Word Works

On October 13, 2020   /   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.

As the people on our prayer team well know, I have really struggled with my back this year. Fortunately, I have an exceptionally good chiropractor, who, is also a Christian and no doubt prays for me in addition to his other healing ministrations. I have had the benefit of the power prayers of the prayer team, which is no small thing. Above all, I, like you, have the love and devotion of a God who has healing power in His hands and is eager to share that with me.

This has been a very challenging time. I have had to fight this physically, yes, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I found myself thinking that I might not recover this time. I had to counter that thought every time it came to mind. If I had ever given in to it, I don’t think I would be enjoying this manifested healing even with the very good prayer cover I have received all year. My doubts and negative thoughts could have canceled out the pray-ers good work. Fortunately, I was able to cooperate with their words.

Today’s verse is the verse I have repeated to myself day after day. I had to have it to hang on to. These are our Father’s own words. He brought them to me, and I believed. I am not saying it wasn’t still a battle, but this verse put a sword in my hand. No other scripture stood out to me like this one, not even some of my favorite healing scriptures like Psalm 107: 20.

I bless the Lord for giving me this outstanding scripture. I am also grateful for outstanding medical care and a prayer team who is insistent and persistent. I am enjoying renewed strength and health. I could not have done this on my own. It seems my part was just to keep myself in agreement with the Word and the prayers and follow, diligently and obediently, the advice of my chiropractor.

I praise our beloved for the healing in my back and for restoring my faith when fear threatened to take over. I bless God for the people He gave me who supported me. And I am grateful to our precious Lord for ministering to my tired and worn spirit with His Word. Let the children of God sing His praises for He is good and worthy to be praised.

And thank you for your prayers too. Guess what?! They worked!

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Destructions

On November 15, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 107: 20

He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

This is the verse from Wednesday. I brought it back because I want to discuss the last word in the verse: destructions. The other critical word is the possessive pronoun right before it. I want to talk about “our” destructions.

It is first important to notice that God has delivered us from our destructions. Remember that this is a verse on healing. It is not much of a logic leap to conclude that some of our health issues are related to destructive (destructions) things we do. The other side of that coin is that there are positive, supportive things that we don’t do. We can let our hearts be at ease, though, knowing that the healing Father prepared for us heals and restores our bodies even from the wrongful things we have done to it.

One of the ways God heals our bodies is in bringing wisdom and revelation to a person, a revelation which is the source of their cure. Perhaps there is some food or habit that is causing sickness. Or, perhaps there is something we can do like exercise or a fast which will correct the malady. Our Father will speak into our lives and tell us what we need in order to enjoy the kind of health we desire.

The truth is most of us make ourselves sick. It’s true, unfortunate, but true. Look at the average diet. We eat artificial sweeteners, drink sodas, eat way too many carbohydrates and not enough vegetables. Then we sit too much neglecting the body’s need for exercise. We were made to move so a sedentary lifestyle works against our body’s natural health protocol. We are too busy to be healthy, rarely having quiet time. As a result of all of these ways we are out of sync with a health regimen it is hardly a surprise that we develop physical dis-ease.

Our response is rarely to look in the mirror to ask that person what we can do to improve our health, much less to look into the face of God and ask Him. He’s only the creator, after all, what would He know about it. Our first response is to run to the doctor expecting her or him to “fix” us. Don’t get me wrong here. I thank God for health professionals. I firmly believe that medical science is one of the methods He uses to get healing to us. My beef is that we fail to look into any of the other ways God heals. We don’t ask ourselves, or Him, the questions the answer to which may heal us.

The number one method I would prescribe for your healing is to get with God and have some good quality time. What am I doing, Lord, that may be contributing to this sickness? What can I do to improve my health? Are there some things in my life which need adjustment? Do I have toxic emotions causing malady in my body? Father, what can I do, should I do to contribute to the healing in my body?

If the body of God doesn’t talk to God, and hear Him, how much of a body are we actually? If we do not take our problems to Him in a conversation rather than simply submitting a list of requests, then do we really believe we are His children? I hope you will ponder these questions. I am always open to hearing your thoughts. Reply to this email if you receive it that way or post your comment on our website or Facebook page.

