February 24, 2008

February 24, 2008

Today was an amazing day to discover the greatness of God. In particular, His ability to complete us with every good work He has ordained for our lives. My spirit is stirred today about restoration. God has the power to restore our lives to the original intent for which He created us.I was moved today with the Biblical account of King David desiring to bless the house of Saul. Saul had made it his mission to destroy David out of jealousy, and the harsh reality that God had rejected Saul. In spite of how much personal agony David had lived at the hand of Saul, he still longed to bless his descendants. After the search was over, Mephibosheth was located.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, and the grandson of Saul. Mephibosheth was a cripple. When the news of Saul and Jonathan’s death had reached the royal palace during his childhood, Mephibosheth’s baby sitter fled the house with him and fell in the process, leaving Mephibosheth paralyzed from the waist down. 2 Samuel 9:7 relays the blessings David bestowed upon him, “I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” What struck me about this generous display of restoration was the bitter sweet fact that it was going to be incomplete. Mephibosheth was still going to be a cripple.

Is it possible for you to be alive, but functioning at a capacity far less than you were created for? In John 10:10 Jesus tells us, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Why is it that after we know the truth that sets us free, we are so easily ensnared again unto bondage?
Galatians 5:1 commands us to, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” There is even the dire effect of 2 Peter 2:20 we must contend with when considering how easily we are moved from freedom back into bondage, “ For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” Break the cycle of returning to the acquaintance of your past bondage.

You were created to be complete in Jesus Christ.Accepting partial restoration is the myth that you should be satisfied with where you are, instead of being made whole. John 11:38-40 reveals the story of Lazarus death, and Jesus’ actions surrounding it, “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” God has the power to remove the stone and yet He asks someone else to do it. Why? Because we have a spiritual obligation to not seal as finished the events of our live until God says it is over! When it is time for you to have closure there will be a sense of completeness and an awareness of being whole. Until then, remove the barriers and open the passages of what you have buried as being dead! Until the, “Roll the stone away!”

You and I must stop relegating God to our human understanding to make Him more palatable! Romans 1:18-23 gives us this reality check, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man.” The effects of this has caused Spirits of Infirmity to be released, and to take hold of our land and plague us with illnesses that have no physical reasoning’s for their torment! I came across two startling statistics to support this: “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, was released in 1952, and had about 106 different mental disorders. It has since gone through 5 revisions and now has about 375.” “In 1999 the World Health Organization ranked depression as the world’s fourth most devastating illness, projecting that it would climb to second place by 2020”

Luke 13: 10-13 gives a perfect illustration for the modern dillemna we face with mental illness that are the result of a spiritual issue, “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.” Your mental health is directly correlated to the condition of your spiritual wholeness! You are not crazy-you are bound! I speak freedom over your life today that every Spirit of Infirmity release its hold on your life in Jesus Name! Disclaimer: Some mental illnesses are pysically related and require proper medical treatment. For those we offer the added support of prayer to the physician’s treatment decisions.

You are being called to rise up out of your incomplete life and embrace a healing wholeness that only God can give you! Luke 7:14 shows God’s ability to alter what looks like a finished scenario, “Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” It is not over until Jesus has made you complete. After the young man was commanded to get up, Jesus told those who had been carrying the boy, “Take him to his Mother.” The young man was resurrected, but his Mother was made complete!God is calling you today to come out of the tomb you have enshrined your hopes and dreams in. He is speaking release into your life to enact wholeness in you. John 11:43 shows the power of Jesus to call you forth, “Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” Hear the voice of the Spirit today! You are being summoned out of death into life more abundantly!

Your resurrection is at hand. You are being called to step out of darkness into His marvelous light!I want to ask you a piercing question, “How long do you intend to live in a state of partial restoration?” Break all the way free right now in Jesus Name! John 11:44 paints the scene of so many lives today, “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” Yes you are saved! Yes you have been brought back from death! Yes you have experienced resurrection! But are you free? Lazarus hobbles out of the graver at Jesus’ command, resurrected but restricted! Born again but bound! Saved but suffering! I hear the words of Jesus being spoken over the incomplete restoration your life represents, “Loose him and let him go!” This is your day to shed the stench of death from your life. This is your day to move out of the tomb, and leave the community of death behind! This is your moment for complete wholeness and total restoration! I am standing with you today for a finished work in your life!