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| Living as a Healer |
Beloved, I heard and I read that the population of this world has grown to 7 Billion people. That’s a lot of people. That’s a lot of voices speaking and wanting to be heard. That is a lot of happy times I hope, but from the news that we take in about the whole world, it’s an alarming reality more and more, that it’s a lot of pain, hurt, broken-hearts, sorrow, sadness, despair, anger, destruction and violence out there.
Those 7 Billion voices most likely are crying out to be helped, to be loved and to be understood.
Those 7 Billion precious lives, that can fill me with great hope, joy, inspiration, a driven passion and hope, have also made me cry for hours on end, have burdened me to no longer be part of the problem but a part of the solution. Those voices are what drives me to pursue God, and invest all of myself to effect change in this world.
To me 7 Billion is my favorite number, because 7 Billion is what always has my Father and God’s attention. Amen.
Beloved, in chapter twenty-four of Joel Osteen’s Every Day A Friday, I took in a lot of hope, and a lot of healing and a lot of restoring and a lot of good news.
We live in a world that is hurting, crying out for help and dying more and more everyday. What can be done about all of this? It can get very overwhelming seeing yourself as one individual on a mission from God to love, encourage, and bring hope to others, especially when you look at it from a global point-of-view.
Joel mentions something that brings comfort to all of us who have it deeply rooted within our souls to be on this divine mission from heaven’s point-of-view. Thank You Jesus.
Some of the time an encouraging word is right on target, kick starting healing in a person’s life in that Joel says, “That’s all some people need to hear. You don’t have to preach a sermon. You don’t have to quote twenty-five Scripture verses or counsel them for eight hours. Just a few kind words can start the healing process.” Amen.
I have experienced this many times in my short walk of three years with The Lord so far— As Joel shares, “You’re never more like God than when you’re helping those who are hurting.”
“One of our assignments in life is to help wipe away the tears.” – Joel Osteen
Beloved, we all have a ministry. It may not be on a platform in front of a church’s congregation, but God is counting on each of us to reach out to others and bring healing wherever we go.
The more I read in the Gospels about Jesus’ earthly ministry, I can’t help but realize Jesus wasn’t concerned with waiting for others to come to Him for healing, but He would go to them!
Just as I too, was unwilling to open up because I didn’t know how to reach out for help, especially when I saw church in the misconception of unless you’re perfect you can’t enter through the front doors. If that was the case there would be no need for the church any longer. Church is a hospital for the broken spirit of a human being, that no medicine or medical procedure could mend, only the grace and love of God can. Amen.
We the church exist to bring such healing and restoration, and as I have come to understand it, we as a church need to step out of our comfort zone in order to go out and track down the afflicted of the soul.
These words, God the healer places into my heart from His heart: “As the heart beats, the mind thinks, and you breathe oxygen in to your lungs. So can you function to bring healing to others.” Amen Lord Jesus!
There’s a story in this chapter about a minister by the name of Jim Bakker. You may have heard of him. To sum up the story, Mr. Bakker found himself very lost, and did some things that landed him in jail. After his sentence was over, having nothing and no where to go. He was faced with the very harsh reality of starting over again.
But, a man by the name of Franklin Graham, the son of a Mr. Billy Graham (you may have also heard of him), contacted Mr. Bakker and said his family rented him a house and provided him with a car. Mr. Bakker as a condition of the court was living in a halfway house for a period of time after his release. A couple of days after on a Sunday, a woman by the name of Mrs. Ruth Graham, contacted Mr. Bakker’s parole officer and asked if he could come with them to church. A judge agreed, and Mr. Bakker was greeted with love and ushered all the way to the front row of the church, where he sat with the Graham family. But just a few moments before the service started there were still two empty chairs next to Mr. Bakker. He didn’t know who they were for. But when the praise music started, a side door opened and out came Mr. Billy Graham with his wife, Mrs. Ruth Graham. They sat in those two vacant seats right next to Mr. Jim Bakker.
Although Mr. Jim Bakker was a convicted criminal, and the Graham’s associating with him wouldn’t look good to those of this world, they were actively being healers and contributors to this mans’ healing process. They were loving this man back to wholeness and being good news in his life. Amen.
Beloved, Jesus Himself was known for doing this, and just like in our day, in his day it didn’t go over well with the people of this world. But Jesus was known as a friend to sinners and those highly despised (see Luke 7:34).
Although discomforting and inconvenient, those who are hurting need healing, need to be restored and need to be loved back to wholeness also. We need to be true friends to others.
When I finished reading that story, I prayed to God to always help me to be someone who is a true friend. Someone that doesn’t rub it in the face of others when they have failed or done wrong, but to rub out the hurt and pain with the healing power of God’s grace, mercy and love. I asked God that I wouldn’t be a critical and judgmental hypocrite, but a healer and restorer.
After that prayer, I thought this thought concerning the story and how it could pertain to me: “To little `oh me who doesn’t have tremendous influence on others, it’s easy to be inconvenienced to love, heal and restore someone else, but someone like Billy, Ruth and Franklin Graham who have monumental influence they would risk everything to be inconvenienced and befriend a criminal and love them back to wholeness.
But God is faithful! In that He interjects, and reminds me of this. ‘It’s not having influence that secures you, but I secure you.’
So I’m convinced! Our everything is not in what we have, in what we have done or in what great influence we have. Our everything is God. If we have God in our lives, we have it all.”
Beloved, as Joel says, “A true healer doesn’t mind inconvenience, or taking risks in the course of reaching out to those who truly need a hand up.”
[Flavio, take those words above in...]
There’s so much more, so I encourage you to get your copy of Every Day A Friday.
My Takeaway & Prayer:
Flavio, just as Joel said, “You are a container filled with God. Release His healing wherever you go.” Flavio, allow yourself to be broken over for what breaks God’s heart, and release God’s grace, mercy and love that is all over you and inside of you like the agent of change you were created and called to be! To those who greatly are in need of it. Don’t wait, don’t hesitate but act as God moves you. Amen.
If our shoes could talk what would they say? They are with us wherever we go. Would they have seen us go to places to do good, or to do bad? If my shoes would talk, I very much hope, they would say, “Flavio went to many people and many places bringing the love of God with him, giving as a gift the Good News of Christ. He brought with him words and actions of healing. He brought restoration to broken hearts. He tirelessly tracked down those who were lost and now they are found.”
Beloved, leave a legacy. Be a healer, a restorer— Be a Jesus in someone’s life.
Let us pray:
Our healing and restoring God of all comfort and love. I praise You for being in the business of seeking and saving the lost. I confess to You now, that I get fearful of speaking about You to particular people— Scary people. Violent people. But I thank You that Your Spirit is strong within me, and will guide me, help me and give me the right words to say, and the confident actions I will need to do. Thank You Father, that I am given a spirit that is not timid, not of fear, but a spirit of power, love and a sound mind! I need to be reminded of this. I pray, my God, You help me; help us! To go and track down those who are hurting, broken-hearted and lost. Then we can bring healing, restoration and Your Good News to them. Then they can be healed, restored and no longer lost but found in the abundance of Your unconditional love. Yes! In Jesus name, we give You our great God the glory and praise. Amen.
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