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and suddenly there shined about him a light from heaven and he fell
to the earth Acts9:3b-4a
St. Paul was just going about his business, a zealous Pharisee
persecuting the Christian church, when God touched him. That
touch changed his life forever. Once steeped in the Mosaic
tradition and touching the righteousness of the Law, blameless, now
saved by grace and a troubadour for Jesus: Without the touch, a
self-righteous and legalistic Jew, with the touch, a humbled and
faith-filled Christian. That touch made all the difference, from
a life set on course for hell, to a life of faith, destined for heaven. St Peter, too, received a touch. Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit changed Peter from a Christian who denied Jesus with oaths and cursing to a bold fearless Christian whose preaching ushered in three thousand to Christ in one day. The touch has made all the difference in my life too. Having signed the back of a Gideon bible and writing a letter to my sister that I would do it God's way and follow Christ, two weeks later on the road to my house God pierced my heart and in my bedroom experienced a theophany. That touch changed the course of destiny, from a life leading to sickness and death, to a life of faith and a personal relationship with Jesus leading to everlasting life with God. It took me thirty two years to work out my salvation, to be free from weights and spirits of the flesh like anger, fear, and lust, to be free from poverty, sickness, and low self esteem, to begin to get wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and discernment, but for the last four years I have lived in the full blessing of God. Ask God to touch you. Make a complete commitment to Christ. Ask Jesus into your heart. Ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The touch may be gentle or the touch may be riveting. Either way accept God's will for your life. St. John has said that to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. Forsake the world. In the temptations of Christ, the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and offered Christ all the power and glory associated with them. Jesus responded by saying “Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thou serve” Tell the devil to back off and go back to hell. Tell God you wish only to serve him. Say it out loud and say it with conviction. Believe and you will receive. So many people go to church, practice religion, and never change. They never get touched. The word does not get to the heart. You need to be touched. You need to hear the word and repent. You need to believe God loves you, sees you, and wants you. Do not put it off. Say this prayer. Father, I believe that you sent Jesus to die for my sins. I believe that you love me and want the best for me. You want to give me eternal life. So today, right now, I surrender my life to you. I ask you to touch me and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I ask you to wash me and make me clean. I accept your will for my life whatever the cost and I will live for you forever. Amen God bless you! |