There is a story of Jesus traveling to the other side of the lake with His disciples. A storm raged against the boat, yet Jesus was asleep. His disciples were distraught and a bit annoyed that Jesus was asleep with no apparent concern for the danger that they were facing! When they awoke Him He spoke, “Peace, be still…” and to everyone’s amazement, the storm ceased.
I remember one of our Florida hurricanes that blew against our house. The water pounded so hard that it sounded like machine guns blasting against our cement walls. My husband was sound asleep—I couldn’t believe it! I decided to write out my prayer to God because I wanted to sleep too. As soon as I committed my prayer to Him, I climbed back in bed and drifted off to sleep!
You see, peace is not resignation—but resiliency…an individual’s ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity.
Scripture: Mark 4:39
Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. The tensions grew. Yet, two pictures still remained veiled.
As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd. A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky. Surely this was the winner. The second painting was uncovered and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this be peace?
A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. However, a spindly little tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls, and one of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters. In the elbow of that branch, a little bird had built a nest. Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested pure peace.
If a little bird can transcend such turmoil, how do you and I find peace in the crazy world in which we live?
The scriptures say, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
In 2010, an award-winning historical British film called “The King’s Speech” documented the life of King George the VI of Great Britain. He was known as the stuttering king and dreaded public speaking; a responsibility every monarch was expected to do often and do well. In 1925 he gave a closing speech at Wembley Stadium in London. The speech was a terrible ordeal for both him and his listeners as he stuttered through it with lengthy pauses. Everyone waited for it to end.
Psychologists tell us anyone can stutter if pushed too far. A very stressful situation or a very aggressive interrogation or conversation can cause a person to stutter, however, most children grow out of it. King George did not grow out of his childhood stuttering and required intensive therapy.
In 1939, as Germany threatened to invade England, King George rallied his strength, rose above his difficulties, and found the resolve to inspire the nation as England declared war on Hitler. With the help of Australian born speech therapist, Lionel Logue, he conquered his disability and courageously stirred the people of Great Britain to action.
I want you to know that miracles are available today, yet King George discovered practical tools to overcome his stuttering and dislike of public speaking.
Whether you are in search of a miracle or practical tools, I encourage you today go to my website: www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that can change your life!
One afternoon a young Russian man by the name of Ildus approached the platform in one of our outdoor events. This young man was so excited he could hardly wait to tell others what God had done for him. I was speaking when Ildus decided it was time to share his story. Ildus was so full of joy! He was pointing at his heart as if to say, “I am not alone—something has happened in my heart!”
Just as Ildus opened his mouth to speak, my husband arrived at the meeting. This young man was now grunting into the microphone pointing at his heart. I remember my husband looking at me as if to say, why is this guy on the platform? He’s not normal and he can’t speak!
Have you ever felt rejected because you are different? Or because you lack skills that other people seem to come by easily? I know that Ildus felt all alone and had little to live for. He’d been rejected by his family and was living on the streets; rummaging through garbage and wandering around aimlessly. In fact, one of our team members had just taken him into his own home.
The next evening, as my husband was speaking, Ildus once again approached the platform. Several of us were attempting to get my husband’s attention, because something very different was about to unfold! Kevin kept telling them not to give Ildus the mic, but finally we prevailed. When Ildus took the microphone, he began to speak in perfect Russian! He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card to show the audience. We were shocked to learn that it was his special medical ID, and that he was classified as having the most severe level of mental retardation!
He looked at the crowd and said, “You know me, I am the guy that begs from the trash cans—but something happened to me last night! Jesus came into my room while I was sleeping and put His finger on my forehead and on my tongue. For the first time in my life the fog has cleared from my mind! For the first time in my life I can think and speak clearly!”
Regardless of your situation, today you can rise above whatever holds you back and discover that you have a friend with God. He will come to you today and reconcile what distresses you. Just say these simple words with me, “Come into my life, Lord, and release me from the fear that holds me back. Like Ildus, heal my heart and touch my mind.” If you would like more information on miracles, please contact us today. We are waiting to hear from you! http://bit.ly/1gmsroF
In the modern song entitled, “I Am a Friend of God”, the writer asks the question of God, “Who am I that you are mindful of me? That you hear me, when I call? Is it true that you are thinking of me?”
Mother Theresa said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” You never have to be alone! The writer of “I am a Friend of God” concludes his song by stating of God, “You, God, call me, ‘friend’!”
Today I want you to know that you have a friend in God. For He said in His holy scriptures, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So go ahead and take His hand…. He’s there, right now. http://bit.ly/1E6nEg2
As a young woman Mother Teresa, who was suffering from tuberculosis, heard the “Call within the call”. She knew she was to leave the convent in Calcutta and work with the poor living among them. With only 5 Rupees in her hand, she started a school in the slums to teach the children of the poor.
