THE ESTABLISHED HEART, THE BLESSING, PART 2

When our hearts are established in the goodness of God, we begin to understand and walk in stability, regardless of what our bodies say to us or what the doctor’s report says to us.  We have a higher report from One Who loves us.  His report says that He is good and kind and He has borne our sicknesses and diseases (Isaiah 53:4,5; Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24).

God wants to bless us.  He told Abram in Genesis 22:17 (also recorded in Hebrews 6:14) that in blessing He would bless him.  God meant that He had placed Abram in the middle of Himself, Who is The Blessing.  What does it mean to be blessed?  It means that God Himself has empowered you, given you His power to succeed, in spite of all that is thrown against you.  That is good news!  What if your healing is contested by the doctor’s report?  Does that change God’s will of healing in your body?  God says:  I have blessed you.  That means that healing is yours.  Don’t let go of it!

In Galatians 3:14 we are told that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law that the blessing of Abraham might come on us.  What is God saying here to us?  He is saying that He has brought us out of the land of the curse with the purchase price of His Son’s blood, and now we are in the land of the Blessing, which includes divine healing and health.

The Apostle John, writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said:  Beloved, I wish or pray above all things that you may prosper in every way and be in health (that your body may keep well), even as your soul keeps well and prospers.

First, notice you are God’s BELOVED.  Be loved!  You are accepted in the Beloved Jesus.  Is Jesus sick?  NO!  Is Jesus healthy?  YES!  You are in Him, when you accept Him as your Savior.  That includes accepting Him as your Healer.

The prayer here that John makes is that you prosper or succeed and be in health.  What we have to do is believe that prayer for ourselves.  We prosper or succeed and are in health.  Regardless of what it looks like, keep on believing you are successful and healthy.  Don’t back down.  That is where most of us miss it.  We back down when things get tough and look like they are not going to work.  Don’t back down or give up, faint or quit.

The final clue here in 3 John 2 to good health is a prosperous soul.  We know that our soul consists of our mind, will, and emotions. Those are the areas on which we must concentrate.  How do we keep our mind steadfastly believing we are healed when it doesn’t look good?  How do we keep our emotions under control when we want to scream:  doesn’t anybody see what is happening here?  How do we keep our will conformed to believing God’s will is healing when it looks like we are fading fast?  My answer always is and always will be:  Keep your eyes, keep your ears, keep your heart steadfastly in the Word of God 24/7; believe His love for you; accept His grace to bring you out.  Rely on the Holy Spirit totally to give you your moment-by-moment instructions.  Every case is an individual case because you are uniquely you and there is nobody like you.  God knows how to get through to you.

God wants to bless you with perfect health.

THE ESTABLISHED HEART, THE HEART ESTABLISHED IN GOODNESS

We have to establish some things in our heart about God before we can believe that He is a God Who heals us personally.  It is one thing to believe that God heals everyone, but it is quite another matter when we are hurting and have had a bad doctor’s report, to believe God is healing us.

God is a good God.  When you look up that word “good,” its original meaning indicates strength, abundance, fitness, firmness, validity, worthy, virtuous.  God is a good God Who is full of goodness.  That is Who He is.  He is good.  When I look up the word “goodness,” I see the word “kindness” over and over.  God is full of mercy, kindness, loving-kindness, steadfast love, enduring love.  He is kind.

He was so kind to us that He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to this earth to take our place on the cross and at the whipping post for our healing and health.  Jesus took every sickness and disease that will ever be known on this earth.  He took them on His back and then on Himself personally on the cross.  He chose to feel every symptom and pain of every sickness forever.  Why?  Because He is good.  He is kind.  He is loving.  He loves us forever, eternally, steadfastly.  His love endures forever.  It makes no difference what you are facing in your physical body right now, God has already taken it for you because He is good and loves you totally.

We must believe that God is a good God.  Over and over and over in the Word of God I read that God is good and His goodness and mercy endure forever.  Let me give you a few examples.

Psalm 25:8,10 tells us that God is good and upright.  His paths are mercy and steadfast love, and truth and faithfulness for His people.

In Exodus 34:6 and Romans 2:4 we read that God told Moses that He was abundant in goodness and truth.  His goodness or kindness is intended to lead men to repent or change their minds about God and His will.

