Journey Of One Step: 2009

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

God's Words For When You Are Depressed

Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God: what is good, acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Is. 55:8

Prov. 3: 5-8
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

He restores my soul. Ps 23: 3

Therefore if anyone be in Christ he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5: 17

For you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col 3: 2

He is the only wise God, our savior. 1 Tim 1:17

Phil 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of a good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.

Ephesians 3:14-21
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with might through His spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever, Amen.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:17

...my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by. Ps. 57: 1

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Is. 26:3

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul. Ps. 94: 19

The Lord will protect you from all evil, the Lord will preserve your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this day forward. Ps. 121: 7

Phil 4: 6, 7
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace, which transcends all understanding, shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

I sought the Lord and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Ps 34: 4, 6

6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written:

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.1 Cor. 2: 2-16

I have the mind of Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. Gal. 2: 20

God's Words For Renewal Of The Mind

God's Words When You Have Physical Disease

Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers. 3 John 2

Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing every sickness and every disease among the people. Matthew 9:35

Luke 6: 19
The whole multitude sought to touch Him because of the healing power that went out of Him, and He healed every single one of them.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 3: 18

He bore our sins Himself in His own body on the tree so that we who were dead in sin might be alive in righteousness. By His stripes you were healed. 1 Peter 2: 24

He forgives all your iniquities; He heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:3

He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement needed to obtain our peace and well-being was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (The 39 stripes) Isaiah 53:5

Heal me oh Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. Jeremiah 17: 14

I will restore health unto you, and I will heal you of your wounds, says the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17

If you will diligently listen to the Lord your God, do what is right in His sight, listen to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I put upon the Egyptians, for I, the Lord, am your healer. Ex 15:26

Proverbs 4: 20-22
My son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart, for they are life to those that find them and health to all of their bodies.

He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from all their destructions. Psalm 107:20

The centurion said to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant shall be healed, for I am subject to authority with servants subject to me. I say to one go, and he goes, to another one come and he comes, and to my slave do this and he does it.”

Jesus Himself was amazed. He said, “I tell you the truth, I have never seen such faith in anyone, not even in Israel.” {His faith was also spiritual understanding.}

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way, and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:8-10, 13

James 5: 14, 15
Is anyone sick among you? Let him call the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed any sins, they shall be forgiven.

These signs will follow those who believe: 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

You shall be blessed above all peoples...And the Lord will take away from you all sickness and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all who hate you. Deuteronomy 7: 15, 16

vs 8 ...because the Lord loves you and because He would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage.

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Mal 4:12

If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. Mark 9:23

Luke 1: 46,47
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my saviour. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant.

Do not be afraid, only believe and she will be made well. Daughter, be of good cheer. Your faith has made you well. Luke 8

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, "permit even this" and He touched his ear and healed him. Luke 22: 50,51

He entered the synagogue...and a man was there whose right hand was withered. He said to the man, "stretch out your hand," and he did so, and his hand was restored to whole as the other. Luke 6: 6, 10

Ps 34: 3, 17, 19, 20
My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and be glad.
The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, none of them are broken.

He delivers me out of all my troubles. He delivers me from all my afflictions.

..and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather be healed. Heb. 12: 13

"...I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears, behold I will heal you..." II Kings 20:5

Bless the Lord oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits; who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit. Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies. Who satisfies your years with good things as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagles. Ps 103: 1-3

Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones you have broken may rejoice. Ps 51: 7,8

For You will light my lamp; The Lord God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places.
Psalm 18: 28, 29, 33

As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the spirit comes to the bones of the woman who is with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. Eccl. 11:5

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that made us whole and with His stripes we are healed. Is 53:5

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds we have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24, Rom 6:11, 2 Cor 5:21)

If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

God's redemptive work of forgiveness includes HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK OF HEALING. Because I am forgiven and cleansed I am also healed.

"Speak to Aaron saying: 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a blind man or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand." Lev 21: 17,18

The Lord did not want anyone in His presence who was not physically perfect. He has no delight in physical defects. To be in His presence today means to be restored. He restores us because it pleases him to restore us to the perfection THAT WAS HIS ORIGINAL DESIGN. Look at birds, at your cat or dog and the unbelievable symmetry that God took the trouble to create in them, with thousands of tiny hairs covering their bodies. If it did not please him to make things so perfectly, why is all of nature this way?

Do not be wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:7,8

And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. For she said to herself, "If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well." But Jesus turned around and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer daughter, your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour. Matt 9: 20-22

When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him crying out and saying, "Son of David have mercy on us!" And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." Then He touched their eyes, saying, "According to your faith let it be to you." And their eyes were opened. Matt 9: 27-30

Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see and the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Matt 11: 4,5

O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Matt 14: 31

If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed you will say to this mountain, "Move from here to there," AND IT WILL MOVE; AND NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU. Matt 17: 20

I speak to this mountain of affliction and oppression and say 'be thou moved away from me.'

