Category: Testimonies

Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Testimonies, Uncategorized

Complete Trust

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

“He leadeth me.”  Complete trust in the Lord.

“God knows just when to withhold from us any visible sign of encouragement, and when to grant us such a sign.  How good it is that we may trust Him anyway!”  

In the classic devotional, Streams in the Desert,  Mrs. Charles E. Cowman shares this quote from C.G. Trumbull:  “He wants us to realize that His Word, His promise of remembrance, is more substantial and dependable than any evidence of our senses…Those who are readiest to trust God without other evidence than His Word always receive the greatest number of visible evidences of His love.”

How true.  The Great Cloud of Witnesses and the Heroes of our Faith in Hebrews Chapter 11 give testimony to this.

Written by Helen

David Coffield, Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Jesus, Mental Health, Messiah, Testimonies, Yahweh

Rejoice that through faith in Jesus your name is written in the Book of Life.

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

                                                                         

I get struck by things as I read.  Probably the Holy Spirit doing what He does so well.  In John 17:14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world…”  I don’t want to be hated.  I want everyone to like me.   Not going to happen.  There is animosity between the world and God, between the world and the children of God.  It is probably why Jesus tells His followers that He is sending them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves.  Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”  A sheep is wolf food.  The wisdom of the serpent (from my point of view) is that you don’t see it, it is camouflaged.

Luke 10:17-20.  Jesus sends the 70 out with unparalleled power and they come back excited and rejoicing.  The Lord’s comment?  “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven”.  I was speaking with my chiropractor this morning and we were discussing feeling loved and accepted by Jesus.  I told him that my lifelong struggle is embracing that I am loved and accepted by God just as I am, right now.  We are so performance oriented that it is difficult to believe that God accepts us unconditionally.  I continue to pray day by day, “Lord help me to believe that my value to you resides in my relationship with You as Your son and not in my labor for you.”

We were meeting with a couple yesterday and the wife is an incredible contingency planner.  She looks 10 years ahead or more.  The Lord ministered to me through Ecclesiastes years ago to help me settle in the day and enjoy it.  It is good to plan for the future, it is good to learn from the past.  However—this is the only day that God gives us.  The past is gone, and the future is forever one day out of reach.  5 times in Ecclesiastes it speaks of rejoicing in the day.

Your brother,

David

David Coffield, Featured Writers, Jesus, Testimonies

Jesus promised that He would build His church.

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

I hear people say that they want to be “like Jesus”.  We hold as our belief that God is working to conform us to the image and character of His Son Jesus.  We want to become more like Jesus in our mindset and our lives.

Yet Jesus says in John 8:28, “…and I do nothing on my own initiative…”  It is a common phrase with Jesus, and it is repeated by Him a number of times.

I don’t know how to pull it off.  I don’t know how to live as Jesus lived.  All of our lives we are exhorted to show initiative, to make things happen, to be intentional.  It suits our sin nature, to take pride and ownership in our accomplishments, achievements, etc.  To proudly say, “Look what I have done”.

Jesus is utterly incredible.  His desire was to do what the Father gave Him to do, say what the Father gave Him to say, go where the Father sent Him to go, to bring glory to the Father.

I suspect that the ability to pull this off is tied to the depth of our walk with God on a daily basis.  Our willingness to choose to walk with Jesus rather than having a “do” mindset.  You don’t hear this much today if at all.  We are exhorted to reach the lost, help people grow, build the kingdom, fill the pews, etc.

God has initiative.  Jesus promised that He would build His church.  It is the purpose of God to add people to the kingdom and to grow up the people in His kingdom.

He is not about to send people to do things who are likely to claim the credit, build their own “thing”, seek their own glory.  God doesn’t need people who think they have it figured out that they know what the purposes of God are and how He will work.  We have one Commander in Chief and all are supposed to serve him.  He will use those who are connected with Him, who are delighting in the relationship, and seeking His glory.  He is well able to speak to such people.  

I remind myself daily that God doesn’t “need” me, He “wants” me.

David Coffield, Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Testimonies, Yahweh, Yehovah

“but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven””

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

I have a sticky note on my desk speaking of Luke 10.  It struck me as I was reading through the gospel.  Luke 10:17-20.  Jesus sends 70 out and He gives them power over demons and to heal.  It would be the equivalent of waking up in the morning and discovering you had the powers of Superman or Spiderman.  What you could do was astounding, amazing, spectacular.  You were above mere mortals.

