The Miracle of Rising Above Lies

Sometime amazing happened as I painted at the Prophetic Conference at Living Stone Christian Church last month -- something far beyond anything I could have imagined. As I brought the images to life that the Holy Spirit had placed on my heart to draw, the Lord began to break deep-rooted lies in my life -- things that I thought I had dealt with. But there was another level of freedom HE was bringing me to.

As a child I loved art, and wanted to be an artist when I grew up. But adults discouraged my dream. They said art was a frivolous luxury for the rich -- nothing important -- just a decoration -- not anything useful -- and nothing anyone could make a living out of. Three times in my life I walked away from art. Three times the Lord brought me back. Slowly, I began to see that the Lord had a purpose for His artists, and that the gifts HE gave us were meant to be developed and used as the Holy Spirit directed.

So I began to illustrate, paint and create art books with Jesus leading the way! And I saw time and time again, how the Holy Spirit moved with loving-kindness when hurting people saw the art HE prompted me to make. But at this Prophetic Conference, as people came forward and expressed how they were touched by what the Lord gave me to paint, the Light of God and the Truth of His Word seeped deeper into those dark, hidden, secret places in my heart, and God’s love rooted out the pain from my past. A new freedom and a greater understanding permeated my entire being. The taste of freedom was in my heart and in my hands. I felt light, uplifted, and FREE to be the artist HE called me to be!

So don’t be discouraged and think the talent or gift you have isn’t valuable. It is! And so are you! Jesus Christ has a plan and purpose for you that is greater than anything your mind can conjure. Seek Him first, and HE will bless you with a plan for your life that is written in Light -- the Light of Truth that breaks every lie, every hurt, every wound, every curse, and sets the captives FREE!  

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The Miracle of the Hurting Gum

Late one evening last week, while eating a handful of cashews, a tiny sliver of nut became wedged under my gum.  All attempts to remove it with my toothbrush and fingernail, only pushed it deeper into the gum. I went to bed frustrated, hoping it would be better by morning. It wasn’t.

Memories of the something similar happening many years ago came to mind. That time it was a cucumber seed that had lodged itself in the same spot. It had become so painful I could hardly eat Thanksgiving Dinner. Back then, I had to wait until the holiday weekend ended to see a dentist. The good news was: last week wasn’t a holiday. The bad news was: I currently didn’t have a dentist.

I asked my husband to pray. I did too, and we stood praying in the power of Christ’s name. In Jesus’ name, we commanded the sliver of nut to dissolve. The next morning, the gum was all better! Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for your amazing love; thank you for the power of your mighty name; and thank you for the authority You have given us to pray. 

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The Miracle of Protection

As I stepped into the street, after exiting the store, and headed towards the parking lot, a sudden gush of wind lifted the large, flattened boxes out of my shopping cart and slammed one of them into my face. Clink! One of the lenses fell out of my glasses and hit the ground. I ran after the boxes before the wind blew them away, and then my husband and I searched the pavement for the missing lens. We couldn’t find it.

Two people exited the store –- the Hispanic pastor and his wife that we had talked to while standing in line. They joined in the search, and the four of us kept looking and looking. Finally, my husband suggested I take the shopping cart with the boxes to the car, because they kept trying to blow out of the cart, and he and the two others would continue to search. As I turned, the pastor’s wife shouted, “I see it!” She bent down to a spot right next to my foot and picked up the lens. When she handed it to me, I had a strong feeling that she had been praying to find it.

Back at home, I carefully inspected the lens. It was in perfect condition – NOT a scratch on it. After wiping it clean, my husband popped the lens back into the frame and tightened the screw. The screw had surprisingly remained attached to the frame. It was then that I remember that the whole time we were looking for the lens, not a single car was on the normally busy road in front of the store. It wasn’t until the pastor’s wife slipped the lens into my hand that traffic started coming and we had to step out of the way. 

The Lord God not only protected my face and my glasses when the box slammed into me, but also kept back the traffic until we found the missing lens. And HE kept the lens from getting scratched. What an amazing God, Jesus Christ is! HE promises to watch over and protect those who trust in HIM, and HE did!

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The Miracle of Provision

Curating an art show is something I had never done before -- especially one where 25 frames needed to be purchased. Frames can be quite costly, even with discount coupons. Since coupons can only be used one-at-a-time, I expected many trips to different stores over the course of a week. But to my surprise, the Lord had something different in mind.

