Acts 10:37-38
“You know the story of what
happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total
life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the
Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping
people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was
able to do all this because God was with him."
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
When
we think of “healing”, we think of some sort of physical illness or
injury. But everywhere you look, people are in need of “healing” from
all kinds of “ailments”. Students are struggling with homework
assignments and concepts they can’t seem to grasp and retain. Parents
are concerned about every aspect of the lives of their children. There
are people struggling with bills, jobs, physical illnesses and injuries,
loneliness, relationship issues, and grief. Seniors have a plethora of
troubles related to aging and declining health. And we haven’t even
mentioned those “sicknesses” that grip our headlines...abuse of children
and spouses..., conflict and combat in American cities and on foreign
soil...retaliatory beheadings and senseless brutality...and even natural
disasters like drought, wildfires and flooding. We truly are a sick
world in need of healing!
What struck me instantly about the scripture passage today was this sentence...”He was able to do all this because God was with him.”
Even Jesus - the Great Healer and Physician - needed God’s power and
presence. If Jesus Christ needed God with Him in order to be well and
heal others, don’t you think we certainly need Him in our lives?
Let’s be honest...we can’t do this on our own or under our own power! The only way we even have a CHANCE
is to embrace God and ask Him to wield His power in our lives. Our
“healing” starts with a liberal dose of the anointing by God with the
Holy Spirit - who will dwell in our heart and guide our steps. Again,
if it was important for Jesus, it surely is vital for us!
Does
this guarantee that we will have “smooth sailing?” Is this an instant
“cure” for all that ails us? Yes...and NO! Think of it this way...if
you have allergies, you take an antihistamine to alleviate the symptoms.
This drug doesn’t remove your condition – but you are able to manage
it. If something causes you pain - like a splinter in your hand or a
broken toe - you determine the problem and take measures to address it.
Sometimes these ailments or injuries can be fully cured and alleviated.
At other times, we determine methods of coping with these challenges
and relieving some of the symptoms.
This is how it is with
God’s power and care. There are burdens and “ailments” that He will
remove from you completely. In other cases, He will show you how to cope
with your circumstances...and grow and learn from the experience. But
God will never leave you to flounder and struggle without any hope of
relief. He will never allow you to be completely beaten down by the
devil.
So think about what “ails” you today. Consider the
“sicknesses” of this world and how the devil attempts to beat us down
each and every day. Then turn to God and ask Him to fill you with the
Holy Spirit...to “inoculate” you against Satan’s attempts to capture you
and destroy your “health” – in every area of life. Trust God to know
the right “prescription” for you and your circumstances...and never,
ever let go of His power and presence! If Jesus needed God with
Him...surely we do, as well. Who is your “Great Physician”?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label healing power of the Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healing power of the Holy Spirit. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for December 26, 2013
Romans 5:13
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This is traditionally a day filled with a mixed bag of emotions. For some, there is a let-down. Christmas is officially “over” in their household, and it’s back to work – and on with “life”. Some will spend the day rushing to take down the tree and put away every indicator of the Christmas celebrated just a few hours ago. Others will be busy playing with new toys – or even new electronic gadgets and gizmos – and thinking about how to incorporate them into their daily living in the next few weeks/months. Still others will be completely relieved that a painful reminder of the loneliness and sadness in their lives has passed… and they can try to return to some semblance of “normalcy”.
I’ll admit… for just a few minutes after everyone left our house last night and it got really quiet, I looked around and wished everything was put away. But it was more a weariness from the busy day - and the thought of actually putting it all back in the closet - than a sense of finality. Several years ago, I gave myself permission to leave most of the Christmas decorations out until after New Year’s Day. For one thing, it takes me 2-3 days to get everything decorated… and it seems a shame to rush to put them away just 23 days later! More importantly, I’m simply not done with Christmas yet… and truly, none of us should be!
Hear me out… I’m not talking about the decorations and the gifts. Maybe you feel like you will burst or go into a diabetic coma if you eat one more cookie, bite of turkey or ham, or piece of chocolate. But that’s not the true story of Christmas anyway, now… is it?! The message of Christmas is the hope that God sent us in the form of a tiny baby who grew into a wise-beyond-his-years boy… and then into a young adult leader/teacher/healer. The story is how God came to us in human form to show us how to live for Him… how to walk with Him… and then suffered and died for us so that we can carry the power of His Holy Spirit in our hearts forever! We really, really need to revel in that a little while longer. If keeping the decorations up and celebrating with cookies and cocoa helps us to do that…then, we shouldn’t rush to “un-decorate”!
