Genesis 15: After these things the word of The Lord, the Great I Am,  came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 

 And Abram said, O Lord, the Great I Am,  what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?

³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.

⁴ And, behold, the word of The Lord, the Great I Am,  came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

⁶ And he believed in The Lord, the Great I Am; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.

Exodus 15:2-3 The Lord, the Great I Am, is my strength and song, And he is become my salvation: This is my God, and I will praise him; My father’s God, and I will exalt him.  The Lord, the Great I Am, is a man of war: The Lord, the Great I Am,is his name.

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

There are three stories of great health and balance in relationship and provision here.  Each shows us a people being sustained and promises being fulfilled.

In Genesis, the Father, promises Abram to be his shield and his exceeding great reward.  He promises to make him prosperous and as immense as the stars of the sky.  In Exodus, Moses walks among millions of people that have been birthed and sustained and delivered of this very promise.  In Psalm 84, David rejoices in the continuance of the blessing as it is being lived in the nation in great prosperity and victory over enemies.

Abram had believed for years and seen great works of God.  This was turning point of faith.  Even at a later point, he would father a child at 99 years old and live to see him grow to adulthood.  That is health.

Moses started in the house of the enemy of the people.  Next he spent 40 years in the desert learning the heart of God.  Next he spent 40 years leading a nation to the future chapter of their lives.  At 120 years old it is written that his eyes did not dim and his natural strength remained.

David was born to a mother that was not his father’s wife.  This embarrassment meant being place away from the rest in his daily chores.  He conquered any depression or lack of esteem that would accompany such treatment through faith in the Father.  Through many wars, he conquered in the name of the Lord, the Great I Am.  At a healthy old age, he had much prosperity.

The song of Moses starts with the promises given to Abram, later to be named, Abraham.  In Exodus 15 Moses is singing of the greatness of his Lord, the Great I Am. Even as you read through this chapter of Genesis 15, you will find that The Father tells Abram of the captivity and release of his future generations.  David represents a full national status for the heirs of Abram’s promise and Moses’ deliverance under a faithful and Godly king.  The three stories that are separated by hundreds of years are one and the same.  They are a single thread of the Father’s faithfulness to provide balance and protection and healing in our lives.  Yet, it is only in Jesus that the fullness of the promises are met.

That is the strength and provision and protection of a healthy relationship with the Father.  All three of these men had incredible challenges to face on a moment by moment basis.  All three faced disease, discomfort, war, famine, threats, disunity and a myriad of other disruptions of grace and peace.  All three kept coming back to the Lord, the Great I Am, and find restoration, healing, victory, provision.  They lead us to the full release of the promise in Jesus, the Christ.

Paul, the great writer and minister of the Greatest Promise, refers to this shield as The Shield of Faith.

⁶ And he believed in The Lord, the Great I Am; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness….. Abram

Hebrews 11:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned..   Moses and the people

Hebrews 11:32-35  And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again.  …..David and others

This faith, trust in the Lord, The Great I Am, belief that brings right standing before Him and restoration even of the dead to life again is a key element of the walk of full health in Christ.

This shield is for you.  Under the banner of faith in Jesus, the Christ, who was promised at the beginning to Adam then Abram and others and given to us through the faithful persistence of these and other men, you can walk in confidence and surety of protection and provision and restoration and a graceful and peaceful life .  No matter the conflict, He is there.  He promises.  He shields.

Ephesians 2:13 ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus, you, who some time were afar off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

Okay, so admit it.  There are some times where you feel incredibly distant from God.  He does not feel like a loving Father, but some distant Creator, who spun the world into motion and retreated to watch you flounder around trying to figure it all out.

Of course, those times are permanent for those who are outside the kingdom of Christ. If you have never entered into the initial relationship with Him, you continually feel like that.  He is there, but the barrier of separation keeps you from connecting at heart level with His love and graciousness and compassionate involvement.

For those that are in relationship with Christ, there are still times we do not feel near.  So the words of instruction here are for us.  You need to draw near.  You need to take active steps to realize the relationship.

Over some time my wife and I took a trip through Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Kansas.  During that time, we would read scripture aloud, pray aloud, and talk with God and with each other.  We drew near.  Busyness takes us away from those closest.  The refreshing invigoration of our closeness with each other and with the Father is important.  Even though we have been married for over 30 years, we can lose the nearness.  Event though I have been connected with Christ to the family of God for over 30 years, the closeness can feel distant.  Draw near.

Health is stimulated with closeness.  Studies abound that tell us a healthy long-term marriage will go through testing times.  Yet, the ones that hold and develop closeness tend to live longer and happier lives all around.  On the other hand, an unhappy and divisive relationship will shorten our lifespan on earth.

Health is stimulated with closeness to our Father.  Spending time with Him with honest and open communication brings healing to our emotions, thoughts, plans, actions, bodies, and relationships.  We must draw near.

The way is open in Christ through His sacrifice.  Yes, that bloody event of His suffering brought a peace for us with God.  We who were separated by the chasm of a disconnected relationship (sin), became bridged and adopted into a close family tie.  Jesus prayed right before the big event, “Father, let them be one even as we are one.”  His focus was to draw us into an intimate relationship with the Godhead as close as His.  Wow….

