Tag Archives: Brian Hardin
The One Who Had Been
Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Mark 5:15
I read the above scripture and meditated on the words, “the one who had been”.
Courtesy of Creative Commons
The one who had been demon-possessed and had a legion, was sitting with Jesus in his right mind.
Glory!
Only someone who has been delivered can jump up and praise Him.
Yes, I was delivered from much.
I willingly walked into the devil’s camp and did some things I’m not proud of.
I look back and see the hand of God and His mercy allowing me to do so, because He wanted me to know Him and His power.
I’m not into the hokey pokey magic, fortune telling, divination, name it and claim it Christianity. I speak against all that new age spiritualism.
God taught me a lot through my spiritual experiences, in crossing the threshold.
The spiritual realm is real. Spiritual warfare is real. What you see isn’t all there is.
If you are truly living as a Christian, whether you like it or not, you are in a war.
This morning while walking to work I was listening to the Daily Audio Bible which is my practice. Brian Hardin read the above verse from the gospel of Mark.
As I was listening, the Lord opened my eyes to see the spiritual realm for a moment. I saw various people in bondage to the devil. One disheveled woman was yelling on the top of her lungs, another man was talking to a wall, another man was cursing and speaking profanities at everyone around him.
For whatever reason, these manifestations where surrounding me and for a minute, I wanted to be like the apostles of old and start laying hands on people and praying for their deliverance. Then I caught myself …
What stopped me? Fear, disbelief and lack of faith.
Yes, I understand some people are mentally ill, but not all people are mentally ill, some people are actually demon possessed.
I started to think about Jesus and the scriptures. I felt a surge rise up from within me, my heart began accelerating, I felt boundless energy. I really wanted to take God at His Word. But then, fear got in the way… I thought, what will people think of me if I stopped and prayed for these people? People who are looked down upon and called crazy.
But God doesn’t think they are crazy, Jesus loves and died for them.
My heart longs to see people set free by the power and blood of Jesus.
Jesus isn’t some historical figure left in some book for us to read.
Jesus is alive, He is real and He has the power to set people free. I truly believe this with all my heart.
I see people every day who are in bondage. I want to speak the oracles of God and allow the Holy Spirit to open their eyes to Jesus. So they too can be set free and not live entangled by the lies and torment.
Jesus isn’t called the Prince of Peace for nothing. He died on the cross for us, so that we can have abundant life, a life of freedom and not bondage. He wants everyone to be set free, to experience His love, peace and joy.
Jesus holds the key to your deliverance today. Will you believe?
What would happen if we actually took Jesus at His Word?
Yes, I guess some people would think we were a bit extreme and radical even. But, what if we stepped out and prayed for others who are being tormented and living in bondage?
Imagine if we prayed and they were instantly set free? Wow! Wouldn’t that be amazing to witness? I would LOVE it!
Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. He willingly was crucified on a cross for our salvation, deliverance and freedom.
What kind of love is that? It’s unfathomable! Glory be to God in the highest!
What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe Jesus can deliver people today?
Posted in christianity, faith, Healing, prayer
Also tagged Bondage, Daily Audio Bible, deliverance, Jesus Christ, Set Free
2 Comments
Book Review: Passages by Brian Hardin
Passages by Brian Hardin
ISBN-13: 9780310329190
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication date: 11/28/2011
Pages: 224
Price: $14.99
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | CBD
The journey is the destination.
Description
Many of us would love to read the Bible more often, but we rarely make time for more than a few verses on the run.
But the Bible was never meant to be read in short segments here and there when you can fit it in. The Bible is meant to be experienced in sizable chunks–in passages–and read daily. It is not a book of mystical incantations, but the story of God’s passionate love–for you. It is not a distant relic, but a best friend offering counsel and companionship–for today.
Through his own remarkable story, Brian Hardin shows you how reading through the Bible in a year changed his life and how it will change yours too. Passages goes beyond exploring how the Bible was meant to be read, providing three distinct Bible reading plans to help you get started doing it right now.
Hardin, whose daily podcasts has more than a million listeners a month, guarantees you a life revolution, if you will only commit to a few minutes a day to read through the Bible in a year.
As you rediscover the joy of reading the Bible, visit www.dailyaudiobible.com and join a community of fellow readers to share your thoughts on your new adventure.
Review
I read Passages in two days. As soon as I read the description, I was hooked. I can’t tell you what an incredible book this is. I have read many books on this subject, but Passages is in a league by itself.
Brian Hardin begins by explaining how he came to read the bible everyday. He gives his testimony in Chapter One entitled “The Olive Couch”. Chapter Two talks about the reasons why we don’t read our bible. This was one of my favorite chapters.
Our number one excuse for not reading our bible is lack of time..
“Time is always an enemy. Reading Scripture is always on our perpetual to-do list; but as the day goes by, it ends up at the bottom of the list, and by the time we fall into bed, we’re just too exhausted to read anything that requires serious thought.” (Page 32)
Can you relate? I know I can because I struggle with this myself. The other is understandability which Brian Hardin discusses as well.
“The Bible is written as a story, a story that has not yet reached its conclusion. The story has wound its way through battlefields and wedding nights, through birthing chambers and funeral parlors, from transcendent pleasure to utter hopelessness. This is the unstoppable story of God and his profound love for humanity.” (Page 35)
Chapter Six was extremely interesting for me. The chapter discusses “Lectio Divina: Divine Reading”.
“Lectio divina is an unhurried, contemplative reading of a portion of Scripture. The practice of lectio divina includes four steps: Lectio, read; Meditatio, meditate; Oratio, speak or pray; and Contemplatio, contemplate or rest.” (Page 103, 105)
Brian Hardin also writes that reading the Word of God out loud has remarkable power and authority. I admit, I never read the Bible out loud to myself. However, after reading this book, I will now apply this new practice to my daily bible reading.
Brian Hardin has a unique, creative and eloquent writing style. Passages inspired me so much. I am now listening to his daily podcasts and also joined Daily Audio Bible online community.
If you struggle with reading the Bible, I highly recommend this book. Passages is full of wisdom and inspiration. I especially loved reading people’s testimonies throughout the book.
In conclusion, I want to thank Brian Hardin for writing this book. I also want to thank Litfuse Publicity and Zondervan Publishers for sending me a complimentary copy of this book to read and review.
Brian Hardin is a speaker, photographer, record producer, and an ordained minister. In 2006, he created the Daily Audio Bible, an online podcast that now delivers 1.5 million downloads a month. He has produced over 150 albums and works with artists and the arts extensively. He is married to Christian musician Jill Parr.
Posted in book reviews
Also tagged Bible reading, Daily Audio Bible, Holy Bible, Jesus, Lectio Divina, Passages
2 Comments
Follow
embodyart