A few weeks ago a friend was teaching on the fact that it makes God happy to bless us.  So if it blesses God then we should be happy to receive His blessings!  He read Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ”.  The word “hath” indicates the same meaning as the word “were” in First Peter 2:24.  In the world of grammar they both are a past perfect tense which means that what happened in the past still has present day significance!  In other words when it says in First Peter that “by whose (Jesus) stripes you were healed”, it means if we were healed, then we are healed.  The healing power of Jesus still works today!

It doesn’t matter the name of the disease or ailment or how critical or severe the disease, or even how long you’ve been fighting it and believing for your healing.  What matters is that the Word of God is true and powerful and active today to heal us and set us free from any infirmities.  Then he read Luke 13:11-12, And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and 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, thou art loosed from your infirmity”.   This really ministered to me regarding believing for healing for my body; my body has been loosed from its weaknesses and therefore is set free to be healed.

Three words jumped out at me when I read this; spirit, infirmity, and loosed.  Let’s look closer at them.

Spirit: means breath, to blow, breathe, a life-giving force; essential or real meaning: intent.

Now most of the time when I think of spirit I think of God and the Spirit of life He breaths into us, but I’ve also heard it taught that a disease that has no man-made cure can be caused by a spirit.  However, if something is destructive to us then it is not of God and therefore must have another source – we must remember that the devil is a spirit too and he comes to kill, steal, and destroy, whereas Jesus comes to give us life abundantly.  (John 10:10)

Infirmity: means feebleness, disease, ailment and foible.  The word infirm actually means deficient in vitality, not solid or stable.  Foible means a minor failing or weakness in character or behavior.

When I read this I realized again the importance that small decisions have in our lives.  Somehow we want to think that it’s only the big decisions that control the destiny of our lives, and of course they play a big part in our lives, but if not careful we forget that the smaller and maybe somewhat insignificant decisions are just as important because in many cases they are the foundation for the bigger decisions.  Perhaps this is the meaning of Song of Solomon 2:15 when is speaks of the little foxes that spoil the vines.

Loosed: means free from restraint or obligation, release, untied, or detach.  An obligation means something that binds someone to a course of action; indebtedness.

Most of time I just always thought of restraints as rules to keep me from doing something, which is also true, but now I also see the other side of it because the devil works to restrain us from receiving blessings from God.  Jesus told the woman she was loosed from her infirmity, which means she was untied from what was holding her back from healing.  If it was true for her, then it is true for us.  Let it be known now that we have been loosed from the devil’s influence, loosed from doubt, timidity, fear, and even family and religious traditions that tend to hold us back from receiving the blessings of God.  We are loosed from the darkness of sin and loosed TO the light of Jesus.  We are loosed from the destruction of sin, sickness, and disease, and loosed TO the abundant good life of God.

In Hebrews 12:1 we are told the “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”.

I have learned over the years that the longer the race of faith in believing for something, the deeper the work God is doing in my heart.  In other words He is more interested in fixing issues of the heart first – our inward being – than perhaps our outward appearance.  It isn’t that He doesn’t care about our physical health – obviously He does or He would not have provided healing – but He knows that hidden weaknesses or sins can hinder us from receiving the physical healing. So, if what you’ve believed for hasn’t manifested yet, do some heart searching and ask God where the problem is and what you should do to correct it.  Remember Galatians 6:9 instructs us to “not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”.  It is our faith to stand strong and not become weary or faint-hearted that brings the promises of God to us.  When our heart is pure before God it is easier for our body to align itself with the Word of God and receive the healing it needs.

God has set us free from the weaknesses of our flesh – whether it’s weaknesses that lead to physical sickness and disease or weaknesses that tempt us to sin.  Galatians 5:1 instructs us to stand fast in the liberty that Christ has made us free, and not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  So let’s be diligent to walk in the truth of His Word standing in faith in His Word until we have the victory.

Father God, thank you for Your Spirit of Life that lives in us and for setting us free to receive all the blessings you have for us.