Emotional sickness can hurt as bad as physical

When the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel in Acts 2:17-21. Verse 17 went as follows:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.

Young men see visions because they have the energy and strength to fulfill them. Old men dream dreams about things that will come and things pertaining to glory, but they don’t always have the strength to fulfill them.

Now, I’m not yet an old man, but I’ll share with you that I don’t think I could do some ministry I did as a young man with the inner-city homeless. That was a vision and God gave me strength to fulfil it. Yes, there is still strength today, but for other types of ministry.

When I was a young man, I approached healing energetically, looking for those with pain, cancers, diabetes, and the dying. I was young and strong and had vision. I’m still looking for them now, but I’m also more sensitive to those with emotional hurts.

At that time, I didn’t see emotional or even spiritual hurts, just the physical. That’s young and energetic for you. I have since learned that emotional hurts and sickness can be every bit as terrible as physical sickness.

We go to crusades and look for wheelchairs and are excited when cancers are gone and the crippled walk, but we should also attend to the emotionally sick.

There are those who are demonically oppressed, those who are simply emotionally hurt and sick, all of whom need deliverance and/or healing. We need to be sensitive to them though their healings are not always spectacular, because Jesus died for their emotional hurts and sicknesses, just as He died for their physical sickness.

There are those who are so emotionally devastated they can no longer function. There are those tormented by distressing thoughts and memories, and there are those filled with debilitating regret and pain from wrong decisions taken in the past.

Can the Lord heal them instantly? Yes. Will He? It is a little bit complicated, but I remember the Lord telling a pastor who was ministering to an emotionally sick person the following (and I’ll paraphrase):

“The layers of emotional issues this person has are so many and so intertwined that if I undid all the issues at once, it will kill them.” And so the pastor had to go slow, layer by layer of spiritual and emotional baggage.

Over the years, I realized that while we all look for instant healing (and should expect it), certain people – not all, but some – got in their situations through years and years of sin and bad decision making. It can often take time to unravel them and get them healed.

I have prayed for people with cancer, seen the cancer gone and them, see the person light up a cigarette on leaving the church. Were all the issues dealt with? No.

I have seen drug addicts gloriously met by the Spirit of God, but leave church and go and use. Human beings are complex, fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s not always about laying hands on their heads and running off to the next meeting in another town.

Some people need continuous ministry for a period of time in order to be completely healed. This is so whether we are a fast food society or not. It is also that way, because their will, their souls, and their decision making mechanisms are involved.

So, as ministers, be more aware of emotional hurts and sickness and remember that you will need time and dedication to see the work of healing perfected in many of these believers.

A Predictable Beating

An issue many Christians think about, especially those seeking to become more involved in healing, is that of ‘clean vessels‘.

Often, many believers avoid healing ministry and especially deliverance ministry because they feel that they are unclean vessels.

They may be wrestling with some sin, some hurt, an impure thought life and unconfessed sin.

It is advisable that people wrestling with strongholds of sin should be cautious about involvement in ministry, especially healing and deliverance.

I’m not even referring to the Sons of Sceva, who were given a thorough beating in the Book of Acts (Chapter 19) when they tried to mimic Paul in deliverance.  They were not believers afterall and their beating was predictable.

^19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Instead I refer to Christians seeking to be used by God in healing and deliverance.  Here’s how I understand it from the Word.  We operate in vessels of clay and can sin on a daily basis.  When we do, simply lean on 1 John 1:9, confess your sin, receive forgiveness, and then you can minister with all confidence.

However, if you are bound by a stronghold of sin – anger, ongoing spousal conflict, hate, alcoholism, sexual impurity, it is best to sort out your issues before you go forward. Why?  Because you generally will be less effective in ministry than if you were a pure vessel.

I say ‘generally’, because sometimes God will work through impure vessels, just out of His compassion for the sick. However, the thing is that when He does this, many are deceived that He is OK with their current lifestyle and they continue in sin.  That is the tragedy of mortgaging truth.

In deliverance,  it is more dangerous, because if for example, you are having an affair and attempt to perform deliverance, the demons may actually call you out on it.  Both embarrassing and faith destroying for you and your congregation.

