If...
If…
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
If…my people (who?) my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves….
A few posts back I wrote about repenting; changing my thinking. Did you know that the root of the word repent has similar connections to the word metamorphosis? Like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Like an earthbound, ordinary creature, to a beautiful, flying, graceful creature. It is also similar to the word transform, which brings in the idea of not conforming any longer to the pattern (of thought?) of this world but being transformed by the renewing (the changing) of my mind. What is being transformed? MY LIFE…my physical here and now! My everything!
The God I believe in is into TRANSFORMATION in the here and now! Beauty for ashes, gladness instead of despair, healing for sickness …forget not ALL his benefits…. Psalm 103
Repentance: bringing my thinking into line with the word, the heart, the will, of God. Do I, in my every day, acknowledge that many, many of my thoughts are perfectly conformed to the pattern (of hopelessness) of this world and desperately in need of transformation? Do I have a teachable spirit…or do I know all that I need to know already? Do I take every thought captive and MAKE it obedient to the knowledge of Christ? Or, when confronted with something that does not line up, do I hide behind the words that “God is sovereign, and I can’t possibly understand or know his will.” If I were a cartoon character, I would bow my head, fold my hands, and twist my toe in the dirt, looking helpless, vulnerable, and insecure, then sigh and say, “This is just the cross I have to bear.” I did say HIDE…
Why is it that, even though God has REVEALED himself in his word, even though all creation DECLARES him, even though he perfectly, and exactly REPRESENTED himself in the life of Jesus Christ, even though he SAID that if we presented our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God and refused to conform any longer to the pattern (of thinking?) of this world, and were transformed by the renewing of our minds that we would (….get this!!) KNOW THE WILL OF GOD, HIS GOOD AND PLEASING AND PERFECT WILL, …why is it that we will still stand, defend, and die on the hill that we “can’t possibly KNOW the will of God on the subject of healing.” Why is it that we cannot (or is it WILL not) say with certainty that it IS God’s will to heal?
Two reasons come to mind…, well, more than that, but…
One: because there are sooooo many sick people
Two: because we do not (contrary to scripture) BELIEVE that physical healing is included in the finished work of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we haven’t been taught it, and we don’t believe it
Three: because of the IF….
We stand on our high horse and say… “God said it, that settles it,” BUT…in the next breath we say, “I know God said ‘he heals ALL my diseases,’ but I look around and I just don’t see it…” “I know He said that “by His stripes we ARE healed,’ but, I just don’t buy it.” We say “I cannot know the will of God”, even though His word says we can. I am choosing, at that point, unbelief. I am choosing sin. (If I say I am without sin I am a liar, and the truth is not in me, but if I confess my sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive my sin, and purify me of all unrighteousness) I am choosing not to humble myself. (God will not humble me. He will oppose me, but he will not humble me. I have to humble myself, by confessing my unbelief.) I am choosing not to renew my mind, I am choosing not to bring my thinking into line with God’s. I am choosing my view and my opinion over the very Word of God. I am choosing to go with what I see and what I feel. Where’s the hope in that?? Where’s the “Good News”??
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is near”
If my people…..
PS… Please…… take this to Jesus and ask him if it’s true…. I know that I’m coming on strong. I don’t know how to water this down…, how to be more gentle. “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.” 3John 2:2 I am not looking to condemn, but to free.
Nov.12.06
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
If…my people (who?) my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves….
A few posts back I wrote about repenting; changing my thinking. Did you know that the root of the word repent has similar connections to the word metamorphosis? Like a caterpillar to a butterfly. Like an earthbound, ordinary creature, to a beautiful, flying, graceful creature. It is also similar to the word transform, which brings in the idea of not conforming any longer to the pattern (of thought?) of this world but being transformed by the renewing (the changing) of my mind. What is being transformed? MY LIFE…my physical here and now! My everything!
The God I believe in is into TRANSFORMATION in the here and now! Beauty for ashes, gladness instead of despair, healing for sickness …forget not ALL his benefits…. Psalm 103
Repentance: bringing my thinking into line with the word, the heart, the will, of God. Do I, in my every day, acknowledge that many, many of my thoughts are perfectly conformed to the pattern (of hopelessness) of this world and desperately in need of transformation? Do I have a teachable spirit…or do I know all that I need to know already? Do I take every thought captive and MAKE it obedient to the knowledge of Christ? Or, when confronted with something that does not line up, do I hide behind the words that “God is sovereign, and I can’t possibly understand or know his will.” If I were a cartoon character, I would bow my head, fold my hands, and twist my toe in the dirt, looking helpless, vulnerable, and insecure, then sigh and say, “This is just the cross I have to bear.” I did say HIDE…
Why is it that, even though God has REVEALED himself in his word, even though all creation DECLARES him, even though he perfectly, and exactly REPRESENTED himself in the life of Jesus Christ, even though he SAID that if we presented our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God and refused to conform any longer to the pattern (of thinking?) of this world, and were transformed by the renewing of our minds that we would (….get this!!) KNOW THE WILL OF GOD, HIS GOOD AND PLEASING AND PERFECT WILL, …why is it that we will still stand, defend, and die on the hill that we “can’t possibly KNOW the will of God on the subject of healing.” Why is it that we cannot (or is it WILL not) say with certainty that it IS God’s will to heal?
Two reasons come to mind…, well, more than that, but…
One: because there are sooooo many sick people
Two: because we do not (contrary to scripture) BELIEVE that physical healing is included in the finished work of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we haven’t been taught it, and we don’t believe it
Three: because of the IF….
We stand on our high horse and say… “God said it, that settles it,” BUT…in the next breath we say, “I know God said ‘he heals ALL my diseases,’ but I look around and I just don’t see it…” “I know He said that “by His stripes we ARE healed,’ but, I just don’t buy it.” We say “I cannot know the will of God”, even though His word says we can. I am choosing, at that point, unbelief. I am choosing sin. (If I say I am without sin I am a liar, and the truth is not in me, but if I confess my sin, He is faithful and just and will forgive my sin, and purify me of all unrighteousness) I am choosing not to humble myself. (God will not humble me. He will oppose me, but he will not humble me. I have to humble myself, by confessing my unbelief.) I am choosing not to renew my mind, I am choosing not to bring my thinking into line with God’s. I am choosing my view and my opinion over the very Word of God. I am choosing to go with what I see and what I feel. Where’s the hope in that?? Where’s the “Good News”??
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is near”
If my people…..
PS… Please…… take this to Jesus and ask him if it’s true…. I know that I’m coming on strong. I don’t know how to water this down…, how to be more gentle. “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.” 3John 2:2 I am not looking to condemn, but to free.
Nov.12.06
posted by toomanywhatifs at
9:11 PM
4 Comments:
Sorry I didn't comment earlier - I didn't have time to sit down and read it until now. Very interesting. I'm picking up what you're putting down, but I have a question. If God always wants to heal us, then, theoretically, no one would ever physically die. Assuming you were talking about physcial healing in your blog. However, it is amazing how God mentally healing you can have a huge impact on your physical body.
By
Charlie Kilo, at 9:37 AM
People can die without ever being sick... Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a time to die... I find it interesting that, while reading through this chapter, there is not a 'time to be sick'...!? Not conclusive evidence, but interesting none the less...
By
toomanywhatifs, at 10:51 AM
That is true. But then are you saying that if you are physically sick that you just don't have enough faith? I think that we get sick for many reasons, sometimes it is a trial we must go through to make us a stronger Christian. So, sometimes when you pray, God says no to healing you. God always answers prayer, just not always the answer we want. lol
By
Charlie Kilo, at 10:01 AM
did you read my post called 'enough'?
By
toomanywhatifs, at 9:50 AM
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