Wonderful Jesus!

Category: Believers

• My Favorite Healing Scriptures

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 19, 2020

  At first, I was just going to include a list of my favorite healing scriptures; but as I was editing them the Lord spoke to my spirit and told me to tell you why they are favorites of mine. He also reminded me that when I first started using them He had to teach me to use them, so instead of just a list, I will explain a few things.

  Exodus 15:26 – “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” NKJV -This is the scripture in the Word where God first reveals Himself as Jehovah-Rapha the God that heals. Knowing and using this scripture is a foundation for divine health.

  Exodus 23:25 – “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.” NKJV- I really like this scripture. I use it to command sickness to leave someone’s body, or my own, and I “see” God driving it out!

  Psalm 103:2-3 – “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,” NKJV- This scripture is foundational. It reminds us that the same Blood that purchased our salvation, purchased our healing. I did a blog called “The Children’s Bread” that explains our benefit packet of healing. Check it out!

  Isaiah 53:4-5 – “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” NKJV- This scripture is foundational also! We must realize that the Blood of Jesus purchased healing and salvation, and as simple as it is to receive salvation, it is just as easy to receive healing.

  1 Peter 2:24 – “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness— by whose stripes you were healed.” NKJV-This scripture is a New Testament confirmation of what Isaiah 53:4-5 shared with us about healing and salvation. It’s in our covenant!

  Acts 10:38 – “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” NKJV-Some say healing isn’t for today, but Jesus went about healing because God was with Him. And if we are His, and God is with us, we should be seeing the same things Jesus saw! Also, the devil is the author of sickness and disease, not God. (If you think God gave it to you, then don’t pray to be healed from it because you are fighting His will!) Go figure! He wants you whole!

  Romans 8:11 – “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” NKJV- I really love this verse. Since I am a believer in Christ, and His Spirit is on the inside of me, I fully expect His Spirit to quicken, or make alive my mortal body!

  Psalm 107:20 – “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” NKJV- God sent His Word, and the Word became flesh, and that Word is Jesus. Both scriptures and Jesus is where we find our healing and deliverance! God sent both! Or one and the same!

  Psalm 119:49-50 – “Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.” NKJV-God’s word-Genesis to Revelation- is what I have come to hope on. Although portions of it are specific to different needs, I hope in His Word. But I always remember Exodus 15:26 and Isaiah 53:4-5 and this point! It’s what I am standing; that He is my Healer and it is my comfort and my deliverance when sickness attacks!

  Proverbs 3:7-8 – “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.” NKJV- Don’t think that you can live a life of sin and stand on the promises. God’s word, I say all of it, is health to your flesh and strength to your bones!

  Jeremiah 33:6 – “Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.” NKJV- This verse demonstrates God’s willingness to heal!

  Matthew 8:2-3 – “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.” NKJV-This is another verse that demonstrates that Jesus was willing to heal and He still isn’t. There is no verse that tells us that He changed His mind! Only verses that tells us that He wills to heal us!

  Matthew 8:7 – “And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’” NKJV-Jesus will heal!

  Matthew 14:14 – “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.”
  NKJV-Jesus heals the sick. His compassion never fails us! We can call on Him and He will respond.

  Mark 5:34 – “And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.’” NKJV-Faith is the currency of the kingdom. If you can believe it, you can receive it!

  3 John 1:2 – “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” NKJV-This is the sum of it all! God wants us to be in health as our soul prospers! Think of it like this, your mind has to be transformed to believe that you can be healed and as your soul receives this truth, your body will respond with health.

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Healing, Health, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, healing scriptures, Health, Jesus, word of God

• The Medicine Cabinet

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 18, 2020

  Proverbs 4:20-22 – “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.” NKJV

  Have you ever stopped to really listen to commercials selling pharmaceutical drugs? It can really be laughable if it wasn’t so alarming. A well known drug for allergies can cause severe allergic reactions, severe dizziness and trouble breathing. A medication for high blood pressure can cause a loss of potassium, leg cramps, gout and the need for other medications. Other side effects are depression, cold hands and feet, insomnia, symptoms of asthma, and in some cases, kidney failure. Some times I have to wonder if we are not better off without the medicines since the side effects that accompany these medications are often worst.

  Thanks be to God that there is a medicine that have long lasting, eternal side effects that are not harmful to your physical body! The Word of God! I’ll talk more about that in a minute.

  Now all medications come with instructions. Some require that it be taken four times a day, while others may just be daily! The medicine of God’s word is the same. It comes with instruction! In our verse for today, the writer encourages us to pay attention to His words. Now we understand that we are paying attention to the word of God when we are reading and meditating on it. After paying attention to the word, we are to be willing to learn all that we can from it. If you have never heard this before, be willing to learn what the word teaches about healing. We are to keep the word in our sight and to keep it in the center of our heart. Again, this is not a passive or just for the moment attention to the word. It is a commitment to the word. All of these instructions are for how we are to take the word to get the best results!

  Then he tells us what the results are for taking the word: they are life to those who find them, and health and healing to all of their flesh! Healing means I am getting healed from some attack on my body, and health means that I am kept from a need to be healed. So the word of God produces life, health, and healing to those who find them; both present and future results of allowing the word to be your medicine.

