February 19, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 23 

Jesus Heals a Deaf Man 

Jesus left Tyre and Sidon on the Sea of Galilee through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. The people there brought a man for him to touch who was deaf and tongue-tied, giving him a speech impediment. It was quite unusual how he healed this man. Here is what the scripture says he did:

And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. Mark 7:33-34

Right away, he could hear and speak. Then Jesus told him not to tell anyone. People who knew him would know because he could now speak. Why did he demonstrate this particular healing by touching his ears and putting saliva on his tongue when the past miracles he had performed involved touching, speaking, speaking from a distance, or people touching his garment? Maybe he was demonstrating that it was in his power alone that people were healed. It's something to ponder. 

Imagine being able to hear and no one knowing; it seems he could use it to his advantage to find out who truly cared about him, who detested him, and who merely pretended to his face. He wouldn't have to wonder because his hearing would no longer prevent him from knowing. However, the more Jesus told them not to tell, the more his incredible miracles were published, and people were amazed by him. Jesus is humble, and the people he touched were astonished and grateful, so they couldn't help but broadcast their relief far and wide. 

Pictured is my favorite building in Rome. It’s a courthouse.

February 18, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 22

The Faith of a Canaanite (Greek) Woman

When Jesus and his disciples came to the port of Tyre and Sidon, a Greek gentile woman approached him, asking him to heal her daughter of a demon. 

But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 15:23-24

She tried even harder and begged him more to help her, but his answer was so curt and dismissive that all of us could feel it as rejection, and we couldn't believe this came out of our Savior's mouth. Here is what he said:

But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26

Most of us would have walked away, having been offended and angered by his words. Imagine being called a dog in this day and age; it wouldn't have gone over so well. However, this woman knew who she was talking to, humbled herself, and continued her quest for a cure for her daughter, knowing that only Jesus could answer her prayer.

And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Matthew 15:27

Her persistence paid off!

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew 15:28

This is what I learned: don't give up when your prayers are not answered immediately. Be persistent, humble yourself, lean in a little more, and worship Jesus harder. And, if his answer is yes, your faith will grow even more. We could all benefit by having faith like this woman. Keep praying, and, by all means, worship him with all your heart.

Pictured is a street in Corfu, Greece

February 17, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 21

Jesus Heals The Sick In Gennesaret As They Touch The Hem Of His Garment

And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. Mark 14:35-36

After docking their boat in Gennesaret, the people of that area gathered and brought all the sick, diseased, and lame to Jesus for healing. Their faith was such that they believed that all they needed to do was touch the hem of his garment, much like in the story of the woman with the issue of blood. As with people today, they were mainly concerned with their physical healing, rather than their spiritual healing. I wonder if those who were physically healed by Jesus began to believe in him for the healing of their souls. 

What I found remarkable in this passage of scripture is how loving those people were to one another. It was so sweet that they were concerned so much for the health and well-being of others that they went out of their way to help them get near Jesus. 

Let us be as kind to others as the people of Gennesaret were to those in their area, bringing them to Jesus for their spiritual healing that will last into eternity.  

February 16, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 20

Jesus Walks On The Water

The story of Jesus walking on the water is recorded in Matthew, Mark, and John. However, in Matthew, the account of Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus is also written about. 

Immediately after feeding the five thousand, Jesus could tell the people wanted to make him king, so he told the disciples to set out in the boat. Until they were gone, the people wouldn't leave. After they left and Jesus had sent the people away, Jesus went into the mountain to be alone and pray. At about three o'clock in the morning, Jesus walked out to the disciples who were being tossed on the water by the wind. When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost, but he calmed their fears by saying: "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." 

Peter, who was very courageous, replied, "If it is you, tell me to come to you on the water." Jesus said, "Come," and Peter walked out to him. However, after noticing the waves, he began to fear and started sinking. Aren't we just like Peter? We are brave in our faith until it is tested, and then we sink in fear. 

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? Matthew 14:31

We must balance our faith and fear because the longer our trial is, the weaker our faith becomes. If things get rough and our faith is challenged, we should pray, "Lord, help my unbelief." 

Matthew Henry says it like this: "Faith, after a conflict with unbelief, is sometimes the more active, and gets to greater degrees of strength by being exercised." 

In conclusion, practice your faith by praying about everything, big or small, and as you see your prayers answered, your faith will grow so that when you are tested, you will have a degree of faith to help you get through your trial.

Pictured is Saint-Martin Gardens in Monaco

February 15, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 19

Jesus Feeds The Five Thousand Plus The Women And Children

The story of Jesus feeding the five thousand is recorded in all four gospels. Each of them had a slightly different spin on the story, but all concluded that what they had seen was a miracle like no one had ever seen before. 

Jesus had just heard about the beheading of John the Baptist, and because it was not yet his time, he departed by sea to remove himself from Herod's reach. The people saw him leaving and followed him on foot to the deserted place outside the cities. It was evening, and the disciples began to worry that the people might become hungry, so they asked Jesus to send them away so they could get food. However, Jesus had compassion for them and told the disciples to bring him what they had. John tells us that a boy had five loaves of bread and two fish. He commanded the people to sit down in the green grass, took the bread and fish, looked up to heaven and blessed it, broke the bread and gave it to the disciples to distribute. When they had all gotten their fill, the disciples gathered what remained and picked up twelve baskets full, which was more than they started with. 

Here are a few of my observations:

1. When the Bible says "this is a desert place," it doesn't mean it was sandy and dry like we picture a desert. It was just a place outside of town, a deserted area like out in the country. 
2. It was evening, nearing dark, but as a child, hearing this Bible story, I pictured it bright and sunny. This is the perfect reason we must read the scriptures for ourselves.
3. Jesus wasn't polite; he didn't ask the people to sit down in the grass; he commanded them to sit down. I'll bet therewas a lot of murmuring, and when he commanded them to sit, it probably got quiet.
4. How did that many people hear him, or even see what he was doing? That was a miracle within a miracle. 
5. One account says that Jesus told the disciples to divide the people into groups of fifty. Maybe he wanted a count because that would become significant when the writers recorded this miracle.
6. This particular miracle is unfathomable. My mind cannot even imagine so many people, much less twelve men, distributing such a small amount of food and all of them eating until they were full.

God can take what little we have to offer and multiply it for the benefit of His plan. Never underestimate what He can do. One little act of kindness, while mentioning the name of Jesus, could bring many people to Christ.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. Matthew 14:20

Pictured is the Cathedral of Our Lady Immaculate in Monaco City, Monaco. Princess Grace Kelly, the American actress, is buried in this building.

February 14, 2026

 

Miracles Of Jesus: 18

Jesus Heals A Man Beside The Bethesda Pool On The Sabbath

There were many people in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover, and Jesus, following the law, was also there. Near the sheep market, there was a pool where the lame would wait for the waters to be stirred; the first person to enter the water would be healed. There was an unfortunate man who had been lame for 38 years, waiting beside the pool, hoping for someone to help him into the water as it began to stir, but he had no friend to help him. Jesus saw him and asked, "Wilt thou be made whole?" Why would he ask that question? Perhaps this man was profiting from his lameness, and he wanted to hear him say he wanted to be healed. He responded by telling Jesus that he had no one to help him into the water.

Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. John 5:8

Because it was the sabbath during a holy week, the overzealous people told him it was against the law to carry his bed on the sabbath. They asked who healed him, but Jesus had quickly disappeared into the crowd, so the man didn't know. It wasn't until Jesus saw him at the temple that the man knew who healed him.

Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. John 5:14

Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:18

Where was their mercy? 

Not only did Jesus come to save us, but he also came to dismantle the religious establishment and the zealots that run it. Unfortunately, it is alive and well, organized much like it was back in Jesus' time, disguised as the church. We have seminaries to make sure every preacher follows the established design, and those same professors and leaders use the Bible as a weapon to keep those preachers under their control. If they step out of line, they find reason to ostracize them. They make sure the Bible is understood the way they want the narrative to go, which allows the enemy's talons to gain a stronghold. If we, as Christ-followers, don't do something to change the way things are done, we will lose it all and have to resort to hiding to commune with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I wonder if that's how we should be doing it anyway. 

Pictured is the Cathédrale de la Major, Marseille, France

February 11, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 15

Jesus Raises Jairus’s Daughter Back To Life

While Jesus was on the way to the home of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue, to heal his daughter from her sickness, he was given the news that she had died. Jesus didn’t let that stop him; he sent the crowd away and took only Peter, James, and John with him. This miracle wasn’t meant for display, so Jesus only needed a few chosen disciples to witness it. When Jesus told the mourners that the child was only sleeping, the people laughed, so he sent them out, too.

And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. Luke 8:54-55

The Greek word for “spirit” is pneuma, meaning air, wind, breath, spirit, or soul. Pneuma is where we get the word pneumonia. I recently had a bout of pneumonia, and my lungs gurgled, and I struggled for air. If my air had been completely cut off, my body would have died, and my soul would have left. When Jesus took the girl by the hand and told her to arise, it shows that he is in control of the soul and that our soul will survive our body. In other words, Jesus commanded the soul to return to her body, and she got up. It doesn’t say where her soul was while her body lay there, but we do know that it was still alive and well, and that our soul is immortal. The death of our body does not extinguish our candle, and that is why Jesus told the people she wasn’t dead. So, while your soul still resides in your body, it is more important than ever to turn your life over to Jesus, set your sights on him, and live for him so you can be sure that your soul will reside with him forever.

The picture is from Barcelona, Spain. 

February 10, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 14

Woman With The Issue Of Blood

After Jesus healed the man with demons, he was run out of the region and got on a boat to another area. The crowds gathered and were pushing in on him when he felt power leave him. This wasn’t just a touch; he felt virtue leave his body. He stopped and asked who had touched his garment. 

Every picture I see of this scene shows a woman on the ground, but knowing that a hem could be anywhere on his garment and that depictions of clothing during that era show them draped with lots of folds, I doubt she would have been able to bend down, especially in a moving crowd. Not only that, she was trying to stay concealed because she was unclean, and being on the ground would have blown her cover because people would have tripped over her. Scripture says she was behind him, but doesn’t say she bent down until he called her out, and she thought she was in trouble. Point being: don’t read pictures, read scripture.

Here is the truth: this woman wasn’t healed because she touched his fringe; she was healed by her faith; Jesus said it himself. 

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34

Our thoughts matter. If you are bent toward negativity, you need to change the pattern of your thinking, not just for being healed of infirmities, but in every aspect of your life. For example, if you’re broke, don’t say it. Show gratitude for what you have and have faith that God will provide. It’s the change of mindset that makes a difference. Also, pray about everything, big or small; write them down and record when you get your answer. Seeing your prayers answered is how you grow your faith. 

Picture is of Corfu, Greece

February 9, 2026

Miracles Of Jesus: 13

Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon 

The story of the man with a demon is recorded in all three of the synoptic gospels. However, Matthew tells us that there were two men, but Mark and Luke record only one. 

When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. Luke 8:28

This man lived in the cemetery and caused havoc to visitors. Jesus knew about him and crossed over in a storm to get to him. Jesus asked for the spirit's name and was told it was Legions, because there were many of them. These demons cried out to Jesus, knowing he had the power to send them away. He told them to "go," and sent them into a herd of pigs, and they ran off a cliff. The man regained his sanity and told his story to his town. This story shows Jesus's power over the principalities of the air, demonic beings.

Most people have their heads in the sand when it comes to demonic activity; I assure you, they are alive and well, even today. We don't want to admit they live among us because we would have to believe in the hooky-spooky. They try to stay quiet so people are unaware of their activity, so they can easily slip in unannounced. They will tell you of their presence; it may be a legal requirement in the spiritual realm, but you'd better believe they will make it seem like it's not a big deal and perfectly innocent. 

For example, I was at the grand opening of a sound studio where bands can play without disturbing their neighbors; it is such a great idea. The enemy has its talons in the music industry, and these bands probably wouldn't make it unless they made a deal with the devil, even though they were really good. Then the main attraction began, and I was all into it because I like a little rock and roll and heavy metal now and then. When they got to their second song, they announced it was an original called "Borrowed Soul." I immediately got a check in my spirit and looked up the meaning. Unfortunately, the gist was that they made a deal to borrow a soul so they wouldn't face legal or moral consequences; I wonder who they got the soul from. I immediately lost all interest. The devil's playground is very attractive, even to Christ-followers, but once we know the truth, it is essential that we reject it in favor of Jesus. Pay attention, and use discernment when traversing this earth; we live in the devil's playground, and he will include you in his fun if you allow it.

February 8, 2026

 

Miracles Of Jesus: 12

Jesus Calms A Storm On The Sea

This story is recorded in all three synoptic gospels.

After Jesus finished teaching his followers, he sent them away with a blessing, then entered a fishing boat to go to the other side of the lake. Other smaller boats went with them. Jesus lay down to take a nap. While he was sleeping a storm arose and nearly over took the boat with water. 

Richard and I were on a cruise, and when we went through a certain pass around the tip of Italy's boot near Sicily in the Strait of Messina, the ship tossed back and forth. While at dinner, the waves were so high that we could see them splashing against the window. At bedtime, Richard was up all night, barely getting any sleep, while I slept like a baby, being rocked, or was it that I slept like Jesus in the midst of a storm? I don't think he was worried, just a little seasick. Our reaction to a storm may come down to our personality, but sometimes it comes down to our faith. No matter the situation, God is responsible for the plan, so our response is to act when he tells us to. Sometimes we must stay quiet and allow the pieces fall where they may, but other times we must intervene and take charge of the situation. God will give you the go-ahead when the time is right if he requires action. 

The men cried out to Jesus for his help, and he rebuked the storm. Then fear came over them because who can command a storm other than God himself? They cried out in prayer, and Jesus awoke and calmed their storm. Sometimes he doesn't rebuke the storm, but rejoices over us when we pass through it in his strength. 

This poem by George Herbert says it plainly:

When winds and waves assault my keel,

He doth preserve it, he doth steer,

Ev'n when the boat seems most to reel.

Storms are the triumph of his art;

Though he may close his eyes, yet not his heart.

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. Luke 8:25