Tag:

restoration

Reconciled To Wholeness By His Brokenness

by Dudley Anderson March 25, 2023

We’ve all seen the sign, “You break it, you take it!” on the wall in fine china shops or pottery stores, implying that if you bump over an item of merchandise, you pay the price. Well, there was this shop in town that stocked beautiful vases and glass finery.

One day a man entered the shop to browse its shelves. He wasn’t a rich man. In fact, he was a pauper, a man of low means. He had no way of paying for any of the items in that shop. Yet he gazed upon the splendour of a mink vase in the hope that one day he might be able to acquire it. With that, he turned to leave. As he did, his elbow caught the rim of the vase. Crash! It was in pieces.

“Hey!” yelled the storekeeper, “you there, that vase was priceless. You will have to cover its loss!”

“But… I’m so sorry,” said the man, “I… I could never pay for my transgression.”

I Will Pay the Price

A wealthy, elegant man in the next aisle heard the commotion and came over. He looked with compassion at the pauper as he trembled before the storekeeper. He could see that he was unable to redeem himself; that he did not have the means to reconcile his fault. “Here, said the rich man gathering up the pieces of the priceless vase. I will pay the price.”

1 Corinthians 11:24 – “and when He had given thanks, He broke [the bread] and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you”

God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I am that pauper who broke the vase. I had no means to reconcile my transgressions. My life was in pieces. But God loved me so much that he sent his only son – his righteous graceful son – into the world to pay the price for my sin. He was wounded for my transgressions and crushed for my iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought me peace. His broken body paid the price for my broken pieces.

How about you?

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March 25, 2023 0 comment

God Heals Mother and Daughter’s Relationship

by Lauren Koch March 8, 2023

written by Lauren Koch

Believers with Fire and Fragrance ministries witnessed God heal a mother and daughter while praying for them. A young adult named Cody shared his experience praying for the family in this video.

“While we were there, we were serving them and we asked if they had any prayer requests. The mother said that she had a very hurt arm, that she couldn’t move her arm at all and her shoulder hurt. So we prayed for her once and she was able to move it a little bit and then we prayed again and she moved it a lot. And by the third prayer her arm was fully healed!”

“We were rejoicing and giving God all the glory!”

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God gives vision of the mother and daughter relationship healed

Afterwards, they missionaries asked if the family needed prayer for anything else. The daughter, who was paralyzed from the waist down asked for prayer for her body and her relationship with her mom. She desired more unity with her.

“I prophesied that God was going to heal her. And when I opened my eyes, her legs weren’t healed but she said something remarkable,” Cody explains in the video.

The girl noted that their voices while praying all went mute and her vision seized to see anything. Suddenly, all that was in her sight was herself, her mother, and God!

“Even though God didn’t heal her legs, he healed their relationship. It’s not always about what we want to heal but what God wants to heal!”

Restoration Is Found In God’s Presence

by Sarah Crockett February 7, 2023

written by Sarah Crockett

Watch today’s video with Joaquin Evans as he shares about the power of restoration and healing that can be found in the presence of God!

Today’s Verse: Restoration

Proverbs 4:20-23 – “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Reflect

How do you spend time in the presence of God?
Do you have faith that in Him, in His presence, is life and healing? Why or why not?
Are there any lies you are believing about God and His ability to heal you?
Is there anything you need to surrender to step into God’s presence more often?
How can you engage with the Word of God to connect with God’s presence?
What areas of your life need restoration?
How can you connect with God to receive His restoration and love?

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Matt Chandler Restored To Ministry After Months Of Leave Due To ‘Inappropriate’ Communication

by Christa December 10, 2022

written by Christa

The Village Church has welcomed Matt Chandler back into the pulpit. The lead pastor took three months of leave of absence to deal with the “unhealth in his life.”

Matt Chandler

Leaders and elders of the Village Church released a statement last August 28 with regards to Pastor Matt. It was revealed that Matt had “inappropriate communication” with a woman on social media who was not his wife.

