MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY - BEING HEALED BY THE WORD = (PART ONE)
“BEING HEALED BY THE WORD”
DO YOU WANT TO BE MADE WELL?
Introduction
I was born in November 1935 in Trinidad a British Commonwealth Colony governed then by Great Britain. I migrated to Barbados in 1959 then onto the mother country United Kingdom in 1964 and resided there for over forty-two years. In January 2006, when I left London to return to my homeland Trinidad, I hardly gave a thought to cancer and terminal illness despite it was the fate of my second wife when she departed from this planet. I have been residing here in T&T for a few years, when I sadly observed two of my brothers and a sister-in-law shriveled and died from the disease cancer.
However, on celebrating my seventy-fifth birthday on November 28, 2010, I recalled it was a most sumptuous, enjoyable, and satisfying meal with two of my sons, their wives, and some other friends, where we all consumed it at a serene restaurant over-hanging on the jetty waterfront at Chaguaramas Bay in Trinidad. The spirit of the Yuletide season was in the air and on our way home, we stopped off at the nearby West Mall to stroll among the shops, window shopping and viewing the outstanding amazing Christmas decorations.
On return to my home, I decided to go on a fast for three days to give my stomach a break and I booked into a health clinic for a colon cleanse on the following day. Having received the colon hydrotherapy, I became terribly ill with severe stomach pains and strange feelings of constipation. As I had decided to go on a fast, unknowingly I was unaware that I will not be eating for longer that the planned three-day fast. For some unknown reason, my appetite vanished, and I was not hungry for anything.
With the help of my first son Alloy who transported me lying on the back seat of his car, I was admitted and confined to the Sangre Grande General Hospital in Trinidad. For several weeks I was hospitalized with various tests being carried out to correct the ailment. The infirmity lingered for about six months, and I had lost all my muscles and fat, shedding almost forty pounds. The extensive medical investigations could not reveal any known corrective measure and the doctors wanted to speculate with surgeries to remove my colon and my prostate, although there were no signs of any malignancy. I refuted this diagnosis to which I refused to have any surgery.
It was in May 2011 when I was again diagnosed by two other hospitals in Trinidad with a prognosis of Intestinal/Colon and Prostate cancer. The senior hospital consultant strongly advised that my being reluctant to have the surgery will give me the only alternative of moving into a terminal institution with a possible three weeks to live. I became despondent and, reluctantly signed the form of consent to have the suggested surgery.
The circumstances set off the alarms within me and caused me to delve deeply into the BIBLE [Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth] – our life’s operating manual.
The night before the planned surgical operation I cried out to the Lord for His guidance and support and with much travail I went to bed. The Lord spoke to me that night and advised me that I should not have the surgery and He the Lord will guide me through the process to heal myself.
The Lord made me travelled back to Genesis 1:26-27, where the Lord reminded me that Man is a trichotomy made up of spirit, soul, and body. God designed man as a functioning unit with his reborn spirit to oversee the soul (mind, will, and emotions), and with the body in subjection to the soul and spirit. Man was created in the image of God. Until we understand this, we cannot begin to understand ourselves. Then the Lord asked me as He did with the man at the Bethesda pool; written in John 5:6 “Do you want to be made well?”
When I awoke the following morning, the doctors came to prepare me with pre-medications for the operating theatre surgery procedure to which I promptly declined as I was confident that the Divine Healer and Greatest Physician was in control. Not only did I refuse the surgery, but I immediately demanded a self-discharge form to be filled out and signed. I telephoned my son Alloy, to come into the hospital to take me to my home.
From here on my Divine healing with the Divine Surgeon, journey began...
Permit me to read the last few verses from the sixty sixth psalm as expressive of the sentiment of my heart: “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.” You will notice that David the psalmist does not, in this place ask us to come and hear what the Lord had done for his body but wants us to hear what God had done for his soul. That implies that what He did for his soul was more than what He did for his body. “I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue ... But verily God hath heard me; He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me.”
