When we think of Jesus’ time on the earth, we tend to imagine a guy who didn’t really have any struggles, at least not until the end when they beat the crap out of him.
Up until this point, Jesus’ life was pretty flowery, right? Walking around as the Son of God, and getting treated as royalty. But, that is not what it was like.
Actually, when Jesus was on earth, He came face-to-face with the enemy during a 40 day fast in the wilderness, where He was secluded from everyone.
During this 40 days, the devil tempted Jesus with food. He challenged God’s ability to protect Jesus. He tried to get Jesus caught up in pride.
And, if anyone had a right to be full of themselves, it definitely would have been Jesus. Yet, Jesus confronted the devil on every one of these issues.
Jesus didn’t confront with physical might. He didn’t punch the devil in the face or kick him in the groin. He didn’t even confront by getting loud and making a scene.
No. He confronted and defeated the devil by speaking the Word of God out loud with confidence. Because Jesus knew that all the power He needed was found in the Bible.
When we encounter trouble in life, in our mind, it becomes a physical battle.
For example, when someone is diagnosed with cancer, the medical community goes to war against the body. They blast it with chemo and radiation and medicine to try to get rid of the offender.
On the other hand, when someone is diagnosed with depression, we default to fighting it the same way. Doctors prescribe pills to try to balance the chemical makeup of our physical bodies.
And of course, when someone makes you mad, the only way to resolve it is by getting physical. You may not throw any punches, but you will most likely be hateful to them, or at least gossip about them.
But check out this scripture:
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 NET - For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds.
Now, before anyone takes this out of context, please know that I am not saying that doctors and modern medicine are evil. They definitely have their place.
But, what I am saying is that whenever a problem comes up, whether it’s sickness, or depression, or one of your kids going left-field, we need to work on programming our default response to be:
When the enemy tells you your worthless, you should respond, “Nah man. God had a plan for my life before my parents even made love. Check it in Jeremiah 1:5, fool.”
When sickness tries to take over your life, you should respond, “Jesus not only took away my sin, but He took my sickness while He was at. You’re looking at someone who was made new in Christ. Ain’t no sickness coming against this body. Check it in 1 Peter 2:24.”
A few years ago, I was so stressed out that it started to show up in my health.
My chest would hurt, which made me think there was something wrong with my heart. I had higher-than-normal blood pressure, which always threw the doctors off because on the outside, I looked healthy.
My hands were always shaky. I had a hard time concentrating. And of course, I was tired all the time and never felt fully rested.
All of this was because I was worried about everything. I worried that Beth and I would run out of money. I worried that I would make a mistake at work that there was no coming back from.
I was always caught up in the thought that I didn’t have enough to offer. I didn’t have what it took to do my job well. I didn’t have what it took to be a good husband.
And when all the health problems started showing up, I worried that I would die prematurely, leaving Beth behind with a load of heartache.
Until one day, I had enough.
I knew the answer was in the Word of God. I was a Bible school graduate for heaven’s sake. But yet, I let years go by before ever picking up the most powerful weapon. The weapon that destroys every stronghold.
When I finally picked it up, I found this scripture:
Philippians 4:6-7 NLT - Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
This sounded really good. It’s what I wanted. It’s exactly what I needed.
But my struggle didn’t magically disappear by reading this scripture once. And at first, there were only moments of relief when I would say this scripture out loud.
But, I kept at it. I grabbed that scripture by the collar and was determined to make it shape my life. I was determined to live my life not worried about a thing.
Turns out, it takes a bit of time to undo a mindset that was developed and nurtured over several years. But day by day, speaking this scripture out loud countless times, my life began to change.
I developed a habit of speaking this scripture out loud every time I started to worry about something. And I would just keep repeating it until the anxiety dissipated.
And the truth is, God’s Word destroyed that stronghold. His peace really is guarding my heart and mind as I live in Jesus.
The peace I was looking for back then doesn’t even compare to the peace I have now. God showed up and exceeded my expectation.
And He wants to do the same for you.
When I was preparing for this Healing Encounter, the Holy Spirit revealed three types of healing that need to take place today.
Some of you came today troubled in your mind. Maybe you are overcome with worry and anxiety like I used to be.
Maybe you are depressed because of something that happened recently, or even months or years ago.
Either way, the bottom line is, you don’t have peace. And right now, in this moment, the Holy Spirit wants to give you a fresh dose of peace. So go ahead and reach out to receive it now.
Some of you came in today carrying the weight of your past. Like you really messed stuff up and made huge, huge mistakes. It could have been just a few days ago, or even years ago.
But the truth is, God doesn’t hold any of it against you.
When you give your life to Jesus, your past and your mistakes just disappear as far as God is concerned. The only one holding on to it is you.
And right now, in this moment, the Holy Spirit wants to help you let it go and move forward into the great plan He has for you.
Now, the third type of healing the Holy Spirit wants you to encounter today is in your body. Maybe you came today sicker than a dog. Or maybe you’ve been carrying around an illness for years that isn’t visible to anyone else but you.
Regardless of if the attack on your body came on yesterday or years ago, the power of what Jesus did on the cross is here right now to heal your body.
He’s not looking to put you on medicine. He has no intention of making you suffer for the greater good. The only thing He needs is your faith.
He needs you to believe in His healing power and decide in your heart that you want Jesus to heal you right now.
If that’s you, if you’re ready to put your faith out there and belief Jesus to do a miracle in your body, now is the time receive it.
And when you feel that warmth of healing come over your body, open your mouth and begin to thank Jesus and worship Him.
He’s healed your body. He’s healed your past. He’s taken away every ounce of sin and replaced it with His righteousness.
