November 24, 2024

From Paralyzed to Forgiven and Healed

February 1, 2015 by

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Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd,
they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it
and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man,
“Son, your sins are forgiven.”
Mark 2:3-5

Friends.  What would we do without our friends?  The man in our Scripture today would not have been able to receive his healing had his friends not put their faith into action…and been willing to get help for their friend.  We are not told whether the man had been paralyzed for a long or a short time; we just know that he was paralyzed.

Do you have such love for a friend—in which you would go to that much trouble for them?  If not, then we really need to look at our friend list and see who God would direct us to help.

As we walk through life we will have many friends…those who we went to school with, those we make through work, and those we make through just simply living.  Some of us have friends we have made through our life experiences.  And often, our best friend is our spouse or our siblings.

And then we have those people in our lives who do not make friends easily and keep everyone at arm’s length—who do not let anyone close due to life’s struggles.  That is a painful way to go through life and is not what God intended for His children.  He wants us to love others and bring them into a closer relationship with Him.  This cannot be done if we continue to put people off. We have to learn to trust and use the discernment God gave us to know who to let get close.

Our friends are those who are by our side no matter what the season.  They may not be able to be there physically, but still are there as they pray and submit requests to God on our behalf when we are going through suffering or a time of testing.  We are also to be there for them, lifting them up and being honest with them when needed.

But remember, our earthly friends are human.  They are subject to the pulls and tears of this world.  Our true Friend is our heavenly Father.  He will never leave us, never forsake us…no matter what we have done, said, or thought.  When we confess with our mouth, repent, and turn away from our sins, God is sure to show us mercy through His Son Jesus.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, thank You for Your mercy.  Thank You for Your grace.  Father, teach us to be better friends, better wives, and better daughters.  Teach us to be intercessory prayer warriors on behalf of our family and friends.   Thank You for giving us great examples who we model our prayers after. Thank You!  In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Week Three…Jesus’ Words on Faith (Matthew 6:33-34)

January 30, 2015 by

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 NIV

Jesus’ words…such the good thing to remember!!!  He spoke these words along with other instructions as He taught His disciples to not be anxious or filled with worries and fears.  He directed them to seek God and that God would take good care of them.   He was teaching them about having faith.

This is our third week of looking at Jesus’ words on faith here on the Seeking Him devotional blog.  Our bloggers, Ahmee, Ann, Cynda, Laura, and Tina, have shared their hearts about concerns for tomorrow, worry,  and faith.  Please listen….

 

In One Day At a Time, Ann encouraged us with the lyrics to a great song!

“This Scripture reminded me about a song I know (and I know most of you know it)…

♫ ♪ ♫  One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That’s all I am asking from You
Help me today to do everything that I might do
Yesterday is gone, sweet Jesus; and tomorrow may never be mine
So, for my sake, teach me today, one day at a time   ♫ ♪ ♫

This is very encouraging.  As God knows everything we need and so we need to know that He won’t deprive us.  And the Word says “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?” (Matthew 6:27).”

❦

Ahmee made a great point about planning in Not Worrying Doesn’t Mean Don’t Plan:

“Worrying often comes from us depending on ourselves instead of the Lord. If we are depending on the Lord in every area of our life, then there is no need for us to worry!  Planning, on the other hand IS something we can do.  Here’s an example:  if you know that you make “X” amount of money each week and you have “X” amount of bills to pay each week, then making a budget for the upcoming weeks is not worrying; it’s called planning.

Planning is essential to our well-being.  God said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…”  God thought it was a good idea to have a plan for us; so we, too, should have plans in our lives.

Notice I didn’t say ‘plan our lives’…I said, ‘plans IN our lives.’

Only God can plan our lives.  The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

❦

Cynda directed us to the importance of Staying In the Presence.  

“How many times have you heard the phrase ‘One day at a time…’? Hundreds, maybe even thousands?  It sounds trite but it is exactly what we need to do—take one day at a time.  But HOW do we do that?  By staying in His Presence. Philippians 4:6 gives us the best advice and provides step-by-step instructions for staying in His Presence.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

As we begin to thank God for all He has done, it causes us to reflect back on our life.  Psalm 77:11 (NLT) encourages us to recall what He has done and remember the miracles He has performed in our lives.

But then I recall all You have done, O Lord;
I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago.

When we remain in His Presence, we have no need to worry.  He knows the plans He has for us…plans that give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  So let’s stop the worry and enjoy this day in His Presence.