More importantly, we should do whatever it takes to keep the “spirit of Christmas” alive in our hearts and minds all through the year. We need to take some time to talk to God and study His word and allow Him to fill us with complete joy and peace. We must invite Him to fill our hearts and souls with the power of His Holy Spirit… and an unending source – and sense – of hope. We may not say “Merry Christmas” in June or July… but our attitude and demeanor should convey the joy, kindness and warmth that seem to flow so easily and readily in the first three weeks of December.
How will you treat your faith and God’s gift of hope in the next few days/weeks/months? Will this be the day that you pack Him away with the tree and decorations, dust your hands and say, “That’s it until next year!”? Or will you take time to sit quietly and reflect on the amazing gift God gave you? Will you give as much time and attention to thinking about how you can utilize God’s power and the teachings of Jesus in the coming months as you do to the new gifts you opened yesterday?
Isn’t this a day to take some time for a relaxing cup of cocoa or coffee… one last Christmas cookie…and a little conversation with God about where – and how – you’ll use His bequests in the coming year? Christmas isn’t over… it should be just beginning! In the words of the old carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” this is actually the Second Day! How are you spending yours?
©2013 Debbie Robus
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
This is traditionally a day filled with a mixed bag of emotions. For some, there is a let-down. Christmas is officially “over” in their household, and it’s back to work – and on with “life”. Some will spend the day rushing to take down the tree and put away every indicator of the Christmas celebrated just a few hours ago. Others will be busy playing with new toys – or even new electronic gadgets and gizmos – and thinking about how to incorporate them into their daily living in the next few weeks/months. Still others will be completely relieved that a painful reminder of the loneliness and sadness in their lives has passed… and they can try to return to some semblance of “normalcy”.
I’ll admit… for just a few minutes after everyone left our house last night and it got really quiet, I looked around and wished everything was put away. But it was more a weariness from the busy day - and the thought of actually putting it all back in the closet - than a sense of finality. Several years ago, I gave myself permission to leave most of the Christmas decorations out until after New Year’s Day. For one thing, it takes me 2-3 days to get everything decorated… and it seems a shame to rush to put them away just 23 days later! More importantly, I’m simply not done with Christmas yet… and truly, none of us should be!
Hear me out… I’m not talking about the decorations and the gifts. Maybe you feel like you will burst or go into a diabetic coma if you eat one more cookie, bite of turkey or ham, or piece of chocolate. But that’s not the true story of Christmas anyway, now… is it?! The message of Christmas is the hope that God sent us in the form of a tiny baby who grew into a wise-beyond-his-years boy… and then into a young adult leader/teacher/healer. The story is how God came to us in human form to show us how to live for Him… how to walk with Him… and then suffered and died for us so that we can carry the power of His Holy Spirit in our hearts forever! We really, really need to revel in that a little while longer. If keeping the decorations up and celebrating with cookies and cocoa helps us to do that…then, we shouldn’t rush to “un-decorate”!
More importantly, we should do whatever it takes to keep the “spirit of Christmas” alive in our hearts and minds all through the year. We need to take some time to talk to God and study His word and allow Him to fill us with complete joy and peace. We must invite Him to fill our hearts and souls with the power of His Holy Spirit… and an unending source – and sense – of hope. We may not say “Merry Christmas” in June or July… but our attitude and demeanor should convey the joy, kindness and warmth that seem to flow so easily and readily in the first three weeks of December.
How will you treat your faith and God’s gift of hope in the next few days/weeks/months? Will this be the day that you pack Him away with the tree and decorations, dust your hands and say, “That’s it until next year!”? Or will you take time to sit quietly and reflect on the amazing gift God gave you? Will you give as much time and attention to thinking about how you can utilize God’s power and the teachings of Jesus in the coming months as you do to the new gifts you opened yesterday?
Isn’t this a day to take some time for a relaxing cup of cocoa or coffee… one last Christmas cookie…and a little conversation with God about where – and how – you’ll use His bequests in the coming year? Christmas isn’t over… it should be just beginning! In the words of the old carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” this is actually the Second Day! How are you spending yours?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for January 18, 2012
Acts 3:1-10
The time of prayer was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple. A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in.
The man saw Peter and John entering the temple, and he asked them for money. But they looked straight at him and said, "Look up at us!" The man stared at them and thought he was going to get something. But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking." Peter then took him by the right hand and helped him up.
