91 | Holy Spirit provides a vision of how we are to be joined together (Wayne Johnston)
In this podcast, Wayne Johnston shares a vision the Holy Spirit gave him on how believers need to be joined together to build the Kingdom of God.
All posts tagged: Vision
Start walking
One of the problems with vision is that we want instant success. We want it to happen now, but in order for you to produce fruit, there first needs to be pruning. Pruning can be a long process for some of us, as in 40 years of pruning from when my husband started to write and pursue his passion for Bible teaching and world events. It wasn’t until my retirement that I began to pursue my dream and desire for women to connect and whenever I gave up and let go of the dream, it always came back stronger than ever. Maybe God has given you a dream or vision that He has called you to do. Below are a few tips from a sermon delivered by Matt Adams a couple of years ago, that helped me in my journey: “It doesn’t matter how many we lead. It matters where we lead them and how you lead them.” “Learn to lead from your placement, where you are now, without wanting to be a star.” “We …
Is it time to step into your dream?
I am a fairly optimistic person and at times ideas flood my mind and I have said to myself and others “anything is possible.” I feel a dream rising in me like a bubble and I can’t stop it! It’s just there! When these thoughts overtake me, I find myself incredibly happy! The ideas and the possibilities are endless. This is what energizes me and propels me forward. Over the years dreams and desires have stirred within me only to be overtaken by work, family, health etc. But, the Bible tells us: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” Hebrews 6:19 Hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness. Although my desires and dreams have been dampened and squashed at times, over the years they continually resurfaced and reminded me that they haven’t gone away. I believe these desires and dreams, that refuse to leave, are often put there by God. It’s …
22 | Vision Part 1: God has a purpose for your life!
A recent survey of British young people discovered that 90% of them do not have a purpose or sense of meaning for their life. In this podcast, we discuss how God has a purpose and plan for your life.
Envisioning prayer
Last year, I was praying and seeking an answer and intervention for a particular situation that was very troubling to me. As I desperately sought the answer, I suddenly began to envision it happening right down to the exact details — what would it look like, sound like and feel like if it actually came to pass. After picturing the scenario in my mind’s eye, I spontaneously began to thank and praise God for the answer. My response surprised me. I realized because it had been so real in my mind as I prayed my spirit responded with thanksgiving and praise before I even knew what was happening. It was the same response that I would have felt seeing my prayer answered and fulfilled in the flesh. But in this instance it hadn’t happened yet. I believe this was a prophetic prayer. The incident reminded me of a verse: “Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the non-existent things that (He has foretold and promised) as if they (already) existed.” (Romans 4:17 AMP) …
Study: A sense of purpose adds years to your life
A study produced by researchers Patrick Hill from Canada’s Carleton University and Nicholas Turiano from the University of Rochester’s Medical Center concluded that having a purpose adds years to a person’s life. The two researchers tracked 6,000 people over a 14-year period who had been part of the Midlife in the United States study. Elements of the comprehensive survey delved into such areas as determining if a person felt they had a purpose. Among other things they were asked to respond to such statements as “some people wander aimlessly in life, but I am not one of them.” Over their study period, the research team determined that 9% (569) of these people had died. After analyzing the data, they found that across all age groups those who had a higher sense of purpose consistently lived longer. Lead author Patrick Hill stated: “These findings suggest that there’s something unique about finding a purpose that seems to be leading to greater longevity.” The two added in their report published in Psychological Science that other studies have come …
Miracle on a football field?
