VERSE OF THE DAY!

Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
—Leviticus 19:18

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Hanging on to bitterness and keeping alive grudges is consuming work. It leaves little energy for blessing others, praising God, or enjoying life. The only way to get over a bitter heart toward others is to actively love and serve them in ways that bless their lives. If we can't do this because it's hard to feel like it is the right thing to do, we do it because we know God and want to please him!

My Prayer...
Father of light, love and mercy, please remove from my heart any cynicism or delight in seeing others around me fall. Instead, help me to be a rescuer rather than a neglector. I want your grace to be seen in my friendships. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

REFUSAL

Beloved,
In what other lives or lands
Have I known your lips
Your Hands
Your Laughter brave
Irreverent.
Those sweet excesses that
I do adore.
What surety is there
That we will meet again,
On other worlds some
Future time undated.
I defy my body's haste.
Without the promise
Of one more sweet encounter
I will not deign to die.

Maya Angelou

10 THINGS TO DO WITH A CUCUMBER

Sure, they're awesome in a cool, crisp salad, but what else can you do with cukes? Try one of these ten ideas.

Whether you started a garden and are overrun with cucumbers or found a fab deal at the farmer's market and brought home a bushel of cukes, you are not relegated to salads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, there are tons of things you can do with a cucumber.

1. Make Pickles
Purchase a pickle mix at your grocery store (look for the "refrigerator" type). Slice up the cucumbers and add the mix and other ingredients into mason jars. It's really easy!

2. Soothe Tired Eyes
Recline on the couch with a slice of ice-cold cucumber over each eye. The cooling sensation helps sooth red, tired eyes, while the high water content works to reduce puffiness and can even eliminate dark circles.

3. Shed Water Weight
Another of the cucumber's amazing attributes is that it acts as a diuretic. The next time you feel bloated, wash—but don't peel—and slice a cucumber. Add the slices to a pitcher of ice water and drink it down.

4. Make Soup
Cold cucumber soup is heaven on a hot summer evening. Many recipes play off of this basic formula: chop or puree two peeled cucumbers and mix with one cup each plain yogurt and sour cream. Add a cup of chicken broth and salt, pepper, garlic powder and dill to taste. Mix well and chill for at least two hours. Here's a great cucumber soup recipe.

5. Whip Up Tzatziki Sauce
This Greek fave is perfect for gyros, pitas, veggies or pretty much anything else you want to dip or top. Mix 1/4 cup peeled, grated cucumber with a cup of plain yogurt. Stir in a heaping teaspoon of minced onion and a dash each of salt and pepper. Store in the fridge for up to two days. There's a great formula for the sauce in this Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce recipe too.

6. Enjoy an English Sandwich
Host a tea party for your BFFs and serve fancy little cucumber sandwiches. Simply cut the crusts off thin white bread. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on each slice and sandwich peeled, sliced cucumbers between two slices. Slice diagonally to make perfect wedged sammies.

7. Sip a Cocktail
Slice three small limes and place them in a pitcher. Juice three more limes over the slices. Toss in a cup of fresh mint leaves. Add two slices of scrubbed cucumbers to the mix along with 1/2 cup of sugar. Top with two cups of gin or vodka and set in the fridge to steep for half an hour. Scoop ice into a cocktail shaker and top with the mixture. Give it a good shake, strain and serve.

8. Fry Them Up
You have had fried zucchini, maybe even fried green tomatoes, why not fried cucumber slices? Peel and slice a couple of cukes. Dredge them in cornmeal and fry until golden brown. Delicious!

9. Cool Down
Is Indian food a little too hot for you? Make a raita sauce, the perfect thing to cool it down. The combination of yogurt and cucumber in this riata sauce recipe really tempers spicy foods.

10. Treat Yourself
Cucumber is a natural astringent, so a cucumber facial is cleansing and soothing. Puree half a cuke in your food processor or blender. Add a few mint leaves, a tablespoon of lemon juice and an egg white. Mix them all together and then smooth onto your clean face. Leave for 15 minutes and rinse with warm water. Follow with a splash of cool water to close your pores.

VERSE OF THE DAY!

"Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?" declares the Lord. "Do not I fill heaven and earth?" declares the Lord.
—Jeremiah 23:24

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
There is no hiding from God, but for those who willingly and joyously seek him, there is comfort, power, and hope in knowing his presence is ever with us.

