Deliverance

On Physical and Spiritual Healing

Ken

No doubt, Christ physically healed the sick because the Messiah was promised to be both a physical and spiritual healer. “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16-17 NKJV). This is the NT demonstration of Isaiah’s prophecy. “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). 

Some argue that healing is not to be expected from Christ’s atonement, since all do not appear to be physically healed after receiving the New Birth. But, should the lack of physical healing stop us from trying, any more than the lack of someone repenting and receiving the Gospel stop us from attempting to give them the Gospel? Of course not. “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:9). 

Should the lack of casting out of demons stop us from trying again? No. Jesus corrected the clumsy attempt of His disciples, giving them valuable instruction to do better next time. “And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, Why could we not cast it out? So He said to them, This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:28-29). 

Should we have a greater expectations of physical and spiritual deliverance? Yes. If God’s Spirit is exciting us to pray for that physical or spiritual deliverance, then we should take that as an indication of His willingness to fulfill that request. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

We need to be constantly in step with the Holy Spirit that we would be so inclined to pray according to His will. “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (8:27). 

We must remember that prayer is not an incantation to change God’s mind to act for us, though He is especially willing to act to defend His glory. “You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you” (Deuteronomy 7:21). 

If God will only do that which is conducive of His highest glory, why would He listen to the prayers of mere men, unless by His Spirit He placed the necessity for the prayer request in their hearts? “Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me” (Isaiah 45:11). 

What if our doctrine and experience falls short of others’ doctrine or experience? “Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you” (Philippians 3:15).

Let us always be open to receiving understanding from the Word of God to improve our conduct. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). 

May God unite His people in a universal quest to follow Jesus. “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1Peter 2:21). 

And, if He should choose suffering for us in this particular instance and not healing, let us be willing to suffer. “And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Corinthians 12:9). 

Life is growing more than dying. May Christ’s Church be  reinvigorated by healing and spiritual deliverance more than succumbing to the death all around us. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

Father, cause us to pray-on for spiritual and physical deliverance. We know You are “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2Peter 3:9), and “there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). But, inspire us to “compel [others] to come in, that [Your] house may be filled” (Luke 14:23). Likewise, inspire us to pray for spiritual and physical healing, that You may be glorified for the deliverance. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Latent Unbelief (You Can, But Won’t)

Ken

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12 KJV). 

Warning: This is the lie we tell ourselves. 

LORD, I believe You can save, heal, or deliver this person I’m concerned about, but I really don’t think You will, because I don’t think You care as much about my concerns than for the obviously dire circumstances of others faraway. 

Whenever the people of God become weary in well doing, we begin to see prayer as only a way to change God’s mind about what we want Him to do, instead of prayer conforming us better to His Perfect Will. 

“Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied Him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” (Malachi 2:17). 

When we are concerned about anything more than His glory, then we are gradually and insidiously building up resistance against the Most High. This is the fallow ground of our hearts that must again be broken up, in order for the Almighty to manifest His righteousness in us. His timing is always the right timing, and His actions are always right. 

“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you” (1Peter 5:7). 

Father, forgive me for my unbelief, for now I understand You love me more than I ever knew. Come, Holy Spirit, and fill Your Church with a powerful revelation of Jesus. Almighty God, create in me a new heart of faith and love. Justify Yourself, for You are right in all You do. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

I Found None

Ken

What a sad state, when God cannot find anyone to do His bidding! “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none” (Ezekiel 22:30 KJV). Our feeble hands are insufficient to stop the enemy! What are we to do? “And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him” (Isaiah 59:16). Do everything consistent with righteousness, but seek deliverance only from God. He alone can deliver! “So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him” (59:19). Strong crying to Yahweh alone will fix our situation. If He instructs us to get up and get busy, then we must act. But, our activity alone does not presently seem to be the key. “It is time for Thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void Thy law” (Psalm 119:126).  Where do we not need healing, deliverance from demonic opposition, diminishing of the opposition to our doing the right thing? Paul complained of a “thorn in the flesh” (2Corinthians 12:7), to which he referred as a “messenger [Greek, aggelos, angel, i.e., evil angel or demon] of Satan to buffet [literally, torment] me” (12:7). Do we have more opposition than we realize? Then, we need all the more deliverance only God can provide! Father, it is not an unrighteous thing for us to cry out for deliverance. May we repent, trust, and obey, as we should. But, may that only clear the way for You to act. “O our God, wilt Thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee” (2Chronicles 20:12). In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen and amen.

