Because Your Wounds Need a Healer

(Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash)

Some wounds go deep, and time doesn't heal them. Some create such an infection that you have to dig deep to uproot the entire wound.

I just found out I have a tooth abscess. The problem is, the tooth already had a root canal. That means I didn't have any nerves in there to feel any pain. I was numb to the infection. And because I wasn't in pain, I didn't know I had an infection…or for how long. It's likely this infection had been brewing for almost two years.

I was reminded how good God is to give us pain. I don't mean He wishes pain on me. I mean, He set our brains up to send pain signals to the body so that we would know something is wrong. I didn't know anything was going wrong in my mouth because I had my pain-o-meters removed with the root canal. So on and on the infection festered.

Time doesn't always heal wounds; sometimes it promotes infection.

I wonder how long my body has been fighting an infection? I wonder if the majority of the fatigue and achiness I've been living with might be correlated to this? Regardless, this week I had my tooth extracted, the base scraped, and a bone graft to fill the space. Ouch.

Sometimes, we carry emotional or spiritual wounds so deep that the only way to get healed is to have spiritual surgery. We have to be willing to go through the pain, extra heartache, or tackle the fear, in order to get well. But God is the Great Physician. And He has a lot of experience.

Do you know that God refuses to leave your heart unhealed? Every place in your spirit or heart where you have a wound, God is interested in healing it. Every. Single. Place. He loves you too much to just let things fester. But just like in the physical world, you have to give your consent. A surgeon can't just knock you out with a punch and drag you into the OR or dentist chair. You have to be willing to have the work done. You have to sign off. The same is true with God. He is willing to heal any wound you are willing to bring to Him. It doesn't matter how small or big, and it doesn't matter how long it's been there.

God is really good with old wounds.

How do you know when you have a wound? Look for overreactions or sensitivities. Those usually indicate a raw spot. Are there raw spots in your personality? Marriage relationship? Your church? With your kids? Do you have any triggers? If so, let these guide you to the places that likely need healing. These things can be great indicator lights to help you navigate your wounds.

If you'll let the Lord have His way in you, His healing will flow into you and through you. In the process you will experience some pain, but the pain and work will be worth it. You are worth it! On the other side of the surgery is healing, new skin, new life, and fresh mercies. Just imagine the people you will be able to encourage as they work through their wounds. They say hurt people hurt people. But the truth is, healed people heal people too.

Let God have access to your wounds. Don't let them become infections. Open the door to your heart. Let Him dig around. He knows how to take care of you better than you do. You can rest in that.

Say yes and let Him begin to heal your wounds this week.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

When Hope is Restored

(Photo by reza shayestehpour on Unsplash)

Sometimes healing comes in a different package than we're expecting.  On my birthday this year, I was in the Holy Land with a group of songwriters. The whole experience was rich and life-changing. I'd love to share one of my "moments" with you.

We were in a little town Jesus frequented called Bethsaida. As we entered Bethsaida there was an engraved stone that said Jesus welcomed the people and cured those in need of healing. Just reading those words stirred my heart.

We continued walking the grounds and listening to our guide. But out of nowhere it began to rain. We took cover under this metal roofed seating area, primarily there to provide shade during tours. Our guide got excited and told us that it does not rain here this time of year except maybe every 80-100 years. The rain was a miracle.

Whoah. What? That's right.

It doesn't rain in June at Bethsaida. It's dry as a bone. Here we were, sitting under a covering to keep dry from the rain.

We worshipped and we prayed. And right in the middle of the rain, in the middle of this moment, our leader Sharon recognized that this was a sign the Holy Spirit was here to do a work. He wanted to move on our behalf.  Miracles were waiting. Rain is often a symbol for blessing and favor in Scripture. 

I stepped out from the overhang to overlook a hill. The rain was light, but delightful. In that sprinkled moment, the Holy Spirit told me that He had been waiting to bless me because He wanted to do it on my birthday. He knew this was my day, and He knew it would rain. And He was present to do healing on this day for me.