“While the messages were not romantic or sexual in nature, the frequency and the familiarity of the messages crossed a line,” they explained. “Matt did not use language appropriate for a pastor, and he did not model a behavior that we expect from him.”

However, the elders believe that Matt’s actions “did not rise to the level of disqualification.” So, they decided that the best course of action would be for Matt to take a step off the stage as a form of discipline and development.

The 48-year-old pastor went through intensive restoration plan laid down by the elders. And after “faithfully, genuinely, authentically working” the plan, all of the Village Church did not hesitate to reinstate Matt to the ministry.

Elders laid hands and prayed over Matt Chandler before the sermon

Restoration to Ministry

And just this Sunday, Matt greeted the congregation with a humble heart. He said, “I’m sorry, I failed you.”

He continued, “It is my understanding that I have fallen short of the glory of God and he has met me with grace.”

Matt got emotional as he remembers God’s grace and the love of the church. “I couldn’t be more grateful,” he shared. ““[T]here’s no beef between us and the elders. I don’t know what you think about their play — I agreed with it. I’m grateful that they love this church, they love Jesus, and they love us enough. They’re driven by conviction enough to model what needed to be modeled here.”

At the end of the sermon, the congregation honored Matt for his twenty years of service. His wife and three kids then joined him on stage. And the church gave them a standing ovation.

The Advent of Peace – Advent – Week 2 – Sermon – Matt Chandler – 12/4/22

Watch this video on YouTube

Matt’s failure and redemption prove that God is the God of grace and not condemnation. He restores and reconciles.

Reference: Christianity Today

December 10, 2022 0 comment

Articles

Financial Freedom Through Reconciliation

by Increase January 20, 2022

written by Increase

“I think your financial freedom will come when you reconcile with your dad this holiday season.”

This statement kept ringing in Elizabeth’s head as she sat at a mechanic waiting to hear the news on her beaten up Chevy Aveo. She had been told her car wouldn’t make it to Portland for Christmas, but she felt a peace in her spirit to take a risk. Elizabeth decided to drive to Portland despite what seemed against logic in the natural mind, believing there was freedom on the other end of that uncertain journey!

A week into the holiday season she finally mustered up the courage to go find her father. She hadn’t talked to him in four years. She had no phone number for him, only an address she remembered hearing years ago.
“What can I do for you ma’am?”, he asked as he opened the door.
“It’s Elizabeth,” she laughed as she used humor to mask the reality of the distance between her and her father.

Once he realized she was his daughter, to whom he hadn’t spoken for four years, he swung the door wide open to show his wife the visitor at the door!
The three of them sat down together on the couch and updated each other on lost time. He told Elizabeth that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and over the summer it had progressed to a point where the doctors did not feel safe operating. They told him he had a very slim chance of survival but instead of operating they sent him home to die.

A week into the diagnosis a surgeon, who was the head of the VA, called him to say: “I haven’t been able to sleep for the past week thinking about your case. I believe there is something special about your life, and I think I need to operate on you. Would you take the chance on me operating?”

Elizabeth’s father agreed. After the surgery, though the cancer was successfully removed, Elizabeth’s dad slipped into a coma for two weeks. While in the coma, a man in white came to meet him and two doves sat in the windowsill. He believed the Lord was telling him in that moment he needed to get his life right.

Once he woke up from his coma, he knew he was going to survive.
Elizabeth and her father continued to have a conversation about the goodness of God until four a.m.

Elizabeth could now see such beauty in her dad, and she felt God give her a greater awareness and understanding of who he was. She was so busy building beautiful moments with her father, she forgot all about the prophetic word that “financial breakthrough would come through their reconciliation.”

One day while on break, her stepmother and father sat her down and told her they felt God put it on their hearts the desire to financially support her in various ways during her time at school. They decided to help her with her credit score by opening a credit card in her name. They told her she could spend $200.00 each month on whatever she chose and they would pay it off for her. They purchased her a Costco membership and a new pair of nikes. To top it all off, her parents helped her find her dream car!

God is the God of breakthrough, provision and reconciliation!