Psalm 31:19 tells us that God’s goodness is laid up for us who worship Him and trust Him.

In Psalm 33:5 we read that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

Psalm 52:1 says that the goodness or loving-kindness of the Lord endures continually.

Throughout the Bible (Psalm 107, Psalm 118, Psalm 135 for example) we are told to give thanks to the Lord for He is good and His mercy or loving-kindness endures forever.  We are to praise Him for His goodness.  He fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Psalm 144:2  We are to bless the Lord for He is our goodness.

Psalm 145:7  We are to pour forth from our mouth rejoicing and singing for God’s abundant goodness, mercy, loving-kindness.

Then, of course, the clincher, Psalm 23:6:  Surely goodness and mercy (unfailing love) shall follow me (chase, run after, pursue, hunt me down) all the days of my life.

What About Me, Lord?

When times are tough, when you are hurting so badly you have to be drugged greatly, when you have been given a very discouraging report, when things look really bad, have you ever looked upward and said:  What about me, Lord?  Do you even care?  Can’t you see I’m hurting?  Why aren’t you doing something about it?  Am I important at all to You?  We all have had those thoughts, even though we may not verbalize them.  What about me?

To answer these questions, let’s go to the book of Isaiah, chapter 53.

Isaiah 53:4,5,10a

Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:  yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him:  he has put him to grief:….

First, we must know what some of these words mean.  The word “griefs” means sicknesses, weaknesses, distresses).  The word “sorrows” means pain.  Where it says “he was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted,” it means as if with leprosy (one of the most dreadful diseases).

He was wounded, bruised for our sins, transgressions, iniquities.  He took the “hit” for us.  The ”chastisement of our peace was upon him.”  This phrase means that Jesus took on everything that cause you and me to be “stressed out.”  This word “peace” is the word shalom, which means:  to be safe, well, happy, healthy, prosperous, whole, completed and at rest.  Don’t you think that pretty much covers it all, everything that we would need!

Then in verse 10 it is emphasized that it pleased the LORD to bruise him.  He has put him to grief.  Man, why would it please the Lord to bruise him?  The answer is this:  He was pleased that He was taking your place so that you would not have to suffer what you are suffering right now.  There is just one “catch” to this.  You have to accept what He did for you and believe it and receive it, even if your body is still screaming.  You see, we live in this imperfect world with the perfect Jesus in us.  There is a conflict many times in us between the world and Jesus.  We are bombarded in the world with sickness, pain, disease.  In Jesus we are healed, whole, healthy, well, sound, pain-free.  There is a battle, and we must stand firm for our rights, purchased for us by Jesus.  Health is ours.

My, my, what a gift we have been given, and how difficult it has been for us to receive it.  I have made up my mind that I am receiving healing every day for my body.  Does it mean everything is always instantly manifested for me?  No, but I am asking the Lord why?  What is there in me that holds it up?  It’s time for people to receive healing and health and live in an abundance of joy, living the good life.

Ephesians 2:10, Amplified Bible

For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

God Stays With Me

One of the settled truths we must embrace is that God never leaves us or abandons us.  We may abandon Him, but He never leaves us.  In good times and in bad times, He is still there.  We might not think He is there because we go on feelings.  How many times have we said:  I don’t feel like God is with me or helping me one bit.  Feelings have nothing to do with God’s decision to be with you the rest of your life.  He has made that decision.  You cannot change His mind.  I don’t care what you do to hurt Him and rant and rave at Him.  He is still there when you finish.  You can’t get rid of Him.  Oh, He will stand back when you tell Him you don’t want any more to do with Him, because He is a gentleman.  He won’t impose Himself on you.  He simply waits for you.  Isn’t He something!  What a God we have!

Hebrews 13:5b,6 in the Amplified Bible have been my companion verses in many troubled times and are with me wherever I go.  They are very comforting.  Listen to them.

Hebrews 13:5b,6, Amplified Bible

…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.  [I will] not, [I will]not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)!  [Assuredly not!]  So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified].  What can man do to me?

Perhaps you have just been given a bad diagnosis by the doctor or have come through a difficult surgery or have had a long-term illness, which doesn’t seem to be getting any better.  Maybe you have prayed and others have prayed and there doesn’t seem to be any results.  We all have been there.

