Spiritual Muscle

Jesse Birkey's picture

flexingThe gym can be a very interesting place.  Many different people with many different personalities gather to attempt to get into some sort of shape.  For the most part people keep to themselves and go about their business.  But things get much more interesting when God points out someone who needs His love right then and there.

One afternoon I was at the gym in the middle of some sort of arm exercise when the Lord began to speak to me about the plans He has for us.  But not just those of us who love Him.  He was also talking about those who don’t love Him.  He was talking to me about how He wants those who don’t love Him to know that He loves them and has plans for them if they would run into His arms. 

I thought this sounded good and I was touched by His love.  I kind of expected that to be the end of it but it wasn’t.  I wasn’t expecting what came next.

He pointed out a man across the room working out on another piece of equipment and said, I want you to go tell that man what I just told you.  I sat there for a moment just looking at the man.  He was a pretty big guy minding his own business.  I was thinking, are you serious Lord?  You want me to go and share with that big, sweaty guy? 

The answer came in the form of peaceful reassurance that He indeed wanted me to approach the stranger and share His love for him.  So I put down the weights I was using and started towards the man before I could change my mind. 

He didn’t notice me standing next to him so I had to tap him on the shoulder.  I took a deep breath, reached out and got his attention.  His expression seemed nice enough.  A little confused, but nice.

I introduced myself and explained to the man that sometimes God puts a message on my heart and asks me to share it with different people.

He looked more confused.  But I pressed through.

I shared with him that God has a plan for him and is calling him with open arms along with some other things that the Lord led me to share. 

The look in his eyes told me that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with the information right then so I just placed my hand on his shoulder and told him that God loves him and to take care.  He just nodded at me.

On my way out of the gym (I had finished my work out) the Lord spoke to me softly and affirmed that what I had spoken was truly from Him and that He was going to continue to pursue the heart of the stranger in the gym.

Blessings,

Jesse and Kara Birkey

www.reflectministry.com

jbirkey@reflectministry.com

twitter.com/JesseBirkey

http://www.facebook.com/reflectministry

View the Trailer for our new book, Life Resurrected, Extraordinary Miracles through Ordinary People Here!

Click Here to find information on an exciting new documentary called DeadRaiser releasing in October!

 

    

Add new comment

Add new comment

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Results

Results 351 - 360 of 487

Pages

Healthier Today than Yesterday - Book Cover

Healthier Today Than Yesterday eBook

Mark and Patti Virkler | 103 Pages

I am healthier at age 60 than I was at age 40! That excites me. I want to share with you what I have learned in the last 18 years since I wrote the book Go Natural. I researched and wrote that first book on health when I was 40 years old because my body was beginning to break down. The truths I learned then improved my health and many others have written to tell me that it improved the quality of their health, as well.

Price: $9.95

Hearing God Through Biblical Meditation ebook

Unlocking fresh revelation daily - by Mark and Patti Virkler | 179 Pages

For many years I studied the Bible incorrectly, and it produced death rather than life. Even though I had a knowledge of the Scriptures, I did not personally experience the life and the realities they revealed. The Bible calls this the ministry of death, rather than the ministry of righteousness (2 Cor. 3:6–9). Upon coming out of Bible college, I found myself just like the apostle Paul, attacking those who disagreed with my theology. 

Price: $15.95

Hearing God's Voice for Healing e-book

Mark and Patti Virkler | 281 Pages | Retail: $23.99

Explore the many methods Jesus used to heal. Recognize the significance of the fact that more than half the time, the word used for these healings was the Greek word for "therapeutic," which means "cure". Become aware of 28 therapeutic cures which are either mentioned in the Bible or, if not specifically mentioned, are compatible with biblical principles.

Price: $19.95

How Could I Have Been So Wrong? eBook

Mark Virkler | 80 Pages

This book is my story of how my cardiac event was resolved by combining the best in medical care, Christian spirituality, and nutrition. 

I was NOT supposed to have a cardiac event. I ate a healthy diet, exercised several times a week, consumed lots of great nutrition and sought to live destressed by abiding in Christ. This story contains the lessons I learned in the months of healing after having emergency surgery which involved five heart bypasses.

Price: $14.95

How Do You Know? eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 180 Pages

How do you know? What is the process you use to discover truth? I did not ask that question during the first 25 years of my life. I used various methods for discovering truth such as: if my parents said so, then it was so. If my teacher said it was so, then it was so. If my pastor said it was so, then it was so. If my theology said it was so, then it was so.

Price: $17.95
How to Build a Winning Team eBook

How to Build a Winning Team eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 105 Pages

Can I succeed like others have? What do I need to do? How do I go about it? What if I don't have the gifts necessary to do something great?  The wonderful truth revealed in Scripture is that God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary feats, especially when they say, "Yes, Lord" to the destiny He has prepared for them!

Price: $12.95

How to Deal Effectively with Your Sexuality eBook

by Six Contributing Authors | 80 Pages

Question: How do I handle my sexuality? It is such an intense, persistent and driving force. I battle with pornography. How do I tame this monster within me? I see so many people and even Christian leaders fall, and I don't want to fall. I want this to work! I feel trapped and no-one is preaching a sermon on how to handle this. So I grit my teeth, try my hardest, and fail over and over again, and then get consumed with shame. Can you help me? Have you found any answers that work?

Price: $9.95
How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 44 Pages | Published 2002

This brief booklet walks a person through the main obstacles to speaking in tongues, and shows how each one can be successfully overcome. It is down-to-earth, practical and biblical, and in it Mark Virkler shares the struggles he went through before he was able to speak in tongues. Some were theological issues and some simply practical issues, like the fact that if I am going to speak in tongues, I will need to speak. Otherwise, nothing happens.

Price: $2.66
How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

How to Walk by the Spirit eBook

by Mark and Patti Virkler | 136 Pages

Are you like many western Christians who have been taught little about how to sense their spirits? Do you have trouble even defining what spirit sensations feel like within you, much less recognizing them? This training was birthed from Mark’s passion to live out of his spirit, and thus release the anointing of God. The problem he faced was lack of clear biblical definition as to what his spirit felt like. So Mark looked up every verse in the Bible on heart and spirit.

Price: $13.95
Imagine That eBook

Imagine That eBook

by Rev. Jimmy D. Smith | 85 Pages

Beginning sometime around my 72nd year, my imagination really started to wake up again.  I was reading Dialogue with God, by Mark and Patti Virkler, when wheels began to turn.  In the weeks that followed I decided that this was a “do” book, not just a “read to learn” book. I began to do what the book suggested. Somewhere along the line I felt that the Lord gave me permission to experience the freedom of using my imagination to worship Him, to talk to Him, and more importantly to hear from Him.

Price: $7.95

Pages