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Heal Our Land

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Knowing God, Peace, Prayer, Salvation, Sin, The Father, The Righteous, The Word, Unity on November 9, 2018|

Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19 NASB

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In my last blog, I discussed that when we see pestilence in the land, we are told what we are to do by God.  In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God asks us to do the following:

HUMBLE OURSELVES

As Christians we should not think so highly of ourselves.  We should not look down on others and think we are better than they are. We must remember the only thing that saved us is Jesus Christ.  Our salvation has nothing to do with any work we did.  We have been adopted as God’s children because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  We are able to walk in holiness because of the Holy Spirit.  Salvation is a gift.

We should not put all the blame on the wicked.  We must be willing to have our own hearts examined by God to see if there is any wicked way in us, confess our sins, and received God’s forgiveness.  We must be willing to own up to our own sin and stop pointing the finger at others.

PRAY

We don’t pray the way we should.  We don’t pray corporately and we don’t pray for our nation.  We may throw a prayer up every now and then but we are not strategic in our prayers.  I remember years ago there was an event where men went to Washington DC, repented of their sins, prayed and asked God to help them be better fathers, husbands, sons and men of God.  Today when we see tragedy in our land we look to blame someone or something else.  Now we are beginning to accept these events as a way of life.  We are supposed to pray effective prayers and effective prayers involve us opening our hearts and minds to God’s will and purpose and being ready to obey His word. Often time we use “thoughts and prayers” as an excuse not to really seek the face of God in prayer.

SEEK GOD’S FACE

It takes time to seek God’s face.  In order to come before God we have to deal with our own hearts.  This is not an easy thing to do.  It takes humility and prayer.  We can’t seek God’s face with a spirit of pride or entitlement.  If our land is suffering we are seeking Him to help us and we have to be in a posture of humility and trust.  We don’t seek God’s face to just see if we like His plan, but we seek Him so that we will obey Him.  God knows our heart so if we are to truly seek Him then our heart must be right with God.

REPENT (Turn from Our Wicked Ways)

We are told to turn from our wicked ways.  This is the most profound request in 2 Chronicles 7:14.  We are God’s people and He is asking us to turn from our wicked ways.  Notice God did not say to confess our sins.  He is telling us to turn away from wickedness.  This is what repentance entails.  Repentance is not a feeling of that we are sorry for what we did.  Repentance is a willingness to turn away from the thing that separates us from God.  In this case God is asking us to turn away from wickedness and to turn to Him.  We surrender our will and agree to follow His will for our lives.  All Christians have given their life to Christ and called upon His name for salvation.  Not all Christians have surrendered their will for God’s will.  Many of us still want to live in both the world and be accepted into God’s kingdom.  We cannot serve two masters and to serve God may cause us to lose favor with men.  God promised in Isaiah 1:19 that if we are willing and obedient we will have the best of the land.  So we must turn our will toward Holiness and obey God’s word pertaining to our nation.  The ultimate commission we have been given is to love and to share the good news of the gospel.  If we do this we will see things change in our nation.  First we must repent of our own hatred, fear, the lies we tell and believe.

By meeting these conditions God has promised to heal our land.  We do not fight against people but we fight against the principalities of this world.  People are not our enemy, Satan is the enemy.  We must surrender ourselves to God’s hands to see our land healed.  We have to be the ones to cry out to God and repent of our wicked ways.  Then God will be attentive to our prayers made to Him.

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 NASB

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

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When Pestilence Strikes!

Posted in Healing, Prayer, Satan, The Word on November 8, 2018|

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 2 Chronicles 7:13 NASB

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What a grievous site as we look upon our nation.  The mass shootings, the weather related storms, wild fires burning out of control, murders, death and bloodshed have visited our land.  As we look at the heart of our nation we feel the hatred and division.  We are surrounded by fear and destruction.  Pestilence has struck.  What do we do?

This morning I woke up to the news of another mass shooting in California.  Just a couple of weeks ago 11 people were killed when a gunman entered and started shooting in a synagogue in Pittsburgh.  People were living their lives, enjoying their day when tragedy struck.  People are in despair.  They don’t know what to do or what has become of our land.  They look to the government for some response and protection.  Many have different ideas of how to stymie this destruction of our nation.  What do we do?