So what to do – continue your affair and don’t attempt deliverance?  Lord no!  Stop the affair, the flirting with pornography, unforgiveness and THEN continue with deliverance ministry.  There are many sadly, with godly callings on their compromised lives who run away from their callings for this obvious reason.

It is a very dangerous way to live, because you are unhooked from God’s purpose for your life.  If you need help to become free, seek help and don’t be prideful.  Sometimes, folks cannot get free without help and we are called to help each other.

I have more to share about this, but I’ll hold it for the next post.

Luke 13:10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Let's go and do the same

So let us conclude here.   This woman had been bent over for eighteen years. Eighteen long years. Jesus did not forget her experience of year after year of shuffling along, most likely in pain and definitely with lost dignity.  Jesus cared.

Our response today would be to organize a special bus to get her to church on Sunday to hear why God doesn’t heal anymore.  For the deaf, our response would be to hire a “signer” so they can follow along with the sermon on how miracles died out with the last of the apostles.

Man’s idea of compassion is not Jesus idea of compassion.  In their fear, pastors preach their experience and avoid any topic that actually involves them exercising their faith.  Shame. Shame.  Jesus said we would do greater works.  Now we lay on buses and learn to sign.  We would rather drive the old lady to church for 20 years than have the courage to pray until she gets relief…

Don’t misread me.  I’m not churlish.  I’m not against buses and signers.  Use them if you need them. Especially if healing takes time.  But Jesus showed us He has something better than pity.  Its called healing.

No wonder the world largely ignores the gospel.  Why?  Because there is no power.  Paul came with power.  Philip came with power (and no, Philip wasn’t an apostle, so let’s stop that silly line of thinking before it starts!).  Know what happened whan Philip came to Samaria with power?

^Acts8:5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. ⁶ When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. ⁷ For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. ⁸ So there was great joy in that city.

It was when they heard Philip AND saw the signs he performed that they paid attention to him and there was revival. Perhaps that’s why few pay attention to the Christian message today.  Perhaps too few signs are performed.

In the case of the old woman bowed over eighteen years, I believe Jesus teaches us a thing about true compassion here. We seldom have true compassion anymore, just something that passes for it in our minds.  We won’t pay the price to see the greater works, so we delight in the works of our hands.

The legalists as usual, were concerned about Jesus healing on the Sabbath.  So Jesus poses the question to those hard-hearted ones… after suffering for 18 years, should Jesus have had to wait for the Sabbath to heal her?

Glory to God, she should be healed immediately. If she was your mother or sister or daughter, your answer would be yes!

So if you are sick, Jesus, who never changes, says: You should be healed! The mind of God would not have us sick a single day longer.

The minute we renew our minds with the Word of God and not the ways of men, and we begin to believe and act this way, that is the time we allow the Holy Spirit within us to move us unto “greater works”.

Fixing our eyes on the prize and on things of eternal significance is the singular thing we have to do as believers.  What matters is how we respond to God’s gift, to the Father’s call.  The thought that struck me a while back is that word, “singularity“.  Singularity of function, singularity of purpose.

In the field of business, we would call it a “critical success factor“, that is, factors that most or all our activities must be aligned with.  My critical success factor is healing – the subject of healing.

When awake, I think of healing.  When asleep, I dream of healing.  In daily life, I visualize God healing.  I have led hundreds of people to the Lord and I thank God for salvation, but where I fit is healing. I have been involved in mercy ministry, counseling, writing, giving, teaching financial seminars, even children’s ministry, but healing ministry is where I know I should be.

Singularity does not mean I am obsessed or one-dimensional.  Even if we are obsessed, it is OK to be obsessed with God’s business.  But I hope you understand.  Life goes on, I go to work, I spend time with family, I empty the trash.   You can get so spiritual that you’re of no earthly good.  That’s not me.

Paul knew a little bit about singularity when he wrote to Timothy (1 Timothy 4:1):

“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.”

To paraphrase, Timothy was encouraged to spend his time on his calling and to make it his singular purpose.  I watched Joseph Prince the other night teach about receiving healing through communion and that was encouraging to see a man in this generation being bold about healing.  It is one of the ways to receive healing I listed earlier.

