Treatment Plans

Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12, NLT) 

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. (Philippians 3:14, NLT) 

During a routine dental exam, my children were referred to an orthodontist. We were told the orthodontist would create a treatment plan for them that we agreed with and at the end of plan, they would have beautiful teeth. 

I thought, hmmmm...treatment plans. That is how we fight the good fight of faith and press on, we build a treatment plan! 

A few days later, I saw a post by Pastor Nick Van Rensburg on the Christian Family Church Hawaii Facebook page. After reading his post, I was inspired! Blessed! Invigorated! I wanted to share it with you so I asked for permission to use it in this blog post.  Thank you Pastor Nick! 

While we are on Oahu, Christian Family Church is our home church. You can find Christian Family churh at the link below.

 (http://www.jesushawaii.com/Family_Christian_Church_Hawaii/HOME.html)

Time to Get Serious

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee.... I [will] remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. (Psalm 63:1,6)

If you're going to live in divine health, there are going to be times when you'll have to be downright extreme about the Word of God. Times when you may be facing a sickness so severe that you need more than just a few moments in the Word and a quick prayer to receive your healing. 

I want to tell you, in very practical terms, what I would do in a situation like that. 

- The moment I woke up in the morning, before I did anything else, I'd take Communion. I'd say, "Lord, I dedicate my body all day today to the service of my Lord Jesus Christ. I take Jesus' pure blood shed for me." 
- Then I'd put the devil in his place. I'd say, "I rebuke you, Satan. You're not going to put any sickness and disease on me today. Regardless of the symptoms, regardless of what my body thinks about it, by the power of Jesus through His Spirit, I have overcome this sickness because He that is within me is greater than he that is in the world." 
- Then, all day long, I'd thank God for my healing. I'd choose some teaching tapes that would fill my mind and my spirit with the anointed Word of God, and I'd listen to them throughout the day. In the afternoon, I'd praise God and receive Communion again to remind myself that the blood of Jesus is in my veins, that I'm part of God's family. 

You don't have to wait until Sunday to receive Communion. Jesus just said, "As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of Me." And if you're facing a serious attack of the devil, you need to remember Him all day and all night. You need to consider Jesus until thoughts of Him push the thoughts of that sickness right out of your mind ... That night before bed I'd receive Communion again, then I'd praise myself to sleep. If I woke up in the night, I'd reach over and get my Bible and read all the healing scriptures and make the devil sorry he woke me. 

When the devil launches a serious attack against your body, don't mess around. Get serious about the Word. Put yourself under its constant care and it will take good care of you!

The Scar

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

When Mike and I got married, he bought me the most beautiful bedroom suite I have ever seen, before or since. We had spent a lot of time searching for the perfect set. When we found it, we were looking at a catalog in a furniture store and I turned the page to a set named, “Precious Memories”, we both said, “That’s it!” Marital agreement is a good thing!

We still have that bedroom suite. It has been transported many miles, from Oklahoma, to Washington State, across the Pacific to Oahu, back across the Pacific to Missouri, back across the Pacific once more to the Big Island. That is a lot of crossing!

Early in our marriage, during the move from Oklahoma to Washing State, the cedar chest that belongs to the suite was damaged by not being properly cared for by the people responsible for it. It still has a deep scar because we’ve never correctly dealt with it. The cedar chest did nothing wrong resulting in the scar. I know that may sound absurd, but there is a point to the statement.

The allegory being, at times we are scarred simply because we weren’t properly cared for and not by means of our actions.

All these years, all the moving, all the day in and day out of daily living, the cedar chest still has the scar. All these years, I have strategically covered up the scar with flower arrangements, my favorite clock, or candles.

Today, I researched how to correctly deal with the scar at Lowes.com. Below is a brief excerpt.

“When refinishing furniture, you must do the most unpleasant part of the job first. Removing the old finish can be a cumbersome and messy task. For a while early in the process, until you start getting down to the wood underneath the mess, you may feel that you have completely ruined the piece. Have patience. Once you get to the final stage of the wood, you will have graduated from making a mess to creating a masterpiece. When you are finished, you will be proud of what you were able to create.”

To read the instructions in their entirety, please use this link. The process is quite lengthy.

http://www.lowes.com/cd_Refinish+Wood+Furniture_39774404_

Today, I had to remove some flowers that covered up the scar and I was again reminded the root issue had not been dealt with. For over fifteen years, the scar remains.

But today, instead of cringing when I saw the scar, I smiled because God has changed my perception. Now, the sight of the scar reminds me of how deeply God has changed our lives over the past fifteen years. Today, the scar brings me joy unspeakable and made me sing, “Look what the LORD has done!”

I am no longer reminded of what the enemy tried to do. (John 10:10)
I am reminded of everything God has done! (John 10:10)

If we choose to hold onto offense, the list of emotional scars can be quite lengthy. We can decide to cover up the scars with pretty things, but the scar remains. Whether we were or were not properly cared for and a scar or scars resulted, God’s Word remains the same, forgive and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37) God has set before us the choice to choose life! (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Dr. Larry Ollison's book, "Breaking the Cycle of Offense" (www.faithman.org) will help you walk out this process.

Dealing with emotional scars and furniture scars can be quite lengthy. When dealing with emotional scars we must do the most unpleasant part of the job first, removing the root, which can be a cumbersome and messy task. For a while early in the process, until we start getting down to the root issue underneath the mess, we may feel that we have completely ruined things. Have patience. Once we get to the final stage (deliverance), we will have graduated from making a mess to allowing God to create a masterpiece! When we are finished, we will be so well pleased of what God recreated! God doesn't cover the mess up, He makes all things new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We don’t have to go through daily life covering up scars. Do your scars remind you of the wonderful goodness of God? Or do your scars bring pain that has just been covered up and not properly dealt with leaving the root issue intact?