  In God’s medicine cabinet, what we call the Bible, are countless scriptures regarding His promise to heal us. One of the most well-known scriptures on healing is found in Exodus 15:26-“…For I am the Lord who heals you.” Another favorite of mine and well known verse is Isaiah 53:5- “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” In this blog, I can only mention a few of my favorites, but you can do a search for healing scriptures and get an entire list of them. Also, you can probably look up a YouTube video of someone reading them, so I won’t redo what you can find elsewhere.

  I do, however, want to return to the instructions on taking the word. No one told me anything but to get the healing scriptures and to confess them over myself. (I actually own Kenneth Hagin’s “Healing Scriptures” in hard copy and ebook.) But through the years I have developed some “techniques” for taking the medicine of God’s Word that I will share.

  • First, I get a list of healing scriptures. I either grab a book off my shelf or google a list. Sometimes I just go from my memory of the scriptures.

  • Then, I begin to worship Him and thank Him for the validity of His Word, for His faithfulness to His word, for His healing power throughout the years, etc.

  • I then go through the list one verse at a time, making it very personal. For example: “ Lord, you promised in Your Word that if I would obey You and Your word that You wouldn’t allow the sickness and disease that is on the world to come upon me. That You would reveal Yourself and be to me the Lord that heals! I am so thankful for that and I receive that Word as truth. As I have endeavored to obey Your word, I have placed myself in right standing with you to be healed. I receive it for myself, or my family, or my friend right now in Jesus’ Name! And I continue to go through the list of verses in like manner.

  • As I am going through the list, I will come upon a verse that will quicken me. It is at this verse that I will stop and camp. Let’s say that the verse is 1 Peter 2:24 today. Then I will begin to stand with tenacity on that verse. I will remind my body that Jesus hung on the cross and carried this thing in His Body on the cross so that I wouldn’t have to bear it, so I fully resist it! I will remind my body that when He died on the cross it was in order for me to be dead to my sins and therefore dead to sickness and disease! As I live in Him I am the righteousness of God and I live to righteousness. So irrespective to what sin the devil wants to hold charge against me, I plead the Blood and I decree that I am righteous! Now sickness and disease you leave my Body, you are trespassing and I command you to go!

  • If the symptoms don’t leave immediately, I don’t say or think, this isn’t working! I just keep attacking each symptom with God’s word knowing that it will bow to the uncompromising word of God! This medicine is strong! It goes between joints and marrow, it is quick and powerful, it’s sharper than a two-edge sword. There is no defense against the Word of God. Nothing can withstand it when it is wielded properly. So start swinging the sword of the Word at this coronavirus today! I know I am!

  Now back to side effects! The side effects of the word of God is that the more you use it, the more you will want to use it. The more you see it work in your life, the more you will apply it to your life. The more you take it, the stronger your physical and spiritual beings will become. And most importantly, the stronger your trust, and therefore, your relationship with God will become! Then as your faith grows, you will be able to reach out to others who are sick and share your medicine with them because your doctor, the Great Physician won’t mind at all. In fact, He will highly recommend it!

  If I could write a blog that wouldn’t be extremely long, and potentially boring to you, I would go through all of my healing scriptures and tell you some things I have seen, maybe in shorter doses I can. But let me share this quick testimony:

  Our daughter inherited eczema through her dad’s bloodline. And after years of us putting creams on it and praying over it, she had had enough. As a matter of fact, she came to me and said that I didn’t pray over her like I prayed over the people at the church and she wanted to be healed! So the Lord gave me the strategy of us combating it daily with the word. One day I would have a verse, the next day she would, and we would pray that verse over her. Then, one day we prayed and it was a wrap! No more was she tormented in her flesh with that skin rash. Not only that, but her skin cleared up! She was made free! The word works! Don’t let the devil try and convince you that it doesn’t!

  At this time, while we are gearing up in America for more and more cases of the coronavirus, and other countries are dealing with the heart of it, I think we should gear up for our vaccine against it! Get into God’s medicine cabinet today, and get His word working on your behalf! He has carried your sins and diseases and with His stripes, you were HEALED! Wonderful Jesus!

  *

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Healing, Health | 8 Comments | Tagged 1 Peter 2:24, Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Health, Isaiah 53:5, Prayer, Proverbs 4:20-22, righteousness

• There Is A Name!

  Posted at 1:09 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 17, 2020

  Ephesians 1:21 – “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.” NKJV

  The News is buzzing every day, all day, on every channel about the coronavirus. I get that we need to be kept informed of all that is happening and am personally watching the news and listening for any changes that are taking place in the world. But there comes a point when we have to shut out all of the negative news and remind ourselves of the truth of God’s word!

  This morning, as I was waking up, a song popped in my head, “There Is a Name” by Byron Cage. (I just finished listening to it for the fourth or fifth time today!) I’ve not been able to shake it from my spirit and so I knew I just had to remind you, as the Lord reminded me today, there is a Name, Jesus!

  Paul wrote in Ephesians regarding Jesus, that He is seated in heavenly places far above all principality, power, might, and dominion, and above every name that is named! Coronavirus is a name, and He is above the name of coronavirus!!

  Today, we have officially began our “at home” stay because of the coronavirus with the expectation of returning to work/school at the end of the month. However, before leaving the school today, the President gave a press conference in which he stated that this may go on til July! That is mind boggling!

  We can accept all that he and the scientists of the world say as truth, or we can accept what God has said is truth. Jesus is the Name above every name. At His Name, every knee must bow! We can become afraid of coronavirus or we can command it to bow to the Name of Jesus! I believe that we can take a stand against this diabolical attack against our world in Jesus’ Name and command this virus to dry up and dissipate!

