Don't just ask . . . Declare!



The beautiful belt my talented husband tooled
using his amazing leather crafting skills  :0)

Matthew had a 4-H shooting sports meeting on Valentine's Day but he told me he had a surprise planned for this past Saturday.  Unfortunately, I left work half way through Friday with a horrible stomach ache, fever, and aching body.  I slept all afternoon until Matthew came home from work.  He was going skiing with his parent's and their FCA group so I had the house to myself for the evening.  I spent the entire night watching Netflix, drinking tea and asking God to allow me to feel better for my surprise the next day.  My fever broke sometime during the night on Friday so I thought that was pretty good news!  The next day I felt well enough to do some cleaning and cooking; then, I got ready for my surprise.  Matthew took me to a local dinner theatre.  It was wonderful except my stomach ached terribly after we ate dinner.  It made for a very long show even though it was hilarious.  Again, I prayed God would help me to feel better and He did . . . but I still didn't feel the best.  Sunday I woke up and ate breakfast.  When we got to church I felt horrible again.  I was catching on to the fact that each time I ate anything I was bound to feel terrible.  By the time we had bible study on Sunday night I was thinking to myself . . . well, I feel a lot better than Friday but I'm not so sure I want to teach students feeling this way.  Then, it occured to me: Not once this weekend did I take my power and authority God has given me through His son Jesus

My Valentine's Rose

to declare healing.  I was whinning from the couch that I could not be sick for school the next day then I stopped.  I asked Matthew to come and pray with me for healing. We prayed together, not that I would feel better, but that God would heal my stomach and allow me to function the way he intended me to.  . . . by his stripes we ARE healed . . .  not will be healed, not if God chooses to he can heal me, the bible says, "we are healed".  The instant Matthew said, "We declare in Jesus' name that this sickness would leave." I felt my stomach twitch.  We finished our prayer, he looked at me and said, "When you feel well, get up and help me make the popcorn."  This may sound harsh, but it was a reminder to me that if I'm going to declare healing, I need to believe that I am healed.  I can't continue lying on the couch acting like a sick person when I know I can be healed by God.  I got up from the couch and have not had a pain in my stomach in over 24 hours.  Now, I understand this may sound odd to many people and until a year ago I would have thought I was crazy.  Ever since we were part of a bible study last spring and summer we have been learning a lot about declaring our authority in Christ, healing, God's character and many other topics.  By allowing God's WORD to renew and transform our minds we have gained many understandings I know other Christians do now know or trust in today.  We have learned SO many "outside the box" ideas.  But . . . what did the disciples do during and after the days of Jesus?  They were filled with the Holy Spirit, declared their authority and healed many.  Maybe we don't see healing because we don't believe it, we just ask for what we want, we don't declare it with the POWER we have inside us from the SPIRIT of GOD.