EGM TIMES EXPOSING | ENCOURAGING | EMPOWERING VOLUME 10 ISSUE 4 JULY - AUGUST 2022 HOPE FOR THE HURTING HOPE IN THE WAVES OF GRIEF WOUNDING HEALERS: HOW GOD WHAT IF HEALING DOESN’T COME? MAKING SENSE OF DIFFICULT SITUATIONS0814182228CAN HEAL THROUGH THOSE WHOPAGEPAGEPAGEPAGEPAGEHURT HEALING
HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR YOU ? REQUEST PRAYER
HEAL THE SICK, RAISE THE DEAD, CLEANSE THOSE WHO HAVE LEPROSY, DRIVE OUT DEMONS. FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED; FREELY GIVE. - Matthew 10:8
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Meet our Writers
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@elisetegegne.book,elisetegegne.com,Connectblog,andFathom,Motherhood,FareForward,DappledThings’amongothers.withheratFaceoronInstagram
Aliyah Dan is a Palm Beach Atlantic University senior where she studies Communication and Christian future. She believes that the walk of a Christian should be disciplined, humble, and compassionate to reflect Christ every day. You can find her blog at
Alicia Searl, USA Celeste Majcher, UK
Aliyah Dan, USA
Alicia Searl is a devotion al author, blogger and speaker passionate about pouring out her heart and pointing ladies of all ages to Jesus. She has an educational background and a master’s degree in literacy. Her favorite people call her Mom, which is why much of her time is spent cheer ing them on at a softball game or dance class. She is married to her heart throb (a spiky-hairedtall, blond) who can whip up a mean latte. She sips that goodness while writing her heart on a page while her puppy licks her feet. Visit her web site at aliciasearl.com and connect with her on Instagram and @AliciaSearlWritesFacebook
Celeste Majcher is a pastor’s wife, mum of five (including a set of triplets), blogger and author of three books. The Forgotten is a collection of short stories, Taking Root is an anthology of poems and Tommy’s Mummy is Sad is a children’s book that deals with the difficult and not often talked about parental depres sion. Her work can be found at celestemajcher. co.uk and is also very active on social media as @themajcher7.
Elise Tegegne, USA
Elise Tegegne lives with her family in Indianapo lis, USA, but considers Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as the second home. Elise is a former missionary to Ethiopia. She writes about faith, culture, and the splendor of the every day. Her work appears or is forthcoming in Risen
workerishedshipthroughingawriting,passionvulnerabilitycommunityed2021.StreetlaunchedDevelopment.CommunityShe“TheGraceBlog”inAugust,TheblogisdedicattoconnectingwithherthroughandaforJesus.BesidesAliyahhasgrowndeeploveforministertothenextgenerationheryouthinternaswellastheimpovwithhopestoforChristiannon profits in the
Contents All Bible references are from New International Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, King James Version. EGM Times is published by Elohim Gospel Ministries, USA & India. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. EGM Times has no subscription price and is supported through contributions worldwide. Because all EGM Times editions are preplanned, we are unable to accept unsolicited manuscripts. For more information or to subscribe, visit: elohimgospelminis President:tries.com Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor: George Vilgi Oommen Associate Editor: Gideon Pingkihan Content Editor: Effie Ochago Design: EGM Media Stay Connected egminspirations.comelohimgospelministries.com INSTAGRAM YOUTUBE Hope for the Hurting Hope in the waves of grief Wounding Healers: How God Can Heal through Those Who Hurt What if healing doesn’t come? Making Sense of Di cult Situations 08 14 18 22 28 – Alicia Searl – Daya Raja Celeste Majcher - Aliyah Dan Elise Tegegne
Faith is not something you have to get. It's something that you, as a bornagain child of God, already have. Act on it by releasing it to God. That's when your healing starts! Oral Roberts
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EDITORIAL
