God's Covenant is for Total Health and Healing of His People
Scriptures:
The New Testament is the terms of Christians inheritance from God the Father through His Firstborn Son of Men, Jesus Christ, the second Adam. We must learn to walk, in this world, according to His promises found there!
Here are some texts to encourage and heal you:
We must confess what God’s Word says about us, to ourselves! And if at first it is hard to believe because of life’s circumstances, repeat it to yourself until the circumstances change and ask God to help your unbelief!
Mat 13:55-58 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Pro 18:20-21 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Rom 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: BUT BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Eph 4:29-30 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1Jn 4:13-19 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.
[Speaking of Abraham & Sara, who were then respectively 90 & 100 years of age!]
Rom 4:18-21 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Heb 4:12 For the WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF soul and spirit, AND OF THE JOINTS AND MARROW, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 6:17-20 Wherein God, WILLING MORE ABUNDANTLY TO SHEW UNTO THE HEIRS OF PROMISE the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Heb 4:12-16 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Eph 6:10-16 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Mar 5:24-34 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Jas 1:2-8 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Isa 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Act 14:8-10 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Jas 5:13-18 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
And finally, this summarized everything:
3 Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Here are some texts to encourage and heal you:
We must confess what God’s Word says about us, to ourselves! And if at first it is hard to believe because of life’s circumstances, repeat it to yourself until the circumstances change and ask God to help your unbelief!
Mat 13:55-58 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
Mar 9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
Pro 18:20-21 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Rom 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: BUT BE YE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Eph 4:29-30 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1Jn 4:13-19 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.
[Speaking of Abraham & Sara, who were then respectively 90 & 100 years of age!]
Rom 4:18-21 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Heb 4:12 For the WORD OF GOD is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, PIERCING EVEN TO THE DIVIDING ASUNDER OF soul and spirit, AND OF THE JOINTS AND MARROW, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Heb 6:17-20 Wherein God, WILLING MORE ABUNDANTLY TO SHEW UNTO THE HEIRS OF PROMISE the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
Mat 21:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.
Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Heb 4:12-16 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Eph 6:10-16 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Mar 5:24-34 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Jas 1:2-8 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Isa 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Mat 8:13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
Act 14:8-10 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
Jas 5:13-18 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
And finally, this summarized everything:
3 Jn 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Finding Grace Is Finding Healing
by Marilyn Ellsworth, written 2001
It seems as though every winter, for the last twenty-some years, I have molted at the spiritual level. It begins around Thanksgiving and now lasts until mid-January. While it is not a particularly pleasant time, I am always grateful for its results.
I always feel clean and tidy on the inside when it’s over. That always seems to precipitate some physical healing for me.
It began in 1979, the year I truly, spiritually, committed my life to Jesus Christ as my Lord, my King, my Savior and my Master… and to obeying His teachings whether I liked them or not. That first “molting season” began just as a period of giving “Thanks” at Thanksgiving time, but when it was over I realized something special had happened.
I’d always read the Bible to find out what was wrong with my neighbors, but that time, I was reading it to learn how to get rid of what was wrong with me: things I knew all too well. I had found plenty to deal with.
Looking back, I’ve analyzed what was happening to me during those molts. Just as birds discard their old, unnecessary winter feathers during their spring molt, I was purging the attributes I’d accumulated during my worldly walk that were no longer needed in my spiritual walk.
It was as though I had grown protective down feathers throughout my life, little defensive mechanisms, that were there to protect me from the coldness of the world’s environment that I grew up in. If I could have attached names to the feathers, they would be called things like “Hatred,” “Anger,” “Bitterness,” and “Envy.” But four feathers are hardly protective against the icy blasts of poverty and insanity. So, there were others like, “Lying,” “Jealousy,” “Deception,” and myriad others.
The first time it began, I didn’t know what was happening. I just knew I had felt wretched and inconsolable inside since dedicating my life to Christ. I was looking for the consolation of God’s grace, His ‘unmerited favor,’ when I began to read the Bible that first fateful day. But instruction is what I got.
“Read Proverbs.” A voice inside me instructed. I knew it wasn’t me that spoke, for I’d always hated reading Proverbs, because I found it to be like a tangled maze of illusive gibberish, hiding secrets that alluded me.