At once the man's feet and ankles became strong, and he jumped up and started walking. He went with Peter and John into the temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone saw him walking around and praising God. They knew that he was the beggar who had been lying beside the Beautiful Gate, and they were completely surprised. They could not imagine what had happened to the man.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Do you know someone who seems stuck in a rut… doing the same things over and over again? Maybe you know someone who has changed jobs numerous times… or started more than one job and quit after several weeks. Maybe you know someone who is in and out of one relationship after another, and each time, they declare that “This one is different!” Maybe you know someone who seems perfectly comfortable to move from one fiasco to the next… who thrives on chaos and never seems to get his/her life together. Maybe this person is you!
Can I tell you something? Often, each one of us is the lame beggar at the door. We are comfortable and complacent in our present situation… content to live on the sidelines of life and manage whatever comes our way as best we can. If we “catch a lucky break,” things might improve for a while. But soon we are back to old habits and the familiar struggles and conflicts - and nothing really ever changes. It doesn’t have to be this way!
What Peter and John offered the beggar at the temple is available to all of us. All we have to do is ask. I’m not saying that calling on Jesus to fill us with the Holy Spirit and deliver us will make all of our problems go away immediately. I’m not telling you that all you have to do is give your heart to Jesus, and the right job, the perfect companion, and a clean bill of health will magically be yours. But when you ask, Jesus will equip you with the tools and skills you need to better your situation. The Holy Spirit will guide you as you pull your life together and make improvements. The healing power of Jesus can help you to manage your daily living and any physical, mental, and emotional challenges you encounter.
In many instances, the choice is completely ours. We can continue to live like the beggar at the temple gates, or we can call on Jesus to live and breathe in us and help us navigate the challenges of daily living. At once, it is this simple - and this complicated - because we will still have to do much of the work to improve our situation. Jesus will show us how… and give us everything we need to get the job done.
Where are you today? Have you invited Jesus to work in your life? Or are you content to lie by the wayside and beg for scraps and a handout? What are you believing Jesus for today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
The time of prayer was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and Peter and John were going into the temple. A man who had been born lame was being carried to the temple door. Each day he was placed beside this door, known as the Beautiful Gate. He sat there and begged from the people who were going in.
The man saw Peter and John entering the temple, and he asked them for money. But they looked straight at him and said, "Look up at us!" The man stared at them and thought he was going to get something. But Peter said, "I don't have any silver or gold! But I will give you what I do have. In the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and start walking." Peter then took him by the right hand and helped him up.
At once the man's feet and ankles became strong, and he jumped up and started walking. He went with Peter and John into the temple, walking and jumping and praising God. Everyone saw him walking around and praising God. They knew that he was the beggar who had been lying beside the Beautiful Gate, and they were completely surprised. They could not imagine what had happened to the man.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Do you know someone who seems stuck in a rut… doing the same things over and over again? Maybe you know someone who has changed jobs numerous times… or started more than one job and quit after several weeks. Maybe you know someone who is in and out of one relationship after another, and each time, they declare that “This one is different!” Maybe you know someone who seems perfectly comfortable to move from one fiasco to the next… who thrives on chaos and never seems to get his/her life together. Maybe this person is you!
Can I tell you something? Often, each one of us is the lame beggar at the door. We are comfortable and complacent in our present situation… content to live on the sidelines of life and manage whatever comes our way as best we can. If we “catch a lucky break,” things might improve for a while. But soon we are back to old habits and the familiar struggles and conflicts - and nothing really ever changes. It doesn’t have to be this way!
What Peter and John offered the beggar at the temple is available to all of us. All we have to do is ask. I’m not saying that calling on Jesus to fill us with the Holy Spirit and deliver us will make all of our problems go away immediately. I’m not telling you that all you have to do is give your heart to Jesus, and the right job, the perfect companion, and a clean bill of health will magically be yours. But when you ask, Jesus will equip you with the tools and skills you need to better your situation. The Holy Spirit will guide you as you pull your life together and make improvements. The healing power of Jesus can help you to manage your daily living and any physical, mental, and emotional challenges you encounter.
In many instances, the choice is completely ours. We can continue to live like the beggar at the temple gates, or we can call on Jesus to live and breathe in us and help us navigate the challenges of daily living. At once, it is this simple - and this complicated - because we will still have to do much of the work to improve our situation. Jesus will show us how… and give us everything we need to get the job done.