The Bible is filled with accounts of people of God who received heal ing from God. From Genesis till Revelation, we see the healing power of God. One of the ending verses in the Bible is an assurance of life in eternity free from tears and pain. Revelation 21:4 (ESV) says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Celeste Majcher is a pastor’s wife, TheFriends,world is overcoming a pandemic which costed many lives. It also made the subject of Healing to the forefront of many minds. Even though many died, many people received divine healing from God. Healing from God may look different than what we expect. But Healing is a promise from God. The cross offers healing along with salvation. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV) says, “But he was pierced for our trans gressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
The advancement of science and medical technology reduced our dependence on God for healing. But God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is ready to heal us. Are we willing to receive healing from God? Happy reading. God bless you. You can now follow the Instagram page of EGM Times to get the latest updates on the magazine. God bless you. George Vilgi Oommen Chief Editor
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scripture, Jesus heals people who are blind, lame and have leprosy. But in other parts of scripture, He encounters the hurt and allows it to remain. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul addresses his own hurt. He speaks about a thorn of the flesh and how he prayed three times for God to take it from him, but God didn’t. Instead, He responded by saying, “my grace is sufficient” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In other words, Paul needs to get used to the thorn because all that God does is in accordance with His ultimate plan of the coming Kingdom. And sometimes, that means the hurt must carry on. It is not that God enjoys our long-suffering. It breaks His heart so much that He sent His Son to die so that your hurts would only be temporary. You may endure chronic pain, but whether you are fully healed, is completely dependent on what would lead to His glory and your goodness in the end. So, then where exactly is healing in the “now”?
“It is not that God enjoys your long-suffering. it breaks His heart so much that He sent His Son to die so that your hurts would only be temporary.”
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As churches challenge our mission in life to be fixed around a Kingdom that God has already begun to establish but has not yet fully revealed, we cannot look at God’s healing any differently. Healing, like salvation, is a part of the Kingdom that God intends to bring into full fruition after the second coming of Jesus. It is “now” and “not Throughoutyet.”
It can often be hard to sit with a life-long hurt as you hear story after story in the Bible and modern-day news reports praise the miraculous healing of others. “Just keep praying” is probably the most common form of encouragement given to you by fellow Christians. But how long should one endure for the incurable hurts to be Everyrestored?day, thousands around the world are born with asthma, hearing impairments, or are diagnosed with potentially terminal diseases like cancer. These chronic hard ships are happening because we are living in a fallen world. Due to the sin by Adam and Eve, sickness also entered the world. But that does not mean there’s no hope.
As Paul understood that physical healing was not in God’s plans for him, he realized the importance of remaining persistent in his righteous pursuit. In 2 Corinthians 12:1, he states, “Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.” This statement is one of humility and confi dence combined. In our times of desperation or confusion, we must not fall into the decep tions of the enemy who hides all hope from us. Humility is the first step in learning how to hope in our hurt. Until we recognize our life is about Jesus, not ourselves, we will never fulfill all that God has in store for us because our limit will be based on human imagination instead of God’s omnipotence. And until we gain confidence in who God is, we will never have the ability to rest our entire life in His hands. This combination is critical to the chronically hurt as it can become easy to fall into the temptations of valuing earthly life over eternity. God hears your cries, my dear friend. But, do not view His silence as aban donment. His hands are in all things and all He does is good. It is not your thorn that defines you. Rather it is the God who was hung on the cross, so you never have to doubt the extent of His love.
