God Still Does

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,” (Psalm 103:2 ESV)

I believe God still heals today!

I believe a follower of Christ can claim God’s healing promises by faith and see people healed. But we don’t see much healing going on in churches today, and that’s unfortunate. It’s a tough, controversial subject to even discuss.

Don’t allow deception and fraud to stop you

There has always been deception and fraud regarding the subject of miracles and healing. It’s not new. Incidents of it were discussed in the Bible (Acts 19:15; Acts 13:6-7). And in today’s world, they are still active; fake faith healers and so-called miracle workers continuously give the issue a black eye. There are thousands of books written on the subject, both pro and con. No wonder so many churches completely throw out anything to do with it. Therefore, not many people are prayed for with complete faith for healing in today’s modern churches, and not many people are healed.  

Medically verified healings

When I was looking for positive examples of ministries where healings were medically verified. I decided to look for ones where the leaders weren’t personally enriched by their ministry. And also no longer alive, to view them strictly from a historical viewpoint to see their ministry’s results. The following are two ministries where healings happened often and were medically verified.

·      John G. Lake (March 18, 1870 - September 16, 1935) - Over 250,000 confirmed healings in a 10 year span. 1918 Spokane Washington reported to be the healthiest city in the U.S. He was so effective in his healing ministry that he literally closed down hospitals in Spokane.  

·      Reinhard Bonke (19 April 1940 – 7 December 2019), Christ for All Nations, was a German-American evangelist, and called “the Billy Graham of Africa” with over a million at a time attending his rallies. Thousands of confirmed healings.

Why pray for healing?

Because Jesus healed everyone who asked Him without fail. He rejected no one and He has not and will never change.

“Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8).  

Jesus said we’d do the same works He did

“Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father’.” (John 14:12 NLT)

“because as he is so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17b ESV)

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Prov. 13:20 ESV)

Choose your friends wisely

It’s important who you choose for your friends because they will have a major influence on you. Oh, I’m not talking about those casual friends you see at work or at the coffee shop; I’m referring to the ones you choose to hang out with mainly and closely. Those are the ones who will make the most difference in your life.

Associating with bad friends

“Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV).

“Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.” (Prov. 22:24–25 ESV)

Associating with good friends

“That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.” (Rom. 1:12 ESV)

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Prov. 27:17 ESV)

Therefore

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25 ESV)

 And of course…

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 ESV)

“For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.” (2 Cor. 4:5)

 Jesus is our Lord and we are to serve Him

Bob Dylan had a song in the late 1970’s with the title,“You gotta serve somebody.” With the following refrain:

“You’re gonna have to serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord. But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

He was correct. But usually we just focus on serving ourselves. And everything else is in line after that. But it must not be that way!

Lord is defined in English as “someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.” And Jesus is certainly all of that. He is not only our personal Savior, He is also our Lord and we must serve Him as such!

Why the Lordship of Jesus is important

A person who says, “Jesus is Lord,” with a full understanding of what that means (Jesus is God and has supreme authority over all things) has been divinely enlightened. 

“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor. 12:3)

 Faith in the Lord Jesus is required for salvation

“They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)

Jesus' Lordship is connected to His resurrection and your salvation

“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Rom. 10:9)

Jesus is both Lord and God

“Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:36)

“He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31)

“yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (1 Cor. 8:6)

“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9)

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deut. 31:8 ESV)

God is with you always!

One of my favorite promises is the one above. Knowing that God is ever present wherever I go gives me great comfort and strength. And along with that promise are wonderful benefits!

Knowing God is with you will… 

·      Keep you from fear

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6 ESV)

·      Keep you content

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb. 13:5 ESV)

·      Will preserve you

“For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off.” (Psalm 37:28 ESV)

·      Will give you victory

“For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” (Deut. 20:4 ESV) 

Therefore

“Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh. 1:9b ESV)

Things with a strong hold on you 

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Cor. 10:13 ESV)

Another thing that can have a strong hold on a person is temptation. Of course, everybody has to deal with temptation; even Jesus did so in the desert (but without sin). But some people have severe temptation, perhaps from an earlier dependence on a substance such as alcohol or other drugs. Or it could be a sexual temptation, or something like gambling or eating, and they try to deal with it constantly.

