Tag: healing

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The Choice Is Yours

The Manna Chef

And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:25

Free will.  The concept really is amazing to me.  We serve this Awesome God, and He doesn’t force us to do anything.  We can choose to serve Him or not, as long as we recognize our choices have consequences.  I love the song, “The Choice Is Yours,” by the hip hop group, Black Sheep.  (And, yes, I’m still saved.)  The hook of the song says, “You can get with this or you can get with that…I think you’ll get with this ’cause this is where it’s at.”  (Ok, so now I’m jamming as I type this message.)  That’s how I feel about my spiritual walk with the Lord.  God is “where it’s at.”  Why would I choose to be anywhere other than with my Father?

I want you to take a moment to think about your relationship with the Lord.  It’s one thing to really know Him and quite another to only know about Him.  I shared with a dear friend recently that my life has become more than an additional book of the Bible; it’s an adventure with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and me doing our collective “thing.”  Some days are full of action and others seem pretty mundane; but make no mistake, we’re riding this out together.  As a matter of fact, I am learning how to be content in those mundane moments because I can see God in the midst of them, too. 

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God’s Got You!

The Manna Chef

God’s got you!  Look, I know that is not grammatically correct, but I need you to really understand that today:  God’s got you right where you are!

God has been speaking to me about supernatural provision and His ability to take care of His children.  Surprisingly, He didn’t send me to Exodus with Moses and the children of Israel or to Elijah and the widow in 1 Kings.  He sent me to a passage that seemed odd at first, and I wondered, “What does this have to do with what You have given me, Lord?” 

But even as Jesus said this, a crowd approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples.  Judas walked over to Jesus to greet him with a kiss.  But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”

When the other disciples saw what was about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!”  And one of them struck at the high priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.

But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.  Luke 22:47-51(NLT)

First of all, let me give you some context here.  This passage describes for us the moment Jesus is betrayed and arrested.  Judas, one of Jesus’ own disciples, led a crowd that included soldiers and temple guards to capture Him.  They carried blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons as they arrived at the olive grove looking for Jesus.  Judas walked over to Jesus and kissed Him to identify the Man they were seeking, and chaos ensued.  The disciples were ready to throw down to defend Jesus.  Peter even drew his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Malchus.  But Jesus shut it all down, and He healed the man’s ear.  He didn’t condemn the soldiers.  He didn’t yell at Judas.  He didn’t run away.  Before willingly allowing the soldiers to take Him, He performed a miracle and healed Malchus—a man who was there with the crowd to arrest Him.  Even when it seemed as if the enemy was winning, Jesus stopped everything and showed us Who He really is. 

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When They Just Don’t Want to Know

The Manna Chef

Why is it that when someone is suffering, everyone assumes that it is punishment as a result of sin?  People spend a lot of time trying to figure out your situation and often come to the wrong conclusions.  John 9:1-7 gives us an account of Jesus healing a man who was born blind.  Even the disciples thought the blindness was a result of sin (either the man or his parents).  Jesus assured them that no one had caused the blindness:  God allowed it so that His glory would be on full display.  That’s right; some of the tests that you encounter are simply to allow God’s glory to be seen in your life.  When challenges arise, it’s not always because you’ve done something wrong.  The enemy berates us and tries to make us think that God is on His throne waiting to beat us down.  But that is not the God we serve.  He is not just going about trying to find people to punish.  Sometimes He puts you on display for His glory to manifest.  He actually chooses you for some tests and has already given you the victory.  You just need to trust Him and obey.

John 9 continues to paint the picture of how the people reacted to the man who was healed:

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

Now, these folks had known him all his life, but for some reason, they seem to have trouble believing that his condition has changed.  Believe it or not, some people would rather you stay in a state of distress and brokenness than to see you delivered.  Instead of celebrating the miracle, they were too busy trying to figure out how he was healed.  The man told them about Jesus.  That’s what we should do without hesitation; point them right to Jesus.  But, be warned…not everyone will celebrate your miracles and blessings. 

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Speak the Word Only

The Manna Chef

Let me ask you something, do you really believe the Word of God?  Do you believe that God is Who He says He is and that He will do what He said He will do?

God led me to a very familiar passage to remind me of just how effective His Word is in my life:  Matthew 8:5-13.  (I’m going to share with you a few verses at a time to paint the picture that He revealed to me.)

Verses 5-6: Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

This Roman officer approached Jesus and pleaded with Him.  “Jesus, my servant is at home sick, paralyzed in terrible pain.”  He explained the condition to Jesus because He knew that Jesus could take care of the problem.  (Are we taking our problems to the One who can actually solve them?)

Verse 7: And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”  See, Jesus responded to the man’s request.  He heard the plea and was moved to act.

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