Miracle For Baby Charlotte

 by Chris Jones

There’s undeniable evidence of God, for those who’ve experienced his miraculous power, especially when it comes as an answer to our prayers. I asked my friend, JB, if I could share the testimony of her daughter’s healing. This recent miracle is just one example of God at work in her life.

JB’s baby, Charlotte, was born with what her doctor described as a tracheoesophageal fistula, an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea, which results in the aspiration of fluids. This caused her to breathe in milk instead of it traveling down her esophagus to her stomach during feedings. Basically, she was drowning every time she ate. Over time, this could result in chronic fluid in her lungs.

Not willing to wait for the doctors’ suggested plan of action, JB and her husband brought their request to God.  They met that Wednesday night before service, for their Pastor and friends to lay hands on baby Charlotte, and “boldly ask the Lord for no sign of a cleft or fistula.” In prayer, Pastor claimed that no abnormalities would be found when she went into surgery.

The next day, they handed Charlotte over to the doctors, believing that the Lord had restored the structure and function of the connection between her esophagus and trachea, and that repair, therapy, feeding tubes etc. would not be a part of their lives, and that the Lord completely restored their baby girl. After some time, the doctor emerged from surgery and said, verbatim, “well, what we saw Tuesday just isn’t there! There are no abnormalities and no further repair or surgery is necessary!”

Before they left, the radiologist asked, “when you talk to the Lord again, could you ask him to help out with a few of my other patients too? You guys get good results!”

Praise the Lord for what he has done, is doing and will do through those who truly believe in him! In an instant, Charlotte was healed and able to breathe and feed without a choking or drowning sensation. Mom and Dad say she’s one happy and alert little girl.

1 John 5:14-15 says, “we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.” Praise God, that his power is at work in our lives today!

The Journey Begins…

 by Nick Koopalethes

Welcome to my journey, as I run into God’s healing power. In this post I set the background for why I began to run, and what I’m believing as I take these steps of faith. Join me and let’s run this race together!

New Blogger

Help me welcome a new blogger to Witness Runner.

Nick Koopalethes, Pastor of The Victory House in Purcellville VA, is joining us. He’s a good friend who I had the privilege of working with during his years as a Youth Pastor. I continue to be impacted by his infectious confidence in God’s faithfulness and ability to do what He promises.

I’ll let Nick tell you all about his new adventure. If you’re believing God for a miracle, I think you’ll be inspired by my friend. Follow Witness Runner on Facebook or Twitter to make sure you don’t miss a moment of what Nick shares from his journey to healing.

Through The Dark

 by Chris Jones

When I enter my house through the laundry room, I’m greeted by total darkness. It’s no problem if I just keep moving, three steps straight forward, reach low for the doorknob, and I’m out. If I stop for even a second, to turn around, to try to let me eyes adjust, I could easily get disoriented. Even in that small room, I might be left fumbling in the dark.

When we find ourselves in a dark place in life, it’s no different. Whether we’ve been there before or it’s brand new territory, the darkness breeds fear. It insights panic. It stops you in your tracks, leaving you disoriented and confused.

Sometimes, though, the fastest way out of the darkness is through it. Have confidence in the plan God has for your life. He has you on this path for a reason. Don’t stop. Don’t even take a second to question your direction. Reach forward to take hold of what God is placing before you. Jesus said, “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” (John 12:46)

Monuments

 by Chris Jones

Some of our most memorable family vacations include our visits to historical sites. One of my favorites is a trip we took to Gettysburg a couple of years ago. I was amazed by the number of monuments there. A tour guide told us there were 1,342 of them, each standing to memorialize a significant person, place or event in battles that forever changed America. They’re stories from which we draw inspiration and lessons we should be careful to never forget.

In the Bible, there are many instances of people stopping to build a monument when something significant occurred in their journey with God. We find one of these stories in Joshua 4. It says:

So Joshua called together the twelve men he had chosen—one from each of the tribes of Israel. He told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant went across. ‘ These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.

It’s important that we build and share with our family and friends, monuments erected to what God has done in our lives. In moments where our faith might be shaken, they call us to remember the times when God undeniably showed up in the middle of our situation. They give us faith to say, “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.” (Psalm 16:8)

This July marks the fourth anniversary of my trip to El Salvador, with a team of high-school students from my church. I kept a journal during that trip. Beginning July 14th, I’ll share those nine journal entries as monuments to what God accomplished there.