As Christians we know that our Lord and Savior is Jesus Christ.  We are the children of God.  So of course we are to turn to God and cry out to Him.  God’s word tells us what to do.  He gives instructions to Solomon, who finished building the temple for God.  Prior to this God’s presence was in the Ark of the Covenant.  It traveled with the children of Israel, and King David desired to build a house for God.  God refused and allowed Solomon to build the House instead.  Here in 2 Chronicles God is accepting the   House and says He will stay there.  God gives a condition to the prayers offered in the House of God.  He tells Solomon that if there is pestilence in the land, this is what you do:

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

This is a very familiar passage to most Christians.  We quote this a lot but we don’t really look at it in its context.  We know that all the destruction is the work of the devil.  God does not destroy, He redeems.         In this passage, God is making a promise to heal the land but it is conditioned on the actions of His people.  Notice that God is not speaking to Kings or nations; He is speaking to His people.  These are the things God is asking of us: Humility, Prayer, Seek God, and Repentance.  It is under these conditions that God promises to heal our land, and that His eyes are open and His ears are attentive to our prayers.

In the next article we will explore these conditions in more detail.

Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash

 

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Justice is Perverted!

Posted in government, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Prayer, Salvation, The Holy Spirit, Unity on March 27, 2018|

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To turn aside the justice due a man

Before the face of the Most High,

 Or subvert a man in his cause—

The Lord does not approve.  Lamentations 3: 35-36 (NKJV)

4Therefore the law is ignored

And justice is never upheld.

For the wicked surround the righteous;

Therefore justice comes out perverted. Habakkuk 1:4 (NASB)

 

Justice is perverted!  For that reason we are seeing a wave of protests in our country over the last couple of years.  There has been the rise of Black Lives Matter Movement, the Women’s March, #MeToo Movement and the March for Our Lives.  There is a cry for justice.  This cry is being heard by God.

As Christians we often focus on one leader or a nation to gauge the next move of God.  Yet what we are witnessing is God awakening the hearts of the people.  They are crying out for Him whether they realize it or not.  God is justice.   Justice describes the very nature of God.  God’s throne is established on righteousness and justice.

The push back these movements are experiencing are rooted in fear and hate.  Some would argue the protests are rooted in hatred but they are not.  Those who oppose the movements do not realize that what they are opposing are justice and God.  You oppose justice, you oppose God.

In the church we have heard about the next Great Awakening and it is prophesied that we will see the greatest soul harvest in the history of the church.  That is what is happening in these movements.  People are not only asking for justice but they seek compassion, love, understanding and they despise all the hate and unrighteousness that is taking place.  People are getting away with murder and they are literally pleading for their lives, asking to be saved.  It is time we listen.

Will our government listen?  Will they find justice in our society?  Many doubt they will, but I believe that God is setting the stage for Justice to be served.  “Many seek the ruler’s favor, but Justice for man comes from the Lord,” Proverbs 29:26.  People will get their justice and their souls will be saved as well.  It is God’s desire that everyone will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Jesus also said that no one can come to Him unless prompted by the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is at work exposing sin, convicting the world of sin and drawing people to God.

There is also unity in these movements.  Even though each group is addressing a different issue in our society, their request is the same.   They are united by their search for justice, equality, peace, safety, love and hope.  God is listening.  Great things will be accomplished through unity.  Is the church paying attention?

We can no longer be silent from the immorality and the injustice we see.  We must turn to God and pray that Justice and righteousness will be established in the earth as in heaven.  We must also see the harvest is ready and the people are crying for the sons and daughters of God to be revealed.

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.  John 4:35

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A Cry for Justice

Posted in God's Glory, Peace, Prayer, Satan, Sin on December 21, 2012|

When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers. Proverbs 21:15

When tragedy strikes we spend time trying to understand the events and then at some point we try to accept what has happened and hopefully move on sometime in the future. Many question where God is and why do such horrible things happen to good people especially innocent ones like children.  Somehow we have to come to accept the tragic events that take place and live with the reality of what has happened and just hope it doesn’t happen again.  We pray for the comfort of those that have lost their loved ones and pray it doesn’t happen again.  But how can we cope?  How can we move on when a senseless tragic act has taken place?

Last Friday was such an event.  In Newtown, CT an armed gunman went in killing 26 people at the school including 20 children.  He killed his mother and at the end killed himself.  Those that are involved are gone.  So who do we hold accountable?  How can justice be served?  Do we just accept what has happened and try to move on?  This community, this town, the families, even our nation will never be the same.

What aches in the hearts of these families and each of us is a cry for justice.  We want justice for every life that was lost and every one that was terrorized by these events.  It gives us no comfort in knowing the gunman is dead.  He will never have to face the grief of the families or feel the shame of what he has done.  The families need justice, we cry for justice.

