When we are faced with a great need, either for ourselves or for others, we should begin by humbly seeking to know God's will in the matter: "Father, what do You want to do in this situation?"

(St. John 5:17) Jesus says, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."

(Matthew 17:20) Jesus says, "Because of your unbelief for assuredly, I say to you. If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

See, Jesus listened to the voice of the Father, and He watched Him.  Be careful not to start or end a prayer by saying blindly, "If it be Your will."  Rather, you should seek to know God's will in your situation and then base your prayer upon it.

 Praying for a miracle is welcoming a gift of the Holy Spirit to manifest.  When His will is to work one, He will witness that to your heart. Then you can ask Him to perform the miracle that you know He wants to bring about.

It is often important to exercise a key to the miraculous---the spoken word. God has given us authority over disease, demons, sickness, storms and finances. (Matthew 10:1) says, "And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease." (Luke 10:19) says, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."

Remember that we are his disciples now.  We are the ones that He has called to carry on the work of the disciples in the beginning.  Often, we may keep asking God to act, when, in fact, He calls us to employ His authority by our actions with divinely empowered speech. Then we may declare that authority in Jesus' name:  we may command needed funds to come to us, command a storm to be stilled, command a demon to come out, command any affliction to leave, command a sickness to depart.

(Mark 11: 23-24) Jesus said, "Whoever says to the mountain, Be removed and be cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them."

Believe in your heart that it has already happened!  With the anointing of faith that God gives you, speak it forth. But remember, miracles come by faith in God's present power, not by a ritual or formula of human works or willpower. You need to also remember that the key to be able to have this authority in Jesus stands on where you stand in Jesus. 

You need to know Jesus as your personal Savior. You need to make sure that you keep His commandments. You cannot live for the Devil and then ask God to help you get out of trouble. You must come to accept Jesus as your personal Savior and then let God through the Holy Spirit start to mold you into the person He would have you to be. It will be a daily process. A daily Sanctification. You did not get where you are now overnight and it will take a life time of depending on God and His grace, to bring you where you need to be.

Asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart happens the minute you ask Him. Then you can become the clay and let Jesus mold you.

 Blessings, Prayers and Love,
Pat Aman

Angels Unaware

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.
   

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly  goods on his back. He was carrying, a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.
   

I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed  that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.
   

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.
   

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square."
   

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.
   

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor. 
   

Looking for the pastor?" I asked.
Not really," he replied, "just resting.
Have you eaten today?"
Oh, I ate something early this morning."
Would you like to have lunch with me?"
Do you have s ome work I could do for you?"
No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I  would like to take you to lunch."
Sure," he replied with a smile. 
   

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?" St. Louis." 
Where you from?"
Oh, all over; mostly Florida."
How long you been walking?"
Fourteen years," came the reply. 
   

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in  the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus Is The Never Ending Story."
   

Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life.
   

He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought.
   

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw  life more clearly. He gave his life over to God. Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now."
   

Ever think of stopping?" I asked. 
Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."
   

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"
What?"
   

To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"
   

Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. that
certainly didn't  make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me." 
   

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, Come
Ye who are  blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you.
   

For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in." 
   

I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked
   

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.
   

I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see" I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.
   

Where are you headed from here?" I asked.
Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."
Are you hoping to hire on there for a while?"
No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."
   

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.
   

Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet." 
   

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of  scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope."
   

Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."
I know," I said, "I love you, too." "The Lord is good!"
Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked
A long time," he replied 
   

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."
I'! ll be there!" was my reply.
   

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"
You bet," I shouted back, "God bless.
   

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car. 
   

As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle. I picked  them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.
   

Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, please pray for me.
   

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will... 
   

I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again." 

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