  You might be asking, “What makes you think that it will be any different for America, then it was for the other nations?” I have an answer! Remember Sennacherib’s messenger to Hezekiah, and how he asked Hezekiah the same thing? Well, I do! He told Hezekiah that things didn’t work out too well for those other countries and so there was no point in him thinking that they would work out differently for Judah. But Hezekiah dared to believe that God was still keeping covenant with His people and cried out to Him. And God delivered him and Judah from Sennacherib!

  I say to you tonight, stop focusing on the bad reports! Should you take precautions? I think you should! Should you honor the quarantine? I plan to because I believe it is the right thing to do. But am I planning on sitting back waiting to be struck down, or waiting for those I know and love to be struck down? I don’t think so!

  We have what the world needs right now! This is our time to show that we are serving the One and True Living God and that we are readily placing our trust in Him! Jesus doesn’t have the answer to the coronavirus, Jesus is the Answer! His Name is above coronavirus, meaning that His Name has greater authority than the name of coronavirus.

  As we were preparing to leave our class today I mentioned the coronavirus to my students. I wanted to make sure they understood why we were leaving school for the next two weeks. One of my students said, we need to pray about this! I wish I could’ve stopped and prayed right there on the spot with him but since he made an observation and not a request, I agreed and kept it moving!

  Church of God….we need to pray! And we need to keep praying and speaking words of life over ourselves, our loved ones, our friends, and our nations! We’ve been given the Name that can counter what coronavirus is doing. Let’s use it in faith, knowing…there is a Name!!! And it hasn’t lost it’s power! Wonderful, wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, Healing | 1 Comment | Tagged Believer, Christian, Ephesians 1, God, hard times, Healing, Hezekiah, Jesus, Prayer, Sennacherib

• The Miracle Worker

  Posted at 12:18 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 15, 2020

  Luke 23:8 -Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. NKJV

  In 1962, a movie was released called “The Miracle Worker”. This movie was based on Helen Keller’s life, a child who became both blind and deaf after a bout with a high fever in her infancy. When she became a young child, her parents were encouraged to institutionalize her, but they decided to try a tutor from a school for the blind as a last resort. As you know, if you have heard the story or seen the movie, Anne Sullivan, dubbed “the miracle worker” became Helen’s teacher and lifelong friend, after being able to reach through the deadness of her mind, teaching her to communicate through ASL and Braille. A life that was spiraling out of control became a great testament to the power of love and having the right teacher.

  Isaiah 9:6- “For unto us a child was born”…, and He became the greatest teacher of all, the true miracle worker. In less than four years of earthly ministry, He did so many miracles that John said there were not enough books to contain it all. But in God’s word, we get a real insight into who this great miracle worker was and is, and we are left knowing that with a powerful love and an amazing ability to teach, He changed the course of mankind forever!

  Herod was so excited to finally see Jesus. He had heard about Him from others, but now he would see Him for himself. The scripture tells us that Herod wanted to see Jesus because he was hoping to see Jesus perform a miracle: maybe He would open some blind eyes, or open some ears, or create a new limb, it didn’t matter, he just wanted to see something happen. But Jesus did not perform a miracle for Herod that day, leaving Herod disappointed, somewhat disillusioned, and even angry!

  People have not changed today. They still want to see the Miracle Worker. They still want to see a performance or be awed, or even entertained by some great feat, some wondrous occurrence. Some chase around the world, others run from church to church, still others, chase behind an individual to glimpse the miracle worker, and when He won’t perform for them, they too walk away disillusioned, disappointed and even angry.

  But can I tell you what Herod missed, that others are still missing today? Jesus was and is the Miracle! To have an opportunity to see Him, to hear of Him, to discover that you are loved of Him is a miracle. Herod didn’t realize that the One who came to save him from an eternity spent in hell was before him and he was looking for entertainment. He didn’t understand that knowing Him was far better than seeing Him do any kind of feat, and he was about to miss his moment of visitation. But that’s exactly what happened, he missed out on a relationship with the Living God because he was looking for the wrong thing, a performance!

  Even in the church world, we are looking for a performance. We think that if we can do this, then God will do that! If we can get there, then God will perform that. We believers, and even those in the world, are still looking for the Miracle Worker to perform for us, when He is still waiting for us to just want Him!

  I am one who believe in miracles. I look forward to hearing about the miracles people have received and those done through God’s people. I love the environment in a service when God moves on someone’s behalf and grant them a miracle. And I just love watching Him do Him and be Him. But a long time ago I met the Miracle Worker. He was more awesome than Anne Sullivan and still is. She pales in comparison! Jesus, the real miracle worker, reached through the deadness of my soul and, although I was blind, He didn’t teach me to operate in my blindness, but He gave me sight to see that I was in need of a savior, Him! I was deaf, and He didn’t teach me to hear with my senses, but He taught me to hear with my spirit what He has to say to me through His word! He took my life of chaos and dysfunction and turned it into a life of productivity filled with love, hope, and opportunities! And through the power of love and great teaching He has transformed my life and the lives of so many others. Isn’t that miraculous?!

  At this critical time, when our world needs untold miracles to get us to the other side of this pandemic, I want to say that we serve the Miracle Worker! It’s not enough to come to Him for a divine intervention in this pandemic, although He should be your first point of contact; but you must come to Him because He is the only One who can bring you hope in the midst of so much turmoil! He doesn’t want to be known by you as one who seeks Him only for what He can do for you, for what He can show you, for what He can perform for you, no more than He was interested in performing for Herod. But He can and will do miracles, great things, amazing things for those who are seeking to know Him, the only true Miracle Worker, for who He is!