❦

Laura reminded us in Tomorrow Is Another Day of Scarlett O’Hara and her penchant to put things off ’til tomorrow.  Far more importantly Laura also reminded us of this Truth:

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

“For those of us with strong faith in God, we do not have to worry about today or tomorrow.  God has everything in control.  We cannot see what tomorrow will bring.  We do know what will happen tomorrow if we have an appointment or something else scheduled.  However, we do not know what will happen around those planned parts of our day. We cannot control what will happen during the day.  Only God can.  Through faith we know that tomorrow will be there. Through faith, we hope and pray that we will see tomorrow.  Faith gives us the certainty that what we can’t see or touch really does exist.  Unlike Scarlett, we do have to live in the here and now.”

❦

And in Trust Do Not Worry, Tina gave us the example of her parents who were always able to provide for their family…just like our God does.

“Dad worked at a saw mill while Mom stayed home.  She worked part-time at a veterinarian clinic which she truly loved!  They were poor and worried how to make ends meet. Mom and Dad always were able to provide for us.

Likewise, God provides for us.  All we have to do is trust Him.  As our parents provided for us, and we provide for our families, God will provide.

All we have to do is ask and trust that God will be there.“

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One Day At a Time

January 29, 2015 by

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Do not worry about tomorrow for will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

This Scripture reminded me about a song I know (and I know most of you know it)…

♫ ♪ ♫  One day at a time, sweet Jesus
That’s all I am asking from You
Help me today to do everything that I might do
Yesterday is gone, sweet Jesus; and tomorrow may never be mine
So, for my sake, teach me today, one day at a time   ♫ ♪ ♫

This is very encouraging.  As God knows everything we need and so we need to know that He won’t deprive us.  And the Word says “And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure (cubit) to his stature or to the span of his life?” (verse 27).  So this shows we need not worry.  Fear makes us worry whilst faith makes us believe and trust God even the more for His provisions.

Look at verses 28-32…. God is just showing us that in His splendor and majesty He provides all things.  All we need to do is trust Him for the provisions.  Remember, without faith we cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6).  Only having faith in the Lord will be a guarantee for our provision.

Look also at the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):

Our Father Who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it it in heaven
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

So it is an issue of daily provision.  And daily provision can come through our daily prayers and through our daily faith and belief.  Without that don’t expect anything.

I am encouraged always by the Word of God through our devotionals this month of January; everyone is writing and emphasizing that we need to have faith in the Lord.  I therefore also write this devotion reminding us, sisters in Christ, without faith we cannot please God.  All those challenges in our lives can come to an end as long as we have faith.  Mark 11:24 says “…whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”  It is a matter of desiring and applying faith to the Word.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Oh Lord, our Father and our God, we worship you!  You are so great! Blessed be Your holy name in all the earth.  You are our Father and our King.  We praise You.  We thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness in our lives.  You have always stood with us when we pray guarding Your word in Jeremiah 33:3 that you shall show us great and might things.  Be blessed for Your Word is true and it shall accomplish what it came for.  Thank You for You gave us all the measure of faith that we need to grow as we hear Your Word daily.  We give You all the praise and honor in Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!

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Staying in the Presence

January 27, 2015 by

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Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow,
because tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 HCSB

One of my favorite quotes is…
“Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do,
but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

We look at the past and worry about what has happened.  We look to the future and borrow trouble worrying about what will happen.  Neither is helpful…and neither gets us anywhere.

How many times have you heard the phrase “One day at a time…”? Hundreds, maybe even thousands?  It sounds trite but it is exactly what we need to do—take one day at a time.  But HOW do we do that?  By staying in His Presence. Philippians 4:6 gives us the best advice and provides step-by-step instructions for staying in His Presence.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

When we quit worrying—and instead—tell God everything, we shift our burdens to Him.  Psalm 55:22 (NLT) reminds us to “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.”  He will take care of us.  He is in control.  All we need to do is ask.  That is where telling Him what we need comes in.  John 11:22 (AMP) says “And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.” (BTW – God already knows what we need, but He likes to hear us ask.  It opens a conversation with Him.)

As we begin to thank God for all He has done, it causes us to reflect back on our life.  Psalm 77:11 (NLT) encourages us to recall what He has done and remember the miracles He has performed in our lives.

But then I recall all You have done, O Lord;
I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago.

In reflection, we can see all the times God has been there for us…we see His mighty hand at work…we recall His great grace, His faithfulness, and His unending love.  Then we know with assurance Who holds our future.

Psalm 85:9a (AMP) states “Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him….”  When we remain in His Presence, we have no need to worry.  He knows the plans He has for us…plans that give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  So let’s stop the worry and enjoy this day in His Presence.