What is God telling us here in these two verses?  I am there with you and will not forsake you or leave you helpless.  If you feel helpless, come to Me.  I am your Helper.  Do not fear!  Do not dread!  Do not be terrified!  Trust me!  I will not fail you.

Perhaps you have been disappointed and you have felt like God has failed you because things are getting worse.  All of us have been there or are there right now.  With all the physical conditions which have come against my body, I have learned this one thing:  TRUST GOD!  When I don’t know what is holding up my healing, I trust God.  When I feel like I am getting worse, I trust God.  When it looks like all hope is gone, I trust God.  He is our Source of healing.  He is our Healer.  He is for us and not against us.

Keep leaning on the LORD.  Stay focused on His love for you and His desire for your healing more than you desire it.  When you are in severe pain, focus on His love and care for you.  All the time, focus on His love for you without question.

Say this with me:  My God loves me and is my Healer.  He never leaves me helpless.

How are you doing?  We have had two weeks of learning how valuable we are to God.  Are you changing your mind about your worth?  If you haven’t, keep focusing on your value.

We’re going back to Psalm 139 and explore verses 13-18 today.

Psalm 139:13,14, New Living translation

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—-and how well I know it.

God made you.  He formed you in your mother’s womb.  He knows every part of your body.  He made you perfect.  Unfortunately, we live in this world of imperfection, which works on that perfect body of ours.  There is pollution of the water and the air; chemicals are placed on our food to preserve it; processed food has many additives; stress is everywhere (the greatest enemy to our human body).  But our God knew about this before you were ever born in this space of time.  That is why relationship to Him is so important.  He will guide you into healthy living.  It doesn’t mean you have to spend every waking moment thinking, oh, my did I eat the right stuff, etc.  It means you listen to Him and His instructions for you personally to live a healthy life.

In my period of living here on this earth, I see that the greatest friend of healthy living is a life lived in gratitude and thanksgiving, a life of positive outlook on things, regardless of the darkness of the situation.  As you listen to people who live a long life of 90 or 100 years or more, the one thing that impresses me about them as they talk is their joy of living and their ease of forgiving others.  They let go of “stuff.”  They choose to look on the bright side of life.

So, thank God for making you so wonderfully marvelous.

Psalm 139:15,16, New Living Translation

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

God sees you and the victories and the defeats that you encounter.  Every day of your life He knows about you.  I think that is comforting.  There is someone who knows about you and cares about you.  He knows your every moment of living.  You can trust Him to take care of you.  He knew you would be born in this time, and He has made provision for your every need, including healing and health.

Psalm 139:17,18, New Living Translation

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!  They are innumerable!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!

God has you on His mind all the time.  He thinks about you so much that you cannot even count His thoughts over you and about you.  He loves you.  He will be with you forever.  He is not going anywhere.  He will not abandon you or forsake you as others do.  He will be there for you every morning when you wake up, during the day, and when you go to sleep at night.  You can trust Him.  Place your life in His hands, and give Him your physical body for healing.  It’s already available for you.

Your Worth Is Immeasurable!

Let’s explore more of Psalm 139 that we have been dwelling on for a week.  If you think that you are not of any value to God, take a good look at this Psalm.  Wow!  I always feel so good about myself when I read this Psalm.  We’re going to start at verse 1 and read down through to verse 10 in the New Living Translation.

Psalm 139:1-10, New Living Translation

O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.  You know when I sit down or stand up.  You know my every thought when far away.  You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.  Every moment you know where I am.  You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.  You both precede and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!  I can never escape from your spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!  If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the place of the dead, you are there.  If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.

God knows everything about you and He still loves you just the way you are, weaknesses, mistakes, wrong doing, wrong speaking, wrong thoughts, as well as your strengths and right thinking.  He doesn’t ask you to change.  He accepts you right where you are and changes you into that loving and kind person He sees from the beginning.  There is nothing you can do to change yourself.  He does it all.

Do you know what the most amazing thing is?  He will heal you right where you are.  You don’t have to be perfect and be what you call a “good person.”  His healing is available because He loves you.  All you have to do is accept it.  Believe He has healed you.  Receive His healing.

You are invaluable to Him.  He died for you and He lives for you.  You are the focus of His life.  He birthed you when you got born again.  You are born of Him.

