Posts Tagged ‘miracles’

Walking in the Miraculous

Posted in Bible Study, Life and Ministry, tagged blessing, Christian Ethic, expectation, faith, focus, Galatians, guidry, Hebrews, Jesus, kingdom, listening, love, miracles, prayer, protection, Sam, spiritual, surrender, The Lewis House, transformation, trust on August 25, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“So then does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:5

Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of this new life that God has called me to at The Lewis House is one that I should have had in my Christian life regardless of my profession. It is one that I am still learning to embrace because (unlike my beautiful wife) I am a bit too logical in my make up and a big part of me want to live on the basis of logical observation instead of spiritual expectation. God is teaching me to walk in the miraculous.

When we truly hear the Gospel with faith there should be an expectation of the miraculous. It is part of the package. This is not a mystical toy store or the ability to bend God’s power to our will for our happiness. It is simply expecting God to act in my life and then walking out my faith and getting to watch Him moving and working in an around me. The cool thing is that the miraculous looks a little different every time. I think that one of the mistake that we often make is when something miraculous happens in our lives we run around expecting that very same thing to happen over and over or even just one more time. This may be in part to our desire to control the miraculous. Humanity has always had an inherent fear of the things that we cannot control. Better to have a god who responds to our requests exactly the same way all of the time, speaking into our lives in the ways that we want Him too (as opposed to in ways that sanctify us, ever conforming us closer and closer to the mind of Christ).

The author of Hebrews reveals the purpose of the miraculous. “…how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” Hebrews 2:3-4 It confirms to us our salvation. This approximates Paul’s statement in Galatians that we already looked.

The other amazing thing is that God will not be put in a box. Sometimes we mistake the fact that he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow for the fact that we will be able to manipulate and predict his actions in our lives. This error is revealed in Isaiah, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways, My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways And my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 Does this mean that we just drift along being pushed here and there by a capricious God? Not at all! We cry out our needs, concerns, suffering and desires to God and the open our spiritual eyes wide and watch Him work. It will be amazing, and often in ways that we least expect.

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Nisa Faith

Posted in Life and Ministry, tagged birth, blessing, calling, children, Christian Ethic, faith, family, God, guidry, Jesus, journey, joy, kingdom, Lewis House, listening, love, Ministry, miracles, miscarriage, missions, plans, prayer, salvation, Sam, service, support, surrender, The Lewis House, Toledo, tragedy, transformation, trial, trust on July 31, 2012| 2 Comments »

(Nisa- Miracle)

Faith

Guidry

We have prayed for this day for 9 years. We have ached for the losses and doubted our faith. We refused to give up even when we were labeled as a “Chronic Miscarriage” case. When the entire world (and even God himself from a purely worldly standpoint) seemed to be saying emphatically NO, the Holy Spirit whispered in our ears to leave it in the Father’s hands. So we did. Don’t get me wrong we cried, we wailed, we begged over and over again. We wanted at times to throw in the towel and act out of our own understanding. We still do not completely understand, but understand this: We have a mighty heavenly Father who cares for us in ways that I cannot begin to fathom. He loves us in a way that is so far beyond my understanding that I only touch the edges of what AGAPE really means!

Several weeks ago while in prayer God gave me the name Nisa Faith. Indeed she is a miracle of faith, not the simple faith of a single prayer or even the cry for healing but the faith of a 9 year journey. She represents to us the faith of Abraham as he led his entire family to Canaan. She represents the faith of Joseph as he waited in slavery, in prison for God to act. She is even now, yet in the womb that miracle, an incredible act of God.

The difficult part to grasp is that my statement about our Father’s love for us is not just true because Nisa is healthy and strong. It is an eternal truth that is expressed in both the tragic and the joyful. He does not love us more now than he did on the very days that we miscarried our other seven precious babies. The reality is that our journey to the fulfillment of the call that He had placed on our lives led us directly through David’s “Valley of the Shadow of Death”. While we might prefer a detour around the Valley, God does not promise that. He does promise that he will be with us, standing by us with His rod and staff and even more importantly for New Testament believers dwelling in us. Many times it is not until after we are through the Valley that we are able to look back and see that God wielded His rod and staff on our behalf as we walked that difficult road.