EGM TIMES | ELOHIMGOSPELMINISTRIES.COM 10 Often, we see healing as the restoration of a physical ailment. Don’t get me wrong, it most certainly is. But there is also a healing described in verses like Isaiah 53:5 in which I believed to be referring to spiritual. As it states, “….by His wounds, we are healed.” many tend to hold fast to the promise of their physical hurts to be made new. However, God emphasizes time and time again that our focus is not on that of the world rather that which is in Heaven. We are to testify the good ness of God for the sake of glorifying Him through the love shown to others regardless of our circumstances. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we are told that salva tion brings change, but not just an ordinary change. It brings the healing of an old identity that was broken by sin and forms a new iden tity made to fulfill God’s initial intent for humanity. This redemptive transformation of a Christian’s heart allows them to live a life without carrying the chains of shame and heartache that comes with sin. In conjunction with this freedom, which is the “now,” is also the hope in eternity. As God leads His children down the path of His holy goodness, He promises to also walk them into His eternal Kingdom in the end. Here, salvation from sin will be at its fullness. The effects of a fallen world will no longer have an impact because it will be separated from God and all His believers as the new Kingdom is in its full glory. Similarly, healing will also be fully revealed to us in what is now seen as the “not yet.” We will no longer have to carry a thorn of the flesh as we spend eternity beside the God and creator of all things good. “As Paul understood that physical healing was not in God’s plans for him, he realized the importance of remaining persistent in his pursuit.”righteous
EGM TIMES | ELOHIMGOSPELMINISTRIES.COM 11 Did You Know? Around 32% of the world population identify themselves as a Christian.
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in the waves of grief
ELOHIMGOSPELMINISTRIES.COM Hope
Often, when we feel broken, messy, and worn, it’s so easy to forget the God we serve. It’s easy to allow circumstances to drive us to a place of the unknown where we end up feeling more helpless than hopeful. It’s easy to lose sight of the little glimmers of joy that fill in the gaps of our sorrow. It’s easy to get caught up in our emotions and let them sway us from rational thinking.
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still scrambling around to pack lunches, rushing to fill backpacks with the essentials, and me hobbling around on one foot, searching for my phone to take a thousand pictures. It’s the first day of school, that’s par for the course. But, between all the jitters, excite ment and chaos, there was a blatant reminder of a special presence that was missing. It was apparent through the long glances and halfhearted smiles that we all felt it. Grief was bubbling just below the surface.
As I write this with my foot propped up on a table beside me, nursing a broken toe, reliving this morning, my clenched jaw beckons me to rest. I’ve been up since 4:30 a.m. due to my sixyear-old crawling into bed because she had a bad dream. I’m tired, weary and dare I say, frustrated. I haven’t been eager or ready to tackle this day for quite some time now. This day was once anticipated and filled with milestones and memories, but it is now celebrated a little bit Sure,differently.therewas
This brings to mind a word we often seek in these times: “Healing.” Such a powerful word. Healing inspires hope, allowing us to continue. It offers comfort and gives us the will to fight. That word gently reminds us that we are on the mend, declaring at some point we will be whole again. There are so many beautiful blessings wrapped up in that word. And today, I needed healing, physically as well as emotionally.
- Alicia Searl
So, while I went into today with heaviness in my heart (and a throbbing in my toe), God brought forth healing with a simple knock at our backdoor. At 6:30 this morning, just a few minutes before my oldest left for her first day of high school, my dad surprised us. His warm smile (and chocolate-sprinkled dough nuts) brought joy to us all. Later that morning, when the “first day of school craziness” had subsided and everyone arrived at their respective places, my dad and I sat down at the crumb-covered kitchen table with a warm cup of coffee. We laughed and got teary-eyed when we recalled how mom would bring back to school baskets or surprise everyone with cookies. I miss that. I miss her. But, as we shared those precious memories, I realized God gave me that moment. It was a gift of healing. If I had been solely focused on the part that was missing today, I would have missed out on His beautiful blessing. Our God is such a good Father. He is constantly pursuing our hearts, ready to offer us hope. We just have to be ready to invite Him into those broken places and let Him heal. Psalms 46:10 Be still and know I am God.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. As believers, we must remember that this life will try to pull us away from God’s goodness, mercy and grace. Where the world is loud and seeks to quest after the restless soul aiming to instill lies, God’s fierce love is relentless and yearns to be our safe refuge in times of need, reminding us of His faithful ness and promises.
