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Prayer & Fast - Healing

Tuesday, 17 August 2010 9:27 PM

BLESSINGS FROM THE PRAYER & FAST - 14 August 2010

To listen to audio recordings the Prayer and Fast talks & testimonies, please visit the Southside ministry page by clicking here.

We had a wonderful time of prayer and fasting together last Saturday 14 August. Here are some of the highlights and blessings from the ministry and testimonies we shared:

• It's a great privilege, an honour and a joy when someone asks you to pray for them - a sign of hope believing together you can go hand in hand before the very throne of Grace and together bring a result. Remember who he is and who we are - we worship a merciful and gracious God who loves us, a father, a provider. It is a relationship and we can have confidence, nothing of ourselves, all of God. If we only grasp hold of the promises we have amazing faith within to encourage each other.

 

• The church, being a body, experiences pain, but it is the head that works it out for us and the more connected we are to the head the more able we are to show love. So all parts of the body can get messages from the head - if you have an urge to pray for someone that's from God. Heartfelt prayer for someone lead you to care, and do things for them, we can forget about ourselves and put others first.

 

• Psalm 107:20, 8, 15, 21, 31 'He sent his word and healed them' - the results of faith in God and belief in his word that tells us it will do something. Look at what God is continuing to do for us and continually thank him and praise him. But we have to work at our faith - read the scripture, meditate so the word of God is one with us. The carnal mind is the enemy of God. Change our thoughts to the truth of the scripture.

 

• Phil.4:4 - Its easy to rejoice when things are going well but hard in adversity 'adversity: a state of serious or continued difficulty'. Job lost everything but still praised God, and most of the OT leaders went through adversity - different examples, but all there for a reason. Moses escaped to Midian, a desert, and learned to care for the sheep there - a lesson for his future role. Count it all joy, you will learn patience and come out with a reward at the end. After you have suffered a while, make you perfect; rejoice, the benefits of the Lord are bigger than the problem and God goes through it with us. Be content, trust with all your heart.

Some blessings shared:

• Johanna: remembered one of the gifts about trusting God - one night John woke up having trouble breathing, pale, sweating, shaking - instead of calling the ambulance she prayed and soon his breathing was normal and he went to sleep.
• Ainsley: Brian had pain in his leg and back when he first came to the Lord and was booked in for surgery. The leg pain disappeared and he said to God, 'if you don't want me to have the operation you'll need to stop it'. Several hours later in the operating room at the very last minute, they decided not to do it. He has no pain in his leg, some in his back they are praying about.
• Roger: We prayed for a lady who was diagnosed with an inoperable tumour pressing on the pituary gland. Only chance gamma surgery in Sydney. After prayer another MRI scan in preparation for surgery showed it was gone.
  Another time while in Sydney for a conference, got talking to a woman handing out leaflets at the quay. She asked him to pray for her, so right there in peak hour crowd wearing a pin striped suit he found the courage to lay hands on her and pray.
  At the end of his recent 3 week trip to China, had continuous coughing and asked the Lord to heal him before he caught the plane, and he did.
• Peter: When he was 2 weeks in the Lord playing football at Carackalinga camp he got a knee in the shoulder. Everyone prayed and the pain went away so he kept playing. The pain came back and xray showed his shoulder was broken. But after the second xray preparatory to surgery, the doctor came out looking confused and said he could go home. Peter said Praise the Lord he healed me, and the doc said 'well someone did'.
  In Vanuatu playing cricket and twisted his knee - was prayed for and within a few weeks it was better, now he can get on his knees to pray.
• Joan: Had a very painful shoulder and often went to the prayer line. At the ladies weekend she confessed to the Lord that in her heart she knew she didn't really believe it would happen, and as she was praying she moved her shoulder and found it was healed.
• Patricia: The Lord moves us where he needs to like chess pieces - while in Cairns was able to encourage and help a sister who was going through a similar difficulty to what she had come through.
• Pauline: Relative of her neice had cancer in the liver and the Monday group kept praying for him - he is a young man with children. Next time she heard he had put on weight and the smaller tumours had disappeared. A week ago she rang her neice and asked after him and she said 'you wouldn't know he was sick - no longer terminal, the tumour has shrunk, and he has put on weight he lost - 30 kgs and is back working full time.
  
  If we only understood how much God loves us we would never fear again.

Filed Under: Southside Talks

Walking after the Spirit - What, Why and How?

Monday, 16 August 2010 8:10 PM

Ps. Bob Beverley
Talk Series presented Wednesday July, August and September 2010
Talk 1 - What is it to Walk after the Spirit?  download MP3 now
Talk 2 - Why do we Walk after the Spirit?   download MP3
Talk 3 - How do we Walk after the Spirit?  download MP3

You may browse MP3 recordings of ministry delivered recently at Southside Revival Fellowship here.

 

WHAT IS IT TO WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT?

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (who walk (not run) not after the flesh, but after (following) the Spirit)

The Spirit is the revealer of truth about - God, life, the universe, and everything. John14:18, 16:13.

It is:
John 4:34; ".to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work"
To seek God's will and not our own ...to do always those things that please him and thereby glorify Jesus.

It is not:
Walking after (in) the flesh.  Rom.8:4,8.

It is nothing of ourselves.
John5:19-30; " I can of myself do nothing .....I seek not my own will but the will of the Father"
Therefore it is actively seeking his will before we do anything.

Knowing that;
John 8:28,29; ".he that sent me is with me" God with Jesus - Jesus with us.

If we believe and do this; "of myself I can do nothing" the consequence will be that
we will be walking after the Spirit, following the Spirit (and the word) because they are inseparable.

