Healing Peter's Mother-In-Law | Miracle of Jesus Christ

Most of the people Jesus healed were not mentioned by name. I think it could be in part so that we can relate to these miraculous stories. Much like when one goes to purchase a home, the house will be staged and most of the homeowner's personality is missing so others can easily see themselves living there. Today we are talking about a miracle of Jesus Christ as He heals a woman He is very familiar with. We do not know her name but we do know that she is the mother of Peter's wife. We pick up the story in Matthew, Mark and Luke's gospels.

Matthew's Account:

Matthew 8:14-15 And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.

Mark's Account:

Mark 1:29-31 And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell Him of her. And He came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

Luke's Account:

Luke 4:38-39 And He arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought Him for her. And He stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

Jesus was God in the flesh. Matthew shows us the power of God in this exchange. Jesus had authority over the fever and with one touch of the Master's hand she received healing. She was able to get up and serve others. This shows us there was no weakness or lingering sickness. She was not only afebrile but she was healed! In Mark's account we see the fever immediately left her. There was no waiting on the fever to break or a medication to work. The dominion Jesus has over all sickness and disease is demonstrated in this miraculous healing. And finally Luke tells us the fever was very great. This was no low-grade fever and as a doctor it was important for Luke to detail this. Luke says Jesus stood over her. Again this shows the position of authority over the illness. Jesus rebuked the fever and it left her. Again we see the immediate effect that this woman was then able to minister to her guests in her home.

We are not given details about how long she had been sick, what caused the fever, or anything further. What we know is that this woman was a server. She desired to minister to those in her home. The mother has a pivotal role in the Jewish family. She attends to needs and makes sure everyone is taken care of. She was no longer able to do any of that when she was laying sick with a high fever. Jesus shows us that He cares about everyone, including women, including mothers, and including families.

You may be sick and have suffered for a long time. Maybe you do not know what is causing your illness and maybe you do, but today we have assurance that Jesus cares about us. He does not want us to remain sick. He does not want our energy drained and unable to minister to those around us. Will you ask Jesus to heal you? He will do it! Ask a friend or family member to anoint your head with oil and lay their hands on you and pray in faith and God will raise you up. James 5:14-16 says, Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

If you need healing, please leave a comment below or feel free to email me at bridgettowens78@gmail.com and I will pray for you. I know that Jesus will heal you. He is a wonderful Savior and He cares for you.

I hope today's blog post has been strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

Bridgett Owens

An Abundance of Great Rain | Fuel For The Weekend

Here in southern Indiana, where I live, it has been raining a lot! I was thinking about how much I love rain and thunderstorms. To me, it makes perfect napping or sleeping weather. I love the relaxing sound of the rain falling and I like to watch as the buckets of rain pour over the vehicles and soak into the ground. We can get encouraged about the rain! Remember when Elijah had caused it to not rain on the earth for 3 1/2 years? JAMES 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. Imagine how much the people on the earth at that time wanted rain! Their crops could not grow, water holes dried up, and just think of the impact of a three and a half year drought.

When there was no rain in sight, ground dry and dusty, Elijah said he heard the abundance of rain. In his spirit, he could sense the rain was coming. 1 KINGS 18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. Elijah is a prophet and Ahab is a wicked king. He knew what God had done through Elijah and so he obeyed. He got up to eat and drink. Elijah went to the top of Mount Caramel and he prayed. Just like it took earnest prayer to stop the rain, it was going to take a fervent prayer to bring the rain!

JAMES 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

He told his servant to look toward the sea and the servant said, "Nothing is there." He told him, "Go, look again!" seven times. Six times there was no sign of a cloud in the sky, a drop of rain in the air, or even the darkening of the sky. Elijah knew what he heard and he did not give up.

1 KINGS 18:44-46 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, and say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

The seventh time the servant saw a cloud so tiny coming from the horizon. It looked like the size of a man's hand. That was all it took. Elijah said, "Go tell the king to prepare his chariot and get out because the rains are coming." Elijah was not expecting a sprinkle or tiny rain shower. He was expecting abundant rain! Once the man of God spoke it out of his mouth, then it was materializing in the natural. All of a sudden the sky turned dark with clouds and the wind started to pick up, and the Bible says there was a great rain! Not a little rain storm, not just enough to wet the ground, but a great rain! And God was with Elijah so much that he literally outran the chariot taking Ahab to Jezreel. This is the king's ride. It would have been pulled by the fastest horses they could find. Yet, God has His hand on Elijah and he outruns the king's best attempt to get back to the city before the rains washed out roads and made travel impossible.