Life is messy. It is full of trails, that is certain. When we find ourselves in a season where we have acquired deep wounds, we must stand firm on the promises God scattered throughout the pages of His Word. The promise of His unfailing love (Isaiah 55:8-9), the promise of His protection (2 Samuel 22:3-4)and the promise of hope and healing (Jeremiah 30:17, Psalm 147:3).
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Psalms 9:9-10 The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
But here’s what we need to hold on to when hope and healing seem to get lost in the shuffle of busy schedules, mundane tasks, or waves of grief - it’s in those tender moments that our Savior meets us.
31, 2012 – I will never forget that day. It was a Friday, the day I received my first salary in life (I started working in August 2012). But the delight did not last long. I got a call from mom about my sister being sick and she told me to reach home as soon as possible. The next day morning, I reached home. But my home was filled with grief, sorrow and a lot of people. My sister Julia is no more alive. It was as if someone stabbed my heart. In a few days, we had the funeral and bid her farewell. I attended many funer als in my life. But that was the first time I had to sit in the first row attending a funeral. On August 31st 2022, it will be ten years since Julia passed away. It still feels unreal to me. It still makes me sad and grieve. But I also experienced the favor and peace from God in powerful ways. I will share with you three lessons from the past ten years of my life.
TODAY IS YOUR DAY – We all have to leave this planet one day. No matter where you live on this planet, your social status, financial status, health, we all have to leave this planet one day. We can plan for our future, see dreams about our tomorrow, but death is inevitable. Today is your day to do what you’re supposed to do. Today is the day to show your love. Today is the day to forgive. Today is the day to work for the kingdom of God. James 4:14 (NIV) says, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
#Opinion
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– George Vilgi Oommen In every edition of this magazine, I get the opportuni ty to share my thoughts and opinions with you through this column. I consider it a great privilege. This time, I will share something personal. This is not an opinion! It’s my experience. I wasn’t planning to share my experience. But maybe, just maybe, one of you going through grief needs to read this and know the goodness of God despite the sad things going on in Augustlife.
10 years without the sister
– Photography is a great invention in human history. It allows us to capture moments in life and keep them with us. Click as many pictures you have when you spend time with your loved ones. Tomorrow, those captured moments will be great memories.
BE INTENTIONAL WITH TIME – Be intentional in spending time with loved ones. Don’t be in a hurry when you are spending time with your grandparents, parents, family members, friends and the people you care about in life. You can make a lot of good memo ries by being intentional in spending your time. While you are here, make good memories. While they are here, make good memories. Psalms 90:12 (NIV), “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of CAPTUREwisdom.”THEMOMENTS
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Complacent Christian Disease Warning! This is a serious issue with so many Christians today. They are burned out, don‛t care, and have no desire to follow Jesus. It‛s truly an epidemic and highly infectious. Follow the treatment plan and get back on track. Read your Bible, pray to God, turn from your sins, and live for Jesus. God is making you brand new everyday!
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; – Proverbs 1:32
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Complacent – [ kuhm-pley-suhnt ] – pleased, especially with oneself or one‛s merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied.
18 EGM TIMES | ELOHIMGOSPELMINISTRIES.COM WOUNDING HEALERS: How God Can Heal through Those Who Hurt – Elise Tegegne
After discovering how this woman from my church had hurt my family, I found myself on my knees in a way I had never been before. I would lie with my face on the hardwood floor of my bedroom and weep and shake in God’s presence. I cried to Him because I realized He was my only hope. Bowed at His feet, I found the genesis of healing.
How could she wound us as if we didn’t share the same church Shebody?lied about who she was. She hid a devastating pattern of hurting someone close to me. The hurt reverberated through our community, family, and me. When I found out what she had been doing, I felt like the floor had just caved in. Lately, I’ve been pondering the words of sixth-century desert father Abba Zosimas, who said, “Regard such people”-- those who harm us, wound us, break us–” as doctors who heal the wounds of the soul.”
