Category Archives: Healing

Wrinkle Free?

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Abby| 9 Comments

By Carole Rawley

The other day I happened to be walking through my local department store when I heard the words, ‘This actually transformed my life!’ I turned round to see who had made such a powerful statement only to find that it was a cosmetic consultant showing a customer the latest face cream!

As I walked on, I thought about how easily we attribute things with transforming our lives – the latest ipad, smart phone, Facebook, a new pair of shoes. They may help us to organise ourselves better or to keep in contact with friends or to make our feet look pretty, but they don’t transform us as God intended.

In order to do that, he sent Jesus!

In John 9 we read of an encounter between Jesus and a blind man. Jesus declared that this man wasn’t blind because he had sinned but ‘so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’ He then declared that he was ‘the light of the world‘ and proceeded to make a mud pie from his own saliva and smear it onto the man’s eyes. Jesus didn’t even pray but simply told the man to wash it off. When he did, he could SEE.

Now that is transformation!

A number of years ago I was at a conference as part of the prayer ministry team and the speaker called people forward who needed healing.  Many people responded and I went to pray with a young seventeen-year-old woman. I asked her what she needed prayer for and she said she was deaf in her right ear. She wanted God to make her hear. She explained that she had pushed a knitting needle down her ear canal when she was three years old and had destroyed the ear. She hadn’t heard anything in that ear since!

As I placed my hand on her ear, I simply whispered, ‘Show your power, Lord.’ Immediately she started screaming! It looked as though she was in pain and I tried to comfort her, having no idea what the matter was. Then, in amongst the sobs, I heard the words ‘It’s so loud, the music’s so loud.’ Jesus had healed her and she could HEAR.

That is also transformation!

When the man who had been blind was summoned before the Pharisees to explain himself he had no theological arguments or explanations. He couldn’t tell them how or why he was healed but he could say:

‘One thing I do know, I was blind but now I see.’ (John 9:25)

What are the ways in which Jesus has transformed our lives? We may not be able to explain exactly how or why he has changed us, but we know we are different. Maybe we can now love where we once hated, maybe we have joy where we once had deep sorrow, maybe we know peace where we lived in constant anxiety. The ‘light of the world’ has touched our hearts.

So let’s make sure that the work of God is seen in our lives, even if we do happen to indulge in wrinkle free face cream from time to time!

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Posted in Carole Rawley, Healing, Power to change

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We Are A Masterpiece

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Abby| 2 Comments

By Karri Nachtigal

I really like those mosaic tables that are made of broken glass, plates or tiles and have always wanted to make one.  One of my more “crafty” friends told me that they were quite easy to make, so I thought I might give it a try.

My first step was to Google directions about making the table.  As I was reading the directions and looking at all the pictures of the beautiful tables, God started speaking to my heart about how He viewed my brokenness and what He can and will do with it.

Step 1:  Gather as many broken pieces of glass, plates or tiles that you can find.

“People come to me when they realize how broken they are.  Didn’t you come to Me like that?”

When I came to God I was broken and I probably looked like a piece of     something most people would throw away.  Not to God, he picked me up from the floor, like a fragile piece of broken of glass, but instead of throwing me in the garbage, He polished me up and thought “I  could do something with this piece!”

Psalm 34:18  “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Step 2:  On some of the pieces you will need to use a tile or glass cutter, so that you can make the piece to fit into your pattern.

“That spot in your heart Karri is a little rough.  Let me smooth it out.”

God has had to use the “tile cutters” (sometimes we call it pruning) on me few times.  He is an artisan, so He is able to take off the sharp edges and mold me into the shape He needs me to be.  When I struggled with insecurity about my ability to do a job, He picked up His glass cutters and reminded me that “I can do all things, through Christ Jesus, who strengthens me” and sniped off that insecurity.

John 15: 2 “…while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes.”

Step 3:  Place the tiles where you want them to go.

“Karri, this is where I want you to be.  I know you don’t want to be here, but wait and see what      I can do.  See how you fit.”

This is where God uses His vision.  He already knows what the finished product will look like. ( I do not.)  He has the design all planned out.  He is the one who places me where I should go.  If  I try to fit into another spot, it ruins the design and I “don’t fit” there.  I need to go where He is placing me.

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.”

Step 4:  Fill in the spaces with grout and remove the excess grout with water.

“See how the grout keeps everything in place.  This is my unity of the spirit.”

I don’t like grout.  It is messy and takes a while to clean off, but it is one of the more important steps for having a nice mosaic table.  Sometimes that is what coming to unity in the body of Christ can look like.  It’s not always easy and in fact it is sometimes down right messy, but it something we need to have in order to be a strong “table”.  Unity helps keep us in place, it helps us work together to show the world God’s masterpiece.

Psalms 133:1 “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity.”

Step 5:  Display the finished product

“In my hands, you are moulded into the most beautiful masterpiece.”

