Continuing the series on Kingdom skills–inner healing
There are some interesting verses in Proverbs 15. Verse 13 says, “A glad heart makes a
happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.” And verse 15 says, “For the despondent, every day brings
trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.”
The implication, especially from verse 15, is that people
have a choice as to the kind of heart that they have. They can choose to see the glass half full or half
empty. If their internal choice is
to have “an afflicted heart” as the older versions say, it doesn’t matter what
we pray about, nothing will change.
But if they choose “a merry heart,” then our prayers for them make a
difference.
I remember praying over a person with epilepsy over a period
of several months. Healing didn’t
happen for her because her epilepsy was something she could hide behind,
something that brought her attention.
However, when she changed her attitude, and following prayer by someone
else, she was completely healed.
She told us about the difference changing her attitude made.
Some people choose to be unhappy. It gives them significance and draws attention to them. That attitude has to change in someone if we want to see transformation in their lives.
Jesus asked the man at the pool of Bethesda, “Do you want to
be made whole?”
6 replies on “Healing: our choice?”
This is such a great reminder Felicity! Attitude is so important and like the man at the pool of Bethesda, I want to be made whole!
Hope all is well with you.
This is a definite battle for me — negative self talk developed with decades of practice going back to my childhood. Probably helped along with a lot of stuff said to me by adults. I admit that today sometimes wrapping myself in despondency, even pity, can feel like a warm blanket.
One of the keys, I think, is being thankful; focusing on what God has done and will do. Thankfulness is — what’s the word — a multiplier, enhancer…?
Mathematically pictured, Phil. 4:7-8 looks like this: (prayer + supplication)thanksgiving = peace
And then Psalm 50:23 — “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”
Oh, how this post resonates with me, Felicity! I can’t wait to share the long version of this story below with you & Tony someday.
God has taken me on an incredible journey this year, and it was on this journey that He ultimately revealed to me His supernatural ability to heal. To my delight, He also allowed me to experience His healing touch first hand. As I did so, I encountered the very reality that you present here: that is, that healing is indeed a gift. And, like all gifts, it must be willingly received. God will not force it on us; we have a choice.
This June I found myself face to face with God (lost in the woods nonetheless) being asked of Him the very question he asked the sick man in John 5: “Do you want to be healed?” What He was specifically asking me in this moment was very personal. It was “Renee, do you really want absolute freedom from same-sex attraction?”
What I was shocked to discover in that moment, as I attempted to answer a seemingly easy question, was that the question was in fact, totally loaded. To answer it honestly I first had to unpack it, and second, had to trust God completely with a long list of fears. Because change—even good change, like the removal of a struggle, an illness, or an addiction—is scary. There is a price to pay in being made whole, and in leaving a false identity behind. I had to stop in that moment and count these costs. As I did so, I wrote them down & surrendered them one by one to God.
To risk be transformed into someone new by God’s healing touch, one must trust Him completely. And yet, to take such a risk leaves everything to be gained because “for the happy heart, life is [INDEED] a continual feast.”
Thank you, Felicity, for blessing me with this well-timed post!
Renee
Thinking about the question, “Do you want to be made whole?” It resonates with Psalm 35:27 — “The Lord delights in the well-being (shalom) of his servant.” Wholeness, soundness, well-being, peace. Jesus wants us to experience it and wants to give it to us. He delights in us experiencing it. And “I have become in his eyes like one who brings contentment (shalom).” — Songs 8:10b
Thank you everyone for sharing so openly about your own battles in this area! Isn’t it wonderful that the Lord has healing for us in every area of our lives–not just physical. He provides freedom from fear, depression, anxiety, addictions, sexual problems, neuroses, dependencies etc. We serve an amazing God!
Renee,
Just watched the video. Awesome!