Finding Hope through Healing and Faith

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A Short Story by Lisa Blair

Some people believe that God has stepped back from performing miracles. They suggest that the Age of Wonders concluded with the closing chapters of the Old Testament. Yet, many individuals have experienced His miraculous presence. This affirms that we continue to live in a New Testament era filled with His grace and intervention.

For the majority of us, life unfolds in a landscape often colored by illness and uncertainty. We seldom witness those breathtaking moments where a person, deeply entrenched in suffering, experiences swift and profound healing. Still, for those of us fortunate enough to have encountered personal healing, the experience is enlightening. Witnessing a loved one rise from the depths of despair also clarifies the fingerprints of divine miracles in hindsight. It is within the small, seemingly insignificant moments that we recognize the turning points in our narratives.

In times of distress, when health falters, medical professionals can only discern that something is amiss; the precise nature of the ailment remains elusive. They tirelessly search for answers, exploring the perplexing landscape of symptoms and the underlying causes. Then, through relentless research and rigorous inquiry, a diagnosis emerges like a beacon of hope, though the path to recovery still feels muddled and uncertain. The doctors, though armed with knowledge, grapple with the question of how to combat the illness itself: Which medications can alleviate the anguish? What treatments hold the promise of halting its progression, or even eradicating it?

Suddenly, a breakthrough occurs—a ray of clarity pierces the fog of uncertainty. Answers materialize, and treatment plans take shape, ushering in a renewed sense of direction. Some people without faith credit this transformation solely to scientific endeavor. However, I believe all creation, including the principles of science, manifests God’s will.

With the diagnosis in hand, a tangible course of action presents itself, fostering hope for positive outcomes. Each step forward is a silent testament to God’s handiwork. Whatever journey we traverse, God accompanies us. We awaken each morning—a miracle in its own right. As we navigate through illness, we are granted another day, even when it feels more like a burden than a blessing. Each round of medication and therapy eventually leads to a flicker of vitality. In these moments, fragments of our former selves break through the darkness of our trials.

Do we recognize these transformations as miracles or as the fruits of science? They result from scientific advancement. Yet, they are also infused with the miracle of divine grace that envelops our lives. When we take the time to express gratitude for these small miracles, we affirm that our Savior stands with us. We acknowledge this divine presence. As we give thanks for regaining our health, we realize we are never truly alone. This holds true regardless of the prognosis. Each day is a precious gift, inviting us to live fully, even midst the challenges we face.

We can open our hearts to the prospect of a grand miracle—the successful completion of a long-awaited operation, the elimination of daily medications, and the farewell to prolonged rehabilitation. We learn to persevere through the harshest trials, eventually arriving at a point where life feels vibrant and manageable once more.

Gratitude fills our souls for the time we have been granted. We cherish the renewal of our relationship with the Lord, who stood steadfast during our darkest moments of illness. With every breath, we embrace the present. We acknowledge the inevitable passage of time. We also recognize the certainty of death that awaits us all. Yet, instead of succumbing to despair, we revel in the beauty of each day lived fully. We know with confidence that even amid life’s fragility, tomorrow can bring the promise of renewed hope.

The emergence of renewed hope grants us the invaluable gift of introspection. During moments of self-reflection, we come to understand that healing manifests in various dimensions of our lives. We experience physical healing as our bodies recover and regain strength. We go through emotional healing as we learn to cope with our feelings and overcome past traumas. Most importantly, we experience spiritual healing as we reconnect with a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment. These transformative experiences are the miraculous gifts of life. Far too many overlook these gifts. They are bestowed upon us by our loving Father in Heaven.

As we close out 2024, reflect on the miracles in your life. List them, and count your miracles, then praise God for His interventions in your life. Our miracles are endless.

Scriptures:

Romans 15:19:

“They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit”. 

