‘A’ Sign from God… (Part 5)

And he said, Go forth, and stand on the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. I Kings 19:11-12 AKJV

It was not in the wind nor the earthquake nor the fire. God didn’t give Elijah a Sign. Instead, He whispered within his heart a still small voice.

‘SO’ consider this. . .

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16: 17-18

And these signs. . .

Did you see the signs? Here’s another sign from God. . .

Little Johnnie ‘A’ Poem By Mike Flipp

Little Johnnie walked by the store
in the window he saw bikes galore!
But there was one special bike that caught his eye
it was bright red, and looked fast, it would probably fly!
So he asked the clerk for the price of this bike
“99 dollars, I’ll get it if you like.”
Oh not right now, said Johnnie with a smile
I will be back in a very short while
But Johnnie knew he did not have enough
And he contemplated selling all of his stuff
But even after he figured all of that out
He would still be short 50 dollars there about
So what could he do he thought with a sigh
He then started praying to God most High
He said to God, Oh please Father, may I have it?
I will do extra chores, and even sell my new ball mitt
I want it so bad, Oh God, can’t you see
That I will do anything, if you will agree
So after Johnnie prayed, to God every night
He walked by the store, his bike was in sight
He worked extra hard and saved all his dough
And watched and rejoiced as his money did grow
And 3 months later when summers end came
He said to his Dad while he watched the ball game
He said Dad, there’s this bike, down at the store
And I need your help getting it out the door
Well ok Johnnie, I know you’ve been working hard
Saving your money and working in the yard
You’ve done chores at the neighbors, and down the street
You’ve surely been busy and moving your feet
You hustled and sweated all summer long
You’ve also been good and done nothing wrong
So off they went to get Johnnie’s shiny new ride
Oh he was so happy and full of self pride
He’s waited for this day and could hardly wait
He and his Dad drove out the gait
Down to the store the two of them went
But along the way, they saw an old gent
It was Johnnie’s neighbor weeping and sad
Johnnie’s Dad stopped and asked what was so bad?
He replied with humble word or two
He just lost his job, and his rent was due
His wife was ill and could not work at all
And he’s been waiting 2 weeks for work to call
The factory was closing and times were hard
And Johnnie remembered working in his yard
Then Johnnie thought about the bike
And he thought about his neighbor out on his hike
Johnnie said Dad, I don’t want it no more
So please don’t take me to that old store
Johnnie went home and put his cash in a sock
To his neighbor’s back door, hung it from the lock
Johnnie’s Dad was proud of his son that day
He snuck down to the store and put that bike on lay-away
Johnnie’s Dad made payments he cut back on some things
But the Love his son showed, is what a good heart brings
So he didn’t mind the least one bit
When he saw Johnnie’s eyes and face all lit
Its moments like these that we should all treasure
Its things like these that we should all measure
Helping a neighbor in need of a hand
Showing brotherly love across our land.

Do you believe in signs? (And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: Are you a sign from God?. . . . . and after the fire a still small voice.)

I Am!

‘A’ Sign from God… (Part 4)

Photo, World Trade Center towers with steeple of St. Paul’s Chapel in foreground. World Trade Center – More Images · New York, New York

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid? Shall misfortune or evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it?

Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy? Amos 3:6-8 AMP

God has always warned the world of coming judgments in order that it may not bring them upon itself. He warned Noah of the coming flood (Gen. 6:13); Abraham and Lot of the future destruction of Sodom (Gen. 18:17; 19:14); Joseph of the seven-year famine (Gen. 41:30); Moses of the ten plagues on Egypt (Exodus. 7:1.); Jonah of the destruction of Nineveh (Jonah 1:2; 3:4); Amos of the downfall of Syria, Philistia, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, and Israel (Amos 1 and 2). Various prophets were told in detail about the final events in connection with the captivities of the chosen people, and in every case the warnings were startlingly accurate. Jonah announced the destruction of Nineveh, but judgment was postponed following repentance.

Today the heavens seem to be silent. But is God still speaking to the nations of the world through prophecy? Does He still speak to mankind through signs? Is there another rainbow in our future? And what about America? Is God warning America through cataclysmic events? Was AIDS a sign (a warning to repentance)? How about 9/11 and hurricane Katrina? Were these modern day tragedies signs from God?

If God is talking to us shouldn’t He want us to listen? If a Father punishes a child should the child not learn? The scriptures tell us that God often speaks to us through His prophets, particularly before a calamity. And since this has always been biblical protocol consider all the prophecy predicting 9/11 listed below…

Consider that in the bible God sends angels as messengers for momentous events, possibly described by the “angelic trumpeter” story below…

Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid? Shall misfortune or evil occur [as punishment] and the Lord has not caused it?

Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.

And consider that Osama translated means “roaring lion” and that one of the prophecies from biblical prophets warned of a roaring lion…

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?

Consider that the bible says God chastises those he loves and how this is all described in the cleansing of God’s People, Israel.

Was this ancient text a prophetical sign from God for today?

Consider this . . .

On September 11, 1991, exactly ten years to the date of the World Trade Center tragedy, Jesus told a church prophetess:

“The earth will shiver and shake and every evil built into Towers will collapse into a heap of rubble and be buried in the dust of sin!  Above, the heavens will shake and the foundations of the earth will rock!…”

And this. . .

Ned Dougherty, a man who clinically died on July 2, 1984 had visions of the future during his near-death experience. He claims he spoke with a “Lady of Light.” Visions he was given of his own life have come true and he was also given visions a major terrorist attack on New York City or Washington DC, severely impacting the way we live in the United States. What I saw were buildings toppling over and people running in chaos and confusion… Every time I tried to go into Manhattan, I had difficulty breathing.  It seemed like there was a negative cloud over that city for me”.

And finally. . .

In 1991, in the monthly message for September, the Virgin Mary told an anonymous believer that great vigilance was in order.

“For now, as never before,” she said, “Satan wants to show the world his shameful face.”

Bin Laden’s first name — “Osama” — translates as “roaring lion.” This is twice interesting because we know Scripture (1 Peter 5:8) warns, “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

Do you believe God is trying to tell us something?

Did the Virgin Mary bless the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina?

Was 9/11 a sign from God?

On February 11, 2002 — Buried under tons of World Trade Center steel and rubble, rescue workers found a page from the Bible that spoke of a tower that reached to the heavens. “After more than 93 days of fires, a skinny little frail page from the Bible survived. I find it quite unbelievable,” he told The Post. “I was blown away,” said Bellone, who is one of hundreds of rescue workers recovering bodies as well as their personal belongings. Bellone and Gere found the verse during the recovery of a civilian. “It was amazing,” said Bellone, who found the passage from Genesis, about the Tower of Babel, amid the ruins.

To be continued…

‘A’ Sign from God… (Part 3)

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Jonah). And he left them, and departed.” Matthew 16:4 AKLV

In 7 BC, something significant took place evident in the eastern sky. There was a conjunction of the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, which in eastern astrology related to kingship and authority. They conjoined within the constellation Pisces that, to eastern astrologers, represented the lands to the west, Palestine. Some say that Magi saw this conjunction as a sign that the King of the Jews who would one day rule the world had come and headed to Jerusalem to find him.

Many Christians see the star as a miraculous sign to mark the birth of the Christ (or messiah). Some theologians claim that the star fulfilled a prophecy, known as the Star Prophecy. In modern times, astronomers have proposed various explanations for the star. A nova, a planet, a comet, an occultation, and a conjunction (gathering of planets) have all been suggested. The story has also been interpreted as either an astrological event or as a historical fiction.

However today there is no command for us to seek or rely on external signs for divine guidance in daily decisions, there are no promises attached to the seeking of signs, and the examples of God-given signs to accompany his messages are not said to be assurances that we may expect the same in our lives.

What is, of course, emphasized repeatedly is our higher calling to conduct ourselves in conformity with God’s “revealed will”, to trust that his providential care for us is always present, to use our God-given ability to demonstrate wisdom and discernment as we approach decisions and priorities in life, and to know (without doubt) that he will direct our steps most adequately. Still most of us wish that God would tell us specifically what to do and when to do it–where to live, where to work, whom to date or marry, etc.

But God rarely gives that kind of direct advice. Yet he has not left us without tools to seek, know, and follow his will. We have the Holy Bible! It’s 1,189 chapters are filled with practical truths and principles that we may use in seeking to know God’s will — and distinguishing that from the desires of world.

Conversely, the idea of  signs seems to be about a sort of psychic “knowing” what God is doing in our lives and “wants” us to do. Perhaps this is why so many Christians today have concluded that there are signs and we have been equipped to see them all and correctly interpret them. And though Jesus admonished the believer about seeking signs, the Christian world continues to see God’s will through them. . .

The hottest thing on the griddle at the Las Palmas restaurant these days isn’t the food. It’s the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that a cook says she saw in the griddle.

Restaurant manager Brenda Martinez says more than a hundred people have flocked to the small town of Calexico on the California-Mexico border to gaze at the image since it was discovered as the griddle was being cleaned.

“This is amazing. It’s a true miracle,” said one, known as Mr. Tempest.

Since the discovery, the griddle has been taken out of service and placed in a shrine in a storage room.

