HE HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR YOUR TOTAL HEALING. BY HIS STRIPES YOU ARE HEALED!

30/08/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“Now bring me someone who can play the harp.” While the harp was being played, the power of the LORD came upon Elisha.
2 Kings 3:15, NLT

TURN UP THE PRAISE
In 2 Kings 3, the armies of Judah, Israel, and Edom traveled through the desert for seven days to attack the Moabites when they completely ran out of water. They didn’t know what to do and were desperate, so they went to ask the prophet Elisha what God wanted them to do. However, Elisha didn’t want to have anything to do with the evil king of Israel. He was annoyed and angered, but because of his friend King Jehoshaphat, he agreed to do it. Elisha knew that being irritated and upset, he couldn’t hear from God in that setting, so he asked for a harpist to play. He had to change the atmosphere, and when the harp was played, God’s power came on Elisha, and he began to prophesy the answer.

It’s amazing what God will do if you create the right atmosphere. When there’s worry, doubt, and frustration, that keeps us from seeing the goodness of God. As Elisha did, bring in the harp. Turn up the praise. Create an atmosphere of faith, hope, and expectancy. That’s what causes God to show up.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are the Most High God and Your power can turn impossible circumstances around and bring an abundance of favor. Thank You that I walk by faith and not by sight. I am going to keep believing, keep praising, and keep looking to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

One of the most evil teachings I have heard is that God will chastise His own with sicknesses, diseases, accidents, and tragedies.

SECTION TWO

When I was a teenager, one of the youth leaders in my previous church was involved in a horrible accident that nearly killed him. A church leader gathered some of us youths to go visit that youth leader and began to lament, “Why did this happen to him? What did he do to cause God to chastise him this way?”

Can you imagine how I felt when I “realized” that God was behind the accident? Honestly, it frightened the living daylights out of me to think that God would chastise a believer using such a harsh method!

I remember praying, “God, please don’t ever chastise me this way. Whatever it is, please, just tell me, all right? I will listen, I promise!”

I didn’t want to draw near to Him also because I was afraid of Him, afraid that if I made a mistake, He would not hesitate to chastise me with an accident that could leave me crippled for life or even dead!

Do you know that this erroneous teaching is actually based on the old covenant and not the new covenant? In Leviticus 26:28, God says to those who fail to obey His commandments, “I will chastise you seven times for your sins.”

But guess what? You are no longer under the covenant of law. You are under the covenant of grace! Jesus has already borne all your chastisement and punishment on the cross. Read it for yourself in today’s Scripture, Isaiah 53:4–5, then reread it and reread it once more.

The prophet Isaiah saw a prophetic vision of our Lord Jesus on the cross, bearing the punishment for our transgressions. He declared that the chastisement we deserved came upon Jesus so that you and I will never have to go through what He endured on our behalf. And by the stripes laid on Him as He bore our chastisement, we are healed! Hallelujah!

So how can anyone have the audacity to say that God will still chastise us with sicknesses, diseases, and accidents today? To say this is to negate the finished work of Jesus Christ! Under the new covenant, God will never again chastise the believer for his sins!

Whatever condition you have today, it is not from the Lord! Look to Jesus on the cross. See Him beaten and scourged for you, and receive healing and wholeness from Him. He has paid the price for your total healing. By His stripes you are healed!