Even more than she represents the miracle of life to us, she is the miracle of faith itself. Perhaps a better way to say it is that she is an expression of miraculous faith. Faith inspired by the ongoing presence of God in our lives. It is the faith that kept Abraham going on his 400 mile journey. It is the faith that kept him in relationship with God even when he arrived only to face famine. It is the faith that saw the birth of Isaac and the substitution of a ram for his only child on the mountain before God. It is not a faith of the perfect life or of perfect people. It is a faith that traverses pitfalls and carries us through our own mistakes; faith that originates not with us but in the very heart of God and comes to us as a gift from the hands of our heavenly Father. It is Nisa Faith.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lied down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

PSALM 23

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Walk in Love

Posted in Bible Study, Life and Ministry, tagged calling, children, Christian Ethic, dance, faith, God, guidry, Jesus, kingdom, Lewis House, love, Ministry, miracles, missions, prayer, salvation, service, The Lewis House, trust, walk, zaccheus on July 27, 2012| Leave a Comment »

She stood by her seat watching Allana lead the children in dancing to the praises of our savior. Just her toes wriggled to the music. She had already been asked several times if she would like to join the children up front and dance but had said,” N0.” Still she stood there staring and wriggling. I walked over and asked her again, “Would you like to go up and dance with the other kids?” She shook her head no but kept staring and wriggling. “You don’t have to belong or have to know the songs you can watch Miss Allana”, I tried. Still no, but then I could see her gather her will together and she looked straight at me and said, “I’m afraid.” Her face turned red with this moment of pure honesty. “Tell you what, why don’t I walk up there with you and put you right between Miss Allana and Sami so you can follow right along with them.” Her eyes got big and she slowly shook her head yes and whispered, “OK”. I walked her up, placed her between Sami and Allana and then watched her blossom to life dancing with all her heart for the next 30 minutes.

Sometimes people will respond to tracts, tv shows, invitations to church services, revivals or even altar calls. But sometimes they are waiting for someone to take that long walk to our Savior with them. It seems like just a short and easy stroll to us but they are afraid. They can see the joy, the fun but for whatever reason that walk is terrifying. They are waiting for someone to walk with them, hand in hand; to introduce them personally to Jesus and then to tuck them in right between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Maybe they should grow up and get over it. Maybe they should not be so stubborn and afraid. Or just maybe we just need to be ready to walk that walk with them.

There was a man who lived in Jericho, a wealthy and powerful man. He could have easily summoned Jesus to him or approached Jesus through the crowd using his many servants to clear the way. But he didn’t. He ran ahead and climbed a tree. I think that perhaps he had listened to the greatest lie that Satan ever came up with, “You are not the sort of person that Jesus could love.” Still he wanted to see Jesus. How surprised he must have been when Jesus stopped at that tree and said, ” ‘Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he hurried and came down and received him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:5b-10)

“Zaccheus stopped…” After the invitation there was the long walk back to Zaccheus’ house. For Zaccheus it was a walk of shame, a walk that reinforced the lie of Satan. It is a walk that so many are unable to take alone. Jesus took that walk with Zaccheus. It was not in the safety of his home that Zaccheus found salvation. It was not kneeling at the altar or standing in the revival. It was walking with Jesus. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2: bold lettering is mine)

Maybe it is time for all of us to take a little walk, to pray that the Holy Spirit will point out those Zaccheuses waiting up in a tree to walk with us; those little girls wriggling their toes waiting by their chairs to dance, giving us the opportunity to be imitators of God Himself and walk in love.

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Meeting Julius

Posted in Life and Ministry, tagged faith, God, going, gospel, guidry, Jesus, kingdom, Lewis House, meeting, miracles, Missional, missions, prayer, salvation, Sam, service, surrender, The Lewis House, Toledo, transformation, trust on June 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Perhaps the next time that someone asks me about what we do at The Lewis House I will say, “We meet Julius where he is at.” I first met Julius on the sidewalk in front of TLH. He asked me for $10.00 and then moved on when I said that we could supply food and personal items but that we did not deal in cash. Several days later he stopped out front and asked again for money but this time did not decline the offer of a meal. Since then he has become a regular visitor to the house.