...with God all things are possible. Matt 19: 26

And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all that were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. Matt 14: 35,36

The thief came to steal, to kill me if he could have, and to destroy my faith and hope, but Jesus came that I might have life and have it more abundantly-He came to restore, to recreate, to bolster faith, hope and love and to set me my on my way prospering and bringing life to others. John 10:10

Jesus, you have given me abundant life. I receive that life through Your Word and it flows to every part of my body bringing healing and health. The words you have spoken, Jesus, are spirit and life and it is the spirit that gives life! (see also John 6:63)

It is NOT abundant life to be diseased and lame and to have one's productivity and prosperity hindered.

Jer 30:17
I will restore you to health and heal all your wounds, declares the Lord.

Behold, I will bring it to health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them an abundance of prosperity and security. 33:6

And Jesus answered saying to them, have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain "be taken up and cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted to him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they shall be granted to you.

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions. Mark 11:22-26

I am free from un-forgiveness and strife. By the power of Your Spirit, Jesus, I forgive anyone who has wronged me. I forgive others as Christ has forgiven me, for the love of God is shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost. (Matt 6:12, Rom 5:5)

Jo 11: 2-4..."Lord, behold he whom you love is sick."
But when Jesus heard it he said, "this sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified by it."

Did I not say to you, if you believe you will see the glory of God? vs. 40

I believe and I shall see the glory of God.

And as He passed by He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God [healing] might be displayed in him." Jo 9: 1-3

A Very Useful Prayer to pray often! Ps 25: 16
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged. Bring me out of my distresses. Look upon my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

Let those who seek thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; let those who love Thy salvation say continually, "The Lord be magnified." Since I am afflicted and needy, let the Lord be mindful of me. Thou art my help and my deliverer; do not delay O my God. Ps 40

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Luke 10:19

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

Prov 4:20-22
Heavenly Father, I attend to Your Word. I incline my ears to your sayings. I will not let them depart from my eyes. I keep them in the midst of my heart, for they are life and healing to all my flesh.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us... Gal 3:13 Jesus became a curse for me. I am redeemed from the curse. The curse that manifested in my body and mind is destroyed.

My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit in me has the power to release the right chemical balance and to grow back what is missing.

The Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives in my mortal body. If that Spirit lives in me who raised Jesus from the dead, that Spirit in me releases life to all my body and mind. I command my body and mind to submit to that Spirit.

All that is not from God is rooted out of my body and mind.

Body and soul, I speak the word of faith to you. I demand that every part of my body and soul perform a perfect work, as a temple of the Holy Spirit. I charge you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the authority of His holy word to be healed and made whole in Jesus' name. Prov 12:18

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit within me, which I have from God. I am not my own. I was bought with a price. God is glorified in my body.

Father I resist the enemy in every form that he comes against me. I require my body to be strong and healthy, and I enforce it with Your Word. I reject the curse and enforce life in this body. James 4:7 (submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.)

Father, you forgave my sins, you healed my diseases, you redeemed my life from destruction, you have satisfied my mouth with good things so that my youth is renewed. Ps 103

Lord, you bless my food and drink so that they are pure, and I thank you.

Lord, you bless my animals, which you gave me dominion over, and heal them also. You protect them and give them health. You enable me to care for them. You love me through them. They reflect your humor, your gentleness, your sweetness, and the wonder of your creative power.

I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord. Ps 118:17

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

He is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us. Eph, 3:20

...for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye. Zech. 2: 8

...not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord. 4:6

Everything we do, Lord God, is not by power, nor by might but by your Holy Spirit.

Mark 16: 17
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues, they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.

In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name.
Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name; ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23,24

Is 65:24
Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects. James 5:16

John 14:13,14
Whatever you ask in my name I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance so that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise. Hebrews 10:35,36

So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Is 55

Now see that I, even I am He and there is no God besides me. I kill and make alive, I wound and I heal, nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. Deuteronomy 32:39

“I say to you though he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened unto you.” Luke 11: 8,9

I have asked and I will persist, and it will be given to me, I have sought and I will find, I have knocked and it will be opened unto me.

"More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." vs 28
We keep God's word by enforcing His will to heal us, revealed clearly in His word.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. ALL THINGS WERE MADE THROUGH HIM and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and this life was the light of man. John 1: 1-4, 14

vs 14 AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory , the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

As You were the Word that became flesh, Jesus, I want Your Word to become flesh in me.

O Lord my God, I cried out to You and You healed me.
O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave. You have kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit. Psalm 30: 2,3

I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. Psalm 34: 4, 6

My eye wastes away because of affliction.

LORD, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You. Psalm 88:9

Read Psalm 102

This is my comfort in my affliction,
For Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50

My soul faints for Your salvation,
But I hope in Your word.
My eyes fail from searching Your word,
Saying, “When will You comfort me?” vs. 81,82

1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:1-3

I said, “LORD, be merciful to me;
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Psalm 41:4

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Healing of Hypothyroidism

November 10, 2009

This is strange. It has been hard to tell people about this. Why? People reject hearing about an absolute, in-your-face miracle of healing by the hand of God. It is amazing!

This is one of those.

God has healed my hypothyroidism.

When I told someone about it, she said, “well, it won’t always be that way. You’ll probably still need to take Synthroid someday.” Great. Great response to a tangible miracle. Why is it that people reject something so amazing?

Only months ago, a doctor had found that my thyroid level was low, which is indicated by a thing called TSH. When the TSH level is high, that means that your thyroid is low.