Some have gone so far to claim he faked his death even accusing him of taking a pill before hand so the symptoms would seem real. On May 5, 2015, Zack Clements, 17, was participating in football training at his Christian school, Victory Life Academy, in Brownwood, Texas when he collapsed to the ground. Nobody, knew what had happened. While others prayed, people immediately started performing CPR. When the ambulance showed up, Zack, who had just had a heart attack, was rushed to a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. When he arrived, It took hospital emergency personnel 20 minutes to get his heart restarted. Medical staff prepared Zack’s parents, Bill and Teresa, to brace themselves for the worst. In an interview with People.com, the attending cardiologist at Children’s Medical Center, Dr. Lisa Roten, was concerned if Zack did survive there would be irreversible brain damage. Roten told People: “For 20 minutes, he was legally dead. We were worried he may have suffered irreversible brain damage.” Once the hospital team stabilized Zack’s heart, they put him …
Jesus appears to Muslim husband and wife in their dreams
Frontiers, is a Christian organization dedicated to preaching the Gospel among Muslims. One of their field workers recently reported on a remarkable conversion of a Muslim woman and her husband. According to the report, Gulzhan was meeting with a Christian worker for a Bible study in an unnamed isolated village. This went on for some time without the woman choosing to follow Christ. That all changed when Jesus appeared to Gulzhan in a dream. When that happened the woman knew she needed to become a Christian. As news of Gulzhan’s faith decision spread, the neighbors in the Islamic village where she lived were not impressed and immediately turned against the woman. But it was the onset of winter that drove Gulzhan from the proverbial pan into the fire. Though the cold weather reduced her interaction with the villagers, she was now in constant contact with her husband, Elemes, who was becoming increasingly agitated with Gulzhan’s faith. He would become enraged when he found his wife reading the Bible or singing hymns to God. In a …
Burn Baby Burn
[by Sandy McIntosh] This is the first step in “What Nehemiah Did and How You Can Do Anything.” And you can do anything; just don’t move until you are on fire. A few years ago I was called to a meeting at work where I was told that my position was terminated, and then someone from HR slid a piece of paper across the table. On the paper were the details of my termination settlement, which was very generous. I was one of many, but it felt personal. Today my life is better; I have switched from career to contract work and I do less work for more money, with more freedom. Who can argue with that?
Oh Those Americans
[by Sandy McIntosh] I am writing about “What Nehemiah Did and How You Can Do Anything” and this is the first step; we must un-learn before we learn, forget what you know and retrain. Nehemiah is not in this story. In his place I present another famous man. Do you know some of the heroes of American history; George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, maybe Teddy Roosevelt? Yes, but how much do you know about Charles Grandison Finney? You might have to go to a Bible College to learn about Finney. He was a revival preacher, college president, and anti-slavery activist and he influenced American history as much any other famous character. We mostly remember political and military heroes.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Nehemiah the Jew
[by Sandy McIntosh] Nehemiah is a leading character in the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, and an important character in Jewish history. He lived long before Jesus, and his calendar did not start with a new year on January 1. It didn’t even have a January. For sure he never specifically wished anyone a Merry Christmas or a Happy New Year at the end of December. Or did he? If we can get past the superficial materialism and drunken partying, there is wisdom from God for this time of new beginnings in December, and Nehemiah was a great teacher on that subject.
So You Hate your Job, Chapter 4: Dream On
[by Sandy McIntosh] Is your job bugging you? Are you unfulfilled and frustrated with your career? Do you want to turn it all around? Here’s a start; Don’t be a lazy dreamer. I have been guilty of lazy dreaming, and I know there is always a price to pay. Probably you are guilty with me. When I was younger I looked into education that would give me a vocation, a career for the long term. At a big university I visited a professor to talk about possibilities, and during the conversation he looked at me and said “Would you like to join our doctoral program?” I heard him and felt a stab of fear, so I quickly said no. Now, looking back, I should have ignored the fear and asked questions. A doctorate might have been a good thing. Sometimes I think about that road not taken and I wonder. I had a dream for something better, but it was feeble and lazy, and it couldn’t connect with real opportunities. The professor gave me a …
The Charter: Stepping out of the Dream
So what is your dream, something you want to see, or something you desperately need? Do you want something for yourself or your family, or other people; like a new career, an education, a business, or a mission for God? And you know that all dreams die right? All those great sentiments floating through our heads are just whiffs of electrical energy, and they are born to die. The good news is there are two ways to kill a dream. You can cycle that rosy thought for years and some day it will be a story to bore the grandchildren. I’ve got a few of those. The other way is to the kill the dream and make it into reality. Jesus said a grain of wheat remains alone unless it falls into the ground and dies (John 12:24), and I believe that principle applies to our hopes and dreams. My Grandfather, in Scotland was an expert on religion and theology. He read all the books and had all the answers, except someone told him to …
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