Healing.

I've spent this morning studying what the Word says about healing. Let me just say that I don't understand how believers can actually say that they don't believe that God still heals. This post is just a compilation of the things that Scripture teaches us about healing. Of course, these are not all of the passages on healing; there are many more.

The first Scripture that always comes to mind when I think about healing is Isaiah 53:5 - "by His stripes we are healed." We know that His blood covers our transgressions, sins, and iniquities, but the 39 lashes He bore on His back were for our healing! They say that 40 lashes would be the point where most people died because they could no longer bear the pain. So, Jesus bore pain so great to the point right before death, but He didn't die then...the work had not yet been completed. Think about that. What love! 1 Peter 2:24 affirms this by saying, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live in righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

The Scripture that I couldn't get away from this morning was James 5:14-16 which says, "Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." There is so much here. I am confident that it is by our lack of faith that we do not see more healing take place. The prayer that is backed by faith is what will bring healing. When this restoration takes place, the previously sick one will also be forgiven of sins. The last part is a common Scripture that we often quote: "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." I can't get away from the fact that it is the righteous one who will see prayers answered. So, how does one become righteous? By confessing their sin.....repenting! When we do this, we are cleansed from our unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) and are therefore considered righteous men who can pray and accomplish much! Isn't that awesome?!

James 1:6-7 says, "But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." I often pray that the Lord will remove all doubt from my mind and replace it with an increase of faith. I don't want to be like this wave in the ocean that is completely unstable. It's like the man who built his house on the sand (Matthew 7.) I believe James is telling us to check ourselves when we ask the Lord for things. I don't want to ask for anything without having faith! Whenever there is any doubt involved, we can't expect that the Lord will answer our prayers. That's what these verses are telling us! So, when it comes to healing, may we never doubt our prayers to God. Let us always ask in complete faith! "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17.) I believe that these words of Christ that we study on healing can only increase our faith. I like the King James Version of 2 Timothy 2:15 which says, "Study to show thyself approve unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." When we study Scripture, we are hearing the Word, which thus produces faith. 

Another aspect about healing in Scripture is that in the Gospels, Jesus and His disciples commanded healing. They had authority over the sickness to call healing out. Romans 4:17 shows us that God speaks things as though they were...so, are we to do the same? Yes. In Mark 11:22-24, Jesus is saying that anyone can speak to mountains and they will move if he "does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." Jesus gave His disciples "power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases" (Luke 9:1.) Now, if you say, "Oh, that was just for his 12 disciples, not for us," I would have to disagree. Look at the Great Commission. Jesus told his disciples to go out and "make disciples" and to teach "them to observe all that I commanded you..." You can't tell me that this was only for people at that time. We still have sick people today. And we still have authority to pray and declare healing.

(June 5, 2012)

Blessed.

Psalm 145:13b-19

"[The Lord is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.] The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them."

God truly is so faithful! I cannot believe how good He has been to me. He has blessed me with so many things. The fact that I have been privileged to be at Lee is a HUGE blessing. A Holocaust survivor spoke in chapel today and he kept telling us to stay in school and to pursue an education because so many people do not have this opportunity like we do. We so often take our ability to go to college-- specifically, a Christian college-- for granted. When you really think about it, we are extremely blessed to be here. Gosh, we are free to talk about and study the Word every single day! There are people all over the world who give their lives in order to read even one page of the Bible!

I was walking to work one day this week and had a major epiphany about my job. God has been so good to me! I have the best job on campus. I never take time to really think about it and thank Him, but I did this week. It's challenging to truly consider the amount of blessings we have in our lives.

And now, I have been given the opportunity to move to the Philippines to become a teacher in a school for missionary kids! How crazy is that?!? It has been a stressful week of praying and figuring out what God wanted me to do. I was so overcome by my fear, that I didn't even realize what was placed before me. So many people graduate from Lee and never end up doing what they study to do. I have been given an open door to go out onto the mission field immediately after graduating with a degree in missiology! I have nothing tying me down. Sometimes I look at how people's lives seem to be so together. Friends are getting married, having babies, and starting their lives as adults-- and here I am. I feel like I have finally realized that this is not a bad thing at all. I have the freedom to get up and move to another country. The only one I had to consult was God (and a few people I look up to for advice.)

Anyways, I just had to brag on my God. He is good. Not just to me...but to all of us! We just need to consider all of the things in our lives and really take into account how blessed we truly are.

You Hem Me In. (139)

vs 3: "You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways."