My TSH level was 7.45, and the normal range is between 0.2-4.5. My doctor prescribed Synthroid, but I wrote her a letter saying I would not be taking Synthroid, and that Jesus Christ still heals today.

She had already sent me a prescription for Synthroid, and ordered another test of my thyroid level two months later, perhaps thinking I was, in fact, taking Synthroid.

I went in for the test, but not until I first went for healing prayer to the healing rooms in Brooklyn Center, MN. I had hands laid on me and I was anointed with oil for healing. I also read scriptures on healing and prayed to the Lord for healing.

I got the test back and it proved that the Lord had done the first truly tangible, physical miracle in my life! My TSH had gone down. It was now 5.58.

My insurance was going to end and so I wanted another test done before I was not going to be able to get more tests done. I got another test about two months later. I had been prayed for again at the healing rooms, and by other healing ministers, and continued to read healing scriptures out loud and pray.

The test came back. The Lord had done it again. Now my TSH had gone down yet farther. It was now 5.37! At the level it is now, the doctor merely says, “slightly elevated, stable.” I don’t know if the doctor realizes that I’m not taking Synthroid, but she didn’t prescribe Synthroid.

Now, I will believe God for my TSH to go all the way to normal.

Question not if the Lord wants to heal you! I don’t.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Alchemy of Music

Written when? 1997? The words won’t necessarily reflect all my current feelings or thoughts.

I've been listening to WNCB lately. They call it "Christian Hit Radio." "Finally, a radio station that you don't have to apologize for having on." "Bible Study with a beat."

Like "En Vogue" Singing "Never Gonna Get it" only now they are saying "Never gonna get it-never gonna get it-never gonna get salvation 'til you give your life to Him" with mini-skirts and moves.

Christians are learning not to be religious-that's why I like the station. I never again have to listen to a song about how romantic love is going to save me, or about how someone is dying of lost love.

I know more than anyone about lost love and the pain of it, but I still don't desire to hear a song about it. I want to hear about how it doesn't matter when you know God, how you can mend and feel great about yourself just because He lives and He loves you - that's what I want to hear.

Christians, since the beginning, have been turning secular music into praise and worship. That's the "Alchemy of Music." Alchemy is where you turn something like tin into gold. That really can't be done, but in this case we are turning to gold what wasn't worth much in the secular.

In ancient times in the British Isles, a place where a lot of hymns began, our Christian forbears took songs sung in pubs and places of ill repute and made those same songs into hymns. And why? It is because the music itself was much loved by the people already and was inherently pure and worthwhile. The only thing that needed changing was the lyrics. That continues to be true today in the case of rock and roll, jazz and rap.

Look at us today. Once the people of the 19th century in their high buttoned collars sat in the pews of their churches and sang "Rock of Ages," "There is power, power, wonder working power," (sung dead-pan) "Praise to the Lord the Almighty the King of creation," and would listen to the "jungle beat" of the black race and frown and call it the devil's music. Here we are today with a whole array of rock instruments doing jazz, rock and roll – flouting every idea of "the devil's music." Isn't it grand? And the reason is that we know that it's not the kind of music that makes it holy or unholy but the attitude in which it is done, the spirit in which it is done, and the words which are set to the music.

One of the ancient songs which was transformed by Christians was this little folk song-a famous song that is done time and time again by folk artists: "The Water is Wide."

The song it was made into is a hymn now found in one of those red Lutheran hymnals - I'd have to do some research to find it.

Another song taken from the British Isles and turned into a hymn was, of course, Greensleeves.
This of course became the Christmas Carol What Child Is This?

Now, in the present, there are a couple of songs that were meant as secular songs to a person, precisely, meant for a woman by a man. Probably more eloquent love poems and songs have been written by men about women than in the reverse- which is interesting when you consider that men are supposed to find it harder to communicate their feelings.

Van Morrison wrote:
"Have I told you lately that I love you?" That's nice: a man is getting around to telling, finally, after a while, that he loves his woman, then says, "have I told you there's no one else above you? WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

Wait a minute!! You know- it really matters what you say-it matters what you say-even if the meaning is subtle. But here he is literally saying, "there is no one else above you."
That would mean, even God. No one means no one! And that is a problem because that is exactly what we do with the person we fall in love with. We make them our god.
We put them first. We think they have come to save us, and that they will save us. We find no fault in them. We set ourselves up for a huge disappointment.

See, I found this man all of 8 years ago, and he did save me in many ways. Even though I attributed this salvation to God giving me someone to help me, I did attribute so much more just to the man himself. I believed he was the man I should be with, I believed he was restoring my soul, but I was forgetting about the restoration that was possible in Christ alone, without any romance to go with it. He was with me for a year and I was in heaven. In some ways it was painful, but I was in heaven. Then, all of a sudden he left me, and for the next 7 years I swear that I could not forget him or move on, or find someone new, or in any way do anything better than just feel the deepest pain, sorrow, regret and hunger for him.

I only began recently to see the fact that I wasn't relying on God. After the first 7 years of wanting and waiting for this man I finally turned to God for help and restoration, and then after about three years of trying to get back right with God, I finally recognized that I must make God my Lord with regards to this man and I am not waiting for this man anymore.