To that Jesus responds (my paraphrase), “You guys think that is something?  I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning”.  And then He says in verse 20, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven”.

Our value and worth to God resides in our relationship with Him as sons and daughters, never in our abilities or strengths or accomplishments.  We are to rejoice in who we are to God, not in what we can do.

All of our culture, all of our upbringing, most of our experiences teaches the opposite.  People have value because they are important, intelligent, wealthy, beautiful, productive.  We have a book in the country entitled “Who’s Who”.  We have sports competitions, quiz shows, Mensa, Suma Cum Laude, advanced degrees, etc.

I don’t have to perform for God.  Not only do I not need to perform but there is nothing in me that can accomplish His work.  The Holy Spirit is the One accomplishing the building of the Kingdom of God.  He gives salvation, understanding, motivation, the desire to participate with our Father in what He is doing.  It is His desire to bring glory to Jesus and He is good at what He does.  

It is wonderful to rest in our relationship with Jesus.  It has been granted us by grace.  It can’t be earned, it can’t be bought, it can’t be lost.  We can get misguided, confused, and led astray which Satan delights in and works at.  But we can’t escape the loving hand of our Savior.  May the Lord give us grace to maintain that focus!

You remain daily in my prayers and on my heart,

Your brother,

David

David Coffield, Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Jehovah, Jesus, Messiah, Testimonies, Yahweh, Yehovah

How God feels about us is unshakeable.

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

Dear Mike,

How God feels about us is unshakeable.  It is never dependent on how good we are or how poorly we behave.  

God looks at His children, clothed in the righteousness of His Son, and He is forever delighted.  Not a delight that I have ever deserved or earned or ever could deserve or earn.  Those who think they can merit God’s pleasure have no idea of His holiness nor their sin.

It leaves us in a wonderful place of being able to rejoice in our Father’s love and pleasure without worrying about our performance.

Does God engage with us to help us grow up?  Yes.  Does sin produce death?  Certainly.  Is all of our sin paid for on Calvary?  Yes.  I can never sin my way out of my relationship with Father.  I can affect the way that He deals with me.  He is always about growing us up into the image of His Son Jesus.

Hebrews speaks of “fixing our eyes on Jesus the author and perfector of faith”, Paul speaks of “not being drawn away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus.”  

Despite my brokenness, despite my failures, despite my weakness, foolishness, stupidity—I am deeply loved by my Father.  It leaves me in the posture of rejoicing in God’s love for me, settled and confident in who I am to my Father (regardless of what others or my performance is saying), and free to move forward in love.

Your brother,

David

David Coffield, Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Jesus, Testimonies, Yahweh

What is the will of God for you?

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

Rejoice always, talk with God continually, and thank him for everything.

This is a letter from Dave Coffield, shared with you with his permission.

“Several of us are studying our way through 1 Thessalonians, and I am struck by 5:16,17,18.  ‘Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.‘ One of the guys in the study, Russ, suggested that all 3 verses represent God’s will for us.  I had never considered that before, and I am grateful for his input.

‘Rejoice always.’  It doesn’t say to be happy always.  Rejoice is a choice I make with my will to lift my heart to God in gratefulness regardless of the circumstances.  It is our ability to rejoice in hard and unpleasant circumstances that bear testimony to a watching world to the reality of God and our faith.  It is a compass heading.  I don’t always do a good job of it.

‘Pray without ceasing.’  We can pray without ceasing because our God is always present with us.  We are always in communication; the line is always open.  

Our sin doesn’t separate us from God.  In the early days I believed and taught that.  However, all of our sins have been forgiven on Calvary, past, present, and future.  All of them.  We don’t have to connect with God or regard Him, but He lives inside of us.  We carry Him around with us and Psalm 139 says He has intimate knowledge of us.  Every word, every thought, every deed.

So, the Lord and I talk all day long.  He is a constant companion, an ardent listener and deeply loving of us.  Incredible.  There is nothing that we can’t share with Him, nothing that He doesn’t know, and nothing that He doesn’t care about.  Incredible.  How lonely must be the life of an unbeliever!

