Amanda BethSharing the Truths Behind the TRUTH

Jun 10th Monday’s Blog: You Can’t Carry People Through Life

I just returned from a short blogging break. I’ve found that it’s necessary at times to stop what I am doing, take a step back, and make sure I am in the right direction doing what God wants me to do. During my time off with the Lord, God led me to read a powerful book titled “Life Resurrected: Extraordinary Miracles Through Ordinary People” by Jesse Birkey from Reflect Ministry.

God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary miracles if they are willing to be transformed.

Being ordinary completely qualifies you for God’s mighty power. No titles, ministries or name recognition are required. But there is one catch—you must be willing to be transformed. Testimonies are a crucial element of transformation. Testimonies give us the hope we need to continue on. We need to know that God still moves in signs, wonders and miracles. But above all else, we need to understand that God specializes in taking ashes and resurrecting them into beautiful life!

“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul …” – Acts 19:11

In Life Resurrected, Jesse Birkey will share some extraordinary miracles performed by ordinary people. He will also take you on his journey of transformation from a life of bondage and slavery to the enemy to a life bursting with miraculous testimonies. While recounting his and others’ encouraging and inspiring testimonies, he provides insight into the ways God wants to operate in and through all of His children.

Start the journey and you too can have your Life Resurrected!

God ministered to me in many ways through this book, but I wanted to share one section on Joshua 3:8 that really spoke to my heart.

“Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Joshua 3:8

Jesse wrote:
“As I closed my Bible, I thought about the instructions God gave Joshua. I wondered why God wanted the twelve chosen men to actually stand in the river with the heavy Ark before He would move on their behalf. God began to softly speak to my heart. We often stand on the “bank” looking over at our problems and issues saying, “Alright God, I need you to take care of this mess. I need you to perform this miracle and heal me or deliver me, but I am not going to get my feet wet. I am going to stand here where it’s dry while you do the work. After all, there’s nothing wrong with me. There couldn’t possibly be anything I might need to do before you move on my behalf.”

 

One of the reasons I knew I needed to take a break was that I was starting to get overwhelmed and not feel well. As I spent time with God, asking Him to show me what was wrong, He revealed that I had been taking on people’s problems and trying to fix them myself. Through Jesse’s message, God showed me that I was so desperate to see people’s problems resolved that I was losing hope, and it was making my heart sick.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

Instead of praying for and encouraging people to seek God with all their hearts, because He has all the answers, I was trying to find the answers for them. But as we see in Joshua 3:8 above, God will perform the miracle, but He requires us to take that step of faith, seek and follow Him, and allow Him to transform us. We can’t carry people through life. We can carry their burdens by helping them and directing them to Jesus, but ultimately they have to take responsibility and seek His will for themselves.

A couple years ago, God used me to help a young woman through a difficult time in her life. As God brought her through that time, and miraculously turned her life around, she no longer needed my help. Soon after, a man who had heard how I helped her, contacted me and requested that I daily feed him God’s Word.  I kindly directed him to the Bible and encouraged him to seek God with all his heart (Jeremiah 29:13). He wanted me to carry him. He didn’t see God as the source of that woman’s miracle. He saw me as the source.

When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?…. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

Acts 3:12, 16

As Jesse’s book explains, God uses us ordinary people to do extraordinary miracles through. But we must remember that the people God uses us to help have to eventually get up, walk with Jesus,  get their feet wet, and allow Him to transform them.

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

John 5:8

Heavenly Father,

We praise You for giving us everything we need to walk in victory. Transform us and fill us with Your Holy Spirit. Empower us to do Your Will. Help us to know when we are stepping in front of You trying to fix people’s problems for them. Help us to step back and direct them to You.
In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!

*My newest devotional “Armor of Light: A 7 – Week Devotional on Ephesians 6:10-18” will be FREE  (ebook version only) on Amazon from Tues. to Wed. (6/11-6/12).