Thank you for all your prayers yesterday. One of my prayers was that I would be able to write to you this morning. Amen thank you Lord. So many of you prayed for me that I was overwhelmed by your kindness and prayers. I got to the hospital at 6:45 but they didn’t operate on me till 9:30. But you see God ALWAYS has a plan. I was taken back into a room and told to put that crazy gown on. First it never fits me besides I am Dyslexic so I forget which way to put it on. Oh the horror!! After all that my nurse came back in.
God had Gwen as my nurse because God knew I needed some soothing words. She asked me what I did and then she asked me if her and her husband could get on the Daily Devotional. Julie, Bryce and Chase came back to be with me and Gwen gave her e mail addresses to Julie. God is everywhere isn’t He? Thank you Lord for your love for all of us. Then the doctor that was assisting came in to talk to us. Now this was weird. This was the bicyclist who was the first one on the scene when I crashed my bike. He was also riding with a group of bicyclists. He was also the first one to call Julie. Now we were all here some 4 years later to get “Fixed Up”.
After signing a million consent forms the Anesthesiologist came in. He said that before surgery they were going to put a nerve block in. Now this is a neat deal. They took me back to another room and gave me some valium. Now at his point I truly didn’t care what they did to me. The Doctor inserted a long needle near my neck to get all the nerves to the shoulder. The next thing I vaguely remember was being lifted onto the operating room table and then lights out.
When I say YOUR prayers to our Lord Jesus who has the power to do anything let me tell you this. The MRI clearly showed 4 tears to different tendons and ligaments. But when the doctor got in he could not see them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What he did see were some large spurs that we rubbing against my Rotator cuff and other tendons. So they shaved the bone down, did a few more things (they told Julie the other things) and closed me back up. Jesus not only heals us when we turn our life over to Him for eternal life but He can heal any part of our body ANY time He wants for His glory and honor.
The nerve block worked till 4 am this morning so now I have a little pain. The worst part was that my throat felt like the Sahara Desert all day yesterday. But thank you Lord for your prayers and wonderful doctors and nurses that spend their life’s work fixing us up.
This morning I could feel Satan trying to get me to worry again. Then I said “Satan in the name of Jesus live my presence. Lord keep my thoughts pure and help me not to worry. Protect me from the schemes of the evil one.” Then Satan left me and God gave me this verse.
1 John 4:16-18 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
This is the answer to all of our worries. Perfect love drives out fear. Now is that Gods love for us or our love for God or both? No wonder Satan didn’t want me to write to you this morning. If we can stop living in fear what would our lives be like? In the above verse we
1. NEED to rely on the love God has for us. – Stop thinking that God is always out to judge you and is ready to put you through the next trial.
2.Whoever lives in God and God in him love is made complete. – You need to be saved before you have ANY chance to live without fear. http://www.theultimatedecision.com/howtogettoheaven.html
3. There is NO FEAR in love, none. Jesus says that and this is the answer to what we have been looking for. “Perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment.”
That is why we fear because we think the other foot is going to drop on us. We have not done everything we think we should have so God may punish us or our children. We put such a high standard on perfection that we could never attain and then we act as if God is the one who set up those boundaries. No, No, No God loves you with an everlasting pure love. Do not let the devil steal another day of your life. Please pray this with me
“Lord I desire to feel your love and to know your mercy. Not just for right now but always. Help me Jesus to think about you constantly so I can be immersed in your love. Lord please stop the attacks from the evil one who seeks to destroy my joy. Lord help me this second to stop the past thoughts of failure and worry and to live in your love. To live as if great things will happen to me and not disaster. I know those thoughts are not from you. Jesus thank you for loving and saving me. Help me to never believe a lie of the evil one again and to fully trust and feel your perfect love.”
Yes I am fixed in one way but God spoke to me in such a powerful way so I could then pass this onto YOU, yes YOU. Make this the day you let go of whatever has you bound and let God’s love in. We could do so much more in this world for our loved ones, co workers and the lost if we could love because we understand and feel God’s love in us.
Have an awesome day. Thank you all for being my friend, prayer warrior and partner with us in saving the lost and encouraging the elect.
Brad
