When I was in my twenties, I worked in a manufacturing plant where there were lots of smoke from chemicals being burned. I developed white lumps that were just under the skin as well as many internal problems. The doctors diagnosed my condition as severe chronic erethyma nodozem. It usually affected areas below the knee. I was affected all the way to my face. After much consultations with various doctors in several states, I was told to quit my job because it was killing me. The doctors gave me about a year before I would be in a wheel chair.

I had two little girls and I did not want to die or be in a wheel chair. Though I didn’t know the Lord well at that point in my life, He had mercy on me and healed me. Little did I know that this would only be the beginning of sickness and healing for me. Years later I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. At this point I was in church and had built a relationship with Jesus. Though I had a wonderful pastor at the time, he said he didn’t know how to help me other than prayer.

When you have no one to help in the natural you always have a comforter, and teacher ready to help. I turned to the Holy Spirit and He began teaching me how to walk through this disease. One of the first things He taught me was to watch the words of my mouth. There is power of life and death in the tongue. He told me not to say I had M.S. because if I did, I was taking ownership of it and it had a right to be in my body. I didn’t want to own it but I didn’t want to lie, so I asked the Holy Spirit how to speak. He said say you were diagnosed with it, are fighting it, or dealing with it. He also told me to be wary of who I asked to pray for me. He said many didn’t understand and would speak things back on me. I then let Him guide me as to who I told and who I didn’t. Healing is a process and it took nearly two years to walk through M.S.

Next I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. A few years after that I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Each time I walked through a disease I learned more about healing. I believe that I learned in order to help others.

Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.” I Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.”

These scriptures will sound familiar if you have a relationship with Jesus. We were taught this same scriptures when we were taught about salvation. Jesus provided the way to salvation and healing at the same time. We receive Christ as our Savior by confessing our sins and asking Him to be Lord and we receive it all by faith. We receive our healing by faith as well.

Healing is the restoration of our health. The Bible tells us that healing can come through many avenues. Healing can be the result of :

Intercession (Num. 12:10-15)

Repentance (I Kings 13:1-6)

Prayer (James 5:14,15)

Faith (Matt. 9:20-22, John 4:46-53)

God’s Word ( Ps. 107:20)

We all know that the power to heal comes from God. The Bible says it was given to Jesus in Matthew 4:24 “Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics, and He healed them.” Also in Matthew 8:16,17 “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”

This same power to heal was given to the apostles. Matthew 10:1,5-8 “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

The Holy Spirit also gives this power to believers at His will. I Cor. 12:9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit. Spiritual healing is also provided for the emotional side of man. The Bible calls it the brokenhearted. (Ps. 147:3).

Healing is necessary because of man’s:

Sin (Ps. 41:4)

Backsliding (Jer. 3:22)

Spiritual sickness (Is. 6:10)

I once had difficulty with allergies. All that I had done in the past was of no effect this time. I did all the natural things I knew to do and all the spiritual. I spoke to them with authority, faith, and confidence in the name of Jesus. But nothing happened. I continued to apply all I knew to do with still no success. Then I asked the Lord what the problem was. Why could I not get my healing? I had received it so many times before. This one is a spiritual problem the Lord told me. I had to pursue this issue for several weeks before gaining understanding. I found I was carrying guilt around that was not mine to carry. It was a situation I had absolutely no responsibility in. When I repented to the Lord for carrying this guilt my allergies immediately vanished. I learned from this experience about spiritual roots that can cause sickness. I later came across another spiritual root when I was dealing with cancer. I had been carrying a broken heart and when I repented not only did I feel much lighter emotionally but every lump in my breasts disappeared. Further study of the issue convinced me that most diseases have a spiritual root. But that is for another study. It would take a book to go through all of them.

We must not leave out the things we can do and should do in the natural to maintain our health. Amazingly many of these the doctors will also tell you.

 Exercise

(I Tim. 4:8) An individual should exercise at least three times a week. This is not activity. Exercise is something that raises your heartbeat for a duration of at least 20 minutes at a time.

Food

(Acts 27:34) All food needs to be in moderation with all our daily nutrients provided.

Temperance

(Jer. 35:5-8) Hard alcohol and social drugs are not good for you. The Bible says we can have a little wine for the stomach. Moderation again is the key.

Obedience

(Prov. 4:20-22) Disobedience can take us out from under our umbrella of protection from God.

Cheerfulness

(Prov. 17:22) Laughter and a merry heart is like a medicine. It does good to our bodies.

God does not supersede our will. If we choose to abuse our bodies, He may not heal us. However, we know that it is His will that we walk in health because Jesus bore those stripes for our healing. If we take care of ourselves, we can expect to walk in health and if disease does strike our body we can grab hold of that healing that is already provided and bring it into our bodies. How do you do that, you ask? I believe everyone has to work out their own just as we work out our own salvation. However, from my own experience I can tell you that you must be positive. You need to make the decision that you are the healed and act accordingly. When I had breast surgery twice in one week, I never missed a church service. During the time of fighting cancer , I continued to fulfill my commitments. I didn’t take on anything new and I had to have extra rest each day.

There were times when I would be throwing up and I would say, “I am healed in the name of Jesus” and then throw up some more. I learned scriptures that applied to healing and repeated them often.

I also believe it is important for you to take charge of your own health care. I highly respect and honor the medical profession. We need them. However, they do not know what God does. They have knowledge from experiments, testing, and the average person.

Each person is different. We need to seek God on every area of treatment before submitting to it. There are medicines that are good for a body and some that are not. Each individual is unique. I would listen to my doctors and then pray and ask God if I should do or take what they suggested. Mostly I followed the doctors orders but sometimes God would tell me not to. It always showed up later that God was right.