  At this time of great panic and deep concerns for the well being of our world, seek the Miracle Worker! He can save you! He can heal you! He can set you free! And the greatest news of all is, He will! If you can believe! You may already be disappointed, disillusioned, and even angry over this pandemic, but I encourage you to turn you heart to Jesus, the only real Miracle Worker and watch Him move on your behalf and in your situation changing your heart and mind as He has done for so many others! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, coronavirus, encouragement | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, Health, Jesus, Jesus as teacher, love, miracle worker, miraculous, Salvation, transformation

• A Matter of the Heart!

  Posted at 1:20 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 8, 2020

  Key Text: Psalm 119:10-With my whole heart I have sought You…

  When was the last time that you were able to say like David that you sought the Lord with your whole heart? I don’t know about you but I can say with a certainty that every prayer that I pray is not prayed with my whole heart. As I am studying, how to pray effectively, I am taking this time to be honest before the Lord about my prayer life. I am allowing the Holy Spirit to shed light on those prayers that have been answered and those prayers that have not been answered so that I have more answered prayers than not. I have decided that the fault of unanswered prayer lie at my door and not at His. It is with that in mind that I write this blog.

  William Penn was an English Quaker best known for founding the colony of Pennsylvania as a place for religious freedom in America. He was a minister, missionary, lawyer, and a journalist. Charles Finney, in his autobiography quoted this saying from William Penn:

  For nothing reaches the heart but what is from the heart or pierces the conscience but what comes from a living conscience.—William Penn

  This quote resonated with me reminding me of the truth of God’s word regarding prayer. If it doesn’t touch my heart, it probably doesn’t touch the heart of God. David’s statement, in the above scripture, is an echo of a truth regarding prayer that is often overlooked: we are to pray with our whole heart! Not our physical organ of a heart, but with our spiritual heart.

  The word “heart” comes from the Hebrew word “lebab ” and is used to depict the inner man. It is also used to refer to the seat of desire, inclination, or will of an individual. When thinking of the heart as the seat of my desires it causes me to think of praying being all in, or fully engaged. When I think of engagement in prayer, I am thinking of things like, is my mind fully engaged in this prayer or am I thinking about other things? Do I care if this prayer is answered or not; how important to me is the answer? Do I truly believe that I am communing with the Father, or am I just going through an exercise? These questions and some others you may think of are important in dealing with praying with our whole heart.

  The psalms are songs, but many of them are also prayers. As I was looking at the subject of heartfelt prayers I came upon this verse written by David:

  Psalm 35:13-14- But I, when they were ill, wore sackcloth; I put myself out and fasted; I can pray that what I prayed for them might also happen to me. I behaved as I would for my friend or my brother; I bent down in sorrow as if mourning my mother. CJB

  David is reminiscing about his times of prayer for others. He recalls how when they were sick, he fasted on their behalf and cried out to the Lord. David said that he prayed for them basically as if he was praying for himself. He wanted God to intervene on their situation as he would have wanted God to do it for him. This is praying with one’s whole heart. Most of us can probably go there when we have a serious situation going on in our lives, but how many of us can do that when something is going on in someone else’s life?

  Through the years I have had the privilege of praying for many who were sick. When I pray for the sick at home, I am all in, asking God for greater anointing to get them healed, for a time when there is no sick amongst us, for miracles to break out amongst His people in a greater way. I recall one of my earlier times when I prayed for someone who was sick. I was in the grocery store when I came upon a woman having a seizure. She looked at me and was able to get that out to me. I caught her as she was falling, knelt beside her and began to pray with an urgency! I took authority over that demonic seizure spirit, bound his activity and commanded him to leave. The crowd was gathering and I heard someone say call 911; but I just kept my focus on her deliverance and kept praying. I remembered when my baby had been diagnosed with abnormal seizure activity and I got mad at the devil! So I prayed. A few minutes later her body calmed, she got up and thanked me and we both continued to shop for our groceries. Glory to God!

  Another time I was at a conference when I passed a group of women praying for a lady who was in great pain; and I heard her say she was considering leaving the conference. I had to go to restroom and since I was just an attendee, I continued on my way. But I said to the Lord that I would go over there and pray if she was still there when I returned, because it looked like they needed help. I began to join my faith with them as I went to the restroom, praying in the Spirit. When I returned, they were still praying so I walked over, asked if I could pray, and they said yes. She was made free because of His faithfulness to His Word! He is the God that Heals! I believe those women were praying with all of their heart for their friend, I just know that sometimes we can all use a little help!

  This isn’t always the results that I get. This is why I am studying prayer. Can I just be honest and say that I study it whenever I begin to feel frustration in my prayer life? I want to be more effective and get greater and more consistent results. Even now when I pray for people I see them get healed, especially of pain, but not all of them get healed. Some have died and gone on to be with the Lord. Some have had miraculous turn arounds! Thank God for that! But my heart is that not a single person live a single day longer in sickness than they have to, and they stop dying of sickness and disease. Just go to sleep and go home after a ripe old age and a fulfilled life! Glory be to God!!