Give yourself a chance to heal by involving Yahweh in the process. Good old fashion prayer is always applicable, and I invite you to leave your prayer request on our website too. We have a team of pray-ers. Don’t, however, neglect having your pastor anoint you with oil and pray for you. Don’t delay in going to the doctor. Mostly, though, do not fail to talk with the Father about your situation. Expect Him to impart wisdom to you. And, I shouldn’t leave out, pay attention to your dreams as you seek Him about your health. He may well speak to your heart and mind while you sleep.

In Jesus’ name, be healed!

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Healed

On November 13, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 107: 20

He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

There is so much nuance and richness in this verse that it is a bit like eating a very rich food. Let’s begin with “word”. To get the richness from this verse, you need to connect this verse to John 1: 1 & 14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” God sent Jesus to us as the great healer. He is the divine physician and heals all who come to him, but how does he heal?

This may be where we trip up at times because, though we accept Jesus as the healer, we don’t understand how he heals. We, therefore, cannot come to him in the fullness of his office of healer. Some of us believe in divine healing. This is when a prayer of faith is offered and renders one completely healed. One prayer, perhaps with the laying on of hands and even anointing with oil as seen in James 5: 14, will “restore the one who is sick,” (James 5: 15). We see this many times in the Bible, especially in Jesus’ ministry. This type of healing still works today, and people are getting healed by the prayer offered in faith all over the world. That is not God’s only method of healing, though, and not the only method Jesus brought with him. However, this first avenue of healing ministry should not be ignored. Read James 5, verses 14 through 16 and do what it says. Seek out someone to pray for you, “for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer!” (V. 6 TPT).

When the scripture says God sent His word and healed them, it has a double meaning. Jesus is the Word and Jesus’ healing ministry is what I discussed in the paragraph above. There is, however, Jesus as the living Word. Soaking in the Word of God has healing virtue. Not only is our faith fed by ingesting the verses on healing, but the whole of the Word has healing power in it. Living in the Word; reading it, meditating on in and thinking about it brings creative, healing power to every cell of your body. Because God is the creator and Jesus the healer, every moment spent consuming the Word brings creation and healing energy to your body. The Word has power to heal every situation, every hurt, every sickness. So, meditate on the Word and let its restorative quality saturate your body.

Tomorrow, I will share some other ways God heals.

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Non-profit

On August 9, 2019   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Hebrews 4: 2

For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

God’s Word is powerful and has the ability to set people free from any enslaving condition or circumstance. Only, however, if they mix the Word with faith. It is faith which energizes the Word you hear. Think about that for a moment. Do you remember the story about the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed? Jesus said of her, “Your faith has made you well,” (Matthew 9: 22). She mixed her faith with the Word she had heard.

Apparently, she had heard about Jesus and the great works he performed. She probably had heard about other people being made well. I imagine her friends had heard this same news. They probably sat around discussing him. Things were different for her though. She took hold of the good news that was preached about Jesus and she mixed it with faith saying, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well,” (v. 21). What makes the difference between people like her who receive God’s miracles and those who don’t?

The God’s Word translation shows today’s verse in a light which answers that question. “We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe.” Many people have heard the good news preached. Many have read the words in the Bible. Not all believe. One time I heard a pastor say from the pulpit that the miracle of feeding the five thousand was not as represented. His explanation of feeding the multitude was that the good women in that crowd were smart enough to pack provisions and they, therefore, fed the crowd. He is a preacher, but he is not a believer. He doesn’t believe the Bible. So, he is not going to reap the blessings of the Bible.

God said that He sent His Word and healed them, (Psalm 107: 20). His Word healed. All God had to do was send the Word. The Word did the rest. It heals, saves, delivers, restores, blesses, leads, and anything else we need.

The Word can work for any one of us too. However, we need to believe it like the woman in Matthew 9. It takes more than one reading or one message. Those who receive have thought about the Word until their hearts are assured. They are beyond persuasion having passed over into convinced. That same belief and victory is available to each one of us. Spend some time with the Word and with the Father and persuade yourself to belief.

