Plagues and Passover

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Aloha Dearest Family,

                About 5,000 years ago, Israel, God’s chosen people were slaves in Egypt. But it was now time to make the trip to the Promised Land. There was only one problem; the Egyptian Pharaoh would not them go.

                God had foreseen Pharaoh’s stubbornness so He sent the one man He knew would do His Will; Moses. Through Moses and his staff God would do whatever it took to get Pharaoh to let Israel go. God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh the ultimate consequence of his refusal.

 

                “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” (Exodus 4:22 and 23)

Little did he know the truthfulness of this statement.  God would give Pharaoh every chance He could before He resorted to such drastic measures. But Pharaoh had no regard for the God of the Hebrews and he would never let his slaves go free.

 

                Because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, God send’s plagues upon Egypt in an effort to persuade him to let His people go. So you may ask, why didn’t Pharaoh change his mind after all the destruction upon his country? There are two possibilities. 1) Pharaoh considered himself a god himself since he had conquered all of the other god’s of his slaves, so he must be a greater god. 2) He may have considered Moses’ signs as a magician’s trick. If you recall when Moses cast down his staff and it became a serpent, Pharaoh’s Magician’s did the same. Moses’ God would have to better than that.

               

The following is a summary of the plagues that befell Egypt.

 

-Water turning to Blood. When Moses struck the Nile with his staff, the water became blood, as did all the water in Egypt. The fish all died and the river began to stink. The plague lasted for 7 days but Pharaoh’s magicians also could water to blood and Pharaoh would not let the people go.  (Exodus 7:14-24)

-Frogs. God then commanded Moses and Aaron to wave their staff over all the streams, ponds and canals and frogs came up and covered all the land of Egypt. The magicians also made frogs come up into the land. Pharaoh then said that he would let the people to go so they could worship the Lord and he asked Moses and Aaron to take away the frogs from the land. So Moses prayed to the Lord and the next day all the frogs died. (Exodus 8:1-15) 

-Lice (Gnats). But Pharaoh did not let God’s people go as he said he would, so God told Aaron to strike the dust of the ground and gnats came on all the people and animals in Egypt. The magicians tried to replicate this plague but could not and told Pharaoh that this must be the “finger of God” but Pharaoh still refuses to let God’s people go. (Exodus 8:16-19)

-Flies. Since Pharaoh. still refused to let Israel go, god sent flies to cover the land. But this time God would make a distinction between the land of Goshen (the piece of land that was set aside for Israel to live) and the rest of Egypt. No further plagues would touch God’s people. So flies swarmed into the land of Egypt and into Pharaoh’s palace. This plague was very grievous, insomuch that the Bible says that the land was ruined. Only in the land Goshen were there no flies. Pharaoh then bargains with Moses about letting God’s people go and worship if he would get rid of the flies. Moses prays to God and the next day there was not one fly left in Egypt, but Pharaoh still refuses to let Israel go. (Exodus 8:20-23). By now you might be thinking that the Pharaoh is a madman-and you would be right.     

-Disease on Livestock. Next God sends a disease that would affect all animals throughout the land. All donkeys, camels, all cattle, goats and sheep died. But not one animal that belonged to Israel died (Pharaoh checked). Yet this was not enough to turn Pharaoh’s heart. He still refused God’s command. (Exodus 9:1-7)

-Boils. God then tells Moses to take soot from the furnace and toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. This caused festering boils upon every people and animal throughout the land. But even this was not enough to cause Pharaoh to relent. (Exodus 9:8-12)

-Hail. God then tells Pharaoh, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.”  God is telling Pharaoh, you haven’t seen anything yet. “You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.” God even goes onto to advise Pharaoh to shelter everything he has because of the storm coming. God then sent thunder, lightning and hail that killed everything that was in the field, man or beast, and ruined crops and even tore the bark off of trees. Only in Goshen was the storm not felt. Would this finally be enough for Pharaoh? Pharaoh in distress calls Moses and admits that he has sinned against the Lord and that he will let His people go. But Pharaoh changes his mind. (Exodus 9:13-35) (What is wrong with this guy?)  

