September 23, 2007

Last year, on September 24, 2006, I posted a request for fervent prayer for my brother, Jeff. We knew our hope rested solely in Jesus for healing. We were obedient to what God called us to pray and we stood firm in Him. Right up until the very end, we knew God could raise Him up with one touch of His hand. He chose to reward Jeff for his obedience by calling him to his heavenly home. I learned a lot through that experience. Before that, I thought I was strong in my faith. It was through that experience that I learned how weak I am, but how strong He is in me. 

Today is September 23, 2007. I am reposting my update from last year.  I know that people will be praying and fasting tomorrow. God wants to do something amazing, I believe not only for myself, but for anyone who is in need of healing. I will be praying for that Spirit of healing to come upon us so strong that people everywhere would receive it. I would encourage you to spend the day in fervent prayer. Stand firm in what God has said is our inheritance as His children. We are over comers. His blood is enough.  Reach out. He will meet you. Today is the day to touch Him!

You Said performed by Shane and Shane

You said "Ask and you will receive"
Whatever you need
You Said "Pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land"
"I'll heal your land"

You said, Your glory will fill the earth like water to seas
You said "Lift up your eyes the harvest is here the kingdom is near!"

You said ask and I'll give the nations to you
Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!
Distant shores and the islands will see your light
as it rises on us

You said "Ask and you will receive"
Whatever you need
You Said "Pray and I'll hear from heaven and I'll heal your land"
"I'll heal your land"

You said, Your glory will fill the earth
like water to seas
You said "Lift up your eyes the harvest is here the kingdom is near"

You said ask and I'll give the nations to you
Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!
Distant shores and the islands will see your light
as it rises on us

Ask and I'll give the nations to you
Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!
Distant shores and the islands will see your light
as it rises on earth

Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!
Distant shores and the islands will see your light
as it rises on earth

Ask and I'll give the nations to you
Oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart!
Distant shores and the islands will see your light
as it rises on earth

The following is my update from September 24, 2006

Mark 9:17-29

" A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him into the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashed his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

"O, unbelieving generation, "Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?"

"From childhood," he answered. "It has often thrown him into the fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."

"If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you to come out of him and never enter him again." The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said "He's dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up. After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."

God has truly had a hold on my heart these last couple of days. I have really put all of my energy into reading God's word, trying to understand what God expects and wants me to do right now. When I read this passage from Mark, I thought I needed to share it because it emphasizes the importance of prayer. Sometimes, when we pray for so long, and it seems like we get no answer, our human instinct is to believe that it's not working. Sometimes God delays on purpose, training us to lean on Him and have faith. I have said before how easy it is to say we have faith when we are not relying on it solely to get us through. A true test of faith is if we can keep our eyes on his even through the storm.

Jesus performed so many miracles of healing throughout the Bible. It seems as if faith and healing go hand in hand. I have read a lot in Mark, Luke, and John today and Jesus consistently talks about healing after seeing someone's faith. Not saying, "Jesus, if you can" But "Jesus, I believe you can." Nothing that we go through today is too big for him to do. Our minds cannot even begin to comprehend the power He has. I think about the four men that lowered the paralyzed man through the roof where Jesus was preaching. Because of their faith, the man walked home. Or the father that ran to Jesus because his daughter was dying. On His way to her house, He healed a woman who had been bleeding for years, and all because she had enough faith, she knew all she had to do was touch Jesus to be healed. When Jesus arrived at the home of the sick girl, everyone was mourning because they said she had died. Jesus raised her up again. He healed those with demon possessions, leprosy, the deaf and mute, the lame, he list goes on and on and it was because of their faith. Jesus even says that the fewest miracles were performed in the land He was from because of their unbelief in who He truly was. People used to come from all over, traveling days, even weeks, just to get to Jesus because they had that much faith in who He was. How awesome is it that all we have to do is call on our Heavenly Father and He will meet us right where we are. All we have to do is have enough faith to call on Him and believe, even though we cannot see Him with our eyes, that He is able to do what we are asking.

I know in my heart that God told Jeff and I that we were both healed. I remember believing that he and I would both be healed together and that we would go into 2006 with a testimony of what God has done. Jeff put his faith in God and not in the medicine. He was obedient when God told him he was healed, and went off the medicine he was taking. In one of Jeff's entries, he states that he knows the battle will become more intense after he is healed. I believe that God has healed him already, and we are facing Satan's attempts at stealing this victory. I feel like I am being called to boldly testify to what God has already done. I truly believe that God is going to touch Jeff and restore his youth like the eagles. God tells us over and over to believe what we pray for. He has given us the authority to stand against Satan's schemes. Please continue to pray with me. I am including some specific scriptures to pray, claiming God's word over Jeff.

James 5:15a

 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well, the Lord will raise him up.

1 Peter 1: 6-9

 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of you faith, the salvation of your souls.

2 Corinthians 1:9-10

 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the silence of death. But this happened so that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.

Matthew 18:19

Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Mark 11:23,24

23. "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. 24. "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

1 John 5:14,15

14. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14

and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Isaiah 65:24

"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear."

Psalm 30:2

O LORD my God, I cried to Thee for help, and Thou didst heal me.

Matthew 14:14

And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.

Mark 16:17,18

17. And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18. they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

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