That is the sentiment of my heart; that is my personal experience; and I want to testify to the honour and glory of God, to what He had done for me. I never had been sick in my entire life until this episode, except for some slight ailments, as an attack of influenza ‘a common cold’ or something of that kind, and I did not know how to be sick. I worked for British Telecommunications Plc in London United Kingdom, for thirty-three years and nine months and retired as the UK Operations Manager, I took early retirement to enter a Seminary to undertake fulltime Ministry Studies. Throughout my entire employment with British Telecommunications, I was never ever late or any sickness absence setting a first ever perfect attendance record to the organisation; I received the highest accolade award of a ‘shining example’.
UNDERSTANDING DIVINE HEALING OF
THE SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY.
In this Teaching testimony with God’s Divine guidance, all scriptural research led me to the discovery to my Spiritual Cure… Healed by the Word Without Scars.
This testimonial lecture teaches how to overcome emotional problems, as well as physical ones, and how to receive divine healing. It also teaches how to renew the carnal mind and walk in the spirit of life, thereby:
- Discovering the path to personal wholeness;
- Renewing your hopes and dreams;
- Finding peace during life’s storm.
- Experience a life of freedom and joy;
- Overcoming depression, anger, fear, loneliness
and hopelessness.
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”.
(I Thessalonians 5:23).
No Surgery - Healed by the Word
God intends for His body to be made whole. His people, being those individual members of His body, need His wholeness to be able to perform the tasks commissioned to them as the church. One recent move of the Holy Spirit has been the restoration of the gifts of the Spirit to the church bringing deliverance and healing. Since Jesus is coming back for a church without “spot or blemish,” a “glorious” church, we can look for her to be cleansed and healed before that moment. This healing involves the total man: spirit, soul, and body.
That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:26-27).
The Hebrew word for “heal” is rapha, which means “to make thoroughly whole.” The Greek word sozo has the same connotation. It is used interchangeably throughout the Greek New Testament to mean “to save” and “to heal.” We need to be free of ...the sin which doth so easily beset us... (Hebrews 12:1), the sickness in our bodies, the fears of the soul, and all that keeps us from being the overcoming sons of God. This is what the Bible calls sanctification; the process of cleansing that needs to take place within our spirits, our souls, and our bodies.
Trinity of God and Man
Man is a trichotomy made up of spirit, soul, and body. God designed man as a functioning unit with his reborn spirit to oversee the soul (mind, will, and emotions), and with the body in subjection to the soul and spirit. Man was created in the image of God. Until we understand this, we cannot begin to understand ourselves.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that crept upon the earth. So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:26-27). First let us notice God said, “let us make man in our image.” God is also a triune being. The Godhead is made up of the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. We must have some understanding of this mystery if we are to understand our own makeup.
Jesus spoke in Mark 12:29, ...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord. John records in I John 5:7, For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
From these Scriptures we can see that God is not three Gods nor a three headed being, but rather one God with three distinct and separate personalities. The “Word” in I John 5:7 is referring to Jesus since John 1:14 states, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Perhaps through an analogy we can understand better how He can be three in one. A married man with a family is a father, a husband, and a son. He is not three different men but has three different roles. He relates to his children, wife, and parents in a different way. It is similar with the Lord. He relates to us as the Father, as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. God does not change; He is holy, He is spirit, He is eternal. God is one, but He has three forms even as water can manifest as a solid, liquid, or gas, yet is still one compound. As ice it takes a definite form and shape; as a liquid it flows freely, and as steam it becomes vaporous. Even so, the Godhead manifests Himself, so He be Jesus, felt like rivers of water as the Holy Spirit, and known as the invisible power of the Father.
The Spiritual Man
The whole counsel of heaven is available to us as His children, made in His image. The image and likeness are not a physical likeness, as one day the physical shall die, and we will be given glorified bodies. The image that bears likeness to God is the potential of our spiritual image. God created man with the possibility to become like God. No other creature has this potential.
Before the fall of man, Adam and Eve were walking in wholeness. Although spiritually they were not fully mature at creation, God’s destiny was for them to grow to maturity by walking with Him and obeying Him. Through their disobedience, they ate of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” while still in their immature state which was their downfall. Some things God denies us at present because they are not good for us in our immaturity, but later He desires for us to have them. After Adam and Eve matured, I believe God intended to give them not only the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” but also the “tree of life” to eat in order that they would live forever. However, because of their disobedience they fell into sin and darkness, and all mankind followed.