I make the mistake of focusing on my brokenness, instead of looking a the whole masterpiece that is being created.  When I am given a glimpse into what the masterpiece is starting to look like, I can do nothing but be  in awe of what I see.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time.  He has also set eternity in the  hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

And this I know to be true..

when we come to Him broken, He sees our beauty…

when we are rough around the edges, He smooths us out…

when we feel like we don’t fit, He puts us in the perfect spot…

when we feel disconnected, He unifies us with others…

and displays us for the world to see.

Lord, help me to see my brokenness not as a failure, but as a part of the masterpiece created by the  Master Artisan.

 

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Posted in Creativity, Grace, Healing, Hope, Karri Nachtigal, Power to change, Promises, Trusting God

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I Am Whole

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Abby| 2 Comments

By Sarah Lehman

I love waking up and remembering a dream.  It rarely happens so when it does, I really enjoy it and find myself thinking about it a lot. For example, the other night in my dream I was playing in a parking lot with my son Elijah (now in waking life I do not, do not play in parking lots with my son). As we were playing, I hugged and kissed him and did all of those Mommy type of things. I even had to discipline him for something. As we were interacting, I became aware that we were being watched by two men (not in a creepy way). They came closer and I recognized them as being a pop duo sensation of the 80’s.

(Which sensation? Who knows? Apparently deep in my subconscious rests an 80’s pop duo).

Once they got to me they looked at me with pleasant curiosity on their faces and said  “We see you playing with your son. You are happy, you are so WHOLE. How are you able to be that way?”  In the dream I answered, “I know Jesus. I am loved by God.” And then I left, wondering what the 80′s pop duo was doing in a parking lot, and why were we all speaking in short, choppy sentences.

There was one phrase in that dream that I haven’t been able to shake, “You are so whole.” The 80′s duo might have said, “You seem so complete and it is totally obvious because of the joy you are displaying and your love for your son.”

See, when we are in a relationship with Jesus, when we are confident of the love of God, we find everything we need and desire in Him and we become whole. Our naked places are covered, all of our gaps are filled and we have an abundant source of provision. And that kind of wholeness, that kind of satisfaction becomes apparent to others because of the fruit it brings about in our lives. In my dream it was the fruit of joy and love (love for my son).

“I am whole” is a statement that declares that I lack nothing – there is no part missing, If I have been robbed in the past I am now restored – I am full and running over. Do we realize that if we walk with Jesus, if we are under the shelter of God’s wing, we are whole and we don’t need to look for completion anywhere else?  Here is another beautiful thing, because Jesus is what makes us whole and because He is also our Shepherd, we shall not be robbed of that wholeness!

If you are feeling challenged in this, if you are feeling depressed or incomplete, fix your eyes on him, Don’t let your soul be downcast, “God is your exceeding joy” (Psalm 43).  When you are in Him, you are WHOLE!

I can almost hear the 80’s pop sensation sing it now……

 

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Posted in Healing, Hope, Joy, Love, Sarah Lehman

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How To Hold A Burial

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Abby| Leave a comment

By Abby King

All these tears, all this rain. And yet… there is sowing, there is planting.

True, we may cry, but we press on for the crop.

… we still sow though in tears, and let go of every seed, burying hopes and hurts in faith, and out of loss, new life will unfurl, our tears watering rows.  Ann Voskamp

What do you hold in your hand?

Each hurt, each disappointment, each hope, is a seed to be let go of, pushed down deep into the nutrient-rich soil of faith – the soil of I will never leave you or forsake you; and my grace is sufficient for you – the miracle-grow place of beauty and ashes; prodigals and homecoming; death and resurrection.

And we wait while the Spirit weaves together His mysteries and works all things together for our good in the unseen places. We water our faith as we trust that out of the dirt and the mess and the chaos something beautiful is being grown; that “those who go out weeping carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them” (Psalm 126:6).

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed…” John 20:29

What about you? What seeds are you burying in faith?

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Posted in Abby King, Grace, Healing, Trusting God

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Refuge

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Abby| 13 Comments

By Teri Wetzel

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped. Psalm 28:7a

Shelter, protection, covering, trust, refuge.

These thoughts roll over and over in my mind, simmering on the back burner of my understanding.

Confidence, assurance, safe haven, security, hope, shield, fortress, strength, solid rock, sanctuary…

Through the years, I’ve found God speaks to me through this sort of mulling exercise. He highlights certain verses, or concepts in His Word, and in my experience.  I ponder. As the thoughts pile up, meld together, and soak in, I get the growing sense that He is showing me something important, but I am not exactly sure what it is.

Yet.

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Posted in Healing, Love, Peace, Teri Wetzel, Trusting God, Uncategorized

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Promises

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Abby| 11 Comments

By Julia Hare

In 2005, after a string of events that caused me to wonder about my purpose in life and where God was in all of it, I cried out to Him.  I said, ‘where are all these things you’ve promised, because I’m just not seeing it’.  He answered with Deut. 8:2-9:

“Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.  Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.  Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him.  For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.”

About a year later after some devastating personal losses, God reminded again of the ‘good land’ that He had promised.  As a result of a book I was reading (‘Coming Up For Air’ by Margaret Becker), I went through a process which led me to being able to believe and trust God again for the fulfillment of the desires He had put in my heart.  I wrote in my journal…

“Before going to sleep last night, I read a chapter from MB’s book.  There was a line that stood out:  ‘I have made the costly journey from fear to pursuit when it comes to change’.  Immediately my heart sunk and I knew – ‘I have been making the costly journey from pursuit to fear when it comes to change’.  I woke up at 1:30am with this thought in my mind, ‘I have come to live my life within the careful lines of what people will understand and accept’.  How did I get here?  I began to trace back and find the culprits…a string of disappointments followed by a couple of key moments in which I conceded when I should have stood my ground.”

Six months after reading that book and taking steps toward new trust in Him, I was still dealing with amazing amounts of doubt and fear.  I have found that God is gently ruthless with the things in us that keep us from His fullness.  He just keeps peeling back the layers, gently, one at a time, until He gets to the core of the issue.  He got to that core with me at a ladies retreat I went to around this time.  The speaker began by challenging us to identify one thing that holds us back from our full potential in God.  I knew instantly, for me it was doubt.  She read a passage of scripture, Jeremiah 15:19, from the Amplified version:

‘Therefore thus says the Lord [to Jeremiah]: If you return [and give up this mistaken tone of distrust and despair], then I will give you again a settled place of quiet and safety, and you will be My minister; and if you separate the precious from the vile [cleansing your own heart from unworthy and unwarranted suspicions concerning God's faithfulness], you shall be My mouthpiece.’

I went to my friend who was speaking that day and told her that I had realized that I don’t believe that God will keep His word and I’m not sure how to get out of that place.  She said, ‘you need to repent.’   I had gotten to this point because of events that had taken place that left me questioning His faithfulness.  Things were residing in my heart that would eventually turn into bitterness if they were not rooted out.  We have to be honest when circumstances arise that cause us to doubt Him, bring it to the light and tell the truth about what is happening in our hearts. As I knelt down that day to repent, I realized that there was anger in my heart that I didn’t even know was there.  As I released all of that to Him and asked Him to forgive me for not believing Him and for being angry, I felt a burden lift from my heart.  The result was an increase in faith, a release from fear, and a trust in Him that I never had before.  I am seeing now that those promises are fulfilled when I trust and obey Him.

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Posted in Healing, Julia Hare, Power to change, Seeking God, Trusting God

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In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Abby| 6 Comments

By Abi Burton

I’ve been reading Luke this week and been so struck by Jesus’ healing miracles – how he was preparing his disciples, his audience and us today, for an intimacy beyond what we could experience in the natural.

If you look at Luke 4 you’ll read that Jesus began his healing ministry with Simon’s mother-in-law. Going to her bedside, Jesus rebuked her fever and she was instantly healed. Once word spread, he had every sick person around come pouring to the house so he laid hands on them all and they too were healed. Luke 4:40 says, “No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one.” Amazing!

Then if you read on, you see the story of Jesus and the paralysed man who was lowered into Jesus’ presence for healing. Jesus never touches the guy but “turned to [him] and said, ‘Stand up…because you are healed!’” This time, Jesus showed his audience that His presence was enough to bring the miraculous transformation.

Already can you see the change? Jesus takes his followers on a journey through these few miracles to carefully reveal His power to heal, not only through touch but also by being in His presence.

When Jesus travels further and encounters the Roman officer in Capernaum we really begin to see where Jesus is taking us with this: the Roman officer fully believed in Jesus’ power to heal and that it went far beyond either his physical touch or even his presence. The officer knew that Jesus’ command was all that was needed and as a result, his servant was healed. What faith! Even Jesus was amazed, saying “I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!”

Jesus has taken us on a journey to discover the true healing power that is available to us through Him and even just in these miracles, he moves us on in our thinking in preparation for what is to come.

I recently had a situation where I needed to experience the healing power of God, facing the possibility that I had cervical cancer; not really something I’d ever considered a possibility if I’m honest, and hopefully something very few of you will ever have to face either. But I guess all of us have faced illness in our lives that tests our faith, even if it’s getting a horrible cold just before that hugely important presentation at work. I started thinking about the ‘what ifs’ of a doctor’s diagnosis turning out for the worst and immediately looked to God for help. In those few days I was so struck by His tangible presence, so assured that He was right there with me and so at peace that He could do all things.

It’s exactly this power and closeness that goes beyond the physical that I believe Jesus was trying to show us in the way He healed throughout his ministry. In his miracles, He gently moves his audience on from seeing Him lay on hands for healing, to commanding healing in his presence, to simply saying the word and the servant is healed. All this is preparation for when He would no longer be among his people in a physical sense but when He would have a relationship with us and touch us with that same power through the Holy Spirit. Peter understood this and walked in that truth, healing “in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.”

Jesus made a place of refuge in the intimacy of our relationship with the Holy Spirit, a place where His healing power is available to us. He left us this incredible legacy; our job is to draw in to Him and exercise our faith to believe.

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