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Tomorrow Is Another Day

January 26, 2015 by

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

“Tomorrow is another day!”  For those of us who have watched Gone with the Wind (…watched it several times), how often do we remember hearing Scarlett O’Hara utter those words?  Whenever she is faced with a problem she can’t solve right then and there, she says she will think about it tomorrow.  She pushes it off until the next day.  She refuses to face it right then and there.  She knows that she has other problems to face during the rest of the day, and that tomorrow is another day.  It must be nice to put things off until tomorrow.  Scarlett was always putting her faith in what the next day would bring.

We should be thinking about what is in front of us today.  We should not be putting it off until the next day.  We are not promised tomorrow.  Our last moments could come at any time.  Our unfinished problems become someone else’s to handle when we don’t take care of them ourselves.  We have enough to worry about in one day.  We should not pile today’s worries onto tomorrow.  That will only make tomorrow, which should be a better day than the one before, worse.

Scarlett, however, is a fictional character.  A character in a book and a movie.  She can place her worries on the next day and the next and the next.  Through the words on the page and pictures on a screen, she will never die.  Yet, we are mortal.  We will die one day.  Worrying about tomorrow does not help us enjoy life.  Trying to shove our worries for today onto tomorrow will only makes the problem worse and dampens the next day.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

For those of us with strong faith in God, we do not have to worry about today or tomorrow.  God has everything in control.  We cannot see what tomorrow will bring.  We do know what will happen tomorrow if we have an appointment or something else scheduled.  However, we do not know what will happen around those planned parts of our day. We cannot control what will happen during the day.  Only God can.  Through faith we know that tomorrow will be there. Through faith, we hope and pray that we will see tomorrow. Faith gives us the certainty that what we can’t see or touch really does exist.  Unlike Scarlett, we do have to live in the here and now.

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for worrying about tomorrow for us.  Thank You for being our Rock and Foundation.  With You we can tackle whatever is thrown at us today and prepare for the next day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Heal Me, O Lord

January 24, 2015 by

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A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse—after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.  For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”  Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.  Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?”  And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”  And He looked around to see the woman who had done this.  But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.

Heal me, O Lord
And I will be healed
Save me and I will be saved
Heal me, O Lord
And I will be healed
For You are the One I praise
You are the One I praise

Singer / Songwriter ~ Don Moen along with the Hosanna Music singers

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Week Two…Jesus’ Words on Faith (Mark 5:24-34)

January 23, 2015 by

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 …And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,
And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,
For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?
And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?
Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.
But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

Mark 5:24–34 AMP

This week the daily devotions here on the Seeking Him daily devotional blog have focused on Jesus’ words on faith from this record in the Gospel of Mark…

So much to glean and to learn here! Whenever I read or hear this passage, I am immediately drawn to the thoughts and the actions of this woman. She had FAITH…and she acted upon it!

Listen to what Tina, Laura, Cynda, Ann, and Ahmee had to share earlier this week….

In Your Faith, Cynda wrote,

“I got to thinking…if Jesus came
to give us an abundant, overflowing life,
why aren’t we experiencing that kind of life?

I think Mark 5:34a (NLT) holds the key:

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.

Our faith must be exercised to have an abundant, overflowing life.  Faith is based on knowing God & studying His words.  Joyce Meyer says “God’s Word is like medicine for the spirit, soul, and body.”  We must apply God’s Word and put our faith into action.  That’s what this woman did.”

❦

Tina reminded us, in Your Faith Has Made You Free, of the courage of this woman who had faith to approach Jesus for healing.

And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me,
springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.
Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed
from your [distressing bodily] disease.
Mark 5:34

“The woman had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healing power and out of her desperation, she knew she would probably die if she did not find someone to cure her…Getting the courage to touch His robe in the crowd, she knew she could get into trouble if found out.  Women were and are still thought of as property.  But Jesus did not rebuff her.  He wanted her to have faith in telling her story to everyone that she was healed just by touching His robe.”

❦

Ahmee reminded us in A Single Choice, of the importance of making choices based upon the guidance of God and God’s Word.

“A single choice can change your life for better or for worse.  Big decisions and small decisions can have catastrophic results.  The choices we make today form our habits for our tomorrows.  The choices we make today influence who will be in our tomorrows.  The choice this woman made (in this passage from Mark chapter 5) changed her life!  For twelve years—everyday—she bled.  She’d tried getting help from doctors, but to no avail.  And she had spent everything she had.   As I read this I wondered if she went to Jesus only because she had run out of other options.  Was it desperation that pulled her to Him?  Is this not so often the case, though? Regardless of why… she still made the choice and that’s the part that matters.