What are you praying for? What are you expecting God to do for you? Do not ask for a rain shower, ask for the abundance of rain. Speak it out of your mouth that it is coming and the abundance of rain is here! Even when the circumstances do not seem like it. Six times the servant came back with a negative report. "There is nothing!" Sometimes we look at our situation and we say, "There is nothing there!" But we must not give up or lose heart. Let's remember the God we serve is more than enough to meet any need we have! He can answer any prayer we pray. We must believe it and speak it out. If friends say they don't see a change and begin doubting, just say to them, "Go look again!" God is up to something and He wants to move for those who will not stop believing even when it looks like there is still a drought, remember the abundance of rain is on the way! In fact, it is here! Let's start speaking it into the here and now. The great rain is here and soon friends, we will see it to be so!

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Reprobate Silver | Fuel For The Weekend

God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. It is my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend.

During my Bible study time this morning, God led me to Jeremiah chapter six. What a timely passage of scripture for this day and age we are living in. The word reprobate means rejected by God and beyond hope of salvation. It is crucial that we understand that those who are called reprobate silver is a terrifying title that none of us should ever hope to have. I have created a video about this today. I usually do not share a lot of videos here because I enjoy the writing process, but the anointing of God was upon me on this video and I felt compelled to share it here.

Please watch this video, open up your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter six and read along with me. Share this blog post, the video, or scripture reference with those you think might need to hear this message. Allow this video to start a dialogue with you and those around you this weekend. May it create a desire inside you all to pray for this nation we live in and for the world. It is a wake up call for the wicked and a word of encouragement for God's people. I hope and pray that something you heard me say will be strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Answered Prayer | Thankful Thursday

It's Thankful Thursday; time to count our blessings. What has God been doing in your lives lately? What blessings are you counting today? I read a really encouraging passage this morning. I opened my Bible and there it was on the page. Don't you love how God does that? I want to share the verse today.

1 JOHN 5:13-15 (13)These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (14)And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us; (15)And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of Him.

This encouraged me when I read it because it tells me that I have assurance in Jesus that if I ask anything in line with God's will He will give me what I am praying for. Why is this so important to know? It is important to know that when we pray for things that God wants us to have, we will get them because it increases our faith. We do not have to doubt or fear that God will say no or ignore us. The enemy likes to torment us and say that our requests are trivial and God is too busy to be bothered. He makes us believe that God does not care about the cares and passions we have but that is a lie.

Today I am excited to know God loves me. He hears my prayers and He is going to answer me! That is something to be thankful for!! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

National Day of Prayer | Thankful Thursday

Hello friends. Today is National Day of Prayer. It is a time of fasting and prayer for many of us. Some may have prayed in a group before work or school; others may have a special ceremony at church or elsewhere. We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. That is very possible to do. It is to have a direct line of communication with our Heavenly Father who will meet our every need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus according to Philippians 4:19.

In our world today, we have so much to pray about. There are issues in our cities, states, our country, our government leaders, and in our world. We have personal issues we are dealing with as well. There is no shortage of things to pray about.

Philippians 4:6-7 says, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. Whatever we are facing, we can, and should, take it to God in prayer, asking our Heavenly Father, with gratitude. We are promised that when we take our problems to God and spend time with Him in prayer, we will receive the peace of God to keep our hearts and minds through Jesus. What kind of peace is it? It is the peace that does not make sense. It is peace that will cause others to look at you and wonder, "How can you go through all that and still have peace?" It is only peace that comes from God. Jesus said in John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. We may be facing some scary situations and we begin to allow fear to take up residence in our hearts, but Jesus is telling us not be worried or afraid because He gives us His peace.

We can confidently go to our Lord Jesus and ask anything we need and we know that He is listening to us and will help us in our time of need. 1 John 5:14-15 reads, And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: And if we know that He hear us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired Him. The key to this verse is that we ask according to the will of God. We cannot ask for selfish requests so we can be popular, have more money to spend on vain things, or to promote ourselves. We are here to carry out God's plan for the world and if more money or material possessions will cause us to stray or glorify self then we already know we are not going to receive those things. We must be in line with God's will.