How could the woman who so profoundly wounded my family is called a doctor, a healer? Meditating on Psalm 129 this year, I felt God begin to illumine this mystery. The psalm laments the evils done to the people of Israel and prays against those who committed them. Verse three leapt from the page: “The plowers plowed along my back; they made long their furrows.” Just imagining how a metal blade searing furrows into the tender skin of your back is painful. Painful like trauma, betrayal, pain. I think of the plowers of the world: those who destroy, break up, and inflict pain. I think of the woman who sunk the blades of her plow into my skin.
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Though opening with cries of pain, the psalm later celebrates God’s capacity to redeem. A thread of redemption is woven into the excruciating image of the plower and the plowed. The plow-armed evil-doer is engaged in a painful activity, but one that ultimately leads to cultivation and fruition. Plowing is a way of transforming a wild, fruitless land into a place of order and nourishment, like a garden.
“Would I meintimacysoughthavewithGodifthiswomanhadnotwoundedsodeeply?”
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Looking back at the painful times of my past, I see how God worked all of these challenging things “together for good” (Rom. 8:28). We see God’s redemptive work most poignantly on the cross. Roman soldiers plowed furrows into Jesus’ back with whips and punches and the splinters of the wooden cross He was nailed against.
Jesus, the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief, understands the anguish of our deepest pangs. But little did the plowers know their furrows were part of a cosmic metamor phosis: from the broken earth, the first fruits of all creation–Jesus Him self–would rise. In waking from the dead, Jesus became in His resurrected body a kind of garden, an Eden, where life could grow again from pain and death. An Eden that would make para dise possible again. That would make the redemption of all that is broken and bleeding possible. Always, Jesus offers this abundant, miraculous, ceaseless life to each wound ed heart that hungers for healing.
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Would I have sought such intimacy with God if this woman had not wounded me so deeply? It is impossible to say. No end could ever justify the means of her actions. But I wonder if this special closeness with the lover of my soul is part of the healing Abba Zosimas was talking about. Reflecting more on Psalm 129, I saw how there is no mention of the evil doers bearing fruit (v. 7). In fact, it seems they strenuously labor for the very ones they wish to oppress, actually helping them. I wondered why the psalmist envisioned a plowed back. Why not another body part? The back is especially sensitive to pain. Its soft flesh is particularly vulnera ble to attack. It is also a difficult place to reach. It’s hard to scratch one’s own back, let alone plow it. Could it be that God transforms the evil done to us into healing labor we could not have done Godourselves?allows people in our lives who cause us pain. Some of this pain is merely annoying. Like how my eigh teen-month-old son keeps running to the electrical outlets again and again. Or how that big rig tailgated me the other day. Other pain cuts deep: a colleague who takes the credit for your achieve ment. A friend who betrays. A spouse who cheats. None of these wrongs is justifiable. But the one who redeems can work healing through these wounds. I think of how my son’s continual way wardness shows me my own. How tailgaters teach me patience. How the woman who harmed my family led me, by a strange grace, into the throne of the most high God. The challenge for believers is to recog nize how annoying and hurtful people in our lives can offer a way to divine heal ing. Poet Kathleen Norris writes, “Con version is seeing ourselves, and the ordinary people in our families, our classrooms, and on the job, in a new light. Can it be that these very people—even the difficult, unbearable ones—are the ones God has given us so that together we might find salvation?”