What happens when we make someone our god is that they prove all too soon that they aren't really capable of being our god. And they prove it in the darndest ways.

And when we find out what they are, we don't want to be with them anymore.

Well, this song is giving the lover the status of a god, and that's wrong. It goes on to say, "You fill my heart with gladness, you take away all my sadness, you ease my trouble that's what you do.."

Oh Ho Ho-- when was the last time you met someone who filled your heart with gladness, took away all your sadness, and eased your trouble-and that was it? The person simply took away all your trouble-no sadness, only gladness. Sure, when we are all first in love, that's the way it feels, that's the way it looks. But how many of you found out very soon after that this person was the trouble- was the sadness-ruined the gladness-HMMM?

Most humans are that way. Know why? Because most humans like you and me don't feel comfortable here on earth. This place is not comfortable or easy- it leaves us high and dry, it gives us terrible fears and unbearable pains. And chances are, the person you love suffers from living here just like you do. ‘Cuz we're all waiting to be redeemed from earth, you know-we're all looking to get the heck out’a here. This is not it, you know.

So, I listen to this song and I think-this is really a song to God. You hardly need to change the lyrics. Van Morrison includes in here that at the end of the day the two lovers will thank and pray to the one-and that's nice. But still, the rest of the song is only deserved by the lover of our souls. It was sung by Rod Stewart, whose voice I so rudely had extracted from the recording when I made a karaoke version of it-and here we have it folks-along with everything else-Karaoke in the church.

"Have I told you lately that I love you
have I told you there's no one else above you..
You fill my heart with gladness
take away all my sadness
ease my trouble that's what you do.

Well, the morning sun in all it's glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too
You fill my heart with laughter
Find a way to make things better
Ease my trouble that's what you do

And there's a love that's divine,
And [though it's yours
now it's mine]
like the sun
And at the end of the day, I will give thanks and pray
to the one. You're the one

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there's no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness you take away all my sadness
You ease my trouble that's what you do
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away all my sadness
Ease my trouble that's what you do

Then we have a song by a man who was in the group Genesis, who I believe to be Jewish, but I'm not sure. It's just that he did the music for the Last Temptation of Christ
and this might be an easier project for a Jew to undertake. He also has a quality in his music, something that says he is Jewish--I'm talking about Peter Gabriel. Does anyone know if he is or not?

I love his music. His album "SO" is SOOOO.. spiritual and alive, and it is from this album that I take this next song. As a matter of fact, I have decided to make Peter Gabriel sing this song in church. Hopefully this won't subject me to any legal problems--I mean, will he sue me for this?

I am leaving his voice on here and letting him sing his song. Now, here is another song by a man to a woman--so it seems. And once again, the praise is out of this world. This is ridiculous- unbelievable.

Here are the lyrics:

Love, I get so lost sometimes. Days pass, and this emptiness fills my heart. When I try to run away, I drive off in my car. But no matter where I run, I come back to the place you are.

All my instincts, they return, the grand facade so soon will burn. Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside. In your eyes, the light the heat, I am complete, I see the doorway to a thousand churches, the resolution of all my fruitless searches. Oh I want to be that complete. I want to touch the light the heat I see in your eyes. In your eyes. In your eyes.

Love, I don't like to see so much pain. So much wasted and this moment keeps slipping away. I get so tired, working so hard for my survival, but I look to the time with you to keep me awake and alive.

All my instincts they return, the grand facade so soon will burn. Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside.....

The song is In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel.

Let this song ring out as an awesome worship to the Lord.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

God Speaks

When I open the bible, I don’t read it like any other book. The bible is “living and active” and God uses it to speak to me each day – directly.

There is a passage that God has used to remind me of His miracles and of miracles that are in my future: 2 Samuel 22, particularly verse 34, and Psalm 18, particularly verse 33. “He makes my feet like the feet of deer and sets me on my high places.”

I had a terrible car accident that took a joint out of my foot. It was the direct result of being delusional while in a manic-depressive episode between 8 and 9 years ago (written a couple of years ago). The passage refers to the feet of deer, and always reminds me of my feet, so it speaks to me of God’s promise to restore my feet. Since deer feet have lots of bone, “making my feet like the feet of deer” means adding bone to my feet.

Right after I had my accident, I met a woman who had also had a freak accident involving her foot. She had gone to a faith healer – the same one I went to – and had been completely restored. Her leg and foot were all shriveled and the bones were fusing together, but she woke up one morning and it was all restored. She got up to get her cane but realized she didn’t need it. I felt that this was a sign for me to believe.

The accident came as a result of being manic-depressive – the source of the problem. In general, when I read this passage, it reminds me that God wants to restore my feet but he also wants to restore my mind.

How do I know that this is what the passage means? The Holy Spirit has spoken that to me.

God causes me to turn to these passages all the time, and at the most synchronous moments – amazing! He even slips this passage in when I least expect it. I was in church the other day and the scripture reading for the day was from Habakkuk and the theme was on being thankful. It starts out by saying that though no “fruit be on the vine” and there be “no herd in the stalls” “yet I will rejoice in the Lord” and it goes on to say: ”The Lord God is my strength. He will make my feel like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills.”