God is a lover of justice.  He is just.  He does not look the other way, or ignore our plights.  We must cry out to God for justice.  We must ask God to restore and repay to these families, community, and others everything that they lost.  We cannot be satisfied with simply accepting what has happened and move on.  Deep down we want justice; we will never be satisfied until justice is served.

That has been my cry to God this past week for justice.  I know God will comfort those families and I will hold them in prayer.  But I want to see justice given to them.  I want the enemy of this earth to pay back everything that was stolen from Newtown including the innocence that was lost last Friday.

I trust God knows what justice is and what justice looks like.  I really don’t know but God does so I ask for justice.  God please give us justice.

Even though this act was committed by one man, we know that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour.  Jesus described the devil as one that kills, steals and destroys.  Satan is the father of evil and he has shown that nothing is sacred including our children.  Evil visited Newtown last Friday disguised in the form of a lone gunman, but evil none the less murdered those children and adults last Friday.  So we ask God for justice to put an end to the tactics and role of the enemy.  That evil not have the final say in these peoples’ lives but that in the end justice and love will prevail.  We will not bow down to fear and evil but we celebrate the love, unity and peace that are within us and from God.

So God please give us justice – vengeance belongs to you.

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Compassionate Conservative?

Posted in government, Love, Money, Prayer, The Body, The Father, The Righteous on October 9, 2012|

9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’ Zechariah 7:9-10 NIV

Compassionate conservatism is a political philosophy that stresses using traditionally conservative techniques and concepts in order to improve the general welfare of society (Wikipedia Encyclopedia).  It is a term that President George W. Bush identified with when he ran for office in 2000.  The idea was that conservatives were motivated by compassion.  This is what President George Bush said about himself.  Many republicans at that time were talking about the importance of compassionate conservatism.  However, I wonder where that compassion has gone.

I have been astounded by the rhetoric of anger, fear, and hatred that I have heard from those claiming to be conservative or republican in speaking about the direction this country is going and the current administration.  The Republican Party seems to have been hijacked by a small group of right wing individuals who promote hate and fear.   They have made the republicans look like the main thing that matters to them is money.  They are tired of paying for programs that benefit the less fortunate or cringe at the idea that somehow their wealth will be redistributed to the poor or minorities who are viewed as being lazy or dependent upon government handouts.

The Republican Party has stood against abortion and stood for traditional marriage which is what entices many Christians to the party.  We even use terms as the Christian Right who have been vocal critiques of the liberal policies that make abortion legal and desire to allow gays to marry.  Despite the Republicans’ stance on these issues the recent rhetoric for the past four years has given me great pause and I ask where is the compassion?

How is it that policies that have favored the poor, immigrants or minorities are the very policies that are driving our nation to the brink of destruction?  Why is it that when the first black President is elected there were those who questioned his birth right, and called him names including Hitler, a Marxist or whatever negative term that would bring about fear and loathing?  But I don’t expect that much from those that are motivated by money or are more concerned about their balance sheets and profit margins.  I do expect more from Christians.  Where is the love and compassion?

As much as the current administration has been criticized by the Christian right for their policies concerning abortion and marriage they have remained silent about those in the republican party spouting fear, hate and anger.  Some have even fed the rhetoric by repeating what they hear.  Things like our country is headed for destruction and God will judge us if we support the current administration or Democratic Party.  They have not criticized those within the party that are spouting all this negativity.  Where is the hope?  Why all the doom and gloom?  Compassion has been thrown out the window.

I have been truly baffled by all of this.  I have prayed for understanding but I keep going back to love and compassion.  Jesus said that the world would know His disciples by the love that they have for one another.  Instead fear has been the driving factor in this election season by the Republicans who claim that God on their platform unlike the Democrats who tried to remove God from their platform.  I guess we should at least give the Democrats credit for being honest instead of purporting to be followers of God but not displaying the characteristics of God.

Let’s leave politics to the politicians and corporations that support them.  The church is to be about the business of God.  If the government is not going to provide justice, compassion and mercy to the people it is the church’s responsibility.

We can’t just support making abortion illegal without offering a solution for women and those babies born to parents that can’t care for them or do not want to care for them.  We need to provide them with a safe place where they will find compassion and mercy, not judgment and hate.  If we do not want the government providing the poor or minorities with programs that benefit their education, finding work, health benefits, etc. then the church has to step up.

