Good afternoon everyone. I pray that wherever you are as
you're reading this that you are prospering even as you soul is
prospering.
It appears lately that I have been talking about healing
and/or being made whole on my blog. I pray the posts from that past few days
encourage you and that they are bringing peace to your spirit as they are
bringing peace to mine. Using the foundational text for this post (John
5:1-9), it's the story of the lame man being healed and made whole by Jesus.
I believe that there are many people who deserve to be made
whole. Who are these people? I'll answer with a series of question. Would you
say that a child who was sexually abused deserves to be made whole? Would you
say that the man or woman who has struggled with anxiety all of their life
deserves to be made whole? Would you say that the woman who was raped deserves
to be made whole? Would you say that the child who was neglected, rejected
and/or abandoned deserves to be made whole? Would you say that a family who
lost a loved one deserves to be made whole? Would you say that a woman who
suffered under the hand of domestic violence deserves to be made whole? Would
you say if a person endured deception and manipulation in a previous marriage,
they deserve to be made whole? What about those who have endured long-term
illnesses and have the desire to live, don't they deserve to be made whole? And
what about those who know the song, I Surrender All, but because of the hurt
and pain they've endured, they refuse to surrender all and make feeble attempts
to go it alone? Don't they deserve to be made whole?
The answer to every
question is simply, YES! YES! YES! I'm sure I didn't hit every category, but I
believe you get the point. Everybody deserves to be made whole. Some might
ask the question, what's the difference between being healed and being made
whole? Great question: I'll use Luke 17:11-19 to capture the difference.
On the way to
Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he
entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and
lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on
us." When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves
to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of
them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud
voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he
was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where
are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except
this foreigner?" And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your
faith has made you whole."
If you noticed, all of them were healed on the way to the
priest, so it was just from that one thing. But the one who came back and gave
thanks to God, his faith made him whole (complete restoration of his health).
Do you need a restoration in your life? Believe God but at the same time, don't
allow your faith to grow weary - that's what the enemy is after, your
faith.
In closing, in order to be made whole, you have to humble
yourself and surrender everything to Him (and yes, this requires faith). So, I
ask you, do you trust God with everything that concerns you? Like the lame man
in John 5, he trusted that God could make him whole. You deserve to be made
whole.
Blessings,
The Mayne Man
Thank you Tremayne!! Another story that blesses me is the Woman with the Issue of Blood. She believed that if she just got to Jesus and just touched the hem of His garment, she would be made whole. Her faith made her whole.
ReplyDeleteThat's key. But you bring up another thing. She didn't care what it cost her to get to Jesus. Per the OT, she wasn't allowed to be in public because of her issue (granted, you women have issues - ha ha, I couldn't resist). But seriously, she put action to go with that faith. Those three things are critical to healing and wholeness. Believing, confession and putting action to what you're believing and speaking. Healing is the children's bread.
DeleteAmen!
ReplyDelete