Inspiration and Hope -

Letter To A Friend … A Most Unusual Recipient

Let me start out by saying that this is a most unusual story. In 2018, while taking an online course on inner healing as a part of my Global Awakening School class assignments, I was required to write a letter to a friend. However, I did not have anyone in mind to write to, and my assignment was due in four days. On Sunday morning, during my prayer time, I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me, and I felt a strong urge to call Sam. I heard a voice whispering in my spirit that “Sam is dying.” I was skeptical at first, but the voice repeated the message a couple of times. So, I decided to call Sam, but he did not answer, and I left him a message.

Later that day, not Sam, but his daughter returned my call. She informed me that Sam was admitted to the hospital and that they did not know what was wrong with him. He had collapsed five times over the last couple of days. His prognosis looked grim. Peggy and I decided we would visit him on Tuesday. At that moment, I knew it was Sam I was to write my “Letter to a Friend.”

On Tuesday, we started our drive to Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut with my letter in hand. During the last 10 minutes of our 2-hour drive, Sam’s wife Mary called and said Sam had just expired. What do we do now? I thought. Do we go back home after traveling this far?

Peggy and I decided to keep going as planned. As soon as we arrived, we went to the reception desk and asked for Sam’s room, which was located on the third floor. However, I started feeling uneasy. I looked at Peggy, wondering if she was thinking what I was thinking. This was undoubtedly one of the most unconventional things we had ever done.

The elevator door opened, we exited, and we walked toward Sam’s hospital room. Then, looking at Peggy, I sought eye contact, desperately wanting confirmation whether I was to read my letter to Sam or hand it to his wife. I felt very uncomfortable, to say the least. Peggy, however, assured me it was okay to ask Mary’s permission to read my letter to him. “I think we are here for a purpose,” she said.

Outside the room, we greeted Mary with a hug and our condolences. I explained my desire to share the letter I had written to Sam. Sensing my compassion and burden for him, she permitted me, recognizing that Sam and I had a special godly relationship.

We entered the room. Mary stood near the foot of Sam’s bed while her brother stood some distance off but within earshot. Sam’s skin was yellow and ashen, his mouth open, eyes nearly shut, all signs of life gone. Sam had not officially been pronounced dead yet, although it was pretty apparent. His body lay lifeless for more than 20 to 30 minutes before our arrival.

With Peggy on one side of the bed and me on the other, I read my “Letter to a Friend.” I was saddened and tearful as I read it. There were times when I hesitated, my voice breaking. I knew Mary was listening, and as I read on, I noticed she, too, was becoming emotional. At that moment, my heart went out to her, and I couldn’t help but wonder if Sam was listening in as well.

After I read my letter to Sam, Mary left Sam’s bedside. Peggy and I then laid hands on Sam and began ministering quietly. We both felt a strong anointing come upon us to speak life back into Sam. I’ve never prayed before for someone who had died. Courage just took on a whole new meaning for me.

Peggy began speaking, over and over, “Your Father loves you; you’re a good son.” She had no idea why she needed to say it continually, but it felt right.

At that moment, we both saw and felt Sam’s body shudder; his arm jerked under the light touch of my hand on his arm. Peggy and I both looked at each other. Jumpin’ Jiminy! “Did you see what I just saw?”

My expectations were now elevated. I truly wanted to see more. I wanted to see Lazarus raised from the dead. But as we continued to listen and pray, I distinctively heard in my spirit – “let him go.” After hearing it again several times, I looked up at Peggy in resignation and said, “Let him go.”

We spoke with Sam’s wife afterward in the hallway. She shared that Sam’s parents had divorced, and his mother never allowed him to contact his father. She went on to say that Sam’s father died of a broken heart, having never been allowed to speak with his son Sam again. On Sam’s deathbed, the Holy Spirit led us to pray repeatedly for the Father’s LOVE to be poured into Sam, saying that Sam is a good son. “Your Father loves you.”

It all made sense now! Isn’t it wonderful knowing that God is still in the restoration business? Even on his deathbed, God was still ministering to Sam, to a place that was an unresolved emotional wound in his heart.

The timing was perfect, even when Peggy had to make a rest stop just before we got the call from Mary. Had we arrived any earlier, we would have run into their priest, and I don’t think I would have had the courage to pray as freely as I did. It would have been awkward. Had I arrived after the physician officially pronounced Sam dead, we may not have had the opportunity to pray for Sam.

