God Is Our Great Physician

When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

(Matthew 9:12 NKJ)

A few years ago, my husband became ill. It didn't take long after we sought treatment from the physicians to find a tumor growing in his digestive system. Within days of the tumor being identified, he was scheduled for surgery with one of the best gastroenterologists in our region. Having that tumor removed, as soon as it was found, saved his life.

It's easy to decide to have something removed when you realize how dangerous it is to the health and well-being of your body.

The Word of God declares that God is our Great Physician. We often lean on God for the healing of spiritual, emotional, or physical pain, and His Word can guide us to recovery. But I wonder how often you turn to God to be a surgeon in your life.

Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:12, they considered themselves “healthy” before God because of their observance of the law. They failed to acknowledge their spiritual sickness. Jesus was pointing out to them in this verse that only those who acknowledge their sickness can receive the help they need.

How often do you ask God to cut away the attributes that make you spiritually unhealthy?

I want to encourage you to ask God to show you the “tumors” of your spiritual life. For example, do you struggle with discontentment, pride, disobedience, selfishness, ungratefulness, offense, bitterness, anger, or hate? All of these adverse attributes and many others can make us spiritually unhealthy.

With the same urgency that my husband had his physical tumor removed, we should seek God to show us the areas of our spiritual life where things are growing that shouldn't be. Then allow Him to begin the work to remove them. Surgery can be painful, but it's always for the good of our health.

The Pharisees couldn't see their spiritual sickness- and it hindered their relationship with Jesus. I don't want anything to hinder my relationship with Jesus, and I'm sure you don't either. Thankfully we can prevent this from happening in our lives! We are all sinners in need of Jesus, and we can trust Him as our Great Physician, He is the best surgeon we will ever have.

I See Dead People

In the movie Sixth Sense, Bruce Willis stars as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a psychiatrist attempting to help a young boy named Cole Sear. A fundamental tension exists throughout the plot’s development as Dr. Crowe doesn’t realize that Cole is also trying to help him. Working their way to mutual revelation, Cole finally breaks the tension eerily with a piercing statement, “ I SEE DEAD PEOPLE.” The plot later reveals that this struggle for Cole is the only reason he can see Dr. Crowe. Dr. Malcolm Crowe is dead. But he doesn’t know it.

One guy sees dead people. The other is dead and doesn’t know it. There is something for us to consider spiritually here from a symbolic perspective.

And He made you alive, who were dead in… sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air... 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind... just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), (Ephesians 2:1-5 NKJV)

Do you see dead people?

Or, maybe I should ask if you are dead or alive personally?

I’m not talking about ghosts. Instead, I am referencing the reality that we can be dead due to separation from Jesus Christ and not realize it.

We can become so enthralled with walking after the course of the world that we remain spiritually dead. And, this state of existence is a dangerous place to be! But, thankfully, we all have the opportunity to become alive, despite all of our sins, by confessing Jesus Christ as our Savior!

In this message, I See Dead People, I share why we need to ensure that we are alive. I also share why your answer may change when processing this all-important question: Do you see dead people? Because, here’s the truth, there are dead people all around us, and God created us to bring the light of life into their lives through good works! I want to help you realize that you were made anew through salvation in Jesus Christ to do good works.

We do these good works because of the good things Jesus is doing in us, not because we are good people! Commissioned to spread the Gospel of Jesus to everyone we meet, it’s only through receiving the Gospel that the dead can be made alive, and God wants to empower you as His son or daughter to serve as a laborer for this cause.

Be encouraged through this message that God created YOU to serve a significant role in the Kingdom of God!

Are you willing and ready to be used by God and do something good that leads to someone’s salvation experience? According to Jesus’ own words, “The Harvest is ready, but the laborers are few.” Let’s go to work!

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works… (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV)

Check out this message by Pastor Eric and be encouraged to start using your time, talent, and treasure to populate Heaven and plunder Hell!

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

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How to Experience a Life of Overflow

When I was just starting to drive, I didn't have a lot of money, and as a result, I developed a fundamental tension with fuel stations. Since I would always buy a minimum amount of gas, I often pulled away from the pumps, my gauge still reading “E” for empty. It was a very “unfulfilling” experience; especially, as I pushed my “fill up” as far as possible before the next stop. The result of this twisted cycle: I often ran out of gas on the side of the road. Needing a roadside fill-up, many times I had to call others for help! First on my call list was one of my uncles. Every time I would call, he would ask, “Where are you at this time?” Over time, I called him and requested refueling assistance so frequently that he finally bought a one-gallon fuel jug and wrote my name on it.

