Dancing in the Rain

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 

______________

#1 Quality – that God is looking for in a person is, nothing but Prayer.

If God wants something to be done, He will be comfortable giving it to the one, who prays…

The man, who is not going to compromise.               

• Make room in your schedule for prayer.
  

We cannot go down without a fight in our faith - Nothing is done, unless the father says – it is done.

Have you prayed and prayed…– nothing seems to move the hand of the Lord?   Then you are in the right place…

We are in a spiritual battle… but here is the fact - 

• When God decides to do something through your life – There is nothing, the enemy can do.

I am hoping and praying that the truths unpacked in the miracle - of Jesus Healing the Paralytic man - will give you strength and energy for your soul …

___________

Couple of weeks ago, we saw Jesus open the eyes of the blind man…   the whole chapter is about the healing and how the leaders of the temple trying to disprove that this happened…. And how Jesus led the blind man, the salvation.

God is not just opening the physical eyes, He wants to open our spiritual eyes…

In Luke 4:18 – Jesus says…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind,  To set free those who are oppressed...

__________

Today – we are going to talk about opening – our spiritual eyes…

God has to open our spiritual eyes to see what He sees…

Paul teaches us to pray in Ephesians 1:18,

And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the [a]hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the [b]saints (God’s people),

It is like God saying – I am going to give eyes to your heart to see… Then your heart begins to see.   Even though you feel like – He is far away… You can know that He is close to you.   Your heart will know – how our God loves you like Crazy.

2 Kings 5: 1 – 19  -- Naaman,  the leper healed.

• God is reminding us – about our position in Him is more important than what others sees us (Look at the little girl)
  

• Naaman listened to the little girl

• God is reminding us this morning to create the memory stone.

• Don’t leave the place of miracle, without taking the dirt from that place.

John 9:1 - 5

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Do you believe that suffering we go through, can bring God’s glory in your life?

Sometimes, God allows certain things to happen – so He can turn his light… He has a purpose.  To equip us, To strengthen and mature and To correct us!

All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Miracles – Shows, there is Nothing is impossible, for the Alpha and Omega… Name above every name.

• A miracle is an unusual manifestation of God’s power in which He intervenes in human affairs.

Luke 17:14 says... 

When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

Jesus had a radar for pain… He sees them.     We need to ask God to turn on that antenna – so we can also see what Jesus sees… and cry for things what breaks His heart.

This leper would say, Jesus saw me.

Matthew 8:24-27 

Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Storm:  a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow.

Hear is an encouraging fact about the storm:

• it is not permanent… people say - Hurricane season… that means, they come and go…

Storms force change -  people are asked to be prepared.  

God allows storms to happen in our life, so we can be prepared and get back to what is important.

Ezekiel 34:11-15

11 ‘For thus says the Lord God: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord God.

Sheep is not the smartest animal in the world… in fact, they follow and not have direction and even when the fall down, they don’t know how to roll over and get up  - that’s why the shepherd has to use his staff to pick them back up.

But you know – what the sheep does well, Listen to the masters’ voice.  

We will read from Revelation 5: 5 

5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

Let us break this name a little a bit apart…

#1: Judah

• Judah is one of 12 tribes (sons) of Israel.

______________________

#2:  Lion

• Have you watched lion walk in the Jungle… It walks like the King of the Jungle. No one can mess with me – kind of an attitude.

Jehovah Sabaoth - The Lord of Heaven’s Army… or Heavenly Hosts…

It is a Military term – but applied to the company of angels in heaven; or to the sun, moon and stars, the "hosts of heaven," and also to translate "Jehovah Sabaoth," the Lord of hosts, the lord of the armies of Israel or of the hosts of heaven.

Fact:                                                                    

• Appears 250 times in the Old Testament and twice in the new testament.

• Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Malachi

Have you wondered,  Why does God need an army – isn’t God tough enough?  He is the Lord of Heaven’s army?

• Why are the other names enough?

The question is wrong, we shouldn’t ask – why but instead what does this mean to me.