Healing Weapons

On March 28, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Corinthians 10: 4 – 5

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

According to this scripture, we have weapons of warfare. These weapons, however, are not as we would initially expect. Paul tells us that they are divine weapons, imbued with divine power. What are these weapons and from where do they draw their power? What kind of fortresses are they able to destroy?

Even a novice would speculate that the source of power for these divine weapons is the trinity, specifically, the Holy Spirit who is the power of God. He has given us weapons that he has empowered. Notice something interesting here. These are weapons of destruction. They are not weapons of defense. Isn’t that interesting? These weapons have offensive capabilities.
Verse four says they are used for destroying fortresses. What are these fortresses? Other translations call them strongholds. Verse five begins to reveal what these strongholds are. One translation reads, “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God.” Another says, “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.” To state it plainly, these divine weapons are empowered to destroy false ideas and beliefs.

Here is the coup de grace, and it is in the last phrase, “We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” That is the final blow, the death strike. We cast down these vain imaginations that attempt to stand above the truth of Christ. The reason I call it the coup de grace is because it is in this final stroke that we realize the battle is not against the reasoning and arrogant arguments of others. Instead, the weapons are formed, by God, to give us power to take our own thoughts captive in obedience to him. Now, that should set you free.

Look, other people’s thoughts aren’t really your responsibility. The challenge is the space between our ears. That is where the battle takes place. We must take our own thoughts in hand and make them bend their knee to the truth in Christ. When your mind says you cannot be healed, you are going to have to have your knee replaced, you will live with this condition all your life, you must arrest those thoughts and ask, “What does Jesus say about this?” Only what God says is important. When you know what He says, then you lasso your thoughts and make them come into line with Him. Those speculations, wonderings, worries, all those mental gymnastics, must be brought to kneel at Jesus’ feet. The strongholds or fortresses are our beliefs. Over the years we have each built a paradigm of beliefs and, frankly, Jesus’ Word doesn’t fit into that paradigm very easily. It is a battle to wrestle those old beliefs into submission, allowing our minds to be transformed by the Word of God.

So here are your guiding questions: 1) What does Jesus have to say about this problem you are facing, 2) What does the Word say? The world says one thing and the Word another. God has given you power to destroy the thoughts, imaginations and opinions of the world. Take those thoughts and mental images captive. Put them in chains. Create a new picture of a healed you. How does your body move when Jesus’ truth touches it? How do you feel and what does that look like? Wrap words around your revelation but create pictures too. See yourself doing what was difficult. Take every thought and imagination captive to the Word of Christ so that you can defeat the strongholds in your own mind. Destroy the fortress of doubt that says you cannot, will not be healed. By his stripes you are!

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Sabbatical

On March 21, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

 

Luke 6: 12

Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray.

This is a picture of me in the Basilica du Notre Dame in Montreal.  It is a beautiful church and I couldn’t resist taking a moment to connect with the Holy Trinity.

I will be enjoying another time of connection this week.  I will be taking a sabbatical this week.  Unfortuately, it will not be in Montreal.  I will be in the mountains of NC which is always nice too.

Perhaps some of you would like to use this week to review the healing verses we have covered so far.  I think when you go back and read some of the early ones, you will find you are in a different place than you were. If you click on this link, it will take you to the first healing list post.  From there, simply go to the bottom and click “next post.”  You can continue through the entire list, up to today by selecting “next post.”

Here is another tool you may like.  It can be handy in your daily studies, on the weekend or anytime there is not a Word of the Day post.  The document below will show you how to search the Ivey Ministries website and over a thousand messages for a topic of interest or even specific Bible verses.

Devotional Search Instructions

or you can find it on our website:  IveyMinistries on the resource tab.

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Renewal

On March 18, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 12: 1 – 2

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

There are two aspects of these verses that are important for health and healing and they both point to our obligations. The hard truth is that we are responsible for our health. That is not to say that poor health is a reason to condemn ourselves, but while God can put all the tools in our hands, we must be good stewards of these gifts. This series is meant to help us all steward the great gifts the Lord has given us so that we can live in the divine health which He purposes for us.

The first thing you should do with your body, a new car, new house or anything is to dedicate it to God. This is worship. It is our service to our Lord and King. We have to get the revelation that our bodies are the temple of God. Didn’t we see in yesterday’s Word of the Day that all three persons of the Trinity live in us? Bells should be going off in our heads on that. Christians likely find this idea attractive, so the first step is to present your body to the Lord as a temple, a sanctuary and as Paul wrote, a holy sacrifice. Whoa! That is big stuff there. Give your body to God. Ask Him to come live inside you, to be with you and to strengthen your mortal body with His presence. Doesn’t that sound good? Then, let that revelation sink into your heart that God is with you. He never, for one moment, leaves you, never abandons you. When you have dedicated your body to Him, and have received the truth of His abiding presence, you will think about yourself and your body differently.

