Sea Walker | Miracles of Jesus Christ

I have been enjoying studying the miracles of Jesus. When I began this series, I thought I was just going to talk about Jesus being a healer and showing proof with all the miracles He has performed. Yet, there is so much more to every story, every passage we have looked at. Today will be no exception. Three of the four Gospels share the story of Jesus walking on the water. We will look at Matthew, Mark, and John today to read what happened on the heels of the last miracle we studied, where Jesus fed 5,000 men not including women and children with two fish and five loaves of barley bread.

Matthew 14:22-26 And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

Mark 6:45-48 And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people. And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land. And He saw them toiling in rowing: for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

John 6:14-19 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain Himself alone. And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

What an incredible turn of events! Jesus is being recognized as the "prophet that should come into the world" but it was before His time. When the people wanted to take Jesus and make Him their king, He got out of there and went alone to pray. It must have been so difficult for Jesus to know that His Kingdom was not of this world but He knew that the people saw something more in Him than just another man. He has authority over all powers and even nature, which is something no one ever experienced before. Jesus convinces the disciples to get in a ship and head toward Capernaum while He stayed on the mountain alone praying.

Sometimes I think when the noise of the world drown out the ability to even think clearly at times, we need to retreat and get alone to pray. We must do what Jesus did in the times of overwhelm and chaos from the multitudes all trying to get to Him. I have seen clips on television where fans would trample one another just to get close to a celebrity and they practically worshiped them. The celebrities would be so overwhelmed by the crowds that sometimes security would have to remove them so they did not get hurt. I think this must have been similar to what Jesus faced but on a much larger scale. He is the Son of God and has power no other person on earth has. He is healing people, delivering people, demons are being cast out and forbidden to return, and He is teaching people, feeding them, and His following continued to grow. This was partly why the Jewish religious leaders of that day were offended at Him and jealous. 

Jesus sends the disciples ahead of Him and He lingers back to pray, but then something happens. A storm blows across the sea. Jesus sees the whole thing. He sees the storm and He sees the disciples fighting against the wind and sea and struggling. None of the disciples know He is anywhere near them. Have you ever felt like you were in a ship on the open sea fighting angry waves and wind that was trying to capsize your vessel? Did you feel like Jesus was anywhere near you?

Matthew 14:27-32 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught Him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Mark 6:49-52 But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out; For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: It is I; be not afraid. And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

John 6:20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

Peter got to walk on the water when He realized it was Jesus and not a ghost. Then he saw his circumstances and panicked. He was walking on the water with Jesus but the things going on around him made him afraid and he began to sink. He would have drown if Jesus had not saved him from the stormy sea. He was an avid fisherman and I believe he could swim because another place references Peter jumping into the water when he was fishing after the resurrection. I believe the sea was so tumultuous from the storm that he would not have survived if Jesus did not rescue him.

Sometimes we take a leap of faith and things are going great as Jesus is telling us to follow Him but as we take our eyes off His and look at our surroundings we lose our bearings and begin to sink in the overwhelm. It is a lesson for all of us to focus on Jesus and not on the things going wrong around us. Each of these accounts tell us that Jesus immediately tells them to not be afraid and He announces who He is. I believe He does that with us, too. If we would open our spiritual ears to hear His still, small voice I believe we would hear Him saying, "Do not be afraid. It is I." What a comforting image.

Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.

Mark 6:53-54 And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. And when they were come out of the ship, straightway they knew Him.

John 6:21 Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

The supernatural miracle to me is the timing of their departure from one shore to their arrival on the other. They had only rowed about four or five miles away from the shore when this terrible windstorm on the sea wreaked havoc on their ship. Jesus comes in and saves the day like He always does for His children, and then when He gets into the ship they are at land again, but this time they are in Gennesaret.

Sometimes we are doing all the right things to the best of our ability and we are going where God called us to and we run straight into a major storm! It can leave us questioning if God really told us to do what we are doing. It can make us wonder if we are in His will, how can these tragic circumstances be a part of His plan for our lives. Jesus knew the storm would rock their boat and He did not warn them, but He watched them and He came to them!

Notice that once they welcomed Jesus into the ship, the Bible says "willingly received Him" then they were immediately where they were supposed to be. They supernaturally arrived at their destination because Jesus was on board. Trust Him in the storm you are facing and watch Him deliver you to destinations you were heading much quicker than you ever could have made it on your own!

