Paul's Thorn in the flesh

What About Paul's Thorn?

"But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell" (Num. 33:55).

"Don't you remember, though, Brother Hagin 'Paul was sick all his life.'"

"No, I don't remember that."

"But he had a thorn in the flesh."

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What About Paul's Thorn in the Flesh?

What About Paul's Thorn in the Flesh?

Tradition has taught that Paul's thorn in the flesh was some type of physical ailment or sickness. If you will take time to study the Word, you will find that this is not true. Paul clearly states in II Corinthians 12:7 that because of the abundance of revelations he had received, he was given a thorn in the flesh and the thorn was "a messenger of Satan." The Greek word translated as messenger always refers to someone who is sent and denotes a definite personality.

This same word for messenger is translated in other verses of the New Testament as "angel." Angels, as God's messengers, are created beings with personalites. Satan's messengers would be in the same category. In contrast, sickness is not a personality, nor a messenger.

Paul's thorn in the flesh was a wicked spirit or angel sent by Satan to buffet him. Buffet means to strike repeatedly. God does not send wicked spirits against people in the Body of Christ for any reason (James 1:13). He sent the Holy Spirit and has given us His Word, which is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness to discipline and guide us (see John 16:13; II Timothy 3:16-17).

The phrase "thorn in the flesh" is a figure of speech or illustration. It is similar to calling someone who irritates us "a pain in the neck." Likewise, Paul's thorn was an evil angel who caused him great irritation, but not with sickness or disease. In II Corinthians 11:24-26, Paul lists what some of these "irritations" were - being imprisoned, stoned, beaten, shipwrecked and attacked by angry mobs.

Other examples of the persecutions Paul suffered are found in Acts 13:45, 50 and Acts 14:5-7, 19-20. The people in these verses were instruments used by the source of persecution - the messenger of Satan.

This evil angel was assigned to Paul for one reason - to stop the Word from being preached. Wherever Paul went, the messenger of Satan worked to incite the people against him. All the persecutions that Paul suffered were Satan's attempt to steal the Word from him (see Mark 4:14-20).

Satan will see to it that no believer is exalted above the measure of the Word that actually lives in him. The Word that is alive in your heart is the word on which you steadfastly act. You will have to stand in faith for every word of revelation knowledge you receive.

Many have used Galatians 4:13 to support their traditional teaching that Paul's thorn was sickness or disease: "You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you at the first." The Greek word for infirmities means "want of strength; weakness, indicating inability to produce results." This translation is used in I Corinthians 2:3: "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling." Like many believers, when Paul first started ministering, he never felt he had the natural ability to do the job God called him to do.

But the next verse goes on to tell us he was obedient anyway and the Holy Spirit made up the difference with a demonstration of His power: "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (I Corinthians 2:4). Paul's infirmity or weakness of the flesh provided an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work.

That's why Paul could say, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities [lack of strength], that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities [weakness], in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Corinthians 12:9-10). Our weakness is no longer a problem once we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit's power.

God had given Paul the revelation of the authority of the believer. Paul had authority over Satan in the Name of Jesus - just as you do. But he had to enforce his authority by directly commanding the evil spirit to desist in his maneuvers against him. However, in this instance, Paul sought deliverance from the Lord instead.

"For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me" (II Corinthians 12:8). If you want results, do not ask God to deal with the devil for you. Just as God told Moses to drive out the inhabitants of the land (Numbers 33:52), He instructs you to drive out the demons or evil spirits (Mark 16:17). "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

When Paul asked the Lord to make this messenger of Satan depart from him, the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Corinthians 12:9). He did not say that the messenger would not depart. He was saying to Paul, "My favor is enough. For when you do not have the ability to humanly overcome, you have My Name to stop Satan's attack and cast out the devil."

The Greek word dunamis, which is translated strength in this verse, can also be translated as power. We get our English words dynamite and dynamo from it. It is the same word Jesus used in Acts 1:8 when He said, "Ye shall receive power [dunamis], after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Weymouth's translation of II Corinthians 12:9 reads, "My grace suffices for you, for power is perfected in weakness" (The New Testament in Modern Speech). This is the opposite of the traditional teaching that Paul had no victory over the thorn in the flesh.

