Atomic Prayers

I was watching a television show recently about the period of time in United States history when the government tested atomic bombs in Nevada.  It was interesting to learn how atomic bombs don't get their power from the large plume of smoke that rises into the atmosphere; while that may be dazzling to see visually, the real devastation comes from the shock wave that screams across the landscape at over 500 miles per hour.  You've probably seen the videos of the effects of these shockwaves, which instantly raze buildings to the ground with forces many times stronger than a hurricane.

Amazingly, the very next day after watching this show, I was viewing an episode of Sid Roth's TV show, It's Supernatural.  Sid was interviewing a man who had a near-death encounter with Jesus as his body was laying on an operating table.  Jesus took the man to the Nevada desert, where He asked the man to pray.  When the man prayed, an atomic bomb exploded in front of them, just like the tests in Nevada.  Jesus explained to the man, "Do you see the shock waves coming from the blast? Your prayers are like these shock waves in the spiritual world!  They are demolishing strongholds with the force of an atomic bomb!"

My body got chills as I sat listening to this testimony.  Since I had just seen another show on this same topic the day before, it was very clear to me that God was sharing an important insight with me, one that greatly encourages me to know that my prayers have that kind of effect. 

I think we all like the tangible, visible experiences we can have with God - the witnessing of physical healings, financial blessings, the warmth of God's presence, and the like.  But many times, at least in my experience, prayer takes work and commitment, because we don't always see an immediate, tangible result.  Our prayers may be impacting our children or grandchildren many years from now, or people across the world that we will never meet or even know.  I envy intercessors who spend time in constant prayer, with the faith that they may not see the result of their prayers in this lifetime.  I'll admit it takes more work for me because I like to see that what I'm doing is producing results that I can see, touch, and feel. 

But this is why I believe Jesus so clearly showed me the analogy of our prayers being like atomic bombs, and wants to encourage all of us to use this incredible weapon called prayer. Atomic bombs are the most feared weapon in our world, and the same can be said about our prayers in the spiritual world.  The enemy fears our prayers, and prayer produces amazing results.  I challenge you to pray as much as possible, even when you may not see the results of your prayers in your lifetime.  You are sowing seeds that will bear fruit in due season, and you are helping win battles in unknown places, on this earth and in the spiritual realms!

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." - 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Are You George Bailey?

The movie It's a Wonderful Life is my favorite Christmas movie.  Released in 1947 and starring Jimmy Stewart, the movie centers around George Bailey, a fictional character who grows up in a small town in New York called Bedford Falls.  He has big dreams from an early age to leave the town and see the world.  He plans to become an architect and build incredible buildings, creating a life of adventure that the others in the town can only dream about.

But as the movie unfolds, George is prevented from leaving Bedford Falls every time he has the chance to do so.  First, his father dies as he is leaving for college, and he is forced, through his sense of duty and honor, to take over the family Building and Loan business.  As George is leaving for his honeymoon to finally get a chance to see some of the places he wanted to travel to, there's a run on the banks and he must use his honeymoon savings to save the Building and Loan in a time of crisis.  Finally, with the little money the family does have, they decide to use it to send George's younger brother, Harry, to college.  Harry ends up serving in World War II and becoming a war hero, earning the Medal of Honor. 

As George watches his life's dreams pass him by, and others from Bedford Falls leave to find wealth and success elsewhere, George dutifully serves his town and helps the poorer families build houses, saving them from the local rich, wicked banker.  He marries a woman in town and has many children, when he hadn't intended on getting married due to his life ambitions.  But when his uncle accidently loses the Building and Loan's funds, everything George worked for seems to be lost, as he faces arrest and scandal. 

George Bailey reaches his wit's end, and in thinking that the end may be near for him, he prepares to jump off a bridge outside of town, when an angel who has been watching George's life unfold saves him.  George tells the angel he wishes he'd never been born, because of the failures of his life, so the angel grants the request and shows him what the town of Bedford Falls would have been like if George hadn't been born.  It's a shocking reality, and George finally sees that he had a much bigger, better impact on the world than he ever realized.

