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The World is Waiting

March 15, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 19For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

 21that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  Romans 8:18-21

There are uprisings in the Middle East, the global economy is being threatened, and some countries, like Japan, are enduring huge natural disasters.  The world is groaning and looking for answers; they are looking for hope.

As God’s children we hold the answers to the world’s woes.  The creation longs for the children of God to be revealed.  It is not time for us to sit back and judge but to continue the gospel message and preach it to all creation.

When Jesus came and died for us He took back what Adam lost.  Jesus took back the authority that the devil stole.  He has given us that authority – to take dominion over the earth.  What does it look like?

It’s simple – we do what Jesus called us to do:

 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”  Mark 16:15-18

Now imagine a world where every Christian answered Jesus’ call.  That is what the creation is waiting for – the children of God to be revealed and to take dominion.

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Love, Salvation, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

Healing is Guaranteed!

March 4, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

 19Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.

 20“For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

 21“For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life; even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. John 5:19-21

I recently came across some articles that said healing was not guaranteed in the atonement of Jesus Christ.  It is argued that we will suffer and have trouble in this life so we can’t be always guaranteed healing in our life on earth.  So for a few days I pondered this thought “Does God always heal?”  I then began to study the scriptures of what Jesus did while on earth.  Every person that came to Jesus for healing was healed.  The only time Jesus could not heal was where there was unbelief.

Jesus said He only did what He saw His Father doing.  Jesus healed everyone that came to Him.  There is no record in scripture of Jesus refusing to heal someone.  Jesus healed and He forgave people’s sins.  Think about this – we have hope in Jesus; we know that salvation is found in Jesus.  His death and resurrection has made a way for us who believe to have eternal life.  Salvation is the ultimate miracle – someone whose soul is dead is made alive when they accept Jesus.  Salvation is a gift from God.  Salvation cannot be earned.  If we call upon the name of the Lord we shall be saved.

So why does this not pertain to healing?  If God healed then doesn’t He heal today?  Jesus said that “the Father raises the dead and gives them life.”  God is our creator; we live and have our being because of Him.  God is a life giver.  Death cannot exist in the presence of God.  Everything that God touches comes to life, and when God speaks, He speaks life. 

Healing is guaranteed because of the very nature of God is life.  Sickness and death do not exist in God, life does.  This is why we know that God is the Healer, why everyone who came in contact with Jesus was healed.  Yes God always heals for those that ask and believe.  We receive healing by faith just like we receive salvation by faith.

Yes we will have trials and tribulations in this world, and many troubles.  Even Jesus was hated and despised by men, persecuted and killed.  However, every believer has the promise of eternal life in Jesus, sickness and death has no power for those in Christ.

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Sin, The Father, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

If It Be Your Will

February 24, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.  Matthew 4:23

“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 will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”  Mark 16: 17-18

Many times when we pray for the sick we usually begin by saying “God if it be your will…”  What we are really asking “is it God’s will to heal the sick everytime?”

When Jesus was on the earth He only did what He saw the Father in Heaven do.  We know that Jesus healed everyone who came to Him that needed healing.  He healed every kind of disease and sickness.

Jesus died for our sins and through Him we have salvation and the redemption of our sins. But Jesus also came to heal the sick and commissioned us to continue the work of healing to sick.

Jesus demonstrated God’s perfect will.  It was the Father’s will to heal the sick then and it is still His will today.  That is why He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins – for eternal life; to bless us and live life to its fullness.

It is not only God’s will to heal but it is our mandate as believers to heal the sick.  God is no respecter of persons.  He wants to heal both believers and unbelievers.  It is the kindness of God that brings about repentance, and it is through that kindness and love that healing comes.

We should be confident when we pray for the sick that it is God’s will to heal.  God is able and willing to heal all those who come to Him.  The real question is “are we willing to accept His healing?”

To be continued…

Posted in Healing, Jesus, Love, Prayer, Salvation, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

The Pain of Remaining the Same

February 5, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

Now the time that the sons of Israel lived in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years. Exodus 12:40

2All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3“Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” Numbers 14:2-4

Most people know the following quote: “A person will remain the same until the pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change.”  I was thinking about this after seeing an article about how our country needs to return to the ways of the past.  There is a conservative movement to return to the way things were because people do not like the changes that are taking place and they remember what it used to be like and want to return to those “good old” days.

The same happened with the children of Israel.  They did not want to face the wilderness or the unknown between the land of Egypt and the land of promise.  When things got difficult in the wilderness they would gripe and complain and say that they would have been better off in Egypt.  They spent 430 years under the Egyptians and cried out to God for deliverance; but when God sent Moses to deliver them and they ended up in the wilderness, they wanted to return to oppression of Egypt.  They did not like the change.

