Waiting on Healing – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement - Purity 1220

To see today's photo, go to mt4christ.org or follow me, M.t. Clark, on Facebook or Twitter. Good morning. Today's photo of a painting of an old woman with a blank stare being comforted by a young girl comes to us from yours truly as I captured this haunting scene while visiting the American Painting Salon on the second floor of the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. Massachusetts on Saturday. Although there are no information cards in the American Painting Salon to tell us what this painting is called or when it was painted, and I didn't ask, the artist's signature reveals that it comes to us from L. Wittich. Even though its name and dates are a mystery to me, Wittich's haunting work reveals a truth that is timeless. We all grow old, and as we do, we must come to grips with our own mortality. Young girl comforting, or trying to get the attention of this old woman, will one day have to look death in the face herself. Well, it's Tuesday, and as we move into this week, I have death and disease on my mind. Merry Christmas. Not only was I musing over the issue of mortality because of my visit to of the Springfield Museum says, every visit to a museum anywhere eventually, eventually causes me to ponder the facts that the people who are in these paintings or own these antiquities are long dead, only leaving behind their art or possessions and a small information card about who they were. But I also got the news that a friend, a dear friend of mine, Bill Hamm, moved into it onto eternity last Thursday. After being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022, Bill completed 6 weeks of radiation and chemotherapy, and many prayers were said for his healing. A social media post from June 1st of this year shows Bill smiling with his daughter gardening in the spring sunshine. But now, 6 months later, Bill has graduated to heaven. Sometimes, despite our faithful efforts and the latest medical technology, healing doesn't come on this earth. But when you have faith in Jesus, like Bill did, death has lost its sting because he lives on in God's kingdom. These are the heavy questions of life, and the adequate answers, uh, and the, and the only adequate answers come through faith in Jesus Christ. Until Jesus comes back, though, We will all face these questions of how long do I have and will I be healed? Recently, Mindful of Christ Lauren Ross Killey shared a blog post about her medical struggles, and I'm sharing it today because it looks at disease honestly but offers hope to those who are waiting on healing. Lauren writes, Waiting on Healing. Are you waiting on healing? Perhaps you've been sick. Have a long-term illness, or according to the doctors, a non-curable disease. I can certainly relate to that one. My personal journey of 26 years of fainting. In 2018, given the diagnosis of neurocardiogenic syncope and being told there isn't a cure or treatment for it, then dealing with the grief, depression, and mental health difficulties that came with it. To then being told I was healed in 2022, getting my driver's license back, taking the kids on holiday and going to a speaker conference in Vegas alone. Then on holiday with friends in August this year, bang, passed out again. 10 days in hospital and struggling physically ever since. Spent the first week cross with God, then another few weeks questioning everything and trying to understand. I felt him say to me that we may not understand certain things and situations, but we need to trust him anyway. But when I am afraid, and Lauren shares Psalms 56:3-4, which says, but when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? Laurie continues to write, rewind to March of 2023. The Lord said battle strategies for spiritual warfare. I asked him what he was getting at. His response was the next book. I responded, no thanks. I pulled a bit of a Noah for, for a week or two, then returned to the Lord telling him I ready to step up to the task. As I began researching and making notes, the attacks began on my family and finances, then in August to my— and to August to today, my health. To the world, it looks like the neurocardiogenic syncope, NCS, has returned. I'm unable to drive again and only venture out with a willing friend in a wheelchair. When people ask about it and how I am, my honest response is, "It is well with my soul." It is because I put into action particular strategies, both scriptural and Christian-based CBT tools and techniques, in order to wait on my own healing and dealing with other attacks too, all of which are included in the book. Including the vital point of turning my mind to Christ. The spiritual growth journey this last 8 months has taken me on, taken me on, has been awesome, and I thank Jesus every day. I know that I am healed. I know this is a season-end attack. And then finally, she shares Galatians 6:9, which says, so let's not get tired of doing what is good At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Thank— and that was from Lauren Ross Killey of Mindful of Christ. Thank you, Lauren, for encouraging us with your life story, where even in the midst of medical setbacks, you show us to keep going and growing with God by directing your thoughts, prayers, and efforts to follow the Lord. You can get more encouragement and Christian resources from Lauren by going to Mindful of www.thechrist.net. Whether we are healed or not, as long as we live, we can experience peace and joy when we trust in and follow the Lord. So no matter what you may be facing as we move closer to saying goodbye to 2023 and the loved ones who won't be with us in 2024, keep walking and talking with God, because as long as we trust in Jesus and follow the Lord's call on our lives We don't need to fear and can have peace even in times of death and disease. Today's Bible verse comes to us from the Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling by John G. Kruis. This morning's meditation verses come to us from the section on church discipline. And today's verses are James 5:19-20, and the Word of God says: My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Today's verses fall under the third point of the, of our Counseling Reference Guide's resource section on church discipline. That third point is: Seek to save an erring sinner. Today's verses encourage us to reach out to those who have fallen away, because if our efforts cause someone to come back to the Lord, we can rejoice knowing that the Lord used us to save their souls and to put them on the right path to God's plans for their life. Recently, I've had some constructive criticism of how to minister to others compassionately, and I have to be honest that I didn't receive it well at first., and I had the immature reaction of just quitting, deciding to retire to my room full of books and withdraw from