Refreshing Wisdom

On April 4, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 3: 7 – 8

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.

Interestingly enough, this verse, though it is about healing, does not advise about diet or exercise. What is the root of this? Some people will think it is about doing evil and that evil doings make you sick or that God curses those who are doing bad. That is not what this verse says. You’ve got to start at the beginning of the verse and there are really two parts. First, do not be wise in your own eyes and second, revere the Lord and His wisdom. That is really what this is about. Turning away from evil is a natural by-product of serving the Lord. So, let’s look at this more closely and see what the Lord is teaching us.

This passage is really about whose wisdom you will follow. When we inquire of the Lord, which is step one, we fare well. When we rely on our own wisdom, we don’t always make the choices that lead to healthy bodies and refreshed bones. It isn’t that we do not try to make right decisions. It’s just that we don’t know all God knows. I will tell you another implication of relying on our own wisdom and knowledge. It is stressful. The more we learn to rely on God’s direction, the less stress we are under. The less stress we experience, the healthier our bodies.

I have taught in the past about hearing God. I have even sent you my testimony about when I could not hear Him. It was the most frustrating thing! In our fast-paced society, it is definitely harder to hear Him. Another factor is involved too. As the pace of life increased, people found it harder to hear Him. Now, we are raised in the expectation that we won’t hear God speak to us. Of course, that is unbiblical, but church culture is influenced by societal pressures too. Eventually, a doctrine arises to support our failure. The converse is to have to face up to the failure and that is not so easy.

We, however, are fortunate. We are not the generation that created the problem or accepted not being able to hear God speaking to us. That makes the problem existence emotionally neutral to us as far as blame. We can be the fixers since we carry no guilt. Yes, our generation has accepted the failure and believed pastors who taught us wrong but now we have the ability to get free.

If we can follow God’s wisdom for our health, then surely, we will live healthy. If we forsake any pride we may have, choosing not to be wise in our own eyes, but rather to rely on the Father, we really can turn things around. Even if you are a medical professional, did you know that it is not your responsibility to have all wisdom? Your wisdom, too, is supplied by the healer.

Today’s verse is about relinquishing control and not having to have all the answers. It is about expecting God to be God. In our reverence of Yahweh God, we are to turn to Him with questions and, not only expect Him to answer us, but to demand it. Honestly, He is on the edge of His throne wanting to answer you. Let’s get good at hearing God’s voice. Let’s follow His wisdom to arrive at the place of healing.

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Every Disease

On April 1, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 4: 23

Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.

Isn’t it easy to believe that if Jesus walked up to you, healing would be a simple matter? Of course, the people of his time didn’t always believe he could heal them or that he would. Those are two forms of doubt we still must deal with today. Even if we accept that Jesus wants us healed, we have a challenge receiving it. How do we get his healing? “If he were still here,” we think, “it would be easy.” However, Jesus said it was to our advantage that he go away (John 16: 7). That hardly makes sense though. Do you agree?

Jesus explained to his disciples that if he should go away, he could send the helper, the Holy Spirit who would come and live within us and be with us forever. Jesus wanted us all to understand that we were not losing him, but rather that we were gaining the third person of the Trinity.
Do you think the Father lost all His power when he sent Jesus to earth? Was He unable to act as long as Jesus was here? Or how about this? We know that Jesus was with the Father in the beginning of time. Was he powerless while he lived with God, before he came to earth? Why did Jesus think it advantageous for the Holy Spirit to come?

Finally, with the coming of the Spirit we can talk about living with the Trinity. If Jesus went around healing every sickness and disease, why can’t the Spirit do that now? Furthermore, Jesus is still with us, isn’t he? Sometimes we don’t have a big revelation of that. Where are you right now? Look up from your computer. Look around your office or the room you are in. Where is Jesus? You know, he is right there with you. Really look around. Where do you think he is? We know he inhabits every cell of our bodies. We’ve talked about that, but he is walking the earth too. He is there in that room with you even as he lives and breathes inside you. Imagine him putting his hands on you. What does that feel like? Can you feel the fire? How are your own hands? Do they feel hot in the palms? That is the anointing. Put them on your body and release the healing power.

Look, we decree and declare things to be. We command, but sometimes with healing I like to be sensitive. Think about healing hands. Sure, sometimes they are strong. You should have seen the forearms on my orthopedic surgeon. All in all, though, don’t we imagine healing hands to be sensitive and gentle? What does Jesus look like when he prays for you? Open up your mind to unfolding pictures and see Jesus praying for your health. What does he look like? The reason I bring this up is that sometimes we need to be kind to our bodies. We need to encourage healing rather than demand it. You follow what the Spirit is telling you but consider talking calmly and nicely to your body. Encourage it to heal. Speak prosperity over your cells and organs.

The healer is with you. Not one person he has ever prayed for has been left sick. Just some people wouldn’t let him heal. Their doubt shut him out. Let us be the people who receive the healing that is in his wings. Really imagine opening up your injuries and letting him in there. All sickness and disease, leave in Jesus’ name.

