Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 348
December 2, 2016
It's time to reveal God's miracles
God’s plans are good and His timing is perfect. He is still in control when things seem out of control. Life doesn’t always work out the way you think it should but you can trust that His hand is in everything that concerns you.
Flight 191
It was a family’s darkest nightmare.
On the television screen was a smoking ruins of a plane on the runway at DFW Airport. Delta Flight 191. We had waiting all day for my little sister, Missy’s plane to bring her home.
Now, I was 18 years old and bulletproof, so it hadn’t struck me that anything bad would happen to me or my family. But the video on the news was real. The smoking debris and burned bodies here scattered and thrown.
Though the pilot was one of the best and most capable and the plane was in good working order, a chance meeting with a Texas microburst, a weather event so unpredictable and extreme, shattered the lives of 136 of the 167 passengers that day. Their plane was literally driven into the ground by an invisible force some would call an “act of God.”
Let’s get this straight – God doesn’t do that kind of thing. Those winds were part of a diabolical series of events driven by the devil and cloaked in natural phenomenon.
While a cousin who worked at the airport rushed out into the flaming heap to look for my sister, we at home worried and prayed. The Lord was way ahead of us.
Missy was about to turn 14 when she was invited to go to Bermuda on vacation with a girl from school. It was obvious that mom and dad didn’t want to bother with the inconvenience of being a parent, so Missy was brought along to entertain their daughter. These people didn’t know it at the time, and likely still don’t today, but their lives – maybe even eternity – depended on my sister being with them on the trip.
The mom had a problem with anger and alcohol. The night before they were to catch their plane, she made Missy the target of her miserable life. She called my sister horrible names and belittled her, making her pack her bag that night to have it ready. The mom made sure Missy’s birth certificate was right on top so she didn’t have to dig for it in the morning.
Letting Missy fend for herself through customs, Missy opened the suitcase to get the birth certificate and, to her complete horror, it wasn’t there. How could that be? She’d double checked it in Bermuda. Frantically, she tore through her clothes looking for the piece of paper.
To make a long story short, several people when through that suitcase looking for the birth certificate. It was not there. The crazed mom screamed, yelled and threatened my sister. Missy said it was terrible. She decided to look one last time.
When she turned to her suitcase, which had been laying open on a customer table, she could see the piece of paper sitting right on top where it was in the first place – in plain view but miraculously unseen by all until this moment.
They all rushed to the gate where flight 191 was sitting. It had finished boarding.
“We have not missed it! It is still sitting there! Let us on!” the woman ranted and raved at an airline employee who refused to let them on. The doomed flight left without them. They caught another flight, one that would get them home safely and not send that woman and her hen-pecked husband to hell that day.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.
- Job 5:9
It was a miracle they were not on that plane. Missy would grow up, get saved and for several years, work with her husband as a children’s pastor before becoming a nurse. Literally, thousands of lives have been touched by her service and ministry because Jesus blinded the eyes of everyone in customs to that piece of paper.
So what happened to that bully of a woman? I bet you think she saw the light when she saw the flames and apologized. Well, she didn’t. She continued her tirade all the way to my mom’s front door where she was promptly handed her hat and sent off in angry, self-serving disgrace. Yep, my mom threw her clean off the property!
So what is the message in the miracle? Just because God does a miracle for you, doesn’t mean you are smart enough to recognize it. That woman wasn’t.
From my book: MIRACLES WITH A MESSAGE
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December 1, 2016
Who controls your atmosphere?
God wants you walking in power, love and a sound mind. That’s the spirit He has given to you, not the spirit of fear. Let’s stop agreeing with the enemy, and instead, work with the Holy Spirit to cultivate an atmosphere that ushers in His presence.
WHO CONTROLS YOUR ATMOSPHERE?
Our minds, heart and homes are supposed to look a lot more like Heaven than hell, but many of us have invited the devil in the front door of all three.
We may be saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit so no demon can possess us, but we let the devil speak into us through our eyes and ears every day. What television shows do you watch? What music do you listen to and what magazines do you read? What are your conversations with others like? Are they filled with gossip, slander or envy? Are the only people who are right you and your little group?
