All

On March 7, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Mathew 8:16 -17

And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases.”

In telling Jesus’ story, Matthew recorded scriptural prophecy being fulfilled. We read this passage from the Prophet Isaiah last Wednesday. It is Isaiah 53: 4 – 5. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would bear our infirmities and diseases in his body and that by his stripes, we were healed. Jesus took our infirmities, all of them, and he carried away our diseases.

You can hibernate on that language for a long time. If he carried away our disease, where did he carry it? I have a theory on that. I believe he took all of the disease straight to hell and left it there. He didn’t take it to heaven for goodness’ sake. Further, if he took our infirmities, then we don’t have them. Is that right? How can we have what he took? Also, have you thought about the word infirmities. I think that is worth mediation and journaling. What condition do you have in your body that could be classified as an infirmity? It can be any physical weakness. From our youth people, even Christians, convince us that our infirmities, our physical or mental weaknesses, are ours for life. We learn how to manage our infirmities, but first we must accept them. I believe in getting all the help you can from all the sources with healing modalities. I do not, however, believe the infirmity belongs to you or that any of us should accept those abnormalities as our normal. Scripture says Jesus took our infirmities. We have to establish who we are going to believe.

I am not trying to tell you that sickness and disease aren’t real. Injuries, disease, birth defects, that is all real world stuff. I am trying to get us all to believe what the scriptures say and to understand what Jesus did for us. Look again at Isaiah 53: 5, “But he was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging (stripes) we are healed.” We accept, wholeheartedly, that the piercing of his hands and feet to hang him on a cross was successful at taking away our sin. And as an aside, where do you think he left all that sin? Anyway, if we can believe that part of the verse, why are we challenged to believe the second part?

Isn’t this part of the good news? In fact, when I tell you that the scourging Jesus endured did for your health what the cross did for your eternal soul, that he has taken your infirmities so that your body is healed every bit as much as your soul is cleansed, isn’t that great news? How many messages have we heard on what the cross did for us? Have you heard even ten percent as much on the great miracle of healing? Why did Jesus endure such torture? It was not for salvation. It was for healing. Yet, we don’t preach this, or at least, not like we should.

Here is my point. First, you and I have been conditioned to be sick. We have been taught since we were children to accept infirmity and just live with it. Second, we have not been taught the good news about Jesus as healer. If it had been drummed into us at a young age like John 3:16 has been, we would be better able to believe. But since it wasn’t, the work is on you to reverse your programing.

Matthew is making a point in this passage. He is proving to people that Jesus is the Messiah because his healing of people is the fulfillment of scripture. This is an enormously important scripture and lesson. It is by healing that Jesus showed his Messianic mission. The proof was in the healing. It makes perfect sense too because we already know that God said, “I am your healer.” Then, when Jesus came to earth and healed in accordance with scripture, he showed that he was, indeed, from his Father. He healed according to the power that was within him. The Jews of the age should have been able to reconcile all of this for themselves. Some did, but mostly people were unable to connect the dots.

Matthew used examples of Jesus’ life and ministry to prove his deity and here it is. He healed all that were brought to him. In fact, there is not one circumstance where Jesus didn’t heal a person who asked to be healed. This passage specifically says he healed “all.” That is important for us to realize. Maybe that one word is what you needed to hear to make this whole series come alive for you. Jesus isn’t a specialist. He didn’t only heal skin disease. He didn’t only heal orthopedic issues. He didn’t have his apostles sorting through everyone putting them in groups of diseases over which he had authority and others he couldn’t help. He healed all!! Come on. Let this fire up your spirit!!! If you were in that group that day, the pain and infirmity that you carry in your body right now would have been vanquished back to hell where it belongs. YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN HEALED!

So, here is where we are. What makes Jesus different from today than on that faithful day? What makes our infirmities different from those people’s infirmities? If Jesus walked into the room you are in right now, would he have the same power to heal you that he did on that day? Or, maybe because he isn’t in the flesh, he doesn’t have the same effectiveness. What do you think?

This could be the day that you manifest healing. This could be your moment. There are some among you who will receive healing today. You will receive this good news and accept it into your bones and throughout all the tissue of your body and the good word will do its work. By his stripes you were healed.

