Healing
Preparing to speak at a youth service on the 15th March 2009, I was jotting down a thought I had, showing the connection between ‘prayer’, ‘praise & worship’ and ‘deliverance’, when the initials of our church title* came to me. I knew what it stood for but I didn’t get the urge to write it down. Instead, I wrote:
C.C.H — Communicating Christ Hallelujah
C.C.H — Communicating Christ’s Healing
C.C.H — Channelling Christ’ Healing
One of the scriptures that came to me immediately after writing this down was 1 John 1:9 which states:
“But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep His promise and do what is right: He will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrong-doing” (GNB).
Jesus said, “My House shall be called a house of prayer,” (Mat 21:13) which takes me back to the first part of the theme: ‘Prayer, Praise & Worship and Deliverance.’ Whenever praying is present the channel of communication to God is open. Once the channel of communication remains open, then the way to healing/deliverance is clear. Praise and Worship is what takes place while we are in connection with our heavenly Father. We honour and adore Him in words and deeds—that means our lives bear witness of our being connected with Him. It is not just about the repetitive phrases that proceeds from our mouths. Praise and worship comes from a heart that is pure and true.
But how do we get to the place where our heart is clean?
None of this makes sense to a non-believer. One has to first acknowledge Christ as Lord and Saviour. In recognising Christ as Lord and Saviour, one acknowledges the fact that one is a sinner, in need of saving grace. The next step is therefore confessing one’s sins and accepting the forgiveness that comes with it.
Once we’ve confessed our sins and accept forgiveness what next?
This is where the journey gets challenging. Having been tangled in the web of sin for so long, there are bad habits, demonic spirits (entered through the door of past hurt and pain) that have held individuals captive. This is where the latter part of the verse comes in. God will ‘purify us from all our wrong-doings.’ For some people this process may be quick, and for others it may be a real struggle. To explain this point I’ve used the lives of two fictional characters below to highlight two scenarios:
I named the female Lisa and the male John. Both loved God and wanted to live for Him but one was a habitual liar while the other struggled with various issues that were deeply rooted in the painful circumstances of the past.
Scenario 1 ~ Meet Lisa:
Lisa was brought up with a solid foundation based on Christian principles. Her mother and father gave her all the love and attention a little girl needed to develop her self-esteem and confidence etc. but she was never taught about God, the Creator of all things. She didn’t see lying as a problem—it was fun to joke around. She never gave a thought to how her lies were affecting the lives of those around her. As a young adult, she was invited by a friend to a convention. She heard the Word preached and was convicted and gave her life to Christ. She became uncomfortable with lying and within a few months her habitual lying stopped.
Scenario 2 ~ Meet John:
John was sexually abused by his father and both parents physically and verbally abused him. He grew up with resentment. He had low self-esteem and low confidence in his abilities. He didn’t have any friends either. He grew up and got married, looking for love from his wife. Not knowing how to show love to her, when he gets frustrated he uses his fist then he turns to alcohol for comfort in easing the guilt.
John heard the gospel and like Lisa, he too accepted the Lord, Jesus, as his Saviour but he found it a real struggle moving on into his new life. His mind was haunted by the past. He got angry. Frustrations developed daily because of lack of growth and understanding. In a testimony he shared:
"But still, God will keep his promise and as long as I remain faithful to Him and trust Him to purify me in his way, I will be purified from all my wrong-doings."
John soon gave up using his wife as a punching bag and his thirst for an alcoholic drink eventually evaporated. He was encouraged by another member to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) sessions. He no longer have strong drinks or abuse his wife but he still struggles with letting go of the past hurt and pain as he often shares in testimonies. But like the other sins which once held him in bondage, John testified of his faith in God to free him from his past hurt and pain. In other words, like my friend often reminds me when I’m going through my valley experiences: "This too shall pass."
It may have taken a few months for Lisa to get to the point of rebuking the lying spirit and make room for the spirit of truth to freely take up residence in her life, accepting the new life that Christ gave her—a life of abundance according to John 10:10.
However, for John, this will take a much longer process. He was deeply wounded and soul wounds take much longer to heal. It will take fasting and praying (Mark 9:29) on a regular basis for John to break free from his past. He will need the body of Christ praying and fasting—interceding on his behalf. He will need true friends from within his fellowship who are willing to hold his hand every step of the way, showing love in practical ways to help him overcome. He will need opportunities to share with the fellowship (not just his victories but also his struggles). This may be in a small group such as a home study group or the few he has learnt to trust and confide in. James 5:16 says,
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Sharing our struggles is confessing our sins. Sharing our victories is giving the praise to God (praise and worship). As we confess our sins, it encourages the saints to not just pray for us but to encourage us to remain faithful so that we will be victorious. This is why some places of fellowship encourage testimony sessions. The saints will also have the opportunity to help us in practical ways—showing Christian love.
While all this is taking place, opportunities are given to let praise and worship flow towards heaven. And while we are praising Him—giving him worship from a pure heart, He is busy taking care of our problems, sending down the blessings and this is where healing and deliverance takes place. That’s how our fellowships become channels for God to heal the sin-sick soul. That’s how the saints communicate Christ’s healing. In return, the healed and the fellowship, in praise mode, are able to say Hallelujah to the King of kings!
Notes:____*We were attending COGIC Community House at the time which is one of the many branches of the COGIC (Church of God in Christ) assemblies in the UK.
________________________
Dear friends,
As I read a dairy entry I made on the 30th March 2009, I thought about how many people are in similar positions to Lisa and John, yet are struggling with these issues on their own. They are finding it difficult to overcome and sometimes giving up. I can’t really help these people in practical ways, yet I know that through my writing I can come alongside them and encourage them. Through my writing, I can also reach out to those who are in a privileged position to help these individuals.
Sometimes we are simply too busy, taking care of the building in which we gather for corporate worship or the ministries we have developed over the years, to actually see the needs presented before us. I pray that this article will both open the eyes of those whom God has called to shepherd the sheep as well as bring hope to broken lives and help someone to start on the road to healing.
Too many are turning to destructive methods because they believe no one cares. People are at the heart of the gospel. Jesus’ ministry here on earth was all about helping people. He healed the sick, visited the prisoner, delivered the demon-possessed, fed the hungry and gave water to the thirsty. What we do must have relevance to the heart of the gospel (Matthew 25:40).
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