The Believing Business

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23 (KJV)

Get into the believing business. You have to get over into the believing business. When you get over into the believing business, then you will start having the manifestation of God's healing power.

In Luke, chapter 4, the people went by what they thought they knew. And by what they thought they saw to determine whether the power was present. Jesus was requiring them to believe that the power was present without the aid of a miracle.

The healing power of God does not show up because of certain people (personalities). Jesus was requiring them to believe what He said before anything else. They said, show us a miracle and we will believe you. He wouldn't do it. He is still that way today. He has not changed. Somebody says, well, you know, if I ever saw a blind eye opened then I would have great faith. Faith does not come by seeing. Faith comes by hearing. When I was overseas, I saw whole lines of blind eyes opened. Some of the people were blind from birth. But there were still blind people in the same line doubting. Faith does not come by seeing. Faith comes by hearing. The children of Israel saw the miracles and still doubted God in the desert. So you need to hear the Word.

I want you to take some time to lift your hands to the Lord. Lift your voice up to the Lord and say, thank you Lord the healing power of God is available wherever I go. It is available for me. And in Jesus' name I tap into it, anytime I want to. By faith I know Jesus is my Healer. I know healing is provided for me. And I know it's mine, right now, from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet, in Jesus' name. Now, thank Him for it in faith.

Scripture References: Luke 4, Mark 9:17-27; Romans 10:17

Time For A Spiritual Check-up

"I am praying...your body is as healthy as...your soul." 3 John 2 TLB

We all know how important physical health is; here's a plan for keeping your soul in shape:

(a) Don't question your faith, question your doubts. We spend too much time dwelling on our misgivings, experiencing faith as an occasional flash-in-the-pan. God's promises are for 'believers.'

(b) Don't be a 'lone ranger.' It's no accident that the Old Testament contains the story of God's people, and that the Epistles were written to congregations. We grow as we relate - not isolate!

(c) Guard your thought life. If your "thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if [it's] controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace" (Ro 8:6 NCV). Practice mind management!

(d) Fall asleep and wake up immersed in gratitude. It'll transform your day. "In every thing give thanks!" (1Th 5:18).

(e) Ditch anything that distracts you from God. Toss the junk reading material, and if you've got the guts, throw in the TV!

(f) Always err on the side of mercy. Philip Yancey writes: "I marvel at the humility of a God who descends to live inside...his 'flawed' creatures...Do I show that same attitude towards people of whom I disapprove?"

(g) Be specific and don't revert to generalities when discussing your faith. Paul wasn't "ashamed of the Gospel" (Ro 1:16); neither should you be.

(h) Be gracious to the people who irk you. God chose them too! Sometimes it's easier to be gracious to non-believers than to uptight, moralistic Christians. But that just makes you a different kind of judgmental.

(i) Forgive those who've hurt you. Harboring hatred hinders healing, so bring your hurts to God.

Is healing for all

There are seven scriptural methods whereby you can receive your healing. I believe the prayer of faith is the highest form of prayer to receive healing.

In Mark 11:24 Jesus said,
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Well, is Jesus a liar or does He tell the truth? He tells the truth! He says, "whatever things you ask...." Wouldn't that have to include healing? Yes, it does.

Therefore, it must be God's will to heal. Otherwise He could not make that kind of bold declaration. "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray"-not after you pray, not a month later, not when you see something, not when you understand it, but "when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

If you believe you receive them you will confess that, "Bless the Lord-I believe I am healed, I believe I have received my healing." Now, once you make a faith confession you are going to get opposite from the enemy. His motive is to move you off your faith confession.

Someone might say, "Yes, but you don't look like you are healed." I didn't say, "I look like I'm healed," I said, "I believe that I received my healing."

"Yes, but how do you feel?"

"Bless God, I am not going by how I feel-I am going by what I believe-and I believe I am healed, in Jesus' Name."

"Yes, but that doesn't make sense."

"That's right; it is not sense, it's faith."

"Yes, but that's illogical."

"You're right again; it's not logic, it's faith."

"Yes, but I just don't understand that."

"I don't understand how it works either, but I believe it is true because God said it in His Word."