  I get what William Penn said that if prayer doesn’t touch my heart that it won’t touch the Father’s heart. I want to pray every prayer with my whole heart. Most often than not, that will be in my private time or in corporate prayer so that when someone needs me to pray for them, I can boldly stand in faith and decree their victory as if it was my victory! It’s simply a matter of the heart! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Prayer, Psalm 119, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, encouragement, Faith, Healing, heart, Jesus, miraculous, Prayer, Psalm 119, victory

• What Do You Want?

  Posted at 3:30 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 6, 2020

  Matthew 20:32 – So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” NKJV

  Jesus was leaving Jericho on this particular day, and of course He was surrounded by people. As He walked along the street there were two blind men sitting on the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing they cried out to Him for mercy. Some in the crowd told them to be quiet, but they got louder and cried out again for mercy.

  How many times have you prayed for God’s mercy when what you needed was finances, or healing, or some other thing? God’s mercy is His compassion towards mankind. The Hebrew word for mercy is eleéō, and means “to compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace) (The Blue Bible). I personally believe that all of God’s responses to us is because of His compassion towards us. But His compassion or mercy is so endless that we need to refine our request for results that matter.

  All too often when we pray we are general and have a tendency of being repetitive and full of religious sayings. We go through life wondering how we can be so faithful in praying and yet we lack results in our prayers being answered. We can get loud and emotional, we clap and stomp and say “Father God! In the Name of Jesus, and other phrases to fill our prayer time, and leave tired from the activity with no assurance of our prayers being answered. Jesus said that when we pray, we are not to use vain repetitions. Matthew 6:7- “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.” When I read this verse, it helped me to see that I really did need to listen to make some changes in the way that I was praying.

  In our scripture we have these two men, crying out for mercy. When Jesus stops and asks them what do they want Him to do for them they don’t ask for mercy! Isn’t that surprising that they have been yelling for mercy, but now that they have His attention, they are no longer asking for mercy? No! They ask for their eyes to be opened! And Jesus opened their eyes! He showed them mercy when He opened their eyes, but He could have shown them mercy without ever opening their eyes. They were specific in what they wanted and they got exactly what they wanted.

  Our verse for today, share an important ingredient in praying effectively. That simple truth is this, that we are to be specific in our prayers. In dealing with my children when they were small, I often had to try and figure out what they wanted. My second born was a fast talker when she was a toddler and some times she would talk so fast I couldn’t understand what she was saying. On one occasion she was going at it and I kept asking her what did she want. Finally, her big sister said to me that she wanted some water. I said that she was not asking for water. Then my oldest turned to her and asked, “Didn’t you say you wanted water?” She said yes with her head bobbing enthusiastically. To this day, I still think that she just agreed with her because it was her big sister, but the point is that I couldn’t help her until I knew what she wanted.

  1 John 5:14-15 – Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

  It’s also important to ask. This word for petition is aiteo in the Greek. It means to be adamant in requesting and even demanding assistance in meeting tangible needs. This doesn’t mean being disrespectful to the Lord, but it does mean that you can respectfully ask God for what you want, and when you are specific in your request that is based on the word of God, you can boldly ask and expect that you will receive what you want from the Lord.

  This type of praying is known as petition praying and it’s all about being specific in our request. The Greek word aitema is a form of the word ask, and it means specific, exact, explicit, precise, and detailed request. This request is so thorough that there is no misunderstanding of what is being asked and expected. This picture of prayer is so detailed that it is a bona fide petition that has been submitted to the Father.

  Some in the Body teach that we should write down our prayers and be specific about what we want so that we can recognize when we get the answer. I am really bad at that and am working to get better, but the really important things are hard to forget.

  Over the years I have learned two very important things about praying. The first is to ask! Jesus won’t always ask you what do you want! But He is always available to hear our requests! The second is to be specific. If you want to be healed of something, be specific about that. If you want finances for something, tell Him what you need. You might ask, “Doesn’t He already know what you want or need! Yes, He does. But asking is part of the receiving. Until next time! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Matthew 20:32, Prayer | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, God, Jesus, Matthew 20:32, petition, Prayer

• God’s Excited About You!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 3, 2020

  Isaiah 62:5 – As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. NIV

  This scripture leaped in my heart yesterday. When that happens, I blog about it!

  The very first time I heard this scripture I heard it referred to in the context of our salvation. I still believe this is true. Especially since Jesus mentions a marriage of the Bride, Paul mentions a marriage, and John mentions a marriage in Revelation! Let’s take a look:

  As a young man marries a you woman, so will your Builder marry you! In the YLT, the Builder is referred to in this verse, also. Jesus is the Builder! So how does a young man marry a virgin? Generally speaking, through a covenant. And how do we become saved or born again? Spiritually speaking, through the Blood Covenant of the Lamb.

  Now this is what I heard in my spirit. People try to act like living for God is so difficult to do, they even say they don’t know how. This is not altogether true. When a man marries a woman, whether they have been schooled or not, they know basic things and when people get saved, they also have a sense of some basic things.

  When people get married, they understand that they have come together in covenant as a man and a wife and that there are to be no others. They understand that the sanctity of marriage is part of the package. Now, rather they keep it or not, it isn’t because of ignorance, because when you marry someone you are saying that you are no longer available to the single population. People truly understand that they can’t go out with old boyfriends to dinner, have dates with the opposite sex, or get involved in physical intimacies outside of their marriage. Whether you have seen a good marriage or not, whether you have studied the institution of marriage or not, whether you understand all the ins and outs of the relationship or not, you understand these basic things.

