Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Challenge with Unbelief
If we honestly believed in our hearts that Jesus really took our dirty, filthy, stinky clothes as His own in exchange for His beautiful, clean, perfectly white robe of righteousness, how can we continuously want to sin or live in unbelief? If we believe that this is true, and it is, what kind of an effect would it have when we get sick? Do we just roll over and accept the sickness? If the very God who created us, lives in us, would He not know how to fix what He created?
Of course He would. Jesus did not die in vain for His church. He took on His body every sin, sickness and disease that was the result of Adam's sin. We No longer live in Adam. We are children of the most High and we live in Jesus Christ.We have HOPE,in this world, His name is Jesus. Our healer is alive. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The only sick day He had on this earth was when we made Him sick at Calvary with all our sicknesses and diseases. By His stripes we have been healed, past, present and future. When Jesus rose on the third day from the grave, all of our sin, sickness and disease were no longer on Him. He was free and so were we. We have to hold on to this truth when we get sick and have any health problems. He is our health.
There was a king in the O.T.named Asa, who when he got sick first went to the physicians instead of the Lord. The Lord was not pleased and the heart of God was grieved. His sin was not that he consulted the physicians , but that he consulted them first (2 Chronicle16:12). Praise the Lord we are NOT under the LAW but under GRACE. We already have been punished in Jesus' death for our disobedience. But, I believe the principle is still the same. God does not change. The only difference is that under the gospel of grace, we are unconditionally forgiven all the times we have gone to the doctors without first praying.
I remember when this truth first hit me. I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting for him to come in, and this thought came to my mind, "Lord, why do we need doctors, if you have given the doctors everything they know to bring healing to your people?" I felt like He whispered my ear, "It is My MERCY daughter, for their unbelief. I love my bride and I want her well." About that time the doctor entered the room and the thought left me.
Later that day, the thought came back to me and I have to admit that I was in unbelief. I didn't understand at the time that He really wanted me healed.. I was like Israel, wandering in the desert of unbelief for years, afraid of the giants in the promised land. I was allowing sin, sickness and disease to be bigger than the BLOOD and RIGHTEOUSNESS of our Lord Jesus. I didn't believe that God was "GREATER IN ME THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD." (John 4:4) The first thing I would do was to run for the pill bottle and pray afterwards. I did not seek out the Lord nor my church family, unless I thought my illness was very serious. Honestly, I was living in unbelief and deceiving myself that God wasn't interested in my illnesses. It never occurred to me that the Lord might have a better plan for His glory through my trial.. I never felt condemned. It just felt good to repent, receive His unconditional forgiveness, remembering that He paid an unfathomable price for my sin of unbelief.
Since that day in the doctor's office, I am still learning so much about His healing. Even in the bible, Job was healed after his horrific trial with the devil, but he still had to suffer. I love the end when Job says, "Once my EARS heard ABOUT You, but now my EYES SEE You". Sometimes the Lord has used an illness to draw me into a deeper intimacy with Him. It doesn't mean that He doesn't want to heal me.That is a LIE from the enemy. It is ALL about His glory and my relationship WITH Him. He is my blessing, my health and wholeness. He is the lover of my Soul and He ever lives to make intercession for His bride, you and I. To God be the glory.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Accepting Unmerited Favor
I don't know how it is for you but, I had for many years made "grace", God's unmerited favor, more of a doctrine, than a reality. Yes, it is a wonderful doctrine to acknowledge, but I have found that God's unmerited favor is not a subject, it is A PERSON, AND HIS NAME IS JESUS. When I have Jesus, I have unmerited grace. Jesus and unmerited grace do not exist separately. His unmerited favor is fulfilled in His entire being and you can not separate Jesus from His finished work on Calvary.
When I began to see JESUS as He really was, grace (unmerited favor) began to flow like a mighty river into every dry and empty area of my physical body, marriage, career, and finances. The more I increased in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross, the more God's unmerited favor was multiplied into my life. Honestly, I have to admit, before then, I was living in unbelief. I believed for salvation. I knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I wasn't in faith for how much God truly loved me. I kept His love at arm's length.
I had stopped at the cross and continued to live my Christian life repenting of sin, but never enjoying my salvation, until I found out that I was under the LAW and not under GRACE. What a horrible place to be, always feeling judged and having to do, do, do.Then, one day my eyes were opened to what Jesus had done, done, done! I was a new creation that had never existed before. I no longer just looked at the cross but believed the gospel and came to experience my new life. I believed that I was hidden in Christ,when he died, was buried and raised again. My identification in Christ set me free from the LAW. Praise be to God! Condemnation was over and the resurrected Lord was alive in me. Satan may try to roar like a lion, but Jesus has kicked his teeth out!
I would like to tell you a story. I think you will get the point. During the Koren War, a little orphan girl had captured the heart of an American GI. AS his love grew for her, He and his wife wanted to adopt this little orphan and raise her in the United States. Now, remember, this little orphan only ever knew the sounds of guns, army tanks, airplanes and rockets exploding . Her whole life had been lived in a war zone. After the war, the GI brought her back to New York to live with them in the city. The adjustment for her took several months before she would trust her new parents and new home. It was too unbelievably beautiful and totally foreign to her old life. Every time the noise of a fire truck or police serine sounded off, she would run and hide behind the living room couch. She was so riddled with fear, that it was all most impossible for her to feel loved and accepted . Her emotional memories of Korea were still present and hindered her from believing the best of her new parents. This continued for months, before the orphan believed that her mommy and daddy really did loved her and would protect her from harm. She wasn't able to emotionally grow until she believed and accepted her parent's love. Once she did believe and receive their love, she was able to respond and grow up as a normal little girl.
