I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT? (part-53)

I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?

JOY
Most of us can say that when we are in church on Sunday, we see
some people who claim to be saved but appear to be missing the
joy of the Lord. In fact, some even have the appearance that they
aren’t even sure why they came to church, and will be glad when
it is over.

Church attendance is not just a time to hear a message from the
pastor. It is also a time to praise the Lord in song, to sense His
Spirit in His house, and to get re-energized for the next week.
Life has many challenges and without a healthy relationship
with the Lord, our problems can seem insurmountable.

If our problems continually weigh us down, then it is doubtful
we are experiencing the joy of the Lord. That’s not to imply that
we will never have ‘down’ times, but we should not be defined as
one who is always down. Of course our brothers and sisters in
Christ should make special efforts to lift our spirits when we are
going through some difficult times, and we should do the same
for them.

SICKNESS
Whenever we are ill, we should not only pray for ourselves,
but we should be willing to ask others to pray for us as well.
    Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the
    elders of the church to pray over them and anoint
    them with oil in the name of the Lord. (James 5:14)

It is probably safe to say that most of us start taking ‘over the counter’
medicines or go to the doctor whenever we get sick, but seldom is prayer
the first thing we do. It sounds as if James is implying that prayer should
come first. He also mentions the anointing of oil as an accompaniment to
prayer. The scriptures show us that oil was used as a form of medicine
during biblical times.
    The Old Testament refers to oil being used for wounds.
        From the sole of your foot to the top of your head
        there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and
        open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed
        with olive oil. (Isaiah 1:6)

    The good Samaritan used oil on the wounds of the man he helped.
        He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring
        on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own
        donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
        (Luke 10:34)

    When Jesus sent the twelve out to preach and heal,
    they used oils during the healing process.
        They drove out many demons and anointed many
        sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:13)

Either the oil was used as a healing agent, or it was symbolic of
God’s healing power. If it was actually used for healing, then in
today’s world we might equate it to prescribing modern day
medicines. If it was symbolic, then we can still anoint with oil
today; or lay hands on the ill as a show of faith in God’s ability
to heal. Regardless of our choices, faithful prayers can result in
not only healing, but the forgiveness of sins.
    And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick
    person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they
    have sinned, they will be forgiven. (James 5:15)

If we sincerely feel that we are praying with full faith in God’s
ability to heal but the person does not survive, it could put our
faith on shaky ground if we fail to acknowledge God’s definition
of healing.

If someone has terminal cancer and is not getting any better regardless
of the prayers of faithful friends and family, God may have decided the
best healing is to bring them to heaven where they will receive a new body.
This can be difficult to understand since we may not know His Will at the
time. It doesn’t mean that God will not heal someone and allow them to
remain on earth, it just means that He is in control and His healing is where
our prayers are directed.

Some have said that God will not change His will, but He is omnipotent
and has the power to ‘will a change’. In other words, God might change
His plans based on the faithful prayers of His children. The important
thing to remember is – we should pray without ceasing and trust the
Lord to do what is best. This can be very difficult when His Will
conflicts with our desires.

We can all agree that Paul was a man of faith and yet when he
asked for the thorn in his flesh to be removed, God chose to leave it.
    …Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited,
    I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to
    torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it
    away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient
    for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
    Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
    so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s
    sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
    persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I
    am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

We can see that Paul had the spiritual wisdom to realize why
the Lord chose to leave the thorn in his flesh. The reason was
    It shows we have faith that God will answer
    our prayers in the same way we asked them.

    It also means we trust God to answer our prayers
    according to the purpose of His Will (which may
    be something different than what we were expecting).

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