My Prayer...
God of the Mountains, be my source of strength as I seek your presence. I acknowledge your presence in all I do and everywhere I go. Please, don't just keep blessing me, but use me to bless others in your name. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

PRACTICAL TEACHING & STUDIES FROM THE WORD OF GOD

Spiritual warfare: Combating temptation

The first weapon used against us is the weapon Satan uses to gain access into our lives. It's called temptation. Sin gives the devil a place in our lives, and temptation is the method Satan uses to encourage us to give him that place. In Ephesians 4:27, we are warned not to give place to the devil in our lives:

"Neither give place to the devil."

Satan had no place in Eve, so he went about tempting her so she would give him a place. She fell for it and it gave the devil more than a place, it gave him the world!

When Satan wants more legal grounds in our lives, we can expect some temptations to come your way. That's his way of getting us to fail and give him a place to operate. The moment we fail and sin, it is important to quickly turn from those sins and repent so that we can be forgiven and the legal ground removed.

How do we counter this weapon of temptation?
In James 4, we are told exactly how to handle the temptations of the devil. In verses 7 and 8, we are told to draw near to God and resist the devil. And when we do fail, be quick to cleanse our hands through repentance!

James 4:7-8, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

Drawing near to God: Breaking the power of sin
As we grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father, we come to know His great love for us. As we come to know how much He loves us, our love for Him will grow naturally, and we will begin to love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. We will develop a hatred for sin, which will shatter the power of sin! On top of that, resisting the devil causes him to become discouraged and give up. If we continue to draw near to God and resist the devil, he will flee.

Why 20-Something Women Need To Stop Thinking Like 30-Something Women

Post from elitedaily.com

I’m never getting married. I’m never going to have kids. I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. I am never going to be in love again.

Ladies, don’t deny that these thoughts haven’t crossed your mind at least once this month. At your loneliest, weakest (and probably drunkest) points, you’ve either thought, shouted or cried into the arm of your best friend these exact sentiments. Why can’t I find a boyfriend!? Will I ever settle down and get married?

You yearn for the answer the same way you wonder about life after death or the vast existence of the universe. Am I going to be alone forever? Should I get some cats now?

I won’t deny that at my lowest points, I’ve also expressed these thoughts. I’ve thought about ending it all before I turn 40, crossing off love and becoming one of those women who’s closed off and bitter to anything romantic or associated with a Nicholas Sparks title. I’ve wondered how long it would be until my next boyfriend and if I should have ever broken up with the last.

However, I’ve recently started getting tired of it all. I realized the dark-clouded thoughts, worries and constant stressing were making me groggy, depleted and utterly exhausted. I’ve felt out of the moment for too many months, worrying about my future rather than enjoying the present for too long. I was expending all this extra energy on all this premature worrying. I was a 20-something, worrying about the problems of a 30-something.

Believe it or not, your twenties are still considered very young, and so are your thirties. But if you’re still in your twenties, I hate to break it to you — you’re still a baby. Still don’t believe me? Think about it this way…

Where were you 10 years ago? In your teens, preteens? You were either in middle school or just cusping high school. You were at your most immature and irresponsible age.

It’s an age you scoff at and shudder to think back to; it’s an age that warrants no respect, admiration or fond memories. However, you still have a lot in common with your prepubescent self. Like that middle school self in those cut Abercrombie jeans, you are trying to grow up way too fast.

Think back to all those irrelevant and idiotic worries you had at 14. You were worrying about boys, clothes and reputations when you should have just been enjoying your youth, getting away with all those childish things you only had a few years left to experience.

You were stressing about college when you should have been trying out for the play and worrying about boys who just wanted to play Call of Duty and touch their first tit. When you look back on it, don’t you feel kind of foolish?

Think back to all the time you wasted stressing about college, only to later realize it didn’t really matter and you could have been going to football games instead of SAT prep class.

Think back to all those stupid boys you cried over whose name you can’t remember now and the fights you got in with your parents over curfews and movies. Think back to those things you thought were worth getting grounded over, or those things you wouldn’t do because you thought you were too cool for them.

Unfortunately, we still haven’t grown out of these middle school mindsets and are still chasing boys like crazed pubescent teens. We’re cutting our shirts and putting on makeup when we should be playing in the creek and watching PBS.