ministering to anyone. If what I am doing is going to be subject to criticism, I'll just stop doing it, I thought. I know, real mature. But it didn't take me long to realize that the criticism I received was only intended to help me to grow and to be more be a more effective servant to the body of Christ, and that the decision to quit would not only be applauded by the spiritual forces of darkness, but it would also leave my purpose, my purpose in God's kingdom to be unfulfilled and take away one more opportunity for people to be encouraged in the truth and to find freedom and healing in Christ. Christ. Jesus prayed for us to work with Him to help the lost. Matthew 9:36-38, the Word of God tells us, but when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. So even though we will face opposition from the world, the flesh, and the devil, and might even receive some criticism from some in the body of Christ, we should never give up trying to reap a harvest of saved souls and healed hearts for Jesus and his kingdom. As always, I invite all to go to M.t. Clark.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. Today we're sharing from God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And today we, uh, as I've stated before, we, we're off the Advent calendar and just following this resource as we, as we take it. Um, so today, um, we are on Advent week 3 Redemption, Day 2, and today's message from Bonhoeffer is "Taking on Guilt." And Bonhoeffer writes, because what is at stake for Jesus is not the proclamation and realization of new ethical ideas, and thus also not his own goodness, but solely his love for real human beings, he can enter into the communication of their guilt. He can be loaded down with their guilt. It is his love alone that lets him become guilty. Out of his selfless love, out of his sinless nature, Jesus enters into the guilt of human beings. He takes it upon himself. A sinless nature and guilt-bearing are bound together in him indissolvably. As the sinless one, Jesus takes guilt upon himself, and under the burden of this guilt, he shows that he is the sinless one. Bonhoeffer also writes from a sermon for Advent Sunday, December 2, 1928: Lord Jesus, come yourself and dwell with us. Be human as we are and overcome what overwhelms us. Come into the midst of my evil, come close to my unfaithfulness, share my sin which I hate and which I cannot leave. Be my brother, thou holy God, be my brother in the kingdom of evil and suffering and death. Finally, uh, the Bonhoeffer's resource shares Matthew 19:16-19, which tells us Then some came to him and said, Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? And he said to them, Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. He said to him, Which ones? He said to him, Which ones? And Jesus said, You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother also. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. That is all the sharing today from our various resources, uh, today, and from Bonhoeffer's devotional on Christmas and Advent. As always, we encourage a lifestyle of Christian discipleship because in It's what the Lord calls us to do, to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. And so that's what we do. We encourage a daily spiritual practice for your benefit and for the Lord's worship and glory. He calls us to follow him, and he calls us to do that continuously. It doesn't say, um, pick up your cross and follow me on Sunday during church service time. It's supposed to be the truth and the new life that transforms us. And, you know, even, even well-intended criticism won't stop us from following and serving his kingdom. So we encourage that. And if you need more information about being free in Christ, we offer our discipleship classes on the M.t. for Christ 247 podcast and the M.t. for Christ 247 YouTube channel. Those teachings, of course, are Victory Over the Darkness, The Bondage Breaker, and Freedom in Christ. And they're all based on the word of God and the teachings of Dr. Neil Anderson from Freedom in Christ Ministries. We encourage you to check those out. Also, um, there are courses on ficm.org for this spring. Registration closes in 6 days. So if you need equipping, we encourage you to go to ficm.org and check out courses. If you're a man and wanted to be encouraged by me personally, you can join the Freedom in Christ course that is going to take place Mondays from 6:30 to 8:30, starting January 8th. Eastern Time on ficm.org. I have a handful of students signed up already. I haven't reached out to them yet. We'll probably wait until the 18th and registration to welcome them, but they somehow stumbled upon my podcast and say, hey, um, I'll be, I'll be facilitating your class and encouraging you in freedom. To, uh, to repent and to learn and grow and to, to leave those burdens behind and to experience a deeper life with Jesus. And that's the intention of our podcast. It's not perfect, it's certainly criticism worthy, but we just point people to Jesus. That's what we try to do. Why? Because it's true, you know, a life of— I lived most of my life outside of God's grace. I don't know if I was a believer before 2010. I certainly wasn't a disciple until then, and that's when I said the sinner's prayer for reals and decided to really follow the Lord. And even though I was very imperfect in my attempts, and still obviously I'm worthy of criticism. I've experienced tremendous growth and healing through following the Lord Jesus, and I consider it my purpose to tell people that this is really possible. This is the real life. It's not, you know, the fake church life that you think it is. Of course, it requires you to follow. So, so yeah. You don't just receive it. It's a walk. You walk in it. And we encourage you to do that. Today we're going to be walking into work again, so we'll do that faithfully, walking and talking with God the whole way. But before we do that, we're going to pray. So let's do it. Lord God, Heavenly Father, thank you for another day in your kingdom. Lord, we thank you so much for all that you do for us, the fact that you gave us life begin with, and then life everlasting when we sow the truth of the gospel and put our faith in Jesus. Lord, we pray for anyone who's listening or reading today's message, that they'd be encouraged. And we pray for you to help them, Lord. We pray for you to come alongside their prayer request and, um, and their walk of faith, and just to guide them in the way they should go. Lord, as always, we pray for you to go before us today. Open my eyes to the things you want me to see and lead my steps in the way I should go. That's all I want to do is represent you in your kingdom, Lord, and, um, just point other people to be saved and renewed and made free in Christ. Lord, we thank you, we praise you, we love you, and we pray all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.