God knows everything about you.  He knows all your thoughts.  He knows what you are going to do the next minute.  He knows what you are going to say.  He’s in your past; He’s in your present; He’s in your future.  You can’t get away from Him.  He will always be there for you.  He places His hand of blessing on your head.  Part of the blessing is healing.  Receive His healing today.

Repeat this after me:  I believe I receive my healing today.  I am valuable to God.  He loves me.

You Are Valuable.

One of the biggest challenges that stop people from receiving from God is their concept of how valuable they are to God, of how much He loves them.

This month we will be teaching on your value to God.

God loves you.  He proved it by sending His only Son Jesus not only to carry your sins for you but also to to carry every sickness and disease that would ever be known to man.  Jesus personally bore those sicknesses and diseases for you.  Yes, it was for the world, but God’s eyes see the world as individuals.  He sees you right now.  Yet, He sees the world right now as a complete picture made up of millions of individuals.  As human beings, we can’t quite wrap our mind around that concept.  But it is true.  God sees YOU!

Before you were born, He had placed you in your mother’s womb and watched over your development.  Today let’s look at Psalm 139:13-18.  First we will read it in the Amplified Bible and then we will read it in the New Living Translation.  What is spoken here in these few verses is priceless.  That is the value God places on you.  You are priceless.  There is no price that is too big to pay for you.  The price He paid for you was His Son Whom He sent to take your place and carry all that you would encounter in this world where your physical body is concerned.  I don’t know anybody else who would do that for you.  I would certainly think long and strong about doing it.

Psalm 139:13-18, Amplified Bible

For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth!  Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [ a region of darkness and mystery].  Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.  How precious and weighty also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand.  When I awoke, [could I count to the end] I would still be with you.

Psalm 139:13-18, New Living Translation

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—-and how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book.  Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God!  They are innumerable!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!  And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!

All week, I want you to keep these scriptures before you and think about how precious you are to God.  HE LOVES YOU!

THE GOOD LIFE

HEALING SCRIPTURE

John 4:10, Amplified Bible

Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God’s gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water.

John 10:10, Amplified Bible

…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

So many times we look as Jesus in terms of our spiritual condition, and that is as it should be.  That is first of all, to Him, the most important matter in our lives.  Unfortunately, though, what so many people have done is confine Jesus to one part of their lives.  God is a three-part being (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and He created us as three-part beings.  We are a spirit.  We have a soul, which is composed of our minds (our thinker), our wills (our decider) and our emotions (our feelers).  We live in a body.  Don’t you think that God is concerned about all three parts of our being!  After all, He is the one Who created us that way.

What is really interesting to me is that when He looks at us, He looks at all three parts at once and considers all three parts as being whole.  So many “Christian” forget about two of their parts.  We have a soul, with which we contact this earth by what we think on, what we choose, how we feel, which (like it or not) affects our physical bodies.

Jesus came that we might be whole in all three areas of our lives.  What good are we on this earth if our bodies are sick and our minds are troubled and we can’t seem to make the right decisions, and we are always messed up with our emotions leading us around by the nose and dictating to us what we do.  Jesus came, took on our sicknesses and diseases and our messed up souls so that we could have and enjoy life “to the max.”  What it takes to do that is developing a new mindset of God’s joy and God’s peace reigning in our lives (spirits, souls, and bodies).

How do we develop a new mindset?  Philippians 4:6-8 gives us the answer.  In a nutshell, these verses tell us that we are not to fret, worry, have anxiety, or take on cares, but we are to make our wants known to God, thanking Him for the answer.  We are then to think only on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of a good report.  I can hear you right now:  Sure, that is easy for you to do.  No, it was not easy initially, and it is not always easy now, but you know what, I have made a decision that this is the way it is going to be for me.  “I am carefree and think only on the Word of God.”  That is my stand!  God’s Word is unchangeable and makes me immovable.  It starts with a decision and God helps you to do what His Word says.  Make your decision.  So what if you fall down many times!  Get back up and go again until you are consistently walking in this good life.

HEALING CONFESSION

I have decided that I will live the good life that Jesus has made available to me.  I will walk in it.  I will cast off worries every time they present themselves to me.  I will cast off cares of this world, like:  “What am I going to do in the times we are living?”  or “What if this doesn’t work?”  or “What if I stay sick?”  I refuse to think those thoughts.  Instead, I choose to think on things that are lovely and true and pure.

THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN ME

HEALING SCRIPTURE

Romans 8:11, KJV

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

HEALING TEACHING

The Spirit Whom we are talking about here is the Holy Spirit of God.  He is here on this earth today and has chosen to dwell in your body when you invite Him in to take up residence.  He wants to be a permanent dweller, not a renter.  He wants you to allow Him to take up permanent residence.  It is only for one reason—-that you may live a life of joy and peace and happiness in the midst of this crazy world and all of its woes and troubles.  Frankly, I think that is a pretty good deal.  The rewards are “out of this world.”

When He comes in, He comes in with all that God is, because He is God.  He brings life to your physical body.  Isn’t that great!  Life, life more abundantly, to the full, until it overflows ().  The Holy Spirit of God is continually pouring forth the life of God in our physical bodies.  (John 10:10)  The reason we stay sick is that we don’t accept what He is doing.  Yes, I know this is a new thing to many people, but it is possible.  I have lived this life for many years.  Sure, it is not always a bed of roses.  Symptoms of sickness and pain come to every one of us.  We can either sign the package for them or we can staunchly stand and say, “No!”  “That does not belong to me.  I refuse to accept it.  Holy Spirit, show me how to get rid of this and stand victorious in the middle of it.”  He is right there to help you and lead you through to victory.

The Holy Spirit so enjoys living in you and being a part of everything you do.  He likes being a part of your life.  He desires to see you healthy and whole.

Look at 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 in the Amplified Bible.  “Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God?  You are not your own.  You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own].  So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.”

It gives God great pleasure to be a part of your life, including your physical life in your physical body.  He is concerned about every little detail of your life.  Allow Him the joy of becoming one with you.  He has everything to offer you.  Health and healing, wholeness and soundness in your body are priceless; there is no worth or value that can be placed on your health.  Without it, you are not whole.  With it, you are free to complete God’s design for your life and leave this earth on your terms, when He says come home, not with sickness and disease dictating your vacating your house, evicting you as a resident of this earth in your physical body.  Instead, evict the sickness and disease.  Tell them they are not wanted anymore.  They are trespassing.  Get out!

HEALING CONFESSION

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for desiring to dwell in my physical body.  I invite you to become a permanent resident with Your life, Your quickening power, in my body.  I am so grateful for your life and health and wholeness and “physical fitness.”  I receive the fullness of health now in my body every day of my life.

I AM HEALED

HEALING SCRIPTURE

Isaiah 53:5, Amplified Bible

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

HEALING TEACHING

Because of love, Jesus came to this earth as a baby, grew up into manhood and demonstrated to every one of us humans how it is possible for us to walk on this earth in victory.  But the ultimate demonstration of His love was when He took your place as a condemned criminal to be beaten, mocked, stripped and crucified, a death which was the ultimate of humiliation for any person by the Romans.  Why did He do it?  He wanted you to go free from all the bondages you were in.

One of the greatest bondages is sickness and disease.  You know it and I know it.  It is a robber of life and finances and time and ultimately of our friends and loved ones.  But it does not have to be that way.  Jesus took our place and bore every (Yes, every) sickness and disease and pain that would ever be on this earth.  He did it for you.  Why?  So that you could go free.  What is the price of freedom?  It is someone else fighting for you, taking your place so that you don’t have to suffer that thing.  In this case, it is sickness and disease.

You are free.  In 1 Peter 2:24b, it is in the past tense.  “By His wounds you have been healed.”  “Have been” is past tense, history, in the past.  Those wounds were stripes He took on His back.  What kind of love is that!  It is a love that knows no bounds where you are concerned.  His love for you is beyond comprehension.  Love took your place, bore your sicknesses and diseases and died for you.  Wow!  Hey, there are people who argue that these wounds were simply for spiritual deliverance.  You are too late for me.  I have seen too many healings to doubt the truth of this scripture.  Believe it and receive your healing.  It is yours today.

HEALING CONFESSION

I am healed.  Healing is mine.  I don’t have to put up with this sickness and disease any longer.  Jesus took it and I am leaving it with Him.  It no longer belongs to me.  I relinquish ownership of this sickness and disease.  Sickness and disease, leave me now.  Thank You, Jesus for taking sicknesses and diseases and pain for me so that I don’t have to bear them any longer.