It is never God’s will for us to remain the same.  God wants us to grow and mature in our faith and walk with Him.  We can’t be afraid of change.  If we do not change, we cannot grow and experience all that God has for us.  Even when looking at the state of our country the answer is not in looking back but in looking forward and having a vision for the future.

However, when we are in the unknown it is easier to reflect on what we do know even if that past situation brought us pain.  So let it not be that the only time we are willing to change is when the “pain of remaining the same is greater than the pain of change.”  Change does not have to be painful but we should embrace it and realize that God is always looking to take us to another level of faith and glory.

So if you are going through a difficult time right now, don’t look back to Egypt; hold onto the promise of God and know that the best is yet to come.  That is what happened with Israel – they went from the bondage of Egypt, to the wilderness, and into the promise land that flowed with milk and honey.  Your promise land is ahead never behind.

Posted in government, The Father, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

White as Snow

February 1, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18

Here in New England we have had several snow storms and there is snow everywhere.  Before the snow could melt from one storm another storm came bringing more snow.  There are piles of snow all over the place and many people are tired of all this snow. So today I began to reflect on the meaning of snow and its relevance in the bible.

Snow represents purity.  Snow is very bright and brings a cleansing to the environment.  When snow falls it is so pretty and makes everything it touches look beautiful and new.  A tree without its leaves that is dormant in the winter seems to come alive when there is snow piled on its branches and trunk.  However, once the snow plows and salt trucks come and plow the snow it becomes very dirty and almost looks like dirt on the sides of the road.  It doesn’t take much to ruin the whiteness and brightness of snow.  But in the Kingdom the opposite happens.

When we were sinners our sins were red as crimson.  Red is a very strong color.  It is a primary color.  If you have a red stain on a white shirt it is very hard to remove that red stain.  Even if most of the stain is gone your eye is still drawn to that spot.  But in the Kingdom when a sinner accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior their sins become white as snow.  They become pure just like the snow when it falls from the sky and covers the area.  Think about it – once our sins were so evident and red; however, since the death and resurrection of Jesus they are now like wool, white as snow.

So the next  time you see the snow fall or you are looking out your window at all the snow covering your neighborhood, think of Jesus and what His death on the cross did for us – we all became white as snow.  This is how God sees His children as pure as the new fallen snow.

Posted in Crucified, Grace, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Salvation, Sin, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

How Are You Doing?

January 28, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

Are you happy?  The other day I was watching Oprah and she had this question as her topic of the day.  Most people in the audience said they were happy.  A lot of the questions about happiness were based on people’s circumstance.  I think most people will say they are happy based on their circumstance.  They also talked about how happiness is both genetic and can be influenced by the environment.

Recent polls show that many people are not happy with the direction our country is going.  They also are not happy with the economy or how our government is running the country.  So there are many people out there who are not happy.

These past few years have been some of the most challenging times in my life and at times the most difficult but I can say with confidence that I am at my most happiest.  Why?  I have really discovered that true joy can only be experienced in God.  It has been through these challenges and difficulties that I have learned to just stay in the presence of God.  It is in His presence that we experience fullness of joy and pleasures forever.  In God’s presence you do not experience the heaviness and burdens of the world.  Whenever I feel stressed or discouraged I seek the Lord and just rest in His presence.  His joy is my strength.

Too often we have imagined an angry God, or God being aloof and not interested in what is going on in our life.  This simply is not true.  God knows everything about us and has a will and purpose for our life.  He has a hope and a future for us.  He does not wish us harm but wants to see us prosper in everything.  So if you are looking for happiness you will find it in God.  You may find it in other things or circumstances but those are just temporary things.  In the presence of God there is fullness of joy – it is complete.  It is an eternal joy that has no end.

The world needs to experience this joy.  They are hungry for it.  So let’s continue to abide in the presence of God so that the world may experience the fullness of joy.

Posted in Knowing God, Love, The Father, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

Clean Bill of Health

January 27, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

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. Matthew 6:9-10

In the summer of 2009,  I was diagnosed with a rare tumor that had to be treated with chemotherapy.  I have been under the care of an oncologist since that time.  Finally, I received news from my oncologist that I had a clean bill of health and was being discharged.  I praise God for my healing.

I learned a lot during my sickness about healing and God.  I grew up believing that God did allow sickness in our life to either build our faith or correct us.  I now know that Healing is for today and God wants to heal us.  It is God’s will for us to be healed and walk in wholeness.

Sickness does not exist in heaven.  God does not give us what He does not have.  God did not cause my sickness.  Based on the disease I had (a growing tumor that could have killed me) I knew it was not from God.  I learned to pray God’s will as Jesus taught us to pray.  Once I understood that healing is God’s will I prayed that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

We should never think that God does not want to heal.  It is His will to heal the sick.  So whenever we pray for healing either for ourselves or others we should know that God can heal and will heal. Remember God is moved by faith and not by need.