A very popular verse, one that many of us have heard and/or quoted many times is found in 2 Chronicles 7:14. I feel that it is so important to include in today's blog post. It says, If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. It is no secret our land needs healed. If we take the confidence we just read about and humble ourselves, pray, seeking God's face and not His hands, and repent of the evil and wickedness then God in heaven will hear us and forgive us and heal our land. America is a very sin-sick nation. It is time we return to our Savior Jesus Christ and repent of the wicked ways we have done and allowed in this nation. It is time to honor and bless God as a country. We must become humble again. We need to seek the face of God, not to get more blessings and things from Him, but to spend time with Him and honor Him and love Him.

I am so thankful there is a day set aside to pray and fast, for those of us who will do that. I am going to spend time praying and seeking God about some big needs in my life and in this world. I know He will hear and answer me. I have confidence that He cares about us and the things we care about. I hope that you will be praying, too.

There is nothing like praying to God and Him answering prayers. I love to prayer journal because there are so many things that we can look back on and see God's fingerprints all over. We see how we struggled and how God answered and how we grew. Many of you know that we, at Blue's Blessings, have three prayer journals available on Amazon now. You can see the Men's Prayer Journals here. We have a Women's Prayer Journal here. And we have Youth Prayer Journals which is an interactive workbook with devotionals, prayer prompts, memory verses, SOAP Bible study pages and room for note taking, plus so much more. It is a wonderful gift for graduations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays, or anytime.

This Thankful Thursday I am thankful for the gift of prayer. I know God hears and answers the prayers of His children. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Psalm 5 | Bible Study Wednesday

It is time to open our Bibles. We are halfway into this week and sometimes we just need to break a little Bread to strengthen us. Today's passage is another psalm of David. David had a heart of worship long before he wore the king's crown. These psalms show us David's heart as we read the struggles and difficult situations he was in. These psalms also point us to the One who can make all things new and turn everything around for our good. If you haven't read through Psalm 5 yet, I encourage you to do so before we begin today's study.

Verses 1-3 This is another psalm of prayer. The first three verses are talking about God hearing David's prayers. David asks God to listen to his groaning and cries. He addresses God as King and says it is to Him that he will direct his prayers in the morning. Then David says this, "and will look up." That is the key to this whole thing. David is asking in faith because he is going to look up to God for the answers. He is not going to look down and feel bad about the way things are going. He is not going to look around and feel discouraged by others who may seem to have it together. He is going to look up because that is where his help comes from.

Verses 4-6 The next three verses is David talking to God about who God is. David lists these attributes or characteristics of God: 

God does not take pleasure in wickedness.

God does not dwell with evil.

God does not look at the foolish.

God does not love workers of iniquity.

God will destroy those who speak lies.

God loathes bloodthirsty people.

From this list we can have a good idea of what David is coming up against. His life could be endangered. We know it was in danger many times in Scripture. These enemies of David's are characteristics of our enemy. Satan is wicked, evil, foolish, worker of iniquity, father of lies, and always seeking whom he may devour. We could be praying this same prayer against the attacks of our own enemy any day of the week.

Verse 7 This verse David declares what he is going to do in the midst of his troubles. He says he is going to the house of the LORD where His mercy is multiplied and in fear and reverence he will worship God. Sometimes we need to declare who God is and what He stands for and then allow that to remind us God is fighting for us. We can then worship Him knowing the multitude of His mercy!

Verse 8 David requests God do something for him. He says to God, "Lead me!" How often is this is our prayer? God lead us in YOUR righteousness. Our righteousness is as filthy rags according to Isaiah 64:6. We want to be led by God in His righteousness. David said to God, in essence, "Show off in front of my enemies. Show how good and awesome You are and then make Your way straight in front of me." David wants to make sure he doesn't miss the path God is leading him on. We can choose to do things ourselves and walk in our filthy rags and while the enemy looks on, we will fall down, get scuffed up and hurt our witness as followers of Christ. But we can also choose what David chose. We can allow God to lead us in His righteousness on His perfect path. Which will you choose today?

Verses 9 &10 David has a list of characteristics about his enemies. He says this:

They lie.

They are wicked to the core.

Their mouth is an open grave.

They flatter falsely.

The enemy wants to paint a beautiful picture of what life could be like living on your own terms. The trouble with that is it is all smoke and mirrors. It's lies. He is not concerned with our well-being. He does not want us comfortable and happy. He wants to torture us every chance he gets. He wants to play the pipe so we will dance on the broad way toward hell. It is not a party they are going to. It is a place of eternal destruction and torment. We must not listen to the lies, the false flattery, the vanity and pride.