The Lord Jesus then had to die as a substitute for men’s sins so we could find our way back to God. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour we become “born again” and are once again created in God’s image. God created man with a very precious gift, one that He never violates. This gift is the free will of man. Creating man as a free moral agent resulted in the possibility of not only sons that would become like Him, but also sons that would become like the devil. Man would be able to choose his own destiny by exercising his will. Why did not God just create man so that He would obey?
He could have thus avoided this world full of sin that is all due to the moral evil that proceeds from the will of man. God had such high and lofty intentions for man that He desired more than a robot who would say “I love you” on command. He wanted sons to fellowship with Him who would have His same desires and interests. He desired to have intimate communion with a “like being.” He wanted sons that would have a genuine love for Him, not beings that would be forced to love Him. In making man with a free will, he could choose to become like God.
We have neglected teaching the power and the role of man’s will in the walk of the overcomer, and thus many have been defeated by the enemy. Let us see how this important truth concerning our free will can help us to be victorious in our daily walk with the Lord. We need to understand first that man is a spirit, with a soul, that lives in a body. The physical body is only the house or temple that holds the real man. Let us first look at the real man which is the spirit man. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma or “breath.” The spirit man is unseen with the natural eye but is the hidden or inward man. This is the part of man that is referred to in Scripture as the heart of man. It is the sphere of divine influence.
But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1 Peter 3:4).
The spirit man, being the real man, will live eternally. He will possess a soul and a body, but in essence the spirit will rule over the other two.
The Two Worlds of the Spiritual Realm
In the spirit world there exist only two kingdoms: God’s kingdom and Satan’s kingdom. We belong to one or the other of these kingdoms; there is no “in between.” Romans 8 speaks of these two spiritual worlds and the spiritual laws that govern them. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). From this verse we can see that we are governed either by the Spirit of Life, or the spirit of death. The Spirit of Life enters us when we become “born again.” This is made possible by the death Christ took for us on the cross. He died that we might live.
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
Until we experience the life of Christ, we are lost in sin and under the power and dominion of the spirit of death which is ruled by Satan. Within these two spiritual worlds there are also only two ultimate powers that are in existence: the power of Christ (The Spirit of Life) and the power of Satan (the spirit of death), and we are controlled by one or the other. There is no “in between” or third power. Some people believe that man has supernatural power of his own called “soul power.” This is not true because the soulish part of man is ruled by either God or Satan.
The Soulish Man
What does man’s soul consist of? The soul is composed of man’s will, his mind or intellect, and his emotions or personality. The power that has been given to man is the power of choice. But he does not possess supernatural power of his own. As he chooses God’s way or Satan’s way, he is empowered by either the Spirit of Life or the spirit of death. He comes under the rules and laws of one of these spiritual kingdoms. If we choose Christ, then we operate under His power, His love, and His kingdom. If we choose Satan’s ways, we come under his dominion.
This is spoken of in Ephesians 2:1-5, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).
Referring to the chart on “Spirit, Soul and Body”, we notice that in the soulish realm is found the mind or intellect. When we walk after the things of this world and commit sin, we are said to be obeying the carnal mind. To be carnally minded is to walk after the flesh. The Greek word for “flesh” is sarx and this refers to the wisdom of worldly man and the nature of the carnal mind.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So, then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you
are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His ... (12-13) Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live (Romans 8:3-9, 12-13).
We can observe from this text that the “flesh” refers to the carnal mind and not to the physical body of man. Therefore, if we yield to the flesh, we are yielding to the temptation that comes to the carnal mind. In the soul, along with the will and the mind, are the emotions. Our emotional patterns tend to formulate our personalities. We tend to evaluate individuals by their emotional expressions of generosity, goodness, gentleness, greed, fear, impatience, etc. As Christians, we are to develop the attributes of Christ, and we are to crucify the “old man” of sin and his deeds.
Ephesians 4:18-24 says, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
In these verses we are told to “put off” the old man and to “put on” the new man. We must “submit to God” (the new man and the Spirit of Life) and “resist the devil” (the old man and the spirit of death). Our old nature must be counted dead and nailed to the cross so that our new nature can live. We die to our way and live unto the Lord’s way if we walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is simply obeying the Word of God and the Holy Spirit’s promptings. As we do this, we overcome the old nature and develop Christ’s nature in us. The spirit or inward man must be renewed day by day. But though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (II Corinthians 4:16b).