Do you see an image of Jesus in the Maple leaf?

Can you see the Virgin Mother in this MRI brain scan?

Do you see a praying Jesus in this Cheeto?

To be continued…

‘A’ Sign from God… (Part 2)

“Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Luke 24:39 CEV

Every now and then one reads in the news that some Image of the Madonna is weeping. Sometimes these tears are blood and the news stories quickly become impregnated with hyperbole. The skeptics smile; the ecclesiastical authorities wink at one other and evaluate the event with great prudence, with good reason, and they avoid making definitive judgments; science does not get involved, and if it does, it is at the level practiced by an Apologists. Then, as time passes, the event becomes less interesting, fades from memory, and is soon forgotten. What does it all mean? Are these signs from God?

Let’s take a look at a different account. . .

Just getting up in the morning is a blessing! I was in a bad car wreck back in 1989. I died three times and was in a coma for eight weeks. When I came out of it, I lost about nine years of which I have no knowledge. I don’t remember teaching my children how to ride a bike, helping out with homework and so forth. I had even had to learn how to eat again. I have dentures now because I forced a fork too far into my mouth. I was going to school at the time, (robotics) but the doctors said there was too much brain damage to go back. I can’t count money or even tie a pair of shoes, but the Holy Spirit can even use someone like me. Makes me want to shed tears. Not me, but Christ Jesus in me!”

Still another. . .

I was becoming increasingly dejected that I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere spiritually. I didn’t feel God’s presence; I wasn’t basking in the warm feelings of Jesus’ love for me. I didn’t feel…anything. And it didn’t seem like I ever would.

The second night we were there I couldn’t sleep. I was tossing and turning, the question of God weighing too heavy on my mind for me to sleep. I was depressed about some other things going on in my life and felt particularly low and hopeless. I felt like I was hitting a spiritual rock bottom, so I begged God to help me. I begged him for a sign to let me know he exists.

If you’re looking from a sign from God you can certainly find it in one of these stories. These are deliciously subversive stories about how religious people forget their blessedness, and so they traverse the world of reason seeking to apply deeper meaning to the will of God through signs. Thomas needed this. He needed a sign to know without a doubt that Jesus was who he claimed he was. So Jesus said, “Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves.”

This story is about the privileged table-sitters who forget the food they are about to eat is also a sign of God’s grace.

To be continued…

‘A’ Sign from God…

“When suffering comes, we yearn for some sign from God, forgetting we have just had one.”Mignon McLaughlin

In ancient Israel men and women who attended no other service during the year would fill the synagogue on the eve of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. The High Holy day of Yom Kippur represented a signpost. The day on which all Jews were required to fast and pray that God forgive their sins and send them forth cleansed to begin the New Year. Even the people who would habitually arrive halfway through most services during the year would make an extra effort to arrive on time for this service. After the synagogue was overflowing at standing room only capacity the religious service would begin with the familiar chant:

“By consent of the authorities in heaven and on earth, we permit sinners to enter and be part of the congregation.”

There are indeed signposts within the human soul that cause us to think less of ourselves every time we do something wrong. They may be the result of parental expectations, or teachers who focused so much of their energy on what we got wrong, or some lesson we recall from Sunday school, or maybe they were placed there by God. And maybe it is good for us to feel this way on occasion. It may make us more sensitive to what we do wrong, to how we hurt others thus move us to repent and grow. Because I believe God is communicating all the time, He is always calling us to approach the table of repentance and forgiveness, but we’re often deaf to God’s imaginative, trans-dimensional language. It makes me wonder how many signs God sends us we never see? The spiritual life is about paying attention, awareness, and turning before we have wasted too much of our lives. Spirituality is remembering that we don’t have the luxury of regarding other people’s problems and personal tragedies from some godlike perspective, as if we’re untouched by them. We’re all in the overflowing room of life’s journey together, so that other people’s tragedies are about us, too.

So if you’re looking for a sign from God today, let me help you out. Okay, it’s not such a pretty sign, it doesn’t condemn anybody, or trumpet the next mega-million dollar lottery winner, but I’ll bet you remember it. What does it say? “Now!”What does the sign read? “Now!”Not, I’ll wait until Sunday, or Yom Kippur, or until I get older, or until I receive a sign or word from God.’Now’ is the only moment you have. Now is the time to do what you know God wants you to do. Now is the day to be productive for God. Now is the hour to turn your life around. You may not have later, but even if you do, why waste Now – you will never have this moment again? It’s not meant to frighten or shock you, but to welcome you to walk with me across this bridge of knowing, to help open your eyes to God’s call to you right now!

To be continued…