Wow. I began to cry. Do you know that God knows your birthday? It's not just something written in the Scriptures. Sure, He knows the number of hairs on your head…but He really knows every detail about you. And, I might add, He really cares. He cares for us, in very intimate ways.

As I began to weep, Sharon came over, laid her hands on my shoulders and head and began to pray. I felt this overwhelming nearness of God. It wasn't like the "peppermint" sensation I had a couple years ago when God took away the Lyme disease from my body. This was different. I couldn't pin point what was happening, but there was definitely something shifting in my spirit.

Sharon finished praying for me and moved on to the next person who wanted prayer. I just stayed there in the rain. And I heard God whisper in my spirit, "I’m giving you new wine for old pain."

Holy smokes.

What does that even mean? I loved it. I knew it was a personal message from Jesus to me. But I didn't know what it meant.

I'm still leaning into this one. New wine for old pain. Hmm. I know the pain He's talking about. This ridiculous abdominal pain that has plagued me pretty much non-stop for over four years. The pain that keeps me slightly hunched over and makes me stare at the fridge in despair. The pain that has no answers, no solutions, no root. That pain. Holy Spirit was giving me new wine for that pain. 

We came back together as a group a few minutes later and shared our healing moments. Again, I couldn't articulate what just happened. But it was very real, very personal (on my exact birthday), and the rest a mystery.

A few weeks after we all got back from Israel, I was songwriting with two of my friends who went on the trip, Matt and Annie. Matt had a similar experience in that same place and time. As we were writing, Matt said, "I think what happened at Bethsaida was that my hope got restored. It was hope restored."

Whoa again.

As soon as he said those words, I knew in my spirit that that was exactly what happened at Bethsaida. My hope got restored. Hope restored is definitely a form of new wine. 

Hope keeps you going. Hope gets you off the sidelines and back into the game. Hope gives you reason to get out of bed in the morning. Hope is the ignition and catalyst for so many other things.

After Matt said "Hope restored" I realized that I suddenly had a desire to get back out and do ministry, music, and travel again. I had hit the pause button for about 18 months, and I wasn't sure I was going to get back into traveling music ministry. But something shifted in my soul in Israel, and God had given me a new hope, focus, and grace to begin again.

That was not what I was expecting. Healing isn't always physical. Sometimes our deeper need is actually internal: a mindset, a sense of defeat, a rejection that has shaped us. There are a number of inner healings we all need at different times in our lives.

So let me ask you this. If God were to show up on your birthday, and whisper to you…"I’m restoring your hope." What would be restored in your life? What would change or shift? What old pain do you have that needs new wine?

Maybe the pain isn't going away yet. Mine has not…not YET! Yet being the key word there. Many of you know I had my gall bladder out a few weeks ago. It definitely needed to go - infected, inflamed, and surrounded by scar tissue. But, I haven't had the pain relief I thought I was going to have.

You know what? So what.

God is giving me the provision and sustenance right now to do exactly what He has called me to do. He is giving me hope and energy. And for the times I'm tired, He provides space to take a nap. As I continue to walk in His strength, instead of my own, my hope cup stays full. I'm under the shadow of His wings rather than flying off on my own.

What does hope restored look like on you? I hope you'll press in to Jesus and find out. I hope you'll keep asking Him to fill, guide, and direct you. I hope you'll hear His tender voice whisper to you what you need at the exact moment you need it. He is the very essence of hope.

I know this is getting long, but there’s one more piece of info I forgot to mention. In my music studio upstairs is a sign that’s been on my wall for several months. It says, “The Rain is on the Way.”

Perhaps the rain has arrived.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - Jill Miller, Laura Pedersen and I are starting a Christian women's conference in 2020. Check out ChooseConference.com to find out more. We are pretty darn excited to get out there and love people! Maybe you'd like to host an event? Please let us know. There are so many ways to make this possible - even for smaller churches. We want to come be a blessing and ignite fresh fire into your spirit.  Love and hugs! -RB

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Affirmation for Healing

(Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash)

Before we get to today's affirmation, I would like to provide some helpful information. Sickness is a part of the curse, the fall, and it was not God's original intention for us. The Bible teaches this. The primary way we know this to be true, is that man was not originally created to die. Man was to live with limitless communion with God in the Garden - in perfect health, vitality, and life. It was after sin was introduced and chosen that sickness, infirmity, shame, and disconnection from God occurred. Because of this, we know that God's heart towards us is health and life.