 It's interesting because the word search can also mean "scrutinize." He investigates, scatters, disperses, etc.  He is completely in control of our paths. He will lead us, but He also gives us the freewill to decide whether or not we will follow Him. He also knows when we withdraw from company and ponder on the things in our day. He knows every thought, action, and desire that we have. He knows what we will do before, during, and after we have done it...even when we forget.

vs 4: "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether."

He knows every single thing that comes out of our mouths-- good and bad-- and He knows the motives behind them. Specifically, we we have to make a decision, He knows exactly what we are to speak. Even before it precedes out of our mouths, He knows our thoughts (vs 2.)

vs 5: "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me."

Hem = enclose: meaning, He secures, binds, shuts up. (1) He binds us to Himself, and He gives us brothers and sisters in Christ that He also binds us to. (2) When there are broken places in us, He will come and heal those places. He will make us whole and secure once again. (3) It also brings assurance that He is our maker. He has sewn us together piece-by-piece. We are His handiwork.

He closes us in from behind--signifying the fact that He has protected us from the back. We are unable to see when we are being attacked from behind, but He does not make us vulnerable to the enemy who attacks. He also closes us in before-- He secures the path before us. He does not make it a crazy game, but gives us security and steadiness.

He lays His hand on us-- Commentator, Matthew Henry, suggests that this could indicate the work of a physician, who checks our vital signs. He knows us and knows where we are spiritually. He cares about where we are. The laying on of hands in Scripture often precedes and anointing, commissioning, or healing.

vs 6: "Such knowledge is to wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it."

All of this goes beyond our understanding. He is so great and so merciful to us that our minds cannot fully comprehend it. We are unable to fully understand all that God does.

You Know Me. (139)

I feel like the Lord wants me to study Psalm 139. Even though I know it well, I believe the Lord wants to teach me-- and maybe some of you-- some of the truths found in this passage. I've decided to break it up and look at each verse very carefully.

vs 1: "O Lord, you have searched me and known me!" 

The fact that David says that God searched him indicates that time has been spent in getting to know David. When we search for something, that means we look in every little area in order to find it. It is looking for something specific, having confidence that it will turn up. This makes me think that when God looks at us, He looks at every part with the intention of finding something specific...that thing He has instilled in us. Purpose, calling, identity, confidence. It could be anything. But God knows that it is in us, even when we doubt it. Not only does He look us over, searching our entire being, He also knows us. This Hebrew word is "Yada," which is the term used when Scripture says that "Adam knew Eve." While it implies sexual union, it goes beyond that. It indicates an intimacy, and deep knowledge of one another. Something that cannot be shared with those outside of the union. So, when David says that God knew Him, he meant that there was a special connection between the two. God knew David so intimately and deeply that the human mind cannot comprehend. 

vs 2a: "You know when I sit down and when I rise up" 

Looking at the Hebrew meaning for "sit down," I found that it means "inhabited" or that there is no one dwelling there. What if that meant that the Spirit was not actively dwelling? Just a thought. Also, we can understand that it would suggest that one is remaining in the same place. So, when we remain stagnant and are unmoving, God still knows us. He even knows us when we are cold and dormant inside. Thinking of sports (weird for me), when a player sits out, he is unmoving and is not active in the game. Not a good place to be. When we "rise up"-- this means that we are "established, confirmed, fulfilled." Think of a goalie (I know, I know...sports for the second time!) He has to keep his feet firm on the ground, so he can be ready when the ball comes toward him. Yes, he'll have to jump or run to catch it, but he he feet remain firm on the ground as he prepares for what will come at him. In both times-- a stagnant state and an established state-- He knows us. 

vs 2b: "You discern my thoughts from afar." 

God has discernment, understanding, and insight into ALL of our thoughts-- the good and the bad. Yet, He still chooses YADA. He still wants to know us. The Hebrew also suggests that this discernment implies attentiveness, which shows us that He is constantly ready to act on our behalf when we need Him. At even just one thought, He is 'listening.' It's hard to believe that He could care enough to give us even the smallest of His thoughts, but He chooses to acknowledge our thoughts.

Creation and Renewal.

As I was driving back up to Cleveland from church tonight, I spent time praying and worshiping. Psalm 51 kept going through my mind. I believe this is a prayer that we all need to pray at times. Not only does God create-- He created the formless earth and made it sprout with life, but He also renews and gives new life to things that have become formless once again. When He breathes His life, growth occurs.

