Me 2.0

November 7, 2018January 7, 2021 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

What does it take to change? To stop being whom everyone knows, and become who God knows? The only way I know to change, is the way God spoke of in Romans 12:2:

“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].” (AMP)

Renewing your mind, changes how you think. It begins to change how you see, talk to, treat, and hear people. It changes where you go, and what you do. When your mind has been transformed, people will know it, see it, hear it, and feel it. You will begin living as God originally intended. Others will be drawn to you. They may not know why, but they will be attracted to God through you. Their spirit will recognize the Spirit of God in you.

Here is the same verse from The Message

“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (MSG)

I couldn’t have said it better.

Tired of Sand in Your Underwear?

November 3, 2018November 3, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

sand “But it’s what I know! Yes, you’re right. I don’t like living like this, but…I just don’t know how to change it,” said the man, asking for a handout.

Because of where my church is located, I see several people who don’t live like I do. I feel bad for them, as you see them year after year in the same dessert, making another trip around Mt. Sinai. They remind me of the Children of Israel. They wanted so bad out of Egypt, but after they were out, they wouldn’t let go of Egypt. Most found their new life required them to trust God daily for their needs. Believe it or not they wanted to go back and live and die in Egypt.

The Israelites said, “Why didn’t GOD let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!” (Exo 16:3 MSG)

The children of Isreal would have rather lived in slavery then in freedom in the land flowing with milk and honey that God promised was theirs. The effort to take the land proved to be too daunting, so they lived in sand. I see some people choosing to live the same way today!

I find sand to be irritating. It’s gets into everything and everywhere! When I got tired of sand in my underwear, I decided it was time to trust God and go to a new place, a new level in him to walk and live. I have been learning how to defeat the giants in the land, and when you put your trust 100% in him you find it doesn’t require that much of you. God simply wants to be trusted.

Heaven on Earth?

October 31, 2018October 30, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

38926425_1133470020125786_7595882961304551424_n I have had a remarkable experience this past week. I made contact with a new friend, who lives on the other side of the world. Talking to them can be challenging at times. but in just a few short days, I feel I have been accepted, into their whole family. From what I have learned, the family has given Jesus all they had, which is actually all He wants, their heart. They take their faith very serious. How do I know? They value their relationship with the Trinity and that value moves them to spend time with God.

In a previous blog post, I have said, there are three things that transcend borders and distance; God, love and laughter. I have so enjoyed the last few days, and even though we can’t speak each other’s languages very well, okay, the truth is I am just learning theirs, they speak English pretty good, I feel I have had the privilege to get a glimpse of what heaven will be like. Many people, in different shapes, heights, ages, languages, and color, but one family, sharing one faith, in the one true God. I can’t wait! In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy this slice of heaven on earth.

Home

October 27, 2018October 26, 2018 / Mark Brady / 3 Comments

Heaven Today, will be the last time I will ever be in the home I grew up in. Dad passed away earlier this year, and on Monday the house will be transferred to its new owner. I will walk around remembering life within those walls. I will stare at my old bedroom. Life is about seasons, so though there are good feelings tied to that address, I don’t regret where I live now.

One of these days will be my last one on earth. I will be ready to leave it, and go to my new home in heaven, where I am confident I will spend eternity, because I accepted Jesus into my life and do my best to live for him. I will be like the Apostle Paul. “[Yes] we have confident and hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord.” (2Co 5:8 AMP)

Your current address doesn’t matter, but your future one does. So I have to ask you; realhell Where will you spend eternity? Will you be at home with the Lord, or in a totally dark pit falling forever, because hell is bottomless? Some ask, “How can a loving God send people to hell?” He doesn’t send people to hell, they send themselves. It’s your choice.

Paul gave the greatest bottom line:

“Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose.” (Phi 1:21 MSG)

People Live Their Belief!

October 6, 2018October 5, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Last week I wrote about helping a young man. The focus should not be on the things I bought to help him for a few days, but on the words I shared with him, that if accepted, and acted upon will last him for eternity.

I had a captive audience. He wasn’t about to jump out of a moving car, at least without the bags of food in the back seat. I told him this: “I don’t like helping people I don’t know, but because of the love that God has shown me, I can’t help but share that love with others. I am only helping you because of God’s love. God loves you Justice. He orchestrated us connecting to show you how much He loves you.” I shared with him where the church I go to is, and there he can learn more about this love of God.

Then I went on to say, “Aren’t you tired of this life you are living? Is the way you are living really working out for you? Aren’t you tired of asking people for help? You need a job in order to properly provide for those children, and your household. You need God, and his help, his power in your life, his guidance to direct you to that job you need.”