But there is good news

The promise in the passage at top tells you that God will not let you be tempted above your ability to withstand it. And He says he will provide a way for you to endure it, and even to escape from it.  

Use the Word of God

“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  (2 Corinthians 10:4–5, NIV)

Some practical things to do

·      Learn to recognize it and run away. The Bible tells us numerous times that the best strategy for battling temptation is to run from it (1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:11; 2 Tim. 2:22). 

·      Become educated about what tempts you. Know how to recognize it and where it is found.

·      Develop a plan to protect yourself from it. It may mean you must make a few hard personal choices about who you spend time with and where you go. If you are struggling with alcohol, for instance, you wouldn’t spend time with drinkers, and you would not go to places where liquor is present.The Bible says it this way: “And make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13:14 ESV)

Finally

Remember that God is ever-present with you and fighting to give you victory.

“For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.” (Deut. 20:4  ESV) 

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 ESV) 

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57 ESV)

Things with a strong hold on you 

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” (1 Cor. 6:12 ESV)

Over the last few days, I’ve been talking about strongholds and how to break them. There are also things that simply have some kind of strong hold on you. Things that have gained some kind of grip or dominance over you or hold you back from being totally free as you're supposed to be. “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” (John 8:36)

 Habits that stick

 I’ve heard people say on occasion, “Sorry, but that’s just the way I am!” It usually has to do with some kind of behavioral trait or shortcoming. But is that really true? Are you locked into certain characteristics for life? Or could it be that the person has simply given into a habit that had formed over a long time until they conformed to it? Eventually, it became a part of how they came to see themselves mentally and who they now believe they are.

Be transformed by the renewal of your mind

You must never give into the "this is just the way I am" mentality but instead bring your thinking into line with God’s Word. (1 Cor. 6:12). Find powerful Bible promises to counteract negative habits that have gotten a grip on your life. A good promise to start with is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). And tackle any negative thing that is trying to dominate you. And be diligent and patient; many reliable studies have shown that it takes approximately a month to build a new habit. 

Therefore

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2 ESV)

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

Dealing with Strongholds 

“And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him” And he said, “From childhood.” (Mark 9:21 ESV)

A demonic stronghold

Mark 14-29 tells the story of a boy who was tormented for a long time by a demon which caused him to convulse, foam at the mouth, and even fall into fires and water. The apostles tried but could not cast the demon out even though Jesus had empowered them to. Jesus then came and cast out the demon. 

This failure was very troubling to the apostles

Later, the apostles asked Jesus why they had failed. And He said, “This kind can only come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. (Mark 9:29 KJV).

Don’t give up!

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4 ESV)

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? (Isa. 58:6 ESV)

Therefore

“But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:17-18 ESV).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

Dealing with strongholds 

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me.” (Psalm 138:7 ESV)

Don’t allow an evil attack to turn into a stronghold

An evil attack becomes a stronghold when it causes you to retreat in fear and prevents you from completing what God has assigned you to do, which is to share the good news of Jesus with others.

His assignment to all of us

Jesus’s last command just before He ascended into heaven was, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel...” (Mark 16:15). This command was to all of God’s followers, and it included you, too! You have been placed in God’s world at the exact time and place you now live (Acts 17:26), and you are there to share the good news with those who live in your world, and the enemy will try to stop you from doing it!

The enemy will cause trouble

If you are a danger to the devil by promoting God’s kingdom, you will be attacked. There’s no exception. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). And if you are never attacked or persecuted for your faith, it should act as a warning to you; you aren’t a threat to the enemy. Jesus said, “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (Luke 6:26).

The enemy is the destroyer and attacks God’s people every way he can (John 10:10). He especially attacks those who share Christ. He attacked Jesus continuously, he attacked the Apostle Paul multiple times, and he continues to attack everyone who promotes the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The great news is that God is ever present to help you! (Psalm 46:1) 

What to do 

If you get attacked by the enemy there are two things you must immediately do (and do them in order listed in the verse): First. Submit yourself to God, and second, resist the devil. And these two commands are followed with a wonderful promise: the devil will flee from you.

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7 ESV)

Therefore

“No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.” (Isa. 54:17 ESV)

Dealing with strongholds

“And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:17)

The Bible serves as both an offensive and defensive tool

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 ESV)

Strongholds are broken and enemy is vanquished by the Word which transforms defeat into victory

 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)