Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord you God goes with you: he will never leave you nor forsake you.Deuteronomy 31:6
It never ceases to amaze me how much negativity permeates the air that we breath. We go to work only to be bombarded by the harsh words of someone else having a bad day. We pick up our ringing phones at work only to be sprayed by words of panic by the person on the other end. We open up our e mail only to see by their subject line mail we would rather not look at.
Bad news and discontent permeates everywhere. It flows out of the mouths of our politicians who like bulldogs try to find all he right buttons to push to unleash the anger of the opposing candidate. The more we allow these toxic people to control our lives the more at risk we place ourselves in as far as our health is concern.
As believers in Jesus Christ we hold the key to what the world needs right now. It is the key that unleashes the fountain of living water that gives life, hope and liberty to all. When we make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, God gives us the gift of the holy spirit which is the very source of the living water. Water that quenches our thirst and gives us hope and inspires others to want the same hope that we possess.
Our medical community reminds us that we possess the power from within to heal ourselves. I believe that power is the positive life giving hope that comes from God. Deuteronomy reminds us that God will never leave you, nor forsake you where ever you go. Take time and ask God to be your source of strength and ask him to help you encourage others today.
As I continue reading Imagine Heaven, a book about the scientific research on Near death experiences by John Burke, I came to this chapter on the light of the world which is about a miraculous story of a 4 year old girl named Akiane who had visions of heaven and painted them.
Today I met God," whispered four-year-old Akiane to her mother.
"What is God?" asked her mother, Foreli, who was raised as an atheist in Lithuania.
"God is light-warm and good. It knows everything and talks with me. It is my parent."
The family had never talked religion, never gone to church, they didn't even own a TV, and so this shocked Foreli, "Who is your God?" questioned her mother.
"I cannot tell you."
"Me? You cannot tell your own mom?"
"The light told me not to." Little Akiane held firm. " You won't understand."
About that same time Akiane claimed to have visions with God, she began to draw. But her drawings at age of four and five surpassed high school-level art students-it seemed miraculous.
After drawing "her angel," she explained, "She doesn't smile in my picture, because paper is not white enough to show how white her teeth are, and I wanted to show how she talks to me with her eyes (through her thoughts). You see, where God takes me, He teaches me how to draw."
Akiane claimed God took her to Heaven where she saw a "house of light with walls like glass" where God lives, a place of beautiful grass, trees, plants, and fruit. She claimed God gave her fruit in Heaven. "It tastes good, better than anything you've ever tasted. The Light gives me fruit."
"What fruit?" asked her mom.
"To breathe."
"What do you mean.?"
"To live....God says many will need to eat that. The tree will always be there on a new earth." Though only four years old, her descriptions matched what the Scriptures describes (see Ezekiel 1:22; Revelations 2:7; 21:11, 21), but her mother did not know this.
"I am good there, and I listen there," explained Akiane, "Everyone listens there-God is there...The music thre is alive," Akinane's talk of God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit combined with her supernatural gifts for art eventually led her family to faith. As Akiane grew, her miraculous artistic abilities expanded from drawings to paintings, and at age seven she began composing miracuously mature, spiritual poems
At age eight, Akiane's paintings of Jesus were gaining world wide recognition . She claimed to see Jesus in Heaven and painted the renowned works The Prince of Peace and Father Forgive Them as a result. Every major news program in America and many around the world began to recognize her as the only binary child prodigy alive (for art and poetry). She says the purpose of her amazing art is "to draw people's attention to God, and I want my poetry to keep their attention on God."
At age nine, she painted another picture of Jesus in the cosmos. Her mother asked her about a planet. "Oh, that's the new earth. I just felt that I had to include it. I don't remember where, when, or how but the earth will change. All I know that everything will be different. There will be no fear, no hatred, and no hunger or pain. Only love" (see Revelations 21:4).
"Is your Jesus looking at the galaxies.? her mother questioned as they looked at the painting.
"He is walking with his father in heaven...about the future of our world. I think Jesus will come back in full power very soon. In the back of him you can see a whole birth process of our new universe.
World-reknowned by age ten, she began to get tough questions. One day someone asked Akiane why she had decided on Christianity rather than a different religion. " I didn't choose Christianity," Akiane replied,"I chose Jesus Christ. I am painting and writing what God shows me. I don't know much about the religions, but I know this: God looks at our love."
At an art exhibit, one man confronted her, "I am a Buddhist. You called Jesus the 'Prince of Peace', yet in his name so many people were massacred. How do you explain that?"
"Jesus is peace, just like calm water," ten-year-old Akiane answered, "but anyone can drop a stone into water and make it muddy". (pages 170-172 Imagine Heaven, John Burke)
Like Akiane, I too can verify that Jesus Christ is as real as the sun that shines in the sky, the grass I walk on and the air that I breathe, but often it isn't until we enter the storms of our lives that we are able to clearly hear our Lord's voice. I encourage you to take time today and ask God to speak to you. Then, I encourage you to read the Gospel of John and sit back and watch God do a mighty work in your life just like he did for little four-year-old Akiane.
Oh what a glorious morning it must be on Easter in Heaven! All of our loved ones who have gone before us praising the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Alas, I can almost hear the voices from heaven singing to the hearts content with instruments of praise flowing in the background. T
his Easter is especially meaningful since I am reading 'Imagine Heaven' about the evidence of near death experiences research scientifically studied by Dr. Jeffery Long and written about in John Burke's, former Engineer now Pastor, book. I highly recommend this book for all who want to know what lies on the other side of the veil the moment we take our final breath on earth because it will fill you with awe and anticipation of those things yet to come.
For those of us who have suffered through the tragedy of child loss or other significant other, this book reminds us of the incredible peace and absolute joy the moment they took their first breath in heaven. Here is one such account found on page 162 of Imagine Heaven.
One of the greatest indications that the God NDErs describe is the God of the Jewish/Christian scriptures is how they depict their life review in his presence. Despite vividly seeing all their deeds, good and evil, and all the relational ripple effects of both, they do not experience a Being who desires to condemn. They experience a compassion resulting from this Being of light. Yet, if you search the gods of the worlds religions, how many claim to uphold both justice and righteousness, and record our every thought and deed and still hold out forgiveness and compassion because of a desire for loving relationship! A man in Dr. Long's study experienced all this:
"Everything I ever thought, did, said, hated, helped, did not help, should have helped was shown in front of me, the crowd of hundreds, and everyone like (in) a movie. How mean I was (unintentionally also) to animals. Yes, even the animals had had feelings! It was horrible. I fell on my face in shame. I saw how my acting, or not acting, rippled in effect towards other people and their lives. It wasn't until then that I understood how each little decision or choice effects the world. The sense of letting my Savior down was too real. Strangely, even during this horror I felt compassion, an acceptance of my limitations by Jesus and the crowd of others."
Easter Sunday is a reminder to me of how much God truly loves us and desires no one to perish. He longs for people to come to Him and experience a new life regardless of what they might have said, done, or not done. Regardless of hurting others unintentionally He desires us to come to him and lay down our burdens
and experience the gift of the holy spirit inside of them to help guide their every thought, word or action.
Yes, our Lord and Savior was risen and the resurrection and the corresponding studies of Near death experiences serves as a reminder that one day we will come face to face with our redeemer King Jesus!
