Gone Fishing

Today I'm going to share with you the rest of my notes from Rich Wilkerson Jr. The amazing young adult pastor from Miami, Florida.

Gone Fishing

 

Throughout the entire Bible Jesus says things aren't very easy to hear.

He says to not lie. To turn the other cheek when someone says something rude, or mean, or hurtful. He says to stay faithful to your spouse. To not steal.

On and on it goes.

But there is something that we must understand. When we read the Bible we must realize something. We don't read the Bible, the Bible reads us.

 

Mark 2:1-5

"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people hear that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

11-12

"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took hos mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying "We have never seen anything like this!"

 

Try to grasp what's happening here. Jesus came a to a town where he was very popular. He was in a house that was very cramped. So cramped that there was nowhere to even stand in the house. People were leaning in the windows and standing outside the doors to hear just a glimpse of what this wise man was saying.

Now there was one man who needed to see Jesus. He was a paralytic. He couldn't walk at all.

Now his friends knew that this Jesus could heal him. He could make him whole again. But when they got there it was so full. They knew that there was no way to get their friend to Jesus.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. His friends climbed up onto the roof of this house. They carried their paralyzed friend up onto this roof. They then proceeded to cut a hole in the roof and slowly lower their friend down. They loved their friend so much that they were willing to do anything for him.

These people were willing. God is looking for willing people.

Because they had such love for this man, they believed.

Because of their love faith in Jesus, Jesus healed their friend.

 

If you love Jesus you will obey him. Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed.

We don't know what happens to this man after he was healed. Perhaps he led a successful life afterwards, perhaps not. But God never called us to be successful, he called us to be faithful.  This man could have just layed on his mat and continued to pray for his healing. Maybe his healing would have come, but probably not. Answers come through obedience. Quit praying and start obeying! A lot of times God is giving us our answers but we won't obey.

 

Like this man's friends, we have to see the need. They saw his need, paralyzed. And they acted on it.

People  may not be physically paralyzed but they are spiritually paralyzed.

Jesus came to seek out our needs. We need to be like this man's friends. We need to be like Jesus.

Vision produces passion in people. It's time we found a new vision. One of healing and restoration.

Just seeing the problem isn't a solution for the problem. You can't just see the need, you have to do something about it.

The paralytics friend could have seen the problem. Their was not room for the friend. They could have just walked away and given up on their friend. But instead they saw his need, and they did something about it.

 

We need to be the generation that digs a hole in the roof! Just because someone says no doesn't give you the opportunity to quit. Quitting isn't a choice!

It's not about what happens in your life, it's how you respond to it.

Hold open that door. Whatever you do, do not shut that door!

Just like the man's friends they saw the need, they made the effort, and they knew who the source was.

It's time we step out of our comfort zone and do what God is calling us to do.

Do you know who the source is?

Your faith matters for other's destiny.

Jesus is the source.

He is everywhere, in everything.

Collision with Christ

This past weekend at my church we had our "Louder Than Words" young adult conference.
This is the third year that we have had this conference.
And this is the first time that I have attended it.
One word... amazing.
Rich Wilkerson Jr. is such a great preacher. He spoke two of the three nights of ministry. I don't think that I've ever learned to much in such a short time.
The first night he spoke about having a collision with Christ.
Tonight I would like to share my notes with you.
I pray that you will be as blessed as I was.

Collision With Christ

 

Everything that happens in life is by divine appointment.

Their is no such thing as coincident or fate. God has designed every moment on this earth for some specific purpose. He plans everything out in His perfect timing.

 

Luke 7:11-12

"Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out- the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her."

 

Jesus appeared at exactly the right time. He could have come fifteen minutes earlier and missed this crowd. Or fifteen minutes later and missed it as well. But He came right on time.

Just think for a minute. This woman was a widow. Her husband was dead. Imagine her inner turmoil. She now has to run her household. She has to work the farm. She was to pay the bills. Manage her servants. But she has one jewel. One spark in her dark life. Her son.

And now he too is dead.

