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!

What Are You Worth?

I ran across a job search website recently that has a tool called "Know Your Worth."  You enter some information about your previous experience, salary, and location, and the tool generates a number on the screen that estimates what you are "worth" in the job market.

Regardless of how high or low that number turns out to be, it is strange seeing any number that tells you what you are "worth."  But that's the world's view of your value, because from God's point of view, you are PRICELESS.

Matthew 10:29-31 tells us, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of  your Father.  And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered.  So don't be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows."

To go deeper with this concept, what have others, or even yourself, told you what you're worth?  Have parents, friends, your company, or others led you to believe you are a failure?  Are inadequate? Don't have what it takes?  Aren't attractive? Not smart enough? 

What about your sins?  Are you ashamed of your past? Do you have secret sins that nobody else knows about, that they will never know about?  We all have those secrets, so do they diminish our worth, even in the sight of God? 

We know that Jesus forgives sins, but that just means he chooses to overlook them, right? What does God see when He looks at us?  It must be pretty hard for Him to look at us, what with all the imperfections, bad choices, sins, thoughts, mistakes, fears, and doubts we have.

But that view just isn't the truth.  The song "Priceless" by the band For King and Country does a great job of describing how God sees us when He looks at us:

I see you dressed in white

Every wrong made right

I see a rose in bloom

At the sight of you (Oh so priceless)

Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable

Darling, it's beautiful

I see it all in you (Oh so priceless)

Do you really believe God sees you this way when He looks at His creation?  I'll admit I have difficulty grasping this truth.  I know anyone on earth who looks at me sees the flaws, sins, mistakes, and other imperfections of my life, and I would be ashamed if they knew everything I've done or thought. But amazingly, the God of the universe, who created you, knows you intimately, and knows everything you have done (and will do), still sees someone who is dressed in white, sees a rose in bloom, and is so happy He made you. 

Academically, we see in Scripture that God loves us, that Jesus died for our sins, and that we are new creations in Him.  But do you accept this in your Spirit? Do you live your life in full confidence of His love for you, no matter what you have done or will do? That God doesn't see your past, your sins, or what others say about you? 

Jesus saw YOU on the cross, and chose to die for YOU, so He could spend eternity in an intimate relationship with YOU.  Reflect on this truth and challenge yourself to answer how you really feel about what God thinks your worth, and open your heart to the truth that you are truly PRICELESS.   

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."

- Ephesians 3:17-18

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8

-Adam Gellert

adamgellert.com

P.S. There are women and children around the world that are being sold at a price and don't understand what they are really worth.  Check out the Priceless Movement here to help combat human trafficking which is running rampant across the world.

Prayers of a Father

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. - James 5:16

One night when I was about seven or eight years old, I was sleeping in my bed when I was awakened by my dad, who was praying over me, weeping as he prayed with passion over his son.  I was facing the other way, so he didn't know I was awake, and I never told him that I was aware of his praying over me that night. 

But I also never forgot what happened that evening, and the assurance I felt knowing my father was probably doing this on a regular basis.  It had such a big impact on me, that when I was graduating from college many years later, I bought him a framed copy of the picture you see here, of a father praying over his son.  You can also see on the other side of the window, an angel is fighting against a dark figure trying to get into the room.

When I presented the framed picture to him, I told him about the night many years ago when I had been awakened by his praying over me.  He didn't know I was awake, and didn't remember that particular night since he did the same thing so often.  I shared with him that this picture represents perfectly my memory of that night, and that I was thankful to have a father who was faithful in praying for his children.  We both wept in front of the large group of relatives who had traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to see me graduate, and it was a wonderful bookend to that season of our lives. 

As I reflect on that event today, I wonder what my dad's prayers did for me as I grew up.  Did they prevent me from making bad choices when confronted with temptations in high school or college?  Was God honoring his faithful prayers when I changed my mind and went out with friends one Thursday night, only to meet my future wife at the place we visited?  What present and future parts of my life's journey will be impacted by the prayers of my father, mother, grandparents, and others who have prayed for me over the years, maybe even before I was born? 

And now that I have children of my own, I make it a point to regularly visit their bedside while they are asleep, asking God for favor over their lives, for the love of God to fill their hearts with passion for Him, and for them to be the "head and not the tail, above and not beneath."  Maybe they'll wake up one night and know their father is praying over them, or maybe they will never know.  But the "prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective", so I know I am making an impact on their lives and continuing the legacy of my father's faithfulness in prayer.

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us; and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. - 1 John 5:14-15

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Focus on My Voice

It seems strange to connect a message from God to a secular movie, but when I was going through a difficult season recently, that's just what I was given...

In the movie, "Man of Steel", featuring the superhero Superman, the young Clark Kent is struggling with the abilities he was given as an alien in another world.  While seeing in x-ray vision, hearing everything around you in a super sensitive environment, and having super strength seem like fun things to have, we learn that it takes time to adapt to these abilities, and Clark goes through a lot of teasing at school for not being "normal."

