If Only There Were Instructions

 If we spend thousands of dollars on an appliance we would be pretty foolish not to read through the instructions on how to use it properly. We would be even more foolish if we read the instructions and then decide to use it however we felt like it. And we would probably be the first person to be calling the manufacturer when the appliance broke from our misuse.  King Solomon was like this.

Solomon had prayed for discernment and Yahweh was pleased that he had. So he gave him a discerning mind which led to wisdom, and then he gave him riches, fame and peace as well. But the covenant also required that Solomon would follow all of Yahweh’s instructions and worship him all his days.

Part of these instructions was not to take many wives and not to take foreign wives who would turn their husband’s away from Yahweh. There were also instructions not to go back to Egypt, not to become too wealthy and not to possess too many horses. Yet the first thing Solomon did was make an alliance with Egypt by marrying Pharaoh's daughter. He also entered into a horse trade which built up his personal wealth. Obviously the big problem was the many many foreign women he married who turned his heart away from Yahweh. If only someone had warned him. Oh, wait! Someone had.

That’s the problem most of us have. We have been given instruction on how to do relationship in the way that pleases Father’s heart. It is clear and it is doable. When we follow these instructions blessings flow. But we ignore the instructions and end up with broken relationships, and we act surprised, as if we had no access to the Bible and Spirit.

No one is saying that relationships are easy because they aren’t. They involve imperfect people but the instructions already take this into account, dealing with apologies and forgiveness. The Bible puts relationship in the center and everything else revolves around this; our relationship with Yahweh and our relationship with each other. There is nothing saying it doesn’t get messy, only that such value is placed on them that we have been told to do what we can to keep peace in these relationships.

When we don’t follow the instructions things get broken. Thankfully Spirit is the greatest repairman in all of eternity.

What Has Religious Thinking Done To Us?

When it comes right down to it, we are lazy. We are always looking for short cuts, ways to get the best results with minimum effort. It is the reason so many of us are overweight. Why put the effort into a good home made meal when a simple phone call will take care of it. Then we look for the easiest solution to getting rid of our fat, which never works. But we like thinking we are trying when we are actually avoiding the real work of change. We really don't want to change.

This is how we also develop a religious thinking mind.

A relationship with Jesus takes effort, as any honest relationship does. It takes time, study, thinking, conversation, a willingness to be honest, a willingness to confess our wrongs, to change and be changed. It requires passionate worship and a constant bending our knees to the Master's will. It requires a daily understanding that we no longer belong to ourselves but belong fully to the one we want to emulate. That is the hard way but the right way.

Religious thinking tries to take a short cut. Why put in all that effort for relationship when we can make a bunch of rules and follow those. It is easier to conform to set rules of do's and don'ts when everything is neatly presented and we can lean on, never really having to deal with any of the messy stuff that gets swept under the carpet of religion. It's also easier to apply these laws to other people, telling them exactly what they are doing wrong.

But compassion is lost in religious thinking, even though everything that Jesus did for us is rooted in his compassion for us. Rules are rules, regardless. We can see that mindset so often in the gospels as Jesus faced opposition from the most righteous people of his day.

In one example, Jesus was a guest in the home of a Pharisee. It was the Sabbath but a man who needed healing was present. Amazing how that was arranged. Jesus never backed down from doing what was right according to the compassion of Father:

"Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, 'Does the Law allow healing on the Sabbath or not?' But they said nothing. Jesus took hold of the sick man, cured him, and then let him go. He said to them, 'Suppose your child or ox fell into a ditch in the Sabbath day. Wouldn't you immediately pull it out?' But they had no response." (Luke 14:3-6)

Of course not, because what response can the religious give in the face of Jesus' great compassion for those who are victims of the enemy's work. The real question for us is, are we willing to see where we have allowed the dispassionate religious thinking to cover over the great compassion of our God.

Too many of us have robbed Christianity of the power that was given us through the Holy Spirit; power to destroy the works of the enemy, to put the enemy to flight, to see real change happen under the power and authority of God; the power to see real change in the mind, heart and bodies of people.