The depression and oppression that would have been over her at this instant is incredible.
And here comes Jesus. Right on time to intercede.

Now another interesting fact is the name of the city.

Nain.

Nain means the "beautifully afflicted."

What an interesting name.

Here is this woman, all of her dreams had died. Her husband, her income, her stability. And now her one and only son.

Everything that she ever had and that she had ever known has disappeared. Her entire dreams are gone.

But we serve a God who is always on time.

He sees you. He sees me. He sees us in our times of need.

 

Luke 7:13-14

"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still, He said. "Young man, I say to you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother."

 

What's just amazing about this is that the woman didn't even say anything! She never asked the Lord for a miracle. His heart went out to her and he acted on it.

She had her collision with Christ. A beautiful one.

 

A collision with Christ is about to take place in your life. Jesus says don't cry. When Jesus says don't cry it's because he's fixing to do something about it.

He cares about your feelings. God is close to the broken hearted. He has compassion on us.

God came to us because we couldn't go to Him.

If we don't have our collision with Christ we won't make it.

 

Jesus has compassion on us. Not sympathy.

There is one word that divides compassion and sympathy: action.

 

We serve a God whose love outweighs our faith in Him.

He has love that outweighs words.

 

How many of you have had dreams that have died?

What do you do when your dreams die?

I'll tell you what happens to me.

I become a mess.

But you wanna know something? Our mess is where the Messiah does His best work. He came for you and me. He cares.

 

Our dead dreams are in the past. We can't revive them. Only God can.

But there is something that we can do. We can look ahead to what tomorrow has in store for us.

What's tomorrow looking like?

Tomorrow's looking good.

 

Don't give up on today because tomorrow is on its way.

Tomorrow breakthrough's coming.

Tonight a collision is happening.



There is a CURE

Hey everyone!
Wow. I have been learning so much.
If you haven't read Managing your Emotions by Joyce Meyer...you HAVE to! It is absolutely an amazing book. Probably one of the best that I have ever read.
I have learned so much about myself and God's forgiveness, and what I'm capable of doing in the past five days than I have in the past two years. It is truly a life changing adventure.

Recently the Lord has been speaking to me.
And I don't mean a light word here and there.
I mean like sermons!
I have five pages of notes from His talks with me.
It's is truly amazing how much God will tell you if you will just take the time to stop and listen.
God wants to speak to you.
You just have to willing.

Lately He been dealing with me on my depression and gaining eternal peace..
I am not going to confess that I am depressed... but it's true.
And in Joyce Meyer's book she has a whole chapter on "Understanding and Overcoming Depression."
That chapter broke me down. I realized that depression is a choice. We don't have to give into it. We can combat it with the word. We don't have to go down.

Colossians 3:15 says "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful"
This verse is so important because in it we realize something, we are called to peace. We are of a peaceful nature. God has called us to in perfect peace. Not constant discord.
My new favorite verse is Isaiah 26: 3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace his whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord,  the Lord, is the Rock Eternal."
When I read this verse I stopped. I prayed. And I meditated on it.
This verse has become alive inside of me.

Jesus is called the Rock because He has always been solid and stable- always the same, never changing.
Our circumstances may change, people come and go, we ourselves change, but God will never change!

We can have peace and we can live lives that are happy and not depressing.
When the devil sees that his tactics are not working, we realizes he is failing and will be utterly defeated.
The devil is not creative. He uses the same problems and tactics against everyone. If we can learn to combat them, then he will have to choice but to give up and move on to another victim.

When we are depressed, it often seems like we are riding an emotional roller coaster. We seem to go from one extreme to another. But we are to walk in the JOY OF THE LORD, which is defined as a calm delight.
When we think of joy a lot if times we think of it as a feeling. A loud expression. But the Bible defines the Joy of the Lord to be a calm delight. Soothing even.
We may not feel joyful, but we are.