Psalms 77:14:

“You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples”

Mark 11:24:

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Romans 15:13:

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

James 5:14-15: 

“The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well” 

Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬-‭3‬:

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,”

Isaiah‬ ‭38‬:‭16‬:

“Lord, by such things people live; and my spirit finds life in them too. You restored me to health and let me live.”

God’s knowledge existed before the beginning of time. In Jeremiah 1:5, it is declared, “Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you.”

Additionally, in Ephesians 1:4, it states, “Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.”

Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He healed people in the past, He heals people now, and He will continue to heal people in the future.

God declares, “I know the plans I have for you.” God knows what we will go through. Some challenges work together to help you become a mature Christian who submits to His will. Teaching you how to surrender your Will to the Will of God.

Scriptures – Bible.com

Photo – LAB Photos


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Out of Your Hands

There are times in our lives when life is just out of our hands, and we cannot anticipate, control, or direct the path away from the madness or malaise of life. Our path is out of our hands. We find ourselves lost, focusing on self, independent of God. But it is also the time we realize our dependence upon God is more than a thought or perspective. We are in a synaptic gap, and it is time to jump. How? We knowledge our dependence on our Lord and Savior and begin to focus more on Him than the problems. The jump requires complete faith in God’s outcome, whatever it is. Our dependence causes us to cry out to our Lord, and hand Him our situation, praying for Him to take over and lead us out into the light.

Christ pulling Peter out of the water

It is during these times we can be confident in knowing that God hears our prayers. He knew what we would go through long before He blew breath in our lives. He knew of our challenges, the directions we would take in life, straying off the path, the influences of others, poor choices, being in the wrong place at the wrong times, and thinking we are more than who we are.

“In this, you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭ESV‬. https://bible.com/bible/59/1pe.1.6-7.ESV

Given His knowledge of our existence, which He created, we should look to Him for love, peace through the storm, direction, and support. His love is greater than the things of this world, and when we begin to see the bigger picture through His lens, we can see hope even when we can barely see a glimmer of light in the distance.

Our Lord always provides directions to bring us and our family members through. These challenges may not evaporate the moment we begin praying, but they are heard, and everything occurs within God’s timing. Sometimes that feels very harsh, but in looking back through the stories in the Bible, we see desperate people in desperate situations come through storms that many cannot imagine. The distortion is so great we cannot see beyond the chaos and confusion.

Biblemessages.com

The truth is, not all of our experiences are bright and cheery. There are seasons of gray, canceling out all of the colors on the color wheel of life. The reality is, that we are in a battle between good and evil, and not all things are bright and cheery. There is loss, devastation, annihilation, and setbacks, and yet we can hold fast because His people always bounce back according to His will and His ways. We survive the odds. He is the master of making ways out of no way. He brings light to darkness and quells the waves that well up in the storm.

“ The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”

‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:19-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

RePost: Overcoming Insecurities, Next Steps, 2017

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This post is as relevant today as it was in 2017 or eons earlier. Most of us find ourselves questioning our worth, purpose, and abilities off and on throughout life.

Google Images. Kabir Singh

At times it can be overwhelming when you are pursuing God’s plan for your life. When God reveals His plan to you, it is usually beyond your current skill set or ability. It can also be beyond your level of education and outside of your financial budget. It will stretch you and challenge you to come out of your comfort zone and start becoming the person God desires for you to be.

Cloud of Fear and Insecurity. Pixabay.com

Sometimes this can leave us in a state of insecurity, as we have a tendency to feel small compared to the BIG plan that God has shown us. Yes, it can seem overwhelming at times, but you must understand and know that it’s not impossible and is in God’s Will for your life.

The key to overcoming your insecurities is to start trusting in God’s ability and not your feelings. When God called Gideon to raise up an army to defeat the enemy, Gideon was overwhelmed with feelings of insecurity. He thought for sure how could he be the one to do such a great thing. He came up with every excuse possible that stemmed from his own insecurity. I’m too poor. I’m too weak.

God didn’t leave Gideon in a state of insecurity and he won’t leave you there either. As you learn to trust in His Word and apply it to your life, you will begin to gain a level of confidence and courage that overrides any feelings of insecurity.