We’re shaving when we don’t have so much as peach fuzz and walking into Victoria’s Secret before we’re fully developed. We’re fighting with our parents when we should be getting piggy backs. We’re wasting the best years of our youth worrying about things that shouldn’t be an issue for another 10 years.

So for all you 20-somethings, worrying about finding a husband and having kids — stop. Stop before you look back on your twenties the same way you look back on your teenage years… wishing you spent more time enjoying them rather than trying to grow up.

Your twenties are for being young, single and completely uninhibited. Stop trying to lock down a “man” who still just wants to play Call of Duty and touch his hundredth tit. Enjoy yourself and your rapidly receding youth and worry about those adult things when you get there.

Finding Love
Despite what Nicholas Sparks tells you, you’re not supposed to be madly in love at 25. You’re not supposed to have found that “perfect love” before you have a checking account. Love is messy, complicated and many times impossible to find. It’s something that people spend their entire lives looking for and don’t find until they have stopped worrying about it and started pursuing the love of other things.

Your twenties aren’t about finding a man to love you, but finding something to love. Focus on your career, your hobbies, your passions. Start to love yourself before you can think about finding the love of someone else. Because your twenties are about loving yourself and your thirties are about spreading that love.

Getting Married
If you haven’t already noticed, there are now more divorced couples than married ones. They say you are supposed to learn from the mistakes of your elders, and if rushed marriages aren’t the biggest mistake of the Baby Boomers, then we’ve learned nothing.

All those stories of college sweethearts and first loves are cute anecdotes until 20 years later, when they are tales of caution. Because getting married in your twenties is now an outdated notion, like scrunchies and VCRs, unnecessary and unproductive. Your twenties are for the one-night stands, the bad first dates and all those mistakes.

Having Kids
Do you even like kids? Do you really want kids in your twenties? Do you even want them in your thirties? Think about what you’re asking for. It’s one of the most life-changing events known to man and will assuredly commandeer your future and leave you wishing for those uninhibited single years again.

So why ruin the most carefree and exciting years of your life worrying about something that shouldn’t happen for at least 10 years from now? Do your future self a favor and take advantage of these years because you will never have them again.

Being Your Most Successful Self
Success, like a relationship, does not happen overnight. It’s something that needs time, a little bit of luck and dedication. Your twenties are not supposed to be the years you’re taking jets to St. Barths and enjoying the perks of a car service.

Your twenties are for paying your dues, learning the ropes and climbing all those ladders. Your thirties are for reaping the benefits.

Stop stressing because you’re not in your dream job or making that six-figure salary just yet. You need time to create your brand, build your dreams and look forward to the good life.

THEY WENT HOME

They went home and told their wives, 
that never once in all their lives, 
had they known a girl like me, 
But... They went home.

They said my house was licking clean, 
no word I spoke was ever mean, 
I had an air of mystery, 
But... They went home.

My praises were on all men's lips, 
they liked my smile, my wit, my hips, 
they'd spend one night, or two or three.
But... 

Maya Angelou

VERSE OF THE DAY!

The Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
—2 Thessalonians 3:3

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
It's amazing to me how Satan knows our "silver bullet sins" — those sins that can especially wound and disable us from the work of Christ. Commit in your heart to ask God to protect you, your family, and one other person (you'll silently and daily support in prayer) from the attacks of the evil one.

My Prayer...
Mighty and Triumphant King, crush your enemies under your feet and liberate me and those I love from the oppressive attacks and the horrible consequences of sin. Not only forgive and cleanse me, but please guard my heart so that I might gain strength to serve you with passion and power. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.

TeeFLii - 24 Hours ft. 2 Chainz

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and will not be faint.

—Isaiah 40:31

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

It is easy for us to live victoriously for the Lord when we soar on the wings of eagles. It can be exciting when we run and don't grow weary in the work of the Lord, buoyed by his power and presence. But it often takes heroes to keep walking and not faint when trying times come. Keep on walking brother and sister. The Lord is there when you most fear he has forgotten you!

My Prayer...

Majestic God, whose voice holds together our universe, give those who can barely walk the strength to continue as they face the stress and assault of the evil one. I specifically want to pray for those I know personally who are facing trying times. Please, dear LORD, give them strength and meet their most pressings needs. Through Jesus, who conquered Satan, sin and death, and in the power of his holy name I pray. Amen.

