Friday, March 5, 2010

Walking In Divine Health Part 3


I have always said that I will beat the enemy by giving testimony to whatever he throws my way. I don't find it the least bit coincidental that I blogged about divine health and I am feeling less than divine right now.

So instead of hiding until the manifest of health bursts on the scene I will share with you what I am doing.

About 19 years ago I suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Epstein Barr disease. Thankfully I was completely healed from that, praise God! Every now and then I get "that feeling" and I fight it with the sword of the Spirit. God's Word. This week has been very draining for some reason. Could it be my age?? I turned another year older last Friday and I must say I did celebrate ALOT. I have also noticed I am staying up way to late, getting up way to early and I eat like garbage.

There comes responsibility when we claim God's promises for our lives. Taking proper care of the body He gives us is very important. So as I grocery shopped and purchased very healthy foods for myself, I spoke God's promises. I took a multi vitamin with added energy (hey I need all the help I can get). I refused to even entertain the thought that I will relive the previous illness (come on you know we are all tempted to revisit the past and let fear set in).

I am thankful for the opportunity to once again allow God to be glorified.

Here are a few more promises for you too!

Ex 23:25
Ex 15:26
Deut 28:1-14
Deut 30:19-20
Nahum 1:9
Rom 4:17-21
2 Cor 10:4-5

Monday, February 22, 2010

Walking In Divine Health Part 2


Have you ever felt like this guy? I know I have. I hope that meditating on the verses in Part 1 have given you a new revelation to the power that is available to us. I was standing next to a friend the other night who was definitely looking like the guy in this picture. I was so excited to share what my current blog series was on!! I encouraged him to speak the Word out loud and I prayed for him too.

I admit I got the "yeah that sounds good but I feel like garbage" look. Then another friend came into the room and announced "hey Lisa thanks for praying for me the other day! I feel GREAT!" I responded with "God is so good! Did you speak those scriptures out loud?" "I sure did" replied my second friend. I was so excited and said "Tell him...tell him" referring to sick friend #1. The power of testimony. How fun is God!

When you feel the "ick" coming on you have a choice to make. You can say "OH NO I am getting sick, I feel terrible, this will ruin my week. It will take me forever to get over it and then my family will get it" ....and on and on.

OR you can say "I will not get sick in Jesus' name. No weapons forged against me shall prosper! No sickness or disease can touch my body. I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me!" My Father is Jehovah Raffa the Lord who heals! By Jesus' stripes I am healed! He healed all my diseases...." you get the picture.

Now I hate pain and discomfort so at the first sign of any hint of an attack of the "yuck" I have been known to take medicine. Does that mean I don't have faith? Maybe to some. I just take it and continue to speak the promises of God out loud often. Within a very short time either minutes, hours or 1 day I have NO symptoms. NONE. It's been that way for 2 years. PRAISE GOD!

It is amazing to see how my kids are picking this up. Samantha's stomach was really hurting her the other night. As she was grabbing the porcelain, one of her parents was saying "are you going to be sick? I think you ARE going to be sick!" She looked at the other parent and said "pray for me and I will speak the scriptures in my head". That's my girl! The tummy bug left without her getting sick. She was in perfect health all day. God is faithful.

Now again my disclaimer: This is what happens with me. I love to share it just as if it were a great recipe for chicken noodle soup! I do think this method is better than any hand santizer out there. And you never have to worry about running out of it!!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Walking in Divine Health Part 1


Well it is that time of year where sickness seems to jump on anyone it can. I have been asked a lot lately to pray for people who are sick and can't seem to shake that nagging cough or the "oh no my kids have the stomach flu please not me" people.

I have been blessed to learn from God's Word how to actively walk in the area of divine health. Now before you send me nasty blog comments, I am going to tell you MY story and what I do. I am not saying everyone should do this. I am saying try it if you want. It has worked for me by the grace of God for 2 years. I am trying to get my kids involved as well. That is taking some time. 2 years and 3 kids worth of various ailments have plagued our home, one of which was the swine flu. That one did get contained to one family member out of 5, PRAISE GOD!

Another disclaimer. I believe God heals, period. The bible says so. Does everyone get healed? No. Do I know why? No. Does that mean I disregard what I know to be true because I don't always see the results I want? No. I take God at His Word. I understand His ways are not our ways and I pursue what Jesus gave his disciples authority to do. I then leave the results to Him.

Most often we don't pray and ask God to protect us before we are sick, we wait until we are sick and then we beg God to do something or finish us off (which I have done during bouts of a horrific stomach virus).

The first thing you need is a revelation from God. If you read Ephesians 1:17-21 you will see that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in you! If that is true why can't we get rid of the common cold?