He said he read the Bible, and to that I said, “Then act like it!” I know. A little direct and ruff, but the word of God does instruct us to “compel” them to come in. The Message translation says to “drag them in. (Luke 14:23)” The devil is doing a great job of keeping people’s lives so filled with drama they can’t see Truth, Jesus, standing right in front them, and inviting them to accept him, and a better way to live. God’s word says this:

His huge outstretched arms protect you– under them you’re perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing–not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you. You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because GOD’s your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can’t get close to you, harm can’t get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they’ll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. “If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says GOD, “I’ll get you out of any trouble. I’ll give you the best of care if you’ll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times; I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party. I’ll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!” (Psa 91:4-16 MSG)

If you believe God, and accept him, and his word then live like it! Ask God to deliver you from the drama in your life. Speak into the issues in your life, in Jesus’ name, and say, “Peace be still.” We have the same authority Jesus was given by his heavenly father, God. Declare, Psalms 91 over your life. You will be amazed, what the positive words out of your mouth will produce. Believe it, and live it.

Help

September 29, 2018September 28, 2018 / Mark Brady / 2 Comments

What has to happen, or be said, to get you to help? Especially, to someone you don’t know. For Jesus, he just had to see. See the need.

Four times in the gospels, Jesus “saw” the multitude, and was moved with compassion, which in the Greek language means; “guts”. So Jesus “felt” the need.

Today, I saw a need of someone I didn’t know. I’ll confess my trepidation when I invited him into my car. I thought I was off the hook when I delivered them to their desired destination for panhandling. I went on to Lowes. Completed my business, and then sat in my car and thought about his business, God’s. I went back to where I had last seen him. Not there. I headed to my next stop. There he was. Justice, that’s his name. A young man, trying his best to feed three little kids, and keep the lights on. I took him to Target and bought enough to take care of one of his immediate needs.

I’m reading, Rees Howells, Intercessor. I was given the book by Paul Brady, (no relations) the pastor of Millennial Tulsa. I read when interceding for an individual, you must “identify” with the need to the point their suffering becomes your own, and their need, your responsibility. Today, after dropping Justice off where he lives, I started crying. It was then, I realized what I read, had moved from head knowledge, to heart knowledge. I didn’t just read it, but was living it. Now, I can intercede for Justice and his needs, because I have seen, and have “felt” his desperation. Now, I can truly help.

God’s Opus

September 22, 2018September 21, 2018 / Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Opus Who’s standing at the podium of your life waving the wand? Who’s directing you? Who is orchestrating every step you take? Who’s responsible for the sound coming from your life? God, you, or someone, or something else? If you believe in God and you see in your life things just seem to work out, look up, and smile at the conductor. God is doing everything you will allow him to, in guiding your life.

I do see some, who say they believe in God, or even who have accepted him, whose lives are a constant struggle. Yes, I know, it rains on the just and the unjust, and bad things happening does not always point to a life that is less than full devotion to God!

Then there are those who have not accepted God’s free gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus. Some of those people seem to have very happy and successful lives. I would dare say something else is directing their life, the devil, perhaps to keep them from thinking they need God at all.

I didn’t even know what an “opus” was until I saw the movie, “Mr. Holland’s Opus”. I like the following definition: any artistic work, especially one on a large scale. I would say that is what God has, is and will be doing until his master piece is complete. I believe we are in the last days here on earth. Can you feel the crescendo coming? I hope you are allowing God to direct your life. You’re an instrument in the hands of the Almighty who knows how to take what you give him and make a beautiful sound with it. Even if it’s not the life you wanted, it’s great, because God is in it. Oh! I got to go. My solo part is coming up.

Anonymous

September 19, 2018September 18, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

who When someone does something nice for you anonymously, it isn’t a mystery to be solved, but yet, a love to be received.

ENOUGH!

September 15, 2018September 14, 2018 / Mark Brady / 1 Comment

Hate, is like cancer, it kills!

The other day, I heard another story of hate. What got me was, this hate took place in a church. Has hate, in our country, spread that far? I’m beginning to decrease watching the world news every evening because of the hate. The hate they call, “news”!

Growing up, the rule was, “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.” Yes, I’m old, but it wasn’t a bad rule. These days, people not only speak their hate, but share it on social media, and then start a movement to spread it. Hate is a cancer, and some people can’t bear the weight of it, so they take their own life instead of trying to face another day. Bullying, is hate, and even adults are sometimes bullied.

Since all this hate hurts me, I realized this week, it must really hurt Jesus. He died for the one hated, but he also died for the hater. When he came to earth, one of the things he did was show us how to live, walk, and speak in love. I met a lady last weekend, traveling across America, trying to spread love and motivate others to pass it on. I pray she is successful, and she makes America great again! Can we join her? Instead of hating, can we try to love? It is a better way. If you do choose to spread love, I know it will cause Jesus to smile, for you will never hear anyone say, “Stop! That’s enough love.”