By Pastor Shana Wise
“Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.”
Isaiah 43:19 NKJV
God is always doing a new thing, but the question is are we making time to see it? Moving forward in 2022 we must all be aware of the new season that we are in. Whether it’s in our personal lives, the ones we are connected to, what's happening locally, nationally, or globally we need to be sensitive to the sign of the times.
Rest and healing are not only available to the believer of Christ, they are imperative to help us walk out our purpose daily in Him. If we do not receive the proper rest physically and spiritually or are battling with health issues it makes it hard for us to focus on our assignment because the lack of health and rest can be a distraction.
No matter who you are or how old you are God still wants to use you. Every day that we wake up is another opportunity to serve in His Kingdom on earth. Let us examine some scriptures that would help us stay focused on the aspect of rest and healing in our lives.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””
Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
There are three instructions in this verse concerning rest. The first one is "come unto me" (Jesus). The second one is "take my yoke". The third one is "learn of me".
Jesus likes to deal with our spiritual condition before he addresses the physical. It is the condition of our spirit that will affect our physical being . Many of us are getting sleep but we are not resting. Others of us are not sleeping well and/or resting in our minds.
When we "come to Jesus", we must come to him with our mind, body, and soul. Sometimes the problem with us is that we are only coming to Him halfway but not all the way. When Jesus states that he wants us to come onto him that means he wants full reign in our lives. Jesus is not able to access full reign in our lives if something else, that we are allowing, is competing with His time with us. It is up to us to identify what is competing with our relationship with Jesus. He is always present with us but oftentimes we don’t recognize it because of the busyness of our lives.
To take Jesus's yoke upon us looks like him being able to lead and guide us in every area of our life. A yoke is an instrument used on the necks of ox or cattle to lead them on a straight path in the field to till the land. We are not animals; we are children of God, and we need the Father’s guidance from heaven to direct our paths here on earth so that we do not get stressed out or have a lack of rest due to being overwhelmed by our decision- making rather than God’s.
Jesus wants us to learn from him. For the believer, this looks like following Jesus. Not only must we read, pray, study, and meditate daily on the Word of God, but we must also make time to worship and walk with him. I always say that is not good enough just to know the Word, we must receive a revelation of it for change to happen.
If we make it a habit to apply these three instructions from Jesus daily to our lives we will receive spiritual and physical rest that He has for us.
For those who are seeking healing from God, we must understand that rest is a vital part of the healing process. If our spirit is not at rest, it can cause dis-ease (disease) within our physical bodies. Not all illnesses are caused by something we are doing spiritually however many of the illnesses of the world starts within the internal being of that individual. Some of these examples are stress, gluttony, lust, being in control of everything, unforgiveness, and the list goes on. These “Dis-eases” within our being, left unchecked, can lead to physical ailments and illnesses in our bodies.
Healing is available to all God’s children. We need to know the importance of participating in our healing process. For example, if the doctor has diagnosed you with diabetes or high blood pressure and they put you on a diet and exercise plan along with medication and you do not follow the instructions you can prolong the process of healing or even make it worse.
Discipline has the word disciple in it and God wants his children to be disciplined in every area of their lives. This discipline will lead to good health and healing, but if we do not exercise the discipline within ourselves it will be hard to overcome the obstacles that we face. “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
Luke 9:23 NKJV
The other day I had got a prayer request for someone who needed healing. Before I prayed for them I asked them if they were a believer in Jesus Christ and they stated no. I begin to tell her that healing comes in two forms which are spiritual and physical. I explained to her that the most important healing that she needs is healing for her soul and I begin to walk her through the sinner's prayer, and she accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. I told her that not only was that the best decision that she made in her life but that her soul was healed and secured in Christ Jesus. After that, I proceeded to pray for the physical healing that she had requested.
God can heal all manners of sickness and disease; however some people may not get physically healed of the illness that they have. It does not mean that God cannot do it but we must understand that maybe the illness may be the cross that was chosen for that person to bear.
Jesus wants us to know that in this life we will go through sicknesses and diseases but not to worry because he has overcome them. What Jesus did on the cross was break the power of sin over our lives and our belief in this fact will guarantee us a new body in the afterlife. That body will have no illnesses or diseases residing in it because we will be dwelling in a holy place forever.
Jesus has also given his disciples the power to drive out all manner of sicknesses and diseases according to Matthew 10:1. Miracles still take place today and people are being healed by God. Faith activates healing. We need to know about the Savior who heals. If you are believing in God for your healing then your part is walking it out by faith. This looks like participating in your healing, as stated before, and praying, speaking, and declaring scripture over your situation.
Moving forward this year expect God to give you rest and heal you so that you can go forth in the assignment that He has on your life. God said in his word “faith without works is dead”, so move forward in faith and apply the Word to your life to receive everything God has for you!
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About the Author
Dr. Shana Wise is an ordained Pastor and CEO of Wise Choice Ministries (est. 2016). She is the founder of The Well Christian Women’s Network formally known as Christian Women Preachers United. Dr. Wise is the author of women’s devotional, Acts of Intercession, The Impact of Your Election, and co-author of Basic Ministry Training Manual (available on Amazon) and Chief Women Arise. She received a Doctor of Divinity degree in 2019 from St. Thomas Christian University. Her passion is to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, equip others to apply the Word to their lives, and demonstrate the Word through the power of the Holy Spirit. She is a televangelist that appears on social media outlets. Shana is married to Deacon Ron Wise and is the mother of four children.
For speaking engagements email: wisechoiceministries512@gmail.com.
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Acts of Intercession
The Impact of Your Election
Basic Ministry Training Manual
Chief Women Arise
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