It’s important to take inventory because you are likely letting evil control your atmosphere.
Fear, anxiety, depression, heartache, regret, outrage, offense – hell likes to stir these up in us when we welcome an ungodly atmosphere. Why are there so many drugs for depression and anxiety? Because Satan is controlling the atmosphere of people’s minds and hearts.
Why are families falling apart? Maybe because the atmosphere of offense, anger, heartache or lust. Anything carnal or sexually charged has hell written all over it. Hell loves to cloud your thinking and emotions through an inappropriately sensual atmosphere because action is soon to follow.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
– Galatians 5:19-21
Don’t fall into the trap! Regaining control starts by taking back the atmosphere of your heart and mind. Fill yourself with God-thoughts so that Jesus will come out in your conversations and actions.
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is admirable –if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you.
– Philippians 4:8-9
The Bible gives us a simple recipe for success and the reward is tremendous! You see, Jesus is the “Prince of Peace” for a reason – to come against the prince of the power of the air. He can slay that dragon once you act and kick the devil our of your head, heart, home and life.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO CONSIDER THE ATMOSPHERE YOU’RE LIVING WITH AT HOME, WORK, CHURCH AND IN YOUR OWN HEAD. KICK THE DEVIL OUT. FOLLOW THE RECIPE ABOVE FOR AN ATMOSPHERE WHERE GOD CAN WORK ALL THINGS FOR YOUR GOOD.From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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November 30, 2016
Step out of your comfort zone
It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and into the battle for the lost souls that surround you. God is working behind the scenes to prepare the hearts of those He is bringing to you. Ready? Set? Go!
THE CHANGE OF LIFE
Face it, we are a mess. Yes, you and I are major malfunctions and we will be until we get home to glory.
As messed up as we are, God calls us His people and sends us into the darkest places of this crazy world with a mandate and a mission to surround evil and change things for good. We are to save people from an eternity in hell.
First, He surrounds us with goodness to lead us.
Teach me to do your will; for you are my God; your spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
– Psalms 143:10
After He leads us by His goodness, we are followed by His goodness.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
– Psalms 23:6
Not only is He in the midst of us with His goodness, He is before us and behind us as well!
Then your light will break forth like dawn and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
– Isaiah 58:8
The battle is for the eternal souls of men and women. The risks and the rewards are worth it.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO STEP OUT IN FAITH TO BATTLE FOR GOODNESS IN EVIL PLACES. KNOW THAT GOD IS PAVING THE WAY FOR YOU AND WILL SUSTAIN YOUR EFFORTS AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED YOUR FIGHT.From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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November 29, 2016
Jesus is real
God wants you to worship Him in spirit and in truth. He inhabits the praises of His people. He wants you to trust in His goodness and take Him at His word. Healing is for you my friend—on earth as it is in Heaven.
A REAL EYE-OPENER
Let me tell you about the most incredible healing miracle I have ever personally witnessed.
One of the greatest doors God has opened for me is the ability to serve in the south Texas town of Brownsville. It’s as far south as you can get while still being in the United States.
Brownsville is an extreme place, like most border towns. I love places like this because that’s where God can do radical things. This night, He took us across the border to the city of Matamoros and into a tiny church. The people seemed to be sizing us gringos up. They looked suspicious until the Holy Spirit began to move though the praise music we were playing.
During the second song, people started to stand up and praise in Spanish. People were crying, shaking and lifting their hands to God in surrender. The sermon went out the window and it was just a radical time of praise and brokenness before the Lord. Many were shouting at the top of their lungs and God began to do his thing.
I had never been to church like this before. I couldn’t understand what they were saying to the pastor as he moved the room. Finally, he took the microphone and began to tell of people who had been cured of sickness and disease as they praised. The room was going nuts. Then, as an old woman walked up to the microphone, the crowd became suddenly quiet.
She had gone to this church since she was a child. She lost her eyesight at a teenager due to undiagnosed diabetes. She had been blind for several decades. Then, as the second song played, she said the Holy Spirit came upon her in an unusual way. She began to see a vision, then realized it wasn’t a vision at all. She could see!