The Physical Man
The outward man is the soul, not the body. The body is the physical man or “flesh and bones.” This kind of “flesh” is not the same “flesh” of which the New Testament generally speaks. As previously mentioned, the “flesh” refers to the carnal mind. The body of man is simply the container or vessel for the spirit and the soul. The Scriptures refer to the body as the temple of the Holy Ghost.
I Corinthians 6:19-20 tells us, “what? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Our body is either Satan’s temple or God’s temple, depending upon our choices. The body is also a receiver. The senses of the physical man are hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell. These five senses are given to protect the body. When they are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they are finely tuned and serve man perfectly. However, under Satan’s dominion, they are used to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. If we do not carefully choose the things that pass through these sensors, we find that soon the body is out of balance and control, and we are indulging in things that are harmful to us. The body has no power of its own to decide what it will do; it simply obeys the commands of the spirit and the soul. It only follows, or “tags along with,” the inner man.
For example, when I awake in the morning, my body will not get out of bed until I decide to get up. It will lie there if I decide to allow it to stay in bed. When I make the decision to get out of bed, then my body follows me. If we train our bodies to rise early, they will respond by rising early. If we indulge in extra sleep, they will respond after that manner.
Feelings
The “voice” of the body is our feelings. We must not allow our feelings to rule us as Christians, because they are not good gauges as to what truth is. Feelings tend to vary due to circumstances and outward conditions. An example of this would be when we continue to “feel” sleepy even though we have had ample sleep. If we allow those feelings to prevail, we will overindulge in sleep and the old man, or the flesh will rule us. We need to check with the Holy Spirit and see what He says is the truth about the condition. The Holy Spirit will direct us to rest if we have not had ample sleep. Usually, we will have had enough sleep and need to rise and pray and spend some time with Him before greeting the day. Our spirit man needs strengthening.
We must give him time and not allow our lower nature to rule us. How do we overcome a bad habit such as oversleeping? The real key lies in the soul: it is the will of man. Daily we are given the opportunity to make choices and these choices are executed by the will. Every day holds choices to serve God and walk in His way, and thereby operate under the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. Or we may choose the way of “self” which is under the law of sin and death ruled by Satan. Deuteronomy 28 lists the blessings and the curses that befall those who make certain choices. Look these up and see what a wonderful inheritance we receive when we walk in the Lord’s way and what terrible things befall us when we choose Satan’s way.
Deuteronomy 30:19 says, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.
The Carnal Mind
If we receive a curse accompanied by terrible problems, then we need to ask God to show us the cause. Proverbs 26:2b says, ...the curse causeless shall not come. Perhaps our problem has been that we have not known how to appropriate God’s blessings and how to overcome our flesh. The Lord gave us the key to victory by giving us His power to overcome the flesh (the carnal mind). He did not leave us powerless. This was one of His promises, to give us the Holy Spirit. We are told that the carnal mind is enmity against God; it is against God’s ways and consequently produces death. Our minds have been filled with ideas and imaginations of the world before we come to Christ and therefore, they need cleansing and renewing. This renewing is a continual process and is accomplished by reading God’s Word and fellowshipping with Him in prayer. This process of renewing of the carnal mind, emotions, and body is called sanctification. Ephesians 5:26 says, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. For us to understand how we can renew our minds and put on the mind of Christ, let us use the following example. In the world when someone has hurt us or deliberately maligned us, our first reaction is to hurt back and to hate them. However, when we have been “born again,” we are told in God’s Word, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:19-21).
If our carnal mind is still in control, our automatic reaction will be one of hate instead of love. To overcome this, we must, by an act of our will, choose not to hate, and ask the Holy Spirit to give us His love for the person who is hurting us. As we do this, our carnal mind will soon be renewed, and we will love instead of hate when we encounter those who are unkind to us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds; our part is to make the choice for Him to do it (Romans 12:2).