There are many ways and places to meet people. As I read the Bible I see a recurring theme. While it is true that some followed Jesus everywhere, they followed Jesus as he went to meet them where they were at. Whether it was on the hills of Judea, up in a tree, coming to a well in the heat of the day, across the sea naked in a graveyard or up on a rocky crag named Golgotha, Jesus was ready to meet them exactly where they were at. He came to feed them, to eat with them, to speak truth to them, to free them and ultimately to die and rise again for them. Then when it was time for him to return to the Father he passed the torch on to the disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20) while still assuring them (and us) that he would always be here to meet them where they are at. Being missional is just about that, meeting people where they are at. While God has placed us here in Toledo at TLH, He has also placed every person reading this blog somewhere that has people who need God’s love and a little truth in their lives. Once we live God’s love and speak God’s truth then it is up to the Holy Spirit.

There has been no radical change, no epiphany for Julius, but his stories seem a little truer and he keeps coming back. He listens a little longer and is just a little softer with each visit. That brings me to the other important part of meeting them where they are at, prayer. The Holy Spirit can meet Julius wherever he is at, at any time and won’t you join me in praying that He does?!

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Do You Feel Safe?

Posted in Bible Study, Life and Ministry, tagged calling, Christian Ethic, faith, God, guidry, Lewis House, love, Ministry, miracles, missions, protection, salvation, The Lewis House, trust on May 22, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I was asked an interesting question today, “Do you feel safe?” It was in relation to the fact that we are urban missionaries and live in an area prone to crime but it really got me thinking. I live in probably the worst neighborhood that I have ever lived in. Yet I can honestly say that I feel safer than perhaps I ever have before. When I look back at times in my life when I felt unsafe and insecure I see that it was really a matter of self-doubt. It was when things were out of my control or beyond my control that I would feel unsafe. The reality was that while I believed in God, I trusted in my own abilities. Yet I understood the limitations of those abilities. So then my feelings of personal safety were a function of my surroundings and how equipped I felt to handle them.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, My God , in whom I trust.” Surely hew will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

It is only when I move the trust and responsibility for my safety into the hands of God that I can truly feel safe. It is the feeling of safety that accompanied Daniel to the lion’s den in Babylon. (Daniel 6) But it is also the feeling of safety that shone on the face of Stephen as he was stoned to death on the outskirts of Jerusalem. (Acts 7) When our trust is truly in God then our feeling of safety is no longer dependent on our circumstances, skills or even our faithfulness. As the Psalmist states “His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”

Just as our salvation is not based on anything that comes from us (Ephesians 2:8) so too is our safety, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) It is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ which is the basis for our safety. The writer of Hebrews beautifully expresses this relationship, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20) He is a high priest who has been assailed in every way just as we are and held firm (Hebrews 4:15) in a way that is completely beyond the ability of our fallen nature. So then it is by His intervention that we may “approach the throne of grace with confidence” (Hebrews 4:16) It is this confidence in God’s faithfulness expressed in the person of Jesus Christ that is at the base of the safety that we enjoy as His children.

So, do YOU feel safe?

“What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?… Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:31, 35, 37

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Uncommon Faith?

Posted in Bible Study, tagged calling, Christian Ethic, faith, God, kingdom, love, miracles, missions, Peter, prayer, salvation, The Lewis House, transformation on May 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:” 2 Peter 1:1

Too often we get the idea that God provides different levels of faith to different people. We look to leaders of the Christian world and ascribe to them some kind of special faith that is not available to us. It would seem that people have not changed that much since the first century. Simon Peter looked out at the people of the early church and saw the same divide, a divide that is spawned by the father of lies and limits the effectiveness of our walk with Christ.

This is the very topic that Peter addresses even as he faces impending execution. Inspired by the Holy Spirit Peter tries to short-circuit the very half truth that flourishes even today: That Peter had some kind of extra-ordinary faith that enabled him to live for Christ in a way that is inaccessible to you or I. Peter saw the potential for Sainthood. He saw the potential for people to excuse themselves from the riches and responsibilities of being a child of God because they believe that Peter was a man of uncommon faith. The ESV translates this verse, “To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:”

Peter would have made a good modern pastor. His message starts right from his address. He has stated his thesis and he immediately jumps into supporting it.

“seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1:3

Why is our faith of equal standing? It is because our faith comes from God granted not by our own intellectual reasoning or emotional response but by HIS DIVINE POWER. Faith does not come from the school that you attend, the church that you belong, the pastor that you listen to or even the blogs that your read. Faith extends directly from God a free gift granted by His divine power. “For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” 2 Peter 1:4

Peter tells us where the magnificent promises, the source of salvation come from. They extend right out of the glory and excellence of God. It is all right there for us. The question then is what do we do about it. Like the parable of the sower there are many reactions to the glory and excellence of God and to His great promise of salvation. Some just don’t accept it. They harden their hearts and the seed of life dies on rocky ground. Some accept it but the cares of the world grow up as weeds in a garden choke out a beautiful flower the beautiful promise and gift of God fades and disappears from the heart and mind. Peter anticipates the question to come. What then do i do? How can I be the rich soil that bears fruit? Peter I don’t feel my faith. How can I possibly be like you?

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.” 2 Peter 1:5-7

This phrasing may seem awkward in English but in the Greek it flows and builds emphasis veritably exploding on the concluding subject: love. Perhaps not the structural monument that Paul constructed in Ephesians 1:3-14 which concluded with, “…the praise of His glory” ; but still the emphasis is clear and the conclusion of it all is love. Yet the steps are just as important. Too often we want to pursue love without putting in the diligence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness and kindness. Then we sit and cry in our coffee (for those of us who drink way too much coffee) because things are not coming together the way that we thought they should.

“For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.” 2 Peter 2:8-9

This is not about salvation. Peter is speaking to the redeemed. This is about faith and the fact that we have it within our grasp to live as Peter lived totally sold out for Jesus. God supplies us all thetools and even the energy and commitment to be fruitful, looking only to Jesus Christ. So let’s sum it up with a little bow to homiletics:

Peter’s 8 Steps to Experiencing True Faith

1. Be Diligent

2. Be Virtuous (ESV)

3. Be Knowledgeable (of Jesus Christ)

4. Be Self-Controlled

5. Be Steadfast (ESV)

6. Be Godly

7. Be Kind

8. Be Love

It is not easy. That is where diligence come’s in. Peter climbed the 8 steps from Gethsemane to the prison’s and shares his journey with us, a journey of uncommon faith available to all.

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Sharing Our Hearts

Posted in Life and Ministry, tagged Allana Guidry, calling, Compelled Church, George Williams, kingdom, miracles, missions, Missions video, salvation, Sam Guidry, Sarah Williams, service, The Lewis House, Toledo, transformation, Urban Ministry on May 7, 2012| Leave a Comment »

This video clip is of Allana and I sharing about the ministry that God has called us to. We are so thankful for Pastor Nate Elarton and the people of Compelled Church ;For the opportunity to share our heart for The Lewis House and the Five Points neighborhood of Toledo and for their tremendous generosity!

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Angel Update

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged angels, God, miracles, peace, protection on May 5, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Just thought I would update everyone. I just drove Stacey to the chiropractor (for those of you who do not know she is on staff with TLH and runs the Holy Toledo Warriors 4h group). The van is running fine. There is no gear damage. The engine is fine. It is humbling when the hand of God reaches into your life and moves things (literally)

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Angels in the Driver’s Seat

Posted in I'm Just Sayin', Life and Ministry, tagged accident, angels, God, guidry, miracles, protection on May 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Angels can drive!

Our van was parked pretty much where I was standing when I took this picture. A drunk driver struck the car behind the car behind us with enough force to spin the driver’s car 180 degrees and flip it on its side. An eyewitness told me that when he came out our van was gently rolling to its current position (about 50 feet from where it was parked) and that he thought that someone was driving it. I thoroughly examined the outside of the van. There is not an additional mark on it. I had myself convinced that the transmission was toast and that the van rolled because the gears had been stripped by the accident, but it started up, backed up, pulled forward, backed up again and then went into park without a problem. I got out and rocked the van to make sure park was holding it still. I will never know exactly what happened, but I believe that Angels can drive.

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