-Locusts. Moses then goes in to talk to Pharaoh and told him that if he didn’t let God’s people go, that God would send locusts upon the land. Even the Egyptian officials pleaded with Pharaoh and said, “Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”  Pharaoh still did not want to let the people go and he bargained with Moses and said that he would only let the men go.  Not good enough. So God sent locusts upon the land in such an abundance that the ground looked black. The locusts ate up anything that was left from the plague of hail. Pharaoh immediately called for Moses and Aron and begged him to ask God to take away the locusts. The next day the locusts were gone, but Pharaoh still refused to let God’s people go. (Exodus 10:1-18)

-Darkness. God then sent a penetrating darkness upon Egypt and no one moved from his place for three days (but there was light in the land of Goshen). Pharaoh then says that he would let God’s people go but that they were to leave their livestock behind. Not good enough. The cattle must go too. At this point Pharaoh has finally had enough of Moses and Aaron and their God. “Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.” (Exodus 10:21-29) What happens next would shake Egypt to it’s core.

 

The First Passover

                This next and final plague would be the most terrible of all. All of the firstborn of every family in Egypt will die. From the royal prince to the child of the lowliest servant, no family in Egypt would be spared. To prepare Israel for this plague, God instructed each family in Israel to select a male lamb. At sunset they were to kill the lamb and smear the blood on the mantels and door posts of each dwelling place. This was done so that when the “angel of death” passed through the land, he would see the blood on the doorposts and he would pass over those houses. The blood of the lamb would save them from death.

                After the lamb was slain, each family would roast the body of the animal and eat the lamb whole as one family. In doing this the ones who partook of the body of the lamb would be healed. These were the two important aspects of the Passover meal; the blood and body of the lamb. Furthermore, this first Passover meal would be an annual feast that would commemorate this final plague upon Egypt and how God saved Israel, freeing them from slavery.

 

The Death of the Firstborn.

                Because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh, God fulfilled His earlier promise that Pharaoh’s son would die. Pharaoh would finally learn that he himself was not a god and he was not mightier than God Almighty. God gave him every chance to get him to change his mind, but in the end his hard heartedness would not only cost him the life of his firstborn child but cause Egypt to be decimated.

               

        True to His Word, on the night following the Passover meal, death passed through the land killing every first born in Egypt. There was a great cry of anguish in Egypt and Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them to take all that they had and leave Egypt at once. This they did with haste. But not long after Israel departed, Pharaoh realized what he had done and sent the entire army after the fleeing Israelites. I guess Pharaoh had not learned his lesson yet, even after his firstborn child died. This final insane action by Pharaoh would cost him his entire army, because they would all be drowned in the Red Sea.

               

                You may now ask yourself, apart from being a great story, what does it have to do with my Christian life today?

 

Jesus Christ Our Passover

                So many feasts, customs and traditions that Israel practiced were just “shadows” of the greatness of what was to come. For instance, some of the dictates of the yearly Passover meal practiced by Israel were:

          -The Passover lambs were to be perfect, without any spot or blemish.

-The Passover meal was to be eaten on the 14th day of the Jewish month called Nissan.

-No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken.

-All of the Passover lambs were to be killed at 3:00 PM

 

If you look carefully at the death of Jesus Christ, we find that he died on the 14th of Nissan at 3:00. None of his bones were broken and he was truly without sin (without spot or blemish). These phenomenal truths can also be summed up in the following verse, “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (I Corinthians 5:7)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                   

Communion

                Before he was arrested Jesus Christ did something very significant. In the book of Luke it tells of a new memorial being instituted.

 

                “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19 and 20)

 

Even though we may have read these verses many times, few have read them in the light of Jesus Christ himself being the ultimate (and last) Passover lamb. As we have learned, during the first Passover, the two important elements were the blood and the body of the lamb. 1) The blood spread upon the doorposts of each household in Israel saved them from physical death. Likewise, the blood (represented by the wine) would be realized when Jesus’ blood would be shed for us. This would save us from spiritual death. 2) The body of the Passover lamb which was consumed by each family member was for their physical healing. Likewise, the body (which was represented by the bread), would be realized when Jesus was scourged and beaten. His broken body was given for our healing. Whenever we take communion, both aspects of the ceremony must be recognized. This was all done for OUR benefit.

                

                We were once slaves to sin under a cruel ruler (the devil). We were trapped with no way to escape. But God stepped in and provided a way out - He chose the perfect Passover lamb. Through his own blood and body he would save us from death and provide us with physical healing. All we had to do was to believe on the lamb. We needed to confess him as our Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. When we did this we were transferred from the devil’s kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, to God’s kingdom.

 

                “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,” (Colossians 1:13 New Living Translation)

 

                Jesus Christ was the perfect Passover lamb for us all.