‘In everything give thanks.’  We don’t have to feel thankful.  We don’t have to see the event as ‘good.’  We can give thanks because our Father is absolutely sovereign over this world and its smallest events.  So, what we see as an accident, an intrusion, a mistake, is all from the hand of our sovereign Father to accomplish His purposes.  We can give thanks because our Father loves us with a matchless, wonderful, profound love.

So, this is God’s will for us.  May our lives move in this direction.”

God Loves Us, Health, Jehovah, Jesus, Mental Health, Messiah, Testimonies, Uncategorized, Yahweh, Yehovah

Jesus Your Portion

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

Transcript of a recent conversation.

M sent Psalm 73:26 to D;

“My flesh and my heart fail, But God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever.”

D replies;

“What does it mean when it says my portion forever?”

To which M replies;

“Imagine sitting down for a meal, a feast, and the chef placing your meal/portion in front of you and you know that you know this is the best food for your body, the perfect amount of food for your current needs and the best tasting meal ever. It is your portion.”

“Jesus is your portion. He is the best for you and your needs, the perfect amount of Grace, and he is the best tasting relationship you will ever experience.”

“Jesus is our portion. Perfect in every way for each of us,” forever.

David Coffield, Featured Writers, Guest Post, Jehovah, Jesus, Mental Health, Messiah, Recommended Reading, Testimonies, Uncategorized, Yahweh, Yehovah

Embrace the suck

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

Written by Dave Coffield

“God is far more likely to use pain, suffering, sorrow, grief, troubles, and such to grow us up into the character and image of His Son than He is to use happy times and pleasure.  I know what I like better.”  

“There is a reason that James says to ‘count it all joy when you encounter various trials’ and Paul says, ‘not only this but we also exult in our tribulations‘.  What would it be like to rejoice in the goodness of the Lord in the difficult times that He brings into our lives to accomplish good things in us?”

“The Army has a term I like.  ‘Embrace the suck’.  The understanding that you will be in environments that are difficult, painful, stressful, etc.  You endure it.  Hebrews says of Jesus, ‘Who, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame…‘”

Featured Writers, God Loves Us, Guest Post, Jesus, Mental Health, Recommended Reading, Testimonies, Uncategorized, Veterans

Brand New Dad Reflects On Sleepless Nights

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

Shared with permission, written by an Airborne Artillery Officer.

Zechariahs Prophecy. Yet another cannonball-sized movement in my heart from the Spirit. 

Luke 1:78-79

78  “because of the tender mercy of our God, 

whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 

79  to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, 

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Those last four words are what did it for me. ‘The way of Peace‘. That sounds like a distant dream for me right now. We were up nearly all night trying to figure out how to calm our two-week-old Son; ultimately, we tried everything and made him so overtired that he didn’t fall asleep until he was on his Mom’s chest around 3 am. 

These days feel like combat for me, far from the way of peace. The days are unpredictable, and there seems to be no routine despite our efforts to set one. It’s combat. That’s the only way I know how to describe it. I thought last night, during the chaos of my all-nighter air assault mission that led directly into another movement at 3 am during my artillery platoon’s evaluation cycle at the National Training Center before deploying to Iraq. I remember feeling so deflated when I was called to the commander’s Humvee less than an hour after finishing this long, drawn-out failure of an air assault mission. I couldn’t believe I was going to have to do it again, and I was going to have to lead another platoon movement to a new firing position. This was insanity, and I could barely keep my eyes open. I remember leading the convoy, literally dozing in and out under my night vision goggles… 

Yep, that’s how the nights feel right now. Exhausted and battered, only to be called to the commander’s Humvee again and again. So why do those words ‘the way of peace‘ stand out to me so much? In my angry prayers for respite last night, I began to sense that this was indeed a time of testing from the Lord. How to answer the test? I haven’t figured it out yet. Except that these words this morning point me back to the purpose and mission of Jesus. And to the way in which he accomplished it.  

In my journey of faith, at least in recent years, I don’t think I have been physically and emotionally tested in the way that I am now. So, what does this mean, Lord? 