No sin, no sickness, no disease, no poverty, no depression, no lack can exist when we are near to the heart of God.  Nothing matters but that relationship.  His presence dissipates  the problems and gets us focused.  Our thoughts become established and focused and sure.  Our actions and words move from the direction of our changed heart.       Our changed heart happens when we draw near to Him.

Be whole.  Be well.  Draw near.

http://youtu.be/QVntGJELnB4 — 3 minute live prayer

F.F. Bosworth in his classic book on divine health notes as one of his principles of understanding healing that “His present attitude toward our sickness is wonderfully revealed by the fact that since His exaltation, His compassion has neither been withdrawn nor modified.”  (Christ The Healer, page 64.)

Matthew, a business and government leader and a close personal student of Jesus during His days walking on earth, dedicated much time in his gospel writings about the power of compassion.

Matthew 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

The original Greek construction in this and other versus similar is ‘splanchnidzomai’.  The word could be translated, “hit deeply in the gut with love”.   This “gut wrenching” love for others moved and continues to move Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to reach out and do something.  Jesus wants to make a difference.

Smith Wigglesworth understood the power of compassion.  During his time in ministry, he would see great miracles of restorative healing.  Multiple times Smith saw the dead raised back to life.  It is known of him that the love of God flowed through him that during times of prayer for those with dis-eased and dis-abled bodies and minds.  He would weep openly and profusely as the love of God became his love.  This power of compassion moved from the ministration of the Spirit of God through Smith to work healing in many.

Many times in prayer have I witnessed this compassion overwhelming my soul and actions!  At times, it is so prevalent that I am compelled to simply lie on the floor and weep and moan for others.

That is a common way, I pray for you.  In the private hours of the night and early morning it is normal to weep for the release of those tormented by dis-ease and dis-ability and dis-comfort and dis-couragement and dis-enchantment.

Our Father wants us enchanted with living.

Our Father wants us courageously living.

Our Father wants us comfortably living.

Our Father wants us ably living.

Our Father wants us at ease in our living.

Sure, living can be tough and exhausting but it is not meant to be full of dissing.    Any dis in life is not the design of the Creator.  He has sent first His Son, Jesus, the Anointed One, and secondly His own Holy Spirit to forgive us and cleanse us.

Forgiveness means we do not owe a debt or curse of disease any longer.  Through the poured out blood of Jesus, the debt of separation has been paid and we are meant to be connected to God fully again, even as Creation’s design intended.

Cleansing means when we intersect with the cursed situations in the world that bring on disease and disability and discomfort in our mind, will, emotions, body, relationships, and strengths, we can access a restorative power of the Holy Spirit to knock out the problem and create health and balance fresh and vibrant.

1 John 1:9 If we confess and admit and acknowledge our sins and weaknesses and separations and mistakes and failures and diseases, he is faithful and just to forgive us all of these sins and weaknesses and separations and mistakes and failures and diseases , and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness while restoring our position and situation of righteousness and right-standing and connection to the love and power and strength of God the Father.  (Phil’s expounded version)

Pray With Me Live at http://youtu.be/s7-3GhfOw-g

Some would ask, “What is Divine Health”

Here is my simple definition.

Divine Health is the state of healthy living originally intended at the time of man’s creation.

Our Creator and Father never intended us to live in anything but perfect health.  As a race, we violated His directions and cautions and took our minds, bodies, spirits, and relationships into an unhealthy or cursed state of being.  In that cursed state of separation from His intention and pleasure, we find ourselves beset with problems in all four areas of life.  These four areas are our created design.  We are a spirit with a soul in a soma (body) living in society.  All four should be in balance to really live in divine health.

Health is free and fought.  Liberty in any area requires a daily struggle to maintain.  There is a cursed world attempting to take from us our rightful heritage of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control.  These along with wisdom and counsel and power and righteousness and understanding and knowledge and a reverence of the Lord, God, (Isaiah 11: 2-3) should be evident in our daily lives.

What is the reason we do not see miracles daily?

Lack of connection with the right principles in living and faith.  Living is not just about what we see, but what we know to be true regardless of what we experience and see.  Faith engages the unseen.  When you come to God with your life and seek a state of divine health in the four areas, you must first believe that He is God above all, your Creator and Sustainer.  Next you must believe that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him diligently. Next  is a matter of receiving the blessing.

More will follow:

Today, I open an improved journey in my divine health walk.  This morning, after attending to my eating, exercise, family relationships, workplace relationships, and community relationships, I find myself at liberty and peace.  My physical weight is at the lowest point in 15 years after battling a thyroid condition, ensuing depression, and personal mistakes that we call sin.  Anything done outside of faith and focus on a divinely healthy and balanced life is sin.  It is the wrong use of your intended design by God.  Sin is anything that hurts you or hurts another person.  Don’t get hung up on words, let’s call sin what it is.  It is misdirection and imbalance and improper living in any of the four areas.  So the opposite of sin in focus, balance, and proper living (ethical and moral and principled).