There it was again! God is always reminding me of this passage, which is His promise. Reading the bible is not just reading stories, or dryly reading commands or reading portions of “Holy Scripture” each day to fulfill some obligation. It is God speaking to me.

I open the book, and not always the first thing I open to, but after I flip through a time or two, I come to something that I know is Him speaking to me. The 2nd Samuel passage, and the Psalm 18 passage are not bookmarked, yet I flip to them almost right away, and wonder at that. I always find other scriptures that God wants me to read as well,

God wants our bible reading to be part of a relationship, to be exciting. He can guide us through it in a living and vital way.

Don’t just read the bible like a book, or let other people tell you how you should read it. Let the Holy Spirit make reading the bible as exciting and as comforting as He has made it for me.

Financial Miracles

This is an account of miracles involving money. I hope it helps your faith.

1. The Keyboard $1,250

I purchased a keyboard at a time when I had very little money- no extra money at all. I was desiring a keyboard to use for praise and worship in my home. I purchased it on credit, since I had a large amount of credit but hadn't used any of it yet, believing God for the means to pay it back. Not long after I made the purchase, a mysterious deposit was made in my bank account for the exact amount of the keyboard. I hadn’t told anyone who had access to my bank account the exact amount of the purchase. Only my parents had deposit slips for my bank account. I hadn’t told them about my purchase. It was a bizarre miracle.

2. A Hospital Bill For $8,000

I was traveling in Canada while on a manic episode. The police stopped me because people at a hotel I had stayed at reported some odd behavior. The police determined from my behavior and language that I was delusional and brought me to a hospital. They kept me there for several days, but of course, not much care was given except for putting me up for the night and giving me medication.

When I returned to the States they sent me a bill for $8,000. I was paying for it with payments of about $15.00 a month. Once I forgot to make a payment and the bill ended up in collections,, but they retrieved it from collections and I was back to making payments. I was getting prayer for this bill from my church.

At one point, I heard God tell me not to make the payment for that month. I just knew I wasn’t supposed to make any more payments. I never received another bill and nothing came from a collection agency.

3. God Told Me I Would Receive $10,000.00

I heard God tell me that I would be receiving $10,000.00. I didn’t know where it would be coming from. I told a friend about this. Some time later, but not that much later, I received my first payment from my grandmother for $10,000.00 She was giving money from her estate early, before her death. We received more payments. I ended up receiving that 10,000 7 or 8 times worth. I used the money to go to the church in Toronto several times, and to buy my house.

4. A Hospital Bill For $48,000

Well, it’s simple. I had a bill that large, and it was written off. I got prayer from my small, charismatic church named Lovepower, and then went in to discuss the bill with the financial office. When they learned that I was almost jobless, they wrote off the bill.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Deeper Life

Lutheran "Deeper Life" camp on Lake Koronis is where I first experienced the presence of God as something pleasurable. The Lutheran Evangelistic Movement, alive in the 1960s, held four meetings a summer at this lake. They called their meetings "Deeper Life" and the name of the lake is Koronis, near Paynesville, Minnesota.

They had meetings for young people and adults, and cared for kids as well. At night there was a large tabernacle meeting for everyone, and there the presence of God was felt. The whole atmosphere was sweet! People were wonderful. People behaved like Christians. The only names of leaders I can think of who were present are Nels Pederson, who had a great message, Pastor Ellingson, and the Klawitters. Messages from the word of God were delicious food for the soul. The actual food in the dining room wasn't bad either, and we always enjoyed a visit to the canteen for snacks after the meetings.

I remember there would be guys I would be interested in and the magic of that first taste of sexuality, so innocent and so pure.

The atmosphere at the camp was magic. I felt so happy. That presence was very sane--something dependable. This was, to me, the greatest doctrine anyone could learn. It was that almost tangible presence which I kept in my memory in the following years to remind me that God was a Good God.

The only problem with this was that one could find that reassurance of the truth at camp, but once camp was over and it was necessary to return to ordinary life, the certainty of truth could get swallowed up by the powers of the world. So, in remembering the magic of that camp, I now remind myself continuously that we must find a truth so strong that it does not need the trappings of a lovely camp to hold up. At the same time, I am sure that "Deeper Life" Camp's indelible memories have helped me to build a stronger inner certainty, and that was the purpose of our week there each summer.

I am back at that camp now in 2005. I marvel that people who own it have kept it as a sanctuary, as hallowed ground. It is my prayer today, September 10, 2005, that God will bring a powerful work of redemption that will take place right on these grounds - a work of deliverance, healing, restoration as Minnesota has never seen at any time past.

I re-dedicate Lake Koronis Assembly Ground to the Lord for that purpose.

Sunday morning, I arose on the campground that adjoins Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds in Paynesville, MN.

I was planning to go to a church in another small town that morning, and got up early so I could pack up the tent, get my cats in the car and get to that church.

I was packing my things and thinking about the large tabernacle on the grounds where we once held the beautiful Christ-filled meetings in my childhood summers. Suddenly I thought I heard an honest to goodness Holy Ghost service - a super spirited meeting with hooping and hollering! It was hope! It turned out it was just a pack of dogs or something.

Was it a mirage? Did I conjure up the sound because I wanted with all my heart for a service like that in the tabernacle? Did the Holy Spirit do it?