If you were on that trip, remember what God accomplished through you, and be inspired to look forward to greater things He has to come. Use these monuments to help you see in what ways you’ve grown in your relationship with God since these events. If you find you’ve allowed your relationship with Him to wane, take responsibility to reconnect and pursue the life He has for you today.

Build monuments that testify to your family and friends that God’s Kingdom is advancing, not through force or political might, but through the love of His servants, with power to heal and restore broken lives.

Life, More Delicious

 by Chris Jones

I have a certain routine, when I get to the office each morning.  As I start work, I have a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of water.  It’s not instant oatmeal from a package.  I have a big tube of plain, whole oats in my desk.  It’s a pretty bland breakfast…until I add the fruit.  A fresh peach, banana, apple or strawberries transforms this otherwise flavorless breakfast into something that truly gives each morning a needed boost.

Life has it’s ups and downs.  Sometimes we’re riding the wave.  Other times we’re being tossed by it.  Regardless of the quality of the lives we live, they’re always better with a little fruit.

As Christians we have the option of living everyday, boosted by the Fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5 tells us this fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

I challenged a group of high-school and twenty-something-year-old men to consider the “flavor” the Holy Spirit brings to our lives.  Those men come to a basketball ministry I run.  The easy majority of them are the types of guys most would consider at-risk or disadvantaged, from most socio-economic standards.  These guys might not be the type to see patience or goodness or gentleness as very masculine qualities.  I encouraged them to know that a man who is patient, is a better man.  A man who is kind and shows goodness, is a better man.  A man who understands the power expressed through self-control and gentleness, is a better man.

It’s true for all of us.  The Fruit of the Spirit makes our lives, better lives.

Why, then, do we settle for anything less?  The help and power of the Holy Spirit is one prayer away, in any moment.  Imagine being on the verge of snapping at the kids when a simple prayer brings patience and the time you need to more carefully consider your response.  Picture being caught in afternoon traffic, as self-control and peace allow you to sit back and enjoy the day.  The Holy Spirit offers love and goodness, so we may show it to those in need.  He offers joy that lasts through any storm.  He makes life more delicious.

Are You Losing Credibility?

 by Chris Jones

There aren’t many people I trust without reservation.  Perhaps that says more about me than it says about “people”.  There’s a troubling lack of firm, consistent standards in our lives.  Sadly, the rate by which individuals fall to life’s myriad temptations is seemingly no different among Christian leaders than among people with other beliefs, or lack of.

Problems arise from God using men to deliver the news that His love bridged the distance that separated us, if we can’t be trusted.  Men, after all, are the primary vehicle by which He chose to make this truth known.  Men are responsible for laying the foundation of all we know God to be, since His Word has been relayed through them.  Is it possible, then, that we jeopardize the credibility of these men of God when we, as modern-day “men and women of God”, don’t consider how well or how poorly our example might reinforce their message?

Unfortunately, it’s all-too-easy to lose credibility.  We lose credibility as Christians, when we live at odds with one another.  We lose credibility with our neighbors, when we live without peace in our homes.  Pastors lose credibility when they embellish details of a true story, for the sake of maximizing it’s impact in a sermon.  Churches lose credibility when they have a form of godliness, but deny His power.  While any one of these things may seem small on their own, together they give the world every reason to not believe.

Our lives are on display.  If you profess to be a Christian, people are looking to you for something in which they can believe.  The challenge, then, is not to convince people of the truth, but to live according to that truth.  When our beliefs translate into convictions that permeate our lives, we can be sure that the credibility of God’s Word will be evident in us.

Psalm 91

 by Chris Jones

There are certain things we all just kinda know about God.  It’s a different step, however, going from knowing something, to believing it.  Then again, there’s a difference when we go from believing something, to allowing it to become a source of faith and strength for our lives.

When reading the Bible chronologically, Psalm 91 is suggested to be read immediately after Deuteronomy.  Doing so, places these thoughts just after the death of Moses, because they’re attributed to him.  These sentiments are staples of our faith.  They’re responsible for restoring the confidence of countless believers, even leaders who feel their call has taken them through hell on earth.  The irony is that this confidence is expressed by one whom arguably walked through the driest, most desperate years of service to God (both literally and figuratively).  Still, he knew his source of hope and strength.