  The same is true for salvation. When people get saved, it’s good to have a teacher, (make sure you find a good one), but rather you have one or not, you understand that coming together with God means this is to be a decision to live holy. You really don’t need anyone to tell you that after you get saved that you need to go to church and to go on a regular basis, yet people have to be hounded to attend church and to do so faithfully. You pretty much understand that even if you don’t know all the types of prayers and how to pray them all, that you should be praying. It’s pretty much a given that if you are going to be a Christian, rather you understand what you are reading or not, you are to read the Bible. People can act as crazy as they want to, but we all come with a sense of knowledge even when we don’t know how or why we know it. We don’t generally live in a bubble. With the exception of those who are not exposed to any form of religion, or church, we live in a community of people and have some pretty good ideas of what church is about. I know sinners who can give a good rundown on the Christian disciplines. So we are without excuse in our relationship with the Lord!

  As a young man marries a virgin! The Christian faith is entered into in much the same way as a couple getting married. You make an exchange at the altar of rings to denote your unity and your commitment to one another. With your mouth you confess that you will give yourself to one another and no others with the intent to spend the rest of your lives together. When I got married it was for better or for worst, for good times, and through bad, for richer and for poorer, for the rest of our lives, til death do we part. A lifelong commitment! We understood that. And when we give our lives to the Lord, that’s the same type of covenant commitment that we are to make to Him. Yet too often, we break the marriage covenant and the covenant of salvation with God as if it’s no big deal.

  But for those of us, who hang in there, we get to enjoy a wonderful honeymoon, so to speak, with the Savior. The rest of that verse lets us know that as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so the Lord rejoices over us! That’s an encouraging thought! The picture of God the Father rejoicing over us because He is so glad to be a part of us and to have us be a part of Him. Can you imagine Him treating Himself wrongly? No! Can you imagine Him denying Himself anything? No! Can you imagine Him being lax in His responsibilities towards you? No! So stop acting like it! He’s rejoicing over you!

  My husband is a really good man. He’s been that way since we met. He has been generous with money and attention all of our 33 years. He takes really good care of me and our daughters. Without me asking for things, he will provided them. Without me being concerned about things, he takes care of them. He’s a keeper! But you know what? God is even better to me! I can’t imagine Him letting my husband take better care of me than He takes of me. Not happening. I can’t imagine Him withholding things from me to teach me a lesson, when He loves me so much. It’s unthinkable. And I can’t imagine Him not being there for me, when He has already promised me that He would never leave me. He’s more committed to this covenant relationship than we could ever be! And more importantly, He’s excited about it, and He’s excited about you!

  We make salvation so complicated, when it really isn’t that complicated. God hasn’t saved us to keep things from us, but to give us every spiritual blessing and some natural ones thrown on top for good measure. His aim is to love us so much that we would have no thoughts of another lover. He has given His all for us and will spare no expense to show His adoration for us. He is just that good! (See my previous post!)

  When we first married, my husband used to say often, “I can’t believe we are married!” He was just so happy about it! And I would respond, “Well, you better!” Sometimes I think, “WOW, God! I can hardly believe that I am your child! I am so thankful, so happy to be a part of your family, your kingdom!” And I can hear Him saying, “You better believe it!” Because I can only access and achieve that which I believe is available to me! And the same goes for you!

  God’s great salvation is the best He has to offer. There’s no better “deal” out there. No greater Savior! No greater Husband! No greater Provider! No need to wait to see what any other religion has to offer you, for they can never offer you access and relationship with the Living God. If you have not accepted this great salvation, please do so now, so your honeymoon can begin! And if you do it right, it never has to end! Wonderful Jesus!

  Note on salvation: If you have not asked Jesus to be your Savior and Lord, please do so today! It’s really easy! Just tell Him how much you need Him and want Him to be a part of your life. Tell Him that you realize that you won’t begin living until He becomes your life! Tell Him how much you really, really need this love of His that He offers so freely. And don’t forget to tell Him that only He can save you and free you from the clutches of sin. Then ask Him to do it! I promise you that He will! If you do, leave me a comment so that I can rejoice with you over receiving this great Savior and His great salvation!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Jesus, Salvation, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, God, Isaiah 62:5, Jesus, love, provision, Salvation

• His Ardent Desire!

  Posted at 3:50 am by wonderfuljesus8, on March 1, 2020

  Psalm 27:13 – I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. NIV

  In the church we have a saying, actually an echo: “The Lord is good, all the time! And all the time, the Lord is good!” Some of us have even taken to saying, “The Lord is good on purpose, and the Lord is good to me!” At least, that’s what I have begun to say!

  David had the right attitude about God! He wasn’t waiting for the time that he would die and be with God to experience God’s goodness! He was confident that God’s goodness would be a reality in his life on the earth. As a matter of fact, he said he would have given up on life if he couldn’t expect the goodness of God to be a part of his life. That’s’ how good God was to Him!

  David was so conscious of the goodness of God that he said that God’s goodness would follow him all the days of his life. (Psalm 23)! He knew that God’s goodness went far beyond a statement or a cliche. In Psalm 33, David stated that the earth was full of the goodness of the Lord and His goodness endures forever (Psalm 52). He not only knew of God’s personal goodness to Him, but he simply believed that God was just plain ole good to everybody and that He would never stop being good!