 

                                   Love Always, Ray

The Wrench

                                                                                                                       

Aloha Dearest Family,

                You notice water coming from a big leak in your house and, upon careful search, you find yourself standing in front of this leaking pipe. So, you ask God to fix it and suddenly in your arms appears this perfect plumber’s wrench which is made by the company called, “Works Every Time.” The wrench is nestled in your arms like a cherished baby after you prayed and asked God to fix the leak.

            You continue to stand in front of the leak with the wrench in your arms watching the gushing water destroy your floor and leaking to the floor below and destroying everything in its path. The walls are buckling, the floors are warping, yet you stand in front of the leak not using the tools God gave you and save your home. One twist of the pipe that God gave you will stop the damage. Yet for some reason, you stare and contemplate the destructive leaking pipe. You even ask yourself, “Why and how could this happen to me? I even prayed about this.” You’ve even switched arms because the wrench made by the “Works Every Time” company is getting heavy in your other arm. You’re too busy thinking about the problem that you don’t notice the solution that’s always been there.

            At times our minds can be like this leaking pipe. If not controlled it can cause damage and destruction to our lives. Too many Christians live each day letting their minds free to wander into areas it should not go and places that will not profit. If left unchecked, soon they begin to think destructive thoughts that they use to construct unstable walls of thinking that in time will start to crumble. When this happens, then they might ask God for help. But God is saying, “Child, I have already given you the words that bring peace. They are found in My Word.”  You’ve probably heard these words in church, your parents taught them to you, you’ve seen them in greeting cards and even seen them when you read Christian devotionals. You’ve probably even encouraged others with the thoughts of God. So, what’s wrong here? Why aren’t you seeing a change from doubt, worry and fear to shouts of victory and deliverance, to God’s peace that settles into your heart mind and soul? How can I experience God’s endless peace?

     If you want to tap into God’s resources and find solutions, here are some questions you need to ask yourself

•          When you read that God has given us the victory in I Corinthians 15:57, do you believe it? “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

•          When you look at the verse that says, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…” (Colossians 3:15), do you stop paying attention to the negatives bombarding you from the world and let God’s thoughts replace the negatives?

•          How much time do you give to God every day? How often and how long are these times devoted to God?

•          When you ask God for something in prayer, do you expect results? I John 5:14 and 15 states that He gives us our petitions.

        “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” God ALWAYS answers prayer. Meaning - use the wrench.

•          This may be the most important reason why the leak continues. We read the Bible but we don’t make a conscious effort to believe it. A simple rule – if God said it, you better believe it. He is all that is true and good. The more time we spend with God in prayer and reading His Word, the more confident we will become that God is able to help us when we need him.

Troubles will come to Christian and non-Christian alike. But because God has promised us peace, we can rely upon these promises and not allow these troubles to steal our joy.

“The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” (Psalm 29:11)          

"Thou (God) will keep him (me) in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee (God), because he trusts in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3 and 4)

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

God has already given us the keys to overcome and be victorious in any situation. He does not want us to lack one single thing. He is always there with us and working for our behalf. Why? Because He so deeply loves us and He calls us His children.

                                                                Love Always, Ray

                “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” (Proverbs 3:1 and 2) 

 

Our Continuing City

                                                                                                                                   

Aloha Dearest Family,

                The other day I started singing the words of an old hymn we used to sing in our Bible fellowships back home. Maybe some of you know it.

               

“This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through

                My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.

                The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door

                And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”

 

I love this old song. This got me thinking about Abraham. God told him to pack up, leave his home and go into the land of Canaan. Here he would be a sojourner, a wanderer in this land; to live life as a nomad. God promised him that He would greatly prosper him and make him the father of many nations. God further told him that, although the land that he was passing through was not his, God promised it to Abraham’s descendants after him. This is why they called it the Promised Land.

               

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” (Hebrews 11:8-10)

 

God showed Abraham a vision of a city that God would build. A heavenly city. This is what gave him the strength and courage to keep going; the hope that one day he would see this city. After him his children and grandchildren also shared this vision.

 

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

 

Not only were they looking forward to God’s promise that one day they would inherit the land, but that one day they would see this heavenly city.

 

“Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:16)

 

God not only showed Abraham a vision of a heavenly kingdom, but He also taught him about the coming Messiah who would rule this kingdom forever. This hope brought Abraham great joy through his life. The Messiah himself, Jesus Christ said of Abraham,

 

                “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56 NIV)

               

                Abraham didn’t live to see the days of the Messiah but he looked forward to seeing it and rejoiced in it. Furthermore, all of the great men in the Old Testament had the same hope living in them. For they looked forward to seeing the days of the Messiah and that great city, but this promise was never fulfilled in their lifetime. 