Psalm 91 was part of my reading this morning.  These words aren’t new to me.  Yet, somehow, the life they speak is new, refreshing and right-on-time, every time.

Psalm 91

1.  Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
.     will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2.  This I declare about the Lord:
.     He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
.     he is my God, and I trust him.
3.  For he will rescue you from every trap
.     and protect you from deadly disease.
4.  He will cover you with his feathers.
.     He will shelter you with his wings.
.     His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5.  Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
.     nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6.  Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
.     nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7.  Though a thousand fall at your side,
.     though ten thousand are dying around you,
.     these evils will not touch you.
8.  Just open your eyes,
.     and see how the wicked are punished.

9.   If you make the Lord your refuge,
.      if you make the Most High your shelter,
10. no evil will conquer you;
.      no plague will come near your home.
11. For he will order his angels
.      to protect you wherever you go.
12. They will hold you up with their hands
.      so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13. You will trample upon lions and cobras;
.      you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

14. The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
.      I will protect those who trust in my name.
15. When they call on me, I will answer;
.      I will be with them in trouble.
.      I will rescue and honor them.
16. I will reward them with a long life
.      and give them my salvation.”

Tootsie Roll: Endurance

 by Chris Jones

OK Class!  Settle down.  It’s time to continue our look at what we can learn from the tiny Tootsie Roll.  If you were absent last week, you may want to refer to Lesson One before continuing.

Lesson Two

The Tootsie Roll website highlights one of their candy’s less obvious qualities.  They say, “owing to its non-perishable quality and resistance to extreme weather conditions, the Tootsie Roll^¨ has long been a popular military ration. Since World War II, U.S. troops stationed around the world have enjoyed Tootsie Rolls as part of their standard-issue MRE’s, appreciating their great taste, portability, and inherent quality of supplying ‘quick energy’.”  Rarely do you hear of a candy praised for its durability.  It’s probably not one of the leading attributes one considers important.

As Christians, one of our greatest aspirations  in life should be able to say at the end of our days, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:7).  More than just enduring, however, what an achievement it will be, to have endured while adding flavor to this world.

Can our friends say that of us?  Are we a valuable addition to their lives?  Are we someone they would want to take into battle with them?  Can they know that our faith wont perish?  Can they know that we will endure whatever variety of hardships may come our way, and still bring such a refreshing, energizing quality to their lives?  No matter the weather, when the harshest foes wage war on our lives, what do we show this world?  Do our conversations and facebook posts and tweets demonstrate the confident resilience of one who walks with Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit?

The world is looking for an enduring, inspiring faith.  They want something to believe in, something refreshing.  Will they find it in you?

Gotta Have Faith

 by Chris Jones

It seems there’s something about faith that many struggle to understand.  We pray and try our best to believe that God will come through.  We search deep within ourselves, attempting to eradicate doubt.  We fly high when it seems God responds affirmatively to our requests, but are at the limits of our belief when things don’t go our way.

In the armor of God, faith is said to be our shield.  Is that shield somehow inadequate or faulty?  When we exercise our faith, why do loved ones still die?  How do expenses continue to mount?  Why do bad things happen to good people?  If God’s armor is a strong and reliable defense, why does it seem the “attacks of the enemy” still succeed?

I love the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  I think their’s is a great example of proper faith.  If you’re unfamiliar with their story, you can read it here.  It contains what I believe to be one of the greatest statements of faith.

Daniel 3:16-18 says, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.  But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Their faith wasn’t based in the belief that God was going to rescue them from their problem.  They didn’t pin all their trust on God swooping in to save the day.  They believed God can do all things.  They trusted His plan and His timing.  However, their faith was based in the fact that God IS, and no other ever will be.  Regardless of what may or may not happen in their lives, God is God.  Their faith wouldn’t rise or fall with the outcome.  Their faith was in the sovereignty and justness of their God.  He is good.  His mercy endures forever.  Whatever problem you’re facing, whatever your situation, If God doesn’t save you from it, He’ll walk you through it.