Psalm 3:1-3
"Lord, how are they increases who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are saying of me, there is no help for him... But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head."
In life it seems like when one bad thing happens, everything else too falls apart.
And a lot of times that is true, but a lot of times it is just exaggerated.
Our eyes and hearts are downcast because we are looking at the problem, rather than at the Lord.
When we are feeling depressed we need to recognize it, submit it to the Lord, call upon His for His help, then fight that depression in the strength and power of the Holy Spirit.
If the devil is going to fight against us then we need to fight back!
He may try to bring us down but I know that when he comes to me, I'm not going down easily. In fact, I'm not going down at all! I am going to fight with every fiber in my being.
Anytime that you feel your spirit start to sink down into depression. you need to take action immediately. Don't wait until you have been in the pit for days before you start to do something to lift your spirit.

Genesis 13:14
"...Lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, north and south, east and west."

Now is the time!
We must lift up our eyes and wake up!
Sooner or later the Lord will deliver us.
Our victory comes through recognizing that you are being assailed and in knowing what to do to defeat the enemy behind the attack.
THERE IS A CURE FOR DEPRESSION!
We don't have to stay like this forever.
I am not despairing or becoming depressed because my confidence is the Lord, the lifter of my head.

Psalm 143:8-12
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you. Teach me to do your will, for you are my god; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground. For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life, in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant."

David recognized his problem. Submitted it to the Lord. Then he cried out to the Lord, begged for His help. He then fought with his soul. The Holy Spirit gave him the strength to overcome.
That same power lives inside of you.
You can overcome. Just like David did.
Don't give in. Don't give up. Fight the good fight.
Life you life.
Depression isn't a life, it's a distraction from all the wonderful things God has in store for you.
God loves you.
Believe in that.
He loves you.
So much.

I hope that you take this to heart.
Miriam

Speak into Being

Only eight more days until Christmas! I can't believe it. It seems like it comes and goes faster year after year.

During this entire Christmas season I have been struggling.
And I mean really struggling.
I have slipped back into some old habits...not very productive ones I'm afraid to say.
But yesterday, as I was struggling with myself, I started talking to one of my friends.
He helped see things in a clearer perspective.
I was telling him what had happened the past few days and what was going on mentally and he had me do something that I've never done before.
I got out two pieces of paper and a pencil.
On the first piece of paper I wrote down ten things that I was thankful for. And on the other piece I wrote down ten things that I was struggling with. After I was done I pinned up the piece of paper with the ten things I was thankful for on my bulletin board. And then I prayed over my list of struggling things and tore it up and threw it away.
Now let me just tell you something, it wasn't a light little prayer saying "thank you Jesus for dieing for me and for loving me. I know that you are handling my life with care...etc."
No. I PRAYED! For fifteen minutes I cried, and beseeched, and sat in stillness, and begged, and declared, and listened.
And I was heard. I told the Lord what I was expecting in my life.
I declared that I was free. That I was whole. That I was loved. That I was worth something. That I was forgiven. That I can forgive. That I am full of joy. That I have power over my emotions.
And it was absolutely amazing.
I felt 100% genuinely better.

I want to ask you a question. When you are going through a hard time what do you do?
Did you know that you have power over your emotions?
God created emotions for a reason. But that reason wasn't so that you could be ruled by them. We were created to rule. And our emotions were not.
Right now I'm reading "Managing your Emotions Instead of Your Emotions Managing You" by Joyce Meyer. AMAZING!
It is by far the best book, besides the Bible, that I have ever read. I highly recommend that you read it.
I'm only on chapter four and I've already learned so much.
For example, today I decided to do something different.
I took out a piece of paper and wrote at the top "Who God is to Me:"
And I started to write out who He is to Me.
This is what it looked like:
"God is wonderful, beautiful, glorious. God is everlasting. He is merciful. He will always forgive me. God loves me. God redeems me. He picks me up when I have fallen. God is my savior, my deliverer. He is forever. He is magnificent and steadfast. God loves me. God died for me. God is my advocate. He is my healer. He will never leave me. He is my constant support. God is my father. He is my peace and my ever-present joy. God is my all in all. I love Him. God is my one true love. I am His. He holds me in His hands. He is my protector."