So in today's first lesson. Get out your bible. Seek the Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth. Ask Him to show you the authority Jesus gave you as a believer. Meditate on these verses:
Psalm 103:1-4
Isaiah 53:5
1Peter 2:24
1Cor 6:19

Stayed tuned for Part 2!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Choose Wisely

For some reason it seems that people are under attack at a tougher level. I am not sure if its because of the "new level new devil" theory or that people are just being shaken more easily by the same old stuff. This past weekend...yes Valentines Weekend was pretty rough for a few friends of mine. Strong God loving people. The arrows that were shot were unfortunately not from chubby adorable cupid...but from the one who shoots firey darts.

The main battle field where we fight the enemy is in our own minds. We need to take every thought captive and hold it obedient to Christ( 2Cor 10:5). I have discovered that the easiest way to do that is to make a decision before you are under siege. Set your mind and be determined to honor God and His word. By making a choice you will be prepared, even if you are caught off guard.

The enemy doesn't fight fare. He is out to steal, kill and destroy. An army wouldn't go into battle without weapons. You also don't see them huddled in a corner wringing their hands in worry and fear. They are out there fighting. Should we be any different?

Whether you are in a battle right now or not, make the choice to honor God's Word and God's ability. Trust that what He asks you to do in your circumstances, you can do in His strength. It all begins with a decision, so choose wisely.

A note to married Christians: If your spouse isn't strong enough to fight whatever the enemy is throwing at them, then you be strong enough to honor God with your actions. Your obedience and your prayers will have an impact. If you decide to let the enemy get to you too, then the battle just got bigger. This is the time to fall back on the Word that you have been listening to in church your entire life and put it into practice!

Monday, February 8, 2010

The Month of Loooove



I received a card once that had the verse 1 Corinthians 13:12 on it, "we don't yet see things clearly...but it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!"

After weeks of this miserable weather who is seeing clearly? But there is a promised sun to come and warm this place up! Have you ever wondered why you have certain situations come up in your life? Sometimes it is something small and irritating and other times it's a huge issue. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. The God who loves you and me has planned our days and it was written in His book before we were one day old (Psalm 139:16). So in the midst of our hectic schedules, our relationships, our responsibilities and our hardships we can take comfort in knowing that:

* All of our days were planned for us before we came to be
* All things work for God's good...and
* We may not see it now, but when the difficulties pass the sun will shine bright!

During the month of heart shaped candies, flowers, chocolates (also known as the month of LOOOOOVE), my hope is that you stop and think about how much God loves _____________ (insert your name here). When you see a heart hanging in the store or see "BE MINE" and "I'M YOURS" on candy, may it remind you that the best love of all is from the One who planned everything about you!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Don't Deny It

John 1:24 says: The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

I have read that many times and thought I understood what it meant. I love how God takes the living word and breathes a deeper revelation into it and opens my eyes to new understanding.

When this verse was impressed upon me the next thought was from Luke 12:8-9. It reads: I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.

Don't deny or disown the Word of God, any of it. It's ALL God breathed. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you into all Truth. Read the Word and seek God for understanding. Embrace what God is showing you. Never assume you have it all down or you have total understanding. Come to God with child like faith and a teachable spirit. Be open to receive what He reveals to you.

Are you worried what people may say? That's OK just rely on this.

Don't deny the Word. That Word became flesh!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Milestones to Praise


I read the twitter from Wade Joye a few hours ago: I just saw Liana walk across the entire room! So grateful for how Jesus has answered our prayers.

What an amazing miracle to see that against the odds, against the doctor's reports, this precious child walks! For those of you who don't know you can read the journey here.

As I catch my breath and comprehend how God moved in the lives of Adleigh and Liana, I am excited about the milestones that they will have. With each milestone people who know them or know their story will be drawn to the power of God and God will get the glory!! Imagine, Liana walks, we praise God. They go to school, we remember their story, we praise God. They start to drive, they go to college, they get married, they have families of their own and we all stop and remember what God did.

We all have milestones that should bring glory to God. Every time we do something or don't do something because of what Jesus did in our lives is an opportunity to praise God. Maybe we don't have a visible milestone for the world to see. Maybe its a marriage that God restored and the restoration process wasn't necessarily public. Maybe no one knows or sees who you used to be before you met Christ. That doesn't mean we should forget what God did for us.

As we celebrate and praise God for this amazing miracle of Liana Joye walking 18 steps today, remember that God has done amazing things for you, big and small. Praise Him for what He has done in your life and share it. Let people know the miracle of a changed heart, a changed life, a restored marriage,a healing or peace through loss.

Revelation 12:11 says: They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;

Praise God for your miracle milestones, make sure people can see them and give God all the glory!