Friends, it has been another incredible journey through the miracles of Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for you! I hope and pray that something I shared here today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 31 | Thankful Thursday

I love reading Psalm 31. If you are ever going through trials and storms of life, it is a great passage to read for comfort and encouragement. If you are struggling with grief and loss and pain, or you have people lying about you and treating you bad, read this chapter. It is full of prayer and thanksgiving. I will share a few verses here.

Psalm 31:19-24

Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!

Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Blessed be the LORD: for He hath shewed me His marvellous kindness in a strong city.

For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes: nevertheless Thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto Thee.

O love the LORD, all ye His saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

I hope you take courage in the LORD today. I pray that you find strength in the everlasting arms of God. Keep hoping in Him. Trust Him and watch Him work in your life to bring good things to pass. You are blessed and loved and redeemed by Jesus Christ if you are saved and that is worth giving thanks for!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Feeding 5,000 People | Miracles of Jesus

This incredible miracle is found in all four of the Gospels. We will explore them together. Let's take a moment to think about what this moment meant. We know the story, if we have studied the Bible in any length, but sometimes we gloss over the familiar stories because we know what happened. Today's let's really dig in to these verses and dissect what actually is transpiring. As with all the other miracles, we will see that it is much more than just the miracle that is taking place. Grab your Bibles to study with me, or read along as I will share the King James Version of this text.

Matthew 14:13-14 When Jesus heard of it, He departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed Him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick.

Mark 6:30-34 And He said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew Him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and He began to teach them many things.

Luke 9:10-11 And the apostles, when they were returned, told Him all that they had done. And He took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. And the people, when they knew it, followed Him: and He received them, and spake unto them of the Kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

John 6:1-3 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.

Jesus is with His disciples and He wants to get them alone, apart from the crowds. They even go across the sea to Bethsaida but the people want to be with Jesus. He has done so many miracles and healed so many people, they wanted more of Him. They wanted to hear Him teach and Jesus was moved with compassion. Note that He did not send them away. He may have been exhausted from ministering to them but He still received them all. He recognized they were lost sheep with no shepherd to guide them on the right path.

Matthew 14:15-16 And when it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

Mark 6:35-37a And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came unto Him, and said, This is a desert place, and now the time is far passed: Send them away, that they may go into the country round about, and into the villages, and buy themselves bread: for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat.

Luke 9:12-13a And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto Him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat.

John 6:4-6 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this He said to prove him: for He Himself knew what He would do.

No doubt many miracles already transpired that day. Now it is evening and everyone is tired and getting hungry. All of the disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away tired and hungry to find food somewhere else. Jesus was not going to do that. He was not going to meet some of their needs and not all of their needs. He tells the disciples to do the impossible. He said for them to give the multitude of people something to eat!

Has God ever told you to do something impossible? I know He has told me to do things that I had no ability to do in my own strength. He did not say that the disciples had to figure it out. They just did not ask Him to provide. Their reaction was a lot like mine when He asks me to do hard and impossible things. I try to figure it out. Jesus already has the plan. We need to trust Him enough to ask Him what to do.

Matthew 14:17 And they say unto Him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

Mark 6:37b-38 And they say unto Him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

Luke 9:13b And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.

John 6:6-9 Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto Him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Have you been there? Have you ever been in the disciples' sandals? Here they stand before Jesus. They have seen Him do miracle after miracle. He has told them to feed the multitude and they look in their own hands, at the circumstances they are in, and look for the provision. I know I have been guilty of that too. I am looking in my pockets, my bank account, my brain, my knowledge, my abilities, even the abilities of those around me. Andrew said there is a boy here with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish but what good is so little when the need is so great?

Matthew 14:18-21 He said, Bring them hither to Me. And He commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to His disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Mark 6:39-44 And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided He among them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

Luke 9:14-17 For they were about five thousand men. And He said to His disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.

John 6:10-13 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

The miracle was that Jesus used two fish and five loaves of bread to feed 5,000 men not including women and children! But was that the only miracle? There is so much more to see. He had the people sit down in an area where there was a lot of green grass. They were comfortable there instead of sitting near the sea with sand and rough terrain. These people are in groups. He has set them in companies to make distribution easier. He feeds the multitude until they had enough. All of their bellies were full and it did not cost any of them one penny!

Remember when Jesus asked the disciples to feed them? They did! Jesus took the bread, gave thanks for it, and then He gave to each disciple the bread and fish to give to the multitude. Each of the twelve disciples passed out their fish sandwiches until there was no more room to eat another bite. And then because Jesus never lets anything go to waste, He tells the disciples to gather up what remained. Would you look at what remained? Twelve baskets full! That was enough for each disciple to show their overflow to the Master and that is another miracle!