The lazy answer is to say that God no longer works like that, even though there is no evidence in the Scriptures to support such a lie. But why get messy by all this business of God's manifestation in this world when we can be satisfied with a tidy religious life. It is easier to be lazy and religious than to be active and alive in the Spirit. Let the world heal itself.

Happy are the servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes. (Luke 12:43)

Living The Old Testament

I would never be one to tell people to ignore the Old Testament of their Bibles but it is important that we no longer live there. It is important to study to discover Father's heart throughout the Bible and to understand the root of what got us to where we are now. It is important for us to see Father's plan from beginning to end but we no longer live under the old covenant. People don't seem to understand this as they try to live according to the old.

One simple example is king David. I have seen a lot of teaching on this man and his relationship with Yahweh but some of the most damaging teaching is concerning the application of grace. I have read books concerning David's sin with the adultery with Uriah's wife and the eventual murder of Uriah. Yahweh called David out on this hidden sin but applied grace at David's repentance. It is here that we can find fallacy in application of the lesson.

David was under the old covenant. He was pre-Jesus. The blood of Christ did not cover him and he had not received this incredible forgiveness by grace. He was not part of the new creation. This is what some teachers seem to forget when they use David as an excuse to remove men and women of God from their calling when they fail. They point out that David's leadership went downhill after this forgiveness, his child died and he faced new enemies. He was forgiven but his authority suffered. People apply this to leaders today as an excuse to rob them of their calling.

It is terrible when leaders fall as it affects so many people. There are natural consequences to such sin and much healing needs to be sought but healing is possible through Jesus. It is also true that all sin has been forgiven, past, present and future. This applies to leaders as well. As long as we confess our sins, healing and restoration is available for all. It is a fundamental difference between the new and old. Everyone sins and through the blood of Jesus everyone is forgiven and restored. We do not live under the constant threat of judgement.

I have yet to meet a perfect Christian so why would we be surprised when leaders fail? The only true failure is the failure to seek restoration through repentance. What hypocrites we are to seek restoration for ourselves but to deny it for our leaders. We are only forcing a make-believe false reality when we try to apply things like perfection on clay vessels.

Yes, our God is a God of justice. However, he has made it clear that he desires restoration over justice. This is the fantastic news Jesus brought to us. When we read about Church correction we need to see that the whole purpose is restoration not punishment. Rejection only comes with a lack of repentance which is true of our relationship with Yahweh.

We need to lose the Old Testament mentality toward judgement and apply the forgiveness, mercy and grace we have received under Jesus. We need to allow the Spirit to convict and restore according to the heart of the Father. We need to tear down such walls and allow people to confess in the freedom of grace and forgiveness, creating churches of healing and transformation by the power of the blood of Christ.

The Word As The Word Is Enough

I can't deny it as I look in the mirror: I have a lot of experience under my belt. I am not saying I am old but I am more old than I am young these days. I find myself now asking the Lord for a lot of grace when I hear people, just starting out in life, so strongly expressing their opinions on things they have barely experienced. But neither is experience all that it is cracked up to be.

Experience really depends on what you do with it. You can experience the same mistake a hundred times but if you are not willing to be honest about it you will never gain anything from the experience. Life is always about learning and growing. Often the learning comes through "breaking" and "melting" moments of our lives but there has to be a vulnerability, a willingness to be broken. But beyond broken, there must also be a willingness to be healed.

There are far too many broken people in the world. There seems to be even more in the Church. Brokenness can be a very good thing as long as we understand that the purpose is to move out of it with greater wisdom than we went into it with. The problem is that many people prefer to remain broken when Jesus wills us to be healed and made whole.

For those who do seek healing in their brokenness, it is my experience, the Word of God is essential for comfort, understanding, healing and growth. We don't need anything outside of the Word as it is sufficient in itself. Many stay in their brokenness because they seek comfort in the wisdom of this world or they try to add on to God's Word, but God's Word is fantastic as it is, all on it's own:

Every word of God is pure;
He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
Do not add to His words,
Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. (Proverbs 30:5-6)

Yes, it has been my experience that there have been days I have looked in the mirror and seen what a liar I was. All of us have tried to leverage God's Word to our advantage but Jesus will never allow us to remain in such a state. He will rebuke us, correct us and bring us to the truth of the matter. It is for our benefit. I hope we are able to be honest with ourselves and Jesus in those moments.