Being a Christian is more than just wherebyconversion.instantaneousanitisadailyprocessyougrowtobemoreandmorelikeChrist.-BillyGraham
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When I was a little girl, I broke my arm. It was a simple hairline fracture, and once the cast was on, it stopped hurting and healed within the required time frame. It required no intervention or medical expertise and had very little impact on my life, so praying for healing was not even a consideration. When I became an adult, I lost my dad to cancer. The illness was intense, required a lot of medication and expertise and rapidly decreased his quality of life. And after a long, hard battle, he breathed his last breath and the healing that we so desperately prayed for didn’t come. I lost my dad when I was five and a half months pregnant with triplets. It was a very high-risk pregnancy, so we prayed for the safety of the babies and me, safe delivery and three healthy babies. They were born prematurely, as is typical for triplets, and one of our children was diagnosed with a disability. A few weeks later, I had a ministroke due to high blood pressure and other minor medical anomalies. Although we all survived, nothing worked out quite as I had hoped or prayed for.
WHAT COME?DOESN’THEALINGIF
Celeste Majcher
“Prayer has always been my natural response to life’s ups and downs, and that has not changed.”
I grew up in a Christian house and was raised by parents with strong faith. From a young age, I was taught biblical principles such as praying for healing, supernatural healing, and answered prayer. Prayer has always been my natural response to life’s ups and downs, and that has not changed. However, recently my understand ing of healing, and Who God is, has Throughoutchanged.the New Testament, there are accounts of supernatural healing performed by Jesus and the apostles. As Christians, we look at these accounts whenever afflic tion comes our way and use that as a reference to believe that it will also be taken away from us. But is that really what God has promised to do? Is that the point? It is easy to look at the success stories and forget behind-the -scenes, nitty-gritty details. The Bible tells us that the woman who touched Jesus’ garment and was healed in Luke 8.43-48 suffered from bleeding for twelve years. Twelve years before she received supernatural healing. In John 9, Jesus heals a man who has been blind since birth. We are not told his age, but the implication is that he had passed puberty at that point, which again implies in excess of ten years of living with his disability. In other parts of the bible, there are occasions where people are assumed to have had a sudden onset of illness that could have, and sometimes did lead to death, such as the centurion’s servant in Luke 7, Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5 and Lazarus in John 11. Some people were ill for a really long time. Some were ill for a short time. Some were ostracised from their communities due to their illness, and some died. Some were possessed by demons; some were barren and some were Gentiles. There is no clear, one-size fits all approach to the healing we see in the Bible. The only thing that is true across all accounts is that they all served one purpose: to glorify God. When I prayed for my dad’s healing, I did everything right. Yet it was clear that God wasn’t going to intervene and I felt stuck in my faith. All my life, I believed that prayer and faith are enough and that God would honour both by supernaturally stepping in as and when necessary, and yet He wasn’t stepping in now?
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“Healing is what it always whichmanyofmerelywas,onethemany,waysinGodisglorified.“
At that moment, I felt God say to me: ‘do you believe in Me for who I am, or for what I can do for you?’
It was a crisis moment and one that really shaped my faith as I had to admit that I had attributed huge importance to God proving himself through works. I spent some time in His word, researching and praying over some of His attributes. He is good, He is Almighty, He is all powerful, He is omniscient, He is our creator, provider, healer, father, friend, Saviour.
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Not one of these attributes fell away when my dad wasn’t healed. Not one of them fell away when my son was born disabled or when I had a stroke. God is still God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is a God who heals. But healing is not what makes Him God. I believe God’s plan for all of us is to live a fulfilled life, but I no longer believe that healing is a prerequisite. Healing is what it always was, merely one of the many, many ways in which God is glorified.
Just like living my life to His glory, raising my children to His glory; submitting to and loving my husband to His glory; pursuing my studies and writing books-all for His glory.
I believe the primary purpose of my life, of all of our lives, is to glorify God. Sometimes our healing or the healing of our loved ones testify to that, and sometimes living with our afflictions, through God’s grace and strength, is the real testament to His glory.
