I remember as a kid my dad getting very sick. In those days natural healing was not very common. But for our family it was very important to do things as natural as possible and in this case it was a blessing from God. We did have someone with some medical knowledge that did help and encourage us through the process.
My dad at the time had not been living the best of lifestyles, so his immune system was not where it needed to be. I don’t remember the details of it all but I do remember that he had his skin peeling off in large chunks, rather gross.
When he was finally doing a lot better there were still some issues, I was young enough that I don’t remember the details but he did finally end up in the hospital. (For those that have read my previous blog it was during this crisis that my brother & I received a lamb and also came to the conclusion we couldn’t keep her because she kept getting out of the fence when my dad was in the hospital.)
There are some very good and honest doctors out there and my dad had one of them, for which we are grateful. Some times when you are going through a physical crisis and it seems the only way is the conventional way it is encouraging when you hear doctors like this and it can encourage you to seek multiple advice before coming to a decision.
This doctor told my dad, because of the testing and what was going on, that if he had come to them when he was very ill, immune system really low, they would have given him one shot of ________ and it would have killed him and they would have said he died from __________(what he was sick with). Actually a very high percentage of people do die from the actual “cure”. It is always good to have a good conscientious doctors, they can be hard to find but they are out there.
This made me think of the worst sickness there is, the sickness of sin. It is deadly. And all of us are going to die from it if we don’t get the right “medicine” for it.
How is it with you? Maybe you have been very “ill” with sin. Your life was a wreck and you had no knowledge of what the cure was. And then you had someone come along side you and show you the Way, show you the One that can cure the sickness of sin. They showed you Jesus love and you fell in love with Him. You started to grow and things started to change in your life.
Then you were introduced to “church”. You were so excited to go and meet with people who have been in the “medical field” for a long time and your feeling as if there will be an answer for you sin sick soul that your still struggling through day by day.
But then you discover something different from what you expected. You thought you were growing, you have been excited about learning more about God’s love, your life is changing every day. But those that have been “Christians” longer than you don’t seem to encourage you in your growth but are always making you feel like your not growing enough because you are not where they are in their walk.
This can be something that can discourage and actually cause you to die spiritually. And then it would be said that you died spiritually because you were not doing the “right” things.
If you are this person that I am describing let me speak to you. DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF JESUS. He is the best “medicine” you can ever have. People will disappoint you. Continue to surrender your life to Him each day and He will lead you. You are perfect at each stage of your growth. “…First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Matthew 4:28b. If you try to become a full ear of corn before you’re a blade or an ear you will just die. All of us are at different levels of growth so don’t be discourage.
And for those that live the mentality that everyone needs to be where you are in growth, spend more time on your knees pleading with God to change your heart. You need to be examining your own life not the life of others. I don’t know where this saying came from but it is so true, “Actions speak louder than words”.
The best way to be a witness to others is to love them and live a Christ like life and they will be drawn to Jesus through you and questions may come and a transformation will occur. Pray for each struggling soul and love them. When you focus on others and how they should be growing the tendency is to quit examining our own lives because we seem better than them, a bad place to be.
Dear Father,
Help those that are struggling with their Christian walk, show them Your love by sending them a friend that will love and encourage them and not condemn.
If there is someone struggling with examining others and not themselves give them the courage to surrender all to You and to love as You loved.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Remember you are loved by the One that gave His life for you and He would have given His life even if you would have been the only one that needed Him to die. No matter what people do, remember they are human not God. Draw closer to Jesus today. And seek friends that will encourage and not condemn.
Love you all.
Have you experience people’s condemnation? How did God help you through that experience?
Have you been one that has had a spirit of condemnation but God has showed you differently? How did God use this in your life?
I would love to hear your testimonies, even if your still in the mist of it but growing.