VFNRadio Second Hour April 23, 2014

The Power of what God can do Through an Abiding and Obedient Lifestyle

LISTEN NOW! The Power of Abiding and Obeying God and the Miracles that Happen when We Spend Time with Jesus

Steve, John, and Pat share an encouraging perspective of spending time abiding with Jesus. In the Bible, God used men and women mightily who wanted to be with Jesus. Ananias and Philip were just two of the many spoken about in the Bible who abided and obeyed God. Steve shares an exciting perspective regarding how the conversion of Saul was a pivotal moment in church history. Saul had no idea that his life was going to take a vital turn when he woke up that morning. Neither did Ananias, who God used to minister to Saul. Ananias had developed a relationship with the Lord. When God called his name, “Ananias!” he not only recognized God’s voice but he also obeyed. Ananias was an abider. Little did he know that this time of seeking God and spending time with the Lord would affect the generations to come 2,000 years later. Philip was another man who spent time with the Lord. The Lord called Philip to take a walk, a long walk along the desert road. He was willing to go and he responded. While on the way he encountered an Ethiopian man. Because of this encounter, the Ethiopian man ended up giving his life to Jesus and being baptized. Philip had no idea that this man was an important official who worked alongside the Queen of the Ethiopians. Philip’s abiding time and obedience with the Lord resulted in him affecting an entire nation of people, the Ethiopians. Steve continues to share the stories of those who followed the Lord in making disciples. Some of those are nameless and faceless only known in the heart of God. What we do know is the outcomes of their ministry. Billy Graham touched generations; a powerful man of God who ministered to many American Presidents and leaders worldwide. What most do not know is the man God used to minister to Billy Graham: Mordecai Hamm. Mordecai knew Jesus and he was willing to go where Jesus called him. Mordecai had no idea that one morning as he was seeking God’s face for a message to share to others, would be the day that he would minister to generations. Steve Hill was another powerful General in God’s army that not only shared the gospel, but preached to the nations. Again, what many don’t know is the young minister who responded to a mother’s beckoning call for someone to witness to her drug addict son who was overdosing on drugs and lying on his bed. This young minister followed Jesus and responded to the need of this mother and witnessed to her son. Her son was revivalist Steve Hill. This young minister had no idea what would happen one specific morning. Generations are deeply indebted to these mighty Generals in God’s army as well as to those who spent time abiding with God and obeying what He told them to do.

God has an awesome and powerful plan for your life. Will you go? Will you follow Jesus even if you are called to take the desert road? Because of those that were willing to go, countless stories and testimonies of the Brownsville Revival and many others are still being shared to this day. Steve and John continue to encourage us with the reality that if a Christian is bored today, something is wrong. Begin to abide with Jesus. We can do nothing apart from Jesus. If what Jesus Christ has done in our lives has not touched the lives of others then it hasn’t touched ours. What fills our conversations? What are we telling others about? Many are quick to tell their friends about their sports team, a great restaurant, or a new pair of shoes. If Jesus Christ has changed your life, who are you telling? Everyone knows when a woman gets married. Many can recount that conversation that started with her showing everyone her left hand. She wants everyone to see her new wedding ring. She is getting married. She wants everyone to know about her bridegroom and the wonderful plans they have together. Jesus has a plan for mankind. Are you telling them?

John continues to share the important reality that the time that we have to tell others about Jesus is a short one, limited only to this life. During a season in John’s life he was able to minister at the Louisiana State University Medical Center. John recounts a story of a family that had experienced a traumatic car accident that resulted in every family member being admitted to the hospital. John was willing to go; he was able to minister to each and every member that was in a different room and on different floors. He was simply there for that family during their traumatic time. This resulted in John being invited to their home when all of them were released. John was then able to share the gospel with them. We must seize the opportunity of a lifetime during the lifetime of the opportunity. If you died today, standing before Jesus, would you be happy? Nobody is getting younger. We are all getting older. The time is now. Receive Jesus Christ into your life. Go and tell others the good news of Jesus.

Prayer Has No Limitations

John, Steve and Pat discuss the remarkable nature of prayer in that has no limitations. If I wanted to go across the world to England or Uganda and have Godly impact in that part of the world for Jesus I would have some unique things to consider. The amount of time it would take to travel, the expense, one’s energy and the limitation as to how many people one can reach within a given space and time. Yet prayer has no such limitations and if you wanted to touch the nation of Uganda and England and anywhere in the world you can do so simply by prayer. Since prayer travels unhindered, unrestricted, and can go through walls and roofs affecting the targeted area. They continue to discuss how we are made in the image of God although man tends to give God human characteristics that lend you to believe that God was created in the image of man. Of course this is not true. The best way to know who we are is to first know who God is. God is a Spirit and there are some things that are important to know regarding his nature. God is a spirit, He is invisible and He is immortal. Our flesh is just the tent that houses our spirit and soul. When we pray it is like our prayers are joined with our spirit and we can be in any given place affecting the spiritual environment. They encourage us to engage God and communicate with Him through prayer and perseverance for His will to come to pass in the world in which we live.

https://vfntv.com/media/audios/episodes/xtra-hour/2014/apr/42314P-2%20Xtra%20Hour.mp3

VFNRP

Loving God, Loving Others and Leading Others to do the Same

VFNRadio Second Hour April 23, 2014

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