Tag: #miracles

Counting the Cost – Still Worth It?

Not getting what you want either means you don’t want it enough, or you have been dealing too long with the price you have to pay. Rudyard Kipling.

They were in their best “Sunday-go-to-meeting” clothes. They packed picnic baskets before heading south to see the boys in action. A handful of ladies carried along their opera glasses to get a better view of the spectacle.

It was hot and humid that day, 21 July 1861, but the heat was not an issue. The wealthy elite wanted to see it. U.S. senators and members of Congress joined the throng of men, women and children leaving D.C. to make the 30-mile trip to Manassas, VA. 

The first full-scale battle of the Civil War was underway for four days before the spectators arrived around Centreville several miles from the fighting. Here is a little context.

President Abraham Lincoln asked for 75,000 Soldiers to enlist for 90 days to put down the Confederate rebellion. Lincoln’s call for mobilization came three days after Confederate forces fired on Ft. Sumpter, SC, on 21 April to start the American Civil War. 

President Lincoln grossly miscalculated. Confederate forces defeated the Union Army around Manassas and sent them fleeing back to D.C., but the federal troops encountered a problem. 

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Frightened civilians with picnic baskets cluttered the roads and bridges they needed to get back home, but it didn’t matter. The Confederates were too disorganized to pursue the defeated enemy. 

It became evident that this conflict would not end in 90 days. The Battle of Bull Run/First Manassas was a wake-up call. Both sides miscalculated the nature of war and what it would take to win. 

Conflict and warfare fill the pages of the Old Testament (O.T.) Israel was either engaged in battle, under the threat of war, or dominated by a foreign power resulting from combat. 

Conversely, the New Testament (N.T.) occurs during the Pax Romana -the Roman Peace occurred between 27 BCE- 180 CE. This Peace prevailed because Rome had the power to crush any resistance.

The O.T. provides brief glimpses of the invisible war in the spirit realm. On the other hand, the N.T. lays bare the high-stakes battles of the spirit that rage on without ceasing. 

Sadly, many Christians carry picnic baskets instead of wearing the necessary battle gear the situation warrants. (Eph 6:13-18) The enemy dismantles things all around them while they go about their daily routines, not suspecting anything.

Paul provides the best illustration of our opposition in Ephesians 6:12: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

How do we measure the intensity of spiritual warfare? Spiritual conflict mirrors physical armed conflict, and there are real casualties in both dimensions.

Spiritual warfare is no joke. It’s not a picnic, and the stakes are high. Count the cost.

The devil contests two principal areas with all of his might: repentance and healing. 

Repentance directly relates to our eternal salvation. Healing relates to the abundant life Jesus came to provide us. (John 10:10) 

The devil blinds the eyes of unbelievers so they don’t see the need to repent. (2 Cor 4:3-5). 

The devil attacks the faith of believers because faith is the key that accesses God’s healing power. (Matt 9:22)

The manifestation of salvation and healing in tandem is devastating to the powers of darkness. The devil will not give ground without a fight.

As we learned last week, Dodie Osteen’s testimony of becoming cancer-free was a very gradual process over a two-year period. She counted the cost and believed that fighting for her healing was worth it.

President Lincoln could not mandate 90 days to overthrow the Southern rebellion. After the Battle of Bull Run, he counted the cost. He believed that restoring the Union was worth the price so he began mobilizing forces for the long haul.

We may face physical conditions that take time to resolve. Our mindset has to be “whatever it takes.” 

In my opinion, God uses doctors and medicine in this process. Medical professionals are not enemies. They face human limitations, but there is nothing too hard for God!

If you need physical healing, put your faith to work and build it up by praying and reading your Bible daily. You are entering a battlefield that many have departed victoriously.

No one can guarantee an outcome regarding your physical condition, but the Bible provides you with a sure-fire promise: your faith will please God and you SHALL be rewarded! It is MORE than worth it! (Heb 11:6) God Bless! Press On!! Kevin 

Critical Conversations On Divine Healing

It was eerily similar. Back on the road to celebrate the passing of another family member. Six weeks ago, it was Atlanta; this time, it was Richmond. Both were beloved mothers, active in their churches, and celebrated in their communities. Both left behind grieving spouses, children, and family members.

One mother was 70, and the other reached the age of 69. The Bible speaks of our lives being 70 years or possibly 80 with reasonable strength (Psalms 90:10), but it’s not quite that simple. *

Both women loved the Lord. Both battled longstanding health issues, and both received healing prayers.

During the drive to Richmond, my wife and I tried to recall when we first signed up for Satellite Radio. That was the day we began listening to Joel Osteen Radio. En route to Atlanta on the first trip and then driving home from Richmond for the second, I heard Joel tell the story again. If you listen to Joel or watch his TV broadcast, you are probably familiar with the story.

In 1981, his mother, Dodie Osteen, was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer with a tumor the size of an orange on her liver. Her husband, Pastor John Osteen, received news from the doctors that she only had weeks to live. Dodie refused to accept the doctor’s report.

She wrote letters asking forgiveness from anyone she might have offended. She put up pictures of herself when she was young and healthy. Dodie compiled a list of 40 healing scriptures and read through them three times a day.

Two years after her terminal diagnosis, she was cancer free. She is alive today, some 40 years later, giving her testimony of God’s healing power. Have you heard similar stories?

I have seen people supernaturally healed by God. I have prayed for people who later came back to tell me that God healed them. I suspect that like me, some of you have received a healing touch from God.

I have been meditating for several weeks on these verses: “Bless the Lord, O my soul,

 And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases.” (Psalms 103:2-3)

Catholic and Protestant churches wholeheartedly embrace confession as the means to receive God’s cleansing and forgiveness. (1 John 1:9) The blood of Jesus covers all of our sins.

What about the healing part? The Bible says this about Jesus: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38)

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“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.” (Mathew 9:35)

Faith is to healing what confession is to forgiveness. Observe the response of Jesus to the women with an “issue of blood” for 12 years: “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. (Matthew 9:22b)

Further, after a mother begged the Lord to heal her daughter tormented by a demon, the Lord commended her, “O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole that very hour.

Aha! Faith is the key to healing, but it’s not quite that simple.

Both women celebrated in Atlanta and Richmond had faith, and received faith-filled prayers for healing. There are lots of unanswered questions, but we need to ask them for two reasons.

First of all, we need God’s healing power in the church to relieve suffering and to bring the lost to Christ. Secondly, I believe the Lord wants to flood the earth with His healing power to usher multitudes into the Kingdom of God.

The 20th Century saw the Lord raise up powerful healing ministries. That kind of healing anointing is in the air again, and its not just for preachers and evangelists.

In the coming weeks, we will explore God’s healing power toward the end that we might posture ourselves to be recipients and carriers of God’s healing power. I welcome your thoughts in the comments section of this blog.

I look forward to going on this journey with you. To God be the glory for the things He has done and is about to do! God Bless! Press On!! Kevin  

*Moses was 120. Eli the priest was 98. Caleb was 85 and full of vigor and strength. The prophetess Anna in the New Testament was at least 84 years old.

God’s Generals 5 hours. Sample what you like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcNJJZCyRT4