Prayer: Father God, Lord Jesus, hallowed is your holy name. As our bodies age and our minds lose some clarity, we seek your divine power to protect our bodies from illness and renew our minds and spirits. We come to you today asking for your healing and renewing touch upon our mind and body. Grant us physical strength to rise each day with an energetic body and a mind to endure. Fill us with your peace and guide us with wisdom to live a healthy and mindful life. Please help us to trust the path you have laid before us and understand that your plan is for our good and the entire human race.
Comfort and relieve those challenged by severe and chronic pain and emotional distress. Give your power of healing to those who minister to the needs of the weak. Endow your ministers to strengthen their weaknesses (mind, body, and spirit). Thank you for patiently waiting for humanity to know the truth. Thank you for your son, Jesus, who died for our sins and is our living hope for everlasting life. In Jesus' Name, I say Amen.
Message: Strive to Prosper Physically and Spiritually
Grace abounds, and salvation is free. Therefore, we do not need to bribe or lie to God for Him to supply our needs. Scripture teaches that Paul preached to the Philippians that the “same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19, NLT). Everything has been given to us in Christ Jesus, which means we need to be in Christ to receive what God has to offer.
To prosper physically and spiritually, there is something that the Bible says we must do: “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33), for the Kingdom of God is not only about righteousness but about peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. God is with us always, and He wants His children to have all that they need so they can “abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8). We cannot do the Lord’s work if we are weak from starvation and oppression. You have seen pictures of starving people; they can barely walk, so carrying out the Great Commission is an impossible task in their physical condition. You have seen people who are oppressed; they are just trying to stay alive and keep their families together. Their minds are not at peace, and their souls are not well.
John says to his friend, Gaius: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well" (3 Jn. 1:2, NIV). God does intend for His followers to experience physical and spiritual blessings. Still, spiritual blessings are a priority because if we seek God’s kingdom first, everything else will be added. David believed that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psa. 37:4). Therefore, I repeat, the instructions to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
As it is written in God’s Word, what good does it do to gain the world and lose your soul? God is not against wealth. Many followers of God have been and are wealthy. Jacob acquired wealth when working for Laban, while waiting to marry Rachel. Boaz, the man who married Ruth, is described as a man of great wealth (Ruth 2:1). And King Solomon was very wealthy. Still, Scripture records that acquiring wealth is not a prerequisite for entering the kingdom, nor does it demonstrate God’s blessings. Look around you, many of Satan’s disciples are also wealthy.
We all desire wealth to the point that we want to live a comfortable life and be in good health. John prays for Gaius’ good health. But think about a time when you were ill. Think about how hard it was to get out of bed or perform a menial task. The Lord wants us to take care of our physical and spiritual health, but sickness does not mean God is against us.
We live in a fallen and dying world, and sickness is an element of that world. We need to remember that God is sovereign and does not always interfere in the mess humans have made of this world. Also, remember that Scripture says God “tells Moses, I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (Rom. 9:15, CSB). If we are obedient to His Word and seek His righteousness, in the end, things will go well for those who are called by His name.
He also set a rule for healing this world, God said: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14, NKJV). Newsflash, God is talking about believers. Know the truth, walk in it, and be faithful to it.
Benediction: Lord, as we go our separate ways and embark on a new journey into tomorrow, provide us the strength to grow spiritually and deepen our understanding of You and Your Word.