David has a solution in verse 10. He tells God to destroy them. He asks God to let them trip over their own stumbling blocks they set for others. He asks God to cast them out for the multitude of their sins. Remember he just said God has a multitude of mercy, but of the enemy he says they have a multitude of sins. David points out their rebellion, and rebellion is as the spirit of witchcraft, according to 1 Samuel 15:23. We know that is exactly what God is going to do to the wicked. They will all be destroyed.

Verse 11 David asks God for a blessing for the followers of God. He says let us rejoice, shout for joy, and be joyful in God because He defends us and we love Him. God honors that request to this day. We can rejoice and shout for joy. We can be full of joy in God knowing He fights our battles and carries us through every hardship we endure. We love His name. We love everything about Him.

Verse 12 David ends the prayer recounting how good God is. He says, "You will bless the righteous and like a shield you will surround them with favor." What an awesome way to end time alone with God. Have you ever thought about God's favor surrounding you like a shield is because David spoke that prayer? God honored David's prayer. He listened to him and He answered that prayer and it is still being answered generation after generation. What a wonderful God we serve!

I have been so encouraged by today's passage. I sure do love Bible Study Wednesdays and especially going through the Psalms. It gives us a wonderful formula for how we can pray boldly and effectively. These are prayers that God is still answering today. I hope to meet you back here next week to go through another Psalm. Tomorrow we will count our blessings and Friday we will discuss some food for thought to take us through the weekend. I hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Siblings Pray Together Stay Together | Thankful Thursday

I walked into the kitchen as I was getting ready for work. I wanted to make sure my son got on the school bus with no issues. My daughter was just leaving for work. When I stepped in the kitchen I saw my children holding hands and Kadesia was praying for Javan. She was blessing him and praying for protection and a good first day and so many wonderful things. Javan was just receiving it and this momma's heart was elated!

The Bible says, "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) I taught both of my children how to pray when they were very small. This verse is so true because when someone is hurt or something doesn't go the way we expected it to, one of my kids will suggest for us to pray. They both know the power in prayer and they both pray out loud very well. It is an honor to raise them to love and respect God. I am so thankful they know they can call on His name anytime.

We read in 1 Timothy 2:8, "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." No matter where we are we should be in a position to pray and speak to God in faith. Kadesia shared a post yesterday about the situation she was in and today God took care of the entire problem. It was awesome to see Him working out every detail.

We are reminded in Psalm 34:1 "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall be continually in my mouth." There are times that it feels so bad or hopeless and it seems impossible to praise God, but that is when we must push past our feelings and just do it anyway. If we can get past how we feel, and praise God for who He is and for how worthy He is to be praised, our whole situation will turn around. Praise breaks barriers. 

The walls came down when Joshua and the company with him shouted at Jericho.

Joshua 6:15, 16, 20, 27 (15)And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. (16)And it to came to pass on the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city. (20)So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. (27)So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.

Gideon and three companies of men shouted a praise and they won the victory without fighting!

Judges 7:19-21 (19)So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew their trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. (20)And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. (21)And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

Paul and Silas praised their way out of the prison cell and shackles!

Acts 16:24-26 (24)Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in their stocks. (25)And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. (26)And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

I don't know what situation you may find yourself in today. You could be looking for a victory and all you feel is defeated. You may look around and feel outnumbered and helpless, but God in heaven is capable to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. (Ephesians 3:20). God is on our side. He always wins! He is giving victory to every one of His children. If you are born again, that means you are victorious through Christ Jesus. His blood paid it all!

If you are not born again, you can ask Jesus to save you. Confess you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Confess that you believe Jesus is the Son of God and died to save you. Ask Him to be the Lord of your life and watch Him do the impossible for you! He is a loving God and He wants you to be His son or daughter. Choose life! Choose Jesus.

This Thankful Thursday I am very thankful for the victory we win in Jesus. I am thankful for the gift of prayer. I am thankful God hears and answers prayer. I am thankful my children do not have to be told to pray, but they see an opportunity and they take it! God is so good! I am thankful that my children choose to honor God. We do not always know if what we are teaching them sinks in, but it's moments like this that make me smile and I know it is all glory to God. He takes the credit for this!

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

~Bridgett Owens