When these right wing conservatives are crying foul and speaking doom and gloom; the church needs to step up and provide hope and love to a lost and hurting people.  We should not be standing behind them rooting them on in hopes that their rhetoric will encourage people not to support the current administration or Democratic Party.  How often have we demonized the current administration and those that are part of the Democratic Party?  Since when did they become our enemy?

The direction of our nation is not dependent upon those who do not know God.  They are doing what they know to do.  We can’t expect them to walk in righteousness.  However, the direction of the nation is dependent upon the righteous.  If the nation is headed toward moral decay or destruction then we have to look to ourselves and judge ourselves before God.  Are we fulfilling the great commission that Jesus gave us?

If we would show the mercy and compassion toward others that God has shown to us then we will find favor and compassion with whatever party or person that occupies the white house.  The bible is full of examples of godly men and women that found favor with kings and governments that lived contrary to them.

We should be celebrating everything that is right in this country and provide light and hope in those dark places.  Fear, hate, and anger should never be part of our vocabulary or conversation because it was never with Jesus.  Our hearts should long for the salvation of every lost soul and compassion and mercy toward all.  We can hate sin but not the sinner.  We should be building up and not tearing down.

I hope one day Republicans will return to the idea of compassionate conservatism.  Remember the bible teaches us that if we seek first the Kingdom that all these things will be added to us.  If we give to the poor we will not have to worry about our riches.  What we do for others God will do for us.  The church knows this message and it is time we begin to teach it to the nation.  The lust and love of money is the root of all evil but love, compassion and mercy is the very DNA of our living God.

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The Price of War

Posted in government, Love, Peace, Prayer, The Body, Unity on November 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive; and let your widows trust in Me.” Jeremiah 49:11

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.  James 1:27

Today we celebrate Veteran’s Day in the USA.  It is a time that we honor our soldiers who have served this country and the many wars we have faced.  We know the high price of war is the lost of our soldiers lives; prisoners of wars; wounded soldiers; and broken families.  Unfortunately, the current wars that we have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan may have lingering effects for generations to come.

We have been fighting these two wars for 10 years now.  Even though the death toll has not been as high as previous wars; these two wars have taken a great toil on our soldiers, their families and our society.  Our soldiers have faced multiple deployments and we have seen a record number of women soldiers serving in these two wars.  Many children have been left behind and these children may be the greatest price we pay for these wars.  Children need their parents, if they are raised apart from their parents it has a lasting effect even into their adulthood.

I can’t even imagine a child that loses a parent to war.  Everyone knows the risk but we all hope that our soldiers return home safe and sound.  But the other tragedy facing children are the multiple deployments.  Imagine seeing your dad or mom going off to war; they return home to only be sent back again – leaving a child to face the separation again and again.  This can cause fear, anxiety, anger, and hatred to build in a child’s heart.  Where is their safety and who will care for them?

We may not know the impact of this until years from now even after the wars are completed.  Truthfully we are seeing more and more homes losing the fathers as they go off to fight in these wars.  There are also mothers being sent but the majority of those serving are men and many of them are fathers. 

We cannot ignore the impact that these wars have on our children.  They need our love and support.  As the bible tells us we are to care for the widows and orphans and we do not have to wait for our soldiers to die to take notice of the needs of the families that are left behind.

God has a special place in his heart for orphans and widows.  He has a heart for the fatherless and so should we.  I honor the men and women that have serve our country, but I pray that by God’s grace and wisdom that He can pave a way that these men and women are separated from their families as little as possible.

We may not have the resources or knowledge to prevent multiple deployments of soldiers but we can stand in the gap for those that are away and serving our country.  We can pray and we can care for their families.  We as a society can do this.  It is not only our government’s responsibility but it is also ours. 

Whether or not we agree with the wars, the truth is our soldiers are fighting and we need to support them in any capacity we can.  The holidays are approaching and there are many families that will be without their dads and moms as they serve overseas to fight for our freedom.  Let’s see what we can do  to help these families cope and enjoy this holiday season.

As Christians let us continue to pray for peace and victory in these wars so we can bring our soldiers home and these children do not have to be orphaned any longer.  Let’s believe God for a supernatural act on behalf of our soldiers.

I pray God’s blessing, protection and grace to every soldier that serves this country.  I pray for unity in our nation as our military fights for our freedom and safety.  Theirs is a great sacrifice; but their children do not have to be the casualty of war.  The African parable says “it takes a village to raise a child’; so let’s help raise this generation of military children.  We all have a part, so let’s each do our part in raising up the next generation.