Are you running on “E,” not in your vehicle but rather your soul?

Even when you leave spiritual filling stations like church services or small groups, do you still feel like your spiritual fuel tank is on E?

Maybe, out of exhaustion and fatigue, you’ve had to call God for roadside assistance so many times that you’re starting to feel like he’s got a jug with your name on it?

Know this truth, while God can most certainly visit you roadside, he doesn't intend for you to live life running on empty. He has designed an opportunity for you to live life running on full!

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV)

We have an enemy, he is the devil, and he comes to wreak havoc and bring chaos in our lives. Most often, his attack is progressive. First, he tries to steal something from you. Next, he tries to kill something in your life. Ultimately, he wants to bring destruction to your life. Knowing our enemy is this vicious, we should then become very grateful to our risen Lord, Jesus, who has decreed, “I have come so that you may have life and you may have it more abundantly!”

Since abundantly means extremely plentiful and overflowing, we can celebrate that our God wants us to experience His presence in such a way that it is overflowing with life. The exact opposite of what our enemy intends for us! And, thankfully, Jesus exemplified through His ministry precisely what it looked like to live an abundant, overflowing life. The disciples knew this fact when they pleaded, “Lord, TEACH US how to pray!” The disciples recognized how Jesus valued and placed importance on prayer, and they desired to mimic this model in their own lives. I believe they wisely understood that Jesus’ life was full of abundance because of His prayer life.

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray...” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.” (Luke 11:1-4 NKJV)

In last week's message, Grave to Garden, we talked about living our lives full of prayer, praise, purpose, and power! If you haven't watched last week's message, I invite you to do so now. It could open some things up for you in an “overflowing” kind of way! (Watch Here)

In this week's message, Running on Full, I continue to move through Jesus’ model for prayer and teach three additional ways we can access the abundant and overflowing life God intends for us to live.

Let’s start here, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3 NKJV)

Our Lord is a provider, and He wants you to live a life that is full of provision. God can get you in, God can get you through, and God can get you out of it! Our Heavenly Father is the God of provision! He will provide you with physical and spiritual provisions within your life daily by honoring His promise, “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us… (Luke 11:4 NKJV)

We need to be very intentional about asking God to forgive our sins. But we also need to be very intentional about forgiving others. We must live life full of pardons. Your willingness to live in abundance correlates directly with your ability to forgive and be forgiven. If you want to be effective in your prayer life, you MUST be willing to forgive (ref. Mark 11:25). Creating offense and bitterness among us is one tactic the enemy uses to stifle our prayer lives; stealing, killing, destroying. The enemy understands that if he can get you to refuse to pardon others, he can rob you of the abundance God has for you. Examine your heart. Is there anyone you've chosen not to pardon?

Cancel culture has taken over our whole world, but this is an excellent time for the gospel to shine. Because when you live a Christian life, you don’t get to cancel anyone! Because if you did, you and I are canceled too. Aren’t you glad that Jesus didn’t cancel us because of all of our sins and mistakes? He gave us the ultimate example of what pardons look like!

And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. (Luke 11:4 NKJV)

We must choose to live life on the right path. Not by our standards, but by the example the Word of God provides, and with Jesus as our shepherd. Making this decision is how we get to walk in an overflowing life and abundance. God reveals this path to anyone who asks Him to do so. The enemy will always try to draw you away from the narrow path God has for you. Don’t let the enemy distract you. Stay on the right path. Jesus is your light. He is your help. He will lead you to the overflowing and abundant life God has for you!

Through God, we can experience incredible, abundant, overflowing life. Not just on the other side of eternity, but here and now! God can and will give you a lifestyle in the peace, joy, and love of His presence that is exceedingly above anything you could ever ask for or imagine. And now you know how to access it.

Choose to live a life that is full of prayer, praising God, and receiving His power and purpose. If you do, you will discover that you aren’t running on empty. You will be running on FULL!

FULL OF PROVISION

FULL OF PARDONS

& ON THE RIGHT PATH

Check out this message by Pastor Eric as he continues to walk us through Luke 11:1-4 and teaches us some compelling practical applications to start applying to our own lives!

WATCH IT | DISCUSSION GUIDE | MESSAGE NOTES

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