You may be looking at a mountain size task that God is asking you to do. It will definitely be much bigger than you. It will be harder than you can do. It will take skill and ability beyond what you are able. Yes, the task really is for you! And not only will God equip you to do it and do it with excellence, but He will even bless your efforts so you have something to gather up and show Him the overflow. Nothing will be lost. Nothing will be in vain. Every tear, every heartache, every ounce of pain the task will require of you will be worth it when you see the blessing on the other side. These 12 disciples fed more than 5,000 people in a desert with no budget, no grocery store, no Uber eats, and they did it because Jesus enabled them to do so. Won't He cover you?

Friends, I pray something I have shared on the blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Demon-Possessed, Blind, and Mute Man | Miracles of Jesus Christ

You may remember reading about Jesus delivering the demon-possessed man who could not speak and once he was made whole, he could talk and the people marveled. If you missed that study, you can read it here. Today we will read Matthew and Luke's accounts of Jesus healing another man demon-possessed and unable to speak but also blind. As with all of these miracles of Jesus, we will find that the healing was not the only thing taking place, but also Jesus was building up a large witness against the religious leaders of that time who chose to not believe in Him. Let's look at the text together.

Matthew 12:22-24 Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

Luke 11:14-16 And He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting Him, sought of Him a sign from heaven.

Someone who cared a lot about this man tormented of the demons that took ownership of his body, leaving him unable to speak or see, took him to Jesus to be healed. Someone must have known the power Jesus had over unclean spirits. We know from studying these miracles that Jesus has been getting more famous as He heals in ways no one had ever seen or heard of before. Jesus was doing the work of His Father and of course we see the religious leaders stalking Jesus yet again. They are not concerned about asking God to give them wisdom concerning Jesus and the miracles He performed, but they rather want to lord over Him. They are not pleased that He is not under their thumb. They are jealous and angry because people are looking to Him for healing and not running to them.

The world will persecute us because we bear the name of Jesus. The world is controlled by the devil and he hates Jesus. So we will be targeted as well, but we are to consider ourselves blessed if they persecute us because it means they see Jesus at work in us and through us. It is a good thing to be counted worthy of persecution. It confirms we are on the right path. Let's see what Jesus's response is to the doubters and accusers.

Matthew 12:25-29 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Luke 11:17-22 But He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his good are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

Jesus makes perfect sense here. He tells the crowd including the Pharisees and scribes, that if He was casting out the devil with the power of a devil, then He would be fighting against Himself. He then asks them what power and authority they are using to cast out devils. And I love the statement He makes, "If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come to you." Meaning, if Jesus is casting out the devil by God's authority and power then they need to support Him and stop hindering Him or else they are fighting against God.

Jesus always explains how this is spiritual and not natural forces at work. Jesus is conquering the devil through the power of God but since that is too much for them to understand, He gives them an example anyone should understand. If you have a home and you choose to protect it, but someone bigger and stronger comes in, disables you from stopping them, they will rob you of all that you have. This is what is happening in the spirit realm. A demon is coming to these weaker vessels (humanity) and when given the opportunity the unclean spirit will dwell in that person and take over their life. It brings sickness, diseases, pain, and suffering. Jesus is stronger than the devil. Jesus tells us in Matthew 28:18 "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." The devil has to obey Jesus. He is not smarter, stronger, or able to overtake Jesus. So when Jesus commands the unclean spirits to leave, they must obey because they are defeated.

Matthew 12:30-37 He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Luke 11:23 He that is not with Me is against Me: and he that gathereth not with Me scattereth.

Jesus is drawing the line in the sand. The Pharisees need to make a choice. They can keep going against Him, or they can stand united with Him and conquer the forces of darkness. They must choose. Jesus makes it very clear that it is one way or the other. They cannot have it both ways. Jesus says if they are not gathering people together with Him, then they are scattering the people. In other words, Jesus is trying to unify the Body of Christ and these religious leaders are bringing division. They are jealous and angry because Jesus is doing righteous and good things.

