Stirring the Water

Life can be positively, miraculously altered in an instant, dividing time into a before and an after. We focus in on the lives changed by these MIRACLE MOMENTS.

Confirmation

We do not need human confirmation to tell us we are doing right by God. But sometimes God’s confirmation comes from human conversation. And I must humbly admit that when it happens to me, it feels good. When I find out something I said or did helped someone move forward in some way, I am encouraged to continue my walk.

Years ago after a meeting where I told my story, a young lady walked up to me and said, “I’m sure you don’t remember me, but a few years ago I heard you say something,” (and she repeated that something,) “that I held onto and it changed me, and I have been able to get out of my own way and walk more closely with God ever since.”

I did, in fact, remember her and I told her that the quote she was referring to was not my own and that it is often used. The miracle was that God allowed her and wanted her to hear that message in that moment and that she listened. The gift was not from me, but from Jesus. “After all,” I said, “He is your savior, rescuer, and redeemer, right?”

I admit, I was touched, the miracle continued, and I felt the touch of the Holy Spirit again as I listened to her words. But here is my point. I spoke and someone listened. I was a willing vessel and still am. And I have many similar stories of being used by God to help others. But it only happens when I speak. Usually, because I tell my story, or part of it. I share parts of me with others as I am led.

With the Stirring the Water podcast, we want you to be blessed because you heard something that helped, or because you tell your story, or parts of it, or just one miracle you have experienced, as you feel led. We will call you when someone contacts us to tell us how your words, (you are a vessel,) encouraged them. If you are nervous about sharing something

with us, and you want to ask us a few questions first, ask. Don’t let your anxiety stop you from possibly helping others. It works. This is how God intended for us to be with one another. And we will be blessed and grateful that you shared your blessings with us. I am so grateful to be led by God in this way, and I hope I am stirring your water, and you are being nudged a little, awakened, or led to give and receive the healing that happens when we meet in His name. When you are ready, send us your contact information and we will be in touch, or reach out to us directly.

Blessings

John

Stirring the Water,

443-266-7171

change@StirringtheWater.com

Be My Witnesses

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 The last words Jesus spoke before he was taken up into the cloud.

What better way is there to be His witness than to tell your story? Do you have a miracle story to tell? Whether your story is about your conversion, your healing, or a near death experience, it is a powerful witness, but only if you share it. There are people all over the world that need to hear a story like yours. They need to have a chance to be changed. To know that healing is real. That God is waiting to perform a miracle in their lives. Your story might be the one they need to hear. Your journey can become part of their journey. Your testimony can change lives.

Stirring the Water is interviewing people who have experienced life changing miracles for a podcast we have been led to create. Each miracle is part of a journey we can all share with a large audience. We can pray together, share miracles, and talk about the change and the journey and share the experiences with others who need to hear our stories. If you are reading this, chances are you are a Christian with a story, a disciple with a journey to share. You are and are meant to be a witness.

Please email, text, call or write us to schedule a brief conversation with us, we think you will find the Stirring the Water family, a more than comfortable place to share your story and to reach many.

443-266-7171

change@StirringtheWater.com

Encounter with Jesus

June 22, 2021

Listen to the audio recording for your own, personal encounter with Jesus:

Our Authority

Notes from “Stirring Tuesday” 6-15-21

We have authority over demons and Satan – yet we find so many ways to block our own healing, and even block our ability to be in the Spirit.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” John 14: 12-14

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. Luke 9: 1-2

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with ^a water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1: 4-8