Never-the-less, I began to read Proverbs, thankful for the inner direction God was giving me. It took a month of true, intense, mental labor.
“I did it, Lord.” I said blissfully when I had finished this first task. I know now that ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ “What do You want me to do now?”
“Read Proverbs!” was my only reply.
“Oh, no!” I protested, but then began. It only took a few weeks of arduous mental labor this time. But when I was finished, I knew He’d be pleased with what I’d accomplished.
“I’ve studied it a second time, Lord. Now what do you want me to do?”
“Read Proverbs.”
If I’d had false teeth, they’d probably have popped right out of my gaping mouth when I heard those words the third time! Didn’t He know I’d just done that… twice?
I remembered my vows the previous summer, to change, to do things His way rather than my own, to submit to Him first, the temptations of the flesh last. As my personal frustration peaked, I made myself submit to do it at least one more time!
Had I refused that third reading, I know I would have succumbed, long-since, to the stifling suffocation of my own, natural, protective devices. But I began to read Proverbs that third time, with a new determination. I was reacting on a deeper level than I’d ever reached inside myself before.
Then, as I got to the sixth verse of that first Chapter, something so unusual happened that I don’t think I even breathed for long moments. The print on the page changed before my eyes. Plain print became bold and rose off the page, toward me. It read, “To understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” God was showing me His interpretation.
Then, immediately, perhaps in mere seconds, as my gaze was drawn to them: other words arose, bolded, off the page. As usual, I had a pencil in my hand, and I began to quickly circle the words as they appeared. In less than three minutes by my clock, I had gone through the complete book of Proverbs, circling the words that I was shown. Then it was over.
I knew I’d been visited, and I knew those words held the key to my future. Now, all I had to do was find out how they fit together. Once through the list, and I knew. They were a direct reflection of what I was then on the inside of me: “Rebellion, strife, envy, shame, fools, fear… death.”
In that moment, I changed, as I realized that God knew me very well. His knowledge wasn’t just some philosophy people theorize about, it was down-home and very personal.
I wrote every scripture on a three by five card that had a circled word in it. Then I organized the cards by their circled words, duplicating cards where it was necessary. I had so many, I had to remove all the pictures from the living room wall and tack them all over it to see the pattern they were forming. Horace put up with me for he saw that I was on a mission… this time from God.
In the meantime, God was leading me into other studies. People at church were seemingly coming out of the woodwork to give me gifts that exactly fit into the pattern of what God was doing in me.
One gave me a study Bible I’d been wanting for a year. Another gave me several study books on the exact study I was doing… covertly. Another gave me a set of refrigerator magnets which were the exact scriptures I was studying. I almost felt picked on!
As the studies merged, I realized I was studying demonism, the kind of entities Jesus, Himself, spoke to and that spoke back to him from within insane, tormented people. They all sounded like I felt.
What was appearing on the living room wall was a genealogy chart of emotional attributes that the Bible says are ruled over in humans by ungodly spiritual powers and principalities.
From the chart on the wall emerged four categories of attributes, their dominant patterns and, to my surprise, their spiritual antidotes. Those that rule attitudes were the unteachable spirits, appropriately called “fools”, and the learned-unwise, called “scorners.” Those that rule uncontrolled and impulsive actions were “the wicked,” which are all lying, murdering, contentious and destroying spirits, and the “strange woman” who rules all perversions.
Many of the attitudes were rampant in me and the actions were a great temptation, but not yet a reality. Three scriptures in particular held my attention at first: Proverbs 14:30, 15:4 and 17:22. “A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but ENVY (is) the rottenness of the bones.” “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness (deceit/rebellion) is a breach in the spirit.” “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
I knew cancer takes control when the body’s immune system weakens. That happens when the blood chemistry is altered, and that happens in the bones. I had had cancer, and I knew my heart envied those who had succeeded at my expense. It made sense that Envy was my enemy, and that a sound heart, one rooted and grounded in the Word of God which is wisdom personified, would be my body’s salvation. By submitting my actions and thoughts to the authority of God’s washroom in prayer, I slowly grew stronger, both physically and spiritually.