I don't know about you, but for years, even after I was a believer, I felt like that little orphan girl. Every time I sinned, I felt condemned and wanted to hide. It was hard for me to believe that God really loved me, even when I sinned. I still fell short of His glory. I believed that Jesus had died for my sins, was buried and rose again, but FEAR kept me in the prison of my mind. After years of this struggle, my heart finally believed that the Lord not only loved me, but was delighted in me. He doesn't see my sins. They were all on Jesus and He had dealt with them. Praise the Lord, He ONLY sees the BLOOD of His dear Son. The more my eyes were fixed on Jesus and not my sin, I sinned less and less. I can now thank the Lord and receive by faith His UNCONDITIONALLY FORGIVENESS. Today, I understand how God is changing me. It is from faith to faith, strength to strength and from glory to glory. The more that I see my glorious Lord, the more that I am changed AND SIN LESS. He alone is worthy of all my worship.
When I began to see JESUS as He really was, grace (unmerited favor) began to flow like a mighty river into every dry and empty area of my physical body, marriage, career, and finances. The more I increased in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross, the more God's unmerited favor was multiplied into my life. Honestly, I have to admit, before then, I was living in unbelief. I believed for salvation. I knew that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for my sins, but I wasn't in faith for how much God truly loved me. I kept His love at arm's length.
I had stopped at the cross and continued to live my Christian life repenting of sin, but never enjoying my salvation, until I found out that I was under the LAW and not under GRACE. What a horrible place to be, always feeling judged and having to do, do, do.Then, one day my eyes were opened to what Jesus had done, done, done! I was a new creation that had never existed before. I no longer just looked at the cross but believed the gospel and came to experience my new life. I believed that I was hidden in Christ,when he died, was buried and raised again. My identification in Christ set me free from the LAW. Praise be to God! Condemnation was over and the resurrected Lord was alive in me. Satan may try to roar like a lion, but Jesus has kicked his teeth out!
I would like to tell you a story. I think you will get the point. During the Koren War, a little orphan girl had captured the heart of an American GI. AS his love grew for her, He and his wife wanted to adopt this little orphan and raise her in the United States. Now, remember, this little orphan only ever knew the sounds of guns, army tanks, airplanes and rockets exploding . Her whole life had been lived in a war zone. After the war, the GI brought her back to New York to live with them in the city. The adjustment for her took several months before she would trust her new parents and new home. It was too unbelievably beautiful and totally foreign to her old life. Every time the noise of a fire truck or police serine sounded off, she would run and hide behind the living room couch. She was so riddled with fear, that it was all most impossible for her to feel loved and accepted . Her emotional memories of Korea were still present and hindered her from believing the best of her new parents. This continued for months, before the orphan believed that her mommy and daddy really did loved her and would protect her from harm. She wasn't able to emotionally grow until she believed and accepted her parent's love. Once she did believe and receive their love, she was able to respond and grow up as a normal little girl.
I don't know about you, but for years, even after I was a believer, I felt like that little orphan girl. Every time I sinned, I felt condemned and wanted to hide. It was hard for me to believe that God really loved me, even when I sinned. I still fell short of His glory. I believed that Jesus had died for my sins, was buried and rose again, but FEAR kept me in the prison of my mind. After years of this struggle, my heart finally believed that the Lord not only loved me, but was delighted in me. He doesn't see my sins. They were all on Jesus and He had dealt with them. Praise the Lord, He ONLY sees the BLOOD of His dear Son. The more my eyes were fixed on Jesus and not my sin, I sinned less and less. I can now thank the Lord and receive by faith His UNCONDITIONALLY FORGIVENESS. Today, I understand how God is changing me. It is from faith to faith, strength to strength and from glory to glory. The more that I see my glorious Lord, the more that I am changed AND SIN LESS. He alone is worthy of all my worship.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Hidden in Christ
I can't think of a safer place to be hidden in these days than in Jesus Christ. But do we understand and believe this truth? It is the most encouraging word I can give to you today, to believe that you and I are hidden in Christ in God. (Colossians3:1-3) Do you believe that?
Just for us to better understand this verse "Hidden in Christ, in God", I would like you to get a photo of yourself, put it in your bible and than wrap your arms around the bible. You probably are thinking "what in the world?" Let me explain. You are now in Jesus Christ, who is the Word, and God's arms (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are wrapped around you. Get it? Think about it. You and I are hidden in God's love. It doesn't get any better than that!
"No one will snatch them out of My Hand."
John 10:28
Just for us to better understand this verse "Hidden in Christ, in God", I would like you to get a photo of yourself, put it in your bible and than wrap your arms around the bible. You probably are thinking "what in the world?" Let me explain. You are now in Jesus Christ, who is the Word, and God's arms (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are wrapped around you. Get it? Think about it. You and I are hidden in God's love. It doesn't get any better than that!
John 10:28
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| Safe in the hands of my creator |
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