An elderly woman in Africa lived under an overpass in a cardboard house. She was dirty and alone. Her body was full of tuberculosis and no one wanted anything to do with her.

One day several ladies from the local church ventured out to see this lonely soul. You can only imagine how shocked this sick little woman was to see these very proper women show up under her bridge! The ladies had come to invite her to an outdoor Christian meeting where people were being healed.  Reluctantly, she agreed to join them, but not knowing how the people might react to her, she insisted on standing at the edge of the very large crowd.

As she stood there she heard the speaker say, “God loves you, He’s closer than any friend and He doesn’t want you to be sick!” At that moment the church ladies glanced over and noticed their sick friend was smiling and breathing normally!

Her new companions were so excited that they insisted she go to the platform and tell everyone what had just happened. A few minutes later, as she stood there on the platform, she said to the large crowd,

“You know me. I am the woman you pass by every day. The one who lives under the bridge.” The ladies who brought her interrupted her and said, “Tell the people how God healed you today. Tell them!”  The little old lady looked at the crowd and began her story again. “Yes,” she said, “I am healed, but what I know is that when I go home today, I will never be alone again! I have a new friend and His name is Jesus!”

In his book, “The Message that Works,” Dr. TL Osborn includes a chapter about Friendship With God, in which he states that God declares, “You can trust Me, I will trust you!”

Have you ever considered that God trusts you? And therefore you can trust yourself? I believe this is the essence of God’s heart toward you today.

You and I were created for fellowship with God, for friendship with God. Our rightful place is at His side—not under His feet or under His thumb. He doesn’t carry a hammer or a whip, commanding obedience…no, our rightful place is standing arm-in-arm with the living, loving God.

There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. What does a true friend offer? Unconditional Acceptance, Unwavering Commitment, Unswerving Loyalty.  And today, what does Jesus offer YOU? Uncompromising, unwavering support when you don’t know where to turn.

If we want to know what is in a person’s will, we read the will. If we want to know the will of God on any subject, we must read His will!

Many people fail to receive what they pray for because of lack of understanding about confession. The word confession in the Greek language means “saying the same thing.”

This means we are to believe and say only what God says about our sins, sicknesses and everything else included in our redemption. When our affirmation is the Word of God, He watches over it to make it good.

To the religious leaders of Jesus’ day healing was easier, even acceptable. To the religious in our day, forgiveness of sin is easier and acceptable. But, by one sacrifice Jesus Christ made both forgiveness and healing available to us!

When the Word of God is released declaring salvation and healing, any individual who calls on the name of the Lord—any person who responds to His invitation, can take up their mat, their crutch, their wheel chair and walk free from sin, sickness and disease!

The fact that God ever healed anyone is the best proof that healing is provided for us today. The reality that ALL who touched Him were healed in His day paints the picture of reality for us now.

If He is the same “yesterday, today and forever,” then ALL who touch Him today shall be healed (Hebrews 13:8)!

Jesus understood that sickness found its origin in original sin, and that to forgive sin was to potentially release the body from the effects of sin.

If you have confessed Christ as your Savior, nothing can separate you from God. No sin can control you. No sickness can have authority over your life. God Himself lives in you!

I remember traveling on a train across Russia. Laying in my bed tremendous symptoms began to attack my body. I knew this was not the place to get ill, and I had many hours to travel on this train. I opened my bible to Isaiah 53:1, “Who has believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

Suddenly it dawned on me, did I understand what Christ had done for me? Could I believe in the midst of this dark, cold, dreary Siberian landscape that two thousand years ago this Jesus was wounded for me? As I laid there I considered the tremendous price paid for me, and realized that I had ignorantly overlooked Isaiah’s report.

My bible slipped from my hand and I started to fall asleep. At that moment I remember the strength of God infusing my soul and I KNEW that I was healed. The next morning every ache, chill and pain had vanished from my body. Total healing had returned by no power of my own, but by simply believing the report!