But at first I was hopeful. Wow! Somewhere in Minnesota maybe someone is having those kind of services such as I have seen and experienced elsewhere.

I thought it came from the tabernacle, so I walked over there. I looked around, and walked into the tabernacle, left open, though the entire grounds were empty. Nothing. No one. Not a sound in there. I sat down on one of the old wooden seats they had managed to keep in the sanctuary. I thought - "I'm sitting in the first place where I found the presence of God was the sweetest thing in life. I'm waiting for that presence to truly come back, but this time come back even greater - to break bondages, to cause deliverance, to bring healing of every kind."

How cool to be praying for that to come to Minnesota in that lovely place. My childhood home was torn down, but it never occurred to me til then that this place from my childhood, almost untouched, holds even greater significance and meaning for me than my original house. Thank God!!!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Gardening

Now that it's fall, and everything is dying, it's a good time to think about gardening, think against the grain, when everything is budding.

Oh the many analogies in gardening to the Christian life, and to human life. You realize them as you garden.

WEEDS

1. There are many varieties. Sometimes you don't know if a plant is a weed or something planted by the gardener.

2. They appear with no effort, they grow freely and appear easily. You don't have to choose them, buy them, or plant them.

3. Their roots are sometimes deeper and harder to dig up than the desirable plants. They are hardy and strong.

4. They grow up overnight-quickly.

5. They can look good but do damage to good plants. Deceptive. Desirable plants can be thwarted by weeds, so weeds have to be dug up or killed.

6. The dandy lion weed has a deep root like a carrot, like false vegetable or false food, and is very hard to pull out.

7. If you pull it out but don't get the whole root, it grows back. Bitterness: the bible calls it the root of bitterness-it runs deep, it has to come all the way out or it comes back.

8. If you are able to pull out the whole thing, it goes away.

9. Dandy lion and other weeds- so ugly, except for the yellow flower. Destructive to grass and other plants.

10. When the soil is watered, it's easier to pull out weeds by the roots. Analogous to the raining of the holy Spirit.

11. Sun causes weeds to grow as well as the good plants.

12. More sophisticated weed killers were not available in the past, but now we can kill them more efficiently and thoroughly.

13. As a child, I remember picking and fondling dandy lion weeds. So different from how I feel about them as an adult. Reason I dislike them as adult: dandy lions are a symbol of neglect.

15. Weeds tend to crop up most where the good plants begin to grow.

OTHER areas of gardening

1. Good, desirable plants have to be bought and carefully cultivated, they don't appear instantaneously or effortlessly.

2. A beautiful garden or fruitful field has to be planted and cultivated by human hands. God doesn't just grow everything as it needs to be without us doing our part. He has left it up to human hands to bring it about. Saying: that a farmer planted a field and said, "look at the crops I grew." The person said in reply: "only God can grow a crop." the farmer turned to a field that was uncultivated and said, "oh yeh? Look at the field I let God plant all by himself!" In another teaching I will discuss our part and call it: 'our obligation to let go, and our obligation to hold on."

3. Beautiful breeds of flowers originated with wild flowers that in some places and times did just appear, but that humans cultivated. All plant life was made by God and comes from God. Our part as the gardener is vital, and yet, we aren't the creators. We have to do our part, and then the rest is up to God. We can't do the actual creation of the plant. We can't cause the actual growth, we can only encourage it. He gets the credit, but we get the benefits.

4. The good plants can be hardy also and can take over a garden eventually so that weeds don't grow.

5. Watering is essential, Sunshine is essential.

7. Plants are more vulnerable and may not become plants at the seed stage.

8. Seeds sometimes require more nurturing.

9. Different types of plants thrive in different climates.

10. Plants can be tended too much and die.

11.new plants in the ground also require extra nurturing.

12.moving a plant to a different location can traumatize it and kill it

Friday, September 11, 2009

The Bible

How can I pass on to you that the Bible is the only set of words actually given to us by God? These are the only words we have been able to find from such a source. The Bible is alive--the words live. The way we know this is that God said that in the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God and The Word WAS God, without Him was not anything made that was made (First chapter of the gospel of John). Therefore, words created every single physically alive thing in our world. Isn't that bizarre? By the same token life is given to us again and again through words. These are the only words that live in the here and now and create life. All nobility, every desire to be strong enough to have the right attitude, to love the unlovable, to have faith in oneself in the face of hatred and scorn lies between these relatively few pages. It is so hard to believe that this could be true, but it is. The Jews have preserved these words for us, and we should never forget the price they have paid to be the ones who have done this.

There are several stories in the Bible that are astounding and deserve attention. Now that you will attempt to read the bible, I wanted to tell you about some stories that are great examples of astounding miracles. These were very blatant manifestations of God on earth. These stories have, from childhood, always given me the greatest longing to see and know God in a tangible way.