Sanctification of the Mind
Our will is of key importance in the work of sanctification, or holiness. Sanctification is not automatic. Some people believe that they have no part to play in this cleansing work, that it is the Holy Spirit’s job. They are simply waiting on Him to clean them up. This is not true. God’s part is to empower us to overcome our sin and weakness; our part is to “will” for it to be done. If we are to have our minds renewed, we must be willing for the Lord to do it as He will not touch any area that we do not submit to Him. Not only are we to “will,” but we must also yield and obey. Some people have made the right choices; however, they are still having difficulty in getting the victory. If this be the case, perhaps the need is to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We have been promised the baptism in the Holy Spirit and can have it by asking for it.
And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke 11:13).
The Lord wants us to be holy and righteous, yet this can only come through the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Our part is to desire this with our whole heart. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:6). If we “walk in the Spirit,” we will not fulfill the works of the flesh. If we continually choose God’s way and resist the way of flesh, we can have victory over every weakness. Let us look at some of the works of the flesh and compare them with the fruit of the Spirit so that we know what we are to resist, and what we are to embrace.
Galatians 5:16-25 says, This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
According to this Scripture, we can be “living in the Spirit,” and not “walking in the Spirit.” We can be “born again” and living in God’s kingdom yet failing to “walk in the Spirit.” The Bible tells us to ...work out your own salvation... (Philippians 2:12). This means we are to learn how to walk with God, so that we can be saved from the effects of the flesh walk. We are not told to do “good works” for our salvation, as it is a gift of God.
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).
The good works should be an overflow from our walk with the Lord, not a plan by which we are to attain a place in God.
Working Out Our Salvation
“Working out our salvation” is a process. Salvation is not a one-time experience, but rather an ongoing process. We are saved from the penalty of sin when we accept Jesus as our Lord. We are saved from the power of sin when we stay filled with the Holy Ghost. We eventually will be saved from the very presence of sin when we enter the presence of the Lord. The gift of salvation is free, we cannot earn it. But to be an overcomer, we must “work out our salvation” by learning to “walk in the Spirit.” God wants to save us from tragedy, sickness, fear, anxiety, and the turmoil of this world. These things come upon us by “walking in the flesh.” The Lord wants us to walk in the Spirit of Life and have His love, joy, peace, and victory.
Why do some Christians walk in victory and others lead defeated lives? It is because they do not understand how to overcome the flesh and the world. The manifestations of the flesh are caused by problems in the heart of man. Even after man has been “born again,” to be a true overcomer he needs to know how to cleanse his heart and mind. Victory is not automatic. We must know the part we are to play, for the Word instructs us to cleanse ourselves. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (II Corinthians 7:1). The way we get this victory is to put the Word of God in our spirits so that when the need arises regarding specific trials, we will know what the will of God is and be able to yield to it and resist the devil.
Looking at the chart on “Spirit, Soul and Body” we see several contrasting fruits and emotions listed within the soulish realm. The negative ones proceed from the carnal mind and produce the manifestations of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21. Our need is to know how we can walk in the positive and eliminate the negative. This is done through an act of our will. We must choose to love instead of to hate, to be longsuffering instead of impatient, to be generous instead of greedy, and to trust instead of fear. After making one of these choices, by faith we are then to ask the Lord to empower us to be able to overcome the old carnal emotions that we feel. We then resist the devil with the Word of God and obey whatever the Spirit of the Lord tells us to do.
Let us be specific and deal with the problem of unforgiveness. We meet someone who hurts us, and we are unjustly wronged by them. We immediately have the feeling of unforgiveness come up in our hearts if our carnal mind has not been renewed. We must first recognize the “wrong feeling” and present it to the Lord, asking Him to take it out of our hearts and to give us His forgiving nature. By an act of our will, we must simply say, “Lord, I ‘will’ to forgive them; I do not feel that forgiveness yet, but I ask You for Your love, and to have Your forgiveness in my heart.” The Spirit of the Lord may then require us to do something to obtain this “feeling.” He may speak to us to go to this person and greet them with love or do something kind toward them. Then, as we obey, we find the Holy Spirit will give us the proper attitude toward them. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will have us fast and pray for them instead of speaking to them. Whatever He instructs us to do we should obey. This is “walking in the Spirit,” and “dying to self” and the flesh. The old self does not want to forgive but would rather hold a grudge or ignore the offending party. Jesus would have us “walk in His Spirit” and be peacemakers and forgivers, even as He was.