May I suggest that when you tell this to your doctor that you be very meek and humble. It is sometimes hard for them to understand that you heard other instructions from God.

God will never fail you. There were times when He told me not to take treatment and times when He said to proceed. I always checked out what I heard from God thoroughly before repeating it to the doctors. The medical profession has their knowledge because God gave it to them. He also approves of the medical profession. I believe they are there for the unbelievers and for believers who are involved in accidents and those who for whatever reason are not able to receive their healing directly from God. No matter how we receive it, all healing is from God. He loves us so much He does not want us to be sick. He wants good for us.

Jeremiah 29 : 11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

As a little girl my mother taught me not to talk to strangers or accept rides with people I didn’t know. At the age of six, I was raped by a relative. These things combined to cause me not to trust anyone. I was very shy and though I had lots of friends, I kept my thoughts to myself. Close relationships were few and marriage was difficult.

When I became a Christian, I decided I needed to trust others until they were proven to be untrustworthy. Sounds Christian. I found I was often disappointed and discouraged by people. One day as I was complaining to God about someone who had become untrustworthy and disappointed me. He said, ” Stop trusting people. Trust me and love my people.” It took me a few minutes to let this sink into my spirit. Then it hit with a tremendous force of liberation. I found when I trusted people, I had this list of expectations. When I loved them there were no attachments or expectations. Loving them became easier and the hurts and disappointments became fewer.

The Bible tells us trust is not to be placed in:

1. Weapons: Psalm 44:5, Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your name we will trample those who rise up against us.

2. Wealth: Psalm 49:6-7, Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches,

3. Leaders: Psalm 146:3, Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.

4. Man: Jeremiah 17:5, Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.

5. Works: Jeremiah 48:7, For because you have trusted in works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity, His priests and his princes together.

6. One’s own righteousness: Ezekiel 33:13, When I say to the righteous that he shall surely live, but he trusts in his own righteousness and commits iniquity, none of his righteous works shall be remembered; but because of the iniquity that he has committed, he shall die.

We can find trust is to be placed in God’s:

1. Name: Psalm 33:21, For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.

2. Word: Psalm 119:42, So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word.

3. Christ: Matthew 12:17-21, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: behold, My Servant whom I have, chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory. And In His name Gentiles will trust.”

When our trust is where God wants it there are benefits attached.

1. Joy: Psalm 5:11, But let all those rejoice that put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You.

2. Deliverance: Psalm 22:4-5, Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.

3. Triumph: Psalm 35:2-3, Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, I am your salvation.

4. God’s goodness: Psalm 31:19, Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

5. Loving kindness: Psalm 32:10, Many sorrows shall be tgo the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.

6. Provision:  Psalm 37:3,5 Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him and He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.

7. Blessedness:  Psalm 40:4 Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust, and does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

8. Safety:  Psalm 56:4, 11 In God I will praise His word, In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me? In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

9. Usefulness:  Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works.

10. Guidance:  Proverbs 3: 5,6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

11. Inheritance:  Isaiah 57:13 When you cry out, Let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, and shall inherit My holy mountain.

What a divine revelation this has been for me. Trust placed in the right areas brings about God’s peace. We are to labor to enter the rest of God.

I believe this is a key to entering the rest. Trust in God’s word, His name, and Christ and love His people.

• (All Scripture references are from the New King James Bible)

I. Proverbs 29:18, Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.

It is necessary to have a vision for your life and for your church. Write it down and make it plain. It must contain at least five elements.

A. Personal and phenomenal. Dan 10:7-9, And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.

 B. Understandable. Dan 7:15, I, Daniel was grieved in my spirit within my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made known to me the interpretation of these things:

 C. Authenticated by divine glory. Ezekiel 8:1-4, And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there. Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire–from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber. He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.

 D. Prophetic. Dan. 9:23-24, At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for you holy city, to finish the transgression, to make and end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy.

 E. Dated and localized. Ezekiel 1:1-3, Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God. On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

 II. Vision will produce:

A. Guidance. Gen. 46:2-5, Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob!’ And he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.” Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

 B. Direction. Acts 16:9-10, And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.

 C. Encouragement. Acts 18:9-10, Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you , and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.”

 D. Warning. Isaiah 21:2-6, A distressing vision is declared to me; the treacherous dealer deals treacherously, and the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Medial! All its sighing I have made to cease. Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when I heard it; I was dismayed when I saw it. My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me. Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you prices, Anoint the shield!

 E. Judgment. I Sam. 3:11-13, Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.

 F. Action for the Lord. Acts 26:19-20, Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.

 III. Motivating.

A. Vision will motivate you in times of discouragement. Vision is the destination and the goals and plans on how to get there. Each week should be listed with items of things to do in order to attain your vision. As you do each thing check it off. When discouragement comes (and it always does) you can look at all those check marks and see all the progress already made. It will encourage you to go on.

B. Sometimes your destination will change. You don’t have to go back to the beginning and start over. You simply start the change of direction from where you are. If you were reading a road map to go visit someone and you received a call that they were in a different location, you wouldn’t go all the way back home and start over. You would look at your map from where you are and plan a new route.

C. Vision should be ever enlarging and evolving. God wants us to achieve His purposes. He chooses to give us vision and to continue to add to that vision as we progress. Where does God want you to go? What does He want you to do? That is your vision.

D. Your vision should always fit with the vision of the church. One will enhance the other. God gives each of us our part and when all the parts come together, we’ll find Kingdom.