Listen friend, I don't understand how television works, but I believe if I turn it on, I can watch a movie. The fact that I don't understand how it works does not stop me from enjoying the benefits of watching my favorite TV programs in living color.

I don't understand how a gasoline engine works. I don't understand how it works inside without blowing up the whole thing. Instead of blowing up it pushes a piston down that drives a crank-shaft that turns a drive-shaft to the rear wheels that turns the wheels when you put it in gear that moves the car forward. I don't understand it, but I could care less-all I want to know is that when I turn that thing on and put it in gear, it is going and that is all that I'm concerned about. How about you?

I don't know how an airplane stays up in the sky, as big as a 747 is-that thing is gigantic. How does it stay up in the air? The good news is that I don't have to understand it to get on the plane and fly from Los Angeles to Hawaii or somewhere else. All I have to do is believe the plane can fly me there, get on board and go. After all, that is what you want anyway-the results-right?

Praise God! You don't have to do any more than believe that you receive your healing based on the Word of God and you shall have it!

Is healing for all? I believe that it is so. I believe that I can walk in divine health all the days of my life. I believe and confess that I will never be sick and I'm not being presumptuous. The Bible says in Psalm 91:1, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."

I believe I'm right in there under His right wing-right up under that wing. God Himself said in verse 10, "...No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." Whose dwelling place is God talking about? My dwelling place because I am under His shadow of protection.

What is a plague? Isn't that sickness and disease? God said, ""...No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." Well, I guess God lied. No, He is not a man that He should lie. He went on to say, in verse 16, "With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation." Praise God! Healing is for all.

Oh, that's not to say I'm not attacked. I'm attacked. The devil just sits like a blood hound-every morning I wake up he's sitting right on the foot of the bed. Sometimes he throws that dart the right way, but it doesn't stop me and it won't stop me because I'm being "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

LORD I am sorry

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Psalms 51:17 (KJV)


Un-repented sin can lead to a stronghold. You see first of all I need to be sorry for my sin, not because I got caught in it. I want to be sorry for my sin because I displeased God.

I want to be sorry for my sin because I transgressed against the God that has done so much for me. I don't want to act like I'm sorry because you caught me or because you read my phone bill and my phone bill was not right. I don't want to be sorry because someone exposed me. I don't want to be sorry because someone got pregnant out of wedlock. I don't want to be sorry because you caught me in the Lotto line. I want to be sorry because I'm sorry.

And until we have confessed our sin before a Holy God, all our sin - everything that displeases Him, we walk around with unforgiven sin and we build strongholds up in our lives.

Join me in prayer--

Lord,

I ask forgiveness for my sin. I am truly sorry that I have sinned against you and you only. I confess all of my sin, those done consciously and unconsciously and I am truly sorry that I have transgressed against you. Wash me pure with the blood of the Lamb. Create in me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me that I may worship you in spirit and in truth and leave a sanctified life before you.

In Jesus' Name... amen.

Bring It To Me

"A man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 'Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; ... I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him. ' And Jesus answered and said ... 'Bring him here to Me" (Matthew 17:14-17).

In life there are problems that I call "God problems." These are not problems with God, but problems only God can handle. God problems are those that cannot be fixed with your checkbook, education or influence. These problems are outside of the control of human beings and lie squarely within God's sovereign jurisdiction. They stop us in our tracks and cause us to soberly assess our associations and situation in life. They bring us face to face with our insufficiency and our need for God's sufficiency. When we face a God problem we discover what is really important in life. These problems are not designed to stop us from making progress in life, but to reveal our dependency on God. They are opportunities for us to seek and grow closer to Him. God wants to reveal something to you. He wants you to spend some time with Him, growing in your knowledge and relationship with Him, and your problem may be the vehicle He is using to do it.