Create in me a clean heart: Lord, purify my heart and make it clean. Let my intentions be pure. Transplant my heart of stone for one of flesh. Give me Your heart. Let me love like you love.

Renew a right spirit within me: Give me a refreshing of Your Spirit. Let the old ways and old things pass, so that new things may come. Till up the hard ground in my heart so I can receive deposits from You.  Holy Spirit, rain down on me so that new life may sprout up. Let the light of Your face shine on me so that new things can come. Nothing will grow properly unless You are in the midst. Renew what has been dead or dry. I want to be refreshed. I want to be in right standing with you.

Cast me not away from Your presence: Don't let my foolishness bring about a breech between us. In Your presence there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16.) I want to maintain the joy of my salvation. I don't want to get so bogged down with life that I neglect to seek Your face and spend time with you.

Take not your Holy Spirit from me: Don't remove the anointing from my life. I want to maintain the power that comes with your Spirit. The sealant of my life, assuring me of my salvation. I can't stand the thought of having a distance between us. I am desperate for the work of Your Spirit in my life. Refresh, anoint, empower, and lead me in all things.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation: Let me not forget the joy that comes with the newness in a relationship. I want to remain excited about Your work in my life. Don't let me forget what You have saved and protected me from.


Change my heart, oh God
Make it ever new
Change my heart, oh God
May I be like you

You are the Potter
I am the clay
Mold me and make me
This is what I pray

Established.

Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me..."
Psalm 57:2 "I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me."
Psalm 37:23 "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way."
Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
Proverbs 16:9 "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." 


The Lord has a plan.
And it will happen.
If WE commit ourselves to HIS will.


If we try to plan out our life according to the way we think it should happen, we aren't surrendering ourselves fully to God. I strongly believe that God has instilled dreams in each of us. He places things on our hearts that He wants us to do. The problem is that we oftentimes twist those dreams and make up our own plan with how we want our lives to turn out. It is not wrong to dream and make plans. In fact, God created us to be dreamers. He wants us to dream. But He wants us to dream in such a way that is in alignment with what He has purposed.

Proverbs 16:9

a.) "The heart of man plans his way"-- In our hearts, we plan out our lives. Plan (chashab) in Hebrew means:  invent, devise, make a judgement, imagine, count. Replace the word plan with any of these words. It's kind of crazy how it sounds. "The heart of man invents his own way"/"The heart of man devises his own way"/"The heart of man imagines his own way." The word we use (plan) sounds a whole lot less intense. To say that my heart invents its own way alludes to the fact that it makes up a different path than what God has for me. It almost sounds rebellious...like I can do life on my own. False. 


b.) "but the Lord establishes his steps."-- Establish (kuwn) could also mean: direct, accomplish, fix, to be firm, to be stable, to set up, to be secure, to be enduring, to prepare. This sounds much more stable than to imagine or invent a plan. "The Lord makes his steps to endure"/"the Lord prepares his steps." Meaning, God will stabilize our steps and will lead us down the path that He chooses for us. 


When we stop trying to invent our own way and we allow God establish His way, the path before us will be one of security and endurance. 


Talking about paths and steps makes me think about the narrow road that Jesus told us to walk on. Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it." 


If we go down the path that we choose for ourselves, it is as if we are making a choice to go down the wide path. When we follow the Lord and allow Him to lead us, we will be walking down the narrow path that leads to life. 

Sin, Transgression, Iniquity

Scripture: Psalm 51

Words: Sin, Transgression, Iniquity

Some people think that these three words are interchangeable and have the same definition when they are actually quite different. They are pretty much the three levels of sin against God. I've known this for some time, but have never taken the time to do a word study on the three until tonight. 

SIN חָטָא (chata'): 

to miss the mark, goal, or path of right; to forfeit; to incur guilt or penalty; to lose oneself; wander from the way; stumble. [Example: An archer missing the mark]

TRANSGRESSION פָּשַׁע (pasha'): 

to rebel, revolt; fall away, break away; break a covenant; turn away from God. 

INIQUITY עָוָה ('avah):

 to bend, twist, distort; to writhe; to be perverted, distorted; to make crooked; to be bowed, to be depressed. 