What strikes me is that most of the men and women prominent in healing ministry over the last century are dead or elderly now.  I’m sure those still alive are amazed at the extent to which the healing message of the gospel has almost disappeared in our day.  This is not only referring to America, but to Christianity globally.

I also do not refer to traditional denominations – they have long since moved on, or perhaps more accurately, regressed in their theology.

So back to singularity.  Singleness of purpose means that we pay more attention to God’s call than to what everyone else is doing.  That’s singleness of purpose. Personally, I’m looking forward to spending more time and more focus in ministry, doing what I know I was called to do.

Available to Train in Healing

It has been several months since I made a post on the Christian Healing Blog.  I somehow became busier than the Lord intended and time got away from me.

So I’m back now and I promise to be more attentive to those who have commented on the site and to share more of what the Lord is doing in my life and around me in the Healing area.

The main topic of this post though is that I am making myself available to conduct seminars and to train in the area of healing to churches who request it.

For now, I have to restrict it to the North-Eastern United States until I have more time to travel. Apologies to those outside this area.

The Lord has placed it on my heart to share on and to train groups who are interested in becoming more effective in healing.

I’m not an ordained minister, so let’s be clear about that.  I am a teacher by gifting, however and have been trained in healing ministry, with over 15 years of teaching, healing, and counseling ministry.

If you have a group interested in healing or you’d like a seminar on the subject, that’s the idea.

These seminars would also be accompanied by ministry, where I expect the Lord to do what He does – heal, deliver, and impart knowledge and gifts to men and women.

I cannot deal with individuals at this point, only pastors and their staff.  If you would like me to come to your church or prayer group, please let your pastor know and let them or their staff do the invite.

Payment

To come to your church, I charge NO FEES.  I also do not require love gifts.

I do require that you pay for my travel costs (car rental/train/airplane) and a hotel room (Hampton Inn/Hilton Chain) if I have to stay overnight.  If you are in my local area (Philadelphia), I’ll not stay overnight, I’ll be heading home typically.

I think that’s it.  Pastors or their staff can reach me  – Bay - at ari840@hotmail.com. I will call you and we can talk further.

You must make up your mind what you believe

I had been a Christian for a few months and found myself sitting on a platform in London on this particular day, waiting for the next train.

A man came by and sat down on my left and I thought nothing of it.A minute later, I saw a man on the opposite platform walking to and fro, mumbling to himself and occasionally calling out to no-one in particular.

Viewing this as a ministry opportunity, I leaned over to the man on my left and asked, “Do you know what his problem is?” He answered right back, “What’s his problem?” I smiled and responded, “He’s probably demonically oppressed,” and then continued, “do you know there’s a world beyond this physical one?”

This is when things got interesting.He gave me a wan smile and said to me, “I guess you’re a Christian.Listen to this…”He then launched into a short burst of speaking in tongues.I was surprised but managed to recover.“I guess you’ve probably heard the gospel before”, I said with a grin.

“You listen to me,” he demanded.“I was in the ministry for years and was in ministry school.”“But,” he continued, “we prayed and prayed and God didn’t heal the seven sick people we prayed for.They all died.That’s when I left the ministry.”

I didn’t know too much about the Word but I replied that our faith in God did not depend on who got healed or not.I told him I didn’t understand why those people didn’t get healed as I wasn’t there.But I said, God was still faithful and He was and is still our Healer.

He wasn’t moved, as our train pulled in.“All I want”, he said, “is one minute when I die, to say my piece and tell God how I feel about it.So much power over there when we need it here!”I patiently responded that it wouldn’t play out that way, that no one gets to vent in heaven.

The funny thing was that as he kept telling me how he didn’t want anything to do with Christianity, he kept talking about God and what he wanted to say to him.I tried to talk with him before my stop, about 15 minutes later and he kept asking me to refute what he was saying, but he was way too angry.I just told Him over and over that God loved him and was faithful.My stop came along first and I got off the train.