There is a lot of unhealed brokenness and a lot of liars-to-self walking around in the Body of Christ. The best way to ensure that we are not in this number is to allow the Word of God to be the authority of Yahweh in our lives. Allow it to not only break us but to bring healing as well. Allow it to reveal the hidden things, to convict, correct, encourage, comfort and grow us. The Word of God is the tool of the Holy Spirit as we are shaped and molded into the character of Jesus. So allow it to happen without adding to it. The Word as the Word is enough.

Don't Walk Away From The Healing

Everything comes by obedience. First comes love and from love springs obedience, and through the door of obedience flows all of Yahweh's intended blessings.We are predestined for blessings, as in Yahweh has desired us to possess his many blessings. But blessings only flow in a relationship of love, manifested in our obedience. An example.

A man came to Elisha for healing. He had leprosy and his king was willing to pay whatever needed to be paid to have him healed. The instructions he received were simple:

“Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10)

But we don't like simple. We like to feel like we are doing something, earning it. The man was upset and about to walk away without the healing. Such a simple thing to do but he would rather go without. Thankfully his servant convinced him to follow the instructions and he received the blessing of healing.

We are not unlike that man. Often we choose to walk around with burdens, sorrows, worries and fears, ignoring the instruction for healing because it is too simple. Healing is available for those who choose to follow the instructions. Our lives would be simple and joyful if we would just follow the instructions in a relationship of love and obedience. Don't walk away from the healing.



 

The Devolution Of Compassionate Ministry

In ministry we put a lot of emphasis on people's comfort. We pour millions of dollars into housing, clothing and the feeding of people. We do this because Jesus told us to do it. But we seem to put more emphasis on this than we do on the ministry of greater importance. In fact, we even put a greater emphasis on the healing ministry than we do on the more important ministry.

Jesus came to preach the Good News. That is what he desired to do and he spent a lot of time doing it. Mark records one morning in the life of Jesus that most of us seem to overlook. Jesus had spent the evening before healing people. Here he is God, walking around in the filthy result of sin, which is disease and deformity. They exist because of a fallen creation where everything is twisted and warped from the original by man's sin nature. How could Jesus not be moved by compassion and it is from compassion that he responded with healing. But it was not why he came.

Mark says that Jesus got up early that morning and went off to pray in a solitary place. Peter and the others tracked him down because the crowd had begun to form again. They told Jesus that everyone was looking for him. Who could blame them. Here was a man who could deliver them from their misery. But Jesus did not want to be side tracked from his original mission:

“Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.” (Mark 1:38)

Jesus makes a clear distinction here between his purpose and his ministry of compassion. So we read:

And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. (v. 39)

Why the casting out of demons? This went hand in hand with preaching the good news. How could anyone receive the good news if he was oppressed or possessed by demons. Jesus wanted people free to make a decision based on what he was telling them. If it was a real danger for Jesus to be side tracked by compassion, how much more so for us?

If we look at the history of the compassionate ministries around the world we will see at the roots of their beginnings a real desire to assist people out of the love of Jesus with a longing to see them discover the truth of Jesus. But over time these "charities" and churches became side tracked by their compassion and what started out as faith and love for God devolved into a humanitarian organization with the real solution for mankind's suffering being lost.

It is true that Jesus healed and served out of compassion but he never lost sight of or became side tracked from his true purpose. Jesus came so that whoever believes in him will be saved. He cast out demons so they would be free to believe. This must always remain the center mission of everything we do, even when we respond to human suffering with the compassion of Jesus Christ. If not, we are not being of any help to anyone. What matters is not the comfort of people in this place as much as their eternal destination. Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.

