August 17, 2010 Calming Life's Storms 2

"Where is your faith?"

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Tuesday and the day we pray for a cure for cancer, diabetes, heart problems, birth defects, and all other diseases which are just too many to mention. While I do not know what caused all the diseases, I do know that some are caused by bad behavior. Still others are caused or added to by bad choices in life. Nevertheless, we go to God and ask for that cure, be it direct or through the hands of those who work on medications.

Calming Life's Storms 2: Matthew 4:23 - Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and HEALING every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News of Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. (NIV)

Luke 8: 25 - Where is your faith?" He (Jesus) asked His disciples. (NIV)

Today I want to talk to you about one of the biggest storms in our lives... Some might think when we talk about storms we are just talking weather, those twisters, hail, blizzards and I could go on and on, however I know how our family is and I think we are about the same as most families, and our storms in the most part are not weather related. So during the next few days I want to talk to you about some of them and tell you just who can be "Calming Life's Storms" for you. Of course we are talking about Jesus and I will tell you that right up front. When I look over our lives and look over those sending in prayer requests I think a good amount of life's storms are health related and the one I think that works most people is Pain. Yes, Pain... So let's talk about pain for a while today.

I know that some people carry a lot of pain and while each persons pain level might be different, their ability to manage that pain might differ also. Some people can handle it better than others. One way or the other pain will over time take you down, it really will. Now speaking of pain, I ask today that you pray for my dear wife Dolores and also for Janet Wotring, in fact Janet is having back surgery on Monday and we need to hold her up in prayer for that also. Vicki is another who is carrying a lot of pain, and I could go on and on. Back pain, leg pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, and I could go on and on. Women have that pain in childbirth and folks that was/is caused by sin, some of them also have heavy pain at their time of the month. Others have headaches and some are migraines and they can make people sick. Still other pain can be mental, depression, pain caused by a broken heart, maybe a wayward child, or a split in marriage. There is all sorts of pain and hundreds of pain relievers out there on the market.

Yes, you can go to the drug store and find all sorts of over the counter pain killers and a lot of those that need guarded, I use one of those and have for almost 20 years since a bad motorcycle crash. I want you to know right now that regardless of the medications that one might take to help deal with pain, I for one could not walk a foot without Jesus holding me up.

So today, today I want you to go with me to God in prayer and turn over one of life's biggest storms, pain. If you have pain in your body I ask you that while you pray with me on this that you place your hands where it hurts, and I want you to pray with me. And while we pray I want you to remember that scripture and in fact it is worth repeating right here, so you can read it again...

Matthew 4:23 - Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and HEALING every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News of Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering SEVERE PAIN, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and He healed them. (NIV)

Now we also know that if we do not have faith that Jesus is going to move on the prayers we might as well not pray. Prayer is the key to heaven, folks, but faith is what unlocks that door. We will talk about this more later this week. Hold that spot now.

Dear Father in Heaven, we are so blessed and we know that You have healed many parts on us before we knew they were bad, but right now, Lord, we bring to You our pain, that pain in our backs, in our knees, in our brains, wherever that pain is, we ask in the name of Jesus to heal that pain. The pain of Vicki, the pain of Janet and Dolores, my pain, and the pain of others, regardless of where the pain is and what is causing it. Heal us, dear Lord, heal us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Now go forth having faith, claiming the healing and sharing the blessings. I do pray your pain is gone or less, I do believe in faith healing... Love ya, Pastor Dan.