Month: January 2018

Following God and Serving

Annette CoffeyLeave a comment

You have to make a choice in life who you will serve. Either you choose God or you will end up serving something else. Maybe it will be someone good and fair. But can they give you blessings or eternal life. God says in His word how much he loves us. Even at our worst he wants us to come to him. He wants to make your life the very best that it could ever be.

God doesn’t just desire a casual acquaintance. He wants a relationship with you. Spending time together. Good quality time. As I was growing up I was blessed with a good Christian family. He blessed me in so many ways that I didn’t even realize till I was almost fifty. Things I took for granted. I didn’t know what I had. A loving Christian family with both a mom and dad who adored each other.

Loving and caring brothers and a sister who shared everything with me. We were in church each Sunday. My family read the word together during are great family dinners each night. Vacation Bible school spent with my friends making crafts and bible learning games and skits.

In summertime I went to church camp for a week and spent time with God meeting new friends. But other than that I just lived my life. I knew all about God and Bible stories. I could name all the books in the Bible and got a trophy for that but, didn’t really do anything about it. I was a Christian from five years old but I didn’t really know Him.

Even as an adult I attended church with my family but did not have any fruit in my life. I was a good person but had no personal relationship with God or Christ. I didn’t spend much time with Him beyond church just living my life. It wasn’t till I had my stroke and started looking deeper into who God really was to me. I met a wonderful woman who loved God so much and was always talking about her and God. All he did for her and all she was doing for Him. She was our care home chaplain .

She knew something I didn’t. I was determined to find out. At the time I had committed to reading my bible every morning. That was a good start because I would start in Genesis and read every word. Then start all over again. I would read several pages each day. After a few years I was really understanding who God was and how he would act in different situations.

I told myself this is God’s Holy inspired word and I would believe each and every word. This started changing my behavior. I would be careful to keep his commands and do what he said. Each time I would read a new thought would pop up. I didn’t remember reading before.

I decided to listen to Christian music and would sit outside with my earphones on and listen for a long time. One year I made a resolution to start praying every day. For my family, my caregivers, my nurses and my church chaplain. These prayers grew from five minutes to where I now wake up when the caregivers check on me at 4:00am till breakfast comes at 8:30. Some of that time I nod off or sit and listen to God chat with me.

He will tell me so much and time spent with him is so sweet. I can think of so many people to pray for and so much to bring to him that I sometimes keep praying longer.

If you don’t have a dream of your own then start by praying for others. I prayed for everyone in my life and their dreams, I prayed for more love for others. More love for God and his ways. Then just watch God work. Until you have your own dream to pray for like living the life he gave me.

The relationship I share with God is so great. I have seen so many prayers answered and every day I spend more and more time with him.

I always start every morning thanking him for a brand new day to spend with him.

And always tell him to help me do all he has for me. Let me be part of what you are doing in the word. He has made my life so exciting and has shown me so many things to do for Him.

Following him now means finding a need and helping to fill it. I spend my time trying to make others happy. That might mean teaching a bible study about my closest friend. The one I love spending time with. New Year’s Day he gave me an awesome gift he told me we were leaving this nursing home and returning to my family home in the pines.

He has a lot of new things to teach me and new things to do for him there. I will be living in a home with in home help. I don’t know what my life has in store for me. What challenges I might face. But, I know who does and am willing to follow him to the ends of the world to do it all.

How big is your God?

Annette CoffeyLeave a comment

How big is your God? That is how big your dreams for your life should be. I learned the Bible at a young age. I became a Christian when I was just five. But my parents read the Bible to us every evening during dinner. When I was big enough I read to the family. I believed what I heard. One time when I was older a minister asked us if we really believed the Bible or just the parts we liked. Some of the commandments can be hard to live.

It was that day that I decided. The Bible is true. God said it and I believed it. That settled it in my mind. From that day on every time I read the word I tried to imagine it actually happening. I would play the scenes in my head like I was there. I held Gods promises and commands for me in my heart.

In my years at the nursing home I have gotten so close to God. He’s my friend and I can spend hours talking to him. I hear him speak back to me and always commit to doing everything he asks me to do. So when he began stirring my heart about moving out of this home I was excited.

I believe God and trust God. My God can do anything and will whenever he sees fit. For twelve years I have been in this home. It was God who brought me to this home after my stroke in 2005. I came with the intent to learn to walk again. That never happened but he taught me to accept that. He told me that one day I would go home, but to rest in him for the time being. I was very content in my new home and never thought of leaving.