Please write me and tell me about your healing!

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Integrated Word

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

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?

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Make the Call

On March 3, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Jeremiah 1:12

You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.

How many promises from God do we have from this series on healing? How much of His Word do we have? We have quite a treasure trove so far with more to come, but what does it mean that Father is watching over His Word to perform it?

God has given us His word. What does it mean when someone gives their word? It means we have a promise from them, doesn’t it? However, it is stronger than a regular promise. A person’s word is their bond. It is like an oath. Now, if a person’s word is their bond, how much stronger and more binding should God’s word be? It should be unbreakable. So, we have an unbreakable promise from God. What’s next?

God said He is watching over His word to perform it. It sounds like He is waiting for something to happen. What do you think that is? He is waiting for someone to call in His marker, to put it crudely. It is as if He has written us a check and He is just waiting for us to deposit it. When we do, He will then transfer the funds to our account. You know, that is exactly what a check is. It’s a promise to pay. Isn’t that what Father has given us? So, He is saying, if you understand this, then you have seen well because I am keeping up with those promises to fulfill them when demand is made.

Let’s get a bit more practical. So, we have God’s promise for health and for healing, separate promises toward a common goal. Now, how do we make a demand on that promise or how do we cash the check? God said He is watching over His Word. His Word is His bond. So, He is watching His Word for when someone draws on it. We know that salvation comes by believing in our hearts and confessing with our mouths. We saw in Proverb 4: 21 that we are to keep God’s words “in the midst of your heart.” We have also seen a number of scriptures which tell us that death and life, health and wellbeing are in the power of our tongues. It is, therefore, reasonably easy to conclude that Father wants us to believe in our hearts that He is our healer and wants us to be in health and to speak “His Word” in that regard. When He hears His Word being spoken, He performs it. He has legions of angels who hearken to His Word. They can’t help it. That Word is Jesus to them, so they are immediately attracted to it. When we get our Words in alignment with God’s words and when we intentionally speak His Word over our situation there is an angelic host ready to perform.

Look at this passage from 2 Chronicles, “Yahweh’s eyes scan the whole world to find those whose hearts are committed to him and to strengthen them.” (v. 16: 9 GW). God is scanning the whole earth watching and listening for people who will call on His Word. He is attentive to His Word and all the angels and heavenly beings are attracted to that Word. Thus, the way we “cash our check” is to believe the Word we have heard and to speak it with faith and confidence. Call in God’s marker. He has given you His promise. He has given you His Word. He cannot go back on it. You just have to call Him on it, just as if I made you a promise and you called me on the phone and said you were ready for me to fulfill my promise. He is watching and waiting. Make the Call!

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God with Us

On March 2, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 53: 4-5

Surely our griefs (sickness) He Himself bore, and our sorrows (pains) He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But he was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging (stripes) we are healed.

Many of you will recognize this language because it is quoted in the New Testament. We will cover that quote later. This is from the amazing prophet, Isaiah. You saw from yesterday’s verse how in synch he was with Yahweh God. What really makes the prophet Isaiah and his book so astounding is the revelation he had of Jesus. He is the one who wrote, “Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7: 14). I tell you all of this so you will understand this prophet’s ministry and his revelation of the Christ. God showed him the Christ’s coming and ministry. He saw Jesus being born and later being pierced for us.

Let me say first, read this verse in many versions. There is so much here and so many nuances that I believe you could spend all week on this verse. Second, there is no way I can cover all of what this verse says in this mini-message. The sound bite we must leave with, the minimum comprehension is this, “By his stripes, we are healed.”

There are reasons for every part of Jesus arrest, sentencing and crucifixion. One piece of those events was the beatings he endured. I have thought of this so many times and am completely convinced that Jesus was beaten and bruised in every single part of his body. Even the soles of his feet were striped by the whips. Now here is what makes this challenging. Jesus intended that it be so because he already knew what Isaiah saw. He understood the prophecy and the healing that would ensue because of his beating. It may break your heart to think about it, but Jesus was bruised and beaten so that we could be healed.

