trusting God

Be Encouraged

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

My life right now is a real call to “walking by faith.” It is taking longer than expected for God to answer my prayers. My cry for help. My need for his blessings to be poured out. God called April and me to do something this past January that has been a big step of faith. Each day without seeing his reward for our faithfulness and obedience to Him is another day of fear, nervousness, and anxiety IF WE ALLOWED.

April and I talk about the challenge. We pray. We encourage and remind each other of God’s faithfulness to his children. We read scriptures that help us and also encourage us. Today was one of those days, and Psalms 31 was one of those chapters, so I am sharing it with you.

Psalm 31 (The Message)

31 1-2 I run to you, God; I run for dear life.
    Don’t let me down!
    Take me seriously this time!
Get down on my level and listen,
    and please—no procrastination!
Your granite cave a hiding place,
    your high cliff nest a place of safety.

3-5 You’re my cave to hide in,
    my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
    be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
    I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
    You won’t drop me,
    you’ll never let me down.

6-13 I hate all this silly religion,
    but you, God, I trust.
I’m leaping and singing in the circle of your love;
    you saw my pain,
    you disarmed my tormentors,
You didn’t leave me in their clutches
    but gave me room to breathe.
Be kind to me, God—
    I’m in deep, deep trouble again.
I’ve cried my eyes out;
    I feel hollow inside.
My life leaks away, groan by groan;
    my years fade out in sighs.
My troubles have worn me out,
    turned my bones to powder.
To my enemies I’m a monster;
    I’m ridiculed by the neighbors.
My friends are horrified;
    they cross the street to avoid me.
They want to blot me from memory,
    forget me like a corpse in a grave,
    discard me like a broken dish in the trash.
The street-talk gossip has me
    “criminally insane”!
Behind locked doors they plot
    how to ruin me for good.

14-18 Desperate, I throw myself on you:
    you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
    safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
    save me because you love me.
Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;
    I’ve given you plenty of notice.
Embarrass the wicked, stand them up,
    leave them stupidly shaking their heads
    as they drift down to hell.
Gag those loudmouthed liars
    who heckle me, your follower,
    with jeers and catcalls.

19-22 What a stack of blessing you have piled up
    for those who worship you,
Ready and waiting for all who run to you
    to escape an unkind world.
You hide them safely away
    from the opposition.
As you slam the door on those oily, mocking faces,
    you silence the poisonous gossip.
Blessed God!
    His love is the wonder of the world.
Trapped by a siege, I panicked.
    “Out of sight, out of mind,” I said.
But you heard me say it,
    you heard and listened.

23 Love God, all you saints;
    God takes care of all who stay close to him,
But he pays back in full
    those arrogant enough to go it alone.

24 Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up.
    Expect God to get here soon.

May you be encouraged as well in what you are going through.

“Thank you, God, for your Word that you gave us.”

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Children of God

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments
Photo by: nappy

“Mark, it never ceases to amaze (and amuse) me how the Lord uses one situation or inconvenience to accomplish something totally unrelated. You do a good job at always being ready to share the gospel.”

Ann Aschauer of the famous blog post: Seeking Divine Perspective

Ann’s comment in response to my blog post this past Tuesday, “An Eternal Mistake“. Her words were humbling. I replied, “I feel inadequate, and therefore I am more than happy to partner with the Holy Spirit. He always knows what to do and say when we trust in, lean on, and rely on Him.” (I kind of went Amplified Bible on ya there!) But her comment got me thinking.

It’s not always about ministering to someone. Two weeks ago, we were buying groceries, and I decided to make chili, but I could not recall the entire recipe, and I don’t like having to run back out to the store to purchase the item(s) I had forgotten. As sure as could be, we got home, and I looked only to discover I had missed two essential items. Neither of which were in our pantry.

So, two days later, we reluctantly got in our car and headed off to a nearby grocery store. Before we could get to the end of our street, we saw where someone had thrown out an elliptical exercise machine. April recently mentioned she wanted a treadmill, and I told her that an elliptical would be better on the knees. I said they were expensive but that we would look into it. When we saw the free machine, I said, “Oh, wow!” and explained my excitement.

After getting the two items, we turned down our street, and the machine was still there. I knew we had to stop and check it out. It appeared to be in good working condition, but it was dirty. We loaded it up, took it home, and then cleaned it up. I asked April to look it up and see what the value was. Would you believe $1080.00? April can’t believe people just throw out good things. I said, “Welcome to America!” (She now wants to join “Dumpster Divers of America.”) So, another inconvenience wound up providing a “want” we had by God.

Then today, an old friend and coworker called me back. I called him yesterday after “randomly” thinking of him. We hadn’t spoken in a while. Toward the end of our conversation, I shared with him that last year I started experiencing some physical issues. I went to my doctor, and he sent me to have a stress test done, and by the end of that day, I had a stint inside my heart. Ten days later, I had three more put in. I found out that I had two arteries 99% blocked, and no one could believe I didn’t have a heart attack.