In my Pastoral Counseling class, we learned the four "building blocks of falleness": 

1. Adamic Sin: or 'original sin'

2. Rebellion: when we know something is wrong, but we choose to do it anyways

3. Bondage: when we begin to desire things of the flesh rather than what pleases God; start losing our control over our life; there is still some level of remorse

4. Stronghold: when someone chooses to live a life completely consumed in darkness; there no longer any remorse

I see a great resemblance in Dr. Effler's model and the three Hebrew words for sin. There are levels of sin. If we do not control our sin, we will get to a place where we are completely consumed by it. It is a stronghold that has bound us to the point of not caring anymore. This represents iniquity. Something so perverted and twisted that comes from the enemy. The scariest thing is that, if we let even the first stage of original sin grow, it can eventually turn into a stronghold or iniquity. We must all be careful. I think sometimes we think, "oh, I can handle it. I will never give into sin like so-and-so." I've definitely thought this. I am completely confident that I will never give into certain sinful things. Even though this is true, it does not negate the reality that sin can lead us to "a place we never want to be" (Effler.) We have to always be watchful of where our sin (even the smallest sin) takes us. Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (ESV.) We can't let pride get in our way. We must constantly humble ourselves and remember that we have a fallen nature and are always subject to falling. 

Expecting.

Psalm 130:5-6 "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning." 

WAIT קָוָה (qavah)

to look eagerly for, hope, expect, linger; to collect, bind, gather together

Ok, so to wait implies some amount of expectancy. This word makes me think of a woman who is pregnant or "expecting" her child to come. She eagerly awaits the arrival of her baby. Yesterday I was getting my teeth cleaned and Laura, my hygienist, started talking about being pregnant with her two sons. She said, "you come to a time where you get tired of being pregnant and you are just ready for the baby to come." I've never experienced this myself, but people tell me that being pregnant is a wonderful experience that is like nothing else. Expecting mothers are given a responsibility to provide for the needs of this developing baby. If they do not eat or take care of themselves, the baby will not grow properly and will be put in danger. Also, they need the help of doctors, family, and friends who give advice and help when needed.  The mother cannot literally see the baby, but she knows it is there. She feels and sees the changes in her body. 

This analogy is fully loaded with insight into the idea of waiting on the Lord and trusting in His word. While waiting on God is often difficult and seems to take forever, there is growth that takes place inside of us. I have oftentimes found myself feeling the same way that Laura did about her pregnancy. In seasons of waiting, I get to the point where I just want it to happen! I'm ready for the promise to come. This is a natural thing for us to desire, but the truth is that we can't rush the timing of the Lord. The promise will come only when HE sees fit. If we push to receive the promise in our own time, it will be underdeveloped and there will be many complications. 

Just as an expectant mother has responsibilities to care for her unborn child, we also have to nurture the promise that God has given to us. If I am waiting for questions, promises, or dreams to be answered and fulfilled, I must give myself spiritual nourishment and care. We cannot neglect to feed ourselves with the Word of God- to drink from the Living Water by spending time with the Lord- and to seek out others who can help us in our walk. These are essential if we want our promise to grow and develop. 

One more thing....

Even if though we cannot always see the effects at the time, we know the promise is there. We may not always feel it, but when we do, there can be no mistaking it. We cannot see it all at the beginning, but as the promise grows, we begin to see the effects. We have to take advantage of the time God has given us in this season of waiting. It could take 9 months...or it could take 9 years for the fulfillment to come. No matter how long, we must expect it as if we are watchmen waiting for morning to come. Don't give up on the promise. Expect it! 

I AM with you.

Isaiah 41:10 

"Fear not for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." 

On Friday, this was the Scripture that was on my mind and heart. It seems that everything I have been  looking forward to recently in my life is just not happening as I planned. "I Love Your Presence" by Bethel says, "Let go of your heart, let go of your head, and feel Him now." To me, that means: "Forget about your heart being broken. Forget about what logically seems to be chaos. Rest in the fact that I am here with you." As I wrote these words in my prayer journal, I was reminded of Isaiah 41:10 because it says, I AM WITH YOU. I needed to hear this tonight. He is with me. He's walking through life with me, hardships and all. He knows what I'm going through. He knows the discouragement I have faced. He knows when I'm lonely, sad, hurt, scared- and He feels it too. [Hebrews 4:15 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses..."]

Matthew Henry says that "the scope of these verses is to silence the fears, and encourage the faith, of the servants of God in their distresses." 

FEAR NOT: Do not doubt God's promise.

I AM WITH YOU: I don't just hear you from a distance, but I am is present with you where you are.

BE NOT DISMAYED: Do not become discouraged by those who come up against you. 

I WILL STRENGTHEN YOU: When you are weak. 

I WILL HELP YOU: When you are in need.

I WILL UPHOLD YOU: When you are falling or sinking. 