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:39

This past month, in Zoom meetings, and in my posts, we have been going over stories in the Bible that, with a certain perspective, show how we stuff down painful memories of broken relationships and failures rather than bringing them into the light and sharing them with Jesus so that we can be healed. But, on one of last week’s posts, “A Lack of Knowing,” I quoted Moriba Sababu, about other reasons we can’t see the truth. When he wrote this he was replying to my post called “The 2 Blind Men,” about hiding from the truth, and for those who have not read that, I will read his quote now: “A lack of knowing makes us unable to ‘see’ the truth that we want to know, and this makes us ‘blind’ to that truth… this blindness can be compounded moreover, if we are kept in this myopic state by those around us, due to their ignorance, or their own selfish desires… but if we are adamant in our quest to know the truth… if we are willing to not be cowed by the naysayers seeded amongst us… and consciously look steadfast in the direction of the truth (for it is always within our grasp)… and speak forthright, with a firm belief that it will be revealed, our ‘eyes can be touched’… our vision will be expanded, and our blindness will ultimately disappear. We will then be able to ‘see’ what was once unseeable… and thereafter be able to follow that truth…”

So my goal here has been to delve into the things we intentionally use as blinders, many of which Jesus referred to specifically, because if we can see and understand, and acknowledge how we build our own walls between us and God, we will be that much closer to dealing with them and that much closer to really experiencing the kind of honest relationship Jesus is waiting for us to have with Him, and closer to moving forward with our lives the way we were meant to. I hope that this perspective has been as helpful to others as it has been to me in dealing with our own issues and obstacles. I would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives about these walls, our blindness, and also, our real authority to heal ourselves and others.

A Lack of Knowing

June 11, 2021

In some of my recent posts there is a reoccurring theme that I cannot deny. That, as adults, we all have buried painful memories in our minds that make it difficult to face ourselves and the ultimate truths about life that we need to understand to move forward. Notice I did not say some of us. I said, we all have them. This is why I believe that Jesus spends so much time throughout His ministry, then, and now, painting pictures, living pictures, of the act of forgiveness.

I wrote about the lame man at the pool of Bethesda who said someone else was always ready to be healed before him, and who that someone, (or someones,) was or were, in his mind keeping him from the healing pool. John 5:1

I wrote about the the two blind men by the wayside, (broken relationships and failures,) who we cover up for by stuffing them down in attempt to hide them from ourselves and from God. Matthew 20: 29

I wrote about how we need to enter, “the Kingdom Within,” with the help of the Holy Spirit and have a true encounter with Jesus to be healed of these demons. Luke 17:20

God has been presenting this theme to me for a while in many ways, including the conversations I’ve had with friends and family and in our “Stirring Tuesday,” Zoom meetings, and, I have been amazed and at times overwhelmed with the reactions and input I have received from so many. And the Holy Spirit has been good to me.

And, a fellow blogger, Moriba Sababu, added great insight into other ways in which we block ourselves from the truth and the ability to be at one with our creator in his blog: moribascorner in his post titled, “God’s Constitution.” Here is part of that post:

“A lack of knowing makes us unable to ‘see’ the truth that we want to know, and this makes us ‘blind’ to that truth… this blindness can be compounded moreover, if we are kept in this myopic state by those around us, due to their ignorance, or their own selfish desires… but if we are adamant in our quest to know the truth… if we are willing to not be cowed by the naysayers seeded amongst us… and consciously look steadfast in the direction of the truth (for it is always within our grasp)… and speak forthright, with a firm belief that it will be revealed, our ‘eyes can be touched’… our vision will be expanded, and our blindness will ultimately disappear. We will then be able to ‘see’ what was once unseeable… and thereafter be able to follow that truth…”

I believe all of these things, and more, are ways we avoid the truth and try to hide in the darkness, ways we get stuck in the darkness, so we won’t be naked and ashamed, standing next to a clean and sinless God, because we think that being unmasked will be painful. But that belief could not be further from the reality of the real truth, which is that the unburdening of the weight of our guilt and shame that comes with forgiveness of ourselves and others, and the understanding that we truly have already been forgiven by the one that matters most, gives us the one thing we have always truly needed: the willingness to be in a close, trusting relationship, a oneness, with our creator. We can be in a state of knowing that we are loved unmeasurably. Joy.

Without our burdens we can be excited and enthused about life again. And oh yeah, the original meaning of the Greek word for enthusiasm, enthousiasmos, is: with God, or, “possessed by a god inspired.” Hopefully this is all inspirational for myself and others to do whatever it takes, and go through whatever pain may be involved, to go inside ourselves and get through the layers of shameful memories and failures and live in the truth which ultimately is the point of knowing Christ.