These scriptures said to me that I was treading a slippery, downward spiraling staircase that would end in my destruction if I did not reverse my course and climb out. His antidotes were my stepping stones, but they would not work, no matter how true, if I refused to use them. I knew that when I was free, my destiny would be to show others the pathway.
Two and a half human years and half-a-million prayer-years later, I was free and clean on the inside. I had found seventy one named entities and had to face and conquer fifty six within myself. From this experience I began to write my testimony, From Hell to Wholeness – One Woman’s Walk from the Pit to the Pinnacle, and a text book on deliverance titled The Laws of Deliverance from Proverbs. The latter has distributed over twenty thousand copies. My testimony remains unfinished.
The antidotes were the grace I had sought. Only in the application of that grace did I find healing… first from the residues of cancer, then from the compound injuries of my brother’s incest. Eventually I found relief from the zillion’s of torments created by my family’s insanity. When the destructive patterns returned, and some of them did several times, at least I knew where to go for a second and third inner cleansing. Finally, I got it right. But even now, every winter, perhaps because of the “Thanks” giving season, I submit to it again, just in case… some small over-site has taken up residence in me, unaware.
It seems as though every winter, for the last twenty-some years, I have molted at the spiritual level. It begins around Thanksgiving and now lasts until mid-January. While it is not a particularly pleasant time, I am always grateful for its results.
I always feel clean and tidy on the inside when it’s over. That always seems to precipitate some physical healing for me.
It began in 1979, the year I truly, spiritually, committed my life to Jesus Christ as my Lord, my King, my Savior and my Master… and to obeying His teachings whether I liked them or not. That first “molting season” began just as a period of giving “Thanks” at Thanksgiving time, but when it was over I realized something special had happened.
I’d always read the Bible to find out what was wrong with my neighbors, but that time, I was reading it to learn how to get rid of what was wrong with me: things I knew all too well. I had found plenty to deal with.
Looking back, I’ve analyzed what was happening to me during those molts. Just as birds discard their old, unnecessary winter feathers during their spring molt, I was purging the attributes I’d accumulated during my worldly walk that were no longer needed in my spiritual walk.
It was as though I had grown protective down feathers throughout my life, little defensive mechanisms, that were there to protect me from the coldness of the world’s environment that I grew up in. If I could have attached names to the feathers, they would be called things like “Hatred,” “Anger,” “Bitterness,” and “Envy.” But four feathers are hardly protective against the icy blasts of poverty and insanity. So, there were others like, “Lying,” “Jealousy,” “Deception,” and myriad others.
The first time it began, I didn’t know what was happening. I just knew I had felt wretched and inconsolable inside since dedicating my life to Christ. I was looking for the consolation of God’s grace, His ‘unmerited favor,’ when I began to read the Bible that first fateful day. But instruction is what I got.
“Read Proverbs.” A voice inside me instructed. I knew it wasn’t me that spoke, for I’d always hated reading Proverbs, because I found it to be like a tangled maze of illusive gibberish, hiding secrets that alluded me.
Never-the-less, I began to read Proverbs, thankful for the inner direction God was giving me. It took a month of true, intense, mental labor.
“I did it, Lord.” I said blissfully when I had finished this first task. I know now that ‘Ignorance is bliss.’ “What do You want me to do now?”
“Read Proverbs!” was my only reply.
“Oh, no!” I protested, but then began. It only took a few weeks of arduous mental labor this time. But when I was finished, I knew He’d be pleased with what I’d accomplished.
“I’ve studied it a second time, Lord. Now what do you want me to do?”
“Read Proverbs.”
If I’d had false teeth, they’d probably have popped right out of my gaping mouth when I heard those words the third time! Didn’t He know I’d just done that… twice?
I remembered my vows the previous summer, to change, to do things His way rather than my own, to submit to Him first, the temptations of the flesh last. As my personal frustration peaked, I made myself submit to do it at least one more time!
Had I refused that third reading, I know I would have succumbed, long-since, to the stifling suffocation of my own, natural, protective devices. But I began to read Proverbs that third time, with a new determination. I was reacting on a deeper level than I’d ever reached inside myself before.