 

                “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.” (Hebrews 11:39)

 

               For us, Jesus the Messiah has come more than 2,000 years ago. This part of God’s promise has come to pass. Now we all are waiting for God’s promise of a heavenly city where there awaits for us a wonderful celebration.

 

                “Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels, a festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to a Judge, who is God of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,..” (Hebrews 12:22 and 23 Christian Standard Bible)

 

This is our future and we will certainly see it. This will be a day of great joy and celebration. But until that day, we patiently wait for it for we see it afar off. This is our hope and this is why we can sing,

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through.

                                                                Love Always, Ray

 

                “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)  

Living the Holy Life

                                                                                                                           

Aloha Dearest Family,

                A man once asked me, “How can I do a great work for God?” Maybe you have asked this same thing. To answer this question we need to first learn about sanctification.
               
                “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:10)

Because of the finished work of Jesus Christ, we have been sanctified. This rather “religious” sounding word simply means “set apart”. God has set us apart from the rest of the world. He has purified us and made us holy. This is not because of anything that WE have done. We were made holy because of the holy spirit that now dwells within us (Romans 15:16). Because we have been given holy spirit, we are spiritually set apart from anything defiled, common or unclean.

                Now for the hard part. Because God has made us holy, we are to live holy.
                               
    “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:16)

This sounds like an impossible task. But it starts with simply choosing what kind of outside sources (things of this world) we are going to allow to influence us. This can be a challenge because we are constantly bombarded daily by TV, radio, music, the internet, YouTube, etc… As Christians we should choose Godly sources and not worldly sources (many of these worldly sources are very devilish). The challenge is to not let the world contaminate our thinking patterns. This brings up a story.

                A father was raising three teenaged daughters and he had always taught them about the importance of staying away from bad influences in life. One day his daughters came to him and told him that they were going to see a certain movie. He already knew that this movie was rated R and that it contained bad language, adult situations and some brief nudity. When he raised these concerns to his daughters, they told him that, yes, the film did contain these elements – but only a little bit. After much contemplation, the father decided to let his daughters go to see this movie.
                When they came home, he invited them into the kitchen where he had just baked a pan of brownies. They were very excited about this sweet treat as their father gave them each a piece. As they were about to bite into their brownies, he said, “oh, by the way, I put a little dog poop in these brownies. But it’s ok, I only put in a little bit.” Horrified, not one of his daughters took a bite. Why not? Because the brownies were contaminated. In this same way God wants us to not be contaminated by the evil influences found in the world. He made us holy-not let us BE holy.
Romans 12:2 encourages us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing our minds to God’s Word.” 

                Getting back to the man’s question I told you about earlier. I posed him a question of my own. I asked him, “What are you doing that is preparing you for what God requires?” He looked at me like I was speaking Latin. 

     God wants to work with each one of us to accomplish great things. But if we are not spending time in God’s Word, praying, giving, and if we are continuing to be influenced by the world, God will be limited in His ability to work with us. God is ready – but we may not be. On the other hand, If we choose to live the holy life by meditating on God’s Word, learning to hear His voice and staying uncontaminated by the world, we will then be “fit for the master’s use.”

     “So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” (II Timothy 2:21 Christian Standard Bible)

 Lastly, to do the works that please God, it may be necessary to watch who we associate with. It is difficult to life a holy life if we are surrounded by those who we are not like-minded with. Unbelievers will not have the same goals that we do. Remember, God has set us apart from the rest of the world. He wants us to be separate.

 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? (the devil) Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?.. Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.” (II Corinthians 6:14, 15 ad 17a NIV) 

 These keys will help us live a holy life that is pleasing to God. A life that we were meant to live.

    Love Always, Ray

 “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” (New King James Version 119:9)

Healing

                                                                                                       

    Aloha Dearest Family,

                Recently we started watching this British TV show called The Repair Shop where folks from all around the country bring their treasured items to have them repaired by experts. Whether it is a piece of antique furniture, a priceless painting, a broken stained-glass window or a miniature clock, the Repair Shop has the artisans to fix it. And the work that these repairers do is nothing short of astounding. These experts are so good at their craft that most times you cannot even tell that the piece was ever damaged in the first place.