If you’ve thought much about Jesus’ ministry you’ve come to recognize that he took all the bad things on himself so that we could have the good. Obviously, the biggest example of this was that he took our sins in trade for his righteousness. We got his righteousness; he got our sin. What a deal. The same is true here. Isaiah is trying to help us understand that our healing was in Jesus’ stripes. He bore our sickness in his body and carried our pains. The scourging he endured was the seed he sowed for our healing.

Now here is the bit I wanted to get to. I find this hard, but important and I have shared this with very few people. When I am hurt, sick or injured, I remember this verse and I remember Jesus’ stripes. I have come to understand that the reason he was bruised in every part of his body was so that every part of mine would be healed. So, if I hurt my ankle, I think about the stripes and whelps that were on his ankle and I know that his stripes have made me whole. When you are sick or hurt, you might do this too. Remember that Jesus was bruised in that part of his body so that you might be healed. Wear your healing like he bore those stripes.

One last note. We must understand when we were healed. In this passage, Isaiah was looking forward to coming events. He was before Jesus, looking towards the cross. Isaiah, seeing those events, said, “By His scourging (stripes) we are healed.” He said, we are healed, not that we will be. Isaiah places our healing at Jesus’ scourging. That is to say, you were healed 2000 years ago. That means, we aren’t trying to get God to heal us. That is said and done. We are trying to get ourselves in harmony with the Trinity, so that the healing and health which are already ours, is revealed in our lives.

Questions, comments? Click “reply” or go to Ask Ivey at IveyMinistries.org.

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Don’t Worry, Be Happy

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

Isaiah 41:10

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am you God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

This doesn’t, at first blush, look like a healing verse. And, sure, you could, and should, be using it for any number of situations. However, is there any situation, which causes us to look anxiously around us more than a problem with our health? That is when God says, “I am right here with you. You don’t need to look around.”

Receiving a diagnosis that there is something amiss in your body is always a bit off putting. You feel rocked back onto your heels even if your faith is still in place. And, if we’re being honest, there is a moment, no matter how brief, when your heart feels the sting. Even if you are not facing a life and death matter, having a health situation or an injury troubles your heart. So, here we are, at the feet of God, asking Him how we confront the issues that attempt to create anxiety within us.

You know, I am quite fond of giving you tools, and today’s verse is a strong one. Here is what I want you to do. Stop reading this for a moment and re-read today’s verse. Read it aloud, even multiple times if you want. I’ll wait . . ..

Do you hear something when you read this? I hope you were able to read it aloud. And, if you read it aloud several times you may have noticed that your voice became stronger each time you read it. That is what this verse gives you. I wrote above that it is a strong tool, but I wanted to write “powerful” because I believe it is. I figured, though, that if I said it was powerful, you would think I was embellishing. However, when I read this verse, I feel strengthened inside of me. It’s like my spirit just rises up to take on whatever the world throws our way. Can you not hear the voice of God in this passage? Oh my, He is speaking right to us saying, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t worry. I am your God. I am with you, and I am going to help you.”

How is this not a verse for healing? God told us early on that He was our healer. Then we get to this verse and hear Him saying, “Don’t look anxiously around you because I am here. I am your healer.” Anxiety is a thief. It steals your calm, and it actually compromises health. God is showing us how we can retain a healthy body by giving Him all our anxiety and worry.

Do not fear. Yahweh is God. Do not let fear and anxiety steal from you. Remember who your God is and that He is with you. He is upholding you with the might of His right arm.

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Fruitful Speech

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

Proverb 18:20-21

With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; he will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.

We keep coming back to this, our words. There is nothing in God’s Kingdom that is not hinged on our word and His. The super key is getting our words to align with His. That is why I think this series is so important. You are getting a focused look at what God has to say about health and healing. Let us not forget, though, that God has constantly spoken to us about the words of our mouth. When we get our words in alignment with His teaching on healing then we will have healing tongues.

Truly life and death are in the power of the tongue. Let’s recall Job 22: 28, from earlier in this series, “You will also decree a thing and it will be established.” This statement tells us clearly, I think, that what we say is what we get. I am not saying there are not other forces acting on us, but if God said life and death are in the power of the tongue, and He did, then there must be a great deal of significance to what we say. Today’s verse will not be the last time we see scripture on the importance of our words, but it is significant that God specifically tied our health, and literally life and death, to the fruit of our mouths. Is that fruit good, or rotten?