Paul lived to be an old man and then said that he could not decide whether to stay here or to go be with the Lord (Philippians 1:22-24). He needed to stay here for the Church's sake, but he yearned to go be with Jesus. He did not leave this world until he and the Lord were ready. This is not the description of a man who lived with sickness and disease.

Satan's angel, the thorn in the flesh, could gain no victory over Paul through adverse circumstances because the power of Christ rested on him. "I have learned in any and all circumstances, the secret of facing every situation..." (Philippians 4:12, The Amplified Bible). He revealed this secret in the next verse: "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me - I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me."

When Paul in himself was weak, Paul in Christ was strong. Satan's angel, the thorn in the flesh that we have heard so much about, never did overcome Paul and the power of God. Satan could do no more than irritate or annoy him like a thorn in his flesh - a temporary discomfort which could be removed. Paul was a covenant man; he ran the race and won. He knew his authority as a believer. He knew the shield of faith would quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). When he began using his faith, the Lord was able to deliver him out of all the afflictions and persecutions (II Timothy 3:10-11).

Paul's thorn in the flesh is a tradition that Satan has used to deceive and rob many people. Using it as an excuse, tradition says that God gets glory from sickness because the world sees how marvelously the Christian bears pain and agony. Tradition never adds up to the right answer - anyone knows that the world has all the pain and agony it can stand. The world wants a way out of sickness, not another way into it.

If we allow the traditions of men to usurp authority over God's Word, we will be helpless in the face of sickness. God will be able to do nothing for us, because we have made the Word "of none effect" in our lives (Matthew 15:6).

Use the following confession to declare your freedom from ineffective religious traditions and walk in the power of God's Word instead.


Your Word is Truth, O Lord. It is an incorruptible seed which I plant in my heart. I believe the Word has been planted in good ground and that I receive a mighty harvest.

I do not receive the ineffectual traditions of religion or the world which nullify the Word. I root out every perverse doctrine. I resist the powers of darkness that come to steal the Word of God.

The Word reveals Your will and I set myself in agreement with it. I renew my mind daily with Your Word in order to acquaint myself more intimately with You and to know Your ways. As Your Word becomes established in my heart, I become rooted and grounded in the Truth. In Jesus' Name, amen.

by Kenneth Copeland

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The DNA OF GOD (PROTECTION)

The DNA OF GOD (PROTECTION)

What is DNA

DNA is a self replicating molecule that holds the genetic code for our life, health, and for the unique physical features of our bodies. DNA has the divine blueprint for our body, programming our cells to maintain optimum health from birth to death.

Adam’s DNA

Adam had the spiritual DNA of God (Perfect health, no lack/want, sin-free etc).

Gen 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

The Hebrew word tselem (image) also means “likeness,” “resemblance,” or “representation.”

In Genesis 3, Adam sinned and this resulted in an imperfect DNA
Gen 3:6  (KJV)
And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Gen 3:9 -19 (KJV)
And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou?
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.



Unfortunately Adam transferred this DNA OF sin, sickness, poverty and death to every man. Every man is a biological son of Adam and so we inherited this IMPERFECT nature (SIN nature)
Every man needs Jesus irrespective of who you think you are.

CHANGE OF DNA

A DIVINE DNA

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

To be in Christ (To accept Jesus as Lord) means you are part of a DIVINE household – the royal family of God.
If a man accepts Jesus as his Lord, he becomes a new creature and has received the life and nature of God so he has a new Spiritual DNA.

The life and nature of God equals the DNA of God. When you become a new creation (accept Jesus as Lord also known as being born again) the spiritual part of you receives the DNA of God. The DNA of God (the life and nature of God) is called eternal life. Eternal life is the life and nature of God that is imparted to a person’s spirit at the new birth making them a new creation.

We have been washed in the blood of Jesus, and in essence,
we became “re-gened.” We have a new DNA – THE DNA OF GOD

It is the life and nature of God that makes a person a new creation. This new creation person has spiritual union with Deity. The old sinful nature of spiritual death has passed away, and now this new creation person has a new nature of spiritual life called eternal life.