3 Things That Will Make Any Relationship Work

Whether it’s a friend, lover or business contact, there are three and only three things we need to make a relationship fulfilling and something you actually enjoy.

These three qualities can’t be taught, tweaked or negotiated. They’re either there or they aren’t, and that’s why they’re so important and essential to whatever kind of relationship you have.

1. Respect

If a guy (or girl) respects you, he’s going to communicate. He’s going to answer texts promptly and explain what happened when he doesn’t. He’s going to take you out like a normal human being; he won’t flake or bail at the last minute and he’ll do what he can to make you happy.

When you respect your partner in a relationship, you don’t lie, cheat, steal or do any of the other things that usually make relationships fall apart. This isn’t to say that he’ll be perfect and that something at work won’t arise, or that he’s going to bend over backwards. But to make a long story short, he’ll try to keep things smooth, even and fair.

I know they say the people who care about you the most are the ones who hurt you the most. But maybe we’ve got that backwards. What if it’s not that they care about you, but rather, you care about them, so you end up upset that someone you feel so strongly about clearly doesn’t feel that way for you?

Ultimately, people who don’t care about you usually end up hurting you. If you keep having conversation after conversation about how you two need to communicate more or how he needs to stop cheating, chances are he doesn’t give enough of a sh*t to communicate or stop cheating in the first place.

The same goes for platonic and professional relationships. Your coworker isn’t going to apply for that promotion you’ve been wanting behind your back if she respects you and instead, will talk to you about it first even if it means an uncomfortable conversation.

Mutual respect is perhaps the most important component to a successful relationship, but you don’t hear too many relationship gurus talking about it that much. Respect (or lack thereof) is arguably the root of a lot of problems in romantic, platonic and professional relationships.

2. Stability

I like to say there are three variations of instability that can screw up relationships: financial, emotional and career.

If your spouse is always broke or asking for money, that’s stress on your relationship. I dated a guy once who acted like a millionaire, but really had a significantly lesser budget. It’s not the fact that he wasn’t financially stable that bothered me, but that he would blatantly lie about his finances to try to impress me.

Many women who are interested in serious and committed relationships would rather have a guy who can take care of his bills every month than a guy who buys lavish gifts but still lives in his parents’ basement.

The same applies for friends, family and professional relationships. If your friend is always having long talks with you about how much her life sucks and cries until 3 am, that kind of relationship is going to wear anyone down. Eventually you’ll stop answering the phone and only text her back when you have nothing better to do.

Finally, if your career forces you to travel or be MIA at a moment’s notice, it can definitely have a negative effect on a relationship. There’s a reason Jared Leto is still single.

Chances are, if anyone reading this were a rock star, Academy Award winner or held the Guinness world record for longest band on tour, he or she would be single, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Leto struggles with not only having a girlfriend, but also with maintaining his friendships.

3. Common Interest

Once you get past the I-think-you’re-hot-I-think-you’re-hot-too phase, you’ve got to have something else to talk about. Sex and alcohol will only get you so far. To foster a real relationship, there has to be something besides partying or wining and dining on which to base your relationship.

In my eyes, a good partner doesn’t just talk about or debate anything, but rather, everything. Not to say you won’t put a filter on things every once in a while, but in any relationship, you shouldn’t be afraid to share your fears, thoughts or opinions.

Your partner, friend or coworker shouldn’t put you down for a silly idea or belittle you if he or she doesn’t see eye-to-eye. I dated a guy who wasn’t into a healthy lifestyle like I was. Sure, he was nice, but he thought the organic food movement was a conspiracy and didn’t like to work out.

After a few dates and the initial attraction fizzled out, I realized we didn’t have much in common and I stopped seeing him. I also had a friend once who told me my business and career was a total joke.

She and I are still friends, but I’ve learned perhaps we’ve grown apart over the years and don’t have as much in common as we did when we met in college.

I don’t like to say if you have these three qualities with someone, everything else is negotiable. Too many people (especially us women) enter relationships thinking they can change or tweak a person.

It’s one thing if you take your boyfriend, coworker or friend shopping to update his or her look. But to fundamentally change someone’s personality is practically impossible.