WE ARE WHAT WE DO!

Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart (by Psychiatrist Gordon Livingston)
'30 true things you need to know now'.
He says:
"we people always talk about what we think, what we intend, what we should ..we are not what we think, or want, or say, or how we feel ...we are what we do"
The Bible says: Matt. 7:16. "you shall know them by their fruits"
And he also says:
"the three components of happiness are something to do, someone to love and something to look forward to"

That's a wise statement, so let's describe what it is to walk after the Spirit in these terms.

SOMETHING TO DO
Live the life, be the gospel, preach the gospel.
Matthew 10:6-8; "Preach.kingdom of heaven is at hand .heal the sick, cleanse the lepers .raise the dead .cast out devils .freely give".
Gal:6:2; "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ".

SOMEONE TO LOVE
Jesus, God, family, brethren, mankind.
Matthew 22:37,38; ".love the Lord thy God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.and love your neighbour as yourself"

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Blessings, healings, peace, joy, salvation, eternal life ... having done then reap.
So:
Matthew 7:16; "you shall know them by their fruits"
John15:8; "that you bear much fruit"
John15:16; "chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit"
Galatians 5:22,23; ".the fruit of the spirit..".

And ultimately:

Revelation 21:4; "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things have passed away....I make all things new."

WHY WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT?

Romans 8
Because:
8;1; no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus
8:4; the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us
8:5; to mind the things of the Spirit
8:13; to live eternally
8:26,27; to have our needs, weaknesses, conveyed to God

The Holy Spirit reveals Gods' nature and his intentions - his will, and gives us the opportunity to follow and see his will fulfilled in us.
And
John 16:7-15
He (the Holy Spirit) will reprove / convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment, and will guide us into all truth and glorify Jesus. Expound / discuss.

Because as Jesus said he could do nothing of himself and that he sought not to do his own will but the will of his Father, we can do nothing of ourselves and therefore must seek the fathers will at all times which is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.

John 5:19 and 30;
".The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do". What has Jesus seen God do?
" I can of myself do nothing ..I seek not my own will, but the will of the father who has sent me".

If Jesus of himself can do nothing then what do you think you can do of yourself?

Give the children of Israel example - God leading them, the Spirit with them (though they didn't know it).
Hebrews 11:6; "Without faith it is impossible to please Him...".
God is leading us by the Holy Spirit who is now in and not just with, provided we consult / converse) with him.

To glorify God.

HOW WALK AFTER THE SPIRIT?

1 Corinthians 1 and 2 are about not understanding or learning naturally but learning by the Spirit.

IF THE NATURAL MIND COULD DO IT THEN NO NEED FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

It is important to note that Paul does not mention the Holy Spirit till chapter 2:4 and then 10-16.
He said he wanted to "know nothing among them except Jesus and him crucified".

Why was this?
So that they would totally deal with any natural wisdom and understanding about their state as humans and their place in the church, so that they realize it is all through Jesus.

When we appreciate this then we listen to and walk after the Spirit - we will not be deceived by our own conceit / wisdom / carnal nature.

Examples:
Acts 8:26; The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip.

Acts 9:10; The Lord spoke to Ananias in a vision.

Acts 10;1-6; An angel of God spoke to Cornelius.

Acts 10:0-16; Peter had a vision and teaching from God.

Acts 10:19- 20; The Spirit spoke to Peter.

Acts 11:28; The prophet Agabus spoke by the Spirit.

Contrast with the natural thinking problem, viz:
Acts 12:1-16; the church was praying diligently for Peter but not really believing!
And:
Galatians:1:10; It is not seeking to please men (including ourselves).

So what should we expect and how?

First: Hebrews 4:9-11. We cease from our own works and rest in the perfect work of God.
Galatians 5:16; We choose to walk in the Spirit so we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Second: We give God opportunity seeking his will in prayer about everything that we do.
Galatians 5:22; We expect the fruit of the Spirit to grow strongly so that both we and others may eat.

Third: We listen and act when the Spirit gives us ideas, thoughts, directions.
Ephesians 6:17; We rejoice in using the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

How identify the leading and directing of the Holy Spirit?

He always is consistent with the principles and teaching of God's word.
He performs things that only God can do.
The results always glorify God and Jesus (and no-one else).
He reveals his secrets to his prophets (servants) before they occur. Amos 3:7.
He leads us into all truth. John 16:13.
He will take us into the centre of God's will and work as long as we allow him to lead.
We do not quench the Spirit. Anybody ever done this?

How? It is in the doing of his will.

Which raises the next question. How do we know what his will is?

We read and pray.

Matt. 10:19,20;
"..it is not you that speaks but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you"

We live as spiritual people not just as natural people.

1Cor. 2: 13-16;
".not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.. ..the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned. ..but we have the mind of Christ."

We are active doers of his will in the body of Christ. (our particular fellowship).

The Holy Spirit has made us a new creation with the mind of Christ to DO, to LOVE, and to LOOK FORWARD.

So what is it to be?
The nature of Adam, carnal mind etc.
OR
The nature of Jesus, doing the will of his father, walking after (with / in) the Spirit?

Mark 16:20;
"...the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following". So we have to work - exercise faith in action.

John 4:34; ".finish his work"
Which means that we are to be involved in finishing God's work in and through us.

1Cor.10:5;
"Casting down imaginations (reasonings) and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ"

Trust - learn to work with him, Ephesians 1:11; "...according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will".

Matthew 26:39;
"..not as I will but as you will".
and
Revelation 1:10;
We seek to be in the Spirit on the Lord's day - everyday!

Filed Under: Southside Talks