I thank God we don’t have to go through the same process with emotional scars that we have to with furniture scars! Did you read all those instructions? Mercy!

He is easy and light! Fix your eyes on Jesus, forgive, receive His healing by faith, (Even if your mind doesn’t currently understand, just have confidence in His Word.), walk in the belief you were healed (1 Peter 2:24 & 2 Corinthians 5:7), and you will dance for your King and sing, “Look what the LORD has done!”

True Worship

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (John 4:23)

There was a time when I first started church that during worship service I could not enter in.  I was so broken and hurt, every time I tried, my heart was pierced with His love and I knew if I continued worshipping Him the ushers would have to scrape me off the floor.

If you are in a worship service and you see someone looking around instead of singing and “entering in”, pray for that person.  Understand it may not necessarily mean that individual is refusing to participate or viewing worship service as a spectator sport.  It may just be that person is being healed right where they stand even if their outer appearance doesn’t reflect it.

If you are one who cannot yet fully participate in worship as your hear desires, that’s ok. God meets us where we’re at.  Just know, He loves us too much to leave us there. Refuse to grow weary and give up, and you will reap. (Galatians 6:9)

During those early days, I prayed for freedom to worship Him. He has answered those prayers and now I freely worship Him and chains continue to be broken and I continue to be set free. And so can you. (Matthew 7:7)

Several weeks ago I was in a worship service and the worship team was amazing.  Every instrument was being played with excellence.  Every voice was singing in perfect harmony.  Every sound was phenomenal.

As odd as this may sound, it was a little distracting.  I had to fight against the distraction.  Everything was so beautiful I just wanted to stare at the musicians playing their instruments.  I wanted to take it all in and be blessed by it.

I fought against the distraction and pressed in to worship Him.  I was there to worship Him, not to be entertained.  God spoke to my heart, “Every part of every worship service is critical.  Worship service is worship, not entertainment.  Enter further in.  Minister to Me.  You are not in worship service in order for the worship team to minister to you.”  I pressed into worship further and He said, “Every word is critical.  Every note is critical.  Listen to every note.  Be carried on each note.”  I listened intently to every note I could distinguish.  I don’t mean every chord as I couldn’t tell you a c from a d sharp (if a d sharp even exists).  I’m talking about every sound bringing me to a place of Heaven on earth and changing my life!

I didn’t want to leave that place, but God said, “Open your eyes.”  I opened my eyes and looked at the keyboard player’s fingers.  I meditated on, “Every note is critical.”  God showed me if the keyboard player had missing fingers he wouldn’t be able to play every note.  Missing fingers would result in missing notes.  Missing notes would result in missing ministry.  Missing ministry would result in missing healings, revelation and people being set free.

About two weeks later, I was in a healing service. People were being healed where they stood while worshipping God.  Not one person was being prayed for and over 100 people left that service healed. Growths dissolved.  People were able to physically do what they weren’t able to do when they arrived.  One woman even removed her oxygen and testified she was healed!

This made me further understand how every word and every note is critical.  As these people entered in and were carried upward to a place of Heaven on earth, their physical bodies were being healed!  Every note and every word was obviously playing a critical part in each person’s life and the experience was life changing!

A quick search of the effects of music on the brain will result in findings so enormous one cannot read it all.  It is obvious now and has been for centuries that music profoundly affects people emotionally, physically and spiritually.  I’ve observed my children and the effects of music on them since they were small infants.  Children move to the flow of the music.  Music moves people, no pun intended. Numerous articles of research I found during this study suggested, “Music is the pathway to the soul.”  Wow, it behooves us to be watchful of what we listen to.

God knew exactly what He was doing when He created music.  He created the Hebrew Aleph Bet and attached over 70 layers to each letter.  One of those layers is a musical note attached to each letter.  The Word of God can literally be played on a musical instrument.  This is why David could play his harp for King Saul and the evil spirit that was tormenting him would flee.  More teachings on the Hebrew language can be found at www.faithman.org.   I’ve learned every minute I spend researching the Hebrew language is valuable time spent.

Over the past several weeks I’ve thought about sentences and how taking one word out changes the whole message.  For example, the sentence, “I love you.”  Remove “you” and we are left with, “I love.”   I love what?  Pizza?  My car?  My dog?  One word missing out of that sentence makes the sentence incomplete.  Every word is critical.  Every word we speak, meditate on or sing is critical.

We carry the power of life and death in our mouth.  One of my pastors, Dr. Larry Ollison, says it like this, “Your life and your death are in the power of your tongue.”  Since every word is critical, I believe we are to make every word count towards life, healing and wholeness for ourselves and everyone who comes into contact with us.  Blessings and curses are set before us, we must choose life!

On another note, (grin) clapping for the worship team during worship service after every song may be a nice gesture toward the worship team; however, worship service is not a show.  Worship is worship.

If you are on a worship team, please consider this.  Leading worship takes practice and preparation not only experience and/or education.  Since every note and every word is critical, is it critical for you to fully practice and prepare yourself to bring forth everything God has called you to bring forth in every worship service.  Not one note is insignificant.  Every note you play and every word you say in each and every service has the ability to set people free and change lives forever, through Christ Jesus!

Worship is a powerful tool!  Live a life of worship in everything you think, say and do!  Always have His praise on your lips!  “Worship the LORD your God, and His blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. (Exodus 23:25)  This is a powerful promise!  Believe it and walk in it!  Be a true worshiper worshiping Him in spirit and in truth!  He is seeking you!