We Possess The Answer To The Brokenness

Let's strip it all down. Let's get rid of the stuff that is distracting us. Let's bring it back to what is the fundamentals about the Kingdom. Ready? Love Yahweh with everything you have to love him. Love him enough to obey him. Love him enough to want to tell everyone about him. Love him enough to love everyone he loves, who is everyone. Love him enough to spend your life bringing people to the Son. Simple. But how do you do it when you are dysfunctional?

Yah, that's right, we are all dysfunctional. There's a group of people who celebrate their dysfunction and others who try to ignore it and others who try to hide it but the fact is we are all damaged goods. Sin has damaged us. But Jesus is all about healing damaged goods. Then he uses those recovering people to reach out to others who need the same healing because we all need it. It doesn't matter how strange you are or how you see yourself or the world, it only matters how Father sees it and he sees you healed in it. So how do those who are recovering from brokenness possibly find the ability to be used by such an incredible Father?

Ask!

It isn't about you or your intelligence or your talents. It's about Jesus. It's about the Spirit. Jesus does the Father's will through you by the Holy Spirit. He has empowered you, beyond any ability you have, to be who he needs you to be. We make it all about us but Jesus makes it all about the people who need him. You may say, "I need him". Listen carefully: You already have him. Give it up. Stop being selfish. Start seeing what Jesus sees and what he sees is a whole bunch of broken people who need to hear what you know and what has healed you. They need healing and Jesus wants to do it through you. How?

By The Spirit!

Once again it comes down to you asking. Do you want to be used by Jesus? Do you want to fulfill your destiny? Then let the resurrection power flow through you by the Holy Spirit. If you have not allowed the Spirit to have full authority through you, if you have not experienced this power, then ask:

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13)

You see, the Holy Spirit is the best thing Jesus has given to us since the cross and empty grave. He has given us the power, the ability, his presence to live his glory in the world so that people would see and believe. People are asking for proof because we haven't been living our destiny, because we are not the people he has intended us to be, giants of healing in a land of brokenness. If he didn't want us to have it he wouldn't have told us to ask for it. So why aren't we asking?

We aren't asking because we are prejudiced in our thinking, understanding, and expectations. We are comfortable in our ignorance and selfishness. Nuts! That's what I have to say, nuts to that. We have a world dying from it's brokenness and we are sitting comfortably in our selfishness with the healing for that brokenness. Shame on us. Shame!

Concerning Spiritual Foundations

I have been seeking greater understanding of spiritual foundations lately, at the same time as being overwhelmed by Jesus' explanation of love in Luke 6. As much as I appreciate the poetic description of 1 Corinthians 13, it is Jesus' words that have stopped me in my tracks.

Today I was pondering the end of Luke 6, where Jesus was giving the parable of the builder who built his house on the sand as compared to the builder who built his house on solid rock. Obviously the one built on the rock withstood the storms. Foundational matters, right? Have you noticed what Jesus said to launch into this parable?

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things I say?" (Luke 6:46)

The solid foundation is not just the teachings of Jesus; it is obedience to what he taught. The foundation of our life is not the Bible, it is living the Word by the power of Jesus Christ in us. Jesus said:

"Whoever comes to me, and hears my sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like ..."

And then he launches into the parable. But notice in the parable that the wise builder did not take the easy way out. He dug through the sand, dirt and gravel until he found the solid rock. Once he unearthed the rock he began to build his house. Once built, nothing could destroy that house, even though many things came against it, but on that solid rock it stood.

Then Jesus said the foolish builder represents those who hear but do nothing about it. This is the lazy builder who couldn't bother to dig to find the solid rock. He just built it on where he was, right on the sand, dirt and gravel. How many of us are too lazy to dig in the Word for understanding and application? The many things that came against it easily moved the weak foundation and brought the house down.

Sounds like a simple Sunday School lesson but the truth of the matter escapes us every day. "But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things I say?"

I may struggle with the vulnerability of the love commanded in Luke 6, but I am digging through all the useless foundational material to find that solid rock. With the power of Jesus I am determined to make sure my foundation of obedience is right. Even though this love requires me to be open to rejection, slander, misunderstanding, hurt after hurt, I want to do it right according to what Jesus has taught. I trust him to heal those hurts but I want to be vulnerable in love. We must be vulnerable in order to love as Jesus loved; we must be willing to be wronged, to be hated, to be killed without a demand for justice. Obedience to this is a foundational matter; THE foundational matter. It is from this that everything else gets built and it is upon such solidness that everything else is able to stand the storms without being destroyed.

