"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17).

Healing is the work of Christ, our anointed Savior. Have you ever been in pain? I mean real pain. Most of us have.

The Scripture says, "…Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses." In other words, Jesus took the pain away and destroyed it. He makes the pain leave. So when pain comes, then God's Word should automatically come out of your mouth. Why? The Word is our life and it is health to all our flesh.

But for many of us, when pain comes, the latest name brand pain reliever comes out.

Jesus Came To Heal
Well, Jesus is the one who lifted our sickness and carried them away. And unlike a natural pain reliever, the Word will do away with your pain and sickness forever.

Yes, the devil will try to throw those symptoms at you again and again. But you throw the Word at him again and again. You don't have to take what he is trying to give to you. Sickness is satanic oppression, but healing is an act of restoration - and it belongs to you.

Satan has nothing to offer you but death and destruction. He didn't die on the cross for you, Jesus did. And Jesus has everything to offer you - salvation, eternal life, peace, joy, and health. You see Jesus loves you so much that he gave his life so that you can walk in divine health.

1 Peter 2:24, says "…by whose stripes ye were healed." The word "were" is past tense, which means your healing has already been provided for you. Jesus bore your sickness and disease on the cross and you don't have to bare them. He gave you abundant life; sickness has nothing to do with abundant life or restoration.

The word "healed" means to cure a disease or wound; to restore to soundness. A healer is one who restores to soundness. So we can see healing is an act of restoration. There is nothing God can't handle. He took care of everything when He gave His son.

I hope you will think about that this holiday season. Jesus came at Christmas time in order to restore us back to the image of God. God doesn't have any sickness. So as for me, I will not accept any sickness. What about you? Instead, we should accept everything that Jesus did for us. Jesus wants us to be just like Him - to walk in divine health.

Thank God for the anointed Savior, born on Christmas morning.

1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:4-5; Proverbs 4:20-22

Silencing the Critics

"For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men."(1 Peter 2:15)

I know from personal experience that when people start to criticize you and persecute you because you live by faith, your natural human response is to want to strike back. It's easy to want to start dishing out a little criticism of your own. "Maybe if they get a taste of their own medicine, they'll shut their mouths," you think. But you know what? They won't. Your words will just add fuel to their fire and they'll criticize you harder and louder than they did before. I know--I have been there! According to the Word of God, however, there is a way to silence them. Not by arguing with them. Not even by defending yourself. But by keeping quiet and continuing to do the good works God has called you to do. Jesus was highly criticized by the religious establishment of His day. But He never fought back. Instead, Acts 10:38 says He simply went about doing good. When people start criticizing you, be like Jesus and just keep on blessing people. Keep on praying for folks who are oppressed by the devil and get them delivered. Keep on laying hands on the sick and get them healed. Keep on doing what God has called you to do. That will aggravate the devil because his primary purpose is to make you ineffective for the kingdom of God. He wants you to get wrapped up in the criticism. He wants to distract you, to get your mind off the job God has given you. He really wants you to quit. Don't do it! Instead, follow the instructions in 2 Timothy 3:14 and "continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of." Silence the ignorant criticisms of men by continuing to do good and by continuing to live by faith. And when all their foolish words have faded away, you'll still be standing strong. Glory to God!

A Dose of Love

"Love...is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it--pays no attention to a suffered wrong."(1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
Walking in love is good for your health. Did you know that? It's true! Medical science has proven it. Researchers have discovered that hostility produces stress that causes ulcers, tension headaches, and a host of other ills. Now when you think of hostility, you may think of the type of anger you feel when something serious happens. But according to the experts, that kind of thing isn't what causes the worst problems. It's the little things: when the dry cleaners ruin your favorite outfit, for example. Or when the cafeteria lady puts gravy on your mashed potatoes after you've specifically told her not to. Maybe it is one of those days where everyone and everthing irritates you. Sound familiar? Just think how much stress you could avoid by being quick to forgive, by living your life according to 1 Corinthians 13 and not counting up the evils done to you. Imagine physical and emotional benefits of living like that! If you've allowed yourself to be habitually bound by hostility, that may sound like an impossible dream, but it's not! Because as a born-again believer, you have the love of God inside of you. If you'll yield to that love, it will set you free. Remember when Jesus called Lazarus forth from the grave? He was alive but still bound in the grave clothes. Jesus commanded the bindings to be loosed so that Lazarus could be free to walk. Jesus wants that same kind of freedom for you. So get into agreement with Him. Say to those deadly habits that have you bound, "In the Name of Jesus, loose me and let me go! I'm putting hostility, unforgiveness and selfishness behind me. I'm going on with God. I'm going to live the life of love!" Remember: It doesn't take a medical miracle to turn your life around. All it takes is a decision to yield to the force of love. Do it today!

(Al Jones contributed to this post)

Is He Listening?