With that being said, if you have these three components in a relationship, other problems or conflicts probably won’t bother you as much. Respect, stability and common interest can make or break any relationship. Keep that mind next time you go out on a date, meet a new friend at a party or start a new job.

PRACTICAL TEACHING & STUDIES FROM THE WORD OF GOD

Spiritual warfare: Combating accusations

Revelations 12:10, "...the accuser of our brethren..."

I have seen so many times where a believer has repented of his or her sin, and the devil just keeps reminding and accusing them over it. If the person listens to those accusations and entertains them, he or she will begin to feel guilty and condemned. They will lose the confidence they once had in Christ and their faith will fall quickly. Paying attention to Satan's accusations and focusing on past failures will literally drain a person spiritually!

How do we counter this weapon of accusation?

If you want to defeat guilt once and for all, you need to stop focusing on your past. You need to realize the truth and believe it. What is the truth? God's Word tells us that once you repent of a sin, it is actually removed from your account. Once the blood of Jesus is applied, that sin is washed away as if you've never committed it!

1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."

Psalms 103:12, "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."

Even God Himself chose to forget it, for His own sake! Now if He chose to forget it, who are we to keep thinking about it?

Isaiah 43:25, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

How do you deal with the devil? Stop paying attention to the problem (past failures, sin, etc.), and begin to pay attention to the solution, which is the forgiveness of sins through the blood that Jesus shed on the cross!

Let's be honest here, is your sin so big that it outweighs the blood of the Son of God? Not according to God's Word:

Titus 2:14, "Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from EVERY lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." (NASB)

VERSE OF THE DAY!

The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
—Psalm 121:7-8

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Our lives are not lived out on our own, alone. The Lord is with us personally. He holds our future and our safety in his hands. Our deliverance is assured, either deliverance from death which means service to him, or deliverance to him through death which means freedom from the constraints of mortality and the battle with sin. The Lord will keep us from all harm!

My Prayer...
Mighty Protector, Rock of my salvation, thank you that I cannot go where you are not. Thank you that my future is secure with you. Make this assurance the convicting power in my life to turn over my future and my life to you. By the power of Jesus I believe this, and in his name I ask it. Amen.

Vado - My Bae ft. Jeremih

10 Signs You’re Dating A Woman, Not A Girl

Women and girls see the world differently. They understand the world differently. And they interact with it differently. Girls are a dime a dozen, but women… women are a scarcity.

This isn’t to say they are non-existent; they’re just difficult to come by. To be fair, they aren’t completely to blame — women and girls have to deal with the same dynamic with men and boys.

While it can be difficult to tell the two apart, there are 10 obvious giveaways:

1. Girls like to dress in revealing clothes because they think they look sexy – women know they look sexy no matter what they wear.
Women understand that being provocative isn’t the only way to be sexy. A woman doesn’t have to have her everything hanging out in order to feel sexually appealing. Women are so confident in their own skin that they do not care what they are wearing – they know that they are sexy because they are sexy.

2. Girls expect their men to know how they feel and what they’re thinking – women use their words.
Ladies… men cannot read minds. We wish that we could, it would make things a whole lot easier, but we can’t. Girls believe that their men should understand them so well that they simply know what they are thinking, how they are feeling and what they are “hinting” at.

Unfortunately, most men are not well-versed in picking up such signals. This is the point at which women get frustrated and bitchy while women accept their counterparts’ shortcomings and speak their minds instead.

3. Girls expect you to pay the tab – women are financially independent.
Girls like to be babied and taken care of, maybe they were spoiled growing up. Whatever the reason, girls don’t like whipping out their wallets. A woman, on the other hand, although confident enough to allow her man to pay for her sometimes, also makes a point to cover the bill herself from time to time – for both of them.

A woman likes to remind her man that she only keeps him around because he respects her and treats her well, and that she doesn’t need his cash.

4. Girls go out and get wasted – women can hold their liquor and know their limits.
You know that woman who’s hounding the table at the clubs, waiting to pounce on the next bottle? Of course, you don’t. A woman doesn’t do that. Only girls chug down free booze in order to get hammered – it allows them to make poor decisions.

This isn’t to say that women don’t drink their fair share. They do. But they know their limits and never drink to the point of losing control. Women always stay in control.