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January 20, 2022 0 comment

Faith

Divine Interruptions – When God Disrupts Your Hell

by Kelly Master May 17, 2021

written by Kelly Master

Addiction is a beast, and it robbed my life for many years. Cocaine, pills, marijuana, alcohol, it did not matter, as long as it numbed the pain and shame from the trauma and fear. I wanted to die so many times but was too afraid. There was deep desperation from the core of my being to know love and find purpose.

Lost and Broken

Pregnant at 18 years of age, lost and broken, I walked down the aisle to marry my baby’s father. He promised me love, but that quickly shattered. After my son was born, I dove hard back into my addictions. Waking up daily from blackouts, unable to remember what I had done the previous night, was extremely common. I could not function without drugs and alcohol, and they became the numbing agents to help me survive life. Every day, at noon, I began drinking and did not stop until I passed out. In the morning, I had addicts remorse, wondering what I had done the night before and who had put my two young children to bed. My husband and I lived in complete chaos and sold drugs to feed our addiction. Every time I looked in a mirror, I cursed myself and hated the reflection staring back at me.

Spiritual Battles

As a young girl in VBS, I had received the Lord into my heart as my Savior, but through the years of pain, abuse and rejection, I stopped believing He loved me. I often cried out for help, but He didn’t respond, or so I thought. There were intense spiritual battles for my life, but I was too broken to see the truth and too blind to fight. Interestingly enough, throughout my childhood and into my addictions, I had vivid dreams and visions that would come to pass. My friends would call me a witch who had supernatural powers, which caused a greater chasm between me and my concept of God. How could I understand that dreams and visions were gifts from God and were not contingent on my behavior but His faithfulness? God was speaking to me, and I did not know. He was continually trying to get my attention, but I was spiraling out of control.

Interruptions

The funny thing about interruptions is they typically happen when least expected. One day, as I nursed another hangover, I found myself sweeping the floor, going through the motions, and the Lord interrupted my pain. Who would have thought that God would step into my chaos and release His Ruach breath over my shattered life? Certainly not me, but that is exactly what He did! As I pulled the broom out from under the cabinet, a small cassette tape that I had never seen before came out with the dirt. Perplexed by the title “Radically Saved” by Carman, a Christian singer, I decided to listen. The words pierced my heart! There was a yearning from deep within my soul that I was unable to grasp. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the spiritual atmosphere in my house and my life was shifting. Something deep within me hungered for the truth of these words.

Radically Saved

“Jesus healed the blind man made him see, cast demons out of the man from Nazarene, cleansed the leapers too, he made the lame brand new, he put hope back in a hopeless life, I testify to you: I’ve been delivered, I’ve been delivered, the hold the devil had on me, he ain’t no more; I’ve been delivered, I’ve been delivered by the hand of the Lord.” (lyrics by Carman)

Could this be true? Could the Lord deliver me from my daily hell? I could not comprehend where this music came from or how it ended up in my house. Immediately I felt something inside telling me to shut it off, but another feeling, deep in my soul, was drawn to the words, I left it playing. God was interrupting my chaos with his divine destiny. He was leaving the 99 and going after the one – me.

The psalmist declared in his word, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (Psalm 139:7-8),

Breaking Addiction

I had made my bed in hell through addiction, and God’s presence disrupted hell’s plans for my life. Through a series of providential setups following this incident, the Lord radically set me free from drugs and alcohol, and today I have nearly 30 years sober. I have fully surrendered to God, and He has taken all my pain and all my ugly and turned it into beauty. Fear and shame are no longer strongholds in my life. The Spirit of God has thoroughly wiped away the residue from all abuse. My scars are a powerful reminder of His beautiful grace and mercy!

What the enemy meant for evil and my destruction, the Lord intervened and turned it for good. He took my shattered life and gave me joy and purpose. I now minister to thousands of women in prisons, strip clubs, churches, and the streets. I shine the light of Christ in the darkest places to help others find hope, healing, and freedom. My life is full of joy and purpose.

Nobody is beyond the love of God! Cry out for those in your life who are in bondage. Pray and believe for the Lord to intervene, for He is the God of the impossible! There is power in the name of Jesus Christ, which breaks chains, destroys bondages, and sets the captives free!