Throughout the gospels people sought Jesus to do what no one else could do. In Matthew 17:14-1 7, a father had a problem that no one else had an answer for. His son was demon-possessed and no one was able to help him, including the disciples. Finally, he encountered the One who had held the key to his son's deliverance - Jesus. Jesus, looking at this seemingly impossible and long term situation, told the father to, "Bring him to Me". Jesus did in a moment what his father had been trying to do for years. Likewise, the disciples faced a seemingly impossible task of feeding a multitude with a boy's lunch. The boy only had two fish and five loaves of bread, but there were over 5000 people to feed. After taking inventory of the situation, Jesus told the disciples to, "Bring them here to me." As the fish and loaves passed through the hands of Jesus, their insufficiency was transformed into sufficiency.

You may be presently dealing with something that is outside of your control. You've done everything within your power to change the situation and have almost given up hope because nothing has changed. Before you give up, make sure that you've truly brought your problem to God and not trusted people for your solution. Like the boy's father who brought his son to the disciples - they couldn't help him. He needed God alone! Too often, God is the last stop in our search for help. You don't have to lose everything before you seek Him. God is not intimidated by what you are dealing with. Stop trying to fix it on your own. If you could fix it, it would be fixed by now. This is a "God Problem", or a "problem for God". Don't mistake your trusting people with trusting God. When God showed up, deliverance quickly followed.

The devil will do everything he can to keep you from spending time with God and discovering His sufficiency. He will put people in your way and keep you so busy and tired, that instead of things getting better, they get worse. I want to challenge you. Set aside some time in the morning, evening, (or if things are so hectic) on your lunch break or when you are lying in bed and get into God's presence undistracted. Take a deep breadth and focus on God's promises. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus promised, "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, .... 'For My yoke is easy and My burden is light'." God's offer still stands! Whatever it is- "bring it to Me!"

Getting Your Own Revelation of El Shaddai

Philippians 3:10 - That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (KJV)

It is vital for every believer to have a personal revelation of God as El Shaddai, our God who will change the course of nature for us if necessary.

Just because you heard about El Shaddai does not mean you "got" it or understood it. Anybody can shout in church with hundreds or even thousands of people standing around them. It is when you get up in front of an obstacle and you can not see your way around it that you need to be able to shout because you have a personal revelation of God as El Shaddai.

Natural law could tell you, "No way!" It is then that you have to have revelation (not that Bishop Butler or that your pastor has) that God is El Shaddai. You have to have the revelation for yourself. And you get that revelation only by getting in the Word and getting to know Him deeper and more intimately.

Remember that Paul said, "That I might know Him." You have to have the attitude, I am going to stay before Him so I can see for myself.

The Book of Revelation talks about angels that fly around and around the throne of God and worship Him. That is why they get to see more sides of God. They stay before Him, around the throne of God.

You have to stay around the throne so you can see more sides of God. If you do not stay around the throne, and you are down at Joe's Bar, you are not going to get a revelation of God. You are going to get a revelation of Joe! If you hang around the phone gossiping with Sally Sue, you are not going to get a revelation of God. You are going to get a revelation of Bad News Sally.

If you want a revelation of God, you are going to have to hang around the throne. How do you hang around the throne? With praise and worship unto God... with glorifying His Name... with praying in the Holy Ghost and with meditating the Word.

Let me tell you what will happen. You will read the Word, and say, "Holy!" You will read something else and say, "Holy!" You will praise God, and you will say, "Holy is the Lord!" And you will see a new facet of God as you have never seen it - as you continue to build on your foundation and not let it slip.

Scripture References: Revelation 4:8; Hebrews 2:1; 2 Peter 1:19

Passion du Christ

Béni sois-tu, Jésus Christ mon Seigneur, qui as prédit ta mort avant l'heure ; qui, à la dernière Cène, as merveilleusement consacré avec du pain matériel ton corps qui nous rachète ; qui l'as donné par amour aux apôtres en mémoire de ta très précieuse Passion ; toi qui, en leur lavant les pieds de tes très saintes et nobles mains, leur as donné humblement un modèle d'humilité....

Louange éternelle à toi, Jésus Christ mon Seigneur, pour cette heure où tu as souffert sur la croix, pour nous pécheurs, les plus grandes amertumes et les angoisses les plus extrêmes ; car les souffrances très aiguës de tes blessures atteignaient durement ton âme et transperçaient cruellement ton coeur sacré ; finalement ton coeur a éclaté, tu as rendu l'esprit et, penchant la tête, tu t'es remis humblement aux mains de Dieu ton Père, et alors ton corps a connu le froid de la mort...