5. Girls can’t wait to update their Facebook status to “In a relationship” – women forget they have a Facebook.
Women are just too busy with real life to bother updating their Facebook statuses. They will probably do it eventually when they happen to be on there and remember to do so, but they won’t go running onto the site the second they believe an updated status won’t freak out their new man.

6. Girls watch junk TV – women read.
Some TV is great TV – the rest is pretty much garbage. Women do have their TV shows – some being guilty pleasures – but they also like to spend their time with their nose in books and magazines with substance.

They don’t enjoy filling their lives with meaningless pop-culture garbage that gets regurgitated over the decade. Women like to keep sharp. Girls like to keep occupied.

7. Girls talk about trivial matters – women know how to hold a stimulating conversation.
This is probably one of the biggest differentiating factors. Most girls are awful at holding conversations. They aren’t up-to-date on global affairs. They don’t have any intellectual hobbies or interests. And their opinions aren’t really their own, but are the opinions of others they heard and took as their own. Girls are boring. Women are fascinating.

8. Girls eat salads – women eat whatever the hell they want.
This isn’t to say that women don’t eat salads – some do. But they don’t eat salads in front of men just to go home afterwards and chow down on a pint of ice cream.

Women eat healthily because they respect their bodies. Girls eat healthily to let everyone else know that they are eating healthily. A real woman will sit down and have a burger and fries with you, with no fuss. She knows she can and because she wants to, she will.

9. Girls stick to what they know – women are always searching to widen their horizons.
Women are experienced in life and therefore understand the importance of experiencing life. They do their best to see the world, meet people, explore possibilities. They are passionate and driven. Women take life by the horns. Girls aren’t really sure what their purpose is – they’re hoping to find a man to pick them up and show them the way.

10. Girls need guardians – women don’t need anybody but themselves.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, sexier than a female who can take care of herself. All females are capable of it, but few actually take care of business. Girls like to coast along in life – always looking for handouts.

Women take what they want and don’t need anyone to help get it. They are strong, confident and independent. Women are the future. Girls are the past.

THE LESSON

I keep on dying again.

Veins collapse, opening like the

Small fists of sleeping

Children.

Memory of old tombs,

Rotting flesh and worms do

Not convince me against

The challenge.

The years

And cold defeat live deep in

Lines along my face.

They dull my eyes, yet

I keep on dying,

Because I love to live. 

Maya Angelou

VERSE OF THE DAY!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
—Psalm 91:1

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
How good it is to be as close to God as his shadow and to share in the comfort of his sheltering presence. He is not far if our hearts choose to draw near him. Let's choose to draw near!

My Prayer...
O great Almighty God, tender Shepherd and Abba Father, make known to me your nearness. I long to live in your presence as I try to reflect your holiness and grace. By Jesus' blood I draw near to you in full assurance of your love and grace. In the name of Jesus, the name above all names, I pray. Amen.

SUMMER IS HERE!

PRACTICAL TEACHING & STUDIES FROM THE WORD OF GOD

Keys to Healing - Part 4

Key #10 - Stop being passive about Jesus' gift of healing!

Many times when somebody gives us a gift, we are very excited and thankful, but when Jesus paid a price of near-death abuse (the lashings on His back) just for our healing alone, we are often very passive and "hope" to be healed. We need to change our attitude concerning the things God has provided for us in the covenant, and out of a thankful heart full of faith, we need to boldly take hold of what is rightfully ours because of what Jesus did for us! We need to develop an attitude against the works of the devil in our lives!!

If we are truly believing that we are made worthy, and that such a great purchase was made for us, then we would be overflowing with joy and a passion against the thing (sickness) which rises itself against the finished work of Jesus in our lives! Our lack of passion is a fruit of unbelief on our behalf. Jesus hated our sickness passionately, so much so that He nearly died as payment for our healing!

Let's say that somebody that loved you dearly, went out and spent their life savings to buy you the most beautiful home to live in with your family, but some thief was making every attempt to take that home away from you or keep you from receiving it by burning it to the ground. How would you feel toward that thief? Would you be furious and stand up to that runt? Or would you be passive and watch such a beautiful gift be destroyed and do little about it? Why can we get so worked up over a material gift, but let the gift of the healing of our bodies go to waste, as if Jesus didn't do a single thing for our healing? We need to confront our sickness with an attitude similar to how we would handle a thief or somebody trying to burn that home down! By having a passive attitude about receiving the things which Jesus purchased for us, tells Jesus that we really don't care all that much about what He did!

