GOD CAN, BUT WILL HE In the Old Testament God had given the Israelite's specific instructions on how to deal with leprosy and other kinds of skin infections (Leviticus 13). Anyone suspected of having this disease had to go to a priest for examination (Leviticus 13:2-3). If the person was found to be infected then they; “..shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp” (Leviticus 13:45-46). The person who had leprosy was considered utterly unclean—physically and spiritually.
By Pastor Rory Synoground
To prevent the spread of the disease, those with leprosy were separated and quarantined from the general population. (Numbers 5:2-3).
“And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.” (Luke 5:12-13)
Like leprosy, sin is an infection which enters the heart. It starts out small, a simple thought which contradicts the Word of God, but then spreads into our minds, our bodies, and our relationships. It leads to other sins, causing great damage, separating us from God our Father, our family, and our friends.
Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) Throughout the Gospels we consistently see Him being moved with compassion saving and healing all those in need. He never backed down when facing difficult or challenging situations. Whatever He encountered, He demonstrated that faith in God would free suffering humanity and cause us to overcome.
In Luke 5:12-16 we read the account of the first Leper who choose to approach Jesus. Here was a man utterly helpless, with the seal of death upon him, yet he heard of Jesus. JESUS HEALS.
One of the most challenging conditions to overcome during His time of ministry in Israel was leprosy. Mycobacterium leprae, the infectious bacterial agent of leprosy, is a debilitating disease.
Was there hope? Could Jesus help him? Could he be cleansed? If only he could get to Jesus. The difficulty of this quest was enormous. He would be breaking the laws of the land.
Leprosy literally terrified humanity. It did not kill, but neither did it seem to end. Instead, it lingered for years, causing the tissues to degenerate, deforming the body.
He believed that Jesus had the power to heal, but would He heal him? It didn’t matter, for his faith created hope, which caused him to act.
From the moment leprosy was pronounced upon a person, it was their death sentence. There was no natural remedy for the leper. 2
Leaving his place of banishment and despising his shame, he pressed on.
him, did he do something to deserve this? Will Jesus heal him?
Listen, even though the difficulty of your situation may be tremendous, when your heart lays hold on the promise of God, it will create faith which will cause you to act with hope and expectancy. When you act in faith those impossibilities will yield to His Word!
Many today are wondering the same things. Is it Gods will to heal? Is sickness Gods way of teaching me something? Am I worthy or important enough to be forgiven and healed by the Lord? The answer the Lord gives this man should settle like questions others have had concerning His will on forgiveness and healing.
While waiting for Jesus, crowds gathered in expectation. They were so taken up with anticipation that they did not notice this leper hiding among them in the shadows.
“And he (Jesus) put forth his hand and touched him…” (Luke 5:13) CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Then as Jesus appeared, the crowd through their shear excitement begins to press in closer. The leper in his weakened condition was now being pushed back from being able to reach Jesus. The reality of his condition was taking its toll. He’s finding out that his attempt at hiding is hurting him more and more with each passing moment. What could he do? He has come so far. He realizes he would either have to reveal himself or stay in this dreadful condition. He would have to risk it all. What would the people do? What would Jesus do? Time is running out. He makes his decision. As Jesus approaches the crowd he shouts: “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN”. The crowd suddenly and chaotically scatters in fear, leaving him alone, exposed and vulnerable. He has to act quickly before the shock of his presence wares off. As he looks up, there is still one standing there. There is one who didn’t run. There is one who didn’t judge. It’s Jesus standing there, looking at him with unconditional love and compassion. He isn’t moved by his condition. He isn’t angry or upset at his presence. He falls on his face before Jesus saying: “…Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean.” (Luke 5: 12) No one can stop a man, whose heart is set on reaching Jesus! What a risk this man took. It could have meant his life, but he had to know. Was this Gods’ will for 3
PRAYER & HEALING SCHOOL TESTIMONY "I GAVE YOU WHAT YOU ASKED FOR"
The ultra sound revealed a very large mass on the right side of my thyroid. It was very suspicious for malignancy. I was then advised to have a biopsy done. I asked for a referral to go to the Mayo Clinic. One was granted and an appointment was made.
For several months I was experiencing a cough. The cough would come and go. At one point the cough seemed to stay longer than usual, and was accompanied with a sore throat and fever. After sometime a swelling on the right side of my neck appeared.
The day before my biopsy, I called the RSMI Prayer & Healing Ministry to come in for prayer. I prayed, "Father, I am asking for healing. I am going in for prayer and I am going to receive all that you have for me."
At one point the swelling became as large as a golf ball, but then shrunk back down. The soreness in my throat remained, along with a small lump that I could feel in my throat. I began to hear "Go to the doctor." I thought to myself, “Could that be God saying this to me?” Then I thought, "God says in His Word, that by His stripes I was healed, therefore I am healed. I don't need to go."