I want to make one caveat here though. This series is meant to help you grow in the grace and mercy of our dear Lord. Do not use this as an opportunity to criticize yourself. As you and the Lord walk through life, He will likely show you things you can change to improve your life. Let it be a positive change. Do not take this dedication and offering of your body to the Lord as a time to condemn yourself. That is what the devil does, not us. We are to love ourselves in generous humility.

Okay, here we go. Let’s move to the second point. In verse 2 Paul wrote, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Why? So that we can learn, hear and prove the perfect will of God. So, he said, first, present your body to God. Then, don’t be conformed by what you learn and hear in the world. Instead, let God transform you. Think of it this way, give God your body and then let him transform your mind about what to do with it. Let Him author your health plan. He wants to guide you and teach you. He is going to transform your thinking so that you will be on that right path.

Does this sound good to you so far? I really hope so. Here is a challenging truth though. When God begins to transform your thinking, it may come to you through other people, and it may be that God is actually transforming your habits as well. This would all be so easy if God would send His big booming voice out of heaven to very clearly tell us what to do. That is not how His revelation usually comes to us. More often than not, it comes through other people. God believes in miracle healings, and I don’t want you to lose sight of that but He uses many methods to heal.

I will use myself as an example. I have been praying about my knees and believing God for healing. I listen to Him in my own prayer time and try to be diligent about anything I believe is Him. Well, recently I realized that all the things I was doing weren’t getting the job done. I said to a friend, “I think I am going to have to break down and see a physical therapist.” The next day a postcard came in the mail telling me that a new service had been added to my health insurance that allowed me to work with a physical therapist virtually. It didn’t take a nuclear physicist to figure out that was God. Then, within two weeks of that a friend introduced me to a product with great potential for health and renewal.

So, what was happening here? God began sending people to me to offer me different opportunities for my health. A cynic is not a faith person, so I choose not to be cynical. I choose to believe and to embrace hope. Even though I wanted my faith to miraculously heal my knees, Father had people waiting in the wings to bring me good news. I tell you this as a warning. God wants to renew your thinking, so you absolutely have to be open-minded. You must let Him guide you. Of course, it is going to be new to you and sometimes even strange. Otherwise, you would have already known it and would be applying that knowledge. How is God to teach us if we won’t learn? I don’t want you to miss out on what He is saying because the knowledge comes from a person. People are God’s hands in the earth. People are how He spreads His good news. If we knew it all, we wouldn’t need His wisdom. So, let the Lord renew your mind. Allow Him to shake up your thinking.

In conclusion, here is how you can cooperate with God in your own healing and in sustaining good health. First, dedicate your body to Him and to His service. Present it to Him as His own temple. Second, allow Him to renew your thinking. Shake out the cobwebs. Get some new thoughts. Read a book. Reach out to someone for their thoughts. Let the Lord speak to you in your spirit but also through other people. Never, ever get so holy that you think God doesn’t speak to you through other people. Be transformed in mind and body. Be renewed.

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Healing Spirit

On March 17, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 8:11

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your moral bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

I would love to be in a room discussing this passage with you. I would like to know what this verse says to you. Is it a strong encouragement or is it a bit outlandish?

I have been thinking about the creation of the universe and the creator. We know Him, of course. We also know that Jesus was with Him in the beginning and that nothing was made apart from Jesus (John 1: 1 – 3). Jesus also told us that he is in us (John 14: 21), and the Holy Spirit too (John 14: 17). So, the power of creation lives within us. He is the source of all life and Jesus is the life (John 14: 6).

Because of these things we conclude that the creative power of God lives within us and also life lives within us because where there is Jesus, there is life. With all of this living within our very cells, you would think that life would bubble forth from us. I think, though, that Paul wrote this verse trying to get people to grasp this amazing truth so they could experience the benefit, thereof.

What do you think God made the earth from? Have you pondered that? Well, I will tell you. He created the earth and everything on it of His own substance. What else was there really? If Jesus is the life, then it took a bit of the life to create life. That makes sense, doesn’t it? At one level this sounds so simple yet at another, it is mind blowing. The key for us is in the simplicity of it. “In the beginning was the word (Jesus) . . . and apart from Him not even one thing came into being that has come into being” (John 1: 1, 3). So, the building blocks of the universe, frankly, are resident in our cell structure. Then, above all things, Yahweh breathed into us the Spirit, His own Spirit. With this pedigree it is no wonder Paul saw the great healing potential within us all.