Jesus tells those listening to Him, and He is telling us today, that we can know if someone is good or evil based on their actions. We can look at a tree and know it is an apple tree, an orange tree, or a cherry tree based on the kind of fruit hanging on the branches. We do not have to wonder what kind of tree it is. We can label it what it is based on the fruit it produces. We have the same ability to see what people are like based on the fruit in their life. Is it good fruit or bad fruit? Do they help others, serve in their community, honor God with their lifestyle and not just words? They have good fruit if they do these things. Do they help themselves, serve their own needs before looking out for others, honor themselves with lavish lifestyles and activities that only make them better, more prosperous, more popular? That is bad fruit. If they have pride and arrogance those are not fruits of the Spirit. We must watch and label people according to the fruit in their life.

Jesus also addresses the unpardonable sin. They can attack Jesus but when they say the Spirit of God at work in Him and through Him is an unclean spirit, they will never be forgiven of that: not in this lifetime nor eternity to come. It is unforgiveable. The Spirit of the Most High God is Holy and pure and blameless. It is blasphemy to speak such things and it is dangerous! 

Matthew 12:38-42 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered saying, Master, we would see a sign from Thee. But He answered, and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall not sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

These men are incredible! They literally just watched Jesus deliver this man of at least one demon and the man can speak and see again and yet they ask Jesus to give them a sign. What are they even doing? Jesus tells those unbelieving leaders of their day that the only sign they will get from Him is the sign of Jonah. He was in the belly of that great fish three days and three nights and Jesus was speaking of how He would be buried three days and three nights. He even says that the people of Nineveh that Jonah preached to repented and changed from their wicked ways. They will rise up in judgment against those religious leaders because the Son of God is walking the earth with them and showing them the way to God and they are so blind and deaf they can neither see nor hear what He is saying. The queen of the south traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of Solomon that she had been told about. She wanted to see it for herself. You can read that in 1 Kings 10:1-13. She will rise up and condemn this generation of people because she would have loved to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear the wise words that came from His mouth. They have the opportunity and they reject Him.

Matthew 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Luke 11:24-26 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Again Jesus shows us there is no middle ground. You are either with Jesus or you are with Satan and there is no neutral territory. When Jesus delivered the man in this story, for example, he is made clean. This man can choose to go back to the lifestyle he lived prior to this miracle, or he can choose to follow Christ. He cannot say that he will abandon his old way of life and also not follow Jesus. Choosing to reject Jesus is to accept Satan and that is as clear as it gets. When the man's vessel is not filled with the Spirit of God, the unclean spirit will examine the man and find a vacancy and Jesus tells us that he doesn't just move in, he also picks seven other unclean spirits that are worse than it is and the end of that man is a lot worse than it was in the beginning. Jesus says this is also the case for this wicked generation that has the chance to serve Jesus now and chooses not to.

Friends, it all comes down to choices and consequences. We can choose life and walk with Jesus enjoying the rewards of the labor. We have the freedom to choose good things. We also can choose death and eternal separation from Jesus for all eternity. We can serve ourselves, do what feels good, whatever it is that makes us happy, and live with reckless abandon, throwing caution to the wind, and enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, but in the end, we find death and destruction is our reward.

I hope that you choose Jesus. I hope that you choose life. I hope that you choose to walk the straight and narrow path before you. The road to hell is a wide path and many choose that way, falling for the illusion that it is more fun and enjoyable to laugh and party your way through life, never considering anyone else, or how much Jesus sacrificed to give you pardon. You can take hold of that liberty and walk in newness of life, or you can choose to dance your way into the unquenchable fiery flames of hell. Jesus leaves that choice to us. Choose well.

I hope that something you have read on the blog today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Veterans | Thankful Thursday

I appreciate all the military men and women in our great nation. I know many fought hard and gave their life for our freedom and I am so thankful. I am equally thankful for the men and women in uniform who gave it their all and got to come back home to American soil. History tells us that America has not been kind to our heroes very often. After Vietnam those who were sent overseas and saw things most of us never even see in our worst nightmare, and they returned to a country who turned them into villains and despised them. It is so wrong and for that I am so sorry. I was not alive during that war but my heart breaks to read about the things that was said and done to our war heroes.

Today is Thankful Thursday, and I am so grateful for all our soldiers in every branch of the armed forces. My pastor recognized our veterans today and I got choked up. Tears filled my eyes as I looked into the faces of these brave men and women who fought for our freedom and served in any capacity! I enjoy my freedom in this country because of those who have gone before and those who continue to serve today! God bless you all!!

I have family members who are veterans and I appreciate them so much. I am glad they were allowed to serve and come back home to us when many others were not. I cannot imagine the courage it would take to enlist even in times of peace, knowing how volatile this world is right now. I pray for them and thank God for them.