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things I say?"

Why Are We Such Hypocrites?

So many of us Christians fall for the lie that we are powerless in this world. Certainly we can pray to God but he doesn't always answer, right? It still leaves us in a place of powerlessness. Have you ever thought that the reason it doesn't appear like God is answering is because he already gave us the authority to do something about it?

What do you know about the Holy Spirit? Most of us know some fundamental stuff but few of us understand that Jesus did what he did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Few of us comprehend that the apostles only did what they did through the power of the Holy Spirit, given to them and the whole Church by Jesus. And what do you think is the greatest power Jesus gave to us?

The authority to forgive sins.

If you realize you have the power to forgive sins then you will realize the power to heal the sick, calm the storms, see into people's thoughts, raise the dead and whatever it is that God would have you do on your mission for him.

We read in Luke 5 about a bunch of men who have faith that Jesus could heal their friend. They were so determined that they ended up making a hole in Peter's roof and lower the man in front of Jesus. What was the first thing that Jesus did? He forgave the man his sins. And what was the reaction of the religious community? Blasphemy! they said. Only God can forgive sins! they said. Here is Jesus' reply:

“Why are you thinking that? Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? But now you will see that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” Jesus then said to the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk home.” (Luke 5:22-24)

Of course the man did exactly that and everyone was shocked. But which had the greater impact on eternity, the forgiveness or the healing? When Jesus had given the disciples the authority to drive out demons they returned all excited. But Jesus told them not to be excited about that authority, instead be excited over their own salvation.

That's fine, you say, Jesus is God and God forgives sins. But Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit so we can operate in his authority. Look at John 20:

After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.” (vv. 21-23)

Before you consider the option of not forgiving you had better consider the entire instruction of Jesus. In Matthew 6 Jesus instructed:

If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (vv. 14-15)

A sobering thought about our responsibility and the authority we have been given with the receiving of the Spirit. But let us not forget what else Jesus did for that man who he commanded to pick up his mat and walk home.

What kind of authority do you think has been given to you? If you have the authority to forgive sins and those sins are no longer held against that person by God, would you not think you also have the authority for the less important physical matters as well? You sure do! Why doesn't the world believe in Jesus? Because the Father's children have an identity crisis. These are the words of Jesus:

Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things that I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father. Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father. I will do whatever you ask me to do. (John 14:11-14)

In this day and age of zombies, vampire lovers, mystics, meditation, ghosts, card reading, and magic, why do we who are believers struggle with the Holy Spirit and the authority we have been given? When the world can chase after fantasy and believe, why do we struggle with our spiritual reality? It is crazy dumb and the biggest critics of the Holy Spirit are found within the Church. We are willing to take all the lovie dovie stuff, the good feelings, the crutch stuff, but we aren't willing to walk in the power and authority of Jesus Christ. We would rather hold on to our depression, illness, incurable diseases than to take Jesus at his word. I hear constantly that God uses all kinds of ways to heal but yet in the Word of God I only find one.

We are a bunch of hypocrites and no one is being saved from the pit of hell because of it. We claim to be a people of faith but what do we have faith in? We certainly don't take Jesus at his word. We would rather find all the loop holes and excuses to explain our lack of faith. No wonder Jesus questioned whether he would find faith on the earth on his return.

I have tasted of this authority and it has scared me. I would rather serve in my own skin, in my own ability, where I am comfortable. But that is not what Jesus called me to. Those are not the instructions he has given. So I repent of my selfishness and seek the full measure of the Holy Spirit, that I will operate in the authority of Jesus Christ in what ever God gives me to do in that given moment. I am a preacher and a teacher of God's Word but I must be more. I must be a doer and I have been given the Holy Spirit to enable me to be exactly that, a doer of God's Word.

What Went Wrong On December 14?