The Kingdom Within

June 9, 2021

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17: 20

We need to stop. If we are imagining Jesus in some far off distant place beyond the stars called Heaven, waiting for someday when we are united to begin our encounter with Him, we need to stop.

Jesus is within. Heaven, the Kingdom of God is now. We need to meditate on it, ask the Holy Spirit for vision and enter the Kingdom within us so we can abide in Him as Jesus is already dwelling in us.

….When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. Luke 19:5 N

…‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, Jeremiah 42:10 NIV

… Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:10 NIV

…If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:10

The Two Blind Men

June 8, 2021

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. Matthew 20: 29-34, NIV

Joseph Murphy wrote in “How to Use Your Healing Power,” in 1957: Quote: “The two blind men refers to the average man who walks the earth because he is intellectually and emotionally blind. We have a conscious and subconscious mind, i.e., two phases or functions of the One Mind in all. If we do not consciously choose good thoughts and meditate on the lovely and beautiful, our intellect is blind. If we fail to realize and draw forth the wisdom, intelligence, and power of the subjective self, we are blind to the Kingdom of Heaven within. A blind man thinks that hard work will make him wealthy. He fusses, frets, and fumes because he doesn’t know, that wealth is simply a state of consciousness. The feeling of wealth produces wealth; the feeling of health produces health. Confidence in the One Eternal Source and aligning ourselves mentally with it will take the form of wealth, health, peace, and all the blessed things of life.. we will receive.

The cry of the world is Lord, that our eyes may be opened. Jesus is your awareness of the Spiritual Power within you and your capacity to use it so that you can rise above any predicament or limitation. The Bible says, Jesus touched their eyes. When you touch something, you become aware of it as a sensation, a feeling. You have made contact, so to speak. You touch the Spiritual Power or the Presence of God with your thought, your mental picture. And immediately their eyes received sight. This means that you will get an immediate response from the Spirit within you whose nature is responsiveness. You now receive your sight because you mentally perceive and lay hold of the Spiritual Power within you. You comprehend its nature and give it your sole allegiance and loyalty. The Maker of your eyes can heal your eyes. Jesus is always passing by for the simple reason that your desire is your Jesus.

Every problem has its solution or savior in the form of a desire. The desire is walking down the streets of your mind now. There is a multitude of fears, doubts, and anxious thoughts which challenges your desire and divides your allegiance. This is the multitude which, according to the parable, tries to restrain the blind men. But they cried the more, meaning that you must dynamically and decisively break through that motley crew of negative thoughts in your mind. You must push them all aside and have eyes only for your savior, i.e., your desire. Set your desire on high; love it; be loyal to it; kiss it affectionately; let it captivate you. You are now being loyal, and you will succeed in touching the Healing Presence. At the moment you touch It, the Infinite Healing Power flows through the channel you created and your prayer is answered. We should not ask for more Light. Rather, our prayer should be, “O God, give me eyes to see the Light.” The Light of God always was, now is, and ever shall be. It is wonderful.” (End quote)

Joseph Murphy was obviously into some scientific and metaphysical explanations for what He experienced in the Bible, but he was also a Christian who was originally, as a young man about to go into the ministry when he discovered he could help people dramatically by helping them understand the spiritual aspects, not just the history in the Bible. He also said you will never get what’s in the Bible if you only look at the history.

I see those 2 blind men as issues that you have stuffed down so far in your subconscious that you cannot heal them. Specifically, Broken Relationships and Failures that hurt so bad you do not want to look at them or relive them long enough to get over them or forgive yourself for them. And when Jesus passes by you cannot show Him because you are ashamed. So every time you get ready to receive the gifts that God has prepared for you, other thoughts show up and tell you, “you do not deserve the gifts, look what you did,” referring to the 2 blind men, (the relationships you ruined, the successes you failed to achieve) and they are pushed backed down into the darkness, still unhealed, still not intentionally shown to the God who forgives all. But God sees it anyway, and He knows what you did. And He loves you anyway, in-spite of your failures and He wants you to receive all the treasures He has in store for you. But you refuse to look because it hurts so much to see them.