Eternal life is a present possession, not something that is obtained at a future date.
Eternal life does not begin after physical death. Eternal life begins at the new birth
and continues for eternity. Eternal life starts here on the earth the moment a person
becomes a new creation. Receiving eternal life is a supernatural experience that
occurs during the rebirth of every child of God. A born again Christian is one who
has received eternal life; one who has received the life and nature of God.
When you become a new creation, failure and defeat are replaced with success and
victory.

If a person is in Christ, poverty and lack are replaced with prosperity and abundance. When you become a new creation, sin and sickness are replaced with righteousness and health. Fear is replaced with faith. Worry and anxiety are replaced with peace. Depression is replaced with joy. Anger is replaced with love.  Bitterness and resentment are replaced with forgiveness. Death is replaced with life!

two of the characteristics of this new nature are faith and love.

Manifesting this new nature – DIVINE DNA
Now that we have a new DNA, we should set our mind on the Word of God. For the bible says:

Proverbs 23:7,
“As a man thinks within, so is he.”

Our life, our actions, our destinies are determined by THE WAY WE THINK. So, let’s get to the root, thinking in alignment with God’s Word, and we will experience the God-kind-of life—superabundant in quantity and superior in quality. (John 10:10)

As a new creation, we cannot be sick if only we believe it and confess right, now in a world where people are scared of EBOLA, HIV AND THE REST. WE CAN PLACE OUR TRUST IN GOD AND KEEP THE RIGHT CONFESSION.

I CANNOT BE SICK – I CANNOT BE INFECTED WITH EBOLA VIRUS
I CANNOT FAIL
I DO NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE TO FEAR
I AM A NEW CREATURE
I AM FROM ABOVE
I AM A SUCCESS
PROSPERITY IS MINE
EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IS MINE
I AM BLESSED
I BELONG TO THE CLASS OF GOD
I HAVE HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS


Also Read:

1. If It Troubles You, God Wants To Take Care Of It!
2. Your Healing Is Part Of The Deal
3. Your Redeemer Has Delivered You From All Sicknesses
4.  Convert Your Worries into Prayers
5. God Is Able And Willing To Heal You
6. God So Loves You
7. GOD CARES
8. God cannot lie...
9.  The God who is more than enough  
10. The power of speaking Gods Word
11. Think about God Always - God's will for man 

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Convert Your Worries into Prayers

1 Peter 5:7:
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."


Philippians 4:6
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

God does not want us to be anxious but instead cast all our cares, worries on him.

So anytime there is an issue to be anxious of at hand, quickly convert that care or worry into prayer and give thanks to God for hearing your prayers. (God always listens to the prayers of Christians [saints]).

About 12 years back, The U.S. Public Health Service estimated that more than 8 million Americans suffer from mental or nervous illness; that one out of every twenty is destined to spend some time in a mental institution as a result of (fears, worries, tensions and the likes).

Some people claim that smoking quiets and soothes the nerves.  This is not incorrect. “Chloroform does likewise; a small bottle will soothe them perpetually! Chloroform, nicotine and alcohol all belong to the group of poisons known as narcotics. Narcotics put the brain and nerves to sleep by paralyzing them. They deaden the conscience and senses into thinking things are all right when they are not.

So almost a million people in 2004 joined the smoking ranks as a means of escape! (Escape from - fears, anxieties, worries, tensions)”.

Alcohol, smoking, narcotics etc  is never the solution to the problem of worry.

The solution to the problem of worry lies in the lines below:

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with

thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

1 Peter 5:7:

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

This makes me to remember when I was coding a webpage, I was nervous because the webpage wasn’t responding properly (I had coded for hours but I wasn’t seeing results). After a while I was led to cast my worries on the lord and decided to leave it. Sooner or later I discovered that I had long coded the webpage successfully but only that the internet connection was poor so I was having problems. Thank God I was led to cast away that anxiety.

Yes, this is how effective casting our cares on God can be.

If God is always attentive to our prayers and there is nothing impossible with God”.

I will conclude with this let us learn how to convert all our worries into prayers.







Self consciousness leads to worry, while God consciousness results in peace.