This man was in a place that I’ve seen others get to over the years since that day in 1987.I refer to people who have seen failures over and over, particularly ministers- folks who have had to comfort the bereaved again and again.It can be heartbreaking and I can even understand mentally, how he arrived at that place.I have been tempted too.Tempted to just walk away and not even bother to pray any more – just send people to the doctors and leave it to others who are willing to test their faith and face the risk of failure.

I’ll be honest though and share the determination I made years ago that no matter how many tragedies I see, God is still a Healer and His Word is still true.What’s the worst that could happen?We go to be with the Lord, which is better by far.Why would I want to arrive in heaven, with the thought in my heart: “you didn’t believe in God’s healing promises!”No, I won’t be condemned for it, but why not fight, why not believe, why not engage?

Paul said, “Fight the good fight of faith..” (1 Timothy 6:12).He said “We wrestle not against flesh and blood…”(Ephesians 6:12) .He continues, “Run in such a way as to win the prize…” (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Do we have this thought that it will always be easy, especially in the West?Do we think that healings are not a prize to be fought bitterly for, in prayer?

Jesus said, “This kind can come out only by prayer.….” (Mark 9:29).Do we still pray and fast, or are we caught up with activities that just engage the flesh?Is there too much “seeker-friendliness”, with mime and dance and too little all-night prayer and intercession?God help us!Philip didn’t need street mime and dance to cause Holy Spirit-led havoc in Samaria, did he?

As we struggle with church programs and ‘church growth’ activities, we’re wearing ourselves out with “stuff”.If one blind person received sight in your church each week, even with 4 services on Sunday, you would have lines that stretched for blocks.You would need the police to keep order.

Our leaders are so afraid to preach, teach and demonstrate healing though, that for many, this is beyond their reach. It’s at a point where so many just don’t believe anymore.Like my friend on the train, they may have started with zeal, but disappointments got the better of them.They not only refuse to believe now, but are deeply bitter at unrealized hope.

Like my friend the real cause of the bitterness is that they know healing is there and is real, but somehow or the other, they could never attain it. That’s where the broken heart and deep bitterness comes from, “..so much power over there when we need it here!”

There is a path to healing in our churches.It is not easy, but it is not obscure either.Preach it, teach it, pray for it, minister it, and repeat over and over until breakthrough comes.What if it tarries?Read John Wimber’s story if you find the time (Power Healing).You simply continue as a church until breakthrough comes.

Well, what if it still doesn’t come, you ask?Better to enter heaven declaring the truths of God’s Word and kingdom than to give up.I will never give in or give up.For me though, healing has already come, over and over again.  May such steadfastness undergird your own soul, may the Holy Spirit encourage you and reward as you persist in seeing the manifest promises of God fulfilled in your life and the lives of those around you. Amen.

Precision is key to long-term effective healing ministry

Precision is essential to the healing ministry.  Without it, we often flail about, turn up the volume, and hope for results that seldom materialize. What do I mean by ‘precision’ and why is it so important?  Precision is accuracy in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit during ministry. Every ministry situation provides you with many alternative ways that you can minister, but not every way will bring success.

When the Shunammite woman came to Elisha after her son died, notice what Elisha did.  He took a specific set of actions. Gehazi was to take the Prophet’s staff and lay it on the boy’s face.  He was not to speak to anyone on the way.

It is interesting that the boy did not immediately recover and Gehazi returned, unsuccessful.  Didn’t Elisha hear God, you may ask?  I’m inclined to say he did.  Why didn’t the child come back to life then?  I don’t think the Bible spells it out explicitly, but I would lay the blame on Gehazi’s doorstep,  as being an unsuitable vessel of grace.  He later proved this in the case of Naaman the Syrian.

In any case, when Elisha finally arrived, he didn’t anoint with oil or lay hands on the boy, but instead, did something that would be strange in any age.  He lay on the boy nose-to-nose (2 Kings 4:32) and eventually the boy came back to life.  Again, he didn’t walk around the bed seven times in the manner of Jericho or smash arrows on the ground as in the case of King Jehoash (2 Kings 13:18).  He was specific in what he did and got results.

Jesus put his spit on a man’s tongue (Mark 7:33), spat in another man’s eyes (Mark 8:23), and asked Lazarus to come forth (John 11:43).  He asked the 10 lepers to go and show themselves to the priests in one instance (Luke 17:12), but laid hands on the one leper who sought healing (Luke 5:13).  Jesus was precise, He didn’t try everything, He did one thing.

