Worship Time: Healing

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.  

(Exodus 15:26 KJV)

We know God desires our worship.  Worship changes our focus—our minds should turn to the Lord and away from worldly concerns.  Ideally, our worship should occur more frequently than on Sundays; we are to worship throughout the week.  Worshiping God can be beneficial to our well-being, reducing stress and anxiety—refocusing our thoughts on One greater than all of our troubles.

This week, I would like to offer the following songs that come to mind for comfort and healing.

(Jesus You are My Healer by Don Moen)

 (Healer by Kari Jobe)

 (Blessings by Laura Story, in this video Laura shares the story behind the song)

Where are you seeking the Lord for healing—perhaps a healing that only the Lord can do?  There are many physical issues/problems that only the Lord can heal, man does not have an answer of any type. I believe the Lord still heals supernaturally today.

Please join with me in prayer:

Healing Lord, intellectually know that we are to worship You always.  It is so easy in the hustle and bustle of every day life to forget to give You the time and honor You deserve.  Heighten our awareness of Your presence all around us every moment of every day.  We know that we are to focus our hearts and mind on You alone as we worship You.  However, many times we find that our minds wander to the past or to the future or even to our current needs.  Help us to rein in those wandering thoughts, so that we can give You our all.  Focus our worship of You for the healing that You freely provide.    

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim 

Jesus Still Heals Today

I am pleased to share with the readers of my blog the video of a church service I led on February 9, 2014.  It was an amazing blessing to share what God had placed on my heart so long ago—this is a message that God has been developing within me over the last several years (parts have been given in other formats and settings).  In some ways, it was freeing to share this with my church family and now with others through my blog and via YouTube. 

It is my prayer that my message will feed your faith in what God is capable of doing today.  Our God is so very big and powerful!  He loves us so very much.  He is still alive, living, and active today!  Moreover, He is still in the business of healing supernaturally (divine healing) today!

God is amazing, wonderful, holy, powerful, mighty…He really is beyond description—beyond what our finite minds can begin to grasp.  Our words fall short of conveying all God is and how amazing, powerful, and holy He is.  God’s Word is clear, He never changes (we see that in both the Old and New Testaments).  We are the ones who change; the ones who get too smart for our own good.     

In the future, I plan to share more posts on healing (amongst other topics); hopefully more video messages too.  It will be interesting to see what God has planned for each one of us.  May God reveal more of Himself to us each day, drawing and wooing us to His incomparable beauty, majesty, and greatness.

Below is the description I provided for the video on YouTube.  It includes hymn titles and Scriptures.

This is a video of our traditional service (Trinity United Methodist Church--Albia, Iowa) that I was blessed to lead on February 9, 2014. (I'm one of several lay members who are called by the Lord to lead in worship and preach the Word of God when our pastor is away.) 

Currently, I'm a lay speaker in United Methodist Church; my status is such that I can preach in my church and others when called. 

Hymns: "Victory in Jesus", "My Faith Looks Up to Thee", "I Know Whom I Have Believed"

Scriptures: Psalm 103

                  Malachi 3:6-7, 16-17; 4:2

                  Mark 5:22-34

May each one of us experience Jesus Christ as our Healer!

Here's the link to the video: see sermon here

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

The Power of Story

“At that time Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.  Yes Father, for this was your good pleasure.’”  (Luke 10:21 KJV)

What do you most strongly remember from your childhood?   What stories did you find particularly fascinating and wanted read over and over?  For me, I’ve been told that I loved Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.  We learn so much from stories—those written, as well as the stories of lives of others told to us orally.  Even our personal stories can instruct.  Learning to listen—with rapt attention (like small children listening to a book being read)—to the stories of faithful believers can aid our own walk.  It’s humbling to realize that our own testimony can inspire others.

Growing up in the church I listened to many Bible stories.  Through those stories I learned about Bible heroes and the faith that I’d return to in a more complete and powerful way as an adult. 

For those who grew up in church, what stories were the most fascinating to you?  My favorite was when Jesus healed the man who was paralyzed (Matt. 9:2-7 see here; Mark 2:3-12 [a different type of healing] see here; Luke 5:18-25 see here).  Today, as an adult, I still find the stories where Jesus (and His apostles) healed others to be fascinating.  There is such amazing power in God’s Word!      

Romans 10:17 (KJV) states: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Listening seems to imply that a response of some sort is needed.  The response is up to each individual listening.  In this case, it’s responding to Jesus and His desire to be our Savior and Lord.  The question is:  Will we say “yes” to Jesus and eternal life that is truly worth living or will we say “no” and spend an eternity separated from the One who loves more deeply than we can begin to understand?  This is one question that can only be answered by each person for himself/herself.  What will your answer be? 

Heart-warming is a good way to describe what many of us feel when children or adults make the decision to invite Jesus into their heart—becoming born again.  Their lives are completely different.  Salvation changes us from inside out.    

The effect of stories on our lives is powerful—it is through stories that learning takes place on a more personal level.  Stories bring life and color to issues that could otherwise remain dull and lifeless.  Who can you share the stories of Jesus with in the coming days?   

Dear Father, I lift up to You each person who reads this blog—reveal Yourself to them in the way they need to experience You.  Draw them to You.  Lift any condemnation they may be under that is hindering them from hearing You, may they surrender their life to You.  Thank you for the openness and receptiveness of little children—may we be more childlike in how we respond to You and Your Word.  .  Help us to teach them the Truth about Jesus and His love.  Instill in us a childlike faith and openness to You.  Open our hearts to truly hear what children say to us about You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

From my heart to yours,

Kim