Mr. Davis is a man who is paralyzed from his chest down. But he wasn't always this way. He once worked as an engineer coding robotics for surgeons and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 39. Despite a series of unfortunate events, David has developed a unique insight, wisdom, plus faith in God that will provide our readers hope when feeling hopeless. Love when feeling loveless. And strength when feeling weak. Mr. Davis will provide relaunched Echo readers with weekly shares that we encourage you to support by reading his gentle memoirs and thoughts of inspiration. To learn more about David Davis, please click the link. https://www.echonewstv.com/post/david-davis-dire-straits
Now, without any further ado, the relaunched Echo, N.J.'s oldest Black-owned newspaper, presents
"Inner Visions And Inspirations With Mr. David Davis" of Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Joy And Pain - Sunshine And Rain
Yes, the mountaintop offered this wonderful spiritual experience. But at the bottom of the mountain was a father crying out for his demon-possessed child, who was being destroyed by the powers that had hold of him. Consider what is happening to our children—the unbridled passion, the unmitigated confusion, the sense of hopelessness and anger that is consuming this present generation. You and I can live our Christian life just talking about old experiences, or we can follow Jesus down the mountain to where human need really is.
That is exactly what happened in Acts chapter two. The disciples were in the Upper Room having a marvelous experience. The Spirit of God filled every one of them, and they were given this explosive ability to communicate with people of other cultures and other languages. They could have just stayed there and spoken in tongues for the next five years.
Repentance And Thoughts
The Lord had me search my own heart with Luke 4:28-30. The people reacted explosively to what Jesus said that they didn't want to hear or experience. When they heard his words, the people were furious. They jumped up and mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.
From August till now, I have experienced the worst episodes of my MS ...I wanted the Lord to take me home ..with going in and out of the hospital and rehabilitation nursing home with blood clotting and stroke episodes; l ask the Lord why this dark valley? Luke 4:28-30 honestly made me feel the fury of that crowd; in my current situation, I was ashamed of myself.
What infuriated me was that I built my identity on being God's, and suffering like this should not continue like this...I was feeling like I was in a downfall; my nerves were on edge, and my anxiety was off the charts..with circumstances so desperate, rock bottom was visible.
Word To The Wise
We are all prone to saying, "It was so good back there, wasn't it?" We forget the depression, the addiction, the brokenness. And so we are unwilling to make the break. A lot of people want that little sip of something to make them feel good or that little peek on the internet at things they should not be looking at—and then they wonder why they cannot hear the voice of God.
Preach
When the Lord speaks to each of the churches in the Book of Revelation, notice that He says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." I want a hearing ear; I want God to lead my life. Sure, I have had a wonderful past; in fact, it has been a miraculous journey. But I have learned that God is not interested in my ideas. If He is not leading, there is no power in it, and we are merely on our own with our little tabernacles on the top of the mountain, talking about our past spiritual experiences.
We often cannot hear the Lord because, just as with Peter and the others, we are still leaning on our own strength and understanding. It is similar to the time when Jesus told Peter, "Where I am going, you cannot follow Me." What was Peter's response? "Oh, yes, I will follow You. And if You go to Jerusalem to die, I will go and die with You. These others here may not have the courage to go, but I will not turn back!" (see Matthew 26:33, 35). He was full of himself—full of his own ideas and his own strength.
Revived
Job was overwhelmed after losing his livelihood, his health, and his family. Worse still, although Job had been a daily worshiper of God, he felt that the Lord was ignoring his pleas for help. God seemed absent from the landscape of his life. Job claimed he could not see God whether he looked to the north, south, east, or west (Job 23:2–9).
In the middle of his despair, Job had a moment of clarity. His faith flickered to life like a candle in a dark room. He said, “[God] knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (v. 10). Christians are tried and purified when God uses difficulty to burn away our self-reliance, pride, and earthly wisdom. If it seems as if God is silent during this process and He is not answering our cries for help, He may be giving us an opportunity to grow stronger in our faith. Pain and problems can produce the shining, rock-solid character that comes from trusting God when life is hard.
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