Happy Veteran’s Day to all our soldiers and their families, THANK YOU for all you do. God Bless our Veterans and God Bless the United States of America.

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Which is Easier: Forgiveness or Healing?

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Knowing God, Prayer, Salvation, Sin, The Father on November 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

2And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home.  Matthew 9: 2-7

For the past several weeks I have been meditating on the following quote by John G. Lake:

“It does not take a bit more faith to be healed from your sickness than it does to be saved from your sins. The only difference is that in your own consciousness, you knew there was no place to get forgiveness except from God.”

When Jesus was on earth many witnessed Him heal the sick, but many did not understand the authority He had to forgive people of their sins.  So Jesus asked the question “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’?  Jesus had the authority and power to do both.  Today as Christians we know because of Jesus that salvation is available to all mankind; we just have to believe.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  That same grace that saves us also heals us.

However, today many Christians do not view healing the way they do salvation.  We know that the only one that can save us is Jesus.  We cannot obtain salvation by another person or any work on our part.  We have faith in God that He will forgive us of our sins and make us righteous in His sight.  When it comes to healing we are not so sure because we view sickness and disease as a part of life.  Some may even believe that sickness and disease is used by God to strengthen our faith or test us.  This is not the case.

Sin, sickness and death do not reside in Heaven.  They are not a part of the nature of God.  Just like God does not use sin to tempt us or to test our faith; He will not use sickness and disease to “teach” us.  God is a life giver; salvation and healing are His nature.

Many who are sick will say God’s grace is sufficient.  They believe that God will see them through their ordeal.  If healing is God’s will, He will heal.  If it is not God’s will to heal, at least there is salvation the ultimate in healing. God’s grace is sufficient to heal us physically just as it is sufficient to save us from sin and death.  Too often we look for other means of healing besides turning to God the way we do for salvation and forgiveness.

Sickness and disease are precursors to death.  They are a part of death not life.  They are Satan’s tools, his curse.  Jesus said that Satan only comes to kill, steal and destroy; Jesus came so that we may have life (John 10:10).  Jesus died and rose again so that we might have life, a life in Him.  A life that is free from sin and sickness.  We have a right to divine healing as we have a right to salvation.

We should look at sickness and disease the way we look at sin.  It is not the will of God because God hates sin.  He hates sickness, disease and death.  We are no longer a part of the curse that resulted from the fall of Adam but we are part of the new life and freedom that is found in Jesus.  Jesus died and set us free from sin, sickness, and death.  Sickness and disease binds us, it prevents us from being free, just like sin.  So it is always God will to heal just as it is always His will to save.

We run to God for forgiveness when we sin.  We know that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins (1 john 1:9).  No one can forgive us like God.  However, when we are sick we pray for healing but we don’t have the same expectancy that we have with forgiveness.  Sometimes we doubt the willingness of God to heal, or we think He wants us to go “through the situation” before we experience divine healing.  We may also think that God wants us to fend for ourselves and find our own means and methods for healing.

I believed this for a long time.  When I was sick in 2009 I had tumors in my lungs and believed that God would see me through my chemotherapy treatment.  I was confident from the doctors’ report that the chemotherapy would work and God would never leave me nor forsake me.  I thought by going through this ordeal my faith would be stronger and I would be a much stronger person for having endured this fight.  To be honest I didn’t have faith for a supernatural healing, I believed God’s plan was for me endure this ordeal.  I read the reports and understood the statistics.  I had an 80% chance of survival and an 80% chance the chemotherapy would cure me. 

The chemotherapy made things worse.  I ended up in the hospital and the doctors couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t getting better.  They were very concerned that the chemotherapy drugs were actually doing more harm than good.  So they made the decision to stop the treatment and “wait and see” if I would get better.  It was in that moment I knew that only God could heal me 100%, the doctors tried but I needed a miracle and God answered my prayers.  God did not delay. The worse day in the hospital was the same day the doctors brought my report of healing.  My numbers had dropped dramatically and they were so relieved that the worse had not happened.  So they monitored me for another year and a half to ensure the tumors did not return.  Today I still walk in my total healing.