When I went in for prayer, Pastor Rory said to me, "When I lay hands on you, receive your healing”. I said "Yes!" I knew that was God speaking to me. When Pastor Rory began to declare my healing, I instantly fell down from the power of Gods Anointing. I remember that I began to laugh and laugh. My friend Kim who was there praying for me, had her hands on me, and she was laughing as well.
But the symptoms remained. I would hear again, "Go to the doctor". My family and friends were encouraging me to go in as well. After standing for a time, nothing seemed to get better; in fact it seemed to get worse. Then the cough got so bad that I could not sleep at night, and I was getting exhausted.
After a short time, I got up and I knew it was done. All my symptoms were gone. I received my healing.
I finally decided to go to the doctor.
The next day I went to Mayo Clinic for the biopsy, and Praise God it was benign.
I was seen by one Doctor, who after examining me, went and got another Doctor to examine me as well. The two of them concluded that what I was dealing with was very serious, and that I needed to have more tests.
I was thanking God for His faithfulness to me and His faithfulness to His word. I then heard Him say to me, "I GAVE YOU WHAT YOU ASKED FOR." I began to cry out of gratitude and what I could not express with words to such a loving God, I believe my tears did.
An ultra sound was scheduled to be done on my throat and neck.
Diane Daily 4
Keep Your Battery Charged
"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31). In Ephesians 5:18 Paul admonishes the church to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used there is plerousthe. The literal translation of this verb can best be stated as "be being kept filled." Billy Graham, the great American evangelist, in his book, The Holy Spirit, said that Ephesians 5:18 literally says, "Keep on being filled with the Spirit." In his book, he also said, "Unfortunately millions of God's people do not enjoy the unlimited spiritual wealth at their disposal because they are not filled with the Holy Spirit. We are not filled once for all, like a bucket. Instead, we are to be filled constantly." This would indicate that as believers we are to keep ourselves constantly filled as we live our lives each day. This process is how we daily are led by and walk by the Spirit.
By DR. LARRY OLLISON "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
A battery contains power, but if a battery is left uncharged or unused, the power will diminish, which can be disastrous in times of emergency. During a storm is not the time to discover the batteries in your flashlight are dead.
So keep your spiritual battery charged with the Word and by praying in the spirit. Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals.
Likewise, we must keep our spiritual battery full of faith by filling it with the Word so that in times of peril, we will not be caught off guard. The Holy Spirit is the power of God and by praying in the Spirit, we build up our most holy faith (Jude 1:20). Faith is the catalyst that activates God's miraculous supernatural power. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event and then it's over. The apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit in the upper room with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Their boldness brought the wrath of the chief priests and the elders and they were commanded to not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus (Acts 4:18). Upon telling their friends what had happened, they prayed and were all filled with the Holy Spirit again.
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GOD CAN BUT, WILL HE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
This is important. The first thing Jesus did was touch the man. He was not supposed to do this, after all the disease is very contagious. That risk didn’t matter, because Jesus had other priorities that directed His life.
value. He was communicating to him that he was important to the Father. This should reassure us that the Father is not afraid to touch us in our uncleanness, in our sin. Even if we are rejected by man, and are an outcast in society, He is always ready to reach out and embrace us with His love.
In John 5:19 Jesus said that He only did what He saw his Father do, and in John 8:26 He said that He only says what He hears His Father say. So when Jesus reached out and touched this man, it literally was the Father reaching out and touching him with His unconditional love.
Secondly Jesus went on to say in Luke 5:13; “... I will, be thou clean.” This should forever silence the critics that say it’s not Gods will to heal. When Jesus said “I will”, it was literally God the Father saying “I will”.
By touching this man, Jesus was showing him his
THE FATHERS WILL IS HEALING! HIS WILL IS FREEDOM. He knows exactly what Word you need to hear! This man believed Jesus could, but he didn’t believe He would. When Jesus spoke those words “I will, be thou clean”, faith was formed in the man’s heart and he received his healing. Echoing the words of His Father, and through His loving touch, Jesus was able to reach this man’s heart and cleanse him from his condition. It happened immediately. He didn’t have to wait for it. He didn’t have to beg for it. He didn’t have to earn it. It was instantaneous. This is such a loving powerful example of the Father’s unchanging will in action toward His children. Whatever sin you are in bondage too, whatever sickness, addiction, or crises you are experiencing, your Fathers will is for you to be free. Your condition does not repulse Him! He does not reject you! Through His Word and through His loving touch He will cleanse you and make you right! The truth is, God the Father through Jesus Christ, not only CAN heal, but WILL heal you.. He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness; He will forgive you of all your sins, He heals you of all your diseases. Instead of running from your Father, run to Him! Trust Him to heal your heart, and make you free.
YES HE CAN, AND YES HE WILL! 6
Rory Synoground Ministries Int. 1110 24th Ave SW Austin MN 55912
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