Before venturing out, I prayed over the list of frames that were needed, thanked Jesus Christ that HE was my Provider, and gave the task of finding the various quantities and different sizes to HIM. Then I asked the Lord what were the magnificent plans HE had for that day that HE wanted me to step into. I felt deep within that I should delight myself in the Lord and HE would give me the desires of my heart. Then the words, “Watch! See! See what the Lord does! You will be amazed!” popped into my mind.

My daughter volunteered to help me shop. Since we had only planned on getting some of the frames that day, I had a limited amount of money with me. We arrived at the first store and made our way to the back, where the frames were displayed. A huge sign, “Buy three frames for the price of one -- TODAY only!” greeted us. I couldn’t believe my eyes! This was incredible! We found every frame we needed, loaded them into two shopping carts, and purchased them for less than the money I had with me. And this was all done in one trip to one store! Thank you, Lord Jesus! You are an amazing God!

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Bone Spur Miracle

Hiking through the woods with my husband is always pleasant, and today’s walk was no different. On the way back to the car, I stopped to take some pictures as he continued walking. The sun shining through the trees made great shots, so I kept snapping photos. When I looked down the path, my husband was no longer in sight, so I hurried to catch up. As I rounded the curve, the path sloped to the right. I was in too much of a hurry to notice. As I stepped on the uneven ground, my ankle twisted outward. The Lord must have sent His angels to catch me, because I didn’t fall over. But pain radiated from my ankle.

Assuming it was just a bad sprain, I waited a few days for it to get better. The swelling decreased, but the bruising increased. Finally, I went to the doctor only to discover that a bone was fractured. 

A few years earlier, I had badly sprained the other ankle and when the x-ray was taken, bone spurs (osteoarthritis) showed up on the x-ray. The doctor had told me that this happens to older people and it was probably on all my bones. I expected to see bone spurs on the x-ray this time, too, but when the doctor showed me a close up photo of my ankle bones, they were spur-free and healthy-looking, except for the spot that was fractured. That’s when I remember that I had asked one of the elders at church for prayer about the bone spurs, and the two of us took authority over the disease and commanded the bone spurs to leave in the name of Jesus. This newer x-ray showed that the Lord had answered that prayer. Praise be to Jesus Christ, who gives us the authority to walk in HIS ways!
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The Miracle of God’s Wonder

Upon opening the curtains early this morning, stillness and quietude greeted me. There was no breeze, the trees were standing in reverent silence, and the clouds barely moved across the sky. It felt like an invitation to be still and know that God is God.

So I sat on the floor to be closer to the opened window and feel the fresh air seeping in. Words to a poem came to mind. As I finished writing the last line and looked outside, shades of pastel pink highlighted the clouds. I felt the warm smile of Jesus Christ. It was like Him saying, “Out of stillness in ME, comes rest and beauty.”

Desiring to step into the beauty of His wonder, I found my shoes, grabbed my camera, and dashed outside. How glorious was the huge, colorful sky! Strokes of pink daubed each cloud. These strokes were brilliantly placed to emphasize God’s delight in painting the sky to give us a joyful, dramatic, “Welcome to a new day,” sky show! 

How spectacular is the Lord our God, who places beauty in the sky, on the land, and at sea, and then invites us to enjoy and take part in what He created!

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The Miracle of the Roaring Train

When the Lord, Jesus Christ, calls us to do something, and we step out in doing it, HE does amazing, and sometimes miraculous things.

On the opening night of the 2015 Karitos Christian Arts Conference Retreat, I gave a short, 10-minute presentation, using images that were projected on a huge screen that took up most of the stage. In preparation for this presentation, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me to use a piece of train art for the last slide. Then HE led me to add movement to the train art, and while it was being shown, to release words HE had given me several years earlier. 

When I came to the part, “Unleash the Holy Spirit within you! Yield to God’s ways and you will hear the rumble and roar of Heaven…” a train zoomed past Barrows Auditorium. People inside heard its rumble and roar. Even the stage manager stopped the presentation momentarily, to rejoice in what the Lord just did, and to make sure everyone knew that the noise they just heard was the train rushing by!

So when the Lord God asks you to do something, don’t be afraid to step out. If sound effects are needed, HE will add them! And if God wants a part of the presentation to be emphasized, HE will do that too! 

All honor and glory and praise to Jesus Christ!

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