“Then Jesus said to the officer, “You may go home now. Your faith has made it happen.” Right then his servant was healed,” (Matthew 8:13, Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version). This time in the life of Jesus begins when He healed a leper and ends when Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.…
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple; Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms. (Acts 3:1-3 Holy Bible, King James Version)
Peter and John were creatures of habit. That afternoon, about three o’clock, they made their usual trek to the temple in Jerusalem. They encountered a lame man begging at the gate. Nothing different there either. The difference came when Peter spoke in boldness. “Look on us.” That confidence in his new experience of being Holy Ghost filled at Pentecost emblazoned Peter with faith.
“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” (v. 6)
The crippled man leaped up and praised God. And it all happened because Peter and John took time to pray.
Prayer: Lord, help me to follow Peter’s example and set aside a time to pray. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:6, Holy Bible, New King James)
Healing. We all need it from time to time. From nature taking care of small scrapes and bruises to miraculous events, healing is necessary.
St. Luke doesn’t specify the types of healing accomplished from town to town, only that the apostles healed in every town they preached. What about emotional healing? External or internal, physical or emotional, healing is still available today.
Prayer: Lord, I commit my physical and spiritual weaknesses to You . I need healing that only You can give. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks…” (Luke 17:15-16, Holy Bible King James Version).
Ten lepers stood far away from Jesus and cried out for mercy. Jesus tested their faith by telling them to go and show themselves to the Jewish priest, the custom when leprosy was cleansed. All were healed on the journey, but only one returned to give Jesus thanks. That one displayed the attitude of gratitude.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, in this world of selfies, help me to show the attitude of gratitude for Your touch. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
Awhile ago, my husband told me how when he was growing up, he built elaborate snow forts every winter. The entire backyard was dedicated to his fort-building and spy games. He would build his barricade on one side of the yard, and then dig a tunnel all the way from…
Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, … It is the subjectively unpleasant feelings of dread over something unlikely to happen, such as a feeling of imminent death. Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is felt about something realistically intimidating or dangerous and is an appropriate response…
God has scars too. Sometimes I forget that and try to hide mine. I often feel that I’m the only one who has known rejection, shame, and pain.
That isn’t true though. Jesus was beaten and died on a cross because He loved us. He was misunderstood, hated, and gossiped about. He was all too familiar with pain and suffering.
The Bible tells us that He was tempted by the same things that we are today. He understands when we struggle, feeling discouraged and wounded (Hebrews 4:15). Because He has been-there-done-that, we don’t have to worry about bringing our problems and concerns to Him. We know he cares and understands.
Prayer: Lord, You knew that it was like to be hungry, tired, and pressured. You walked on earth, died for our sins, and rose again so that we might have a new life. Thank you for the gift of Your love.
Devotion by Bonnie Peacock
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“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works? (Hebrews 9:14).
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Have you ever experienced the delivering power of God in a certain area of your life only to be troubled at a later point in time with some type of blockage? Something deep down that you can’t seem to get at? Then Satan begins his relentless tirade of accusations trying to convince you that you are too full of hang-ups to be fit for God’s service. This is the moment when we must remember the power of the Blood! That it reaches to the highest mountain, and it flows to the lowest valley! In other words-to those hard to reach, dark places that only Jesus can touch and restore. And He will!! Don’t be discouraged, God has a time for everything!
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Prayer: Lord, when those accusations come -help me to lift up my head and shout, “The blood of Christ is my answer to every challenge and it will never lose its power!!”
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Devotion by Anne Richardson
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“When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe…” (Matthew 9:8 in the New International Version of the Holy Bible). This Scripture is refering to the miracle that Jesus performed for a paralyzed man who stood up, picked up his mat and started walking home. No one in the small town of Capernaum in northern Galilee had ever witnessed anything like this before! And furthermore, Jesus not only healed the man He also told him he was forgiven. Can you imagine seeing this happen with your own eyes? The crowd that day were awed by the power of God on display before them – healing and forgiveness all at one time! We are overwhelmed today by awe inspiring advances in science and technology. We’ve become so accustomed to phenominal inventions and medical breakthoughs that we tend to lose our sense of wonder. We must be careful not to lose our sense of awe when it comes to God. Does His power and majesty still take your breath away?
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Prayer: Lord, forgive me if the world that I live in has numbed me to the wonder of who You are. Let my heart and mind be captured again by the awe of Your mighty acts. Amen.
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Devotion by: Julie Long