“Now, you know me and you know that I am blind,” she said. Then, with God as my witness, she began pointing to people in the crowd. “If I am blind, how can I see you? And you. And you…”
We literally saw blind eyes opened through praise and worship! None of us preached, called down healing or laid a hand on her. No man can take credit for what God had done. Sometimes a special move of God isn’t taught, it’s caught!
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
– Psalm 107:19-21
Since then, there have been dark times in my walk where I’ve been tempted to doubt God’s healing power. Every time I do, I think back to that night in Matamoros when a woman was healed of blindness by God Himself.
I wonder how many times the devil tried to stop her from going to the church that night. How many times did he tempt her to stay home or leave after finding out a gringo was preaching? If she had played any one of those cards, she would still be blind today. Instead, she was in the house of God and expectant that something was going to happen. That day, it did.
What about you?
From my book: MIRACLES WITH A MESSAGE
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November 28, 2016
Fight through fear of unknown
You are a gifted learner in the Spirit; you have a taste for the best part of the Kingdom of heaven, which is the heart of the Lord. He calls you His!
AN ACQUIRED TASTE
Scripture doesn’t say, “Oh, smell and see that the Lord is good.” The aroma of something is supposed to be a mouthwatering invitation to take a big bite.
Just like that, revelation is a green light to experience God in the way He is being revealed to you. You have to be willing to go forward into experience and that requires trust.
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in him!
– Psalms 34:8
Tasting is all about personal experience and trusting is all about believing you will not get into trouble for biting in. We must be willing to smell the savor of things not yet experienced in Christ, then fight for it!
When we forget we are supposed to look forward, we settle for what others have experienced, trusting their tastebuds instead of the Lord Himself. When we are not savoring what can be, we settle for the documented palate of the past.
Take the woman who crawled on her knees to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment hoping for healing. There was no historical reference for her to follow or go by. That is courage! It is also desperation and because she risked it all hoping for an upgrade, she experienced God in a way nobody else had. He even called her “daughter” – the only person recorded in the Bible to hear those words.
This was a woman of faith. Real faith. When we don’t find Jesus in new ways, we settle for what is written about Him. Our faith becomes really safe and not authentic — pseudo faith that requires little to no personal experience or encounter.
We become Bible thumpers instead of heart listeners. We learn the culture of our denomination, instead of the ways of God. We make the mistake of having a relationship with church, rather than a relationship with Jesus.
THAT’S NOT YOU!
From my book: LIVING LIFE /FORWARD
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November 27, 2016
The wonder of miracles and prosperity
God’s desire is to show you the blueprints for your next step on the pathway to your destiny. He will give you more understanding as you ask, seek and knock.
THE WONDER OF MIRACLES AND PROSPERITY
Miracles are wonderful. They let us know God sees us in our affliction. That He cares about us. Miracles are a powerful voice of God’s love to us. But there is something more powerful than a miracle of provision.
You see, miracles are not God’s best for us. If we need a miracle, we must be in big trouble. What He really enjoys is prospering us through hard work. That takes wisdom, favor and character. All three are gifts the Lord wants so badly to give us, but most of us miss this. We’re too busy looking for the quick fix – the next miracle.
The Lord wants to be involved in every area of your life. He wants to lead you by His Spirit into His goals to prosper you. He knows that blessing and prosperity are better than desperately living by miracles. Praise God that He has something better for us!
Right now, ask God for a vision and the heart to work hard for His glory. Ask for His heart’s desires for your life. Tell Him you are tired of living in the same old mess and ask Him to reveal a straight path out.
Some God-given goals and plans to reach those goals are what you need to change your financial situation on a long-term basis, and this is way better than a miracle.
– Psalms 16:11 TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GO AFTER GOD’S PLAN TO PROSPER YOU. HE LOVES YOU AND WANTS THE BEST FOR YOU. ASK FOR HIS HEART'S DESIRE AND YOURS TO PERFECTLY LINE UP.
From my book: MIRACLES WITH A MESSAGE
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November 26, 2016
Wows and Wonders
God is ready to make you a part of a mind blowing sign, miracle or wonder so that you and others will see His goodness in a new way, and overcome by the words of your testimony!