  So what is God’s goodness? God’s goodness is His mercy, His favor, or His kindness extended to us. The Hebrew word “chacad” literally means to “bow from the neck only in courtesy to an equal”. This renders the picture of God nodding in our direction, His favor, as if we are somehow on His level! Just His nodding in our favor is enough! And in the Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon it also is noted to have a meaning of being “an eager and ardent desire by which any one is led”. So not only is God’s goodness His nod in our direction, but His heart is one of eagerness and of an ardent (passionate) desire that leads Him in how He deals with us!

  We are so unaware of just how much God wants to bestow His goodness in our lives. We go through this life thinking that anything good that happens to us is miraculous or unexpected, but we serve an amazing God who loves us and passionately desires to favor us. Can you imagine that? All of our lives we may have been taught that we have to be good, read the Bible, beg God for things, or hope for the best in life, when David discovered long ago that God’s ardent desire is to nod towards us! It’s simply how He flows!

  Tonight as I am writing this blog, I have gotten excited myself. I know of God’s favor and have experienced it a lot in my life. Some call me blessed, some call me lucky, but God the Father favors me in ways that only He can fathom. And even in that, I can easily forget how willing He is to nod towards me.

  On our wedding day, it rained cats and dogs. But God gently told me that is was just symbolic of how He would bless our marriage. And after 33 years of marriage, there is no denying that He followed through. I had to quit college for a lack of funds and it nearly broke my heart, but He spoke to me and said that I would have several degrees, and I do. He worked it out! I was upset one day because I felt like I was working hard, but I wasn’t getting a lot of money for my effort. He spoke to me and said, your check will become your tithe. And that has happened, and more than that!

  But He isn’t just good to me. He’s good to us all. Every day is a day He favors us. He wakes us in our right mind, He keeps watch over us in the night, He protects us so much we take our safety for granted, and He provides for us so well, we think we are doing it. He is passionate with His goodness to mankind, but more especially to His people. So today, or tomorrow (depending on when you read this blog), remember to thank Him for His goodness and then begin to live like you know the King of kings has nodded in your direction and the blessings are going to flow in your life like never before! He’s good on purpose and He is good to you! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, God’s Blessings, Psalm 27:13 | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, blessings, David, encouragemnt, God’s goodness, Psalm 27:13, testimony

• Battle Fatigue!

  Posted at 2:04 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 28, 2020

  Isaiah 37:3 – They told him, “This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.” NIV

  If you have been following me through this battle with Hezekiah and Sennacherib, you know that a lot has been going on. This has been a battle that has spanned months, if not years.

  Hezekiah has cleaned up Judah, getting rid of the idols and restoring the worship of the One True God. That was a battle in and of itself! Then he rebelled against Sennacherib, in essence, letting him know that he wasn’t going to do his bidding anymore. Then Sennacherib attacks all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them, taking the people into captivity. Hezekiah repents of his rebellion to Sennacherib and pays him tribute, or compromises. Sennacherib isn’t satisfied and he sends a large army to take Jerusalem. Whew! A lot is going on!

  With all that Hezekiah has done, restoring righteousness to Judah, building up the city against war, encouraging his people to trust that God was on their side, he has shown himself to be a king whose trust was in the Lord. He may have gotten a little frightened and compromised, but at the heart of all he had done, was a king who believed in God.

  Now, with our key verse, we see a king who is weary. He has grown tired of the constant need to be on guard, the constant need to be battle ready, the constant need to encourage himself and his people, and it’s the worst time ever to be weary because war seems eminent.

  The Bible doesn’t explain to us where Isaiah has been during all of this time, but now Hezekiah feels like he needs some encouragement. He sends messengers to Isaiah and tells them to say to Isaiah that he is at a place of distress, rebuke, and disgrace and he feels like a mother who is about to deliver a baby but she has no strength left to deliver it.

  Now, you have to have given birth or at least been with someone who has given birth to fully understand this. I have had three children and I totally understand what Hezekiah is saying.

  My second child was my longest labor. It felt like forever, but it was really about 30 hours. Most of that time I was in the hospital on pitocin which was used to help my contractions become stronger. I kid you not when I say my contractions were hard and frequent for so many hours I thought I was going to lose my mind!! The nurses kept coming in to check on my progress but nothing was happening. Finally, my sister-in-law, who worked in labor and delivery at that hospital, but who was supposed to be watching my firstborn, showed up. She took one look at me, knew I didn’t have the strength to deliver my baby, and she turned around and got me a surgeon who could give me a C-section! I was delivered!!! And I was oh so grateful to be done.

  Back to Hezekiah! He is saying the labor has been too long and he has grown weary and he needs help in delivering this baby! Do you know how Hezekiah felt? I know this feeling naturally and spiritually. And if you have never experienced it, just keep living!

  Spiritual battle fatigue is real. There are some battles that end so quickly you don’t even realize you were in a battle; but there are some that seem to go and on and on. I’m thinking of a battle of sickness, or a battle in a relationship, or a battle with finances, or a battle with a boss. You have done every thing that you can think of and every thing that others can think of. You have prayed and you have stood on the word. You have confessed and you have put a praise on it. You have bound the enemy and you have put him under you feet, but the battle still rages! What do you do?

  It is at this time that you need a word from God. You may need to seek out someone who can intercede on your behalf. You may need to go to your pastor. Whomever the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, you need to get with them and trust them to be able to hear from the Lord because your strength is failing you. I’ve been in need and I’ve been the mediator and it’s a blessing to have people who will help you win a battle.

  That’s what Hezekiah did! He sent his people to the prophet Isaiah, and Isaiah had a word for him from the Lord. God sent Hezekiah a word that He had heard the blasphemous words of the Assyrian king and that Sennacherib would return to his own country and be cut down with the sword.