You can look up and read for yourself the following stories: the story of Daniel in the lion's den--found in the book of Daniel (imagine that!) chapter 6 (however, the story begins before 6), the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego--three friends of Daniel who survived being thrown into a fiery furnace, and merely walked around and then stepped out unharmed--in the book of Daniel, chapter 3; the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal--he made a deal with them that if their god would send fire from heaven instead of his God, then it would prove that theirs was the true god. He had no doubt in his mind that his God was true. The prophets danced around, and cut themselves and cried out to Baal and there was no answer. Elijah built an altar and had it covered with water--drenched--and then called upon the God of the Bible. Fire shot down from heaven and consumed not only the altar but trenches of water that surrounded it and the stones the altar was made of and the dust beneath. After this the people fell down and worshipped Elijah's God. I KINGS CHAPTER 18, vs 20-40

This becomes more meaningful when you discover that the people of Baal used to throw their children into a fiery death--the mouth of a huge face--and then would hear the child laughing as it went in--the laughing being merely caused by the effect of the flames on their lungs and vocal cords. This historic information comes from outside the Bible--and is the result of archeology, etc.

And the story of Elijah is more powerful when you realize that many people today are saying that it is very cool to be "pagan" again, because the people of the time of Baal were the perfect embodiment of pagan.

These stories are so much more exciting than most of what we experience in our everyday lives. They tempt me to step out into that world that is considered "mythical" and leave the world we live in behind.

We feel more comfortable believing that our world is not ordered in the way of the Old Testament, but I do believe that we deceive ourselves, and at the same time our world seems to be going back to looking more like the Old Testament.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Win Over Sin

The answer to the sin problem is very simple, but not easy. The primary thrust of this writing is: to overcome sin we must become so weak, so perfectly unable to do for ourselves what only God can do that we fall before his mercy and receive his grace, at last.

Our inability to receive His grace, especially those of us who are so good at being good and have long been taught the way of striving, is our main problem.

It took me so long to learn this, and I had to unlearn so much of what I thought I’d learned.

The bible makes it clear that His strength is to made manifest in our weakness, and that our righteousness is as filthy rags. Unless His strength replaces our weakness, we have attained nothing.

How does this play out? Since sexual desire has always been strong for me, and there has been a stronghold against my relationships, I have had to go for years and years without a mate as a way to find an outlet for this energy.

So, sexual sin was always my biggest weakness. Let me start there. The way to getting victory was so simple I missed it. We make these valiant attempts, even when we are sincere in loving God, to rid ourselves of sin, but we become freakish and self-righteous in the process. We make our Christianity a source of insanity. People become crazy over Christ and the sin problem. Balance is so difficult for most people. That’s why Jesus said that the way is narrow and not easy. That’s what he meant when he said, “few there be that find it.”

How do you get the victory? First, I am assuming here I am addressing those who have a desire to get a victory. If you don’t truly desire to get rid of sin there is no way. If your sin doesn’t grieve you, one would wonder if you have even gotten saved. The Holy Spirit, which God gave you, will convict you of sin.

Next, you rid yourself of dishonesty and you become totally open and honest about what you do wrong. By trying to hold things in, and rely on self-control, by trying to stuff things away, we also can deceive ourselves and keep from seeing our sin.

I have such good restraint. I am so controlled - never having had a drug or alcohol problem. I have no desire for substances. I don’t like bad habits. I brush my teeth regularly; I can eat just right, no problem. I can fast, no problem. I can exercise religiously - no problem. My problem has been that natural strength that I was born with. It has been so easy for me to be religious, to strive.

Natural strength has to be let go of.

The brief period of learning this was a sexy one. However, I soon found myself longing for victory, the real way, over sexual sin, because the consequences, which manifest internally and emotionally, were not so sexy. Externally, the usual bad treatment by my partner was painful.

Prior to this I got extreme in abstinence and self-restraint. I had a young, Christian roomie who was a virgin and thrived on her influence. I abstained from all forms of sex: masturbation, etc. I was harsh, ascetic, and fierce. I fasted, and resisted all involvements with the opposite sex; I avoided every form of temptation, and only spent time with Christians. It brought absolutely no lasting change. I eventually found myself frustrated again.

I then met a guy who became my boyfriend who wasn’t even a true Christian. Now I had the perfect temptation - a man in my life, and a man with no restraint. It was better he had no restraint than if I were dealing with the spirit of religion, however. But, no holds were barred – no self-restraints on my part. During the period of being sexually active with him, I came home to my sanctuary, and took communion a lot. I had been keeping these crackers made in Jerusalem - unleavened bread. And, I used whatever juice I had, preferably grape juice. I called the bread Christ’s body and the juice His blood and I took them.

I repented of my sin and recognized that there was no reason to condemn myself, and no reason to deny myself the body and blood. I was believing that the body and blood would give me victory over sin. Confessing and repenting in this case did not mean I would not sin again in the same way – I knew that. But for a besetting sin, this seems to be the way to handle it. You repent and confess until the next time, until you get the victory.

I have a nice prayer or confession to accompany communion. I did nothing at all outward to deny myself or to deny my sin.

I did sin again, but it was grief to me. I repeated the exercise, knowing that I would get the victory. It’s important to see that I kept the switch of faith on at all times. Jesus said that the work of God is to believe, and this is so true. I kept on believing through all this. But I also received God’s grace. These are the two important elements

I bought a ring with a cross in it, to wear on my left hand - a reminder of whom I belonged to. Eventually, I got a victory Later I praised God that He did it.

I received God’s grace. This is the thing that many Christians miss. – They simply have never been able to receive God’s grace. It is essential to receive that and nothing more - not try to fix ourselves, not try to put on a righteous façade.