If you are in healing ministry, realize you can minister in hundreds of ways to any healing candidate.  Will every approach work?  No, but the one the Holy Spirit illuminates in your heart will in most cases.  I say most cases, because it is not that simple working through the vessels of clay that we are. Unforgiveness on the candidate’s part, tiredness on our part, or disorganization may just a few obstacles to healing.

Yes, we must know all the Biblical approaches to healing, many of which are listed on this blog.  But we must always strive to hear the Holy Spirit in every situation.  We must also be flexible and open to his direction during the healing encounter.  I have seen dual errors of treating every situation like a nail when you only have a hammer (e.g., laying on of hands on everyone you meet), and being so inflexible during ministry, you don’t receive a change in direction from the Holy Spirit.  We would do well to avoid both.

May you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit as you minister, may you be flexible enough to deal with changing circumstances in healing ministry.  Amen.

John Lake

John Lake was a mightily-used man of God whose biography I love to read often.  I also greatly admire Smith Wigglesworth, another man whose life is an inspiration to modern-day Charismatics and Pentecostals.  I’m often deeply reflective as to where the anointing and tenacity of these men and others have gone in our day.

I recognize that some ministries today are moving in power, but there is much from that era that I believe we lack. I recall an account from John Lake , who while ministering in South Africa, went through an extended period where every person he prayed for and laid hands on was healed – every single person!

It is easy to think that as your local or national church goes, so goes the whole church globally. Many of us see little and thus become discouraged.  However, remember that we only ever see a small part of the fabric.  Even here in the USA, there are pockets of miracles, faith, healings and deliverances.  All over, from Kansas to California (go IHOP and Bethel!), Pennsylvania to Florida.

This is not even to speak of Chinese teens raising the dead in rural China and blind eyes being opened in Mozambique.  We must keep in mind that as in Isaiah 9:7,

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

I encourage everyone involved in the ministry of healing to read about the likes of Lake, Wigglesworth, Kathryn Kuhlman, Jack Coe, Aimee Semple-Macpherson, John Wimber, and others used mightily in faith and healing.  Their life stories will encourage you, motivate you and mobilize you in moving more effectively and determinedly in the ministry of healing.

Can you give some info on Why we don’t see many healing miracles in the Western culture. Is it a lack faith by those praying for others to be healed? I don’t like pulling single scriptures out to back up my point but there are a few that talk about faith the size of a mustard seed or Jesus said we would great things than this etc. I feel frustrated when I see and pray for people who are in for example a wheelchair and their own desire is to be healed by God?

Sorry for the delayed response. Great questions. We do have miracles associated with many ministries in the West, but not only are they fewer than in the early 20th century (in my opinion), but there is a definite resistance to any kind of reporting of Christian ministries in our day, other than scandals.  I certainly detect an anti-Christian spirit developing in the US, but it is even more advanced in Europe.  If for example, a blind person was healed in your ministry, no news outlet would carry it, and even so, it would probably be an obscure “documentary” about “religious craziness” showing at 1.00am and featuring you with Indian mystics and David Blaine.

So, just as God spoke to Elijah about him not being alone and 7,000 being reserved who had not bowed their knee to Baal, the same is true today.  There are many miracles occurring in the US and in Europe.  In churches across the land, by itinerant evangelists, in countless healing rooms, healings are occurring – real, verifiable healings.  In my 5 years in healing rooms, we had bad blood tests becoming good, bad X-Rays and MRIs coming back good, and people released form chronic pain and set free.   I have seen deafness healed, diabetes healed, double vision restored instantly and my own horrible prognosis for my shoulder (“your only option is surgery!”) discarded by God – now I’m back lifting weights – no surgery.