We need to HATE sickness, bondage, and the things which God hates and that Jesus paid a steep price that we could be freed and healed of! I encourage you to speak to that sickness and tell it, "I am a son/daughter of God, and I am in a healing covenant with the Father because of the work Jesus did for me in the Atonement. Sickness (name it specifically), you are a violation of the rights that I have in Christ Jesus! I curse you, and command you to leave my body in Jesus' name!"

Just as we need to stand up for the freedoms that our forefather's (in America) have died that we might have, we also need to stand up and take boldly the things which Jesus has made atonement for us. To take a passive attitude is to show no appreciation for the great things that were done for us!

Key #11 - Gifts of healing, laying on of hands, and anointing with oil

"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." (James 5:14-15 KJV)

Things like anointing oil and laying on of hands (Mark 16:17-18) helps connect that person in need with the power of the Holy Spirit in the person praying, and allows the healing power of God to flow through them and can trigger a manifestation of a healing. Other points of contacts are used as well, for example, prayer clothes were used by Paul to get people healed who were a good distance away and unable to travel:

"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts 19:11-12 KJV)

The laying on of hands can encourage the transferring of power from us into the person and heal them, just like the woman who felt power flow from Jesus when she touched the hem of His garment (Mark 5:30)! Jesus said that those who believe will have the Holy Ghost flowing out of their innermost being (John 7:38-39), and even Peter's shadow healed people (Acts 5:15)!

"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." (Mark 16:17-18 KJV)

Key #12 - Why some lose their healing and how to keep yours

Something that has plagued many in the healing ministry is that some people who receive a healing, can lose their healing within a few weeks. They call it losing a healing, and it's usually blamed on the person's faith not holding up. This made no sense to me, because as a good Father, it makes no sense for Him to give a person back their sickness if their faith should slip. Then one day the Holy Spirit gave me a revelation on what is really going on. At first the person may be healed of a purely physical condition, or maybe a spirit causing an infirmity, but when it comes back, it's always demonic. It's a spirit that came to replicate the pain or infliction, but when we confront it in Jesus' name, it goes away quickly. I like to tell people to use their authority in Christ and tell that pain, spirit behind the infliction, or whatever, to go in Jesus' name. We have that authority you know!

Maintaining a holy lifestyle is the best way to keep from inviting spirits in which carry infirmities. When Jesus told the woman to go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon her, was due to her infirmity being caused by a spirit which entered in through her sin or sinful lifestyle. Going back to a sinful lifestyle which got you the demons in the first place, is a great way to wind up with 7 worse spirits than you had before:

"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first." (Luke 11:24-26 KJV)

I don't like to use this scripture often because it can create fear in some people of even going through deliverance in the first place. For the sincere believer who is living for Jesus and stumbles and falls, I don't see them getting 7 worse spirits. Sometimes they slip up and we just have to go through some deliverance a second time, but it's usually not that big of a deal. It's when a person turns back to a sinful lifestyle or dive deep into sin again, is where they get jacked up with several times as many demons as they had before.

Some closing thoughts

God not only wants us healed, Jesus has paid the price for our healing, and included it in His atoning work. That makes all the difference when it comes to God's will and how we minister healing. Many times, physical infirmities are brought on by unclean spirits carrying infirmities, and in such cases we need to dig into the emotional and spiritual root of such cases. If it's there because of unforgiveness, then we need to get that person to forgive and then take them through emotional healing to clean up the emotional wound. Once the emotional wound has been healed, we need to take authority over the sickness and the spirits which brought in the infirmity, and drive it out in Jesus' name.

It takes real faith to believe that we are totally forgiven of all our sins, and worthy to receive complete healing of our bodies because of the atonement of Christ which cost Jesus dearly. We need to change how we see God. We can't keep seeing Him through the eyes of religion, where God puts sickness on His people to teach them things. We need to start believing the Word of God strait up. Jesus made it very clear who came to kill, steal and destroy, versus who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (see John 10:10). If God's will for His people in the Old Testament was that they all be healed, how much more would it be His will under the New Covenant, where healing is actually a part of the atonement?

"He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes." (Psalms 105:37 KJV)