OUTLINE:
2 Co 9:6-7
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Sin wants to discourage our faith in our Deliverer. And faith in our Deliverer includes gratitude for what we DO have! When our gratitude fades, our faith fades too.
Giving gratitude is vital (life-giving) to our faith.
No matter how hopeless the circumstance, our God CAN heal us if it’s His will. But faith plays an integral part in that! Mt 13:58, 14:34-36, 15:21-28
The Canaanite Woman’s Faith
Even after Jesus’ negative responses, she persisted, revealing she knew Him as her Lord and Master and was willing to be the humble dog at His feet! And then the Lord eagerly healed her daughter.
Do you maintain the persistent faith of the Canaanite woman, even while you say “God’s will be done”?
Part of “God’s Will Be Done”
We must never lose faith in our Lord and Master, regarding our healing and deliverance, just as we must never lose gratitude. Sin wants us to “give up” on asking the Lord in faith.
Situations of death are actually a blessing in disguise because they cause us to truly set our hope in God alone. 2Co 1:8-10 (Sin has deceived us into hoping in other things too… who honestly hopes in God alone, 100%, all the time?!)
By faith, with gratitude, we must look forward with contentment to God
delivering us… even if right now He’s saying it’s not the right time in your life.
Life Is A Gift And A Privilege
And that’s why, through it all, we are told to give thanks… because, whatever it is we’re going through, it’s plainly the will of God for our lives, at least right now.
When the timing of deliverance isn’t to our liking, we get discouraged. Sin whispers lies to us… Why are you holding fast your faith in the Lord? Why hasn’t God delivered you yet? But, the mature believer says “in my Father’s perfect timing”.
Gratitude is one of the keys to staying in the will of God for your life… and one of the keys to bringing God glory in your life.
Our Sanctification
Because we don’t obey all the commands we’re given, God gives us discipline to take us to sanctification, because we’re not humble enough to be taken there by pure obedience.
Then we have suffering as part of the will of God for our lives, and KNOWING God has a purpose, to remain in gratitude. 1Pe 4:12-19
Will we abide in gratitude, even when things aren’t going our way? And when we have health problems, will we trust God, and thank Him for what we DO have???
If we stick with the Word of God, the Spirit will use the perfect Word to answer our questions and even clarify our thoughts…
… that certain ideas are from Him, and not from ourselves, or vice versa!
STAND BY and watch His deliverance! This implies contentment and abiding in gratitude even while in the middle of the pressures of suffering! Ex 14:13-14
Never Doubt!
THE LORD is our Deliverer and our Healer. And there’s a time for everything under the sun… a time for testing… a time for refining… a time for silently waiting on the Lord… and a time for deliverance!
God’s Will: Be grateful in all things. Be grateful for your Deliverer, despite the lies that sin continually throws at you. 1Th 5:18
It’s faith in the unseen, when things seem bleakest, that brings tremendous glory to God, and disturbs Satan so much. Don’t let sin deceive you away from faith and gratitude, and living out the victory!
i.e. – Heb 11
Deliverance & Eternal Things…
– How about seeking healing from sin and our affection for it?
– How about seeking healing from certain lust patterns that we simply cannot defeat on our own?
Deliverance & Eternal Things…
– How about asking Him for deliverance, instead of only relief from the pain?
– How about trusting in and being thankful for the Deliverer Himself, even if it’s not the time for deliverance yet?
Sin has some of you under a spell… a spell of ungratefulness. Sin has you listening to a different spirit… the one that doubts. If that’s how you’ve been thinking, you’ve become victim to sin and it’s deceitfulness in your life!!
Q.- Why do we put so much stock in other things, in worldly comforts, and in good health in this temporary body? Why do we let those things control us and determine our happiness?
A.- Because we are listening to the sin nature within us, not the Spirit of the living God.
And then,… there’s being thankful for what we DON’T HAVE.2Co 12:7-10
God wants to deliver us, ESPECIALLY in our spirit, and that might require staying in a certain physical situation so we can finally see the light. This spiritual freedom is the ultimate deliverance!!
Spiritual healing is God’s top priority and was the primary purpose of our Lord’s first coming.
Mt 13:15,23
God’s Perspective On Healing
Our sick and deceitful hearts go from a raw wound and a sore boil to a healthy skin and a life full of energy… the Lord is our Redeemer… and the true healing that we are after, that lasts forever, is from sin and death, both positionally and experientially!