Remember that nothing great or extraordinary happens in your comfort zone. This means that you will have to break out of any insecurity mind-sets that you may have and start seeing yourself as God sees you. God sees you and a victor. He sees you as an overcomer. He sees you as a mighty person who is going to accomplish great things in life.

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Bible Verses to help overcome insecurity: Philippians 4: 6-7, Romans 5:1–2, 1 John 4:18, Matthew 6:25, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Romans 8:1–2, John 14:27, Ephesians 6: 10–14, Romans 12:2, 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Timothy 6:17, Matthew 6:31-34, 1Peter 5:8, 1 John 2:15, Hebrews 4:12, Galatians 5:22–25, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Hebrews 11:1–40, Hebrews 12:1–29, 2 Timothy 2:1–26, 2 Peter 2:1–3:18

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Overcome insecurity-Christian Women Faith. By Whitney Hopler, Crosswalk.com, 10/31/17

7 Bible Verses to Help Overcome Insecurity. http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com. 10/31/17

Bible Verses About Insecurity. Bible study tools.com. 2/23/2021

Overcoming insecurity. Open Bible.info. 8/18/2022

The Bible solution for insecurity by Barbara Raveling. Barbraveling.com. Posted 9/23,2012

YcW. Log

Heart Surgery

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It’s amazing, man took eons to learn how to heal a heart, a physical transition from illness to becoming healthy. But, there are two types of heart surgery. ~ Lisa Blair

The heart surgery in Ezekiel 36:26 ESV is speaking about a spiritual heart surgery. This is not specific to a physical failure of the heart, the muscle is fine, it is speaking about our transition from our old way of living to our new life. Ezekiel was a priest and prophet in the Old Testament who foretold the coming of Christ. Barnes’ Notes informs us that we (individuals) would move from the letter of the law to the spirit of the law, or to put it another way, we will move from the Old Testament Law to the Gospel of Christ. For new Bible readers, we moved from the Law of Moses to the Law of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary explains, our new heart creates a change in mind and will. It changes our spirit, our motives and principle of action. He further explains, a“stony heart—(is) unimpressible in serious things; like the “stony ground” (Mt 13:5, 20), unfit for receiving the good seed so as to bring forth fruit.

“(A) heart of flesh—(is) not “carnal” in opposition to “spiritual”; but impressible and docile, fit for receiving the good seed. In Eze 18:31 they are commanded, “Make you a new heart, and a new spirit.” Here God says, “A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” Thus the responsibility of man, and the sovereign grace of God, are shown to be coexistent. Man cannot make himself a new heart unless God gives it (Php 2:12, 13).”

Spiritual heart surgery opens our hearts allowing the Holy Spirit and the individual (you) to live in relationship, to coexist together in our physical being. Our heart becomes a new house, it becomes a home. As with any home, there is family and a head of the family. Our head is the Holy Spirit who guides us, directs us, and corrects us. It is the quiet voice that we here saying, go this way, do not stray, do not go to the left or right, follow me.

Wiirocku.tumblr.com

Other Posts on this subject. lisasdailyinspirations.com

*The Trinity. May 30, 2019. https://lisasdailyinspirations.com/2019/05/30/the-trinity/

*Transforming Into the New You. March 1, 2021 https://lisasdailyinspirations.com/2021/03/01/transforming-into-the-new-you/

*Let the Spirit Lead. June 29, 2018. https://lisasdailyinspirations.com/tag/holy-spirit/

*Romans 8:9 The Holy Spirit Lives in Us. https://lisasdailyinspirations.com/2018/08/31/romans-89-the-holy-spirit-lives-in-us/

Images – Brady Gibson, YouVersion.Bible.com, Ezekiel 36:26. Isaiah 30:21, wiirocku.tumblr.com

Resource – Biblehub.com/commentary/Ezekiel 36:26, specifically Barnes Notes on the Bible and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary.