Can we talk?
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September 18, 2009How many of you are dealing with financial stress? A bunch, I know. And it's not just the recession. If you think about it, for many of you, it's been a trend of feast and famine, with the feasts being short lived and not too extraordinary and the famine lasting for years at a time. What I am about to share in the next few blogs is going to be painful. I am going to attempt to straighten our way of thinking on some crucial things and it won't be easy for most of us. Perhaps I will only straighten myself out and if successful, it will have been worth it! Let me first give you some background. My wife has had significant, prolonged health issues for too many years. Back injuries, chronic pain and more. She began watching Andrew Womack's teaching series, "God Wants You Well" and a second DVD, "Healing Journeys".Ê One of the testimonies on the Healing Journey's DVD set was from a young woman named Niki. Niki had become an invalid after a car wreck and couldn't so much as lift her legs over the side of the bed. She was deteriorating in her health and her prospects were very dim. She listened to one of Andrew's teachings about God wanting her well and struggled with it because she and her family had prayed for healing many times without effect. On that day however, she says that Jesus came into her room and showed her His back. She says what she saw was more like deep gashes than mere stripes! Then He got in her face, up close and very personal and she saw His visage, how marred it had been. She noticed that one cheek bone was higher than the other. The signs of the brutality done to Him were clear. He was healed up, but scarred. He then said to her, "Niki... I did this for you". In an instant she knew that Jesus had already done what He was going to do for her healing and He had done that some 2000 years ago. The truth of 1 Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed" came rushing in. That day, Niki the invalid, who had to be carried to the bathroom for her most basic needs, was dramatically healed. She came to believe that the Scripture was true. So the obvious question arises... How do you reconcile the fact that so many good Christian people are not healed? The same could be asked about financial issues... How do we reconcile the Scripture that says, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." when our needs seem not to be met?Ê Watch for my next blog as I begin to share with you the revelation God brought to me through my wife. It may astound you.
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Comments (13) - Post a Comment
Beloved Thank you for releasing the word into my spirit that confirms what God has just pointed to me,two days ago, that unless my sisters are equiped in his word there is no way they can trust Him and have faith in Him.Faith cometh by hearing something of God-His promises.He has just stired my heart to start sisters bible study to feast on His love for us.I will embrace this in faith as he leads me.You have already laid the foundation for my hardly a week old vision.Love for my sisters has been shared abroad in my heart.I trust God to raise a generation of sisters of His own excellence in my generation..
Tebogo Baloyi at 10:34am EDT - September 10, 2009
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaa :) for Jesus' Love. Thanks MP :)
ricky at 10:46am EDT - September 10, 2009
Amen!! When one is thinking love - there is no room for fear, doubt, unbelief, discouragement - God's unconditional love is what the world needs now. Thanks Michael. Thanks for being the portal or conduit to help and show us Truth.
Larry at 12:29pm EDT - September 10, 2009
Ditto that, thanks for a great word!!!!
Sandy at 1:19pm EDT - September 10, 2009
"Spend time in HIS Word..." good thought Michael. So many "perish from their lack of knowledge.." (ya gotta love Hosea). Bless you in HIM, Kara
Kara Harris at 1:43pm EDT - September 10, 2009
Excellent. This is an area I'm actively seeking to grow. It's shocking (to me) to realize how much wrong thinking about God remains in me. What you say is true - faith rises astronomically when you focus on God's great love for you and on who you are in Christ.
Margaret Mills at 2:38pm EDT - September 10, 2009
Excellent!!! The truth about faith "in a nutshell!" There has been much about the connection between faith and love coming out recently from a wide variety of ministries. I believe this is something that the Father is teaching His children now - and He really wants us to "get it!"
Patti Harris at 2:42pm EDT - September 10, 2009
I SO agree with this. Yet, I think my personal confusion in part is where the cross of Christ, something so neglected and denigrated in Christian circles, fits in. I know He's Father (or rather, I'm sure I don't know that as I should), but He's still a Holy, Righteous — and sovereign — and King.
Dave Botma at 4:19pm EDT - September 10, 2009
I would have to agree that we need to understand love, but also disagree that God's love only leads us into pleasant circumstances and brilliant health. I have been following God in quite a profound life path for some time now and the more I walk this road, the more I realize that His ways truly ARE NOT our ways and His thoughts ARE NOT our thoughts. What we see as unloving, He knows is the only way to accomplish His objectives in us. We may not think God is showing us love, but the fact of the matter is that were He to only bless and encourage us and never discipline or wound us then we would have a degenerate faith and a view of God as a doting, weak-hearted Father...a Divine Sugar-Daddy. Some may not agree with this statement and I know that you didn't intend to paint God's love as always bringing ONLY good things into our lives. True, the END RESULT is ALWAYS positive...but the path that leads us to that place is often coated in our own blood. The wounds can be quite grievous. Yes, He loves us...but even Jesus found out that sometimes the Father's will IS to crush us, and bruise us, and let us be crucified. (Isaiah 54:10) Let us not forget that God is a God of many, many facets...even in His love...ESPECIALLY in His love.
Jeremiah Stormbreaker at 5:14pm EDT - September 10, 2009
*correction* Isaiah 53:10
Jeremiah Stormbreaker at 5:16pm EDT - September 10, 2009
One of the pastors at my church just began teaching on COVENANT and that GOD IS COVENANT. A covenant is the responsibility of the covenant MAKER. The Covenants of God are unchangeable and unconditional - NOT BASED ON US, BUT ON HIM! YEA GOD! This falls right in line with what you posted. Proving once again that we are all led by One Spirit in Christ!
Beth Dippo at 1:42am EDT - September 14, 2009
Michael, you've done it again! Your words are so "right on". Our study group at church has been studying the book titled, "He Loves Me", by Wayne Jacobsen. It speaks about this exact same thing. It is a powerful study that will breathe fresh insight into how God loves you so completely. You will have a better understanding of the work of the cross. I think this should be mandatory reading for everyone. We ALL need to know that our Heavenly Father loves us more than our human minds can imagine & NOTHING we ever DO can make Him love us more or less. I highly recommend everyone to get a copy of this book & read it & give one to a friend who may not know God's love in a personal way. So many people are afraid of God & if they really knew that how much He loves them & wants a personal relationship with them, they would give their hearts to Him.
Jan at 2:53pm EDT - September 14, 2009
Thank you all for your comments. While I don't look at God as our sugar daddy, I don't believe it is His desire to crush and bruise us. That was something Jesus endured substitionally on our behalf. God does not desire to crush or bruise us. Consider Isaiah 42 and fulfilled in Matthew 12:20 "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth." God is for us, but that is not to say He wants to spoil us. His ways are indeed higher than ours and they are not to crush us. Sin crushes us. The devil would love to crush us and put us down, but God calls us up to a higher life. It's a big topic and more than can be adequately covered in the blog, but I appreciate the input from all of you. Blessings, Michael
Michael Pink at 10:59am EDT - September 15, 2009