As we continue to obey the Lord, we will find an automatic spiritual law going to work for us. As we walk in the Lord’s steps, we have the Spirit of Life working for us. God’s blessings will be our blessings; God’s peace will be our peace; and God’s mercy will follow us. However, should we disobey, the opposite is true. Should we decide not to forgive someone, the spirit of death will go to work in us in the same way. Automatically we become bitter, depressed, unkind, and fearful because we have chosen to yield to the flesh. Our choices each day determine our growth in the Lord. We will either become more like Him by walking and obeying the Spirit of God, or we will become carnal Christians displeasing to God. This brings death to our lives for Romans 8:6 says, for to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. From this we can see why so many Christians are not enjoying their inheritance in God. They are refusing to “walk in the Spirit” and are reaping the things they are sowing in the flesh.
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he, that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7-8).
Sowing and Reaping
Many do not desire the Lord to cleanse them, and subsequently refuse His work of sanctification and holiness. Therefore, they reap those things that are sown to the flesh. At one time in my life, I was genuinely concerned about reaping all that I had sown, since I seemed to be occasionally failing God. I felt I would be forever reaping and never make any spiritual progress. I did not mean to fail God, but my flesh was weak. The Lord was so gracious to minister to me with His love. He first led me to the Scripture in Matthew 26:41, Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He then gently explained to me that the kind of sin that reaped corruption was premeditated sin. (Galatians 6:7, ...for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.) He did this by asking me how one sows a seed. I replied, “By digging a hole in the ground.” He then asked, “What do you do next?” I said, “You put the seed in and cover it up.” He said, “That is the way you commit a premeditated sin. You deliberately dig a hole, plant the seed, and then cover it up so that others will not see it. The results of those sins will eventually be reaped.” He then said, “The other kind of sin, which is the weakness of our flesh, was like the seed that was thrown on top of the ground, and the sun beat down on it, and it never took root.” This is where we really do not mean to sin, but suddenly in a weak moment we fail the Lord, and immediately we are sorry and seek His forgiveness. This kind of sin will not be reaped, for the Lord’s grace covers it even as the sun beat down on the seed on top of the ground. Each time we give these weak areas back to Jesus and determine that we want to be overcomers in that area, we find ourselves growing stronger. In time, we shall become totally victorious. Should we become rebellious and commit willful sin, the moment we seek God for forgiveness we can enter back into the walk of the Spirit. However, we must deal with the results of those premeditated sins.
An example of this would be a young girl who deliberately sinned through fornication with the result of an illegitimate baby. The Lord would forgive her the moment she sought Him for forgiveness; however, she would still have the child because of her sin. Nothing could change the fact that the child was illegitimate. However, God’s grace and mercy could cover this sin so that mother and child could grow in His love and goodness, if the mother chose God’s way for her life. God will forgive and cleanse us and always show us the way to overcome as we continue to follow Him. When we sin or fail God, He always stands ready to receive us back into His fellowship and love. He does not just want us merely to “live in the Spirit,” but also to “walk in the Spirit”, that is, the crucified life. (Galatians 5:24-25).
Conquering Negative Emotions
By looking at some of the other negative emotions or fruit of Satan that we experience, we can see how to conquer them. Let us take fear for instance. The Word of God tells us He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord (Psalm 112:7). Fear is the opposite of trust. The devil continually tries to get us to be fearful. The Bible says in Luke 21:26, Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Many shall not overcome fear but be overcome by it. As Christians, we are not to be fearful but are to trust in the Lord. Should Satan come against us with his lies and fear, we are to turn to God and ask that the fear be removed. People’s fears are many. Some fear death, others are afraid of getting cancer, afraid of losing their loved ones, afraid of the house burning down, afraid of having car wrecks or afraid of flying in airplanes. Others are tormented with the fear of the dark, fear of being molested or fear of staying alone. Fear is a horrible monster no matter what form it takes. After we seek God for the removal of our fear, we then should quote the Word of God concerning that subject to the devil. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).