Béni sois-tu, Jésus Christ mon Seigneur, qui pour notre salut as permis que ton côté et ton coeur soient percés par la lance, et qui as fait jaillir de ton côté les flots de ton sang précieux pour nous racheter.

Gloire à toi, Jésus Christ mon Seigneur, parce que tu as voulu que ton corps béni soit déposé de la croix par tes amis et couché dans les bras de ta mère très douloureuse ; et parce que tu as permis qu'elle l'enveloppe de linges, qu'il soit mis au tombeau et gardé par des soldats.

Honneur éternel à toi, Jésus Christ mon Seigneur, qui es ressuscité des morts le troisième jour ; qui t'es manifesté vivant aux témoins de ton choix ; qui, après quarante jours, es monté au ciel à la vue de beaucoup, et qui y as établi avec honneur tes amis que tu avais délivrés des enfers.

Jubilation et louange éternelle à toi, Seigneur Jésus Christ, qui as envoyé le Saint Esprit dans le coeur de tes disciples et as développé en eux un amour infini de Dieu.

Béni sois-tu, digne de louange et de gloire éternellement, Jésus mon Seigneur, qui trônes en ton royaume céleste dans la gloire de ta divinité, vivant corporellement avec tes membres très saints que tu as tirés de la chair de la Vierge. Et c'est ainsi que tu viendras au jour du jugement pour juger les âmes de tous, vivants et morts. Toi qui vis et règnes avec le Père et l'Esprit Saint pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.

The Purpose of Time Alone with God

The ultimate purpose of spending time with God is to commune with God. Man is made for relationship with God (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and thus, in order to have fullness of joy and to be what God wants him to be, he needs to cultivate that relationship. How this is done will make all the difference for making our devotional time a meaningful, edifying, and truly purposeful time.

James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." The reason we must have time with God is because God asks us to. He puts the responsibility on us to make the first move to reach to Him in drawing near. He wants us to want Him, and so He waits for us with open arms hoping that we will run to Him. The promise for us is sure that if we draw near to Him we can be sure that He will be there for us. He won't run, He won't hurt us, He won't ignore us, He won't abandon us, and He will listen. He is the perfect friend and Father, and He always has all the time we could ever need. In addition, He has the power to effect change, move mountains, and truly impact our lives immediately and directly. It is such a privilege to be a child of God Who can approach the Sovereign of the entire world to move to meet our needs.

When we come to realize that life is about relationship with God, we will get the most out of our devotion time. If we start to think that life is merely about doing things for God rather than enjoying God Who does His work in and through us, we will lose our joy and our first love (Revelation 2:4). Life to the full is knowing God (John 17:3). Eternal life and the abundant life (John 10:10) are found in cultivating a personal relationship with a personal God through Jesus Christ. This is what our heart longs for, and if we start replacing God with activities for God or any other idol, we will lose our joy and wonder why God feels so distant. The beauty of an intimate walk with God is that we can know His will (1 Corinthians 2:16), we can have our joy made full (John 15:11), and we can expect our prayers to be answered (John 15:7). There is rest, security, and certainty when we are near to the heart of God. But we must take the time to spend time with God to listen to Him, learn from Him, and love Him.

A productive quiet time is one in which we encounter God's heart for us through His Word. We read it, study it, and meditate upon it such that the Spirit is able to give us enlightenment concerning its meaning and His desired application for our lives. The Scripture is not meant to be mere data and information, but it is language expressing God's love and intents to us and for us. It is thus more than letters on a page, being God's handwritten note to us about His love and purposes for us. It is very much alive (Hebrews 4:12). When we read God's Word to see what God's heart is and how He wants our hearts (James 1:25), then devotions are meaningful and purposeful.

Devotions should also involve time in prayer. We should listen to God through His Word, and then we should speak to God through prayer. It is essential that we open our hearts fully before God, especially since He sees them for what they are anyway. It is silly to not express our full longings when God knows what they are anyway. We should cast our worries and cares upon Christ (1 Peter 5:7), we should pour out our needs to Him, and we should pray for the things which He has told us to pray for, such as for His kingdom to come and will to be done in various areas in our sphere of influence and in the world. We want to see His name lifted up in spirit and in truth. Once our hearts are enraptured with God, it is only natural to pray for others to know the same thing.

Psalm 16:11 says, "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." We were made for God, so let us spend time alone with God to hear from Him, to know Him, to enjoy Him, to learn from Him, and to listen to Him. He alone can give us strength and meet our deepest needs, so let us draw near to Him regularly, starting today.

Faith : Bring your Red Umbrella

"Ask...in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24 NIV


When severe drought hit a small farming community , a local church called a prayer meeting and everybody showed up. Crisis has a way of getting our attention! As the pastor stood before his packed church he noticed an 11-year-old girl sitting in the front row, beaming with excitement. Lying next to her was her bright red umbrella poised for use. The beauty and innocence of this sight made him smile as he compared the faith of this child with that of the rest of the people in the room. You see, the rest of them had just come to pray for rain - she had come to see God answer!

One of the dangers of praying, is praying, yet not really expecting anything: "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that...he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb11:6 NIV). You say, "So how do I get more faith?" By filling your mind with the Scriptures! "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Ro 10:17). When you immerse yourself in God's Word an amazing thing happens; faith takes root and begins to grow. And faith is what makes your praying effective.

But what if your prayer lines up with God's Word, yet the answer is delayed?

Keep praying and believing! "Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised" (Heb 10:35-36 NIV).

So when you pray for rain, bring your "red umbrella!"

Free to Love Like Jesus

In the day in which we live, it takes a lot to shock us. We see so much sorrow, death and destruction each night on the news that after a while we become desensitized to it.

But last night, I saw something that shocked, sickened and saddened me. Maybe you saw it, too.

A 49 year old woman named Esmin Green was admitted to the emergency room of King's County Hospital Center in New York for psychiatric evaluation, and she was left in the waiting room for over 24 hours. At 5:32 am, the security camera shows her collapsing on the floor. For the next 30 minutes, Ms. Green lay on the floor convulsing, moving and at one point appearing to try to get up. Hospital workers and employees came in, looked at the woman and then left. One even appeared to be looking at the television while completely ignoring the stricken woman. She stopped moving at 6:07 am.

One hour and three minutes after she collapsed, a hospital worker came into the room and nudged Ms. Green with her foot. When she got no response, the worker waited a few minutes more and then summonded help. But it was too late. Esmin Green was dead.

How could someone collapse in a hospital's waiting room and lay there for an hour until she died? How could hospital workers and perhaps other people waiting for treatment in the waiting room ignore someone who was obviously in need of help? How could people be so uncaring and heartless toward another human being?

Today we heard that six workers at King's County have been fired for their failure to help Ms. Green and for their attempts to cover it up. Obviously, they should have been. But as I thought about this story during the day today, I can't help but think that to one extent or another, you and I are in some ways as guilty of neglect as those hospital workers.

Now to be sure, if someone collapsed in the hall outside my office or in the parking deck as I was walking to my car, I would no doubt act decisively to assist them and to summon help. I am sure you would do the same. But how many times recently have I crossed paths with someone who was in great need spiritually or emotionally and I ignored them just as those hospital workers ignored Esmin Green?

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to expose the racism and elitism of the Pharisees. He also wanted to point out their lack of compassion for those in need. You remember the story... a man is attacked, beat up, and left for dead. Several religious leaders pass by the injured man before a Samaritan - a group of people hated by the Jews - stopped to help.

In those moments when we are being really honest with ourselves and with God, we know in our hearts that left to our own devices we tend to be like the Pharisees. It is when we are being like Jesus that we reach out in love and compassion to help and to share the gospel with all we come in contact with. Our culture teaches us to withdraw from and distrust those who we don't know and those who are not like us. Jesus has set us free to love like He loves.

And He reminds us that when we touch the least of these we are touching Him. When we refuse them, we are refusing Him.

Lord, make me sensitive to the needs, the cares, the concerns, the hurts, and the spiritual condition of those that I come in contact with today!