Promises of God in Jesus

Ken

“For all the promises of God in Him are yea [Greek, nai, yes, verily, truly, surely], and in Him Amen [Greek, amēn, so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled], unto the glory of God by us” (2Corinthians 1:20 KJV). What greater confidence than the name of Jesus attached to a promise! Is this only youthful enthusiasm? What greater accomplishment than the promises of Jesus fulfilled in our lives, and in those around us? He who is the Word accomplishes every jot and tittle of His promises because He is the essence of faithfulness and will not let one promise fall to the ground. 

The very placement of the words in the text of Scripture are not accidental. When Jesus stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth to preach the first sermon of His messianic career, He read Isaiah 62:1-2, but completed His reading at the end of the comma — “to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,” (Isaiah 61:2). He did not complete Isaiah’s sentence with “and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn” (61:2) because that would only be fulfilled later. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). Just as Jesus fulfilled His Word in atoning for our sins on the Cross, so He will keep the prophecy of fulfilling His promise of vengeance during the Seventieth Week of Daniel (Daniel 9:26), then Israel will finally turn to Him at His Second Coming. “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8). 

Father, You will keep all Your Word through Christ Jesus in the salvation of Israel, since all Your promises in Him are yea and amen. Magnify Your name. Keep Your Word. Save Israel. In Jesus’ name, we ask it. Amen and amen.

Angelic Deliverance

Ken

“The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7 KJV). The OT Angel of the LORD is the Lord Jesus Christ, for Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and the Angel of the LORD ceased to appear in the NT. We are told, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Guardian angels are not a difficulty for the LORD, since He has appointed them “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). However the LORD chooses to deliver us is not the point; but, that He is willing to do so, is the issue. “Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob” (Psalm 44:4). Are we trusting God for whatever we will face, since we are certainly in conflict with the Devil and his demonic horde? Father, give us the faith to trust You as the flames draw closer to swallow us. May we be unwilling to bow to Bel, even if You chose not to deliver. But, may You be magnified, as we ask for grace to help in our time of need. Lord Jesus, return quickly and deliver us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

First Coming Is Incomplete Without The Second Coming

Ken

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28 KJV). Our salvation is complete, when we shall come into His presence at His Second Coming, for we shall lose our present corrupted bodies of flesh and become like Him. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1John 3:2). We are saved from the penalty of sin (eternal death), the effects of sin (physical suffering), and the power of sinning (necessity to commit sin). 

All will confess to being saved from eternal death, since the “gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

According to our faith, some will lay hold of physical healing in the atonement, i.e., “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 cp. Matthew 8:16-17). 

But, possibly the most overlooked benefit in the Atonement is the Gift Within the Gift — the giving of the Holy Spirit. We are saved from the necessity to sin by the inspiration of the Indwelling Holy Spirit to cause us to obey Him. “And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27 cp. Acts 2:38). 

We certainly will have all of these fulfilled by the time we stand in His presence at His Second Coming. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20).

Father, only You can give us full deliverance, but as always, it is according to our faith. You saved us not just to deliver us from eternal pain or physical suffering, but to gain for Yourself a people devoted to Your obedience by Your Spirit. May we embrace this truth and overcome the wicked one by faith. Lord Jesus, return quickly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Dealing With the Rapture (Part 1)

Ken

The Rapture is only one aspect of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, which must take place prior to the New Heavens and New Earth, which was also promised to Israel and the Church. Everyone will have to deal with the miraculous, supernatural Rapture. Jesus will return, as the angels promised, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11 KJV). His Second Coming will happen for the entire world to witness. “Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7 KJV). His Second Coming requires a catching up of living saints to accompany the resurrected saints, who will then both accompany the returning Christ. “15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up [Greek, harpazō, to snatch out or away] together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:15-17). LORD, thank You for sharing future events with us. Though we know not when, return quickly, Lord Jesus, and deliver us. Amen. 