  That word encouraged Hezekiah and he was able to pray what was on his heart to the Father and continue in the battle. You know what happened! It ended for Sennacherib as Isaiah prophesied. Sennacherib’s own sons killed him! I’m not saying that God is going to kill anybody on your behalf, but He will come through for you. When you are feeling your greatest fatigue in the battle, know you are about to win your greatest victory. Stand strong, call in reinforcements, and don’t give up on God. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Hezekiah’s battle, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, hard times, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living

• Talk Back to the Enemy!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 25, 2020

  Isaiah 36:7 – “But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar’?”’ NKJV

  talk-back-to-the-enemy_.mp3

  I think I’ve mentioned before that this battle is one of the most detailed battles in the word, written in three different books of the Bible. The first thing I noticed, the first time I read this battle is that the Assyrians were nothing more than bullies! They spent the majority of their time throwing insults, hoping to intimidate the Israelites into submission. If there is one modus operandi of the devil, intimidation would get my vote as his specialty.

  Let’s look at a few of the insults hurled at the citizens of Judah:

  • What are you trusting in?
  • I heard you are making plans for a war, but they are mere words.
  • Are you trusting in the assistance of Egypt? He’s a broken reed and so are those who trust in him.
  • Are you trusting in God?
  • Didn’t Hezekiah take away His high places and altars and said you could only worship here in Jerusalem?
  • Come on, surrender and make a pledge and we will give you 2,000 horses, if you have men you can put on them!
  • Didn’t the Lord say to us, “Go up against this land, and destroy it!
  • Don’t let Hezekiah deceive you, he won’t be able to deliver you!

  And the insults continued on and on, with one intent, to intimidate the people of God. And the devil has been using this form of attack on the people of God for centuries; often times quite effectively.

  Today he would more likely say things like:

  • Do you really think God will heal you? He didn’t heal Brother So and So. As a matter of fact, he died.
  • Do you expect Jesus to come from heaven and marry you? You will be waiting until eternity.
  • Do you really think that by giving that church ten percent of your income, you are going to make it to the next paycheck and have more than enough? Are you stupid? You can’t pay your bills now!
  • Why would God want to use you? There is nothing special about you. Get real!
  • Don’t you dare go over and tell that person that! That wasn’t God. He is not talking to you. That’s you!
  • You think because you said that prayer that you are saved. That is so not true. If that’s all it took, everybody would be saved.
  • You are a worthless, low down, dirty, rotten sinner, and that’s all you will ever be. God can’t possibly love you!

  And the list can go on and on and on. And some nights, and some times in your head, it does! And it seems as if you can’t shut the lying, hateful words up and so you begin to feel tormented in your mind and in your spirit. And when you start thinking like that, he is being effective against you!

  Hezekiah’s advice to his people was not to respond. This makes sense, because this was not an individual battle, but a battle against the masses. And maybe, just maybe, it is good advice when the devil is using an actual person. But generally, I would say that now is the time to go on the attack!

  How? The same way Jesus went on the attack! With God’s word!

  • Every lying thought needs to be cast down! You need to open your mouth and declare that “by His stripes you are healed!” That you will live and not die and continue to declare the works of the Lord! He is your healer!
  • You need to take a firm grip on the word that says, “It is not good that man is alone!” God’s idea, not mine! So He will work it out! And until He brings you together, you will use your time and talents to promote His kingdom and trust that your future spouse is waging war on him also!
  • Bring all the tithes into my storehouse, God said, and He will rebuke the devourer. So devil, you are rebuked in Jesus’ Name! Wealth and riches are in your house and you are blessed!
  • God has plans, a purpose, an expected end for you to get to, and God will bring it to pass! Therefore you can trust in Him to direct you, lead you, guide you. And you can become the enemy’s worst nightmare.
  • God manifests Himself, by His Spirit, to His people that they might be encouraged. A word of knowledge is a gift of God. And at the very least, you will encourage your brother, or your sister, so you will share what has dropped in your spirit and trust God with the rest!
  • All those who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved! You called! You are saved! You are redeemed of the Lord and are saying so, because He told you to!
  • You are loved by God! You are fearfully and wonderfully made. And equally as importantly, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, not a low down dirty sinner. Satan is a liar, and the Father of lies and you are to resist every negative thought and comment and hide under the shadow of the Almighty God! You are His sheep and you only listen to your Shepherd, now put the devil behind you!

  You cannot be silent when the taunting, tormenting, intimidating spirits of the enemy come knocking at the door of your mind or your heart! You must make a decision to attack him with the only thing that works! God’s word! It worked for Jesus in the wilderness and it will work for you! This is your time for talking back! Get sassy with it! And let him know that you are not taking this mess anymore! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Spiritual warfare, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, Christian, encouragement, Healing, Holy Spirit, Jesus, righteousness, Sinner, Spiritual warfare, Tithing, Victorious Living, victory, word of God

• Search for:

• Recent Posts

  • Who is Like You, O Lord?
  • Getting It Right!
  • Lord, I Thank You!
  • The Curse of Ham?
  • A Heritage of Faith!

• Categories

  • Victorious Living (104)
  • Jesus (97)
  • Christian (67)
  • Believers (57)
  • God (42)
  • Faith (37)
  • encouragement (36)
  • Healing (24)
  • testimony (20)
  • Holy Spirit (20)