Cross That Line

March 1, 2022February 19, 2022 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

The best I can recall, most stories in the Bible involved a person who wasn’t qualified, had a natural defect, or an attitude. They didn’t know how to do what God had asked of them, felt they weren’t good enough to accomplish the task, or didn’t want to.

When God called me into the ministry, I started out as a youth minister. I had been in a couple of youth groups, but had never led one. I didn’t feel qualified, and believe it or not, I felt as though I was too short to be respected. After all, some in the high school group were taller than me. Even some of the girls! At the age of 21, after accepting who I was in height, I actually grew two more inches. I was told that was impossible.

Since I felt so unqualified I realized I needed God, a lot! I once prayed for two hours, one morning, a very long request of God to help me at anything I may encounter in ministry. I titled it my, “Oh God” prayer. Boy, did I pray it often. I would find myself in situations I was either uncomfortable, or simply just didn’t know what to do or say. I would pray under my breath, “Oh God”. He knew I had asked him to honor that two hour prayer any time I said those words. He did then, and still does to this day, honor that prayer!

David was short, but slew a giant. Joshua led a generation into the promise land who had heard from their parents and grandparents, probably more than once how the land was filled with giants. Jonah had an attitude. Moses stuttered. Peter denied Christ. Noah endured years of ridicule to build a boat when it had never rained. The prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven. There are so many more.

You see, the one thing all of these individuals had in common is this, they couldn’t say, “No.” to God, and they then accepted and believed that He would help them, and He did! He helped them and He will help you as well. God will help you accomplish the task and cross the finish line.

I Heard God

August 14, 2020August 14, 2020 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

081420 “The voice of the Spirit of God is as gentle as a summer breeze— so gentle that unless you are living in complete fellowship and oneness with God, you will never hear it.” – Oswald Chambers

I had two dreams, in the same night, several days ago that was kind of strange, and no, they weren’t brought on by late night pizza. In both dreams, I was being instructed on how to write this blog. I was told to make it more, “grunge”. What is “grunge” I asked myself. I had heard of it before. Webster says, “The untidy fashions typical of fans of grunge”. Okay, so how does that relate to writing my blog, I asked God. Is that writing wearing casual Friday clothing on steroids? I sensed as though it meant to write more “raw”, “revealing”, if you will. I draw from my life for inspiration or examples, but not always in detail that reveals personal feelings.

A week ago or so, I was feeling down, and depressed, because Covid has caused my wife and me to remain apart longer than needed. I haven’t held her in my arms for over a year now, and that hurts. With the current conditions, I could not see a path for us to be together any time soon. We are done with the immigration process, and she just needs her medical exam and her interview at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. Then she would get her Visa and come home. It is difficult to be apart from one you love, and even harder when that person loves you back. I have tried everything I could, even emailing the embassy to see if they would do a “tele-interview”. They said, “No.”

I cried out to God, I begged, and I pleaded. To make things worse, He wasn’t saying a thing, or if He was, his answer was so soft I couldn’t hear it. Then, I confessed my attitude to a friend, who listened and didn’t just quote scriptures I had heard so many times before, but he assured me God knew and then he prayed for me.

An hour later, as I was writing a blog, I came across a scripture in God’s word, and I realized God was speaking to me and to my circumstances. My smile came back, and my heart felt like a ton of bricks had been unloaded, the heaviness was gone.

God does hear us, and yes he cares about what his children are going through, but it is so reassuring to hear his voice. He can speak to us in many different ways, like through his word, dreams, through others, blog post, and that still small voice inside, if we calm down enough to hear it. God also knows what we have need of, before we even ask. (Matthew 6:8) Remember this: If you aren’t hearing God right now, it has nothing to do with him loving you less. He’s just waiting for the right time, for when it will make sense.

Has God miraculously made a way for my wife to come to America? No, but now I have understanding as to how He plans on using this for his Glory., I’m okay with that. My friend called me back a few days later and I told him, “Through a scripture, I heard God, and I am good now!”

Your Toughest Challenge

September 1, 2018September 2, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

challenges My toughest challenge is being single. It’s not what I wanted, and certainly not what I thought would happen growing up. The apostle Paul, from the Bible, says being single is better because then you are available to God whenever he calls upon you, but Paul also said it is better to marry than to burn. Perhaps, Paul was shipwrecked one too many times!

Have you ever wondered why Jesus put Judas, who later betrayed him for $600, in charge of the group’s money? Bill, one of my past youth members once said, “The tester, wants you to pass. The tempter, wants you to fail.” Jesus wanted Judas to overcome his toughest challenge. Jesus wants you to overcome your toughest challenge too. That is why he is willing to help you.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it. (1Co 10:13 MSG)

When facing your toughest challenges, ask Jesus to help you. Cry out to him if you need to. Also, it is helpful to go do something else, go somewhere else, and start thinking about something else. Don’t flirt with temptation. One thing that helps is praying. It’s hard to sin when you are praying! You and Jesus got this, just as I have learned, he helps me be single, every day!