I believe we are called to bring the Father's heart and will to our world. This is what Jesus teaches when He taught the disciples to pray the famous "Lord's Prayer". In this beautiful prayer, Jesus says, "Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done." These are key phrases and clues on how to pray. If we were to dig into the Greek, we would hear the command form of these phrases…and they'd say something like, "Kingdom of God: COME!! Will of God: BE DONE!" They are emphatic and declarative in nature. That's the original meaning and grammatical structure.

Question: Why would Jesus tell us to pray like this?

Perhaps it is because there is so much that happens in our world that is NOT His heart, intention, or will for us. He's not un-powerful or timid, but He does give us the freedom to choose and make decisions. We all make horrible decisions at times. This prayer reminds us to pull the heart of heaven down to earth. It reminds us to be in communion with God and to call down His will and heart for us. Our prayers and words matter.

That's what this affirmation is about. From personal experience, I've seen a lot of people experience prolonged illness. I've walked through it myself. I believe sickness is a plot of the enemy to steal, kill, and destroy. God, however, is so redemptive in nature, that He often uses the sickness, that the enemy has brought on us, to bring glory to Himself and to save others. This doesn't mean that sickness should get glory. Nor that sickness is God’s “fault.” This does mean that God is really good at being redemptive. It also means that when we experience sickness, we should keep our eyes open to how God is going to use and redeem the situation. And, simultaneously, it is right and good to PUSH BACK against that sickness; to go to the doctor, to do the treatment, to seek prayer. We are in alignment with God and His kingdom when we stand up to it, push back, rebuke, and cancel the demonic assignment over our lives.

(Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash)

What am I saying? Stand up to sickness. Don't let it be the loudest voice. Don't make it comfortable in your body or let it become your status quo. Fight! And if you're too weary to fight, find a tribe that can fight with you and for you! Find your prayer warriors. They are out there. And they are ready to stand with you and do spiritual warfare with their prayers.

I realize eventually we all die. There's no getting around that. And we all get the flu or colds and various things throughout our lives. We don't need to pretend that we aren't sick (if we are). We don't need to sensationalize or make up a miracle. BUT, and this is a big but, our mindset makes a huge difference in our healing.

Our mindset and our words make a huge difference in our health or sickness.

So please, please, be careful little mouths what you say!

Be sure to release and speak life over yourself. Release Jesus' healing virtue over yourself and your loved ones. This is good and right to do. Everywhere that Jesus went, while He was on earth, He healed people. God is in the business of healing! Align with His heart about this. Get it deep into your spirit. God is a Healer, and He wants to heal - even you!

I hope you'll speak this affirmation frequently and fervently over yourself, knowing that you are lining up with God's point of view!

AFFIRMATION

I declare that all sickness, infirmity, affliction, depression and anxiety are rendered powerless over my body, mind, and spirit in Jesus name. All assignments of sickness, infirmity, affliction, pestilence, depression and anxiety are hereby revoked in the name of Jesus Christ.

SCRIPTURES

Isaiah 53:5 NLT “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

Matthew 8:14-17 ESV “14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’ ”

This Matthew passage makes clear that Jesus not only heals our sin, but also our sicknesses in our bodies. He bore our physical diseases. This is why it is good to stand with Jesus, in agreement, and push against sickness.

You might have a million questions bouncing around in your brain. I certainly don't have all the answers. Healing, as beautiful as it is, sometimes get controversial in the church arena. I really don't know why. I encourage you to keep it simple. Jesus healed and Jesus prayed. Go and do likewise.

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

Over-Achiever PS:

If you want an additional boost on healing in Scripture…

Psalm 91 is a POWERHOUSE, and it's a great one to memorize!