Choose. And make sure they are wise choices.“

❦

In Faith That Brings Peace, Ann posed some important questions regarding making good decisions to step out in faith.

“This lady knew that ‘if only I can touch Jesus’ hem of His garments…all will be well for me.’  She took a step of faith and broke protocols of that time by maneuvering through the crowd and found herself amidst the disciples (men) and touched Jesus.

On its own, it was not proper for a woman to be brushing shoulders with men; she didn’t mind what people would say about her.  All she was concerned with was that she would be healed.  I therefore urge each one of us to be a people of vision.  Let us also ask ourselves these questions below:

  • What is it that we want God to do for us
  • How are we drawing near to Him for Him to help us
  • How much time do we have for God
  • Do we believe He can do it
  • How great is He to heal us and free us from suffering”

❦

And  in Healing Power, Laura shared with us the faith in action of some folks from her home church who are endeavoring to have faith as they go through some hard times.

“One of our church members was involved in a bad car accident this week.  He was in very bad shape.  He was paralyzed from the neck down and was having trouble breathing.  The family asked for prayers….

The power of prayer and faith in God has helped this follower of Jesus to improve.  Faith and prayer is hopefully going to bring this family through this season in their life.  …However, I believe that they have faith like the woman in this record in the Gospel of Mark.  They have been praying, and he is slowly starting to improve (at last update).

To have faith strong as this is a blessing to any family.  Faith this strong can bring the healing power of God to anybody.  This is what Jesus wants from us—full faith in Him.  He wants us to rely on Him.  He died for us…we should all be able to rely on Him no matter the season or the trial ahead of us.”

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Give Us Faith To Be Strong

January 22, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Give us faith to be strong
Father, we are so weak
Our bodies are fragile and weary
As we stagger and stumble to walk where You lead
Give us faith to be strong

Give us faith to be strong
Give us strength to be faithful
This life is not long, but it’s hard
Give us grace to go on
Make us willing and able
Lord, give us faith to be strong

Give us peace when we’re torn
Mend us up when we break
This flesh can be wounded and shaking
When there’s much too much trouble for one heart to take
Give us peace when we’re torn

Give us hearts to find hope
Father, we cannot see
How the sorrow we feel can bring freedom
And as hard as we try, Lord, it’s hard to believe
So, give us hearts to find hope

Lord, give us faith to be strong
Give us peace when we’re torn
Give us faith, faith to be strong

 Singer / Songwriter: Andrew Peterson

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

This song is a prayer—an acknowledgment of our great need for God in all things.  As in every area of our lives, we need the help, the provision, the supply that only God can give.

It is true that we need to have faith; no doubt.  Jesus spoke often to His apostles and the other disciples about faith.  Over on the Seeking Him daily devotional blog, we are in the midst of a series looking at some of  Jesus’ words on FAITH.  This week the bloggers are focusing on the account (click here) from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5 where we hear about the woman with a long-term bleeding disease who is healed simply by touching Jesus’ garments.  It is an incredible record!  Listen…

She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,  for she kept saying,  ‘If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.’  And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source,  and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.

verses 27-29

There is a pivotal point here: she believed—she had faith—that if she could just get close enough to simply touch Jesus’ clothing, she would be healed.  Remember she “kept saying, ‘If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.’”  And so she took the action necessary.  Having faith requires action.  As I think about this scenario, it seems to me there were a number of strong deterrents standing in her way.

  • The crowd
    Verse 24 tells us, “…a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him”
  • Her own physical frailty
    Verses 25 and 26 say she “…had been subject to bleeding for twelve years…had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and …instead of getting better she grew worse”
  • The social stigma of a woman touching a strange man in public
    Verse 33 relates, “But the woman…though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.”

In spite of these things she believed “…the reports she had heard about Jesus…”.  Put yourself, sisters, in her sandals…would you (would I?) have had the courage, the fortitude, the faith to do what she did?  I do believe we could…we would.   I do believe we do.

Throughout our lives, we find ourselves experiencing similar circumstances and hard times. Right now, today, I know some of you are living through difficult, demanding, hard situations. Whether they are health-related (like this woman), or difficulties in relationships, or financial problems, or a myriad of other troubles…we need to have faith that God will take care of whatever might be our need.  Our faith is based on our knowledge of His promises in His Word.

…So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17

So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:5

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
Verse 6

We live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.  According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature…”
2 Peter 2:1-4

May we keep all these things in mind as we have faith in the Almighty God Who provides—Jehovah-Jireh.