WOWS AND WONDERS
Out of all the miracles God has done through anyone throughout the centuries, there is one miracle that all miracles hinge on. When you get the message in the miracle, it changes how you see things and even who you are.
This miracle has to be true or all of Christianity is not real. This miracle is the deciding factor and the simplest litmus test in proving if the deity
In nearly 30 years of consistently bringing God’s goodness to the poor and afflicted, Leanna and I have seen signs, miracles and wonders beyond definition. Some of the greatest miracles I have experienced have just naturally happened while we were helping in very practical ways.
Heaven invades earth and God’s will is done through these works of the Holy Spirit.
As a matter of fact, all three works of the Holy Spirit - signs, miracles and wonders - are mentioned together in only one verse in the Bible.
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”
– Acts 2:22
There is a big difference between these three manifestations of the Spirit, so hold on tight as I give you Troy’s Cliff Notes primer on signs, miracles and wonders.
SIGNS: A sign is a natural event that proclaims a message of something unseen. It’s when God uses the natural to point to the supernatural. A good example is when a microburst snapped the power pole, blew up the transformer and cut the power to a friend’s house. Of course, the electric company put up an new pole and transformer, but there was a message in that wind. God used the natural to cut off an old power source – a negative way of thinking – to her household. It was replaced by a new power source – a Godly way of thinking. My friend admitted that she had just repented of talking to “snakes” and had no idea there was a message in the microburst because when it comes to signs, only those looking for them can see them. I’m looking!
MIRACLES: A miracle is when God changes, or even exchanges, the natural with the supernatural. It’s when God intervenes in extreme circumstances and rescues us from negative circumstances, danger or a major malfunction. Sickness is healed, a car is miraculously moved out of the way of a speeding truck, or an unexpected check shows up in the mail and is just enough to pay the past due mortgage.
WONDERS: A wonder is a show stopper and a jaw dropper. It is attached to how wonderful God is and it raises the bar for new levels of faith. Wonders are things God does just because He can and they have a very personal message in them. Wonders in my life include being given a million-dollar church campus by a near stranger before I even knew I needed one, and praying with a prison inmate desperate to get a message to his long lost family, then the next day, sitting beside his brother in a 60,000-seat stadium and getting to relay the Good News that little brother had gotten himself saved. It’s God taking you to the next level of His goodness.
Yes, all three are manifestations of the Father’s ultimate goodness. If you haven’t had a mind blowing, game changing sign, miracle or wonder from the Lord Jesus Christ, you need an injection of goodness into your life.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BELIEVE IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD AND GO AFTER SIGNS, MIRACLES AND WONDERS IN YOUR OWN LIFE. KNOW THAT THROUGH THEM, GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL.From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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November 25, 2016
Do you have an eye for great things?
Remember the great things God has done for you as you press in and go deeper. The Kingdom is about progression and progression always moves forward. The Lord says to you, “Behold, I am doing anew thing. I will even put a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). He is God of your past, present and future.
AN EYE FOR GREAT THINGS
Looking back is often dangerous, especially if it causes you to limit God’s power in the present and future.
An alternative to glorifying an era, or saying, “We’ve always done it this way,” is to have a proper view of the past. In other words, take a good look at how great God has been in the past. When you look for Jesus in your past, you learn to see Him in your present and future.
Do you see the times He saved you from disaster? The blessings or favor He provided? Did He give you direction when you had none, or provide a miracle you will never forget?
Remembering how Jesus worked in your past is key to recognizing how He is working in you today and what He will do in your future. Sounds crazy, but think about the Cherubim — the tripped out angels that circle the throne of God.
Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
–Revelation 4:6-8
It’s strange enough that each one has four sides and four separate faces, but have you noticed the Word says their bodies are covered in eyes? Do you know why?
They literally see God in the past, present and future – all at the same time! Every time they circle the throne, they see how great God has been in the past, how great God is now, and how great He is going to be in the future. Living in eternity has its privileges!