It is all there, but you’ll never see it in a paper or on TV.  Rather, in unheralded meetings and in healing rooms all over the US, people ARE getting healed.  Is it as much as I would like?  Clearly not!  Any why not?  I continue to maintain that our current crop of pastors and teachers are largely unbelievers in the area of healing and the miraculous.  You shouldn’t take a fly swatter to a gun fight, which is what these dear ones do.  They proclaim loudly that they believe but their actions belie their words.  They don’t preach healing, don’t demonstrate it, and in the rare instances that they mention healing, they twist it to their experience and strip it of any power…

• “He heals sometimes…”
• “If it is His will, you’ll be healed…”
• “God’s will is for you to be sick…”
• “Sickness will build your character…”
  
• “How else would we die…?”
• “Sometimes He answers Yes, sometimes No, sometimes Wait…”
• “This sickness is to make you humble/teach you patience/(add any excuse you like) …”
• “What about Job?”
• “What about Paul’s Thorn?…”
• “What about Trophimus, who Paul left sick…”
  

I could go on and on.  Essentially they are out there preaching myths and fables and not healing.  That’s what all the above junk is.  So we don’t get healing.  God does not work through laymen (bottom-up) – He works through pastors (top-down).  So no matter how on fire you are, if your pastor is a big ball of faithlessness in the area of miracles and healing, that’s the atmosphere you’ll have. You will be pulling uphill and you will have less success than if you had a believing pastor.   God respects His order in the church, regardless of whether you are right and the pastor is wrong.  That just the way it works.

So I could go on – we don’t have serious prayer or intercession in most churches, we seldom hear sermons on healing, there’s no way we can have sustained explosions of widespread healing as long as the present situation continues.  God confirms His Word with signs following…  No word of healing, no confirmation.  The good thing is that you can find places where the pastor is leading the healing revival, places where they pray, teach, preach, and demonstrate healing.  They exist, absolutely and God is doing amazing stuff in those places.

I may continue in this vein later…  Blessings.

What are these evidences? They are important issues that will resonate in the lives of some who will read them. They are ‘markers’, if you like, that can be used to measure Christian character and maturity. I personally don’t gravitate to “lists” normally, as some of my friends know, but when they are given, I’ll write. That’s the way it should be: when God says “Jump!” the correct answer is not “How high?” the correct answer is to jump with all your might.

Some of the great men of faith amuse me. Read Moses’ burning bush account in Exodus 3 again and you’ll be incredulous. God says, “I’m sending you to get my people released”… Moses says, “They won’t believe me”…God says, “Here’s a stick that turns into a snake and your hand will turn leprous when you put it into your cloak”…Moses responds: “I can’t speak well”…God replies: “Aaron will go with you and speak…” Know what Moses eventually says? “I just don’t wanna go!” Hmmm… that’s not a shining example of obedience, just in case you were wondering. Moses eventually went and did great things in God, but the burning bush episode was not a high point in his life.

OK, what are these “Nine Evidences”?

• The Tongue: It has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). James declares that fresh and salt water cannot come from the same spring (James 3:11). Today, more than ever, we are too loose with our words, we are coarse, we are obscene, we say things that we don’t mean, we think lying is just being “nuanced”. Words conquer thoughts, don’t you know? What do I mean? I mean, if you have bad thoughts, the way to deal with them is to begin to speak faith-filled words. You cannot think certain thoughts while speaking different words. You remember paper-rock-scissors? Well, thoughts are paper and words are scissors. Who is the Rock? Jesus, of course… Just remember, the solution to ‘uncontrollable’ thoughts is words – His Words.
• Thought Life: This follows from the first evidence. Paul says if anything is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy, think on it (Philippians 4:8). If not, don’t. A mature believer has his/her thought life more under control than an immature one. The way to achieve this is to control what you see and hear. I don’t mean just avoiding stuff—that’s only half the battle. The other, more important half is filling your mind with the Word. That includes the Bible and good, faith-filled Bible teaching. Doing one without the other is no real use.
• Relationships: are they real, genuine, or disposable? You don’t need a million Christian relationships, but you need at least a few genuine ones. And yes, it could be your wife, husband, children, parents, cousins and of course, friends. You need people to be accountable to and people who will sharpen you. Proverbs 27:7 states that “Iron sharpens iron”. Healing is also a lonely endeavor – you need people around you who will encourage you to forge on through the good times and challenging times.

OK, these are just the first three of the nine – I shall continue in my next post…