Author Archives: expressyourself4him

For a golfer, prevailing winds can be great, causing golf balls to go further than humanly possible.  At a high school golf practice, I once hit a 335 yard drive uphill with a 65 miles per hour gust at my back.  However, if the prevailing wind is too strong, you can end up with British Open like conditions preventing golf balls from coming to rest on golf greens, constantly wobbling, moving slightly back and forth.

From a spiritual perspective, prevailing winds impact where you will end up in life.  During the last 6 months, there have been at least 6 times when I thought, okay now I know what God wants me to do.  A few days later, the door which I thought was open, closed abruptly, creating a pattern of confusion, questioning and uncertainty.  However, if Jesus could calm the storm in John 6:16-21, it is clear that God controls the weather with Jesus as the Master over the elements of the earth.

As the winds of change continue to blow in my life, one passage of scripture strikes like a cord daily.  Proverbs 19:21 is a like a light, bringing me back to reality.  I have had many plans in life and will likely have additional plans God willing.  However, the prevailing winds of the Holy Spirit will move me away from my plan towards God’s plan.  Regardless of what I do or try, in the end, the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

by Jay Mankus

On April 3rd, 1974, one of the most devastating tornadoes on record hit Xenia, Ohio.  Known as Terrible Tuesday, a series of tornadoes tore a path of destruction across of the United States and Canada, killing 33 people in Xenia alone.  In the documentary Tornado Chronicles this event served as a wake up call to change how to predict and warn residents of potential deadly tornadoes.

If you have plans to visit Columbus, Ohio or Cincinnati, Xenia is located just 15 minutes north of Interstate 71, off of state highway 68.  This will allow you to relive the past and learn how Xenia came together as a community to rebuild.  Out of the rubble, this city came together as neighbors, helping one another put the pieces of their lives back together.

If you want to change history, don’t forget to visit Wilmington, Ohio, 15 minutes south of Interstate 71 off of state highway 68.  While Wilmington missed this famous tornado, this city faced its own crisis when a local car manufacture closed its plant which employed several thousand residents.  The Wilmington House of Prayer, located on Main Street served as a place for residents to lay down their burdens by lifting them up to the Lord.  This city is a modern day example of how prayer can transform a community.  Take a spiritual vacation to these 2 locations today!

by Jay Mankus

Every once in a while, there is a story which makes headline news that is disturbing.  An event whose impact on others changes their lives for others.  Unfortunately, for Joe Paterno, his life will be forever linked to Jerry Sandusky.  Sometimes not doing anything is as big of a sin as the act itself.

As the jury made their verdict last night in the Jerry Sandusky Case, sometimes the final decision is not what it should be.  Matthew 18:5-6 magnifies how God feels about children.  Anyone who harms a child in a way that causes them to stumble should punished.  Jesus suggests that a person who falls under this category should be hung and thrown into the ocean with an anchor carrying them to the bottom of the sea.

No one can understand the mind of God as Job found out in the Old Testament.  However, the Bible can be confusing at times as you wrestle between God’s forgiveness and judgment.  The only thing clear about last night’s decision is that child are at peace knowing one sexual predator is behind bars.  Pray that those still on the streets will be convicted of their sin or be found out and caught before anyone else is harmed.

by Jay Mankus

Yesterday I went to a local dollar store to collect some items for an upcoming road trip.  As I was there, I ran into a woman who was disabled.  Despite her condition, she was a proud worker, helping me find one of the items on my list.  When I left, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the importance to reaching out to people in need.

There was a story yesterday about a 73 year old bus monitor who was being bullied and harassed by middle school students in a you tube video that has gone viral.  Unfortunately, no where in the video did any of the other students stop this attack.  No one intervened or said that’s enough, you’ve taking this too far.  Instead of reaching out, many people in our society has become bystanders, watching on the sidelines, afraid or too lazy to get involved.

Early in his sermon on the mount, Jesus addresses the importance of being salt and light in our world, Matthew 5:13-16.  If Christians continue to practice syncretism, blending into their culture, their salt will lose their saltiness.  Meanwhile, their light will become blurred, causing non-Christians to become confused and fall.  Therefore, we must change our mindset, meditate on God’s Word and pray for opportunities to reach out to those in need.

by Jay Mankus

The term Jehovah Rapha first appears in Exodus 15:26.  God has just released the Israelites from 400 years of slavery.  Each survivor was an eyewitness to the Red Sea parting, collapsing back upon the Egyptians as well as being passed over by the angel of death.  Moses is crying out to the Lord in this passage, acknowledging that God has the power in His nature to heal Israel.

Rapha is Hebrew meaning to mend.  Mend in the sense of stitching up a torn cloth, to restore to its previous state.  Rapha also can mean to cure, to heal, repair and make whole once again.  Although Israel was free from the grips of Egypt, their souls and spirits were in desperate need of healing.  Images of their slavery must have been light nightmares, flashing back the painful memories of oppression.  This mind trick is still being carried out today by Satan.

When I was young, stuttering prevented me from communicating with people.  Though I am healed today, there are triggers in my mind which can bring back the pain from my childhood in an instant.  Therefore, it is essential to claim the healing power of Jesus, Luke 8:45-48.  Faith in Jehovah Rapha and a sense of desperation, like the woman with a bleeding disorder, can lead to a restored life and soul.  Whatever you are going through or have already been up against, call out to the Lord like Moses, asking Jehovah Rapha to make you whole again, one stitch at a time.

by Jay Mankus

When God called Noah to build the ark, there are 2 passages in the Bible often overlooked, Genesis 6:14 and Genesis 6:22.  One of the most essential components to enabling the ark to continue floating after the flood was the pitch.  This tar like substance served as the covering to waterproof the seams of wood on the ark.

However, covering each and every seam required a high attention to detail, on the outside and inside of every piece of the ark where the gopher wood was attached.  I’m sure there were times that Noah felt like cutting corners or he didn’t have the energy to do a thorough job on each seam.  Any compromise to any section of the ark would result in a titanic like disaster, resulting in the death of the human race.

According to the end of Genesis 6, Noah did everything just as the Lord commanded.  Each human needs to follow in the steps of Noah, covering the outside and inside of their lives with the pitch of the Holy Spirit, Romans 8:9-12.  We can’t do one side without the other.  If we just cover the outside of our lives, we are fooling those around us.  If we fail to cover the inside, our soul with the Holy Spirit, we are fooling ourselves.  As the apostle Paul says in Romans 13:12-14, we must put aside our deeds of darkness, clothe ourselves with the armor of God by covering ourselves with Christ.

by Jay Mankus