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Rescued From Death

Rescued From Death
God never meant for man to die. God counts death as
an enemy. He hates death. All things that lead to
death—all forms of sickness and disease—are not
from God. Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb because He
remembered that it was never God’s heart for man to
fall sick, grow old and die.
But because the consequence of sin is death, God sent
Jesus to bear the punishment for all our sins. And at
the cross, Jesus conquered death once and for all,
setting us free from sicknesses and diseases forever!
Today, God’s heart is for you to be healed and whole.
He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to redeem
you from death. The cross of Jesus is the reason you
can enjoy His

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If It Troubles You, God Wants To Take Care Of It!

If It Troubles You, God Wants To Take Care Of It!

Many Christians make the mistake of thinking that
God is too busy taking care of the “big things” to be
interested in the little problems they are facing.
But God is not like that. He is not just God Almighty,
He is also your heavenly Father who loves you! To
God, whether it’s a new pimple on your face, a sore
throat or an aching back, no matter how trivial or
commonplace it sounds, if it troubles you, He wants
to take care of it!
If, as the Bible says, God bothers to keep track of how
many hairs you have on your head, then there is no
symptom, no discomfort and no condition in your
body that He doesn’t know of or care about.

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He Has Gone The Distance To Heal You

He Has Gone The Distance To Heal You
The Gadarene demoniac was someone who was
isolated, left alone and shunned by people. He had
no one to turn to. People were afraid of him and
there was no one who could heal his condition—until
Jesus came.
Jesus crossed the entire lake of Galilee just to heal
this man, despite the devil trying to stop Him with a
storm. He travelled a great distance just to minister
healing to that man and set him free. That’s the kind
of loving Savior He is!
Just as Jesus went a long way to heal one man, He
went to great lengths, to the point of death, to
purchase liberty, blessings and health for you. No
sickness or circumstance, however grave or
disastrous, is greater than what He has already done

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""How Could I Ever Recover From This Loss?""

""How Could I Ever Recover From This Loss?""

Let's CHANGE our THINKING:
1. Let this thought permeate your mind: God is a
God of restoration. Joel 2:25-26...`I will the restore
the years that have been lost.' Whether it's the stock
market, bad decisions, what others have done to you-
God will restore.
2. Get rid of the mentality of "settling." We must
refuse to settle-the 10 lepers wouldn't settle for their
leprosy. They cried out to Jesus. The woman with
the demon-possessed daughter wouldn't take no for
an answer. Bartimeus wouldn't stop shouting until
he recovered his sight. REFUSE to settle for the way it
is.
3. Realize God WANTS you to go to him, and ask
him to avenge you. In Luke 18, the unjust judge

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101 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT HEALING - PART 2

New Testament
51) I will, be thou clean (Mt. 8:3).
52) I took your infirmities (Mt. 8:17).
53) I bore your sicknesses (Mt. 8:17).
54) If you’re sick you need a physician. (I am the Lord your physician) (Mt. 9:12 & Ex.
15:26).
55) I am moved with compassion toward the sick and I heal them (Mt. 14:14).
56) I heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Mt. 4:23).
57) According to your faith, be it unto you (Mt. 9:29).
58) I give you power and authority over all unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal
all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Mt. 10:1 & Lk. 9:1).
59) I heal them all (Mt. 12:15 & Heb. 13:8).
60) As many as touch Me are made perfectly whole (Mt. 14:36).

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101 THINGS GOD SAID ABOUT HEALING - PART 1

Old Testament
God said…
1) I am the Lord that healeth thee (Ex. 15:26).
2) Your days shall be one hundred and twenty years (Gen. 6:3).
3) You shall be buried in a good old age (Gen. 15:15).
4) You shall come to your grave in a full age like as a shock of corn cometh in his
season (Job 5:26).
5) When I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be upon you to
destroy you (Ex. 12:13).
6) I will take sickness away from the midst of you and the number of your days I will
fulfill (Ex. 23: 25, 26).
7) I will not put any of the diseases you are afraid of on you, but I will take all sickness
away from you (Deut. 7:15).
8) It will be well with you and your days shall be multiplied and prolonged as the days
of heaven upon the earth (Deut. 11:9,21).
9) I turned the curse into a blessing unto you, because I loved you (Deut. 23:5 and
Neh. 13:2).
10) I have redeemed you from every sickness and every plague (Deut. 28:61 and Gal.
3:13).
11) As your days, so shall your strength be (Deut. 33:25).

