Thanks God for your miracle I, Joseph your servant, am truly amazed. Bless your words God.
Background:
I sinned immorally. I, as usual, prayed to God. In the past, I felt useless even after prayer. However, this time, God listened to my prayer, replied me through the Holy Spirit and raised me up like a miracle! I felt like I get up and get more power from God! I humbly share this experience with you
1. I sinned immorally again, I felt useless and weak. I felt so sorry as I disappointed God again, especially when now I was a servant of God and serving God. I felt I no longer deserved God's salvation.
2. I knelt down, prayed and admitted my sin.
3. I read the bible. As I was saying have mercy on me, have mercy on me?amp;nbsp; in my prayer, I remembered a verse by Jane: have mercy on me, have mercy on me?
4. I read Luke 18:35-43 (Jesus healed a blind beggar)
l The beggar shouted to Jesus, have mercy on me, have mercy on me? The people around (Satan) called him (me) to shut up, as he (I) is a little figure, not worthy of Jesus?(God's) attention and love.
l Then Jesus (God) replied, "What do you want me to do for you?"
l The beggar said, I want to see! (I want to be clean, have my terrible sins forgiven and be with God again)
l Jesus then said, your faith has healed you! (the beggar received his sight)
5. I then read Luke 18:13- But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner. I was like the tax collector, feeling shameful and not dare to look at God, asking: have mercy on me, a sinner.
6. In the meantime, Satan tempted me and attacked me, saying, Joseph, you are terrible, you won't deserve God's salvation! You are sinful and ugly and God is pure. I asked, Do I have faith in God's salvation for me?
7. Then the Holy Spirit reminds me of 2 verses.
l 2 Corinthians 5:17- if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!?amp;nbsp; God says clearly I can be saved if I decide to follow him by faith!
l I then read Hebrews ch.11. (What is faith? How powerful is faith in God?) God says: if we have faith in God, we can do miraculous, impossible things in men! Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, what is impossible with men is possible with God.
8. Finally, I shouted to Satan, Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
9. Thanks God Almighty for his mercy and forgiveness. I prayed God would use me (and you too) for his purpose and as a humble servant and blessing to others.
Why sharing:
I just listened to a sermon tape on lust and immorality? The pastor talks about the most powerful trick of sin/Satan- it makes people feel shameful (not willing to talk about it) and then isolate people up. In this way, people are isolated (no support from others/friends? and are vulnerable to Satan's attack and further temptation.
Personally, I also thinks it has an implication on the Western Culture of "individuality" and "being independent" either financially or emotionally. Those notions are human created and perverted, as the Bible never encourages people to live on their own. (The media or social values now are always encouraging people to live on their own as much as possibleL E.g. being a doctor-know-it-all, or it's shameful to get help from others) People are meant to be inter-dependent and support one another closely and happily. Proverbs 27:17- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.?(the need for fellowship)
What's your option about that?
God bless you
-- Edited by servant Joseph at 19:12, 2004-10-04
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The Fear of the Lord is to hate evil & to shun evil. Whoever walks in the counsel of the wicked lacks judgment, little knowing it will cost him his life...
I, Joseph your servant, am truly amazed. Bless your words God.
