, Faith, miracle, testimony, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, Faith, Jesus, miraculous, testimony

• Weights and Besetting Sin

  Posted at 7:12 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on October 23, 2019

  Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

  Have you ever stopped to wonder what sin the writer of Hebrew is referring to? I have! And since I have, I’d like to share that with you!

  Let’s remember for a moment what precedes this verse, Hebrews 11. I believe every one calls this chapter the faith chapter. It begins with verse one, where faith is described. Now faith is…and continues throughout the rest of the chapter reminding us of the mighty victories that faith brought into the lives of different ones. By faith Abel did this, and Abraham did that, and Sarah did this, and so forth and so on.

  Then we come to our verse in chapter 12. Let me remind you that they didn’t write in chapter and verse when scripture was written. Chapters and verses were later added to help us to easily identify different passages in the Bible. So this verse is not a different thought, but a continuation of a thought.

  As a matter of fact, it is easy to see that the writer of Hebrews is still addressing the subject of faith, for his first word in this chapter is therefore. Therefore, what? Therefore means “for that reason” or “consequently” and Kenneth Copeland is known for saying, “When you see the word “therefore”, see what it is there for! The writer is saying, “for this reason, because so many have won victories through faith, you are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. People whose very lives are a testament to the fact that faith works. That what Jesus said to us, “If you can believe, all things are possible” is a true statement! That what the writer said earlier, that faith pleases the heart of God is where we need to be.

  Therefore lay aside every weight!!! Lay aside every single thing that hinders you and keep you from obtaining what you ask for in faith! Lay it aside. Weights can be drugs, pornography, homosexuality, divorce, lying, grief, people…those things that cause us to feel as if God isn’t real, the word doesn’t work, or there is no hope for us. Those things that make us feel as if we will never be free, we will never have the victory, we will never experience the kingdom, we will never amount to anything! Those are weights, and it is time to lay them aside!

  So now you might be asking, aren’t these are sins? Yes they are, but they are not the besetting sin. You see, this besetting sin is singular. Meaning everyone can have this same sin to entangle them, beset them. And if you haven’t guessed it yet, I will now reveal it. The besetting sin is the sin of unbelief! Let me show you how I figure that to be.

  As I already mentioned, Hebrews 11 is all about those who conquered “weights” with their faith. Isn’t the death of a loved one a weight? If you don’t think so, try losing someone dear to you, you’ll recognize how hard it can be to get up the next day or to carry on. Or how about the desire for a baby and you can’t seem to have one? It’s a weight. What about being strung out with an addiction? It’s a weight for the individual and the family of the individual. What gives power to these weights? Unbelief! These weights are so burdensome they have us questioning the word, questioning our salvation, questioning our faith, questioning God. And in many cases, abandoning them.

  And if that doesn’t convince you that unbelief is the besetting sin, then look at verse 2: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and developer of our faith!” Well, why am I looking to Him? Because of His role in our life of faith! Don’t shout me down!! Something that is besetting is something that is persistent in threatening us or causing us trouble. Unbelief does an outstanding job at threatening our life of faith. As a matter of fact, unbelief short circuits faith every single time!! So we are encouraged to lay unbelief aside. We absolutely must lay it aside if we want to have life more abundantly in the kingdom!

  Over and over in the gospel Jesus was grieved over unbelief. He is hindered, even as the Almighty, by unbelief. Unbelief constant threatens our walk with the Lord. Unbelief constantly threatens every promise, and is a constant threat to the abundant life promised us.

  Once we lay aside the weights and the besetting sin, we are on our way to the abundant life. Then we can run this race that is set before us, and we can run it with endurance. We can go the distance! Because faith fuels our life with hope, with joy, with peace, with confidence, with excitement…

  Let’s recap: weights are those things that make you feel like you are never going to overcome in this life and unbelief is the thing that keeps those weights hanging around. Throw away your unbelief and your weights today and look to Jesus, the developer of your faith. He’ll help you to believe you can live free of it all! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Christian, Faith, Hebrews, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, Faith, testimony

• The Children’s Bread- A Repost

  Posted at 11:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on October 10, 2019

  I have to admit that I have a few posts that no one read. As I was preparing to write on the last part of Psalm 19 I thought about these posts and decided that maybe I should repost some of them since people are now reading the blog. So this is one from the archives I hope you will like!

  “But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” -Matthew 15:26

  As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have learned that Christians say a lot of things that they have no idea why they are saying it. As a matter of fact, when I was teaching the discipleship class at church, I would often ask people to explain sayings to me like: “saved by grace”, “sanctified”, or “the righteousness of God” to make sure we were all on the same page.

  Recently I preached a message that referred to “the children’s bread” and thought it would be a good idea to explain what it means in case you have heard the phrase but have not understood it. The Bible does say that in all of our getting we are to get understanding.

  In the above verse Jesus makes the comment that it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. The background to this verse is that a Gentile woman has come to Him for her daughter’s healing and He makes this statement to her implying that healing belongs to the “children”.

  I heard a wonderful story  that illustrates this point: Pastor Bill Winston shared that he went to get some ribs. The lady ahead of him got her order, but as she was leaving she decided to check it to make sure that everything was present. When she looked inside she apparently didn’t see her bread, so she walked back to the counter and asked, “Does bread come with this?”

  Now here’s the point that Jesus was making: Healing is a part of the benefit package of salvation. There are numerous scriptures where this truth is mentioned besides in Matthew: Psalm 103:1-3 and Isaiah 53:4-5 are my personal favorites. In other words, if you are a child of God, according John 1:12, then “bread” (your healing) comes with your salvation! It’s in there!!

  Years passed before I understood that this was not just a phrase people pulled out of a passage and turned into a cliche, but a profound Bible truth! Healing belongs to those who are born of the Spirit of God, it is their right! It is your right, if you are a child of God! So don’t let the devil tell you differently, no matter whose voice he’s using to do so! Just tell him that Jesus decreed that “bread comes with that” and you want your bread!! Just like the lady in this story went and let it be known that she was expecting bread with her meal and so wanted it,  we have to understand that God is expecting us to be just as bold about getting our healing!

  Just as you wouldn’t settle for part of what you pay for at a restaurant or grocery store, don’t settle for part of what Jesus paid for with His blood! Healing comes with your salvation, it’s the children’s bread! So the next time you read this verse or hear this saying, you can say, “I have a clearer understanding of what Jesus was talking about!” I know I do! Wonderful Jesus!!

   

   

   

   

   

  Posted in Christian, Faith, Healing, Jesus, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Faith, Healing, Health, Jesus, miraculous

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