Michael Jordan: The Sleeping Giant

Written by Gloria Minatti


Continued from page 1

God didn't send me to speak a Word to Michael on April 26, 1998 because He had nothing else to do, but He had a great love for this man. A love so great, that He led me to him totally byrepparttar Spirit in order to let him know that in spite of his faults, God saw his need. His need is to be delivered fromrepparttar 126784 snare ofrepparttar 126785 world, and its devices. To deliver him fromrepparttar 126786 lie . What isrepparttar 126787 lie? It is that which he believes is true to his nature, believing that his puny existence as what he is inrepparttar 126788 flesh is all there is to life itself. Believing that if he concentrate hard enough, focus hard enough that he will stop allrepparttar 126789 things he is doing that are bad or as we say sinful. Sorry to say, but it doesn’t work that way. No man is able in and of himself to stop sinning, no matter what he does. If Michael really sawrepparttar 126790 truth, he wouldn't desire half ofrepparttar 126791 things he has now, nor would he even care to chase afterrepparttar 126792 things that out of his reach as of now.

He wasn't chosen by God after he became a great basketball player, or a multimillionaire. He was chosen beforerepparttar 126793 foundation ofrepparttar 126794 world, and now isrepparttar 126795 appointed time ofrepparttar 126796 Lord that he shall be set free. The people of this world idolize this man, this body of flesh, therefore God put Michael before them as a symbol. A symbolization that no matter how deep in sin, and no matter how far one has moved away from God, He is able to bring him back. It is givingrepparttar 126797 people of God hope that if God can penetrate a man so entrenched inrepparttar 126798 world andrepparttar 126799 lust of it, that He is still in control of this world, and never for one moment lost that control. But likerepparttar 126800 world and its inhabitants today, God is shunned and denied on every level of humanity. When a man is willing to sign a document just to make money, and states a person cannot stand or endorse God, and His Son Jesus Christ showsrepparttar 126801 detriment of our society. When a man cannot be a friend to a person who believes inrepparttar 126802 Lord because he feels it will disrupt his career in some way is sad and grievous to sayrepparttar 126803 least.

When there were times that I asked to speak with him concerning what was said to him in 1998, he just shunned me. He out rightly ignoredrepparttar 126804 Word and its messenger time after time. He never seem to have time to hear what God wanted to say to him, and his view ofrepparttar 126805 messenger was tainted by sin and carnality. His own view of himself, andrepparttar 126806 upkeep of his image continued to be a hindrance in his submission torepparttar 126807 Word. He had time for everything else, including "scratching an itch," and play basketball again. He had time for golf, parties, clubs, women and booze, but never time for God. Yes, he is a true example of society as a whole today. This mindset deludes itself that it can hide from others what is taking place, butrepparttar 126808 heart never lies. God sees when no one else can. I know that God allowedrepparttar 126809 negative things to come forth about Michael in order to get his attention. To remind him of his word that he spoke before God, and even though he felt that no one else heard it but me, God heard it, and this day God is requiring his life.

No matter how much money he accumulates, no matter where he may go inrepparttar 126810 world, no matter who he may meet, he will never find fulfillment in any of it until he seeks forrepparttar 126811 Lord with all his heart. The same way he has sought after everything ofrepparttar 126812 world, so God requires him to seek for Him this way. King Solomon fell because he ran after other gods throughrepparttar 126813 foreign women he married. He started out by marryingrepparttar 126814 daughter of Pharaoh, an Egyptian. She and her kind didn't serverepparttar 126815 one and only true God, and therefore, Solomon was caught in a web of destruction that would eventually bring forthrepparttar 126816 loss ofrepparttar 126817 kingdom. God made a promise to David that He would not forget him, and that he will have an heir uponrepparttar 126818 throne. When God told Michael that he was Solomon and that he would finish what he didn't, He wasn't speaking inrepparttar 126819 natural as if Solomon was reincarnated in Michael Jordan. He meant thatrepparttar 126820 wisdom, power, peace and authority that came with Solomon's rule would be evident again in a people, starting with him.

He didn’t realizerepparttar 126821 cry of his heart atrepparttar 126822 time, but yet I knew becauserepparttar 126823 Lord showed it to me on those nights that I stayed awake praying for him. He showed merepparttar 126824 times of Michael as a child, andrepparttar 126825 times in college. The uncertainties of life and his career. The fear of losing everything, but yet knowing deep in his heart that he still did not possess everything. In reality it possessed him, and God came to release him from that bondage; but just as a man may walk up to an animal or even a person who has been enslaved for so long and has grown accustomed to its environment. So it is with those who God comes to set free, but never walk away fromrepparttar 126826 chains because it knows nothing else. When it does experience something else, even if it is only for a moment, it is frightened of what it feels because it feels foreign. It brings forth a feeling that this can’t be right, because I do not understand it. It is this feeling that we run from every time only to be running in circles. Whenrepparttar 126827 time is right, God stops us in our tracks and shows usrepparttar 126828 way to freedom, to peace.

God’s plan for Michael’s life will eventually outweigh his plans, but only when it is God’s time. We can plant and we can water, but God must giverepparttar 126829 increase. As God increases, so shall he decrease, and thenrepparttar 126830 world shall give praise to God for what He has done. Michael may deny every word written in this article. He may even deny me, but he can never truly deny God, because to do so would be to deny himself. We are held accountable for every word that proceeds out of our mouths no matter who we are. There are many that say, “There is no god,” but God will show them not by mere words of men that are empty puffs of smoke, vapors that are here and then vanish away. He will reveal His glory and power through action, through effect. He isrepparttar 126831 Cause of all things, andrepparttar 126832 effects are enormous!



She is founder of Beyond the Veil Newsletter distributed around the world, also Founder of Man's Restored Image Ministries Inc.. She is an ordained minister with 18 years of experience in spiritual studies. Ms. Minatti’s spiritual journey directed her to minister to basketball legend/entrepreneur Michael Jordan. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, and a licensed Fitness/Nutrition Specialist. www.mansrestoredimage.org


Wedding Prayer

Written by Maureen Killoran, MA, DMin


Continued from page 1

I pray that as your marriage unfolds you will come to each day with love and devotion in your hearts. That laughter and joy will always reside in your home.

May you live with quiet grace and gentle faith; your home blessed with wide-flung doors to welcome family and friends thatrepparttar love you build together may be shared withrepparttar 126783 wider world. Above all, I pray that, atrepparttar 126784 end of your life's journey, you will look at one another and know that you have loved deeply, cared fully and grown wise inrepparttar 126785 soft light of God's love.

Maureen Killoran is an ordained Unitarian minister who has performed over 300 weddings and services of union. After 20 years as a parish minister, she is now joyfully working as a life coach and performing creative and unique weddings in Western North Carolina. Visit her at www.spiritquest.ws, or subscribe to her free e-zine, SEEDS OF CHANGE.


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