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Psalm 119: 116
Sustain me according to your word, that I may live and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
I would like to take a few moments today and thank all of you who have been praying for me. I ask that you continue to do so as I pray for each of you also. Today's message is called. Put down that chisel.
I have been fighting sickness for a long time and have seen many miracles that have kept me from going on to heaven. It is because of your prayers that Father had mercy on heaven and kept me on earth. Serious about your prayers but just kidding about the mercy on heaven part.
A few weeks ago I began to get weaker and weaker and along with the normal pain that I endure most days I got to the point of hopelessness. Recently the pain was so awful that even my heart began to skip and miss several beats at a time. Even though I've seen the healing hand of God so many times, on this day I just decided it was easier to give up than it was to fight it off.
I managed to crawl out of bed and decided that if I was going to die I wasn't going to do it laying down. Maybe it's the way I was raised or maybe it is just stubbornness.
So I got up and I set out to my favorite home store to die on the lumber aisle. I'm not a great carpenter, not really even a good carpenter, but I do love to do woodworking as a hobby. I love the smell of lumber and like most men I love power tools.
So I walked among the boards for a while and then managed to drag myself around the corner to the tools. My heart kept sputtering and I fully expected that I was done and would get to clock out and go home any minute. But what I expected was not what I got. I had an encounter with God alright. But not the call to come home I was expecting.
As I stood in the tool aisle a wood chisel caught my eye. I already have wood chisels and don't know why I was drawn to this one in particular. I reached out and picked it up off the shelf and I heard the voice of Jesus so loud that I thought surely the tools would fall off the shelf. Usually Jesus speaks to me softly and gently and kindly. On this day I got the kindly part but not the soft, gentle version. He shouted “PUT DOWN THAT CHISEL!
As I stood in the tool aisle a wood chisel caught my eye. I already have wood chisels and don't know why I was drawn to this one in particular. I reached out and picked it up off the shelf and I heard the voice of Jesus so loud that I thought surely the tools would fall off the shelf. Usually Jesus speaks to me softly and gently and kindly. On this day I got the kindly part but not the soft, gentle version. He shouted “PUT DOWN THAT CHISEL!
It scared me so bad that I jumped and scared the people next to me.I threw that chisel toward the rack it used to hang on and stepped back. I asked Lord “what is wrong with that chisel.” Then he answered in the soft kind voice he usually speaks to me in. He said “not that chisel my son, but the one in your mind that is carving your name on your tombstone. Put that thing down because it's not time yet. It's not time to come home. You have many things left to do and many people to share my love with.”
I stood there for a moment and began to feel much better. He spoke to me again and gave me the words to a song, so I rushed out of the store and wrote it down. He asked me to share these words with you because many of you are just like me. You are facing odds that doctors tell you can't be beat. Many of you know your only hope is in God, but where else should it be? Many of you face pain and impossible situations every day.
Don't let others condemn you and tell you that your faith is broken or you wouldn't have problems. There is no shame in having illness or trouble. Don't be condemned, be comforted by Holy Spirit who came to comfort us. Maybe Jesus knew we needed comforting so he sent us The Comforter. Who needs comfort but those who are uncomfortable? Go and read Hebrews chapter eleven about all the ones whom the world was not worthy of. They lived in caves and holes in the ground and even though they died they didn't give up their hope or their faith.
The main thing is to remember that if you are born again your life is in the hands of your heavenly Father. Even when you become like I was and didn't have the strength or faith to fight another day, he is still faithful. Your life, your healing, your deliverance from your problems is all in him.
This is why the scripture says to have faith “in God.” Don't have faith in your prayers, don't have faith in the methods you have been taught that attempt to get God to do what he already gave us when Christ rose from the dead. Have faith in him and in his love. Believe the message of Christ but don't forget he is not a message, he is a person with a message. That message is that you are loved and no matter what your facing today, it is not over until he says it is.
He is not saying it's over to you right now or you wouldn't be hearing these words I am sharing with you. So I will tell you what He told me.
PUT DOWN THAT CHISEL!
Here are the words so you can sing along and if you click on the link that says “song” you will hear the song called “Put Down That Chisel.
Song
Verse one,
You may think you're old, but you're not through.
My kingdom still needs building and I was hoping I could count on you,
I stood there for a moment and began to feel much better. He spoke to me again and gave me the words to a song, so I rushed out of the store and wrote it down. He asked me to share these words with you because many of you are just like me. You are facing odds that doctors tell you can't be beat. Many of you know your only hope is in God, but where else should it be? Many of you face pain and impossible situations every day.
Don't let others condemn you and tell you that your faith is broken or you wouldn't have problems. There is no shame in having illness or trouble. Don't be condemned, be comforted by Holy Spirit who came to comfort us. Maybe Jesus knew we needed comforting so he sent us The Comforter. Who needs comfort but those who are uncomfortable? Go and read Hebrews chapter eleven about all the ones whom the world was not worthy of. They lived in caves and holes in the ground and even though they died they didn't give up their hope or their faith.
The main thing is to remember that if you are born again your life is in the hands of your heavenly Father. Even when you become like I was and didn't have the strength or faith to fight another day, he is still faithful. Your life, your healing, your deliverance from your problems is all in him.
This is why the scripture says to have faith “in God.” Don't have faith in your prayers, don't have faith in the methods you have been taught that attempt to get God to do what he already gave us when Christ rose from the dead. Have faith in him and in his love. Believe the message of Christ but don't forget he is not a message, he is a person with a message. That message is that you are loved and no matter what your facing today, it is not over until he says it is.
He is not saying it's over to you right now or you wouldn't be hearing these words I am sharing with you. So I will tell you what He told me.
PUT DOWN THAT CHISEL!
Here are the words so you can sing along and if you click on the link that says “song” you will hear the song called “Put Down That Chisel.
Song
Verse one,
You may think you're old, but you're not through.
My kingdom still needs building and I was hoping I could count on you,
If your heart's still beating then you ought to be preaching.
Get off your blessed assurance and start spreading my good news.
Chorus
Put down that chisel, put away that stone,
there's way too much that needs doing for you to think about going home,
Put down those funeral plans, pick up your bible.
Stop planning your departure, start preparing for revival.
Verse Two.
No you haven't seen your better days,
You've got my Holy Spirit and you've got my amazing grace,
I know all your problems and I bore all your pain.
There's still power in my blood, there's still healing in my name.
Repeat chorus
Bridge
Don't go writing your name on a cold, hard stone,
it's not the time to be thinking about sending your saddle home.
Put down that chisel, put away that stone,
there's way too much that needs doing for you to think about going home,
Put down those funeral plans, pick up your bible.
Stop planning your departure, start preparing for revival.
I hope you are encouraged by these words.
Until next time Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
Get off your blessed assurance and start spreading my good news.
Chorus
Put down that chisel, put away that stone,
there's way too much that needs doing for you to think about going home,
Put down those funeral plans, pick up your bible.
Stop planning your departure, start preparing for revival.
Verse Two.
No you haven't seen your better days,
You've got my Holy Spirit and you've got my amazing grace,
I know all your problems and I bore all your pain.
There's still power in my blood, there's still healing in my name.
Repeat chorus
Bridge
Don't go writing your name on a cold, hard stone,
it's not the time to be thinking about sending your saddle home.
Put down that chisel, put away that stone,
there's way too much that needs doing for you to think about going home,
Put down those funeral plans, pick up your bible.
Stop planning your departure, start preparing for revival.
I hope you are encouraged by these words.
Until next time Grow Rich in His Grace,
I love you all,
michael
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