Mother Teresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and India’s highest Civilian Award, set up nearly 570 homes for the poor in 125 countries.
With only 5 Rupees and battling sickness in her own body, Mother Teresa rose above poverty and made a better life for millions of people. One idea, one thought from God can bring significant change, not only to your life, but to the lives of those you know in your community and in your nation! http://bit.ly/1E6nKV7
One night a man by the name of Victoricus appeared to his friend Patrick in a dream. Patrick had known Victoricus in Ireland when they were slaves. In Patrick’s dream, Victoricus held a letter with the heading “The Voice of the Irish,” and as Patrick read it, he heard the voice of a multitude of people crying and begging him to come back and walk among them once more.
You know, the ordinary person might be surprised and happy to have an old friend, or even a multitude, appear to them in a dream. But Patrick’s life was different. The Irish in the early 5th century were a barbaric collection of Celtic tribes, and they were regularly sending out raiding parties to capture slaves and riches. One day a great fleet of boats swept up the west coast of Britain and seized “many thousands” of young prisoners. Among these prisoners was a young man by the name of Patrick, who was taken to the slave markets in Ireland. Although he was educated and spoiled as a youth, he now found himself bound to slavery in the cold highlands of Ireland. Destitute with barely any clothing or food to eat, he would spend months with little to no contact with other humans. Yet in this barren place he developed a friendship with Victoricus, and a deep relationship with God.
Victoricus was a reminder to Patrick of Ireland’s need for help. He was an Irishmen trapped in the same slavery that Patrick had experienced. Perhaps you are like Victoricus and you need help? Or perhaps you’ve had a picture in your heart of someone you would like to help?
The dream appearing to Patrick to come and help the Irish was relentless, and finally he surrendered and trained for the ministry in France. A few years later he emerged from seminary as a young Bishop, eventually arriving on the shores of Ireland as the country’s first known missionary. By the time of Patrick’s death the Irish slave trade had ended, and murder and inter-tribal warfare had decreased significantly.
Today, you can be that friend, that caring voice of encouragement as Victoricus was to Patrick, and as Patrick was to an entire nation. You can help someone else find their destiny. So go ahead, take the risk, you won’t be disappointed!
I encourage you today to go to my website, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!
Have you ever asked yourself, “How do I live my dream? Where do I begin?”
Abraham, a man of God in the bible, desired to have a family. He and his wife were very old, beyond the child bearing age. But God gave Abraham a dream and told him to, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, that’s how many descendants you will have!”
Maybe life’s struggles or hard economic times tell you to downsize your dream but ideas are meant to be SUPERSIZED! Dream big – live large with your ideas!
When capturing your dream, take off the limits. You are like a star in the sky, shining with potential. If each one of us dares to dream the impossible we can change our lives, our families and our communities!
Go to my website and download your free “LIVE YOUR DREAM” worksheets! http://bit.ly/1gmsroF
Scripture: Genesis 15:5
According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, the vast majority of the world’s population comes into this world with genes that should enable them to live a happy and healthy life. He says a staggering 98% of diseases are due to lifestyle choices and therefore they are related to our thinking.
It has been estimated that 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. So what is the stress that I speak of? Could it be distress in the mind—a mind filled with a continuous stream of worries, fears and distorted perceptions, all of which trigger degenerative processes throughout the mind and the body?
Well, today I want to offer YOU a choice for peace in your mind and freedom of disease in your body. Christ is the solution to your cares. He offers a way out of stress by simply calling on His name. Today, Jesus offers you friendship with God, peace for your mind and ultimately health for your soul and body. Wherever you are, simply pray, “Jesus, I choose You! Be my friend today!”
An elderly woman in Africa lived under an overpass in a cardboard house. She was dirty and alone. Her body was full of tuberculosis and no one wanted anything to do with her.
One day several ladies from the local church ventured out to see this lonely soul. You can only imagine how shocked this sick little woman was to see these very proper women show up under her bridge! The ladies had come to invite her to an outdoor Christian meeting where people were being healed. Reluctantly, she agreed to join them, but not knowing how the people might react to her, she insisted on standing at the edge of the very large crowd.
As she stood there she heard the speaker say, “God loves you, He’s closer than any friend and He doesn’t want you to be sick!” At that moment the church ladies glanced over and noticed their sick friend was smiling and breathing normally!
Her new companions were so excited that they insisted she go to the platform and tell everyone what had just happened. A few minutes later, as she stood there on the platform, she said to the large crowd,
“You know me. I am the woman you pass by every day. The one who lives under the bridge.” The ladies who brought her interrupted her and said, “Tell the people how God healed you today. Tell them!” The little old lady looked at the crowd and began her story again. “Yes,” she said, “I am healed, but what I know is that when I go home today, I will never be alone again! I have a new friend and His name is Jesus!”