 My friend got quiet, and I inquired as to why. He then told me he has the same physical issues I had. I begged him to get in immediately to see his doctor, and he assured me he would. After ending the call, I realized it was no accident or random thought to call him, but God placed him on my mind and prompted me to call, perhaps saving his life.

God is so loving and good to us. Even if people aren’t led by God for themselves, He still ministers to them through others. I have written many times in these blog posts that we need to trust God to handle everything in our lives so we can hear his Holy Spirit whisper to us about others and to be led by God for our own needs.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
Rom. 8:14 (NIV)

Now, if you will excuse me, it’s time for me to exercise on our new elliptical.

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Only God

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

“God, you want me to do what?”  What in the world does a kid from Oklahoma know about hosting a writer’s conference?  I mean, I have been to a few, but put one on?  One thing I have learned, the hard way, is simply be obedient and do what God is telling you to do, whether you know how, or not!   Truth is, sometimes it’s better if you don’t know what you are doing, because then you are more likely to rely on God.

So, for the last several months my neighbor, Janice Buswell and I have come together, fasted and prayed, listened to the voice of God, developed a writer’s conference, built a website, and formed a company. I give you, “Experience Writing”.

At the conference, Janice Buswell, Jane Rubietta, Tara Lynn Thompson, yours truly, and the legendary, Jared Buswell will share what the writing experience can be, could be, and should be.  Through our combined journeys we will share the truth concerning publishing.  There are a lot of people who will tell you how to write, what to write to be successful, and what they feel is the only path to getting published, but each writer needs to discover their own story, and find the personal method to put that story on paper and present it to the world, who is just waiting to read it.

If you are a writer, or have ever thought about getting that story in your spirit out then you should consider attending the Experience Writing Conference.  All the important information is included in the website:

expwriting.com

As Jared Buswell would say, “It’s going to be epic!”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Road Construction

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At the entrance to my subdivision there is road construction.  I can only exit and enter by going one way while they upgrade the infrastructure, water, electric, and sewer that runs along the road, or under it.  Then, they will put down a new road, with new lane stripes and new signs.  They say it will take 6 months to complete.  It has already been two and a half.

If that wasn’t enough to endure, they have torn up a major highway interchange just blocks from the road I mentioned above.  It is reported to take two years to finish.  The officials say, “Go slow.  Proceed with caution.  Be patient.  It will be worth it in the end.”

As I have shared in previous posts, I married a Filipino woman in 2019.  Soon after the wedding, we worked with an immigration attorney to get the process started to bring my wife to America.  I lived in the Philippines for several months until I needed an eye procedure.  We discussed the situation and felt it was best if I came back to America to have it done here.  Thinking her immigration process wouldn’t take that long and she would follow me here shortly.  It seemed as if they had missed placed her file and then shortly after they started working on her case, Covid hit.

At the time of this writing, my wife is still not here with me.  There have been lots of conversations with God about the process and questions of, “Why is it taking so long?”  Walking with God in life is definitely a journey.  As we are now getting toward the end of the immigration process I can look back and see with greater understanding.  I can see how God has updated power lines in our lives making sure that in the future we look to him for uninterrupted power to live by.  He has put in a new sewer system to remove the waste and potentially toxic aspects of our personalities away safely and quickly.  My wife compares my temper to passing gas.  She says, “It stinks at first, but it doesn’t last long.”  She has learned to let me vent and then we can return to our regularly scheduled life already in progress.

If God didn’t take the time to pour new pavement in our lives we would be traveling with him on dirt, and when the storms come get bogged down in mud.  Yuk!  If he only put down stones travel would be easier but it would be a bumpy and rough ride.  Not enjoyable at all.  But God has used the time, while waiting for her immigration to be completed, to put down nice smooth pavement.  When the final touches are completed my wife and I will be able to come and go quickly in any direction with ease.  We will be able to see the lanes we should stay in so we avoid head on collisions and harm.

He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Yes, walking with God is difficult at times, and it is hard to see what He is doing, because some improvements are below the surface. At times it’s hard to understand why it is taking so long, but He would say, “Go slow.  Proceed with caution.  Be patient.  It will be worth it in the end.”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Surviving, Starts With Believing

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

041720It has been said, faith isn’t grown in a crises, but displayed.  I think today’s times would qualify as a crises.  I’m not trying to brag, but I, as well as many others, have been at perfect peace for the last two months, or so.  How did this come to be?  It started a long time ago:

Jan 1, 2020 to present day = (57) Surviving the Corona Virus peacefully.
Jan 1, 2019 = (56) Trusted God to move to the Philippines and get married.  That is working well.
November 2017 = (55) Followed God to a church, where I have learned more about Him.
September 7, 2017 = (55) Moved into my new house, back in my hometown.  I love it.
September 6, 2017 = (55) believed in God to retire.  I have enjoyed it.  God has and is still providing for all my needs.
June 2012 to September 6, 2017 = (50-55) Survived a threatening work environment, where it seemed as if my boss tried to fire me every day, or make things so hard on me to get me to quit.  If I had of, I would have lost out on half of my pension.
May 1998 = (35) God helped me survive a very rough divorce. (She asked for it, to go in a new direction.)
December 5, 1994 = (32) Started working at AT&T.  God used that company to provide for me and the family.
October 1994 = (32) Trusted and followed God to a new city in hopes of a good job.
August 1990 = (27) Heard God correctly, and moved to a place where I landed a job in two hours.
June 1988 = (25) Got married for the first time.  God had fulfilled the promise of getting married.
March 1986 = (23) Survived a moral failure situation, that at one time, tempted me to take my life.
September 1983 = (21) Followed God to be a youth minister, moved over 1,600 miles from home.
September 1980 = (18) Received a scholarship for more than my grades from H.S. should have allowed.
November 1979 = (17) Got serious about living for God.  Dedicated my life to his service.
August 1967 = (7) While attending Vacation Bible School, invited Jesus Christ into my life, to forgive me of my sins.