As we listen to the Holy Spirit, He usually speaks something positive for us to do. It could be we are to sing to the Lord, pray in tongues or read the Bible. If we obey, the Holy Spirit will then drive the “spirit of fear” from us. If we cannot get free and find we are in bondage to an evil spirit of fear, we may need to have this evil spirit “cast out.” If we are simply overcoming a weakness of fear in our flesh, submitting to God, and resisting the devil will accomplish the victory. We should not be discouraged if we do not get the victory the first time. It sometimes takes several bouts with the devil to win the round. If we lose one battle, it does not mean we are losing the war. The Lord will bring the victory if we are determined and have chosen to trust God and not to fear.
This same approach applied to any weakness will bring us success. The place to begin is with a decision of the will. A decision allowed us to come into the kingdom of God. We decided to accept the Lord’s forgiveness and reconciliation. At the time of this decision, we were “born anew” and received the gift of life in Christ. This was all accomplished by faith in God’s Word. The same method will work in overcoming any weakness in our lives. We must first decide we want to be an overcomer. Then the power of God will perform this in us as we trust Him by faith to do so. We must not be double-minded once we set our course since a double-minded man receives nothing.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he, that wavered is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8).
Contrary to what we might think, we need not go about continually confessing the thing we are trying to overcome to others; making a prayer declaration is sufficient, as this is “confessing” it to God. We sometimes talk too much and do too little. True faith rests in the victory of Jesus and does not need to broadcast the desired outcome. It will be evident when the fruit begins to manifest in our lives.
He that hath knowledge spared his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. Even a fool, when he held his peace, is counted wise: and he that shut his lips is esteemed a man of understanding (Proverbs 17:27-28).
It is not necessary to go back through all the rubble of our lives to receive healing. When we come to the Lord, we are made “new creatures” and old things die; all things are made new. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17).
The Lord wants the pain of those things erased so we can function without the hurt of those wounds. We should not dig up the past unless the Holy Spirit specifically sees the need to touch an area with His healing, and only then if that healing requires facing the past. With His love He will remove the hurt of those days. Inner emotional healing is sometimes the key to receiving a physical healing. We can be suffering with ulcers because we have not forgiven someone, or arthritis can possibly be the result of a bitter and prideful spirit. Heart problems can occur because of fear. The Lord begins our healing from the inside out. Once we have been cleansed in our hearts and souls, then the body will also respond and experience healing. When we prosper in our souls, then we will also prosper in our bodies. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospered (III John 2).
If we are overwhelmed by depression or hopelessness and we are unable to pray or read God’s Word, we can ask the Holy Spirit to speak to someone to pray for us. The Lord knows that many times we are too weak to pray and that we need the body of Christ. They can stand and pray with us until we get the victory. We need not feel embarrassed to ask others to pray. We need each other. We are told to ...support the weak, be patient toward all men (I Thessalonians 5:14). It is also helpful to have someone pray the prayer of agreement with you when trying to overcome a weakness. This will bring strength to your decision to overcome in the areas needed. Again, I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:19). This is a wonderful agreement that should be utilized by husbands and wives. The wife can agree that her husband’s weakness will be overcome in Christ, while the husband can make the same agreement for his wife. Satan tries to divide husbands and wives with critical thoughts and words about each other’s weaknesses.
Reviewing how to overcome any negative emotion, we must: (1) Ask the Lord to remove it. (2) Quote the Word of God. (3) Listen to the Holy Spirit. (4) Obey His guidance. (5) Praise Him for the answer. This is only a simple outline, but many find it helpful when needing a guideline to overcome faults and failures.
God’s Transforming Power
God delights in taking weak men and women and making them into pillars of strength. He has a unique plan for each of us. God does not want us to try to change ourselves. Self-sufficiency and self-will are just what their prefixes denote--“self.” “Self” will always fail us; God will never fail. The reason self-will fails is that one day man comes to the end of himself and needs God. God’s method for changing us is to have us align our wills with His and allow His power to transform us. This will explain why people who overcome addictions to food, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs without Christ often return to their destructive habits. “Self” methods are only temporary. God’s methods are permanent. The alcoholic does not merely have to abstain to remain free because the very root cause of his addiction can be healed by Jesus. He can be delivered from this evil spirit. He does not have a disease that cannot be cured. Jesus can heal every malady. A recovering alcoholic need not live with the “fear of taking a drink” and ending up in bondage again. He need not have this tormenting fear for the rest of his life. God desires to set him free of all fear and addiction by giving him the power to overcome through Jesus Christ.