"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."(1 John 5:14-15)

Have you ever been in prayer and suddenly had the disturbing sensation that God simply isn't listening? It's happened to all of us. We limp along praying the same old prayers, half-hoping those prayers are heard and half-suspecting they're not. I want to show you how to resolve that dilemma once and for all. But let me warn you, I'm not going to slap you on the back and assure you God will listen to any old doubtful, self-centered thing you say to Him. He's only promised to listen to prayers that are prayed according to His will. The Apostle John says when you pray like that, you'll know that you have the petitions you desire of Him. The word petition is defined as "a formal written request addressed to a sovereign superior of a particular right or grace," and that's exactly what you need when you're praying about something serious. How do you put together a solid petition, one that's in line with the will of God? First, you have to roll up your sleeves and dig into the written Word. Find scriptures that apply to your situation and make those the foundation for your petition. Then get on your knees and consult with the Holy Spirit. Let Him help you develop your petition in detail. The best way to do that is to spend time praying in the Spirit. (See Romans 8:26-27.) Expect God to reveal things from His heart to yours. He wants you to know His will. So, while you're praying, listen! Last of all, write it down. Make a formal written request by writing down every scripture you found. Also, as you're listening to the Holy Spirit for the details, write down the impressions and ideas He gives you. Take your time. Let the Spirit develop your prayer. Let the truth He reveals to you settle in and begin to work in you. Get your petition firmly in mind, then when you're ready, present it to God. Believe me, He'll be listening.

1 John 5:1-15

We Have the Victory!

“Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37 AMP).
No matter what challenges you may be facing today—at work, home, in your health or in your relationships, God promises that even in the middle of “all these things”, you can have victory. How? Victory starts in your heart and mind. Victory starts with peace that passes understanding. That means that you can have peace when it doesn’t make sense to have peace. When the rest of the world is full of anxiety and worry, you can live in peace. Victory “amid all these things” also means that you can have joy deep down in your soul. You can have so much joy that you can’t even explain why you have it! It’s supernatural. It’s joy unspeakable and full of His glory and power.
When you begin to dwell on God’s promise of victory, something will change on the inside of you. You may have felt like you were losing ground five minutes ago, but right now you can take hold of the victory He’s promised. Open your heart to Him and receive the joy and peace He longs to give you. Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength, and as you embrace His joy, you’ll be empowered to rise above your challenges so you can move forward into the victory He has for you.

Bob & Lorita--English teachers?

This weekend, we began teaching English classes in a church in Costa Rica. One of our ministries is to teach English as an evangelical tool to bring people to Jesus. Bob had obtained certification to teach English as a second language before leaving the States. The turnout was great, with about 20 students, all adults. Glory to God! There is nothing like learning English using the Bible. The course is on Saturdays, and will last into December! We pray that God will use this opportunity to draw others to him!

Have you hit the wall?

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."(Philippians 4:13)

You're running the race set before you, moving full speed ahead with God's blessing overtaking you at every step. Then suddenly, wham! You hit the wall. It may be a wall of sickness or financial trouble, of spiritual failure or family problems. But, regardless of the form it takes, the effect of "the wall" is always the same. It stops you cold. The question is, once you hit a wall like that, what will you do? You'll be tempted to quit, to turn back in defeat. But don't do it. Because God will enable you to break through that wall and keep right on going. I'm not going to tell you it's easy. The truth is, it's tough. But you have to push on through the tough times if you're ever going to have a breakthrough. Ask any athlete. He'll tell you that! Because if he's a winner, he's been there. He's pushed his body to what seems to be the maximum. His side has hurt. His lungs have ached. He's had cramps in his legs and thighs. And just when he felt like he couldn't go on, he's heard some coach yell, "Come on! Move it!" Athletes call that "hitting the wall." It's a time when the body says, "That's it. That's all I can do. I can't go any further. I can't go any faster. I quit." But the seasoned athlete knows that "the wall" isn't the end. It's a signal that he's on the verge of a breakthrough. If he'll toughen up and push himself a little more, he'll get a second wind. Suddenly, he'll go faster than before. He'll reach a level of excellence he couldn't have reached any other way. When you feel the worst, when failure is breathing down your neck, press into the Word as never before. You may meditate on a particular scripture for days and even weeks sometimes, trying to get a revelation of it, seemingly without success. Then suddenly, like the dawn of the morning, light will come pouring in. You'll see the way to break through. All you have to do is punch one little hole in that wall of problems, dig one tiny hole in it with your faith and with the Word of God. Then keep tearing away at that hole. Don't quit! And, before long, the forces of God will come bursting through, demolishing every obstacle in their path! Once that happens you'll never be the same again. You'll be hooked. It will only take one breakthrough like that to make a never-dying, never-quitting champion out of you.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

(contributed by Al Jones)