Prayer Over Addiction

Father, we cry out on behalf of every person in our life suffering from addictions. We speak the name of Jesus, the name above every other name, the name that destroys every principality, every demon, and every work of darkness. We declare that Your Kingdom will come here on earth, in their lives, as it is heaven. There is nothing impossible for You. No addiction is too big or too complicated for You. We cry out for Your divine interruptions in their lives, and we decree FREEDOM, in the mighty name of Jesus!

“He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:3 NKJV

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May 17, 2021 0 comment

Articles Video

God Restores Divorced Couple’s Marriage

by Christel Berns January 5, 2021

written by Christel Berns

Many would say that it’s impossible for a marriage that ended up in divorce to be restored, but nothing is impossible to God. He is the Redeemer and His heart is for restoration. This is exactly what God did for a formerly divorced couple.

First Years Of Marriage

David and Erin Jeffreys met at a Christian college and fell in love. They dated for a year and got married. Both admitted they had high expectations about married life. But it didn’t happen.

YouTube | DJ Harry

During the first years of marriage, the couple graduated and started serving in ministry full time. They were having a great time as a young married couple. However, the reality of life began to surface in their marriage—paying bills, sharing a life with someone, and learning how to navigate adult life in general. Things started to become difficult for them.

Marriage Went Downhill And Got Divorced

David and Erin became so involved in ministering to other people that they forgot to minister to each other. Because of busyness, both became neglectful to their own family at home. So much that they no longer even prayed or read the Bible together.

After Erin had her second daughter, she started to become lonely. And because she didn’t have a right relationship with God, she became bitter and angry with her husband. As a wife, Erin also grew resentful towards God’s work, blaming it for breaking her family apart. Then she came to a point where she found someone else to lean on and started cheating. Their marriage went downhill and they eventually got divorced.

During the several years of being apart, God began healing Erin’s heart. In the dark season where David and Erin felt hopeless and never imagined restoration, God began to move in their lives. He wasn’t done working with their marriage.

Watch how God turned the impossible into possible for His glory.

Broken and Restored: The Story of David and Erin Jeffreys - their divorce...and God's grace!

Watch this video on YouTube

ALSO READ: She Thought Her Marriage Was Doomed Until Jesus Stepped In

January 5, 2021 0 comment

Articles Video

Lecrae Shares How He Lost Religion And Found Faith

by Christa September 17, 2020

written by Christa

Hip-hop artist, Lecrae, has been outspoken about his Christian faith and his walk with God. In a recent video, he talks about how he chose faith over religion.

Lecrae’s fans got insight from the Grammy-award winning artist through his Youtube channel. In his latest video, he candidly shares about his perspective on religion over faith in his upcoming book, “I am Restored.”

Lecrae’s upcoming book, I Am Restored

Lecrae

“For me, faith or religion was one of the ways I found to deal with all the particular traumas,” he shared. He share about the abuses and traumas he experienced at a young age. From physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, run-ins with the law, Lecrae definitely had hurdles to overcome.

The abuse and trauma eventually wore on Lecrae’s identity. The only time he felt valued and appreciated was when he was performing. “I can earn the love, respect, admiration from the people by performing,” he said.

“The scary thing about living a life like that is that when you are no longer able to perform, who are you?” He could relate to professional athletes who wrestles with their identity when their careers end. “Because they spent so much in their lives performing for identity. And so your identity is wrapped up in your performance.”

Religion vs Faith

Sadly, he says, this kind of struggle is also found in Christianity. He sees it in the system of religion. “In religion, I’ve got to earn God’s love. I’ve got to earn God’s acceptance by my performance.”

He goes on to explain how a relationship is different from religion. “Relationship is where I’m performing out of acceptance, out of love. I’ve already been accepted and loved. And so now, when I’m out there doing what I’m doing, I’m doing it because I know I’m loved.

“But it takes faith to believe that you are accepted, that you are loved. And so I choose faith over religion.”

Furthermore, he got so accustomed to the way of how he earns love and acceptance from people that it translated into his relationship with God. “If I don’t perform well, He’s not gonna love me,” he said. But God is the best Dad, Lecrae pointed. Nothing we do can make Him love us less.

He added, “Relationship derived from through faith is way more rewarding than religious activity. I don’t want a religious relationship with God, I want an authentic faith-driven one.”

How I Lost My Religion

ALSO READ: Lecrae Reveals Plans To Retire From Music After His Upcoming Final Album ‘Restoration’

September 17, 2020 0 comment

Articles

Christian Hip-Hop Artist Lecrae Opens About How God Restored Him During Depression And Anxiety

by Rhoda Gayle August 25, 2020

written by Rhoda Gayle

Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae recently opened up about how God has restored him since struggling with depression and anxiety.

Restoration

With the release of the Grammy Award-winning artist’s final full-length album, “Restoration,” Lecrae candidly talked about the struggles he has faced. The album is the most vulnerable album he was ever released.

“Restoration” is accompanied by a three-part YouTube series titled “The Road to Restoration,” and a book titled “I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion But Gained My Faith” which will be released on September 13.

Lecrae

The Billboard-topping artist decided to be vulnerable and share his journey with the public. He believes that in order to fully grow, a person should be fully known, and that is what he’s doing.

“You’re going to have to be fully known in order to be fully grown,” Lecrae said. “That’s just what’s going to have to happen. So I wanted to model that. I think Jesus models it perfectly by Him in the garden sweating and asking, could His friend stay up and pray with Him? That’s some serious vulnerability.”

Depression and anxiety

In an interview, Lecrae revealed how his fame and trauma as a kid eventually led him astray. With his success in the music industry, he was slowly forgetting where his value and worth truly came from. He found security and value in his career.

Lecrae’s wake-up call came when he found himself struggling with clinical depression. Anxiety also crept in and that was when he realized that he needed God’s help if he was going to recover. After a long journey with God, Lecrae has finally found healing and freedom.

“The thing I learned is that God is not transactional, He’s relational,” he said. “He doesn’t snap His fingers. He could but typically He doesn’t snap His fingers and make it go away, he walks with you through it. The reason why that is is that that’s how the relationship is developed. If He just snaps His fingers, you don’t really appreciate Him. You don’t develop a relationship with Him. You don’t learn how you and He are interconnected.”

August 25, 2020 0 comment

Articles

Lecrae Reveals Plans To Retire From Music After His Upcoming Final Album ‘Restoration’

by Rhoda Gayle August 4, 2020

written by Rhoda Gayle

Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae reveals his plans to retire from the music industry after his upcoming album “Restoration” which will be his final album.

Restoration

The release date of Lecrae’s upcoming album titled “Restoration” has been delayed several times due to the pandemic. However, it is due to release in the near future and the Grammy Award-winning artist has a revelation regarding the album. He publicly revealed that this might be his last full-length album and that he is considering retiring from the music industry.

“Restoration, I mean, honestly, everybody says it’s the best album ever made, but this is for real. And this might be it for me,” Lecrae said in an interview. “I mean I’ll probably do some mixtapes, but I don’t know if I’m making another full-featured album. So it might be it, we’ll see, that’s kind of how I’m feeling.”

Lecrae

The well-known Christian hip-hop artist shared that his reason for his retirement is to make way for younger artists.

“It’s a younger generation right now man, so you know, I feel like I may give them another Church Clothes and close a chapter out,” he said. “There’s some new blood out here and I just want the new blood to come and do their thing. So Restoration feels like, ‘Yo, here it is.’ I don’t know [but] that’s how I’m feeling.”

In a previous interview about his upcoming album, Lecrae shared that “Restoration” speaks a powerful message. The album speaks the message of healing and hope to everyone who has been broken and hurt.

“I want people to know that you’re never too messed up for restoration,” he said. “Second divorce, prison sentence, it doesn’t matter. There’s always hope, healing, and restoration available if you seek it.”

Reference: The Christian Post

August 4, 2020 0 comment

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