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Sonshine

On March 31, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Malachi 4: 2        NLT

“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

Are you enjoying this healing series? Are you getting something out of it? I certainly pray so. I would love to hear from you. Reply and let me know what God is saying to you.

What a happy picture this is. If you are from the country, you probably can see the calves running and jumping in your mind’s eye. They are so fun to watch. Imagine being so carefree that you just romp around in the pasture. Imagine your knees and hips and back feeling so good that you can jump like calves. I wish we could all get such a big revelation of God’s will inside us that healing would spring up from within.

I always think this verse should read, the SON of Righteousness. Jesus is righteousness and he certainly has healing in his wings. Whatsmore, he lives inside us! That is the revelation of revelations. If we ever really get a hold of that truth, we will be unstoppable. We will do all things in his name, and nothing will be impossible to us. However, let’s talk about healing today because everyone of us has something in our bodies that needs addressing.

Are you agreed with me that it is God’s desire and Jesus’ intention that you should be made perfectly whole? Do you think they want you healed, because if you can answer that affirmatively your spirit will be juiced with the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit. Look, the Trinity is just waiting on us to get into agreement with them. Then, this force which is resident within us can go into motion healing our bodies right from the cells themselves. Our bodies are comprised mostly of water. Our cells are predominantly water. The Bible often refers to the Holy Spirit as water. In fact, I believe the Holy Spirit is the river of life from Revelation 22: 1, “The angel showed me a river filled with the water of life, as clear as crystal. It was flowing from the throne of God and the lamb.” My point is that God’s Spirit is the substance of our cells. That holy water transports nutrients into our cells and flushes waste out. It nourishes and hydrates our bodies and carries the very essence of God into every atom of our being. Does that not blow your mind a bit? But see, that is what it means that Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit are living in us. They do not live in the empty places of our body. They are completely intermeshed, intertwined, if you will, with the very fiber of our bodies. That is where healing can take place. God in you. The power that raised Jesus from the dead living in your cells just waiting to go off. The healing force which called Lazarus from the grave is inside each and every one of us. The more we accept this and let our hearts embrace it, the more freedom we give that energy to move within us. We can actively cooperate with what God wants to do in our bodies.

Jesus has healing in his wings, and he wants to share all of his healing ability with each one of us. Bit by bit we are growing and believing. We are stronger and have more belief than when we began this series. Healing is here.

Please email me and tell me your healing story. I know God is healing people who are reading this series because I have already heard some testimonies. Send me more. Your testimony helps other people believe and thus receive their healing. In his name.

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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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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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Mountains, Again?

On March 11, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mark 11: 23 – 24

“Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, shall be granted you. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.”

Well, here is our mountain again! Is it still insurmountable?

When Jesus began a teaching or a sentence with “truly” he was trying to get people’s attention. He was saying, “Listen to me. I am telling you something important which is the absolute truth.” He wanted people to hear him yet he knew that some hearers would not be able to accept the truth.

We are back to “all things.” What does “all things” mean to you. I know for myself that I exclude things. It happens in my brain so fast that it could outrace lightning. I read a verse like this and think, “Yes, all things! That means, my knee can be healed,” but in the back of my brain I hear, “but not my finances, not my relationships.” In my heart and mind, God has limitations, and it is true. I do have the ability to limit God by my lack of faith and belief in Him and His desire to bless me. Let’s go back a few sentences though.

How many of you caught me? Should I think “my knee can be healed” or should the thought spring quickly to my mind, “my knee is healed?” Is there a substantive difference? I think there is.

If we believe Jesus healed us 2000 years ago when he endured the torture which injured every part of his body, then isn’t it true that I am healed now? My believer needed to kick up to my brain that I am healed. I should read a verse like today’s and have my spirit recognize the truth and then inform my brain. By his stripes, we were healed. So, when I ask Father to heal me, I am simply asking Him to fulfill the truth in my experience. I am saying to Him that I accept His truth and with my faith, I lay claim to it by asking Him to reveal His health and restorative power in my body. He has healing in His hands and truth be told, that healing power is running all through our bodies right now. Do you believe me? I can prove it.

I am not asking you to cut yourself, but what do you think would happen if you got a paper cut right now? Would you have that cut for the rest of your life? Why not? You see, you have the two necessary ingredients working on that cut, the Father’s healing power and your faith. It might take a day or two, but you are going to manifest healing. Right? You probably aren’t even going to ask Him to heal your finger because you know you already have the healing. See, you are a faith machine.

When you were a child, you couldn’t jump over items you now step over without thinking. There was probably a time when you practiced jumping over things, each obstacle getting progressively higher. It’s the same thing. We need to practice jumping with our faith. What is bigger than a papercut? Just jump a little higher. Practice jumping. Increase your ability to believe bigger. Remember Jesus’ words, “all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” Believe you have already received the healing Jesus bought for you 2000 years ago, then pray, ask, and watch that mountain move!

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