We said our condolences and moved towards the elevators, the two of us marveling at the FATHER’s LOVE and desire to love us into eternity.

Coincidence or God-incidence?

The story clearly shows that every event was guided by God’s hand. When deciding who to write my letter to, God intervened by subliminally suggesting my friend’s name by distracting me with the message, “Bill, Sam is dying.” I would not have written my letter to Sam if I had not heard God’s voice. The fact that Peggy and I continued to the hospital after hearing about Sam’s passing and arrived there at the perfect time was not a coincidence. The repeated prayers for the Father’s Love for Sam were not mere coincidences either. God wanted to ensure Sam knew he was a good son, even in death and for eternity.

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Biblical reasons for being healthy

What does the Bible say about a healthy mind and body? Here are just a few.

We are God’s holy temple. God wants us to take care of it.
Having a healthy body honors God.
It’s being a good example to other people.
Being healthy in mind and body means having more energy, experiencing clearer thinking, and a more abundant life.
You can change! What we believe determines our actions.

We are God’s holy temple

Do you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? This is one area that I neglected in my life. Unhealthy eating habits, including missed meals because I got too busy, or eating convenient foods that were fast but not nutritious, I neglected God’s temple in me.

”Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT)

Having a healthy body honors God

Whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that glorifies and honors God, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Honoring God also does not mean that we need to be legalistic about what we eat. However, fueling our bodies with proper nutrients and nutritionally cleansing (intermittent fasting) of toxins is essential. Many of the foods that we buy at the grocery store are being treated with pesticides, fungicides, and hormones. Food is just one source of toxicity entering our bodies.

So, “whether you eat or drink, live your life in a way that honors God” (1 Corinthians 10:31, The Passion Translation).

Having a healthy mind and body is being a good example to others

Be a good example to others. “Look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4)

When we are healthy, people want what we have. No one looks at someone who is overweight, weak and tired, or scatterbrained and says, “Hey, I want to be just like them!” On the contrary, when I want to be like those who look healthy, and mentally and spiritually alive. Are you being an example of someone who is healthy in mind and body?

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). This scripture is meant to inspire and give hope, not condemn. When you haven’t fueled your brain with proper nutrients it’s difficult to think about what is admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. It’s like desiring to drive the full distance, but your tank is only half full.

Being healthy in mind and body means having more energy, experiencing clearer thinking and a more abundant life

What you think is what you become. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7, NKJV).

Similarly, what we eat is what we become. If you eat “healthy food”, you nourish your body and soul. Healthy food provides the right kinds of energy, clearer thinking, strengthens your body against diseases, and prolongs life. Eating “Junk food” and other unhealthy choices have the opposite effect. Unhealthy choices break down the body’s complex systems resulting in malnutrition, lack of energy, the inability to think clearly, and the inability for the body to resist disease. Unhealthy choices are also toxic to the body, and ultimately steal the abundance of life and longevity that God intended for us.

In the last 2 months, I have made several healthy life changes, and I am already experiencing less stress, more energy, more clarity, better focus, and a better mindset. I am happier and healthier, and people are taking notice. I was inspired to change “my normal” to a new normal after seeing a change in my wife, although one of her reasons for the change was to lose weight, it was not mine. Mine was for healthy aging and wealth. Yes, I said wealth. A better healthy mind and body has realized an amazing financial opportunity as well. My future is looking better each day and I am empowered to make it so.

Jesus said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” (John 10:10, AMP)

What we believe determines our actions

Often times our picture of health is influenced by the world around us. Currently, more than 69% of adults in North America are considered overweight or obese. You may be believing that 2 out of 3 people overweight is okay. Is that the new normal?

I challenge you. Close your eyes and try to envision a picture of Jesus. I am seeing him as muscular, energized, and highly focused. I am not seeing Him as overweight, sickly, non-energetic or foggy brained. Jesus is the opposite, he is physically, mentally, and emotionally strong even under pressure and temptation. We, however, often make choices that counter God’s pre-programmed design for our body types. Getting our appetites under control and fueling our bodies with proper nutrients is not only necessary, but biblical.

I believe the future will be better than the present and my choices will make it so. I suspect that if you also believe the same and want a deeper relationship with God, you can choose to start a journey towards a healthier mind and body.