JOHN 15:13 Greater love hath no man this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I do not know anyone who laid down their life for friends. Do you know who did lay down His life for His friends, for the whole wide world? Jesus Christ did that. Not just for the Jews. Not just for His disciples. He died for the entire world. I am so thankful that He gave His life for mine! What a Redeemer! What a loving God we serve!

Are you a friend of God? Jesus goes on in verse 14 to say, "Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." That's it! That is the requirement to be a friend of Jesus. Do what He says. Obey Him. Listen to Him. Love Him!

If you are thankful for salvation in Jesus Christ today, why not tell someone? Share your testimony. You never know who needs that kind of encouragement and hope, especially in the troubled times we live in. If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, make today the day you say yes to the Master. Put your hand in His nail scarred one and you will never regret it. Do it today!

What are you thankful for on this Thankful Thursday? Let God know it!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

The Man Healed of a Withered Hand | Miracles of Jesus Christ

It is another Monday, time for another miracle of Jesus Christ. This time is a little different. The man whom Jesus healed was neither seeking Jesus for the healing, nor brought to Jesus by a friend or family member. He is simply in the synagogue listening to Jesus teach. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all give an account of this miraculous healing that began as a set up for the Pharisees to accuse Jesus of doing something wrong.

The man's right hand was disabled in some form and by Luke telling us it was the man's right hand, that could lead us to believe it may have caused the man to not work. We know many people came to listen to Jesus from all walks of life. This man knew he would be stared at because of his infirmity but he went anyway. The scribes and Pharisees studied the law of God but to become stumbling blocks to the people rather than stepping stones. Jesus was always different. His ministry focus was the hearts of the people, restoring them back to right standing with God. Let's read together.

Matthew 12:9-10 And when He was departed thence, He went into their synagogue: And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse Him.

Mark 3:1-2 And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him.

Luke 6:6-7 And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that He entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched Him, whether He would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against Him.

It is ridiculous for these religious leaders to stalk Jesus and scrutinize every word He spoke and every action He took. They were so jealous that people would follow Jesus instead of idolize them and they wanted to get rid of Jesus so they could be on a pedestal again, albeit a self-imposed pedestal. What was Jesus' response?

Matthew 12:11-13 And He said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith He to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

Mark 3:3-5 And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And He saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? but they held their peace, and when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Luke 6:8-10 But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or destroy it? And looking round about upon them all, He said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.

Jesus' response was one of compassion for the man, and yet in a way He was being compassionate to all in the room because He explained that healing a person on the sabbath day is a good thing! He asks those in authority if it is better to do good or evil, to save lives or to kill. He is giving them the key to everything He had been doing. These miracles were not to get gasps from the crowd and bigger followings. It was to prove that humanity was valuable to Jesus and He would do everything He could to improve the lives of those He came in contact with. Jesus could not see the man with the withered hand and not heal him when the religious leaders wanted it to be about their own agendas and time tables. Jesus is God and He was within the realm of time while on the earth but as God He is an eternal being and our clocks on earth do not dictate when God will move for those in need.

Matthew 12:14-21 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him, how they might destroy Him. But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew Himself from thence: and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all; And charged them that they should not make Him known: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Behold My servant, whom I have chosen; My Beloved, in whom My soul is well pleased: I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall He not break, and smoking flax shall He not quench, till He send forth judgment unto victory. And in His name shall the Gentiles trust.

Mark 3:6-12 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him. But Jesus withdrew Himself with His disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judaea, And from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan; and they about Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they had heard what great things He did, came unto Him. And He spake to His disciples, that a small ship should wait on Him because of the multitude, lest they should throng Him. For He had healed many; insomuch that they pressed upon Him for to touch Him, as many as had plagues. And unclean spirits, when they saw Him, fell down before Him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And He straitly charged them that they should not make Him known.

Luke 6:11-12 And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus. And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

We know what Jesus' response was at the prodding of the Pharisees. But what was their response when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand? They immediately saw red! They became filled with rage and wanted to kill Jesus because He healed a man! Just because it was the sabbath, did not mean God could not work! We must not put God in a box and limit Him with our doubt and unbelief. So often we can discount God moving on our behalf or answering our prayers because we think it is not important enough to bother God with. That is just a tactic of the enemy to discourage you to stop asking, seeking, and knocking. Friends, we must not get caught up in religion and man-made traditions.

