Work is done!  Day is coming to an end.
The bright light of day changes colors and eventually turns dark.
The unseen sounds of the night come alive and sing a lullaby of sleep.
Eyes close and dream allows the unseen to be seen.
Life is lived, victories won and challenges are overcome.

People like to say they know God, when the truth for most is they know about God!  I accepted Christ as my Savior at a very young age.  It was simple for me as a kid.  I knew I was a sinner and that I could not save myself and the only way for me to experience what I had been taught at Church from God’s Word was in a relationship with God that comes through Jesus Christ!  I did not understand incarnation, transformation and transfiguration, but I did understand my need and what God had done to meet my need, so I opened up my heart and invited Jesus into my life to be my Savior and Lord.

As I got older, I wanted to grow closer to God, some how I just knew it was possible and I wanted it.  We had a youth minister at our church, who took a chance on some of us who were not yet teenagers.  He taught us using Barry St. Clairs’ Discipleship Bible Study and it change my life!  As I studied this material, I started to have a personal time with God, which I have continued from then until now.  It was during this personal time with God, that I learned how to listen and hear from the Holy Spirit.  It was during this time that I began to read the Scriptures and things would jump off the page and grab the attention of my heart!  It was during this time that I really started to get to know God!

I know God!  He is a friend of mine!  I do not go around bragging, because I don’t want people to think I am on some kind of ego trip, but maybe I really should not be so concerned with what others think.  I know God and He knows me.  We talk.  He tells me things and reveals to me His will.  It really is pretty amazing!

The most amazing thing is that you can know Him too!  There is nothing special about me that grants me access.  In fact, there are a lot more people in this world that are more worthy to know God.  The reason that I know Him is because He invited me into relationship and pretend was not good enough for me, so I jumped all in!

God knows you and you can know Him!  Step out in faith – you will be glad you did!

There is an interesting story in the Bible about a man in Jerusalem, who had been crippled for 38 years.  He spent everyday of his life lying on a mat, waiting by the pool of Bethesda, wishing for a miracle!

Many times, we are just like this man.  We lay back, day after day, month after month and year after year waiting and wishing for a miracle!  We hope that someone or something will come along and make everything better!

The Scripture in John 5 tells us that Jesus saw the man and this is what Jesus said:  ⁶“Do you want to get well?”   ⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”   ⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Notice that when Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well, he did not answer the question, but instead started to make excuses!  We do the very same thing!  Jesus did not even respond the this sad story of excuses, instead He told the man:  “Get up!, Pick up you mat and walk!”  In other words, stop making excuses!

If you really are serious about getting well?  If you really are serious about getting your life together?  If you really want to experience something better?  If you really want to get out of the mess of self misery, then get up and get out of the situation!

The amazing thing is:  This man was cured at once!  I believe that many of us have a miracle, we just need to get up and claim it!  It’s time to stop laying on a mat of personal pity, where all we seem to do is feel sorry for ourselves!  It’s time to get up out of our misery and walk into our amazing grace life of miracles!  Stop making excuses and start experiencing miracles!