| http://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=48106&forum=34 Take Your Medicine | |
| God has given you a prescription for your healing. In Proverbs 4:20-22 God says, "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." That word health is translated as medicine, remedy, and cure. So, God has already made a way for you out of that sickness. But, you have your part to play in receiving your healing. In the natural if you went to a doctor for a health problem and he wrote you out a prescription you would look to get better. Also you would agree that you had your part, taking the medicine is your responsibility. And just as that medicine has ingredients in it that aids the body, God's word has healing power in it. But, you have to take it. How does it work, what you feed into your spirit feeds your flesh. In Proverbs 14:30 it says, "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones." Your spirit gives life to your flesh and according to what you put in it will determine whether you get healed or stay sick, "The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity" (Proverbs 18:14). Notice his word is life, the very life of God is in his word (John 1:1). It's a feeding process, remember Jesus said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). What is bread, nourishment for your body. You take it in and the nutrients are sent throughout the body. So likewise, when you take God's word in the life in it is sent throughout the body and gets rid of any sickness and disease. Like in Romans 8:11, "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the Spirit that dwelleth in you." That word quicken means to make alive, give life, and vitalize(to fill with life, vigor, energy). God's word is spirit and life(John 6:63), and that spirit and life will quicken your body. But, notice it says to keep the word in your heart(spirit) so give it some time. I gave it some time and I got my healing and you can too. http://livingwaterag.com/blog/2012/10/sermon-take-your-medicine-gods-prescription-for-health/ October 14, 2012 – Pastor Tim – “Take your Medicine – God’s Prescription for Health” – Click to download
The Word of God is like medicine for our bodies. We need to learn how to take God’s medicine so it can do its healing work in every area of our lives.
Most people have had to get a prescription filled at a pharmacy at one time or another. There are always instructions on the bottle of medicine that tell how much to take, and how to take it. The bottle may read, “Take one tablet every six hours,” “Take one pill three times a day,” or “Take one pill in the morning and one pill at night with food.”
If we don’t follow the instructions, we can get into trouble. We can take too much or not enough of the medicine. Or we can take it too often or not often enough. With medicine, we must take it according to the doctor’s prescription. It will only be effective if it is taken properly.
We need to do the same thing with the prescription that God has written for us. It is very simple and is found in Proverbs 4:20 and 21. “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; In these verses we find four steps to taking the medicine of God’s Word.
1. Attend, or Give Attention to God’s Word. The word attend means “to give one’s undivided attention.” Proverbs 4:20 could be better understood if we read it like this, “Give your undivided attention to the words of God.”
When someone says, “I want your undivided attention,” we know that means we’re not supposed to think about, look at, or do anything else. We’re supposed to focus directly on what that person is saying to us.
That is what God wants us to do. He wants us to shut out everything around us and, without any interruptions, give our undivided attention to His Word!
2. Incline Your Ear to God’s Word. Incline simply means “listen.” Proverbs 4:20 could be read this way, “Listen with your ears to what I am saying.” God is telling us to open our ears to the words He is speaking to us.
Remember when the Lord spoke to the boy Samuel and he did not recognize his voice? Samuel thought the prophet Eli was calling him. Finally, Eli said to the young boy in 1 Samuel 3:9-10, “ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
Each of us has to fine-tune our spirit to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In Proverbs 20:27 we read, “The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, Searching all the inner depths of his heart.
To be able to hear God’s voice, we must set aside time to wait in His presence and allow Him to talk to us. It’s when we are quiet before the Lord that we can hear from Him most clearly.
When we open our ears to God’s Word, we are closing them to everything we hear that is contrary to that Word. So many times we are listening to what God says but we’re also listening to what others say. We begin listening to this person and that person, this preacher and that preacher. But what matters is what God says.
Our victory lies in opening our ears to the Word of God and turning off everything else. That way our undivided attention is on what God has to say. When we close our ears to outside things and keep our ears open to God’s Word, we are closing out fear, doubt and unbelief.
3. Don’t let the Word Depart From Before Your Eyes. In other words, we must focus on what God’s Word says about our situation, not on what the circumstances or a negative report says. We must believe the report of God’s Word, which says we are healed and whole.
If we’ve been attacked with sickness, we can look at our bodies and see that an illness is present. But we shouldn’t respond to that! Instead, we need to look to the Word of God, which says, “You are healed and made whole,” and respond to what the Word says.
A lot of people go to God and respond to His Word when they’re experiencing bad times. When things are good, they don’t give God’s Word the same attention. Then, when they find themselves in bad times again, they falter.
We need to respond to God’s Word in the bad times and in the good times. Scripture tells us how to stay healed and live victoriously just as much as it tells us how to be healed and get out of difficulties.
4. Keep God’s Word in Your Heart. The Word won’t work for us if it’s only in our heads. We have to get it down into our hearts! When God’s Word is in our hearts, we can walk into God’s kitchen, so to speak, open the pantry door, make a “healing sandwich” and eat the bread of healing.
We as children of God don’t have to go to God and beg Him. “Please heal me. Please help me!” We can simply take what rightfully belongs to us.
That’s when we will see Proverbs 4:22 come to pass in our lives. “For they[God’s Words] are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Take your Medicine
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