Let’s think about this a bit more broadly for a moment. In the first place, I would not have you speaking about your life, health, or body in any negative way, ever. Period. That is the first level of this. However, let me dive deeper today by suggesting that other negative language may be impacting your health. Have you ever wondered why God made gossiping a sin? I will tell you that He had in mind your health. Not only does gossip harm the person about whom the tattler tells, it also harms the hearer and the speaker. It’s kind of simple, really. You can’t have garbage in your mouth without it poisoning you.

What about hateful language, words of anger, etc. Do you think those words go out from us without having any impact on our internal and external atmosphere and the people around us? If you remember some of those cartoons that depict foul language coming from a person’s mouth, you will recall the ugly language usually being represented by a black cloud. In a sense, I believe that is the exact environment we create for our bodies when we use hateful, angry language. Remember that God wants us to be at peace and we will not be at peace when we allow ourselves to get into tirades of ugly expressions.

Think back on today’s verse. With the fruit of our mouths, we will be filled. In other words, we will eat the fruit of our mouths. Is that meal going to be something pleasant or something vile? What we eat certainly impacts our health. No doubt about that. The part we didn’t necessarily understand is that we should strive, not only, to eat clean food but to use clean words as well. This is important. In fact, it’s life!

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Behold

On February 25, 2022   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Kings 20: 5

Thus says the LORD, the God of your father David, “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I will heal you.”

The sweet Lord brought this verse to my attention last year. It is the one I am currently standing on. I have made a screensaver out of it and have posted it at my desk so that I am reminded of His promise. This is the promise I needed, “I will heal you.” God said it. I didn’t make Him. I couldn’t. So, this promise wasn’t forced out of Him. He offered and that is important to me.

Of course, this is true of every one of these healing verses. God is love. He pours His love out upon us. That pure, pristine, beautiful love that is so reminiscent of a beautiful mountain spring has healing in it. It must because in Him is life. We can immerse ourselves in this fountain of health, allowing it to wash over us. Right this moment I can see myself lying on my back in a mountain stream. The water is cool, and I feel it massaging my body as it rushes by. As I open my eyes, I see a canopy of green above me as God’s beautiful trees reach out their branches to make a shade covering for me. Yet, streams of light filter through as if God’s smile cannot be withheld from me. I open my mouth and let some water in and drink it down hungrily. It refreshes and restores. I can feel the coolness going down my throat and through my chest. It feels like it spreads through all my veins taking that fresh revitalization to every cell of my body.

What do you feel when you hear God say, “Behold, I will heal you?” What emotion is foremost? Do you believe Him? Sometimes it is hard to believe Him. Sure, our minds agree and buy in, but in our spirts there dwells, still, the trembling fear and doubt. You want to reach down inside yourself and make your heart believe what your mind accepts but it isn’t that easy. How do you quell the fear that threatens to rip all your faith from you? You must take up your weapons. What are they? Your Bible, of course. Paul called it preparation in the gospel of peace. Peace, huh? Interesting. There was something about that in yesterday’s Word of the Day. I call it, putting on your Gospel Boots. Paul also said we have the weapons of salvation, faith, truth, righteousness and the Word is the sword. Let me add three more tools for your toolbelt.

First, conversation with the Lord. It cannot be beaten. It is so, so, very important that we all learn to have serious, sincere conversations with our Father. Second, visualization. You can do much with a visual bearing and it will aid you greatly. See yourself sitting with Jesus or with the Father. See yourself enjoying your healing. Watch yourself run, jump or even just stand up without creaking. Third, mediation. Ohhhh, don’t forget this one. My favorite meditations are ruminating on verses. I just think about each word and the situation in which they arose. What if God had used a different word? Why didn’t He? What did He want me to get out of this verse? What was going on in the author’s life? Answers come much more easily when you ask the right questions, so ask yourself some questions. How does this verse make you feel? Do others make more sense? Which other verse does this one remind you of? Just slow down and think about the verse, letting the fullness of its meaning sink in. Let today’s verse sink in. You’ve got a promise. What will you do with it?

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