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Love & Fear

On August 9, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

2 Timothy 1: 7

For God, has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

If God has not given us a spirit of fear, then from where do you suppose it came? Who did give it to us? Bingo! Fear is a weapon from the enemy’s camp. God gave you a spirit of power. He gave you His love and He gave you a sound mind. A mind that is consumed with fear is not from God. Jesus came so that you could be free from such torment.

God’s love inside of you produces power and soundness of mind. It is a shield and protection. That is not to say that you will not be attacked with the weapon of fear. Satan knows well that he can really sidetrack us with fear. Fear causes you to take your mind off of Yahweh and Jesus. It causes you to meditate on the bad things that “could” happen when you should be meditating on the promises of God. You can choose God’s Word over Satan’s lies. It is not always easy but we need to grow. When you are attacked, do just what Jesus did. Confess God’s Word right out loud. If it is a Dr.’s report that is worrisome, then attack that fear with God’s Word that He, God, sent His Word and healed you (Psalm 107: 20). Or that the stripes that Jesus bore for us were for our healing and that by those stripes you are healed (1 Peter 2: 5).

Know that God is not the author of fear but rather that He has sent to you His spirit. There is power, love and a sound mind plus all the wisdom you need for every situation in God’s spirit.

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Salt of the Earth

On June 4, 2018   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Matthew 5: 13

You are the salt of the earth.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus chose salt? Why didn’t he say you are the nutmeg of the earth? That might have been more apropos. Or why not cinnamon? Of all the spices, salt is the most basic. Think of it as foundational as far as adding flavor goes. However, there is a lot more to salt than that. How many other minerals do you know of that are used to cure meat, to preserve? Besides that, salt is essential for health, even for life. According to Ann Musico, author and health coach, “Sodium chloride (salt) is the only trace mineral found in every cell of the body and . . . life is not possible without it. It is critical for fluid and electrolyte balance.”

Additionally, the consumption of unprocessed salt such as Celtic salt or Himalayan salt can be very effective in many health aspects. The label from my Himalayan salt claims it contains over 84 minerals and lowers blood pressure, helps acid reflux, regulates sleep and naturally promotes sleep, balances the pH inside the cells, promotes blood sugar health, supports sinus and respiratory health, prevents muscle cramps, promotes bone health, supports vascular health and aids circulation. Other sources also claim it helps with allergies.

Do you suppose Jesus knew salt was so full of healing benefits when he suggested you are the salt of the earth? Of course he did. He was connected to God at all times. I believe he was suggesting that we can have the same impact in the earth as salt by sharing the good news that he gave us. His word is health and healing. Psalm 107: 20 says, “He sent His word and healed them.”

I hope today’s devotional will cause you to consider how you can impart health and flavor into other people’s lives. I hope you will also think about your salt consumption and how adding this essential mineral can support your healthy lifestyle. Below is a link to one of Musico’s articles on salt. I hope you will enjoy it. At the bottom of her post you can also find subscription information.

Weight Loss: Another Reason for Adding Salt to Your Water

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Life and Health

On December 12, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Proverb 4: 20- 23

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body.

Sometimes there is a war raging in your body. It is the battle between sickness and health. I know for many of you that daily battle is very real. It is not very different from the war that rages around us in the world, the war between good and evil. That war is being played out in a very real sense in your body. Well, we have something to say about the outcome. Our Father has given us some weapons of warfare. One passage says that, “He sent His word and healed them” (Psalm 107: 20).

We do not understand at the deepest levels yet how this works but we know it to work. Nor am I here to try to explain it today. But this we know, God’s word does heal. The thing is, you have to take it like medicine. In other words, you have to take regular doses for it to work. What is regular? Perhaps it depends upon the size of the battle you are in but I would think it careless to prescribe less than daily doses. Three times a day is not too much if you are in a real struggle. As you feed your body the Word, you arm it with the weapon it needs to fight sickness and sustenance with which it sustains itself. You also shore up your mind for the fight.

Believe me, the agents of sickness and disease are out there trying their best to destroy the children of God. We need the protections and armament provided us by the Father. Light and darkness cannot exist in the same space so send the forces of darkness to flight by shining more light into every area where you are challenged. Let the word of God be a lamp unto your feet and all your life.

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