I could go on and on and on.
I filled up a whole page. And I am going to do this as often as I can.
I am going to speak this every day. I am going to remind myself, my spirit man, who God is to me.
It's good to remind ourselves of that every day.

Another great habit I'm learning is to write out who God is me, and then pray. Pray that over your life. Then wait. Listen for God's voice.
After I've done both those things I find a word. Today it was peace.
I have been in inner turmoil. But not anymore. Earlier this evening I was praying and that word came to my mind. I looked in the back of my Bible and found verses with the word peace in them. One popped out to me.
Isaiah 26:3-4
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal."
I read that whole chapter. I was crying by the end of it.
God is our Rock.
He is our eternal.
Why must we always try to fix ourselves?
If we will just trust in him then we can rest in sweet sleep. For the Lord grants sleep to those He loves.
After I read those verses I wrote them out and put them on my wall next to my One Direction poster. Now the first thing I see is that I can have everlasting peace, and then the five faces of my beloveds ;)

I encourage you to try doing what I did today. I'm going to do it everyday. I have finally found a system that speaks to me, that works with my creativity. And God's word.
Find a verse to meditate on. For me right now, it's Isaiah 26:3-4
Whatever verse the Lord drops in your heart, don't lose it. Hold on to it with both hands; tightly! The devil will do whatever he can to try and pry those words away from you. But don't you let him! You are worth more than you think you are. Give yourself more credit than that. The Bible is God's love letter to you and me. Let it speak to you.

I pray that you have an amazing Christmas!!
Love,
Miriam

Confessions

I felt bad about yesterday's post so I'm gonna try to do a little better today.
I was having a very emotional day.
A lot of drama has happened in my life this past month, that's why you haven't seen a lot of me. Sorry about that guys. I'll try to be more consistent.

Today I'm going to talk about your own personal confessions.
Once a week I go out with a lovely lady that is on staff at my youth group.
I absolutely love her!
She is beautiful, super nice, a great woman of God, and amazingly wise.
Needless to say I am overjoyed to have her in my life. She is my role model.
One thing she has taught me is the importance of speaking the Word over your life.
Speaking into being what you want to happen in your life.
Who you want to be.
Who God wants you to be, more specifically.

What she has had me do is make a list.
A list of scriptures to speak over my life.
Every morning I speak these over myself.
I say the scripture and then speak it as a confession.
Here's my list:

Psalm 86:4
"Bring joy to your servant, Lord, for I put my trust in you."
Confession- Bring joy to me Lord, for my trust is in you.

Acts 2:28
"You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence."
Confession- You have shown me the ways of life and I will be full of joy in your presence.

1John 4:11
"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
Confession- I will love others because God first loved me.

Psalm 119: 76
"May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant."
Confession- Your everlasting love will be my comfort because of your promise to me.

Romans 5: 3-4
"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope."
Confession- I rejoice in my sufferings because I know that they produce perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope.

Isaiah 54:17
"No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me, declares the Lord."
Confession- There is no weapon or evil plan the devil can, could, or will create that will prosper in my life. God's presence and anointing destroys everything that could come against me.

2 Corinthians 10:5
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
Confession- I cast down every thought, imagination, or desire that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

Colossians 1:13
"Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."
Confession- God has delivered me from the powers of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of His Son.


So that's my confession list!
I encourage you to make your own list.
Feel free to use mine as well. Add verses, take some away. Make it apply to your life.
And have fun with it!
When you're done stick it in a paper holder and put it in your shower. That way you won't forget to say them every day.
I hope that you enjoyed reading through my confessions.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
I'll catch up with y'all afterwards!

All my love,
Miriam

A Ramble For You...

Hello there!
I'm glad that you've decided to come back and read my blog after that One Direction post. I was a little scared that I had lost you there for a second. I always knew you'd come back. We have a great relationship, you and I. One that most people don't have. A connection of sorts. Something funny.

Anyways, want to know what I've been up to?
Quite a lot actually!

