Lioness Arising - Lisa Bevere

Author Lisa Bevere has written a book that is full of encouragement.  What woman can resist the charge to "Wake Up and Change Your World." 

Excellent Read!  Let me know what you think after you have read the book.

Gift of Healing-Asking Voice

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 14:1

So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church – 1 Corinthians 14:12.

4-11 God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! The variety is wonderful: wise counsel, clear understanding, simple trust, healing the sick, miraculous acts, proclamation, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
All these gifts have a common origin, but are handed out one by one by the one Spirit of God. He decides who gets what, and when. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. (The Message Bible.)

I love these verses and their promise to create fullness and wholeness in my own life. Just as importantly, I can be used in wholeness by the Triune to function where ever he calls me to “Go. Make disciples. Heal the sick. Cast out demons.”

I have been giving thought to the belief that some hold to that they can only have 1 gift from God to function in. I am not sure that is the truth God would have me believe. For instance, many have said to me, you have a gift of wisdom, or wise counsel. I have an ability at times to make the complex simple and clearer in understanding. As I mentor and coach, many have a found they can give me simple trust as together, they are guided on their personal journeys with Jesus Christ. I have seen and participated in the miraculous acts of people being saved; seen people freed from demonic oppression and have discerned spirits – both good and evil. I have both spoken in tongues, and I have interpreted tongues. I have prayed for healings, both spiritual in nature and physical in nature; and have seen some healed and some that were not healed both spiritually and in the natural. These are all the gifts. Some of these I walk more strongly in, but I have been given the privilege of functioning in all of them at one time or the other.

Over the years, I found that I was very impacted by my youngest brother’s death at the age of 19 in an automobile accident. Of course I prayed that he would come out of the coma he had been in, and not have brain damage due to the severe trauma he had suffered. We saw many young people come to the Lord during the wait in the hospital through prayer. We experienced an outpouring of love through prayers of our church body over the course of 3 days while waiting within the hospital walls. My mother saw an angelic couple that offered her words of strength and courage to sustain her loss of her youngest child as she made the decision to turn off all life support after he was declared brain dead. The greatest impact however of his death, was in the resultant loss of belief and faith in healing, and my decision to withhold the gift of healing by my laying hands on someone and asking for their healing…adding faith together to come into agreement. My smoke screen for this belief? I must not have the “gift” of healing since my brother died.  All the good that was manifested in so many gifts we experienced that few days in the hospital, but I reverted to the negative – God did not answer prayer for healing and restoration of life for my brother – where was He? Why?

Now do not get me wrong – I know it is not ME that heals. It is only by the ONE whose stripes we appropriate to be healed, as a result of the finished work on the Cross, which makes it possible. But, the requirement is that I am invited and am seated in the heavenlies, with ALL authority that has been given to me as a Believer; whose identification is Christ in me; I have the responsibility and privilege to lay hands on the sick – whether physical or spiritual in nature – and ASK for healing – because of HE who is in me. It is the model He gave to me, stating, “AND you will do greater things than these.”

I am supposed to be eager for the spiritual gifts manifesting in my life and eager for gifts that build up the body. So, where do we get mixed up thinking that we can limit what God is doing, when He does it, the way He wants to do it? I want to be very careful not to limit God with His limitless potential in my life. I want all the gifts He wants for me to have. And that “all” may be that in HIS fullness, I walk with more than 1 or 2 or 3 gifts. But I function in them when God activates and provides what is necessary for any situation, circumstance or opportunity I find myself in while ministering.

What I found recently in examining my brother’s death so long ago, was that I had a root of fear that made me question stepping out and praying for healing…because maybe my prayers would not be heard, or the person would not be healed and per chance…I would have egg on my face because “I” failed – and my fallback experience was that my brother died after I and so many others had prayed for him. That one experience was trying to negate the other years of seeing so many others who have had cancer, be healed. Heart problems that were healed and surgeries were not necessary because of prayer. Demonic oppression was healed – because I asked in “HIS NAME.”

My point as I write this blog is this – the enemy has tried to kill, steal and destroy VOICE. This reluctance to speak aloud a prayer of healing for emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental or in the realm of healing sickness – is another way the enemy wants to limit God’s potential – the VOICE He has released and gifted within us. The enemy wants to limit the “when two or more are agreed in His name by VOICING and requesting the will of heaven to be released upon this earth – those possibilities! And He wants us to ask, regardless of what we may believe the outcome. I have come to understand that when requesting healing for a believer – they WILL BE healed, in Jesus name, either on this earthly side of heaven or when they enter the Promised Land to be healed for eternity. Praying for healing is one of the best win-win situations I have ever had the blessing to lend my VOICE to be part of.

Andrew Murray, a great man of God has written for our edification: “The Lord Jesus, who in His love is to unspeakably near us, is the Almighty One with whom nothing is impossible.” God says, “For in him every one of God’s promises is a “Yes.”
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NRSV).

Healing is included in that YES. And it is given to me as a gifting. It becomes more precious and priceless as I respond with VOICE to ask for healing in His Name.

Contagious Joy

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can. Thank you John Wesley, Theologian. You remind us that God is issuing you and me an invitation to celebrate - whether in the midst of challenges in the valley, or walking up the mountain to see it from His perspective.

Celebrate today's blessings - the ones that are right in front of you....your husband, children, parents, people you work with, those who serve you this time of the year in retail and restaurants who are doing their best while being overwhelmed!

Be contagious in your celebration, in your joy - it is your salvation...and your example could make the joy of salvation someone else's also.

Truly - make it a Merry Christmas through the presence, contentment, gratitude, joy and thankfulness that is within!