Where are you today? Have you invited Jesus to work in your life? Or are you content to lie by the wayside and beg for scraps and a handout? What are you believing Jesus for today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for August 26, 2011
John 6:61-65
Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, "Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this." (Jesus knew from the start that some weren't going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) He went on to say, "This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Many people take life-saving medications every single day. It may be a blood pressure pill, or insulin for diabetes… an anti-convulsant, something to lower your cholesterol, or a drug that regulates your thyroid. Those with some form of cancer may take chemotherapy that causes cancer cells to shrink, decrease, or even disappear forever.
While these medications are working inside us, we cannot see them. We trust they are there, doing what we want them to do… but we don’t have any “physical” proof aside from feeling better, not having a heart attack or going into a diabetic coma - or suffering the effects of whatever the drugs are supposed to cure or control. In general, we don’t question this process… we merely accept it.
As our Great Physician, Jesus brings us the life-saving “medication” of God’s Holy Spirit. We can accept this gift and invite the Holy Spirit to live within us… but we have to fully trust that He will heal us and make us right. Just like our medications that we readily put into or on our bodies, we cannot see God at work through His Holy Spirit. But also like the medications, we can see the end results. What happens “in between” is a matter of faith and trust.
We seem more than willing to trust that a pill, injection or topical cream will help us feel better. So why can’t we trust that the “prescription” offered by Jesus Christ can heal us, too? Why do we resist the One who could possibly heal us of everything? Why is faith – the most important component of a Christian life – the most difficult concept to embrace? Most of us would never even think of skipping our daily medications, so why would we ever even consider a day without the Holy Spirit?
Isn’t it time to “let go and let God?” Isn’t it time to recognize that sheer muscle and will power will not get you into heaven? Only faith and trust in God - and salvation through the blood of Jesus - can accomplish this. Take the “medicine” that can bring Eternal life! Trust in God today… invite Jesus into your heart. If you have done so already, maybe you need to “refill your prescription” and renew your faith.
Now is the time for us to start to believe in the unseen… to trust that God is working in and through us – from the inside out… and offering us the best “medicine” we could ever hope to receive.
©2011 Debbie Robus
Jesus sensed that his disciples were having a hard time with this and said, "Does this throw you completely? What would happen if you saw the Son of Man ascending to where he came from? The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. But some of you are resisting, refusing to have any part in this." (Jesus knew from the start that some weren't going to risk themselves with him. He knew also who would betray him.) He went on to say, "This is why I told you earlier that no one is capable of coming to me on his own. You get to me only as a gift from the Father."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Many people take life-saving medications every single day. It may be a blood pressure pill, or insulin for diabetes… an anti-convulsant, something to lower your cholesterol, or a drug that regulates your thyroid. Those with some form of cancer may take chemotherapy that causes cancer cells to shrink, decrease, or even disappear forever.
While these medications are working inside us, we cannot see them. We trust they are there, doing what we want them to do… but we don’t have any “physical” proof aside from feeling better, not having a heart attack or going into a diabetic coma - or suffering the effects of whatever the drugs are supposed to cure or control. In general, we don’t question this process… we merely accept it.
As our Great Physician, Jesus brings us the life-saving “medication” of God’s Holy Spirit. We can accept this gift and invite the Holy Spirit to live within us… but we have to fully trust that He will heal us and make us right. Just like our medications that we readily put into or on our bodies, we cannot see God at work through His Holy Spirit. But also like the medications, we can see the end results. What happens “in between” is a matter of faith and trust.
We seem more than willing to trust that a pill, injection or topical cream will help us feel better. So why can’t we trust that the “prescription” offered by Jesus Christ can heal us, too? Why do we resist the One who could possibly heal us of everything? Why is faith – the most important component of a Christian life – the most difficult concept to embrace? Most of us would never even think of skipping our daily medications, so why would we ever even consider a day without the Holy Spirit?
Isn’t it time to “let go and let God?” Isn’t it time to recognize that sheer muscle and will power will not get you into heaven? Only faith and trust in God - and salvation through the blood of Jesus - can accomplish this. Take the “medicine” that can bring Eternal life! Trust in God today… invite Jesus into your heart. If you have done so already, maybe you need to “refill your prescription” and renew your faith.
Now is the time for us to start to believe in the unseen… to trust that God is working in and through us – from the inside out… and offering us the best “medicine” we could ever hope to receive.
©2011 Debbie Robus
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