ALIVE

Romans 8:10,11
“Now if christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Christ from the dead lives in you, then He Who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit Who lives in You.”

Galatians 5:25
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
Been out of step lately. Trying to be led By His Spirit and be obedient, but my will has seemed to rule my decisions. My thoughts have been on things of this world rather than being obsessed with Jesus.

But lately, especially yesterday, the Lord has been revealing to me His love. As I take baby steps toward understanding, His love, like warm sunshine, fills my spirit and makes me alive. I am eager for time with Him. I long to hear His voice. Even if His leading takes me down a path of self-denial, I’m less likely to resist as I keep in mind His HUGE love for me. All His decisions and directions are for good--for me and everyone else, too! Bad happens when I decide that I know BETTER (back to Eden!), and that God is sort of holding out on me.

Ah, Lord, please help me remember that every good and perfect gift comes from You. There is no good outside of You.

You ARE LOVE. Wash over me with Your love, I beg; change me, my thought processes, everything!

Song we’re doing Sunday:

All You are is all I want always
Draw me close in Your arms, Oh God
I wanna be with You
I wanna be with You

Your deliverance comes with the revelation knowledge of Your love, the truth, about Your love.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Free from sin because its deception has been exposed. I really won’t be happier doing things outside of His will.

It’s like a light bulb getting brighter.

Lord, consume me, please! Be my “magnificent obsession.” When I’m dead to sin and alive in Christ, I truly am ALIVE!

Faith Boost

In my last post I shared about my friend who was very sick. Well, this past Monday she came to me, and I was floored by how healthy she was. No TB in her lungs (per an x-ray). No need for ARVs. No more sores in her mouth. She was feeling strong, and her face was beaming. I couldn’t believe it! We stopped and prayed together, thanking God for helping her back to health so quickly.

Then that same day, Ben and I visited an orphanage in Bulembu (a city in remote Swaziland) run by two amazing people, Gerry and Robyn Richter (www.abcministry.org.za) who have committed their lives to caring for orphans. I met several children whom God has miraculously healed. Several doctors have just shaken their heads in awe. One little boy is completely healed of AIDs, having no more need for ARVs or any medication whatsoever.

Now isn’t that cool timing for us to witness such a phenomenon on the heels of my plea for the Lord to help my unbelief? My faith is certainly boosted.

God is so good. Really, really, really good. He does hear our prayers. Gerry and Robyn are living in the midst of so many answered prayers every day. What an exciting way to do life!!

Lord, please bless them. And thank You for this faith boost! May everyone who reads this news also experience a swell of faith inside their hearts. You do awesome things, Father. We praise You for all You’ve done!

Healing

Last Thursday I took a sick friend to our family doctor. Conclusion? She is HIV+, has pneumonia, and most likely has TB “underneath all this pneumonia.” Ugh. The Lord had been preparing me for this, yet still when the official news came, it was not easy to hear.

He did an instant HIV test. Reminded me of a pregnancy test in how it looked. But pregnancy tests check for new life; this test checks for a killer inside. And AIDS has done its work in Swaziland, wiping out as much as 1/3 of its population in the past four years.

When the doctor let us know the test results, my friend simply stared at the wall. It reminded me very much of a scene from the movie “Yesterday” (a must-see movie!). No emotion was evident on her face, yet surely there was so much going on underneath. I went over, sat next to her on the examination table, and put my arms around her.

She has eight children, the youngest of which is three years old. Husband is dead. My eyes burn with tears as I type this. So much suffering! UGH! This is NOT the way God meant for our world to be when He created it.

When I consider the pandemic of AIDS that is leaving so many orphans, I struggle with feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. Perhaps reading this is making YOU feel that way. Please read on. It does get better!

You see, God is in the redeeming business. He is all about bringing healing. The Bible, from cover to cover, shouts the message of His huge love and desire to buy us back from the enemy’s grasp. He is our Healer, and He is Mighty to save.

So many times healing is a simple act of faith away--choosing to believe that the God Who created the Universe can heal us. Of course He can. And we ask for Him to do so.

I talked with the Lord about this last Friday, the first day of our 40 Days of Prayer. “Lord, I know You can do anything. ANYTHING. I’ve just seen so much death, and I’m not sure why You’re allowing it. Please will You help me know what to pray for, what to believe for?”

He so loudly yet simply voiced in my spirit, “Healing.”

Yes, He is the God that heals. He is ALWAYS in the healing business. Healing may look different in each situation, but His objective is ALWAYS healing. Do we believe Him for it?

I share sentiments with the man in Mark 9:24 who said, “Lord, I believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!”

Lord, please show up and do Your thing. Please HEAL Africa. Help us believe You for it!

“Jesus said, “‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’” Mark 9:23