The power which formed us in the first place, and which had enough healing power to raise Jesus from the dead is inside you right now. Further, the power that raised Lazarus from the dead is alive in you. Since you have resurrection power in you and you have Jesus, who is life in you, then that same power can aid your physical body. Isn’t that exciting? The power which raised up Jesus is flowing in your veins. Your very breath is God’s own Spirit moving and breathing in you. You have the trifecta of healing power in you. I reckon if this power could raise a dead body, then it can heal what ails us too, no matter the ailment.

Today could be your day. It only takes one revelation of God’s Word to set off a cascade of miracles in you. I pray the healing of the Lord is fully manifested in you today!

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Calling Those Things

On March 16, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 4: 17 – 21

17 (as it is written, “A father of many nations have I made you”) in the sight of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
18 In hope against hope he believed, in order that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So shall you descendants be.”
19 And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully assure that what He had promised, He was able to perform.

This passage is a keg of dynamite ready to go off in the spirit of the one who can receive it. There is so much to glean from it, but I wish to focus on three points.

1. He grew strong
2. He believed the promise of God meant something and could be relied upon.
3. Speak those things

First, this passage, speaking of Abraham, says that he “grew strong”. This shows that he did not begin strong. Abraham is called the father of faith, but that faith was no more inherent to him than to us. He grew in faith. If you read the account of Abraham’s life, you will see that he was not a paragon of faith in the beginning. He learned and he grew and his faith grew with him. Notice also that he considered the “true” facts, his age and Sarah’s inability to have children, but he did not allow this to disuade him from God’s promise. It is okay to acknowledge facts, but you do not have to accept them as truth. They are only circumstantial and temporary. Abraham was able to recognize the obstacles, but he did not let them negate the promise of God. He grew such that the promise of God was bigger in his heart and mind than the facts.

Second, Abraham took God at his word. He believed that what God said, He would do. He also believed that God was able to do what He promised. When your faith feels small and weak, don’t look at it. Look at God. We measure the value and weight of our faith, but we need not. We only need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12: 2). As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and the Father all things, do, seem possible. If we measure the size of our faith, it always seems wanting. Our faith never looks large enough to measure up to the task. Yahweh, however, is large enough to believe in. Focusing our attention on Him brings us to a place of agreement with Him. Abraham believed that God was not a liar and would do all He promised. So, we don’t focus on the facts or the littleness of our faith but rather on the majesty of the God who promised.

Last, Paul recognized a key behavior of God’s. Namely, that God calls into being that which did not previously exist. Hence, we are back to the power of words. The simplest expression of this principle is, you shall have what you say. Because we are made in God’s image and live according to His authority, we operate in this earth as He does. The power of intentional speech is beyond what we currently understand. It is how God created the universe. Unfortunately, the influence of unintentional speech is impactful too, which is why Jesus warned us about careless words (Matthew 12: 36).

We have been given authority in the earth to call things into being as our Father does. This is one of the key things Yahweh is teaching us. What we say matters, but more than that, when we appreciate the link between speech and creation, we will use our words as a painter uses her brush. The creative power of the universe is in our mouths. We can call into being that which does not exist, and the truth is that we are affecting our health daily with the things we say. So, we must use this power, this power of God, to call health into being where it does not exist.

There is a reason Jesus taught us to “say” something to the mountain. He understands creative power and he knows that reality is shaped by what we say. That is also why he said nothing when he was being tortured and questioned. He knew he would shape destiny with his words. He had to keep silent. Likewise, we shape our destiny. We can call those things which currently do not exist into being.

Set your eyes on the promises of God and on He who promised. Gaze upon His majesty and allow yourself to grow in faith and belief as you marshal your tongue into agreement with all He says. Call yourself the healed. Call yourself strong. Be the healed and the strong of Yahweh.

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Abundantly

On March 15, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

One cannot claim every verse in the Bible as their favorite, but this one certainly ranks well towards the top on many people’s lists. We can see why. First of all, these are the words of Jesus. All the words in red tend towards the top of folks’ lists. Second, he revealed one of the key reasons he was sent to earth. That makes this a very important verse for us all. Mostly, though, I think we like it because of the monumental promise it contains. The promise of a full and abundant life.

Jesus is so big, and his thinking is so big that it is hard for even his words to express, much less our minds to absorb, his thoughts. Had he said that he came to earth so that we might have life, that would have been good. There would be tomes of theology from that statement alone. He didn’t stop there though, because that did not express what he was thinking or trying to convey. He didn’t just come so that we would have life, but that we would have abundant life.