                But what if someone has something that needs repairing in their body? Most people go to the “body expert”, the doctor. After all, they have studied the human body for many years and they should know how to fix it-right? In truth all the doctor can do is recognize the problem and “treat” the symptoms. But the doctor cannot heal. He (or she) can set the body in such a state where the body can heal itself. But there IS another alternative for true healing. Why not go to the ‘manufacturer’, the one that designed you, so that He can heal you?

                Many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, do not think this is a possible solution because most believe that God used to do those things in years past, but He doesn’t anymore. Most believe that God is able to heal, but does not want to heal. Let’s look at one of my favorite verses.

     “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)

                If God designed the body then He would also know how to fix it. God knows how the chemicals in the body work. He knows how the proper placement of bones and ligaments should be. He knows how every organ should properly work. There isn’t anything that God doesn’t know about your body and He knows how to fix it. After all, HE is the designer. Nothing is too hard for God to fix. God can heal stage 4 cancer as easily as He can a headache. He is able. But does God want to heal? III John has an incredible verse about God’s greatest desire.

     “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.” (III John 2)

 God wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health. This is God’s top priority. He wants us to be healthy and not sick. The teaching that God gives us sickness to “test our faith” is hogwash and is not Biblical. God wants us healthy - always.

            Great. God is able to heal, and He wants to heal. But would He want to heal ME? The ultimate answer is YES! The next question asked is always, “How can I receive God’s healing?”

 God’s Provision for healing.

                Most Christians know that Jesus died for our sins, but many do not know that he also suffered for our sickness.

              “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4 and 5)

                 Looking forward to what the Messiah would accomplish, Isaiah wrote that by the wounds that he would receive during his suffering, our healing would be paid for. He suffered so we would not have to. Looking back at his suffering, Peter wrote, “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (I Peter 1:24)

 Jesus took the payment for our sins and sickness by what he suffered. Now we can claim this healing for ourselves. If he paid for our sicknesses, why do we want to carry our own sicknesses? I don’t. 

 How to Be Healed.

                Remember that God is not only able to heal you, He wants to heal you. The first step in healing is to ask God. Second step in healing is to thank Him that he has already done it. To God, the payment has already been made for your healing. So we are thanking Him for what He has already done.

 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

 If we continually thank God that He has already given us our healing, we will absolutely receive what we are requesting. This is a great key in receiving healing from God.

 Here are some other great keys to receive healing from God.

          -After you ask God for healing, you cannot allow negative thoughts about your situation to enter in. You must control your thinking and only speak victory. Replace any negative thoughts you have with healing scriptures from God’s Word. Let these be your reality. Repeat these over and over to yourself.

          -Another key is to not give up. This is where most people fail. Jesus taught his disciples about persistence in prayer.

                 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7 and 8) The words ask, seek and knock, in the Greek, means to ask- and keep asking; seek- and keep seeking; knock- and keep knocking. Persistence in prayer for healing is vital to receive healing from God. How long will it take? It doesn’t matter. We don’t ever give up until we receive our healing. God promised it to us in His Word.

          -Get a clear mind picture of yourself healed. Claim that this picture of yourself is already yours. If you have an unclear picture, you will have an unclear answer to your prayer. The way you picture yourself, is what you will see in your life. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7)

            -Thank God often and praise Him continually. Whenever you think of your situation, thank Him that you are receiving your healing. Remember we are thanking Him for what Jesus Christ already paid for.

             -The last and probably most important key to receive healing is to not rely upon how we feel. Healing is not contingent upon how we feel but is contingent upon what God has already declared in His Word. If God has declared that “by his wounds we have been healed”, then that is our reality. I have heard of dozens and dozens of people who were in pain who declared their healing as their reality and not the pain they were experiencing and this brought about their healing. We need to believe what God has said and not how we are feeling. After all, without believing, none of this is possible. It is not our believing that brings the impossible to pass. But faith (believing) in God’s promises. 

                 “Now faith is the assurance that what we hope for will come about and the certainty that what we cannot see exists.” (Hebrews 11:1 International Standard Version).

             God wants you healed – even more than you do. Why not go to Him, ask him and then believe that He has already given it to you. If He has done it for others, He can do it for you. Remember, your health is His top priority. 

                                   Love Always, Ray

       “For I will restore health to you and I will heal your wounds,’ says the LORD…” (Jeremiah 30:17a)

Playing for the Winning Team

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Aloha Dearest Family,

            When I was young my brothers and I and some other kids from the neighborhood, used to go to the park to play baseball in the park. We were all pretty much the same skill level so when we chose teams, each team was fairly evenly matched. That was until one of my friends brought his older brother to play ball with us. Suddenly everyone wanted to be on the same team as my friend’s brother. Everyone knew that if you weren’t one his team you were going lose. And we did- badly.

