~Ask Anything Saturday 2

It’s Saturday again and you know what that means?? ASK ANYTHING! ask anything you want about Scripture, Jesus, your life, friends, etc. and either Me (Anna) , Tiffany, Claire,  or Ashley will answer you with the best we’ve got that God’s provided. You can post  your name or anonymously so be bold and ask what’s on your heart!

The Skies Proclaim

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Today I was constantly reminded of this verse day as there was absolutely no way I could stay inside with the weather like it was. In weather like this you can’t help but stand in awe at the glorious and majestic craftsmanship of our God. I don’t know how some people can live their day to day lives and not look at that as proof that there is a God. He is constantly surrounding us with evidence of Himself asking and pursuing and seeking for us to come to Him with our hands up in surrender.

I think Max Lucado says it best when he states “It is the normality not the uniqueness of God’s miracles that causes them to be so staggering. Rather than shocking the globe with an occasional demonstration of deity, God has opted to display His power daily. Pounding waves. Prism-cast colors. Birth, death, life. We are surrounded by God’s miracles God is throwing testimonies at us like fireworks, each one exploding God is! God is!”

God’s miracles and glory is all around us all we have to do is take the time to be still for a moment in our busy lives to look in wonder at who He is. For me it’s the endless sunrises and sunsets that make me stand in awe and worship of His great love. What’s the thing in your life that makes you feel completely and wholly His? Each day He holds us in His hands and walks with us in our struggles and hardships. He’s pouring out and proving His love everyday not only in our quiet times and small groups but in all of creation as long as we live forever held by His love.

The next time you hear a baby laugh or see an ocean wave, take note. Pause and listen as His Majesty whispers ever so gently, “I’m here.”

– Anna

A True Miracle – by Danielle DiMuzio

God spoke to me, and through me, and said this:

A young man was kneeling in prayer. His hands were together, his lips were moving in silent supplication. A single tear rolled down his face, passed his nose and cheek, and finally fell to the ground, leaving a damp spot in front of where the man sat. Seemingly without cause, his lips stopped moving, but he continued to sit there; hands clasped, head bowed, eyes closed. For a countless number of minutes, he did not move, nor make a sound. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he stood up, brushed the dirt off his knees, wiped his face with the back of his hand, and began to walk away. Then, quite suddenly, another man appeared. He did not have the peaceful, resolved look that the other man had. The second man had instead, a hardened, sneering look that showed he felt that his time would be better spent elsewhere, but that he was determined to enjoy himself anyway. The first man turned to look at the other, showing no sign of surprise at the second man’s abrupt entrance.
“You cannot have me,” said the First Man.
“It is not I who wants you, as you very well know, but my Master who wishes for you to join us,” replied the Second Man.
“But you see,” the First Man said, with a glowing and triumphant look in his eye,”I am no longer mine to give. Surely you are aware of why I came here today, to this place where Jesus himself once lay prostrate before God.”
The Second Man’s face remained impassive, except for flinching at the mentioning of “Jesus” and “God”.
“Of course I know,” the Second Man said, with an air of pride. “Because my Master knows ALL things, and I, as his most trusted minion, receive all information from him personally. So, yes, I know why you are here, but I also know of the doubts you harbor in that head of yours. You wonder if you did the right thing by sacrificing your friends and lifestyle for a God you can’t see. You wonder if this unseen God of “love” and “forgiveness” can really be as wonderful as that man from the church says. How do you know if He’ll accept you? Surely He knows of the things you’ve done, the lies you’ve told, the lives you’ve ended while doing my Master’s bidding. No one could forgive you; no one could accept you after what you did. So you must see, my Master’s offer to take you back into his service is quite generous. He doesn’t mind what you’ve done. He is willing to let you escape the judgment of the unseen God and allow you to carry on as you were before.” The Second Man ended with a smirk.
The First Man, throughout the Second Man’s speech, had retained his peaceful facade perfectly, occasionally moving his lips again in silent prayer. A moment before he decided to speak again. It was obvious that he did not have to think about the words he said; that they were flowing out of him easily, as if provided by some Invisible Force. When he finally spoke, he said,
“These doubts that you say are in my mind no longer exist. Indeed, they were there before. Even today, those doubts clouded my thoughts, and made it hard to convince myself that I was doing the right thing by coming here; that it would NOT be better to go back to your Master and continue my life as I had: deceitfully, and without regret. But then I came here, and all my doubts disappeared. Not immediately, mind you, and not without reason. I asked God to – if He existed – clear my head, and to give me a clean slate, so that I may make myself ready for Him to enter my life. As soon as I thought those words, a peace like no other came over me, and I knew I was ready. Ready to forget the life of sin that I had lead before. Ready to trade in the shackles placed upon me by your Master for wings like an eagle’s, so that I may soar away from my old life into a new, righteous one where my ways are to be governed by a Perfection that is not my own. I gave myself to God because the whole time, I was His anyway. I chose, today, to receive the Gift that has been mine ever since the day Jesus died and conquered death for me. So again I tell you, I am not mine to give to anyone, for I was never my own, but God’s. And now that I have embraced His purpose for my life, I realize that I need not fear you OR your Master, for I cannot be touched while the Spirit of God resides within me!”
The First Man said the last part with such force and conviction that the Second Man was afraid. Then his fear turned to anger, for now he would have to return to his Master without the human, and his Master would not like that.
“You fool!” he spat at the First Man. “You have no idea what my Master could give you, yet you throw it all away for someone who left you in this world to die! You think He cares about you? You are sadly mistaken! My Master will not easily forgive your betrayal, human! You will rue the day that you denied him your allegiance. Every being that is under the rule of my Master will come upon you until you are so miserable that you beg for death!”
Then the Second Man vanished from sight as quickly as he had appeared. The First Man, who had managed to keep a stoic face in the presence of the demon, now let the anguish he felt sweep over him. He cried out to God,
“Lord! Is it true? Will the rest of my life contain only misery and pain because I have chosen to follow you?”
The man fell to the ground and sobbed. Then a quiet, but authoritative voice in his head said,
“My son, I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I am love. Though you will walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, you need fear no evil, for I am with you.”
Immediately, the man’s fear was gone. He knew no worry. All thoughts of pain and sorrow had left him, for he had heard God speak to him. He knew he could go for years and never forget the words that were now etched into his heart. And truly, he lived the rest of his years without failing in his faith. That is not to say that he lived a perfect and sinless life from then on; only that he never forgot to trust in God during times of struggle. And one day, when his journey on Earth came to a quick and painless end, he was welcomed into Heaven by the arms of a loving and forgiving God who said,
“Behold! Here is My son who was once dead, but has returned to the Life I gave him. He is all I meant for him to be. Now rejoice, for we have welcomed My beloved son into our midst, where no tears stain faces, no blood falls freely, and no sin taints our eternal celebrations!”
The man said to God, “But what of the sins I committed before accepting You, O Father? Mustn’t I be punished before entering Your kingdom of everlasting joy?”
God replied with a kind smile, “My son, there are no blemishes on your life record. All sins have been forgiven by Me, and you need not fear any punishment, for you repented, and are fully a child of Mine.”
And so the man lived for eternity in Heaven with the angels and the other sons and daughters of God, and never ceased to be thankful for all God had done, and would do, for His beloved children.

– Danielle

Invasion*Saturation*Permeation

First and foremost–in the service last night at fuse what did you feel like God was prompting you to do in your life? what was that one thing/things that popped into your head right as Brad started praying?

–Anna