Immediately, that phrase takes our minds out of the eternal life paradigm and lands us right here on planet earth. Of course, we will have abundant life in heaven. Since that truly goes without saying, that is not what he was communicating. Besides, there will be no thief in the after earth life to steal, kill or destroy. Yahoo! So, Jesus’ message has something important to say about our life here on earth.

The New Life Version of John 10: 10 reads, “The robber comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I came so they might have life, a great full life.” Think of Jesus’ statement this way, God sent Jesus to earth to bring us not only life, but a great, full life. First, It wasn’t life such as just breathing and hearts beating that Jesus came to bring. People were already living on earth. So, when God said to him, “Go to earth and give them life,” He must have had something else in mind. Second, when Jesus said he came to bring us a great, full life, there was certainly a great deal implied in those words. We need to consider what that means. What did God intend in sending us abundant life through Jesus? The answer to that question affects every facet of life. That is why I think we need to seriously ponder these questions and this verse.

Of course, life is certainly not ours in abundance without our health. A healthy body is foremost to a great and full life. So, did God have our health in mind when he sent Jesus? Of course, He did. Remember that Isaiah foresaw the torture that Jesus would endure so that he could bear our disease and infirmities in his body.

A full life also suggests a long rich life. Surely no one would consider a full life to mean thirty or forty years of abundance and then a bunch of years of a half empty life. That doesn’t make sense. The glass must be full and overflowing from beginning to end.

Jesus came to earth to bring us life in abundance. It was one of his main objectives. Let’s not let anyone talk us into anything less than God’s intention and Jesus’ purpose. Believe God for fullness. Believe Him for overflowing abundance. It is His will.

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Recovery

On March 14, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 16:17 – 18

And these signs will accompany those who have believed; in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

Here is a passage written in red that we are challenged by! I would like to preach on the whole bit for a week, but I cannot. I hope you, though, will ponder all the things Jesus said. Each of these should accompany those of us who believe. Thus, the question becomes, “Do we believe?” Today I am just trying to get us to believe the last one, “they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Have you already conceptualized this statement even as you read it? What does it mean to you? Surely, this puts us in a different position than previous verses. No longer are we necessarily the sick person, though that could still be where we see ourselves in this scenario. However, we could also be, and the passage suggests this, the person who lays hands on the sick.

We have already seen that there is power in agreement. Jesus is taking us a step further today. He suggests that if we are the sick, we should call for a believer to pray for us with the inevitable outcome that we will recover. However, he really wasn’t speaking from that perspective. He was sharing what the life of a believer looks like. Wherever they go, the blessing follows them. Not only do they benefit from the blessing but also, others share in that benefit.

If you are sick, you should call for a believer. Then, that believer should lay hands on you and pray the prayer of faith. The prayer offered in faith shall quicken mortal flesh and the sick will recover. You recover from sickness.

Now, the other side of the coin. Are you a believer? Well, of course you are! Then, you may be the person called upon to pray for the sick, and what should you expect when you lay your hands on a person and pray for them? You expect them to recover, right? It is not by our power nor our might but by the loving grace of our Father and big brother. Jesus already healed every one of us. So, we are simply the marshals of his good will towards them. You are the point of agreement between the sick and the Lord. In that moment of contact, there are three of you in agreement and whatever you ask, the Lord shall do.

Okay, what if the sick person is a believer? It doesn’t actually change the equation. Call for another believer knowing the signs that are supposed to follow believers. Have that person pray for you. You can still use your faith too, but Jesus is giving us a model here. He was teaching that signs, wonders, and miracles should follow believers. Where we go, there goes the Spirit of God and where there is the Spirit, there is always healing power.

Can your heart embrace this today? I know some of you accept this truth readily and would be the first to pray. For others of you, this passage presents a challenge. You have been very private in your faith and perhaps have never prayed for another person. We have not done enough corporate prayer in church, so we have learned to be bashful. I can promise you this, no one ever described Jesus as bashful. Faith needs an outlet, and here is a bit of good news. It grows as you let it out.

Now, I understand that laying hands on others and praying for them may not come easily to you but if Jesus said it, we must move ourselves towards compliance. Do you agree? The easiest thing is when someone asks you to pray for them rather than you having to offer so do a believer a favor, ask them to pray for you. Require that they lay their hands on you. If you are the pray-er, you can just put your hand on someone’s forehead or on their hand. It doesn’t have to get weird. Just make a physical and spiritual connection and ask Jesus to make the person whole. We know his healing is running around in their veins. It just needs to be made manifest in their flesh. Jesus said the sick will recover so let it be so.

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