I accepted God’s unmerited favor and I resisted the devil. The bible says that we submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee.

In the case of hatred, which can lead to murder, it was much harder for me to let go and allow whatever was in me come out. I don’t enjoy the feelings of hate.

This area was going to be much harder to deal with in the future, I found out, and to get a victory.

But the essential elements are: receiving God’s grace as you receive his body and blood and believing that you will have a victory over the sin, even while you are still sinning. The results can be profound.

Communion Prayer

Prayer: Father in heaven, I examine myself today to see if there is anything in me that is displeasing to You. In Jesus name I ask You to forgive me for _______, and to release me from the power of this sin. I break the hold of my judgment against anyone who has hurt me and allow him or her to go free of me. I ask You to forgive me for any part I had in causing this and to cleanse me.

And now we will repeat the words of Jesus as He broke bread with His disciples:

Take, eat, this is my body, like the body of the Lamb eaten by Israel, broken for you to bear your sins, so you may die to sin and live to righteousness. This body heals you of the results of sin, and heals the body. Do this in remembrance of me.

Drink, for this is my blood of the new covenant, not the old covenant of the blood of animals, but the new covenant of the blood of the eternal Lamb of God. This was shed for you to pardon sin, to release you from sin. This blood sets you free from the destruction that sin has caused, and heals the soul. Do this in remembrance of me.

Lord, we remember You and what You have done for us.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Affliction

When tragedy comes, when horrible things happen, we first feel absolutely compelled to look at our lives and see if this came from sin. (John 1: 1-14 Healing at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus says “sin no more or a worse thing may come upon you”)(Ps 7: 3-5) How could we not?

Job at first examines himself with regards to sin. His conclusion is that he did not have sin. There have been sermons in which it is stated that Job did sin, and his sin was fear. This is so absurd. If the illustration here is of a sinless life, then saying Job has sin defeats the entire lesson.

The illustration is of a life that has no sin, at least, a life that is open before God with all sins confessed - a godly man. God told Satan that this man will not curse him even if he has to endure the ravages of Satan. If Job isn't the godly man God said he was, the point is lost.

God tells at the end of the book of Job that his friends are wrong, that Job is not being chastised for sin. To say that he had fear and sinned is then denying what God said to his friends.

One preacher (Jesse Duplantis) explained that the fear the scripture referred to was his fear for his sons. His sons apparently were questionable regarding sin, so he kept offering sacrifices for them so that their sins would be covered.

He was always concerned that their sins would reap terrible consequences. When his life was attacked and their lives were destroyed, he believed that his fear had come upon him.

If we are reaping bad things from sin, if we suffer because of sin, we need to recognize and deal with that area, or we've learned nothing, gained nothing. We may have opened a door for Satan, not knowing.

In Job's case, he didn't open a door through sin. God just took away his protection, and Satan attacked.

We know what to do when Satan attacks us now, many years later, with the writings of the New Testament. Much has been written about dealing with the devil.

When bad things happen, we get stronger, we learn because we allow God to use the thing that has happened for good, according to Romans 8: 28. It doesn't mean that God expressly sent the negative thing that occurred. Satan is in the earth and is always trying to send evil things, shown in Job, where he was anxious to attack. There was a hedge and Satan challenged that.

Mac Hammond preached a very good sermon one Sunday night on this topic.

He preached about how Job had no knowledge of the benefits or the necessity of spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6). It was this piece, this missing piece that made all the difference in Job's experience.

He said that indeed the enemy tries to come against us, seeing the hedge about us, complaining. But with the many gifts of the spirit and the blessings of being able to attack back, we are not left to being bludgeoned in the same way as Job anymore.

The book of Job is not written to tell us that we are left to being overwhelmed by the enemy's power as it seems so many try to preach.

But what if Satan has attacked and we have experienced great loss? There we are, already sick, already down, already nearly destroyed.
It doesn’t matter if we have the power to overcome Satan. When Satan came against us, we seemed to lack the power and now it seems too late to fight back. He has already caused destruction. What now?

First we make sure that we are right with God, that all sins are confessed, that we have dealt with sin. If we are right in that area, we move on to faith in healing, and this is faith in the work of Jesus, who primarily went around healing and raising from the dead. There is restoration through the cross.

It is amazing how many people will defend the right to remain sick and broken, ignoring the explicit words of Jesus, which expressly command that we heal the sick and raise the dead.

I believe strongly in the power of communion, especially for those who find they do not have very good fellowship with other believers to rely on. Communion is symbolic of the work of Jesus on the cross and it is His work on the cross that has given us all of the life and power that we need for everything in this life. In a healing class it was made clear to me that his body was broken to heal the body, specifically, and his blood to heal everything else.

We overcome by the blood and communion reminds us of the blood and its power.

The next thing we do Is take up the Sword of The Spirit which is the Word Of God. By reading the Word and speaking God’s Word out loud, we will find great power for restoration and also to prevent further attacks.

It is very helpful to collect verses on specific topics, such as healing, and write them down so you can recite them regularly.

By taking these tools – confession, communion, and the Word Of God, we can find restoration from the destruction that the enemy has caused, and barricade ourselves against his tactics.

We must persevere in faith to see our restoration.

Journey Of One Step