I must admit that I have always related to George Bailey.  I have lived most of my life in the same city, although I went away to college and spent a couple of years in another city due to a work assignment.  Every time I lived away from "home", I loved the sense of adventure, the chance to see something new.  Now that I'm back home once more, I long for the chance to venture out again into the "wild" of a new and exciting place.  When I talk of leaving town, I tell my family (and myself), "I don't want to be George Bailey", knowing I only have a small window of time to see the world and take part in what I view as a true "adventure".

But what if that's not what God has called for my life?  Will I be content to make an impact from the place He may be calling me to serve?  What if, ironically, the real adventure is here?  Would I trade the opportunity to make a bigger, better impact at "home" for what could be a shallow and selfish experience somewhere else, that has little lasting result?  Like George Bailey, can you see the impact you've had on others' lives, that would be missing if you had never been born, or if you had chosen a different path than what you were called into?

Maybe you have had the same thoughts and frustrations.  Like George Bailey, you had dreams and desires that never came to fulfillment because honor and duty led you down a different path.  Or from a different view, maybe you've had the chance to travel the world, but you long for a place to call "home."  In either case, God has an adventure in store for you, and it may look different than what you have planned.  Open your heart to God and ask him to reveal your true calling and purpose, and God will faithfully show you that if you follow His plans for you, in the end you will be able to say, "It's Been a Wonderful Life!" 

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!" - Ephesians 3:20 (The Message Translation)

-Adam Gellert

adamgellert.com

The Power in God's Silence

My wife and I had a difficult journey trying to start a family.  It took us almost five years to have our first child.  Then we lost twins, a boy and a girl, at 19 weeks of pregnancy. 

After this extreme loss, God quickly responded by giving me promises of another child.  In my despair and mourning, He pointed me to a story from the book of Genesis in the Bible, where Adam and Eve had Seth after losing Abel.  He showed me the story of King David, who lost a child and was comforted by the birth of another son, Solomon.  With these promises in hand, it was so amazing, but not all that surprising, when we learned that my wife was pregnant again only six weeks after losing the twins.

But after a smooth first 24 weeks, complications arose.  My wife was monitored for contractions in the emergency room, and she had to go on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.  We had many touch and go moments, with frequent visits to the ER where we thought we may lose our baby.

I started to doubt the promises I had been given from God, and wondered if I had heard Him correctly. I decided to fast one day, and during that day, I waited for a word from God.  I was looking for something, anything to show me that God was still there, that I had heard from Him and this baby was going to be okay.

But there was silence that entire day and evening.  I didn't hear anything, and nothing came to mind.  It was strangely silent, even purposefully so. 

As I got up from my knees to close out my final prayer time that day, I was left with the strong impression that God was telling me He had nothing more to say about the matter - He had already given me His promises.  I was now to trust Him at His word. 

As you would expect, my son is six years old today and doing great.  It was a difficult journey, but we are enjoying the family God promised us.

It's okay to ask God for confirmation, and there are many examples in the Bible of God confirming what He has spoken to someone.  But what if He is silent?  Do you still trust Him to fulfill the promises He has laid on your heart? 

It may take longer than you expect to see God's promises fulfilled, but He is ALWAYS faithful to complete it.  Abraham had to wait 20 years after God told him he would have a son, before Sarah gave birth to Isaac.  It took many years of hardship for David to see God's promise of kingship come to pass. 

Even though God may appear to be silent, He is ALWAYS active, ALWAYS at work in bringing you to the fulfillment of His purposes and promises for your life.  Silence does NOT mean inactivity. 

Trust God in the silence  - there is power in the silence, and He will honor your trust with the right answers at the appointed time!

"The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:24

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." - Philippians 1:6

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

P.S. Ironically, right after I posted this article, I saw a preview for a new movie coming out in 2017 called "Silence," about two Jesuit priests who travel to Japan to find their mentor, and face persecution in sharing their faith.  In the preview, one of the priests expresses frustration about only hearing silence in the face of his struggles. It looks good, check out the preview here!