Ask yourself the following:

How important is it to you to improve your health and well-being? Write your answer.
How important, then, is what you just wrote vital to you?
Then, what are some areas that need improvement? (e.g. stress, energy, belly fat, vitality, longevity, mental clarity, hunger cravings, appetite control, depression, weight wellness, regularity, endurance and overall performance, immune system, sugar addiction, etc.)
Now, what’s your next step?

Start by consistently declaring truths over yourself as you present yourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, not being conformed to this world, but being “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2)

I am not who my past says I am; I am who God says I am. (Steve Backlund)
I’ve decided to honor God by making my body healthy, and my actions will radically restore my body as it was designed by God.
I am determined to achieve a healthy mind and body
I will be victorious.
As I am transformed in my body, mind and soul, others will see a difference and will be encouraged to improve their well-being.
I am committed to making my body healthy, and I will follow through with what I say I will do.

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.” (3 John 1:2 ESV)

For the next step in your healthy mind and body journey as you co-labor with God, I would be glad to share with you some simple systems to help your specific needs. Please feel free to message me at 908-500-6690 or email me at bhutzel@inspirationandhope.org.

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Spotting the counterfeit … whatever comes from the fear of man

“While there is a caution born out of wisdom, our challenge is to spot the counterfeit — whatever comes from the fear of man. This kind of fear is an affliction of the heart. It causes us to silence courage by wondering what someone will think of us if we make a bold move.

Father, I want my life to count for something. For that to happen, You must pour out your grace upon me. I confess that I have feared what others might think of me at the expense of considering what You value. Forgive me. I am tired of living with mountains that are outside of Your purposes. Forgive me for giving them virtuous names that have allowed them to remain. By Your grace I will be bold and declare who You are without shame or fear.”

– Bill Johnson, Experience the Impossible

Desires of the Heart

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4)

The following thought-provoking questions are shared from a page on Facebook called Shareable Truth (August 25, 2017). I gained a new perspective on this frequently cited and often misunderstood passage in the Bible.

Delight yourself in the Lord, SO that he will give you the desires of your heart? NO
Delight yourself in the Lord, IF he gives you the desires of your heart? NO
Delight yourself in the Lord, IF he gives you the objects of your desire? NO
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will put HIS desires in your heart”? YES, and he will fulfill each one of them in His perfect time.

Many seem to think that Psalm 37:4 means that God will give us everything that we ask for; a job prayed for, a bigger house, a new car, or perhaps a husband or a wife. Sometimes he does give us our desires, but that is not always true. Sometimes we are sorely disappointed when God seemingly turns a silent ear. You might ponder then, if God is supposed to give me the desires of my heart, then why was I passed by for promotion, or why am I still single? We often then become very introspective and frequently find blame when things don’t turn out as expected (desired). “Have I not delighted in you Lord?” “Did I do something wrong?” The answer, however, may be simply, your longings were never His will nor His desire to start with. But that is also not to say that your longings are not His desire, or that He will not give you the desires of your heart. Your longings may just not have been fulfilled yet according to His perfect timing and perfect will. Lord, help me to accept your will.

Let’s take a closer look at this verse. First, it says that we are to delight ourselves in the Lord. Taking delight in the Lord means that we find peace and fulfillment in the Lord, and we take pleasure in Him. But it doesn’t mean that if we go to church every Sunday that God will give us that big house you’ve always dreamed of having, or that beautiful red Lamborgini.

Secondly, it says He will give you the desires of your heart. Many delight in temporal things, wealth, status, and material things of this world, but outside of God’s will, it is futile to think that we will ever achieve complete satisfaction and joy from those things. This is the bane of our worldly existence. However, when we commit our future to the Lord and trust in Him, He replaces our desires with His desires, his majesty, glory, and love so that we want nothing else. Have you first asked God what his desires are for you?

So here are some steps for satisfying every desire of your heart in Himself (not in myself).