I Know Where You Live

Ken

God’s words, not mine. Depends on who you are. It is a threat against you, if you are like the Assyrian King Sennacherib, ranting against Yahweh (701 BC) in the Levant, besieging Jerusalem. “I know where you live and everything you do and how you rage against Me” (Isaiah 37:28 NET). Biblical and secular histories differ, where the siege against King Hezekiah at Jerusalem ended with an angel killing “185,000 troops in the Assyrian camp” (37:26), Sennacherib returned to Nineveh, and was slain by his own sons (37:38; 681 BC). Assyrian annals left out the part where the Lord’s angel killed 185,000 troops, instead they recorded: “Hezekiah was overwhelmed by fear of [Sennacherib’s] ‘Lordly brilliance’ and submitted to paying a large tribute of soldiers, hostages, gold and silver, weapons, and other valuables to be delivered to Nineveh.” Revisionist history or fake news, since 2Kings 19 gives an authentic account of the supernatural annihilation and humiliation received by Sennacherib. May the LORD’s words, “I know where you live,” be received as encouragement for the godly that He knows how to deal with the ungodly, and even inspire the afflicted, as later for the New Covenant Church of Pergamum. “I know where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet you continue to cling to My name and you have not denied your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas, My faithful witness, who was killed in your city where Satan lives” (Revelation 2:13). LORD, come quickly and deliver Your people. Amen. 

Jesus Wants You Well

Ken

C.S. Lovett, a retired USAF chaplain, wrote, “I do not mean to imply that God doesn’t use sickness… But the point is — He [God] doesn’t SEND sickness,” in his classic book, Jesus Wants You Well (1973). Growing up in the early 1970’s in evangelical, fundamental, Bible preaching churches, I remember being introduced to the writings of Dr. Lovett’s Personal Christianity by a blessed, fervent church friend. Lovett got it right, and he disagreed with conventional wisdom on 2Corinthians 12:7-10 about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. The devil wants us sick, since the “thorn in the flesh” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV) was a “messenger [Greek, aggelos, angel] of Satan [Greek, satan, adversary]” (12:7) sent by God to “buffet” (12:7) Paul — and us. An evil angel of Satan was allowed to torment Paul, like Jesus was “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). The Father no more wanted Jesus to be tempted to make Jesus sin, any more than He wanted Paul to be buffeted to make him perpetually ill. Sure, we are to “glory in [our] infirmities” (12:9) for “when I am weak, then am I strong” (12:10) in the mean time; but, it is the devil buffeting with the sickness. Jesus came to heal and deliver us from the sickness, unless we have hidden issues allowing the adversary to successfully accuse us to prevent our healing. “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16-17; compare Isaiah 53:4-5). Our response to being buffeted is to glory in our infirmities, thus strengthening us spiritually, but not simply to give in to sickness. Brothers and sisters, Jesus wants us well. Let the Holy Spirit persuade you what you should believe.

Angels: Third Person Syndrome

Ken

“Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14 KJV). God’s unseen realm touches us for good so much more than the minions of the wicked one for evil, if we are numbered among those who are “saved by hope” (Romans 8:24). It is embarrassing that the world notices this help, when the godly more insistently cling to their failed narratives of unanswered prayer. I ran across this account. “[#9] I was taking a shortcut across a frozen reservoir on the way to a friend’s house. Suddenly, the ice cracked, and I started to fall through. I felt two hands slam into my back, and I skidded across the ice. I was soaking wet when I arrived at my friend’s house, cold and shivering. I told him the story as I changed into some of his clothes so we could throw mine into the dryer. My friend turned white, and his eyes were bugging out of his head. He guided me to the bathroom so I could look in the mirror, and I saw what disturbed him. There were two hand-shaped bruises forming on my back. 40+ years later, I still get chills thinking about it.”