How can anyone make any sense out of what happen in that elementary school? It doesn't make sense. It never makes sense when someone decides to take the life of another person. It just becomes that much more horrifying when they take the life of a child. If you feel sick to your stomach over this; if you are disturbed to the core of your being; if you are both scared and angry; if you are frustrated over the hopelessness of preventing another one from happening, good. We need to be.

However, we are stupid. In fact, we are idiots.

We actually believe that we can enjoy the kind of entertainment that we do and there will be no effect on us. Sure, this is an extreme manifestation of the changes that we are seeing in our pattern of thinking. It is one of many extreme manifestations but there is an ongoing change in the way we are shaping our pattern of thinking, our perception of right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and not acceptable, and we are feeding it to our children all the time.

We are horrified when a girl gets raped but have you heard the music we are producing? Have you listened to the lyrics of the most popular songs that are playing twenty times a day on the radio? Sexually charged ideas and suggestions, fanciful notions that ignite the imagination and desires of you men and women, of our children? We can't subject our minds and hearts to such things and expect to stay the same.

Our children make-believe war every day. They play at killing people. They pick up weapons of every variety and they make war against each other. This is the entertainment we place in their hands and then we fail to understand why they change so much, why they aren't our little Bobby any more. We are stupid idiots. We are too ignorant to be parents. We are afraid to make tough decisions and stick by it.

However, all of this pales in the face of the underlying problem. The restraints that we had in place in our society are giving way to our human nature. Our nature is not a good thing. It was corrupted a long time ago. We were created to be friends with God but we turned our back on him to choose our own path, a path of independence. Our nature is a rebellious one and it is naturally drawn to the dark. Well, that darkness is increasing and no amount of humanity is going to help because humanity is the problem.

Without our friendship with God the darkness will only increase. Jesus made it possible for us to return to that friendship. He made it possible for us to be rescued from the darkness. He made it possible for us to be set free from our bondage to our human nature, the sin nature with which we are born. He is the answer to every single social problem we are having in the world. He is the answer to rape and gun violence. He is the answer to the demons that torment us. He is the answer to our longing for peace and joy. He makes sense of even the messes we have made.

The fact is, when we are possessed by the love of Jesus it is impossible for us to hate anyone; even those who hate us. The love of Jesus would never allow us to willingly bring harm to anyone. If the love of Jesus had possessed the heart of that sick heart in that elementary school we would not be mourning the lose of so many lives today. My heart is broken for the parents, brothers and sisters who now have to carry the burden of such a lose. I know even there Jesus will bring healing but I hate the fact that he has to bring such healing. Yet, my heart breaks even more for a society that is bent on this kind of self-destruction. We really are stupid. The only answer to such stupidity is Jesus.

Why Doesn't God Heal Everyone?

I get a lot of people asking me why God doesn't heal everyone and my answer is not always accepted. It is not a matter of God not wanting to heal everyone, because he does, the problem is we don't think he wants to heal everyone. As crazy as it sounds there is a great lack of faith and understanding in this area. But I do want to clarify my point concerning this matter because such a stand can alienate a number of people who have a great deal of faith in other matters of living.

First of all, our physical condition is not God's primary concern. Ouch. Our Father's first priority is to prepare us for eternity because, face it, eternity is much longer than the few short years we have here. He is more concerned about our heart condition, the shape of our soul, the relationship we have with Jesus. When Jesus stepped into the public light and became anointed with the Spirit, his priority was not healing but the casting out of demons and the preaching of the Good News. When his twelve disciples came back from an outing he sent them on, and they were all excited because they had healed people and cast out demons, Jesus told them to be more excited about their names being written in the Lamb's Book Of Life. When the paralyzed man was lowered down through the roof to get to Jesus, Jesus' first reaction was not to heal him but to forgive his sins. Healing came after.

Yet, Jesus could not walk through the cesspool of humanity without being moved by man's condition, both spiritually and physically. He taught to open our eyes, but he healed out of simple compassion. God loves us. He cares deeply about us. His priority for us is eternity but he is stilled moved by the condition we live in, the diseases that attack us. So Jesus equipped his people to continue to act in compassion, to do what he did, to reach out in love, to bring relief to a suffering humanity. Look at his compassion. It is everywhere you read in the gospels, it became a big part of what Jesus did.