Divine healing is our inheritance.  It is the will of God to always heal.  As John G. Lake says it really doesn’t take more faith to believe in healing than it does for salvation.  We just have to know in our conscious that the only place we can go for divine healing is God.  God is concerned about our physical healing as much as He is concerned about our spiritual healing and renewal.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.  Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.  The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. James 5: 14-16

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These Signs Shall Follow

Posted in Crucified, God's Glory, Healing, Jesus, Prayer, Salvation, Satan, Sin, Teaching, The Father, The Holy Spirit, The Righteous, The Word on April 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

19So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

 20And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed. Mark 16: 19-20

 3how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,

 4God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.  Hebrews 2: 3-4

Today is Good Friday and Sunday is Easter.  As Christians we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during this time.  Usually on Easter weekend, churches have the largest attendance of the year.  So many churches preach the gospel message hoping that many will give their life to Christ.

When Jesus commissioned the disciples after His resurrection, He told them that when they went out to preach the gospel, signs and wonders would follow them.  They would be able to cast out demons, lay hands on the sick and they would be healed.  We are also told in the above scriptures that God confirms the message of salvation by both signs and wonders and various miracles.  We cannot have the gospel preached without evidence of signs, wonders and miracles.  Otherwise we are simply preaching a message with no power behind it.

We should not only anticipate a great soul harvest this weekend, but we should expect to see it all including signs, wonders and miracles.  Their purpose is to confirm the gospel message and point people to Jesus.  So we should expect to see miracles, healings take place, deliverance from demons, etc.  Of course the greatest miracle of all is when a person is saved – that person was once dead in their sin and is made alive in Christ.

So let’s invite the lost, the sick and shut in, the hopeless, the downtrodden, those bound, etc.; and expect God to show up and deliver them all.  Let our prayer be that God will confirm His covenant, made through the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, by the miracles, signs and wonders that will point all men to Jesus.

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When We Doubt

Posted in Prayer on April 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »

5But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

 6But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

 7For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

 8being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.   James 1: 5-8

There are times when we pray that we do not really know the will of God in a situation, so we pray “If it be your will Lord…”  When we start our prayer with “if” it is an indication of doubt.  “If” is not a definitive statement, it is a conditional statement.  So when we put “if” in our prayer it is a conditional prayer that is actually based on doubt. 

James tells us to ask for wisdom, so if we do not know what God’s will is in a situation we should ask for wisdom.  God will give us wisdom and we can pray in accordance to that wisdom and God’s will.  However, when we doubt we are double minded and unstable.  We really have no confidence in our prayer or in God.

We know that without faith it is impossible to please God.  James tells us that when we doubt we should not expect to receive anything from God.  One minute we may believe God will hear and answer our prayer, but in another moment we will question the willingness of God.  We become double minded.

Jesus taught us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  So when we pray we should not doubt that the will of God will be done.  We don’t have to make statements such as “if it by thy will God…” we can say with certainty “Thy will be done God.”  Wherever we lack wisdom we can simply ask God in faith and we will receive. 

Prayers that are rooted in doubt cannot be answered by God.  Only prayers of faith will be answered by God.

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And When You Pray

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Prayer, Salvation, The Father, The Word on April 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »

 9“Pray, then, in this way:
  ‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
   Hallowed be Your name.
10’Your kingdom come
   Your will be done,
   On earth as it is in heaven.
 11‘Give us this day our daily bread.
 12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’  Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus taught the disciples how to pray.  We often pray the Lord’s prayer in church and in our private time.  This prayer is usually memorized by most Christians.  But do we really pray the way Jesus taught us to pray?

Many times when we pray we put a caveat in our prayer “If it be your will…”  But Jesus told us to pray “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  So when we pray we are to pray that the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  We do not have to guess what the Father wants to do.  So when we pray we should ask ourselves what heaven says.  Then we know what to pray.

When we pray for the salvation of a loved one, we know that everyone in Heaven is saved, so when we pray we pray for God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.  We know it is God’s will to save the lost.  There is no sickness in heaven, so we know we can pray God’s will for healing to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  The bible even says that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4).  So we can pray with confidence that God’s will be done when it comes to our desires.

When we start off a prayer saying “If it be your will…” we put the responsibility on God and remove our responsibility to have faith that God will answer our prayer.  Because if our prayer is not answered, then we can say it was not God’s will.  Instead, we should have enough faith to believe God for the answered prayer; have confidence enough that if it is not in line with His will then He will tell us; and direct us in what His will is in the situation.

It is important to remember that we pray from Heaven to earth.  We are to pray that which is loose in heaven be loosed on earth.  So it is always in line with God’s will to pray for peace, salvation, healing, restoration, joy, love, etc. because all these things are found in heaven.  We never have to worry that God desires anything that is contrary to heaven. 

So the next time you pray know that the will of God will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Pray in faith and with confidence.

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