  • When we feel weak, may we ask for ‘strength to be faithful.’
  • When we are weary, may we ask for ‘grace to go on.’
  • When we are anxious, may we ask for ‘peace when we’re torn.’
  • When we can’t see the way out or through or around or beyond, may we ask for ‘hearts to find hope.’
  • When we feel we have nothing left, may we ask for ‘faith to be strong.’

We must always remember that there is no need we will ever have that He is not already aware of.  He is the Eternal God our Provider—Jehovah-Jireh!

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

O Lord, we recognize that we need Your help in everything.  As the beautiful lyrics of this song sing out, we also ask You, Father, please give us faith to be strong…give us strength to be faithful…give us grace to go on…give us peace when we’re torn…give us hearts to find hope.  We thank You, now in advance, for each of these things because we have already been given a measure of faith by Your grace and mercy.  We have faith placing our confidence and trust in You, El Shaddai.  And we pray all these things in Jesus’ precious and powerful Name.  Amen.

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Your Faith

January 21, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,
And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,
For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?
And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?
Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.
But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

Mark 5:25 – 34 AMP

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
Luke 8:48 NASB

Recently, John 10:10 has come to my attention a lot!

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy life,
and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
Amplified Bible version

I got to thinking…if Jesus came
to give us an abundant, overflowing life,
why aren’t we experiencing that kind of life?

I think Mark 5:34a (NLT) holds the key:

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.

Our faith must be exercised to have an abundant, overflowing life.  Faith is based on knowing God & studying His words.  Joyce Meyer says “God’s Word is like medicine for the spirit, soul, and body.”  We must apply God’s Word and put our faith into action.  That’s what this woman did.

Look at Mark 5:28 (AMP) –

For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.

This woman took action.  She reached out in faith—her faith was in Jesus. Why? Well, Old Testament Scripture states:

He sends forth His word and heals them
and rescues them from the pit and destruction.
Psalm 107:20 AMP

Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)
and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment],
yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. 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.
Isaiah 53:4-5 AMP

For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 30:17a AMP

Jesus is Jehovah Rapha—The Lord Who Heals.  But we can’t just have faith in Him.  Our faith needs to be put into action.  Otherwise, it is like getting a headache and having pain reliever…but not taking it.  It doesn’t do you much good.  Neither does our faith if we don’t use it.  Our faith, when put into action, honors Christ.  In return, Christ puts His royal seal on our faith.  And the end result?  Healing and peace.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You so much for being our Healer.  Help us put our faith into action so that we may live in the promise of an abundant, overflowing life.  May our faith always bring honor and glory to You.  In Your Holy Name – Amen, it is so!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Faith That Brings Peace

January 20, 2015 by

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Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace and freed from suffering.”
Mark 5:34

Jesus went about doing good in His ministry.  Each and every time He healed the sick, He would release them with some grace.

In our Scripture reference today we see the lady being healed and at the end Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you, go in peace and freed from suffering.”  In this Scripture we see that if it wasn’t for faith this lady would not have benefitted from the presence of Jesus on earth.  You know what, sisters—we can attain all things when we have faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for….
Hebrews 11:1 KJV

This lady knew that ‘if only I can touch Jesus’ hem of His garments…all will be well for me.’  She took a step of faith and broke protocols of that time by maneuvering through the crowd and found herself amidst the disciples (men) and touched Jesus.

On its own, it was not proper for a woman to be brushing shoulders with men; she didn’t mind what people would say about her.  All she was concerned with was that she would be healed.  I therefore urge each one of us to be a people of vision.  Let us also ask ourselves these questions below:

  • What is it that we want God to do for us
  • How are we drawing near to Him for Him to help us
  • How much time do we have for God
  • Do we believe He can do it
  • How great is He to heal us and free us from suffering

There are times we need to fast, pray, and believe God for a miracle.  As well as have faith that whatsoever we pray for we shall have it (Mark 11:24-25).  Sometimes we just need to make bold decisions. Such as going for ‘Esther-type’ of prayer when you have husband at home whom we can’t deny matrimonial rights.  Except for the time of fasting (1 Corinthians 7:5) you excuse yourself to that.

We see also this type of faith in Mark 10:52 where Jesus healed blind Bartimeaus, who later followed Jesus. Let us follow Jesus always—we know what He is capable of doing!  Let us not doubt anything.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word at the right time.  Thank You for You made it possible for us to study these Scriptures which show us how great You are and that you operate well when we have faith.  We thank You for You stand by Your Word that without faith we can’t please You.  As You are pleased with our faith, Lord, do unto us what we need not…what we want.  We ask all this in Jesus’ name Amen.

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