| What About My Shoes? My story today is a simple one. What’s on your feet—spiritually speaking—has the power to change the world. A group of people were getting ready to go out and do their work in the world. One of them, a woman, began—out of habit—to put on her brown shoes. They were comfortable, she had always worn them, and she was used to them. She barely gave the decision a second thought. But then, for some reason, she did. As she took another look at the brown shoes, she realized that they were beyond worn out. How could she have missed that? They wouldn’t be adequate at all! Not only that, but there was a pair of black shoes right next to them that would be much more suitable for what she was getting ready to go out to do. In fact, the black shoes, she saw, once she put them on, were the ones that actually went with the rest of the clothing she already had on. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed that before now. She made the switch, and was glad that she had realized the need for it before she went out. Now she was ready to go. I want to challenge you: Will you ask God what he says about your shoes? Stand, therefore, with… your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. – Ephesians 6:14-15 (HCSB) Jesus Heals Again! On August 15, 2021, during a healing meeting I attended in Atlanta, Jesus healed me of longstanding significant chemical sensitivity and mold sensitivity. My medical doctor confirmed the healings on August 23, 2021. “… by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, NKJV). That’s good news! That’s who Jesus is! You can see more of my healing testimony at amylu-riley.com/healing-testimony. Our grade school teachers used to remind us, “Feet forward. Eyes on your own paper.” I want to remind us, “Feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. Eyes on Jesus.” Parting Words God did several amazing things for me in August. I expect the impact of all he did to reverberate into eternity. Among his precious—and some, entirely unexpected—gifts was the opportunity to meet an author who is a tremendous encouragement to me, and to get to talk with her about our shared focus on Jesus as the healer of all who come to him for healing. There was exuberant joy in that moment, as we resonated with the truth of who Jesus really is. If you or someone you care about is waiting for healing, or you have even recently lost a loved one, I realize that that statement may press a sore spot, and raise some questions. It used to really bug me when a Christian would make a bold statement related to healing, with no map of how they arrived at that conclusion, or of how I could get there from where I was. Believe me: I haven’t forgotten the many questions I had during my long wait for healing: several of my nonfiction books are filled with my search for answers. And I still have questions, and so much to learn. But, based on my experience (and healings received) so far, I am confident that the way forward is to believe what Jesus said and did, and not to limit our expectation based on what we haven’t yet seen. (See 2 Corinthians 5:7.) Our expectation of Jesus’s willingness to heal should be informed by his healing exploits recorded in the New Testament (in which he healed all who came to him for healing, of all their diseases), because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8, HCSB). And, then, our expectation should increase even further, because in John 14:12, Jesus said that those who believe in him would do even greater works than he had done. That’s good news. I want to leave the house wearing those shoes. To your freedom, health, and wholeness, AmyLu P.S. I’d love to hear what God says about your shoes. Just hit reply to send me an email. What I’m Writing: Inspirational Fiction I can’t wait to see how the latest story I’m writing ends. As I shared last month, I’m now writing the fourth story in my new inspirational fiction series. And I thought I knew how the whole thing would go, but then… someone unexpected moved to my fictional town, and another longtime resident made a big decision I hadn’t seen coming, and, now—well, I just can’t wait to see what happens next! This email community is the place for updates. I’ll let you know when the whole series is ready. Thank you for being here. I am grateful for you! Books by AmyLu Riley Jesus as Healer by AmyLu Riley Stay: Why I’m Still Here, A Spiritual Memoir by AmyLu Riley Faith with Grit for the Not-Yet Healed by AmyLu Riley Faith with Wings by AmyLu Riley All content copyright 2021 by AmyLu Riley. |
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