Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Luke 11:34
Where do you turn when you are sick? Who is your first ‘go to’? The doctor? The pharmacist? To all the ‘natural’ remedies? What is the ‘tradition’ and ritual that has been ingrained into you that you must do? Do you even consider asking the Holy Spirit what might be the root issue in you, that is at the bottom of your illness? Unforgiveness? Anger? Resentment? Anxiety? Depression? Do you have that intimate of a relationship with the Holy Spirit that He can advise you on your current condition? Have you learned how to hear His Words to you?
Personal confession and testimony: I have been sick almost for 2 months. Not severely, but enough to be really fatiguing and bothersome. I didn’t know the human body could produce that amount of mucus for such a long time. I even traveled on a plane during this time. Not fun. I was asking the Lord what I needed to do, what was my issue? I went from a ‘pushing through’ attitude to one of surrender. I knew my body needed rest, real rest, not some version I think is rest, but real down time and sleep. The condition then went from a bother to even more serious with an infection in my sinuses. The pressure was growing more and more painful. I finally relented and asked a friend for help. Now after being on 2 rounds of anti-biotics the infection is almost completely gone and my life is almost normal now. That’s the physical side. But there is also the spiritual side that needed to be dealt with. I have an intercessor friend who I had asked to pray for me during this time of sickness. One day she called and told me what the Lord had showed her while she was praying for me. She said the Lord showed her my body somewhat like an x-ray and that my mind, heart, and below my knee held residual anger. I listened. At first, I thought, “I don’t think or feel like I’m holding any anger.” But I told her I would take it “to the Lord” like she suggested and ask Him. I asked the Lord. I was led to a song by Mark Lowry on youtube (Search on youtube: Mary, Did you know – Voctave feat. Mark Lowry). Most everyone knows this Christmas song. I knew the song, and had sung it many times. But this time it was different for me. The Holy Spirit was SO present. Immediately I asked the Lord to cleanse me of ALL anger, wherever it may be in me, and to cleanse me to the deepest part of my being. He began to show me faces of people, who I had forgiven in the past, and I began to forgive them in my present. Face after face, person after person, I forgave people while the song played on a loop. Somewhere in the midst of this process I felt His washing waves pour over me. I physically felt them and they were SO cleansing and wonderful. I began to weep and with praise of my lips I praised Him for His washing and cleansing of my soul AND body.
We are both physical and spiritual beings. Sometimes we need both to be cleansed. I am so glad for the loving friends who actually prayed for me during this time. And for the obedience of one to step out and share the ‘difficult’ thing – I am so grateful. We need the connection with the Body of Christ. We are not complete without them. We need those real intercessors.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of Lord. James 5:14
Sometime our spiritual ‘elders’ aren’t the ones who are in the ‘institution’ of the 501c3 ‘business church’ but the ones who we know personally and know us intimately. Do you have those in your life? If you don’t think you have any, ask the Lord to show you who they are. Who are you really connected to that you know has a real relationship with the Lord Jesus and listens to the Holy Spirit? Find those kinds of people and surround yourself with them.
Thank you- Lord Jesus for cleansing us from all iniquity and sin. I am forever grateful for Your love and sacrifice for me. The work of the Cross is for TODAY!