Don’t Make Me Hit You With My Bible - Exorcising Illness - Purity 1435

Welcome to the MT for Christ 247 podcast. I'm M.t. Clark, and this is today's photo. To see today's photo, go to mtforchrist.com or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter, or watch us on YouTube. Well, good morning. Today's photo of a sunset over a sandy and grassy Cape Cod landscape comes to us from Mary Bartholomew, who shared this vacation scene on social media Saturday. Stating it was long overdue. Well, it's Monday, and just like that, we find ourselves in the last unofficial week of summer as Labor Day weekend is awaiting, uh, awaiting all of us at quitting time, uh, this Friday. It's back to work and back to reality for me. And brother, I can tell you, August has been a strange trip for me. Not only was I out of work, uh, for a week with a self-inflicted injury, but I also decided to enroll and complete Bob Bob Larson's University's full battery of college courses in demonology, deliverance, and exorcism. Uh, add to that a sudden respiratory illness that has held me over the last 48 hours that I cast out using Bob Larson techniques of deliverance, and I feel like August and this intense training has my head spinning like Linda Blair in that 1973 horror classic The Exorcist. Saturday I didn't podcast because I was wiped out by cold symptoms, and after posting a meager post offering, uh, on the blog, I slept until 10:30 AM and woke up with deep chest congestion and coughs, and then quarantined myself to River House where I finished my exorcism training certification in a delirium daze. But as I finished the curriculum in the early evening hours, I decided to put my new education into practice and started praying in earnest to cast out the spirit of infirmity that was afflicting me. So I took my Bible, a la Bob Larson's Sword of the Spirit, and laid it on my chest, and I prayed and commanded my sickness to be cast out in Jesus's name. And sure enough, healing came. After a few cough— a few coughing fits and expelling some mucus, I could breathe easy and woke up Saturday— Sunday morning believing that the Lord had moved me toward wellness. I was able to go to church and worship with my normal enthusiasm as if I had never been sick. However, after I came home yesterday afternoon, some congestion returned to my chest, and so I grabbed my Bible again and repeated praying and casting out the disease from my lungs. The second go-around was harder than the first but seemed to take effect when I put my head down, uh, and put my Bible on my shoulders and back and bent over to pray. My lungs cleared, and I decided to go to bed with my Bible just to make sure the sickness didn't return. And I'm happy to say that I woke up with a clear chest and was able to do my normal workout routine, uh, this morning with no difficulty breathing. I am healed in Jesus' name. Amen. In the past, I've experienced similar healings. If you start to get sick, you know, cold symptoms, I recommend lots of fluids, vitamin C, zinc, and prayer. And now I add to that formula using your Bible as the sword of the Spirit to spiritually cut the disease out of you. Um, hey, I know it looks crazy, but it works for Bob Larson when he performs exorcisms, and it worked for me to cast off this cold, so I'll take it. Um, our success as Christians is measured not by results but by our faithfulness in being the people God created us to be. His word tells us to pray for the sick and to cast out demons. So I'll do what I feel the Lord is calling me to do and leave the results up to him. And more often than not, God comes through when you step out in faith. Uh, you won't receive it unless you— if you don't ask. Uh, so I'm asking. As, as for being a success, um, the In Touch devotional for today addresses that topic, so we are sharing it on the blog today and Dr. Charles Stanley writes, Success God's Way. How do we become successful? Contrary to the world's common definition, which usually involves fame, fortune, or power, true success means becoming the person God wants each of us to be. Hebrews 12:1 offers his perspective on this. Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let's Rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let's run with endurance the race that is set before us. Here we see the keys to success. First, it is important to find encouragement from the lives of other believers who have seen Christ's faithfulness and followed his directions. Next, we should get rid of anything that holds us back from obeying God. Finally, we are to persevere even through difficult or discouraging times. Today's passage answers our original question: we achieve success only by relying on Jesus for guidance and strength. God has a wonderful plan for blessing and fulfillment in your life, and part of his plan is that you will live with purpose and persistence. The Father's guidance will become clearer as you read his word, pray for direction, and seek godly counsel. Does your definition of success for your life match the good plan God has for you? And I say amen. Let's try to be success— be a success according to God's definition. We have found God through our faith in Jesus Christ, so let's follow him to become the people that he created us to be. Let's discover what being a success in life really means by realizing our purpose in Christ. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Cruis. This morning's meditation verse comes from the section on the forgiveness of sins, and today's verse is Matthew 6:12. And as the word of God says, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. Today's verse falls under the 14th point of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on the forgiveness of sins. And that 14th point is: Jesus tells us to pray for forgiveness. Today's verse is a part of the Lord's Prayer, which Jesus gave to his disciples when they asked him to teach them to pray. The quote-unquote "Our Father" prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is Jesus's example to us on how we should pray. It teaches us to exalt God's name as holy, to ask that his will be done, that we would be provided for, and that we would be protected from evil and temptation. It also prompts us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others who sin against us. Although we are forgiven and accepted when we put our faith in Jesus, he directs us to stay right with God by asking for and giving forgiveness as we live. Our prayer for forgiveness keeps us in harmony with God as we seek to live according to his ways and his good graces. In his good graces. When I prayed for healing yesterday, I, I also prayed, uh, I also prayed for forgiveness for anything I may have done wrong or failed to do. My prayer was humble because I knew I didn't have the power to do anything for my healing, but God did. And I hope that he would bless me if I came to him with faith, humility, and trust. I feel better today, in part because I know that I've been forgiven and will trust the healing to stay. As always, we invite everyone to go to mtforchrist.com, where we always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we continue sharing from According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, by Stephen F. Alford. And in Alford's devotion, he prompts us to read a chapter of scripture every day. Today's chapter is 1 Timothy 4. From that chapter, he shares a portion of verse 14, which says, do not neglect the gift that is in you. And Stephen Alford writes, 1 Corinthians 12 makes it very plain that every believer has a gift given by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this exhortation comes home to every heart, and indeed my heart. Do not neglect the gift that is in you. The Lord Jesus told a very sad parable of the man who buried his talent in the ground. This is possible in my life and possible in any life. Look to yourselves, says John, that we do not lose those things we worked for. 2 John 1:8. Then he also writes, the Apostle Paul warns also, saying, hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown. Revelation 3:11. Stir up the gift of God which is in you. 2 Timothy 1:6. And do not neglect the gift that is in you. 1 Timothy 4:14. And then Stephen offered praise: Oh, that I may faithfully exercise the gift you have purposed for me. Amen. Amen. And, uh, everyone gets a gift. Um, the Holy Spirit gives us all kinds of gifts and talents that we've been blessed with by the Lord, and the idea is to seek out your gift and to use it. Um, the parable of the servant that was afraid to use his talent and buried it and got chastised and judged for it, um, you know, tells us not to waste our life. Basically, don't waste your talent, use it for God's glory. And use it to build his kingdom. Um, I might not be very talented, but I've been blessed by the Lord, and I try to point to him every day and try to encourage people to follow him, to find, um, the good life that he has for you, um, the purpose that he has for you, and the meaning and, and the victory and the freedom that he has available for those who follow him. And so that's what we do, and we ask the question Have you fully surrendered to God? And when you do, you discover, you know, God's meaning of success is to be faithful and to follow him and to become the person he created us to be. It's really more about our character than about our accomplishments. And, um, you know, he draws us in to make us more like Jesus and to do his good works on the earth. And so when we surrender to God, he might ask us to do something. And for me, well, one of the things he's drew me to do is, uh, lead the Celebrate Freedom support group at Starpoint Church. We meet Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. Anyone in the, uh, New York Upstate Capital District can make it to Clifton Park, uh, uh, New York, and Starpoint Church on Wednesdays and join our group to receive help with, uh, Christian recovery or discipleship. We teach how to walk in the spirit and live the life of of a Christian, you know, where we walk away from all those old hurts, habits, and hang-ups that used to mess us up and keep us away from the Lord. So we invite people to come. We also encourage people to check out the Freedom in Christ course by, uh, Freedom in Christ Ministries. You can find that on, at ficm.org. There might be one spot left in my class that I'll be teaching next week. On Tuesdays. If, if you're a man, you can give it a shot and try to register, see what happens, and we'll try to make room for you. Um, otherwise, there are other, other courses that might be available at ficm.org. And as always, you can always buy these materials individually, and we provide the Freedom in Christ course teaching on our, on our YouTube channel, um, that we podcasted back in 2021. So if you want to hear me teach it you can, um, just by going to our YouTube channel. So, well, that is that. And we ask, are you empty for Christ too? Well, if not, uh, all you have to do is surrender, uh, ask the Lord to reveal himself, and, um, you know, he will, he will show himself to you. When we take a step close to God, he steps close to us, and he draws us in. Um, if we seek him, we will find him. And so if you are empty for Christ, just keep on walking and talking with him as we enter into another work week. And man, it's going to be a busy one as we have, uh, life— well, we got, we got something to do 3 out of 5 nights this week, so that's pretty busy. Uh, and we have to prepare basically for next week's, uh, which will be like a 4 out of 5 night week. So, uh, it's never a boring time when you, when you follow the Lord, as, uh, he'll give you something good to do. So let's pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for all you do for us. Lord, we just pray for you to go before us today, open our eyes to the things you want us to see, and lead us in the way we should go. And Lord, we pray for anyone who's listening or reading today's message, that you come alongside them and their prayer requests and their walk of faith and help them too, Lord. Lord, we all need your help, and, um, we just want to do your will, but we need your, your guidance on this path of Christian discipleship, Lord. We're trusting you to help us, Lord. We thank you, we praise you, we love you. We pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.