I want to be like that. I don’t just want to see my past, I want to see how great God has been in my past! Once I see that, I want to see how great God is in every part of my life, forward from here!
TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO SAY “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, AND IS AND IS TO COME IN MY LIFE! MOVE ME FORWARD LORD!”From my book: LIVING LIFE /FORWARD
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November 24, 2016
Do you recognize God's goodness?
As Jesus walked the earth, wherever He went, as Matthew 9:35-36 tells us, He had compassion on all the people, not just some. We as Christians need to show the same compassion to everyone that God puts in our path. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. It really is easier being kind to people than being a hater. God always overcomes evil!
RECOGNIZING GOODNESS
When I see God’s goodness, I see Jesus. So does the world.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t see Him enough. Many Christians don’t demonstrate His love outside the church walls. What good does it do to show love to people who are already saved, then live life as normal while those outside the church live in bondage to sin and death the other six days a week?
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And it you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Don’t even the pagans do that?”
-Matthew 5:46-47
The church has done a poor job of reaching out. It really has.
Yes, birds of a feather flock together, but those turkeys who are supposed to reach out to those in need and those who don’t know Jesus need to get off their blessed assurance and serve people outside the church walls — the poor, old, lame, orphaned, sick, the traveler and the outcast! Yes, they are often hard to love and serving them is challenging, but that’s what shows God’s goodness to the world.
It’s also easy to get comfortable in church and greet those we know without welcoming new people. Trouble is, people feel left out, like they’re on the outside looking in. Not a good testimony for the church.
I remember the old hymn, “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.” I always liked that song, but today’s churches are full of people who have forgotten to love outside their little group of believers. How can we bring people to Jesus if they don’t believe He is good because His people only love the people who are just like them?
Let’s not be like that. Let’s be like this…
White and black people standing together against a spirit of racism. A veteran being welcomed home at the airport and honored for their service. An orphan being brought into a family after years of not being wanted by anyone. An unexpected visit to a lonely old lady. Sometimes, goodness looks like a bag of groceries or a check to pay someone’s light bill.
If you feel your heart being challenged with these words, be encouraged.
Then they really will know we are Christians by our love.
From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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November 23, 2016
You are a part of God's family
God is telling us to go into all the worlds and be not ashamed of the gospel. Live your life according to the Scripture. When we see all the hurting in the land don’t be afraid, God’s will is to be done. He is telling us to be up and about the Jesus business. Jesus business is all about the unsaved without a Heavenly Father. Tell them Jesus loves them unconditionally and will forgive their sins, and they will always be in God’s family.
GOD HELPS THE HURTING
On a recent trip to Africa, I had a mission on my mission trip.
At 36,000 feet on a very long flight, I was trying to keep my mind occupied when the Lord stepped in and gave me three God-thoughts, or Holy Ghost flashcards if you will. They went like this:
Boom! Little boy, orphaned, unloved, dejected.
Boom! Under a tree, crying, sad, helpless.
Boom! Broken arm, pain, ongoing anxiety.
Right away, I knew God had spoken to me, so I told Leanna we were going to be on the lookout for an orphan boy under a tree with a broken arm. “We are going to help him,” I told her.
Now, words cannot describe the welcome we get when we arrive at one of our orphanages. It’s a celebration that I imagine is something like your first day in Heaven. You walk through a tunnel of people all smiling and wanting to shake your hand. The music is blaring, there are people dancing and celebrating. I never get tired of it.
On this trip, we were engulfed in the celebration when I looked over the heads my beloved Ugandan munchkins and there he was! The boy God had told me about. He was standing naked under a tree, crying and holding his arm.
“There he is,” I shouted at Leanna. Now my wife has a real way with children. It’s something you have to see to understand. The minute she saw him, she abandoned the celebration and was holding him in her arms. He was terrified because she was the first white person he’d ever seen, but that didn’t last long as her words and gestures soothed him.
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
- Psalm 68:5
It was just like God had said. I knew we had been sent there just for him because God sees the evil that is done to the orphaned. You know, we were all once orphaned, stumbling around in pain, unloved and lonely. Then Father God sent Jesus to round us up and make us part of the family.
From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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