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God Wants You To Always Prosper And Be In Health

God Wants You To Always Prosper And Be In Health
The Bible tells us that God’s love is so immeasurable,
powerful and all-encompassing that nothing can ever
separate us from it.
Because God loves you so much, His desire above all
things is always for you, His beloved child, to prosper
in all that you do and be in health, even as your soul
prospers.
If an earthly father would want his child to be happy
and healthy, how much more God, your heavenly
Father? He wants you well and He is willing to use
His power to make you well!

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Your Redeemer Has Delivered You From All Sicknesses

Your Redeemer Has Delivered You From All Sicknesses
Jesus willingly came down from heaven to redeem
you from a life of sickness, poverty and death to a life
of freedom, health and blessings! He willingly
suffered for you at the cross so that you may walk in
the fullness of redemption’s blessings—divine health,
restoration, peace and provision!
Simply look to Jesus and His finished work today and
see how much God loves you. You will see how much
more God wants to bless you than you want to be
blessed, and how much more He wants to heal you
than you want to be well!

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God Is Able And Willing To Heal You

God Is Able And Willing To Heal You
Once, there was a leper who came to Jesus saying,
“Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
This man didn’t have a problem believing that Jesus
had the ability and power to heal him. He just wasn’t
sure if Jesus was willing to do it for him.
I want you to look at Jesus’ response to the leper and
see God’s heart for you where healing is concerned.
Jesus answered the leper by touching him and
saying, “I am willing. Be healed.” What did Jesus say?
“I am willing.” Did He just say it and do nothing? No,
He stretched forth His hand to the leper and restored
the afflicted man to wholeness.

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Partake Your Way To Wholeness

Partake Your Way To Wholeness
When you remember how Jesus willingly came to
save you and suffered for your healing at the cross, it
will cast out every fear of not receiving healing from
Him.
That’s what partaking of the Holy Communion is
about. When you hold the bread in your hand,
simply remember how Jesus’ body was broken at the
cross so that yours may be healed and whole. Say,
“Lord Jesus, thank You for bearing my condition on
Your own body at the cross. When the lashes fell
across Your back, my condition died. It has no right
to linger in my body!” Likewise, when you partake of
the cup, remember that Jesus shed His blood to save
you. Say, “Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood that
has washed away my sins and made me righteous.
Because I am righteous in Your sight, healing belongs
to me. I receive Your healing and resurrection life for
my body right now.” Beloved, remember the Lord
and partake your way to divine health!
Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached Him and
knelt before Him. “Lord,” the man said, “if You are
willing, You can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus
reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” He
said.
“Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
—MATTHEW 8:2–3,NLT
“I will give you back your health and heal your
wounds,” says the Lord.”
—JEREMIAH 30:17, NLT

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By His Stripes You Are Healed!

By His Stripes You Are Healed!
Isaiah 53 is proof forevermore of the Lord’s love for
you and His desire for you to be whole. How
important is your healing and health to Him? It’s so
important that Jesus Himself paid the heavy and
terrible price for your wholeness.
When Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ was
released, people complained that the scourging scene
was too graphic and violent. The truth is that it
portrayed only a fraction of what our Lord really
suffered on our behalf.

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Your Healing Is Part Of The Deal

Your Healing Is Part Of The Deal
Once you realize how very much God loves Jesus, His
darling Son, ask yourself this: If God willingly gave
Jesus up for me, would He withhold healing from
me?
If God withholds your healing after He has already
given you Jesus, then it would mean that your
healing is greater or more important than Jesus.
No my friend, He has already given you heaven’s
best. How will He not also freely give you all things,
including the healing and wholeness you desire?
If God did not withhold Heaven’s best

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God So Loves You

God So Loves You
Jesus was the apple of God’s eye. He was God’s
darling Son, His infinite joy and delight.
Yet, God gave Jesus up for you. That’s how much God
loves you.
Just think about it: If you knew you could save a
dying person by giving up something precious to you,
would you go as far as to give up your only child
whom you dearly love for that person?
Yet, that is exactly what God did to save you. Jesus,
His beloved Son, died on the cross to cleanse you,
heal you and redeem you—spirit, soul and body!
That is how precious you are to God!
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him
up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things?”
—ROMANS 8:32

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