Temperance is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and as we walk in the Spirit this fruit will become a part of our lives. We will not indulge in any excesses. When our spirit and soul are cleansed, we will have all the fruits of our Lord evident in our lives. The desire of our Father is that we should be whole and abound with much fruit. If we walk with Him and abide with Him, this fruit will come forth.
I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
Gluttony is another spirit that enslaves millions. Deliverance can bring freedom in this area. If the problem is not an evil spirit, but only a bad habit in the flesh, the flesh can be conquered by aligning our will with the Father’s and by asking Him to give us the power to eat properly. We should not be “weight watchers,” but rather “Jesus’ watchers.” If we keep our eyes on Him instead of the problem, we will soon have victory over the problem. He will give us a desire to please Him and be with Him instead of a desire to overeat. He will be our comfort instead of our food. Most overweight people need emotional healing, usually in self-worth. As they seek the Lord, He will heal them of their wounds of rejection. Once they have received this inner healing, the physical man (the body) will begin to respond, and the weight will return to normal. Should the problem be one of a physical nature (thyroid, chemical, or hormone imbalance), the cure is still the same: abiding in Jesus. He will bring the needed healing if they continue to walk with him.
Since our battle is in the mind, we must continually keep our minds fed with the Word of God, as this is the ammunition used to overcome the enemy. Many people do not obtain the victory promised to them as Christians because everything, but the Word of God is fed into their spirits. They cannot “eat” of the things of the world without becoming “worldly.” Secular magazines, soap operas, neighborhood gossip, and sensuous movies corrupt the whole man. If they do not yield totally to the Lord, all their efforts will be to no avail. Overcoming begins with yielding and is executed by dependence upon God. We must not wait until we feel we are worthy or wait until we “get better” before we approach God to help us. We cannot get better, except God work in us. The Bible tells us that in our flesh dwells no good thing. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not (Romans 7:18).
We must realize we are totally dependent on God from beginning to end. Satan lies to us and tells us we must do better before we can be rewarded. Walking in the Lord requires no such action. We are rewarded because we are walking with Him, not because we have performed. Our deeds change because we have been with Him; we do not perform the deeds to be worthy of Him. We are worthy the moment we set our wills with the will of the Father. We then have access to all our rights and blessings in Jesus. We do not have to wait until we have become totally changed to enjoy our privileges in Christ. We are justified immediately by the blood of Jesus when we are born again. We then are sanctified daily as we walk with Him. Eventually we will be glorified when we meet him.
If we are to be victorious, we must not allow the carnal mind to “reason away” the Lord’s answers to our problems. Christians who listen to “reason” and refuse to do anything because they do not “feel” like it will never overcome and be healed. Reason is the voice of the soul, while “feeling” is the voice of the body. We must listen to the voice of the Spirit if we are to be victorious. To illustrate this, let us say we are believing the Lord for the physical healing of a headache. We have taken an aspirin, but to no avail, and have prayed and claimed God’s Word in Psalm 103:3, “Who forgives all thine iniquities, who heals all thy diseases.” The unrenewed mind begins “reasoning” to talk us out of our healing. Satan causes thoughts such as the following to come to our minds: “This is stupid to ask God to heal a headache. He does not have time for this sort of thing; besides, He is punishing you because you told a lie yesterday. You have never had a headache this bad before; this could be a brain tumour. What if you died? etc.” The physical man (the body) will concur as it will be “feeling” pain. If we allow the carnal mind (the flesh) to rule us we will probably end up in bed with a bad headache. However, if we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, we will be encouraged to trust the Lord and His Word. He will speak to us to resist and rebuke the devil. He may show us why we have the headache. Possibly we have allowed fear and anxiety to rule us and got our minds on our problems instead of the Lord. The Holy Spirit might whisper for us to give Him those problems and rest in Him for the answers. As we obey and channel our thoughts back to the Lord, we find that suddenly our headaches will disappear.
We must overcome “reason” and “feelings,” and listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit if we are to continue to walk in the Spirit. If we wait until we “feel” like praying, we may never pray. Once our minds are renewed by the Holy Spirit, our reasoning will be accurate, for we will “reason” according to the Word of God and not according to the false standards of this world. <