Integrated Word

Jeremiah 30:17

For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds.

This verse is special to me among the healing verses and here is why. When I was in my 20’s and just learning these verses, I didn’t have to deal with sickness, but I did have three nagging injuries from my days of playing sports. Injuries and wounds seemed similar to each other and different from sickness. The sickness and disease scriptures didn’t seem to apply to my injuries, so I was having trouble applying faith to those scriptures. I needed a verse that spoke to injuries and this one fit the bill for me.

Now that we are older and wiser, you and I know that every healing verse applies to every ailment regardless of type. An even broader perspective teaches us that the Word, in general, is filled with life so has healing in it. None the less, when you have something physical going on in your body, you need the verse that feels right in your spirit. I wrote early on that the verse which resonates with me at one time might not be the verse Father leads me to at another time. That is part of the value of this list. You will have a reasonably comprehensive list of verses to turn to when you have a need.

In that light, I hope you took my advice and made a list of these or have been writing them on index cards. This, truly, is an invaluable tool because it will help you quickly feed yourself in the time of need. When you read over them, a particular verse may grab your attention. If it does, that is the one you need for the present circumstance. That was the case for me with today’s verse. It sounded loud when I read it. To this day, when I read it I mentally replace the word “wounds” with “injuries.” Don’t ignore the first part of this verse though. It is equally appealing, “I will restore you to health.” You can’t beat that. It is exactly what we need to hear.

Now, let me remind you of one thing before I let you go. These verses are powerful spiritual tools. They are not, however, magic pills. You have to mix your faith and your words with them. This is the work you must do and why I think it is important that you write them down. When you find one that really goes off in you, make sure that you read that one aloud every day. I am not suggesting that you ignore the others, just that you want to latch on to the one Father is quickening to your spirit. You know that you have some promises from God. Now you have to ingest them and rehearse them. As you do, your faith will grow. Don’t forget that Father is watching over His Word to perform it and the angels are listening for these divine dew drops. Start speaking them. When someone asks you how you’re doing you can respond, “God has restored my health and healed my wounds. Praise God.” When you get out of a chair and your bones creak, you’ve got something to say. “Knees you have been healed by Jesus’ stripes.” Just don’t let these verses be a moment’s read. Make them an integral part of your life. Amen?

Healing Virus

Jeremiah 30:17

For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds.

Okay, I will admit that today’s title sounds a little odd. Blame your Dad! That is just the way He said it to me. The point is, Jesus is on site, in your body, healing you.

Have you ever had a fever blister (cold sore)? If you ever have or ever do, the virus that causes the sore remains resident in your body forever. That struck me. Why does it not always cause a sore but sometimes will. Then our Father showed me a spin on this.

Isaiah 53: 5 says, “By his stripes we are healed.” Whose stripes? Remember the lashings Jesus took? Every part of his body was striped by the whip and in those wounds was your healing. 1 Peter 2: 24 confirms this, “by His wounds you were healed.” So, as I thought through this in an instant the Father showed me that Jesus healed us thousands of years ago and by his stripes we were and are healed, right now. If you are healed, then you are not working on getting healed. Yes?

Because Jesus lives inside of you, his healing power is in you too. It is like that virus that causes fever blisters. The virus is always there even when you cannot see evidence of it. In the same way Jesus and his healing power are always resident in your body. None the less, sometimes we do not manifest Jesus’ healing in the same way that the virus doesn’t always manifest a fever blister. Under what conditions does the virus activate and create a fever blister? How do we activate the resident healing within us so that it produces health? That is the question.

Father wants you to know that all of Jesus’ healing power is in you right now. It lives in you like a resident virus just waiting to be thrown into service. Some people catch a cold bug, but you have a healing bug that attacks any sickness that invades your body. I like that. Healing lives within you. It is always there. You were healed; you are healed. Connect with that healing virus, activate it with your faith and Be Healed!

The Healing Touch

Jeremiah 30:17

For I will restore you to health and I will heal you of your wounds.

I am sure you have had an itch that you could not reach. Usually it’s right in the middle of your back. If you are lucky you can find someone who will scratch it for you. I want you to imagine that instead of it being an itch though, it is a wound. If it hurts a great deal you may find that you don’t want anyone to touch it, even a healer. This is the way we are with God. Although He has healing in His wings, many times we won’t let Him touch the spot that hurts.

Deep inside us are places that we cannot reach but we refuse to allow anyone else to touch either even if they mean to minister healing to them. We are afraid of receiving more pain. We need to address this dynamic and allow the great healer to touch us.

First of all, if we are afraid then fear is the first obstacle and it is usually the greatest hurdle we must overcome. Fear is not from God. All fear is from the pit of hell. Fear is not the same as wise caution. It you balk at doing something stupid because it may end in injury I would say that is wisdom. Fear of allowing God to minister to you can only be from the devil. That makes sense, right? So we must not allow fear to rule our lives. We are afraid of pain but healing pain is transitory. It is very short lived while leaving the infected area untreated will result in greater and greater sickness and pain. When this wound is in our flesh we ultimately come to these conclusions and seek out help. It is when the pain is in our hearts that we close up like a clam and we do not even allow the light of blessed Jesus to shine in those dark recesses.

Imagine with me again, if you will. Picture an infected wound inside your spirit, inside your heart. Is your instinct to hide it away and pretend it is not there? For many of us that is the first response but God has made us thinking spirits. We do not operate by instinct but by the grace of God. Therefore, we may engage a higher faculty. We have minds that have been anointed by Christ himself who gives us his thoughts and his wisdom. We have glorious spirits where the Holy Spirit himself resides. We can rise above animalistic instinct and engage in holy dialogue with the healer.

Believe me in this, trust me; his touch is tender. I have had doctors root around in physical injuries, I had one doctor hand me a bullet to bite on, I know about pain. I also have been touched by Jesus and it is not the same at all. He is gentle and kind. There are few people walking around without some sort of wound, we are the walking wounded and just because we can function does not mean we are whole. Jesus came to give us the abundant life that he and his father live; he came to give us his life (John 10: 10). He wants to lead us all into a glorious existence where our needs are met, our bodies are healed and we have rewarding relationships. He wants to give you everything you have ever wanted but he needs you to let him in. He can heal all of the broken places even the places you are afraid to look at. His healing is complete but you have to give him access. Won’t you spend some quiet time with Him and talk to Him about this. I know this is a big reason why you have a hard time spending quality quiet time with Him. You are afraid He will begin to talk to you about your brokenness but if you will allow Him He will make it all better. Give Him a chance. Let Him be your healer. It will be okay. I promise.