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Life In Between
When faced with difficulty, most of us exaggerate our problems and tend to look at our lives as though it is the end. We also tend to make our past look better than it was. Moreover, when life gets harder, we begin to make sense of life as if God was never in the picture. It is as though we have to face the situation and solve it by ourselves. If anyone should remember that God does miracles, it should be the Israelites since their rescue from slavery itself was a miracle. But every time they faced a challenging situation, their minds were filled with doubt and fear, which paved the way to grumbling and bitterness. Somehow when things go well, we fail to acknowledge the unseen hands of God behind it and assume that our abilities and resources sustain us. Therefore, when things aren’t great, our minds don’t give space to God’s reality and His capability.
SITUATIONSDIFFICULTSENSEMAKINGOF Daya Raja
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“They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” We find these verses in the book of Numbers, Chapter 20.
Israelites were in the Zin Desert in Kadesh and they had no water. People were thirsty, a legitimate need. Complaining in a moment like this could look completely normal, but a careful look at these verses reveals that the language of complaining escalated quickly. They started despising their own lives, the phase they were at and their leader.
Daya Raja, Bangalore Daya thinks it’s absolutely cool to be known by Jesus. She deeply appreciates nature, art and silence. Currently, she is pursuing Masters in Development in India. Her dream is to fall in love with Jesus and humani ty every day. Daya can be reached at dayaraja95@gmail.com
Viewing challenging situations as their own task wasn’t just a problem for the children of Israel. (Read from verse 9 onwards). So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the communi ty and their livestock drank. (Verses 9-11)
It is interesting to note that Moses came out of a conversation with God where the glory of God fell upon him and yet he was unable to surrender the situation to God’s hands. He was overcome by anger; assumed control over the situation, lashed out and disobeyed God. He behaved as though God was nowhere in the purview when God displayed His glory and gave Him specific instruction.
For those of us who enjoy God’s presence and His word in abundance, the question is, do we take this privilege for granted? Do we assume control even when we have displayed signs of God’s sovereignty? Do we sometimes go against what God asks us to do just to prove our strength in front of Actingpeople?out of anger did not go well for Moses and it is the same with us too. Going to God’s presence is supposed to recalibrate us into what God wants us to do. It is about acknowledging His holiness and greatness and understanding that He knows things much better than we do. And so laying down our plans, frustrations and the urge to prove ourselves is an act of worship too. God bless.
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“Somehow when things go well, we fail to acknowledge the unseen hands of God behind it and assume that our abilities and resources sustain us. Therefore, when things aren’t great, our minds don’t give space to God’s reality and His capability.”
Dear Thankfriend,youfor making it to the end of this edition. We believe that you got new insights about Healing through this edition. Next time when you or your family become sick, please consider some time to pray to God for healing. Our heavenly Father loves you and can heal you from any sickness in Iflife.you are reading this and have not experienced the love and power of God, we encourage you to embrace His love –offered as salvation through Jesus Christ. In His unending affection for us, God has a lot in store for your life and longs to have you as part of His family. We also encourage you to rededicate your life to God if you were born again but drifted away from the call. Make the following prayer and accept Jesus as your savior: “Lord Jesus, I come before you today. I acknowledge that I am a sinner, and my sins have separated me from you. Today, I believe that you are the son of God and that you had me in mind when you got crucified and died. I believe that you are resurrected and seated at the right hand of the Father. I accept you today as my Lord and savior. Thank you for paying the price for my eternal redemption. I am now the righteousness of God in Christ. I now ask you to fill me with your spirit. Amen.”
Congratulations on surrendering or rededi cating your life to God. You are now a new creation in Christ. We encourage you to join a family of believers (church) in your area, and we pray that you get established in your faith through studying the word by the grace of God. We love you and would like to hear from you. Send your feedback, comments, and constructive criticism to
Final Word
TeamGodnexthimgospelministries.com.egmtimes@eloSeeyouintheedition.blessyou!!!EGMTimes
lanememory
August 31, 2022 marks ten years of the passing of Julia Vilgi Oommen. Elohim Gospel Ministries was founded by her brother, Evg. Jacob Vilgi Oommen shortly after the passing of Julia in 2012.