The crowds grew larger and they came from all over the region. Everyone wanted to be healed, delivered, and set free. Everyone wanted freedom. Many desired to see the miracles or partake in them. They were in awe but we have to remember not everyone who followed after Jesus was doing so because they wanted to be with Him. Some of the crowd wanted to be entertained, not changed. They wanted to see something spectacular but they were not interested in seeking the Bread of Life right before their very eyes.

The man with the withered hand was restored to complete health. His right hand looked and acted just like his left hand. Jesus changed that man's life. He did good. He saved his life. The Pharisees were jealous and angry and foolish. They did evil and sought to kill Jesus and destroy His ministry. What does that sound like?

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Isn't this so obvious as we study the life of Jesus and read about these miracles? He was helping, healing, saving, restoring, and renewing everyone who desired it of Him. The religious leaders wanted to kill and destroy Jesus and everything He stood for. Instead of embracing Him and learning more about why He was here and what He was doing, they wanted to annihilate Him so they could return to their status quo. Once we have been with Jesus, there is no going back. There is no life as we used to know it after an encounter with the Son of God. These men were threatened and jealous and in their cruelty they sought to snuff out the life of the very source of it!

Friends do not wait to put your hope in Jesus. If you have been a doubter, skeptical, unsure, and maybe even put down other people who serve God, you can repent and Jesus will forgive you and save you when you call upon His name. He wants to welcome you into the family of God. He does not desire to see the wicked die in their sins. It was for our redemption that He came to the world, to save us.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

If you are a child of the Most High God, rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Ask yourself what you are doing to further the Kingdom of God. Friends, the hour is short. We are in the final days of the final days. There is not much more time to work. We cannot get caught up in the cares of this life and in the debates and squabbles the world wants to embark on. We have to win souls and be wise. Tell your family and friends about Jesus and His great love. You will never regret it and in doing so you will be showing love and compassion like Jesus. You will be doing good and saving lives.

I hope that something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Greatest Gift | Thankful Thursday

This month many will turn their hearts toward God with thanksgiving. It is a beautiful posture to be grateful for all that God has done in our lives. Of course we should be thankful every day and not just during November, but this seems like a wonderful time to get back to my Thankful Thursday posts.

Psalm 92:1 It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High:

You can find many scriptures that encourage us to give thanks to God and praise Him for all He has done for us. Today I want to go to a less familiar passage perhaps and read from the book of Hosea to find out just what is the greatest gift from God and how we can give thanks with gladness for this sweet, precious, priceless gift.

Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but Me: for there is no saviour beside Me.

Hosea 14:1, 4-9 O Israel, return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under His shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard Him, and observed Him: I am like a green fir tree, From me is Thy fruit found. Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.

God is speaking to Israel in this passage, but now that we are adopted and grafted into the True Vine, the message is for all who follow Jesus. There is no Savior but Him. Jesus died for our sins so we did not have to.

We may desire to have many things in this life, but the one thing, the main thing, is that we seek God's amazing grace. Let's repent and turn from our wicked ways and lean heavily on the Master to get us through this world. This wicked world is not our home. We are pilgrims. We are just passing through and everything we do down here for Christ will last and will go beyond our lives.

I think of the many times my sister Deborah and her husband Steve would sing to me and pray for me over the phone. I think of the times I was in the pit of despair with all these chronic health problems and at the right time I would get a text message of encouragement, cheering me on, and telling me not to quit fighting, not to give up, but to endure.

My sister and brother-in-law are with the LORD now and I will not see their names on my phone screen ever again. I will never hear them pray another prayer for me, but the good news is God keeps working on those prayers long after the one who prayed has passed. That is a blessing!

The greatest gift we received was salvation, freedom from sin, and a place with the Savior forever.

John 14:1-18 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

What a beautiful promise! We have comfort in this troubled world because we have Jesus in our hearts. The Holy Spirit of the Living God is alive and well inside us and we have peace as our minds stay upon God. Friends, if you are struggling with the chaos and noise of this wicked world, step away and get alone with God. Find comfort in His words. Read your Bible and pray to Him. He longs to lead you and have fellowship with you.

If you have not placed your trust in Jesus, please let this be the moment you say yes to Him. He is waiting with arms stretched out, holding out nail scarred hands for whosoever will. If you are in fellowship with Jesus, stay there. Do not get caught up in the news and politics and confusion of this world. Seek Jesus and He will be your shelter.

I hope you will think about what you are thankful for today. I am thankful for the Comforter, for peace, for Jesus as my Savior and for all God has done in my life. I hope something I shared today has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens