With both hands on the steering wheel, I saw the water begin to fall on the windshield. Being a summer day, I checked to make sure the windows were secure. The spray then increased as my car drove into the storm. The atmosphere grew dark and the roar of the tempest became deafening.

My car continued to move through the darkness as if under its own power. The tempest was so severe that I began to lose reception on my car radio. The blast of the squall made me uncomfortable as I sensed the car being rocked slightly from side to side.

Then, as abruptly as it began, the downpour ceased and a ferocious wind began to blow against my car. The cyclonic roar was louder than the deluge had been, but the darkness slowly passed and I emerged from that fearsome experience. Many storms in life are like that storm, but we must let Jesus take the wheel and guide us through.

I trusted God through it all and was soon driving out of the Car Wash.

Tags: deliverance, humor, storms

NEWS FLASH: Due to the abundance of rain we are moving the Family Fun Fest indoors tonight. Its still on and we have all kinds of food and fun activities for the kids. Bring your appetites. It all begins at 6PM. Don’t let us down.

As a teenager, I worked for a produce farmer near Newville. One of our jobs was to feed and bed down cattle in a couple of locations. Several times an electric fence would short out and a buddy and I had to walk the fence and find out where the break was. It was usually a fallen branch, but on one occasion we found a bull had tried to cross a fence to get to the females and had become tangled up in electric and barbed wire.

The barbed wire had enraged the bull, which only caused him to dig the barbs deeper into his legs. No one could could get near him to free him. So we just waited. The farmer arrived hours later and walked up to him with wire cutters. By then the bull was exhausted and broken. His fight was gone. Patience paid off.

Sometimes that may be a picture of us. Things don’t go as we want them, and the problems of life get worse and worse. The more we try to extract ourselves, the more it hurts. We won’t let God near. Finally, we are exhausted of the fight and give in to God, Who steps in to set us free. How can we be so stubborn?

Tags: anger, deliverance, snare, trials, trouble

The Bible recounts the story of the Gerasene demoniac, a man possessed by 1,000 demons that controlled the man in a downward destructive path. His life was a waste. But Jesus cast the demons out and the man’s life was changed…dramatically so (Mark 5:1-20).

But what does that have to do with you living in the 21th Century?

C. S. Lewis, author of the Chronicles of Narnia, once wrote that he examined his own life and “found what appalled me: a zoo of lust, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds. My name was Legion.”

Only when we examine our lives and discover what we really are can we bow before Jesus and allow Him to cast out whatever may possess us”. Believe me, I’ve been there.

Tags: C. S. Lewis, deliverance, exorcism, Legion

A mother eagle builds a comfortable nest for her young, padding it with feathers from her own breast. But the God-given instinct that builds that secure nest also forces the eaglets out of it before long. Eagles are made to fly, and love will not fail to teach them. Only then will they become what they are meant to be.

So one day the mother eagle will disturb the twigs of the nest, making it an uncomfortable place to stay. Then she will pick up a perplexed eaglet, soar into the sky, and drop it. The little bird will begin to free-fall. Where is Mama now? She is not far away. Quickly she will swoop under and catch the fledgling on one strong wing. She will repeat this exercise until each eaglet is capable of flying on its own.

Perhaps this was what Moses had in mind when he penned, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27).

Tags: deliverance, eagle, parents

There once was a very poor family who had only one expensive treasure in their house, a very rare heirloom vase. One day the father received a telephone call to come home quickly because his little son had his hand caught in the vase.

This family had an unusual concern for the vase because of its personal connection. They worked long to release the child’s hand, but without success. Then they thought to call their doctor, who could use his delicate instruments to free the child. But he too was unsuccessful. Finally the doctor said, “All I know to do is to break the vase. Bring me a hammer.” When he drew the hammer back to break the vase, the little boy said, “Wait a minute! Would it help if I turned loose of the penny?”

Sometimes the only way to get delivered from a bondage is to turn loose of something we’re holding onto. Decide today that you will let go and let God, and watch what happens.

Tags: deliverance, freedom

I was too young to remember, but my mother tells a story on me as a toddler. We were living on Main Street (US 6) in Butler. She was caring for my baby sister when she heard a semi blasting its horn. She looked out the front window to see what was up, and to her horror she saw me, just a toddler, running down the highway in front of the truck. She quickly came to my rescue and I was saved!

Sometimes, as we explore our way through life, even as adults, we find ourselves in more trouble than we can handle. I’m sure Mom had to change my diaper after that semi incident. Life is full of those scarey experiences, though.

As children we must rely on Mom and Dad to keep us safe and rescue us. But, as adults, we’re on our own unless we’ve come to the place of trusting Jesus to rescue us. I’ve come to that place; how about you?

Tags: deliverance, rescue, salvation