In every situation of sickness and disease we have three witnesses. One of those witnesses is the Word of God. God’s Word is the truth that He speaks about your situation.
The second witness is what your senses are telling you about the symptoms you’re experiencing. The pain is “declaring” that the sickness and diseases are not healed, the symptoms are still present and that the Word of God is not true.
The third witness we have is the sick person. That sick one has the opportunity to place his or her testimony alongside the Word of God and refuse to take the testimony of the pain or the symptoms—declaring that “by the stripes of Jesus, I AM HEALED!”
Scripture tells us there is another source for all things on earth, and it’s found in heaven. It’s not waiting until you get there, it’s waiting for you to claim it on the earth!
Here are some clear thoughts of Jesus on prayer. In one conversation Jesus strongly tells us that the world is ours for the asking. Then He repeats Himself in case you did not believe Him the first time:
If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:7-8 NKJV
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. John15:16 NKJV
Then, if you’re having trouble on your own believing that God will bless you, He says get together with somebody else and prove God:
I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth is forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” Matthew 18:18-20 NLT.
What part do we play? Not the major part, but it is vital to know what God is expecting of you!
We are not released into freedom until we discover the truth about who we are in Christ. You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free (John 8:32).
The correct answer to this question will change the way you react to other people. It will change negative responses into quiet confidence in the midst of bad news. It will put value in your words that others will recognize even when they don’t understand how you got your wisdom. It will put a backbone in you to stand up to adversity, evil, and all types of temptation when others would compromise.
WHO AM I? Resolving this question will bring all things to your life without costing you your health, integrity or salvation!
When I was a young boy, an old Ford factory shift worker came to my grade school looking for boys who wanted to learn to play tennis. The idea jumped in me so I pursued it—despite having a bad case of pigeon-toed feet and starting the game with the racket in the wrong hand!
The coach made an instant determination that I wouldn’t make it. He devised a tournament to eliminate some of the boys he thought were hopeless and wouldn’t make the grade. I was scheduled to play the best player. I was facing immediate termination and it was assumed I would quietly disappear into the night.
However, the day before the tournament began, the star player was hit in the head by a baseball and knocked unconscious. He couldn’t play, and I ended up winning the tournament, which turned the thinking of everyone upside down! Where they had seen no promise of success, they were now forced to acknowledge more than a promise!
Well, that first tournament victory was followed by over 100 more! Those days prepared me for the challenges of today. Follow your dream! Don’t let your pigeon-toed feet or lack of knowledge hinder your opportunity for victory!
Your were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom (Galatians 5:7-8 NLT).
King David was not even considered by his own father or family to be thought of as a prospect for anything other than a shepherd. Yet the prophet Samuel singled him out as the one with the destiny to be King of Israel.
What did he do when he received this great announcement and anointing? He went back to shepherding. The difference was, the idea was now birthed in his heart and he began to dream of himself as a king!
But it was neither the prophet nor the dream that made David a king. It was the victory gained through the challenge of Goliath that put him on the path to kingship. Confronting this giant was a decision he had to make alone, but something within him rose up and moved him to face Israel’s enemy. Where others saw a young boy tending sheep in the present, the Lord saw a mighty man leading Israel to greatness in the future.
Search your heart, seize the moment and be bold because of the Greater One living within you!
In the dynamics of life there should be evidence of a person’s innermost being. Who we are on the inside will eventually pop out, and it usually happens in the moments we don’t plan for!
Tea gives its flavor when put in hot water. It’s usually in pressing moments that our inner self reveals outer fruit. In times of fear, faith will paint a picture for the future in the believer. In times of sickness, confidence in the Healer will emerge. In times of anger, peace will calm the storm within. In times of wrongdoing, forgiveness will cover the multitude of sin.
This fruit will show up on a believer’s tree. It is not the fruit of a charismatic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Evangelical, Catholic or any other denomination. It is the fruit of a Christian with Jesus Christ alive on the inside!
Jude 1:22-23 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference. And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
I am always happy about the benefits of walking with God on this earth, but I’m also very aware that the very best on earth is so temporary that it’s hardly worth mentioning compared to what our real life will be when we drop off this body.
But then—I think of all those who have nothing to look forward to but fire. I can’t think of anything worse, and that also is a motivation to be my best here.
Many want to be in the books of the rich and famous and that’s wonderful. Bravo! But there is only one book that will hold the test of time, and that is the Book of Life. Confirm to yourself that you are in that book, and you will find motivation to enjoy each day.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
“…And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:22).
Jesus is saying that there is a force inside the heart. It is a force so powerful that even a natural obstacle as large as a mountain cannot withstand its power. This power is called heart-faith, and every day people are using it for either their benefit or their destruction.
Faith is as natural to the heart as air is to the lungs. Most people think it is something only for the super spiritual or saintly, but in reality all of us have it. Where we put it in action will determine our future outcome to our joy or dismay.
What counter-force will short circuit this power? Doubt. When doubt is operating in your heart then fears rise and sleep is lost. Nervousness, sickness and anger spring up, causing wrong decisions with bad consequences. Keep doubt out by using your words to keep your dreams alive!
Deep in the quiet of the soul, when the sun sets over the last mountain range and the warmth of the day slowly dissipates into cool breezes that chill the sweat from your day’s labor, you hear His voice whisper “I WILL PROVIDE.”
At the end of the day, when the clamor of ideas has quieted and the energy of people’s interaction is spent, you stand alone with only your thoughts and the mission before you. It is in this moment you hear His voice, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
The “how” is in His Hands.
You wake up each morning like a diligent farmer ready to milk the cows, feed the chickens, and plow the fields. You do the natural, and let Him do the “super” so your life has a supernatural flavor to it. Paul’s conviction becomes your conviction when he says, “The Lord shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). You are resting with no evidence, no sign, and no prophetic word. Faith arises in your heart as sure as the sun comes up in the morning. All is well, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
Today you must find your place of rest in Him and in His Word. The days may change. Government may change. The economy may change. But you do not change, knowing that He said, “I WILL PROVIDE.”
Examine your life today. In what areas are you not hearing the Lord say, “I WILL PROVIDE”? Believe, and He will be faithful to His Word.
James is telling us to have a supernatural response when he writes, “My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (James 1:2-4 NKJV emphasis mine).
There is no joy in bills that are not paid.
There is no joy in supply lines that look cut.
There is no joy in sickness or pain shouting for attention.
This is when we COUNT IT ALL JOY. We decide to give a different response than the natural mind wants to give. We decide to laugh when others cry, to sing when others moan, and to expect good things when others just see dark clouds ahead. What can produce this type of response?
You know something the world does not know. You know that God is greater than the fallen, broken world. You know that God is good and a friend to those in time of need. You know that you have a name above every name that heaven responds to. You know that you have a destiny on earth to fulfill and a place far greater you are going to. You know you have a promise recorded in a book for all to see that guarantees God’s presence in your life and a witness within you that He truly does live in you.
You have a supernatural experience called the new birth when your sin nature was removed and God’s very Spirit and nature was given you. This happened when you decided to believe what He had said concerning His son Jesus. This miracle was just the beginning of a miracle lifestyle based on His Word, His sacrifice, His plan, His presence, His power, and your decisions.
This is how you can COUNT IT ALL JOY when you face the fallen world full of defeat, destruction, and despair!