Confess your sins
Turn from yourself to trusting in Him to change your heart. Your relationship is not just your knowledge of Him, but rather one of trust and intimacy.
Pray earnestly. Colossians 4:2 says “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (NAS).
Meditate on God’s Word so that He might be revealed through it. In other words, HEAR God. Don’t just read God’s word as a cerebral exercise to gain more head knowledge. Meditate to know Him more intimately and hear His voice. Close your mind to the incessant noise of “I want; I want; I want” reverberating through your head. Take several quiet minutes and just listen. Push all thoughts of “I want” from your mind and ask God to show you His will. In this, you will succeed in delighting in God, and you will be satisfied and filled with joy.
Wait on the Lord. Wait patiently for God’s promises because he will not disappoint those who seek him with all their heart. “It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late.” (Habakkuk 2:3, GOD’S WORD Translation).
Take God at His word. In Jeremiah 29:11-14 it says that God knows the plans he has for you, plans for well-being and not calamity, plans to give you a future filled with hope. And when you call upon Him, it says that he will listen to you. And if you seek Him with all your heart, you will find him because HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FAITHFUL (https://youtu.be/kmGB8568VwU).

And so, when you delight yourself in the Lord, and you own His desires as your desires, “He will give you the longings of your heart,” and you will be so satisfied in the Lord, that you will delight in nothing else, for His desires are our desires. That’s what I want. Having that translates as inexpressible and glorious joy and a life of contentment.

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Ready, Lights, Camera, Curtains!

(Image: Katie Hutzel Smith, theater production of Godspell, Gateway Dallas)

“Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Or do you not recognize yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unapproved?” (2 Cor. 13:5, Berean Literal Bible)

Not all of you are musicians, actors or professional speakers, but as a Christian, you are always on stage. You don’t have to step out from behind the curtain to be in front of an audience. Whether you like it or not, you are already there, and people are always judging you and evaluating Jesus Christ as they see him in you. Therefore, examine yourselves to see if your faith which you profess is genuine.

Do you ask yourself if you are careless with the truth?

Do you teach one thing and live another?

Are you prone to breaking promises?

Are you more eager to talk about Christ than to live for Him?

Are you following Christ’s example?

Your performance may not always be warmly accepted or received with applause from your peers, but “if you are living what you profess to believe, if Jesus Christ is filling your life with His presence and power, you will not only honor your blessed Lord but also gain the kind of respect that is eminently worth having.”[1]

A performance worthy of applause requires that day in and day out, Jesus Christ is lived with you and within you.

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[1] Walk With the King, eDevotion, August 18

A Curious Encounter

(By: Cheryl Newland) I had a God-incidence that left quite an impression on me. I was making dinner for my husband. At the time we lived in a second-floor apartment of a nice older home with a large front porch. It was a lovely summer evening, and I decided to sit on the porch awhile waiting for him to arrive from work and left my dinner baking in the oven.

A little elderly lady was walking by, and we spoke. I invited her to sit with me on the porch as she looked rather tired. She did and as we talked she commented several times on how wonderful my dinner smelled. Her name was Mary, and I began to think that Mary must be awfully hungry, so I asked her to stay for dinner, all the while wondering what my husband would think about a stranger being in our home.
Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind!

After dinner, Mary helped me clear the dishes and kept commenting on all my nice left overs. I got the hint so I asked her if she would like to take some home. She said yes so I packed them into a large plastic container and Mary left.

I was curious about Mary since all she had said was she lived nearby. I asked many people in the neighborhood, and no one had ever seen her. I continued to search for Mary but had no luck.

One day several weeks later, I came home to find my container washed and on my front porch. Again, no one had seen Mary.

In Hebrews 13:2 the Lord says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.” I believe I was able to entertain an angel that night!

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Stage Fright

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN WITH AUDIO

As I peered out from behind the stage curtain, I saw that the War Memorial Performance Hall in Trenton, New Jersey, with its nearly two-thousand-seat capacity, was completely filled. On stage, numerous keynote speakers were already seated, waiting for the event to begin. I had been asked to speak on behalf of Chi Alpha and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship campus ministries while a student in college.

Over the years, however, I have learned a lot about overcoming nerves as I gained confidence as a player, but in this instance, my stage fright was directly proportional to my lack of speaking skills, and I was just plain old SCARED. I guess I felt as Moses had when he pleaded with the Lord to excuse him from his calling. “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled” (Exodus 4, verse 10).

As I anxiously awaited behind the stage curtain, my knees practically knocking, I was approached by someone backstage.

“Would you pray for me?” he asked. I didn’t need to ask what he needed prayer for, as one of his eyes was severely swollen and shut tight. He explained that he had been stung by a bee. As I prayed for him, I was amazed to see the swelling around his eye completely vanish.

PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU

I was now pumped and couldn’t wait to step onto the stage. You see, I had never witnessed God’s healing power in such a direct and undeniable way before. The awe of witnessing this miracle was overwhelming, and in that instant, the fear of presenting in front of a large audience completely disappeared.

As I stepped out from behind the curtain onto the stage, I felt a surge of energy go through me and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I was jumping within and, at the same time, completely at peace. As I began to speak, I detoured from my planned presentation by telling the audience about God’s miraculous healing that had just taken place backstage.

My excitement was contagious. The audience rose to their feet, arms outstretched, cheering and clapping. In that moment, I almost forgot why I was there to speak in the first place. I was so caught up in sharing the story of how this person had approached me and was healed that I just kept going on and on about it. Finally, one of the keynote speakers caught my eye, tapping his wrist as if to signal, “It’s time to move on with your presentation.”

I don’t believe that this incident was coincidental. Instead, I believe it was orchestrated. Such orchestration you may have heard referred to as a God thing, a God wink, a touch from heaven, or God-incidence.

In hindsight, I realized I never saw the stranger again. Where did he come from? What was he doing backstage? Why was he not in the audience? Could he have been an angel? Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

There are many examples in the Bible where God sent an angel to deliver a message, to protect, or to serve someone in need. In that moment, I was the person in need. I believe that on this occasion; God sent an angel to minister to me in my distress, freeing me from the fear of speaking in front of a large audience.

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CREDITS

Stage Fright by Bill Hutzel

Voiceover by eleven labs io

Why are you so afraid, you of little faith?

“You of little faith, why are you so afraid? Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.” (Matthew 8:26)

Excerpts herein are from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest for August 12, The Theology of Rest.

“When we are in fear we can do nothing less than pray to God.” Even though God expects us to come to him in confidence when we pray, “our trust is in God only up to a certain point, and then we go back to the elementary panic prayers of those who do not know God. We get to our wits end, showing that we have not the slightest confidence in Him … He seems to be asleep, and we see nothing but breakers ahead.”

We can relate to Jesus’ disciples also to whom he said “O ye of little faith!”. “What a pang must have shot through the disciples – ‘Missed it again!’”

When there are no storms or crises in my life, I can be on top of the world, but when disappointments or crises come, I must consciously keep my focus on Christ so that I remain steadfast in Him. Otherwise, I succumb to my storms and sink below the waves.

Have you ever ridden a wave? I’ve never surfed, but I’ve watched surfers mount their surfboards and ride the wave. If they are experienced, they will ride the wave all the way into shore; if they are just learning to ride the wave, they will often fall, get back up and try again. Such is the Christian life.

God’s promises are like the crest of the wave. When I trust in God and believe in His promises, God makes it possible for me to stay atop the biggest waves, even though there is a powerhouse of energy under me that can pull me down. In Isaiah 43:2-3 it says “When you go through the sea, I’ll be there with you … for I am the Lord your God.”

Oswald Chambers also stated that “If we have been learning to worship God and to trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we will go the breaking point and not break in our confidence in Him.” So as a surfer stays tethered to his surfboard at the ankle by a cord so that he does not lose sight of his surfboard, a Christian’s stays tethered by a combination of things so that he does not lose sight of God.

Well, you ask – how can I do that in an awful situation? Here are some points to apply to your life when you incessantly worry about a bad situation, or you can’t fall asleep at night.

Force yourself to think about God instead of your situation. “Whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6).
Fellowship with other believers.
Rejoice always in the Lord (Philippians 4:4)

It’s a battle for your will, but if you force yourself to change how you think about things (Philippians 4:9), “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

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Be made new in the attitude of your minds

Do you let your words of doom and failure defeat you in life? Your words, then, do not agree with God.

This may be a challenge to your old self, but it is also a choice to not speak them. Speak only the end result of what you desire. Don’t counteract that which you declare in faith. Speak as if every word you say will come to pass.

You can do this by filling your heart and mouth with faith, by daily voicing God’s Word in the Bible. Let your mind be renewed by the Word of God. Forbid thoughts of failure and defeat.

“You were taught to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23)

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God Wants Our Tears

Several months ago, I was going through a tough few months, even struggling to write. And then I read this verse one morning – “This is the day the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). But I didn’t feel much like rejoicing, and I didn’t feel much like praying. If you have ever felt like this, then watch this video.