I got accepted to go to Oral Roberts University, ORU, three weeks ago. And last week I got accepted into the Anne Vaughn School of Nursing. So happy about that.

I am in the Christmas Illustrated Sermon at my church. We have practice every week until our performance. I'm a towns person, like usual. It's a great way to spend my weekend and to tell people about Christ.

I'm on Thanksgiving break!! It could not have come sooner this year. And while I wish I was in Michigan with my extended family this year, I am grateful that I get to be with my family here. No matter how uncooperative or selfish they can be.

I'm pretty sure that I re sprained my knee. And I think I pulled a ligament in my hand. Very painful stuff.

Enough about me. How are you?
Let's talk about us. Ya know, the relationship between me and you.
I am very grateful that you have followed my blog. That you have taken enough of an interest in my life and what I have to say to spend some very precious minutes of your day to read about mine.
That really means a lot to me and I don't take it for granted.
The past few weeks have been really tough for me. Let's just say this week hasn't been my forte. That's my excuse for this really long ramble. I'm sorry. That's all I have to say to you.
Remember, stay beautiful!
Confusedly,
Your very tired author....

Purple Nerves and Purple Tattoos

PURPLE

 

 

 

 

I don't know why but purple to me is just the best color ever!

You may even say that I have an obsession... but just a little one.

Ya know, I have purple socks, jewelry, clothes, nail polish, clothes, shoes, phone cases, ipod cases, stuft animals, blankets, pillows, my walls used to be purple, eye shadow, cups and dishware, utensil cases, scrapbooks and journels, makeup bags, ribbons, sharpies, pens and pencils, erasers, and belts...okay. It's a huge obesssion!

I even found a store called "Primary Purple" in San Antonio, Texas.

Let me tell you, that store made my entire trip worth it. Even without the ocean, river rides, and excessive shopping, that store made it worthwhile!

 

How the color purple affects us physically:

• it uplifts us
• calms the nerve and mind
• offers a sense of spirituality
• encourages creativity

 

It's a pretty stellar color if it can invoke all of these things.

 

 

 

While I was the "Primarily Purple" store, I happened upon this really cool poster that I had to buy! Here's what it says:

Purple Profile

You are a purple person if:

 

You are imaginative, sensitive, artistic and sophisticated.



You have noble ideals and a keep appreciation of the cultural.

You are alert, demanding, foresighted, confident, resourceful, spontaneous and highly independent.

You take delight in the beautiful, the gracious, the sensitive, but maintain an attitude of critical appraisal.

In love you seek to attain a magical quality and refuse to settle for anything less.

You refuse to be "swept-off you feet" unless genuineness and integrity can be absolutely ascertained.

You are active in the support of things you believe in, and are concerned with the pursuit of truth and other human values.

You take chances and believe that you must do so to make the most of what life has to offer.

Purple is an exclusive color, mystical in quality, blending the two extremes of the spectrum, red & blue.

Traditionally, purple represents splendor, dignity, royalty, rank & wealth.

Purple is a unique color, and it is truly a unique individual who holds is dear.

 

 

 

 

Purple is a color often well liked by very creative or eccentric types and is the favorite color of adolescent girls.



In Christianity, Purple is the color of "pride."

In the United States, a state with an equal number of Republicans and Democrats is known as a "purple state."

Purple stones- Amethyst, Ametrine, Sugilite, Lavender Jade, Selenite, Iolite, and Lavender Quartz.

 

An English, Jenny Joseph, wrote a poem titled "Warning." It's opening line begins, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple..."

Here is the poem below.

 

WARNING
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens . . .

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

 

 

 

As you can see, the color purple is a very special color. It is loved by many and seen by all.

I don't know why I'm so obsessed with this color.

Maybe it is scientifically proven that girls love this color, I don't know. All I know is that this color is unique. And only a unique and special person can truly embrace all that purple holds dear.

 

I hope that you enjoyed learning about this majestic color.

In the days to come evaluate yourself. Decide which color embodies you.

It's something fun to do.

Have a great weekend guys!

Yours truly,