It was New Year’s Day when the Lord woke me up and said we are going to move. Confirming what I felt in my spirit for a couple weeks. He opened doors I never even imagined. Things started falling into place and it seemed overwhelming to me. He gave me a verse to hold on to. 1 Corinthians 2:9

“No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has conceived, what God has planned for those who love him.” NIV

Right after this began my family went ballistic there was no way I was leaving this home. My hometown was out of the question. God warned me this might not be easy. Following God isn’t always easy. He was mocked, and criticized even beaten till the point of death for me. When God told Moses he was going to use him to free the people from Egypt was it easy. NO, there were many trials. Right up to the Red Sea. But the bigger the trials, the bigger the reward in the end. If I never was told that I was crazy then I must not be dreaming big.

You see I come from Dream City Church. Where the man we call the Pope, Tommy Barnett, teaches us all to get a God sized dream. If your dream seems impossible and it could only happen with your Gods help then your dream is a God sized dream.

He once had a dream to jog all the way to Los Angeles from Phoenix to start the very first Dream Center. It happened and now there are hundreds of Dream Centers around the world.

God thinks big. People throughout history have accomplished great things with God’s help. Before the light bulb was a huge success, he made a thousand attempts to get the filament just right. He did not fail 1000 times. It just took longer for that success.

President Lincoln ran for office many times before he became president.

Every good and perfect thing comes from God. The harder it is to get there the sweeter the reward. Depending on how big you see God to be the farther he can take you.

I am in the best health, best strength, best mind, and best spirit than I have ever been. At least since the stroke. If God says we’re moving. Then we are moving. Just the other day my family met with authorities here to talk about me. Trying to save me from myself. My mind may not be all there or just right, they thought. Just because I am so adamant to do what I strongly believe God is showing me to do.

Well when God wants to do something he will. Even without everyone’s permission. This move will happen if and when God wills. I will be right there.

“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3. NIV

The Puzzle

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God showed me that life is one extremely large puzzle that He is putting together. Every piece is lovingly placed where he knows is best for us. Only he knows what is best for us. He knows everyone he has ever made over thousands of years. He places other people in our lives just when we need them.

I can look back over my life and see where people have come into my life at just the right moment that I truly needed them. Just before my stroke I had strayed away from the Lord and was living”my” life my way on my own. After my stroke God sent a beautiful woman that I highly respected to me. I was hurting mentally from the recent stroke. God sent her to read the Bible to me and pray for me. It was a very big turning point in my life. I saw how much I need God and began reading every day on my own and twelve plus years later I wouldn’t miss a morning.

I have learned so much about the Lord and his ways over those years. The more I know him the more I want to know. I went to live in Phoenix at a nursing home with rehab to work at getting my life back. It was a difficult move but God placed me there with wonderful people who had great influence on my life.

I have learned how to serve them and influence others with God’s love. He has shown me that my handicap is not stopping me from making a difference in the world.

He once told me “Bloom where you are planted” and that is what I have done. In my time here he has helped me to write three wonderful books that honor him. Because I can’t make money or have much money. I have been able to give my books to others and bless them.

Now he is moving me to another part of his puzzle. Back to the town I lived in at the time of the stroke. My previous business partner offered me his home to live in and it benefits both of us. He has always been a father figure to me and mine has passed on. We need each other right now. His wife died a year ago and he is lonely. It gives both the opportunity to be needed I can be there for him and watch out for some of his needs and he can be there for me. Living together is like family again. I love him dearly and want the best for him.

That is what being part of God’s puzzle is all about. You never know when a new or old friend is coming into your life at just the right moment for just the right time. Anyone you come in contact with might be God’s special puzzle piece.

I have been reading lately about faith. Faith is doing what God has for your life even if you don’t know how it will work out.

A Brand New Day

Annette CoffeyLeave a comment

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. We get to have only one life so make the best of it. As the new year starts there are many changes we want to make in our lives. For me I am planning a move back to my hometown. Looking forward with great excitement it’s always good to stop and pray about it. It will be a big change for me with my disabilities. The Lord has great things planned for me and I can’t wait to discover them.

I have the support of some really great people and care workers. But as we all look to make changes we need to be doing it all for the Lord and seeking his guidance. Spend time each day talking to God and seeking his wisdom. Spend time each day in his word. As you read you will understand more of what the mind of Christ is. Learning his commandments so you can keep them.

Making resolutions is great we all have things we want to do better or change. I myself have problems judging people by their actions. I need to remember that they are all God’s children. He loves each and everyone of them. They may be far from him. Lost. But they do not know what they are doing. As Christians we have higher standards to live by.

“ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NIV

By leaning on him he will help you. We can’t always change ourselves by willpower alone. We may want to break bad habits such as drinking, smoking, or drugs. With God we can. Maybe it’s just bad habits or procrastination.

Let’s make decisions the way Christ would. Go out and make it the best year yet.