It’s normal to hesitate when you don’t know for sure what to do, but when you know that you know, then it becomes easier, even if it’s something very difficult to do that you don’t really want to have to deal with. It’s almost like dealing with someone with an addiction; you know that person needs help, but they don’t want it, and you don’t want to be the one to force that change. That’s the kind of difficulty I’m comparing it to.
You can WANT to do something, but it just never seems to happen, and years go by with no change in the situation, and though you’re not “comfortable” with it, you’re not “uncomfortable” enough to initiate change. It can happen to pretty much everyone. But when it happens to a child of God, there’s something wrong with that picture. You see, God has invested a TREMENDOUS amount of authority in His children, but yet most aren’t making use of it. Then when the devil comes beating them up, they actually think they’re enduring whatever they’re dealing with for the glory of God. But you know what? God gets NO GLORY for His kids living under the devil’s thumb. I said, God gets NO GLORY for His kids living under the devil’s thumb! So, what to do then?

Number one, determine if what you’re dealing with is God’s will, or not. And if it is, ask the LORD how He is being glorified by it. And if it ISN’T God’s will, then you know it has to go. Actually, it’s more like “you know that you know” that it has to go, and act accordingly.

So many times the devil deceives us into thinking what we’re going through is something that is God’s will, when it isn’t. And people will tell you, “Well, God ALLOWED it, didn’t He?” Hey, let me tell you something: don’t try to blame God for something that is YOUR fault for tolerating! BAM! There I said it! If you have sickness in your body, don’t try to get by saying it must be God’s will, because God is allowing it. God ISN’T allowing it; YOU are! How can I say that? Because God, through Christ Jesus HEALED all the sick who came to Him, each and every one, for whatever reason and for however long they were sick, it didn’t matter, HE HEALED THEM ALL! So. We know Jesus said this in Matthew 12:25-30,
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Well, lately I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious conditions in my body. My HEALED body, that God healed of melanomas and liver cancer in 1993. Back then, against all the symptoms, I knew that I knew I was healed because the Word of God said so. And so I never went back to the doctor, and I’m still alive 29 years later. Yes, I knew that I knew. But lately the LORD told me I’d gotten a bit lazy about it, and when I heard a message last week out of Revelation 2:1-5 that really witnessed to me to seek the LORD with all my heart about it:
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

When I saw verse 4 about losing my first love, it cut me to my heart. I have in no way lost my first love for the LORD, however, in my zeal to help others receive their healing, I “left my first love” of being diligent to make sure I myself was and stayed healed. My gift for healing others has not diminished at all, but my own health had been sliding the past few months, and I blamed it on injuries I received in a car wreck January 2016. Gradually over that time more and more painful and bothersome symptoms had been moving in, while I grew to “tolerate” it, in the name of getting older and the flesh growing tired and weary. But the LORD had mercy on me and set me straight! I was NOT to tolerate the junk going on in my body whatsoever.

Of course I know and have for many years that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Well, I do what I can to take care of this temple, and I realize that being God’s temple, He also has some responsibility in the matter. But what I failed to keep in mind, is that it does no good to ask God to heal me, because He already DID, and He handed ME the keys to His temple and gave ME authority over it. That means, nothing goes in or out without MY permission. You see, I let that slip gradually, and God so graciously reminded me a couple weeks ago. Not in anger, not scolding me, just making me aware that I AM IN AUTHORITY over this body, that not even HE is, because He turned that authority over to me, and expects ME to use it! I stand corrected and deeply repented!

Well, I’m not out of the woods yet, but I’m seeing some pretty dramatic improvement in just a few days! I said all that to say this: I know that I know that I’m healed by the stripes of Jesus, and YET, even though I have a healing ministry for 29 years now, I let it slip! And I know if I can, then YOU can, too. The solution? Spend more time in God’s word until you know that you know YOU have authority over your body, and nobody else. If you are a child of God, then Christ Jesus has turned over the authority of your body over to YOU, just like He did me. YOU are the Watchman whom God appointed to guard His temple. And if there’s something amiss, then it isn’t for you to cry out to God to fix it. Your job is to enforce your authority over the devil and drive him OUT!

Well, if anyone wants me to continue in this vein, I will do so next week, if you let me know. Until then, I’m thanking God for His tender mercies in straightening me out so I can be more effective for Him in the ministry!