WITH MY RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND: Which brings punishment to your enemies and fulfills promises to the faithful. 

Keep.

Psalm 121: 5-8 "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep you going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore."

KEEP שָׁמַר (shamar):  

To guard, have charge of, protect, save, retain, treasure up; keep watch and ward, observe, watch for...

First of all, I want to say that I love Hebrew so much! I miss taking that class! We can find so many different descriptions and definitions for words in the Hebrew. I looked up the word "keep" in Hebrew because I figured that the Psalmist was trying to say something since this word is repeated 6 times (in several forms) within this chapter. 

In verse 5, we find that he keeps us by protecting us and "shading" us from harm. This imagery of a shade reminds me of an umbrella. So just as an umbrella guards us from rain or sun, the Lord protects and guards us from all of the things that could bombard or harm us. It is a form of shelter. When there is a storm outside, we usually run as fast as we can to shelter. The same is true with the storms in life. We must seek shelter or shade by running to the Lord, who will guard and protect us from all of the dangers and trials of life. He is our place of safety and rest. 

In verse 7, it says that He keeps us from evil. Not only will he protect us from the evil that surrounds us, but He will also keep us from doing what is evil in His sight. He is the Guardian of our lives, so we do not have to fear. In everything that we do (going in and coming out), He will watch over us. 

One form of imagery that I found in studying the Hebrew is that of a garden. In Song of Solomon, we see that we, as the bride of Christ, are a garden. He is the keeper of the garden. He owns it and tends to it. This means that we are His alone. We must yield ourselves to His care and protection. The Garden Keeper provides us with all of the things that we need- water, light, food- as the garden is planted deep into the foundation. We too must be rooted in the foundation, Jesus Christ. We must continually receive our food, the Word. We need the refreshing and renewing water of the Spirit. We must have His light shining on us, which is the glory of His presence. And within all of this, we must make sure that we are HIS. That we allow Him to tend to us in the way that He must. Sometimes He has to prune us and remove things that are not necessary in our lives. This can be painful, but if we trust Him, we will see that He is good and only wishes good for us. 

Wall of Fear

I've started my last semester of undergrad. I am 12 hours away from getting that $65,000 piece of paper! It's so exciting and I can't wait, but I have found myself sad and scared to leave this place that has become home for the last four years. I am so grateful for the opportunity to come to this great school. It seems like yesterday when I felt the Lord call me to Lee through Campus Choir, but it has been over 7 years now. Crazy!

For my Pastoral Counseling class, we are reading The Dream Giver, which is an incredible book about a character named Ordinary who lived in the land of Familiar. He was visited by the Dream Giver who gave him a big Dream. Over the course of the first half of the book, we read about Ordinary's journey toward his Dream. He encounters many obstacles and several times, he comes very close to returning to Familiar, the place of his Comfort Zone. There are so many things to be learned from this book (especially now during my second time reading it.)

Following the story of Ordinary-- who, by the way, DID find his dream-- the author, Bruce Wilkinson, acts as a "dream coach" by giving advice on how to achieve and fulfill the dreams that God has given each of us. One thing that I can really relate to is the fact that there came a time where Ordinary was leaving Familiar and came to the Wall of Fear, which caused him to doubt everything that he had received from the Dream Giver up to this point. I have experienced this in my own life. Over the summer, I had broken past my comfort zone and realized that missions was truly something that I could do...and found myself absolutely loving it! [Shock shock.] Then, I came home. After several weeks of terrible reverse culture shock, I began to adjust back to life as I had always known it. I have recently realized that I repressed all of my feelings for Cambodia because that was easier than continuing to dwell on it. Talking about it with people only made things harder because no one seemed to understand! So...I came back to the place of Comfort Zone.

But now, I find myself thinking about Cambodia constantly. I have been planning to go back and also to visit Mongolia in the fall. Even though it is exciting and wonderful to think about, I am so scared! So, once again, I have encountered the great Wall of Fear, comprised of many fears....

The fear of leaving Lee when it is all I have known for 4 years
The fear of not finding a job upon graduation
The fear of leaving the country alone
The fear of not raising the money to go
THE FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

It's a dreadful thing, this fear. But, this spirit of fear is not from God. In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are told that in place of fear we are given POWER, LOVE, and a SOUND MIND. In other words, the Lord will provide strength to do what He has called us to (Isaiah 41:10.) He gives us His love, which "casts out all fear" (1 John 4:18.) And he gives us "peace, which surpasses all understanding" (Philippians 4:7.)

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear."

Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."