He leads my eyes back to verse 79… “to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.” Wow, I actually chuckled to re-read that. That’s exactly how it feels in the midnight hours—sitting in literal darkness, under the shadow of death, in this case, death being physical exhaustion and weariness. But the word clearly states that Jesus will be a light in this place, and that he will guide us out of it, into the way of peace. 

Hebrews 12:11

“For the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later, it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

Thinking back to that all-nighter air assault mission. Why did they [the evaluating cadre] allow it to go on for that long? How was it beneficial? It taught me how to keep going. When there is nothing left. Literally nothing. It taught me to endure. To put on my helmet, brief the platoon, and get moving. To get through the breach and know that there would be rest on the other side, at some point.

I don’t know that I can pinpoint a time in Iraq when this testing came to bear fruit. Except maybe the night our howitzer exploded, and a mass casualty event kept us awake until the sunrise. And what did I do then? I got it done, and eventually I slept when it was all said and done. 

The way of peace is narrow, as Jesus himself said it. The way of being a new parent is rough. And I have a choice to make, each and every night. I have to choose that I am going to trust the one who is training me. I have to choose that I will believe in the fruit it will yield. 

Prayer

Jesus, as you always do, thank you for giving me space and clarity to write. To think through these things occurring in life. To see, to hear, and receive your teaching. My heart is full again now that I have understanding. My heart has joy to know it is all for good. Jesus, I will try, I will not quit, but will keep on trying to commit my heart to you during these late nights. Teach me when to engage our Son. Teach me Lord, to be following your way for my feet, and to let go of my own way. 

David Coffield, Featured Writers, Guest Post, J3 Khai Restoration, Jesus, Recommended Reading, Testimonies

Our faith grows to the extent that we grow in our connection and relationship with Jesus.

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

It is a great privilege to share with you my experience as a broken man with a mighty God.  The older I get, the more impressed I am with Him and the less impressed I am with me.

I think Hebrews 12 has great advice for us.  “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”  Endurance is basically hanging in there, moving on when we would rather stop.  I have run a 20 miler.  The question at mile 17 was no longer whether I could run again, but whether I could keep walking.  

Our couple’s study was working on James 2 last night and our discussion helped my understanding.  Faith is an ongoing connection with God.  It is not a one-time intellectual assent to God’s existence.  The noun (faith) and the verb (believe) share the same root word.  Our faith grows to the extent that we grow in our connection and relationship with Jesus.

Pick up the Bible, listen to the voice of God as He speaks.  Respond to Him.  It is as simple and profound as it gets.

Nobody does it well all the time.  Nobody gets it right all the time.  No one.  And it is ok because every believer has been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, all our sins have been forgiven, we have been adopted into His family, we are completely loved and accepted, we have eternal life.  Incredible. 

When Thanksgiving rolls around, I am drawn to Hebrews where it says, “Through Him, then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”  Giving thanks is a sacrifice we give to God.  Proud people are never thankful, they are entitled, they deserve it.  Humble people recognize that everything they have that is good comes from the hand of our loving Father (the bad and the good).  And we give thanks.

Your brother,

David

God Loves Us, Jesus, Personal Reflections, Testimonies, Uncategorized, Yahweh

God is Pro-Life and Pro-Choice

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

I acknowledge I don’t know, understand or can comprehend the pain you are experiencing about the choice(s) you need to make. But, God does!!! The God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob does. The One True God who revealed his Name, Yahweh, to Moses, which means the all sufficient one, does. The God and Father of Jesus does. Jesus himself, the Son of Man, does. And of course Holy Spirit, the comforter, does. When we choose life we have their full support, love, grace and kindness.

King David said he choose to fear no evil while in dark valley’s becasue he knew his Shepherd was with him (Psalm 23.1). Is the Good Shepherd Jesus with you and his comforting Spirit within you?

Posted as part of the ministry of J3 Khai Restoration Ministries.

David Coffield, Featured Writers, Jesus, Personal Reflections, Testimonies

“then I can give thanks and rejoice”

Michael J. Weiss, Sr.

“No one particularly enjoys being sick, injured, weak, etc. But, if I can see it through the eyes of God, that He is growing my character into the image of His Son, Jesus, that He is using circumstances to bring glory to His name and to further His kingdom — then I can give thanks and rejoice.”

Quoted from a letter from David Coffield, postmarked Dec 10th, 22.