So why doesn't God heal everyone? people ask. In compassion I believe God is willing to heal everyone, but not everyone is willing to accept it. Believe it or not, it is possible to refuse things from God. It is possible to say no to God. We can do it without even realizing we are doing it. We do it with the simplest thought of doubt. If we can refuse the greater blessing of salvation then it is a simple matter of turning away the blessing of healing. Just as it requires faith to accept Jesus and receive salvation, it requires faith to be healed. The thing is, I don't think the probably is needing to be convinced God heals but instead that God loves us.

Most people miss out on the many blessings of God because they are not convinced that these blessings are meant for them. They feel, knowingly or unknowingly, that there is something about them that disqualifies them from God's love. They believe God loves everyone else but not them; that they are not deserving of that love. Ha! The cold hard fact is that none of us are deserving of his love, but that hasn't stopped him from loving every single person on the planet, regardless of their actions. He loves us and Jesus dying in our place is proof of that, but until we are absolutely convinced of this love, and understand the completeness of this love; I mean the absolute completeness of it; we will continue to refuse certain blessings God wants us to have.

His priority is eternity for us but if he has given us his very best, does it not make sense that he will not refuse us any good thing? God is not roaming around to see who he can heal because he is occupied with our eternity. Jesus did not walk around looking for people to heal, but when he was asked to heal he said he was willing and acted upon his compassion. If we ask, knowing that he is willing, then we will see him act in compassion. I am not saying people lack faith necessarily but it is more a lack of understanding of God's compassion and his willingness. He has even empowered us to be vessels of healing. We need to discover more about his heart by descending deeper into his love.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:16-21)

Concerning The Ministry Of Healing

The enemy has been very successful in deceiving us when it comes to the matter of God's healing. We are prepared to accept salvation for our soul but we are not prepared for the simple matter of God healing our body. We allow the enemy to convince us that God is somehow glorified in the disease of his saints. God has glorified himself in the salvation of the sinner and he does the same thing with the healing of disease. It is amazing how many Christians rise up against this message when it is brought forward. Yet Paul writes:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

So many people are willing to come up with all kinds of scripture to support their stand against God's desire to heal the body but few are willing to seek the scripture that supports this teaching. What a terrible negative bunch we are, trying to come up with excuses to support our lack of faith. Lots of scripture is flooding to my mind right now but I am going to keep this short and limit the amount of scripture I use to make one small point about the healing authority Jesus has given to us. Let's begin with Romans 5.

People use this verse to point out God's desire to use our suffering for our benefit:

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

Sounds great and the enemy has used this to keep us blind to the truth. Because we are so weak in our faith and our responsibilities in this world, those of us in North America have no idea what it is to suffer for the Name. So we substitute this suffering for disease and financial problems. Disease is a fact of life in this world and so is financial problems due to our own fault or someone else`s. But this is not the suffering Paul is referring to here that God uses to build us up. Look over at Romans 8 now.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

So again Paul brings up the idea of suffering. Now listen to what is considered suffering for our faith:

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? (Romans 8:34-35)

Do you see it? There is nothing about disease here. Paul is speaking of suffering for our faith, when we actually get outside of our comfortable churches and "do" the Word of God, when we actually live by our faith. Opposition comes and we must persevere and in that perseverance he builds our character and such character houses the hope in us that is Jesus Christ.

Come on now, if Jesus told us that we can speak to a mountain and see it leap into the sea, don't you think that disease is an easier thing to deal with? Do you think he gave us authority over only a few demons and maybe a couple of diseases? Jesus gave us the authority to do all things through him. For man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.

The difficult thing is to have faith to receive. Without faith we cannot receive. Jesus did not heal every illness in the land but he did heal everyone who came and asked. We do not have because we do not ask. We have no expectations so there are no results. We have to change our mind, have it renewed so we are no longer living by the patterns of this world. To God be the glory.