God has been so good and faithful to me all these years.  Not all has been perfect, as you can see, but I survived.  Over the years, hearing and reading about God has taught me his true nature, and that is of love.  God loves us so much.  My knowledge, and confidence of God has led me to this present day, these current times, and is why I can live through them with peace.

You don’t have to accept Jesus as a child, as I did, in order to have this kind of confidence in God.  You can start today, but that will require you trusting and believing before you have generated your own testimonies of God’s powerful, and loving hand to lead you, guide you, and sustain you.  It can be done.  How exciting would it be to say your first overcoming experience with God was surviving the Corona Virus, but it all starts with believing.

Psalm 57:1 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Triumphant Faith

Please, God, show me mercy!
Open your grace-fountain for me,
for you are my soul’s true shelter.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your embrace,
under the wings of your cherubim,
until this terrible trouble is past.

Copyright © 2020 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Do You Have It?

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The symptoms:

You have to be home before it gets dark.  You double or triple check the locks on your doors.  It causes you to miss out on opportunities.  It can frustrate, and even hurt others who don’t have it and who struggle to understand why you still do.  It can grip your heart, and hinder, or paralyses you at times.  You have to have someone else with you or you won’t leave the house.

Do you have it?  Do you have fear?

Charlie 27Those who believe in God should be void of fear.  I know a woman who trust God while it is light outside, but she doesn’t trust him at night.  It’s not totally her fault, she was raised to be afraid of everything.  She hasn’t learned to overcome the lies, but I know she will!  Joyce Meyer says fear is:

F alse
E vidence
A ppearing
R eal

John 14:27 Amplified Bible (AMP)  Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

When you really trust God, there is nothing to fear.

Why be afraid of something that may never happen?  Another scripture, Job 3:25 says, “What I fear the most has come upon me.”  I know this can really happen.  I have a friend that shared her greatest fear with me and about 3 years later it happened almost exactly how she feared it would.

Fear, says to God, “I don’t think you can handle this Lord.”  You are limiting God!  God has the authority over everything, He always has, and He always will.  Would you like someone to not trust you, especially knowing with you, nothing is impossible?  God probably does hard things for breakfast!

So if you believe in God, act like it!

It’s okay to ask God for help to believe in his power and might.  In Mark 9:24 a man cries out, ““Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”  If you do, soon you will be living in freedom, and those around you will be amazed and your confidence in God will be a witness to others.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Tired of Sand in Your Underwear?

/ 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.

Copyright © 2018 Mark Brady, All rights reserved

It’s All About Obedience

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simple truthI have been reading from the Bible book of Exodus.  Today, I read a portion of chapter 12.  The true story of Pharaoh and the children of Israel has always intrigued me.  In meditating, upon this portion of God’s word, I realized one thing, being with God, being in his presence, is all about obedience.

You see, it was disobedience, by Adam and Eve that caused mankind to be separated from God in the first place, when they ate fruit from the tree, God told them not to.  Then, God gave us his son, Jesus, and it takes obedience of accepting him to be back in God’s presence.

Growing up in an Assembly of God church, we sang the song, Trust and Obey.  Some words in that song say, “there’s no other way.”  Simple truth, but truth none-the-less that will save your soul from eternal damnation.  God knows that when you obey him, and come into his presence, you enter into the greatest love story ever written.  It’s an amazing feeling to wake up loved, to lay down at night and close your eyes wrapped up in love, and living in between with God’s love abounding in your life.  God welcomes you, invites you, to partake of his love.  All you have to do is obey him, and stop eating the fruit the devil keeps putting in front of you.  A simple verse, but a true, loving verse none-the-less:

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.  (Joh 3:16 AMP)

Copyright © 2018 Mark Brady, All rights reserved

God’s Plan

/ Mark Brady / 1 Comment

052012_44.12JB

Photo by Josh Brady

God, most of the time, doesn’t reveal where He is taking us.  If He did, many of us, would look for a short cut!  Taking the short cut would prevent growth, learning opportunities, chances to see God’s mighty hand, know and share his amazing love.  Learn to be content with the journey.  When you reach your destination, you’ll be glad you did, and you will be better for it.

I have fought the good (worthy, honorable, and noble) fight, I have finished the race [journey], I have kept (firmly held) the faith. (2Ti 4:7 AMP)  (I added the word “journey”.)

Copyright © 2018 Mark Brady, All rights reserved