I completed my treatment at the end of the summer of 2009.  I was healed then, but continued being monitored by doctors to ensure the tumor did not return.  Every blood test and exam just confirmed what heaven had already declared – I was healed.

When we pray we pray for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  So the next time you pray think about heaven and pray from heaven to earth; this is how Jesus taught us to pray.

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24 Hour Access

January 25, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne.  He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. Psalm 11:4 (NIV)

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

If I wanted to call the President of the United States, I would probably get no further than the operator at the White House.  If I showed up unannounced I would probably get arrested.  The President does not know me and I do not know anyone who has access to the President.  I am of no importance to the President.  The same goes for any celebrity, government official, king, prince, etc.  You have to know someone to reach a person of significance like the President of the United States.  But that is not how it is with God.

I have access to the Father at all times.  He is seated on His heavenly throne observing everyone on earth.  Jesus who is our High Priest died for our sins and we have been given His righteousness.  All those that belong to Jesus have access to the throne of grace.  We have direct access to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  I may not be able to call the President but I can call God at any time.  We are told to boldly approach the throne.

Think about it.  The one who created heaven and earth; who sets the seasons and time; the one that is the Alpha and Omega, is accessible 24 hours a day seven days a week.  No appointment needed, no operator to contact.  Our relationship with the Father has been restored by our relationship with Jesus.

Not only do we have access to the throne but God already knows everything about us.  He knows our history, our worse days and our best.  He even knows the number of hairs on our head.  He knows our rising up and lying down.  He has hemmed us in and out.  He even knitted us together in our mother’s womb.  So when we call on Him, He answers.  He is always there and will never leave nor forsake us.

The President may not know me and I may not be welcomed at the White House; but the Father, He knows me and welcomes me anytime to boldly approach His throne of grace.  What a mighty God we serve.

Posted in government, Grace, Jesus, Knowing God, Love, Salvation, The Father, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

Marriage of the Lamb

January 23, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

7“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”

8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

9Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb ‘” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Revelation 19: 7-9

There are those that argue marriage is just a piece of paper having no real significance.  Marriage is actually a picture of Jesus Christ (the bridegroom) and the Church (the bride).  The church is actually those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  We know that Jesus will return for His bride and as Revelation states there will be a wedding feast.

As I think about the marriage supper of the Lamb I think of my own wedding.  Before I got married I had my father’s last name.  On my wedding day, I dressed in a beautiful white gown and wore a veil.  As I walked down the aisle I knew my life was forever going to change.  The groom and I exchanged vows and we were announced as husband and wife.  I turned to the crowd and I no longer had my father’s name but took  my husband’s name.  I was a new person, a wife and had a new name; I and my husband were now one.

The same thing happens to us when we join Jesus Christ.  The day will come when He will come for His bride and there will be a great wedding feast.  The bride and groom will finally meet.  On that day we will take His name.  We will be presented as belonging to Jesus.  He will be ours and we will be His forever more.  Nothing separating us, not even death.  I look forward to that day.  Don’t you?  Aren’t you glad your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life?  “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”

Posted in God's Glory, Jesus, The Body, The Righteous | Leave a Comment »

One Year Later

January 12, 2011 by Anna Mangeni

4Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,
 They will raise up the former devastations;
 And they will repair the ruined cities,
 The desolations of many generations.
5Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,
 And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6But you will be called the priests of the LORD;
 You will be spoken of as ministers of our God
 You will eat the wealth of nations,
 And in their riches you will boast.
7Instead of your shame you will have a double portion,
 And instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion
 Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land,
 Everlasting joy will be theirs.  Isaiah 61:4-7

It was one year ago a terrible earthquake hit Haiti.  Today there are still many places that are lying in ruin.  Many are frustrated with the rebuilding process that is taking so long.  The news reports that still about one million Haitians are still living in tents.  Billions of dollars in aid have been pledged but many wonder where the money is.  Not much has been said in the media about Haiti for the last several months.  Many of us in the world have gone on with our lives not thinking much about Haiti or the tragedy that still exists today.  But the pain, tragedy, and memory of one year ago still resonate with the people of Haiti and their families.

This past year shows that man will not rebuild Haiti.  No amount of money can rebuild this nation, only God can.  There is great comfort in the above scriptures because it is a promise from God that I believe is a promise for Haiti.  There are Haitians that fear God and have been calling on His name.  God has heard Haiti’s cry and He will rebuild this nation.  Isaiah 61:4-7 is God’s promise to Haiti.

God will be glorified in all that has happened in Haiti.  The nations will know it was only God that brought this nation back from ruin.  Haitians will testify all that God has done for them.  So don’t lose hope Haiti because the people have forgotten you.  God has not forgotten.  He will rebuild, He will restore, and everlasting Joy will be yours.

Posted in God's Glory, Healing, Prayer, Prophesy, The Righteous | 2 Comments »

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