Then, as I got to the sixth verse of that first Chapter, something so unusual happened that I don’t think I even breathed for long moments. The print on the page changed before my eyes. Plain print became bold and rose off the page, toward me. It read, “To understand a proverb and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.” God was showing me His interpretation.
Then, immediately, perhaps in mere seconds, as my gaze was drawn to them: other words arose, bolded, off the page. As usual, I had a pencil in my hand, and I began to quickly circle the words as they appeared. In less than three minutes by my clock, I had gone through the complete book of Proverbs, circling the words that I was shown. Then it was over.
I knew I’d been visited, and I knew those words held the key to my future. Now, all I had to do was find out how they fit together. Once through the list, and I knew. They were a direct reflection of what I was then on the inside of me: “Rebellion, strife, envy, shame, fools, fear… death.”
In that moment, I changed, as I realized that God knew me very well. His knowledge wasn’t just some philosophy people theorize about, it was down-home and very personal.
I wrote every scripture on a three by five card that had a circled word in it. Then I organized the cards by their circled words, duplicating cards where it was necessary. I had so many, I had to remove all the pictures from the living room wall and tack them all over it to see the pattern they were forming. Horace put up with me for he saw that I was on a mission… this time from God.
In the meantime, God was leading me into other studies. People at church were seemingly coming out of the woodwork to give me gifts that exactly fit into the pattern of what God was doing in me.
One gave me a study Bible I’d been wanting for a year. Another gave me several study books on the exact study I was doing… covertly. Another gave me a set of refrigerator magnets which were the exact scriptures I was studying. I almost felt picked on!
As the studies merged, I realized I was studying demonism, the kind of entities Jesus, Himself, spoke to and that spoke back to him from within insane, tormented people. They all sounded like I felt.
What was appearing on the living room wall was a genealogy chart of emotional attributes that the Bible says are ruled over in humans by ungodly spiritual powers and principalities.
From the chart on the wall emerged four categories of attributes, their dominant patterns and, to my surprise, their spiritual antidotes. Those that rule attitudes were the unteachable spirits, appropriately called “fools”, and the learned-unwise, called “scorners.” Those that rule uncontrolled and impulsive actions were “the wicked,” which are all lying, murdering, contentious and destroying spirits, and the “strange woman” who rules all perversions.
Many of the attitudes were rampant in me and the actions were a great temptation, but not yet a reality. Three scriptures in particular held my attention at first: Proverbs 14:30, 15:4 and 17:22. “A sound heart is the life of the flesh; but ENVY (is) the rottenness of the bones.” “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; but perverseness (deceit/rebellion) is a breach in the spirit.” “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine; but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
I knew cancer takes control when the body’s immune system weakens. That happens when the blood chemistry is altered, and that happens in the bones. I had had cancer, and I knew my heart envied those who had succeeded at my expense. It made sense that Envy was my enemy, and that a sound heart, one rooted and grounded in the Word of God which is wisdom personified, would be my body’s salvation. By submitting my actions and thoughts to the authority of God’s washroom in prayer, I slowly grew stronger, both physically and spiritually.
These scriptures said to me that I was treading a slippery, downward spiraling staircase that would end in my destruction if I did not reverse my course and climb out. His antidotes were my stepping stones, but they would not work, no matter how true, if I refused to use them. I knew that when I was free, my destiny would be to show others the pathway.
Two and a half human years and half-a-million prayer-years later, I was free and clean on the inside. I had found seventy one named entities and had to face and conquer fifty six within myself. From this experience I began to write my testimony, From Hell to Wholeness – One Woman’s Walk from the Pit to the Pinnacle, and a text book on deliverance titled The Laws of Deliverance from Proverbs. The latter has distributed over twenty thousand copies. My testimony remains unfinished.
The antidotes were the grace I had sought. Only in the application of that grace did I find healing… first from the residues of cancer, then from the compound injuries of my brother’s incest. Eventually I found relief from the zillion’s of torments created by my family’s insanity. When the destructive patterns returned, and some of them did several times, at least I knew where to go for a second and third inner cleansing. Finally, I got it right. But even now, every winter, perhaps because of the “Thanks” giving season, I submit to it again, just in case… some small over-site has taken up residence in me, unaware.