One day, while being bombarded with sensory overload at school, Clark bursts out of his classroom and locks himself in a closet, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut to the world around him.  The school calls his mother, who comes to the door of the closet to try to comfort her son.

"The world's too big, mom," cries Clark.  "Then make it small," his mother responds. 

She then says, "Focus on my voice, pretend it's an island, out in the ocean.  Do you see it?"  Clark responds yes, and is able to focus on her voice and drown out the other noise around him.  He is also able to recall this moment later in the movie when faced with adversity, and is able to overcome the challenge with this focus. (You can see the exchange here)

I was facing a similar situation recently of feeling overwhelmed by life, with challenges at work, in my personal life, and with trying to figure out God's plan for my life.  I was so overwhelmed by worries that seemed to be coming from everywhere.  While kneeling by my bedside in prayer, I heard God say, "Focus on my voice." 

Hearing the voice of the Father always brings relief into any situation, because with His voice comes peace, joy, and comfort.  His voice will always drown out the noise of everything else, if you focus on Him.  Jesus said, "and the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:3)

Does the world seem too big right now?  Then make it small.  Focus on God's voice, pretend it's an island, where only you and He sit, comforted by the washing of the waves, and the tranquility of God's presence.  He will lead you to "quiet waters."

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." - Revelation 3:20

-Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com

Activated to Serve

A good friend of mine recently introduced me to an amazing woman of God, Kathy Craft, who has been called to serve the Kingdom by laying a Christian foundation for the children of the school she founded, Abundant Grace Christian Montessori Academy, the only faith-based Montessori school in Southlake, Texas.  Her story is an inspiration to anyone seeking to be "activated" into God's calling for their lives. I sat down with Kathy recently to learn more about her school and the story of how she found her calling, and I left energized and encouraged by her passion and faith, trust in God, and desire to steward children.

Kathy has a degree in Accounting and worked for the government for 16 years.  Her husband of 37 years was also successful in a corporate career.  When her children were young and Kathy was working in a corporate job, they had to let their nanny go, and Kathy prayed to God to give her a person who could take care of her kids.  God told her, "You are that person!" Kathy was obedient to God's voice, and quit her job to stay home with her two boys.  God imprinted on her that her job was not her "source", and He would never fail in being her true Source.

When her kids started going to school, she began volunteering in the children's ministry at her church, and that's when she realized she had found her calling - she absolutely loved working with children!  She learned more about the educational approach used by Maria Montessori, the Italian physician and educator who developed the Montessori philosophy of education, which focuses on educating the "whole" child - heart, mind, body, and spirit.  Kathy became certified to teach, and partnered with her husband to start up a Montessori school, while he explored starting up a church.

Kathy and her husband took the leap and started looking for space to host the school.  One night, God woke her up from her sleep to tell her that she needed to go to a certain road in town.  She assumed He meant a church she knew of on that road, but when she visited the church, she was told they didn't have enough space, and she should try another church down the road. She wasn't aware that there was another church in that location, but she drove over and sure enough, it was there.  This was a Monday, and it turns out that the pastor did not usually come in on Mondays, but had decided to come in that day for some reason.  He quickly agreed to lease the space to Kathy and her school! 

Two years later, Kathy and her husband decided to look for their own property so they could add a church, and another miracle presented itself with the property they currently own.  A realtor learned of the available space, but they didn't have the money needed to buy the property. They were connected to a bank who approved a loan on the building, which should have been difficult to obtain!

With the many miracles and open doors God has provided Kathy and her school, she knows she is living in God's purpose for her life.  She does not take a salary from the school, so she can pay the teachers who work there. Kathy and her husband rely on his retirement income, and God's provision as she builds up her student body.  As Kathy puts it, "God wants to give you the desires of your heart.  If you follow His vision, He will give you provision."

Today, Kathy says she's not anxious any more like she was when working out of her calling in the corporate world.  She "doesn't have to hold her breath any more", and can just breathe easy, trusting God in what He will do with Kathy and her ministry of serving the children of her community.  She is excited to come to work every day, knowing she is operating in God's will for her life, and enjoying every moment making an impact on a child's life.  She continues to have ups and downs and has faced obstacles as she grows her school, but Kathy isn't fearful of these obstacles, because she is focused on the vision and promises He has given her.

Are you "holding your breath" in your current situation? Do you feel like you are living in God's purpose for your life?  Ask God to speak to you clearly in this season.  My prayer is that He will open doors to allow for your true calling to be revealed to you.  This doesn't necessarily mean you have to quit what you're doing now and serve in a ministry environment like Kathy, but you will know you are where you are supposed to be when God gives you peace and a passion to get up every day, excited about the work you've been given and the opportunity He has given you to serve Him and His Kingdom.

For more information on Kathy Craft and Abundant Grace Christian Montessori Academy, visit their website at http://www.agcma.com/ or their Facebook page.

- Adam Gellert
adamgellert.com