Climbing the mountain of faith
A few days ago, i was overwhelmed by the worries and stress of life…relationships, finances, job security, finding an actual job for the summer. During those days, i didn’t try to ignore them. Instead, I took a look at my problems, saw the challenge, and turned to Jesus for help. In those moments, I simply sat in his presence and asked for the faith to trust in Him. Was it ever easy? No, it was never easy. In my mind, I pictured myself trying to climb a mountain that seemed too tall for me to be able to reach the top. I looked down and saw the daunting height i had traversed. My problems seemed just as bad. Yet I looked up towards my Savior and refused to shift my focus off of Him. I said to myself, God has taken me this far in my journey up this mountain, therefore He’s never going to let me go.
And now I see breakthrough. No, my situation has not changed. I’m still facing the same exact problems and worries. But now I have a bolder faith. I believe my Father cares for me and will not let me fall. Looking at my problems now, I am not intimidated. Instead, out of joy I let out a slight chuckle. I know my Father and all of Heaven are backing me up. And already new challenges have surfaced up in my life. But my reaction to them is the same, I am unfazed and unwavering in my faith. I take one last look at my problems, smile at them, and look ahead towards Jesus.
HELLO JESUS :)
On Thursday, I was walking up the street to meet up with my friend when i ran into my other homeless friend, Atwian. He had a cane and was limping. He was literally crying out in pain and distress, and right when i got to him, he just fell down on the steps and held his ankle. I asked what was wrong with his ankle. He said he had twisted it recently and perhaps torn something. He was telling me this all the while continually crying out in pain. I told him Jesus wanted to heal him tonight and he agreed. His eyes watered and tears started to fall. I was like wow God, this is too easy! You’re already moving in this guy’s life even before you’ve healed him! I ended up commanding all pain to be gone. I then had him test out his ankle. He gets up and the look on his face…….throws out all skepticism of him lying about his ankle being healed. He walked around exclaiming, “ALL THE PAIN IS GONE!”. He was still limping and I told him, you know what? Let’s press in more and command full restoration for his ankle! God ended up healing him and he walked away holding his cane high above praising God.
The night was not over, I ended up running into another guy who was limping. His hip was hurting badly because his hand was touching it. I approached him, told him who i was and asked if he wanted to be healed. I shared the story of Atwian who was just healed. God ended up doing exactly the same thing! He walked away with no limp and no pain in his hip!
What you do, what you have done, what has happened, what just happened
DOES. NOT. DEFINE.
- Who you are.
- Who you will be.
- What you do tomorrow.
- What will happen tomorrow.
The biggest lie you can believe is that your habits from yesterday will forever carry on into tomorrow.
—-
Lie:…
Seeing the fruits
“i wonder, where would I be today if it wasn’t for you?? Would I be smoking crack?? Dead from overdose? I sure am glad you filled out your application the way you did!! Seems to me that God’s been in control all along! It makes me wonder how many more eriks are there out here?? Tomorrow me and Larry are heading up 40 missionaries who are here visiting downtown sd. We will be leading them, please pray for us that we are spirit filled and led so that the greatest impact crater can be made not only in the homeless community but also in the lives of the missionaries and lastly me and larry as well. Look what you’ve started with an act of kindness buddy!”
-erik
Thank you Jesus for the allowing me to take part in this, I’ve always wanted to be someone who influences others, someone who empower others for the better and someone who will leave a legacy wherever I go. To be like Abraham who obeys when all logic seems to fail, and in his obedience, changes a generation. And you’ve allowed me to do so. You’ve given me the opportunity to change people’s lives. I absolutely love doing this! Thank you Jesus…!!
At first, I saw God as my observer,
my judge,
keeping track of the things I did wrong,
so as to know whether I merited heaven
or hell when I die.
He was out there sort of like a president.
I recognized His picture when I saw it,
but I really didn’t know Him.But later on
when I met Christ,
it seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride,
but it was a tandem bike,
and I noticed that Christ
was in the back helping me pedal.I don’t know just when it was
that He suggested we change places,
but life has not been the same since.When I had control,
I knew the way.
It was rather boring, but predictable…
It was the shortest distance between two points.But when He took the lead,
He knew delightful long cuts,
up mountains,
and through rocky places
at breakneck speeds,
it was all I could do to hang on!
Even though it looked like madness,
He said, “Pedal!”I worried and was anxious
and asked,
“Where are you taking me?”
He laughed and didn’t answer,
and I started to learn to trust.I forgot my boring life
and entered into the adventure.
And when I’d say “I’m scared,”
He’d lean back and touch my hand.He took me to people with gifts that I needed,
gifts of healing,
acceptance
and joy.
They gave me gifts to take on my journey,
my Lord’s and mine.And we were off again.
He said, “Give the gifts away;
they’re extra baggage, too much weight.”
So I did,
to the people we met,
and I found that in giving I received,
and still our burden was light.I did not trust Him,
at first,
in control of my life.
I thought He’d wreck it;
but He knows bike secrets,
knows how to make it bend to take sharp corners,
knows how to jump to clear high rocks,
knows how to fly to shorten scary passages.And I am learning to shut up
and pedal
in the strangest places,
and I’m beginning to enjoy the view
and the cool breeze on my face
with my delightful constant companion, Jesus Christ.And when I’m sure I just can’t do anymore,
He just smiles and says…”Pedal.”
Immature people falling in love destroy each other’s freedom, create a bondage, make a prison. Mature persons in love help each other to be free; they help each other to destroy all sorts of bondages. And when love flows with freedom there is beauty. When love flows with dependence there is ugliness.
A mature person does not fall in love, he or she rises in love. Only immature people fall; they stumble and fall down in love. Somehow they were managing and standing. Now they cannot manage and they cannot stand. They were always ready to fall on the ground and to creep. They don’t have the backbone, the spine; they don’t have the integrity to stand alone.
A mature person has the integrity to stand alone. And when a mature person gives love, he or she gives without any strings attached to it. When two mature persons are in love, one of the great paradoxes of life happens, one of the most beautiful phenomena: they are together and yet tremendously alone. They are together so much that they are almost one. Two mature persons in love help each other to become more free. There is no politics involved, no diplomacy, no effort to dominate. Only freedom and love.
(via whizzpopping)
A deeper lesson of Love
That He loves me no matter what. Yes, this is overly repeated and said throughout my whole life. Yet do I truly grasp the magnitude of what it means? To know that He who created me loves me NO MATTER what I do. If I sin, He still loves me. If i screw up, He still loves me. If I do great and magnificent things, He still loves me the same. If I stopped doing homeless ministry, He would still love me the same. If I gave up on Him, He would still love me the same. He loves me for who I am and not what I do. How beautiful is that! His love is constant for me, no matter what.
And now I believe this is how we are to love others. To replicate this kind of love. To love and not judge those who make bad decisions in their life. It makes so much more sense in how we are to love our enemies. I am to love them simply for who they are. I am to love my friends no matter what they do. Just like my Father who simply loves me for who I am, so am I to love people for who they are.
For me personally, this love teaches me about what marriage looks like. The big question that everyone always asks is how do you know when you are ready for marriage? I am glad I know part of what my answer will be, when I am able to love her for who she is and not for what she does. And this love is never to be self seeking with hidden motives and wants. I just want to simply love her and expect absolutely nothing in return. To give and not expect anything in return.
This is the love God is showing me, and this is the same love I want in my life.