So, what is the answer? The answer is the Kingdom of God, the place where you encounter Jesus, the Healer. You pray in the Spirit, let yourself be filled with the Holy Spirit, and ask God to open your eyes to the love He has for you, so that you finally see the meaninglessness of your previous failures. In God’s eyes they are gone

forever, and, in the Spirit, you see through God’s eyes. That is when Jesus is abiding, dwelling in your heart and mind where He wants to be. If we keep looking for Jesus in some far off, distant place, we will always miss Him. He is in our heart and mind.

So, you go inside your own mind with prayer and meditation to see the person, God, close-up and real, where He can speak to us one on one. If you continue to stuff memories and other things you cannot figure out, to hide them from yourself, your problems will eventually show up in physical forms, like disease, (which literally means dis-ease,) and depression, etc. but to find Jesus and give Him our issues, we find healing, because Jesus dispenses of our stubborn issues with ease. And that way we can go through life, instead of dis-eased, we can go with ease.

First Seek

June 5, 2021

First Seek.

Do you know that God doesn’t make mistakes and that He did not forget about you? Jesus was not just carelessly chatting away when he spoke to His followers. So, when he said, “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own,” Matthew 6: 33-34, (NIV,) He meant exactly that. If you seek first His kingdom, you will have nothing to worry about. Not just think about Him on Sundays, not just read the Bible and understand it’s history. Not just spend a few minutes every day asking for stuff. But seeking first His Kingdom. Making finding His kingdom the most important thing in our lives. So where is it? What is His kingdom? Before Jesus went back to His Father, He said He would send another to take His place. He would send the comforter, the Holy Spirit.

We can no longer be in the physical presence of Jesus all the time. But we can be in the presence of the infinite God when we experience the presence of the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with His spirit we are in the Kingdom. There we can have an understanding of who God is and how much He loves us from a higher place, with a much greater awareness of the spiritual world around us. We can see that He has already given us what we need, and all we have to do is stop listening to all the voices that tell us God meant everyone except us. That somehow we became the only one left out of His promise. Seek first the Kingdom of God and know that all we have to do is accept the gifts he has already given us. That there is a place already prepared for us in His house, in His kingdom. We just have to accept the gift. We can’t earn it. We can’t even give it away. It is there for us when we seek first His kingdom and truly believe He meant us. When we stop believing all the lies, get out from under the layers of our own issues, spend time in the Kingdom by being filled with the spirit, we will enjoy receiving everything we need.

Pray now to be filled with the Holy Spirit and accept God’s love. That is the meaning of seeking first, His kingdom.

Forgive so You Can See

June 2, 2021

Read Mark 11: 1-26

“Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11: 24-26.

When you are experiencing the pain consciously or subconsciously, of hurt or broken relationships, past failures or incomplete aspirations, it taints your perception of your current experience. Resentments and hurts must be cleared up before you can see the truth of how you and your life truly is in God’s eyes. Some of us have so many layers of negative experiences, we can’t possibly dig them all up, amend them, re-align them, clean them up and be done with them once and for all on our own, often not even with professional help. Forgiveness is not for the weak and it is not that simple for us.

Earlier in Mark 11, in 17 Jesus says, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers.” The people, the negative memories, the demons you continuously resend through your mind are robbing you of the love, the warm feelings and positive experiences God wants you to have. They are painful and stifling, but when they are too many for you to deal with on your own, remember Jesus can and will drive them out. When you are praying in secret, in the Spirit, in His Kingdom, “Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David,” verse 10, praying the way David prayed, Jesus can help you see what has already been promised to you, what your life should really look like to you. When you can see through His eyes, it is much easier to forgive. You must use your ability to be in the Spirit with Jesus to move forward with your life. Then you will know that whatever you ask for in prayer, you have already received.