            Whether we are speaking of sports or in life, it feels good to be on the winning side. This is certainly true when you are speaking of spiritual matters. Being on the wrong side in this contest, could cost you your peace, your prosperity, your health, or it could even cost you the promise of “eternal life”. A big hint for you – always choose the side that GOD is on. This way you can’t lose. With God on your side anything and everything is possible. He is the ultimate coach and team-mate.

            Sadly many throughout the ages chose the losing side. Here are a few of their examples and why they were on the wrong side.

 

                -If you are in the Egyptian army and you are chasing the Children of Israel through the Red Sea, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you live in Jericho and you are watching the Children of Israel march around your city, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you are thinking about fighting against Samson, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you are one of the men who are accusing Daniel of wrong doing, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you are fighting on the same side as Goliath, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you are with the Midian army and you suddenly hear pitchers breaking and a great shout, you are on the wrong side. (See Judges 6-8)

                -If you are in a battalion of fifty and you are sent up the hill to capture Elijah, you are the wrong side. (See II Kings 1:9-12)

                -If you accept Elijah’s challenge to start a fire, you are on the wrong side.

                -If you are Haman, you are on the wrong side. (See the book of Esther)

 

                These were all on the losing side and ended up paying for it with their lives. But what if people do not KNOW they are on the wrong side? Well, we could yell to the unbelievers, ”Hey, you are on the wrong side!” Or we could show them the love of our team captain, Jesus Christ, and what he did so everyone could switch sides. We could tell them about all the perks associated with our team. Heck we even have team jerseys. (These jerseys may be invisible but they are embossed with the seal of Our God - His gift of holy spirit in each member of the team). This makes us all team-mates and each member is a vital member of the team.

So if you are tired of losing, why not join the winning team? You will find that God has a position for you to play. God’s team is unbeatable and stands undefeated!

                                      Love Always, Ray

 

                “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me...” (Exodus 32:26a)  

Renewal

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Happy New Year!

Aloha Dearest Family,

        According to our calendar, we are welcoming in the New Year and saying goodbye to the old one. For many people, this brings a sigh of relief, for most are more than happy to move past such a turbulent year as 2020. But this is OUR view not God’s. God sees things much differently.

            “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8 and 9)

            Our view is very limited, while God sees the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). There is nothing that escapes His sight. God also knows that times of trouble will come to both saint and sinner alike. This is because the devil is the ruler the world (I John 5:19). As God’s children, we need to keep in mind that our struggle is not with people.

            “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

            As we celebrate the coming new year, let us also celebrate that it is God that truly brings changes that issue in better things otherwise called renewal. It took Him 4,000 years to bring His promise of a redeemer to pass. But He is ALWAYS true to His promises. Jesus was born in the midst of dark and turbulent times (I’m talking dark and turbulent), yet Satan and all his cohorts couldn’t keep the Savior from coming. God’s Will would be done! Years later after his birth, in a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus announced the start of his earthly ministry. At the time of his declaration, he quoted Isaiah, “ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 62:2a) This bold announcement would issue in the start of a new era, for Christ would fulfil the Old Covenant and issue in a New Covenant.

            On the day of Pentecost (as detailed in Acts 2) God poured out His spirit upon mankind, making him a new creation. In this new creation, man would forever be united with Christ because God made us like Christ and we are to have the mind of Christ. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”. (Philippians 2:5)

“So then, if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new creation, the old things have passed away, Look! Things have become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17 Revised English Version)

        When we became born again, we became NEW CREATIONS! This is not just an improved version of our old selves. This new is a brand spanking new, shiny, out-of-the-box new. We can now live the life of victory we have always dreamed of living because we have the spirit of Christ dwelling on the inside. All the resources of heaven are ours for the taking. And when we change our minds to think God’s Word, we start walking in newness of life. This is the life that God has called us to. And you know what, this is ours no matter what is happening around us. Times of distress or worry cannot stop God from showering us with His blessings.

        We should also remember that one day soon Christ will return for us, his church, and take us home. This day will be unlike any other because at this time we will all be changed and receive new spiritual bodies. And all the forces of Satan can’t stop it from happening.

        Then at the end of all tribulation, God will make all things NEW.

            “Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ nor mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1a, 4 and 5)

This will certainly be a “ good year” that will never end. (It could be this year).

                                                Love Always, Ray