By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

January, 03, 2009

SCRIPTURE:
"When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind;...." (Mark 5:15a, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what happened after the demons went into the pigs and the pigs rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned?

Today, I decided to focus on the fifth event.

Observation:
I asked myself what the people discovered about the demon-possessed man?

Interpretation:
I asked myself why it is significant the condition of the man is mentioned after his encounter with Jesus?

Three things happened in the man’s life:

This is so awesome that Jesus addressed the man’s physical, spiritual, and mental condition here when Jesus healed him.

 Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. I saw the power of Jesus’ healing and that He can heal people where they are at. I know Jesus healed me when I had severe asthma, when I had fallen couple of times, had mononucleosis, had depression, had probably symptoms of Diabetes, etc. 

In High School, I had put my hand on my leg that seemed to be badly sprained and asked Jesus to touch it supernaturally and He did. Of course, I cannot explain it. Even the school nurse was shocked and baffled. Jesus’ healing can put people in awe!

In college, I had a serious case of mono (no I did not kiss anyone) so I do not know how I contracted it. I prayed about it and so many were praying for me. When the nurse came back with the original results she was amazed how quickly I was healed.

I am so grateful when I think about Jesus healing me in different areas of my life knowing He has not changed and can change me. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I also know that His timing is not our timing but in His perfect timing we can feel the healing for we are never out of His love and never out of His reach!

I ask you now dear friend, where do you need healing this New Year of 2009?
Dear friend, whatever you are going through, Jesus wants to be there for you. I know He does! No matter what your condition is take it to the Lord in prayer whether it is a physical, spiritual, or mental condition. Do not give up! Jesus has the power to heal and when He heals He heals the person as a whole. Jesus addressed the man’s physical, spiritual, and mental condition. I have read so many testimonies and seen so many testimonies of Jesus’ healing.

Friend, I do not have an answer for those that feel they have not be healed yet except to say Jesus knows your pain and has not forgotten about you.  His healing occurs in His timing and we do not understand. Jesus deliberately decided to come to Gerasenes after He got in the boat with his disciples. He had His timing. He could have come sooner if He chose but He has a reason for everything. God creates no accidents and sometimes miracles hide and God wraps blessings in disguise. You may have to wait sometime to see the reasons why!

We know our Lord Jesus healed my daddy multiple times after his cardiac arrest and we believed our Lord could heal him of all the ailments. My dad was in a very bad shape and could have died sooner but the Lord Jesus kept healing him. One day the Lord decided to take him so my dad could be with the Lord after he came to know him.

I believe the Lord Jesus kept him alive to build our own faith and to show His miracles and ways to all those we were surrounded by. The greatest miracle being his salvation.

Jesus kept giving me this Bible verse:
"The purpose of his illness is not death but for the glory of the Lord!" (John 11)

I was claiming this promise for his physical healing but Jesus' purpose was for his spiritual healing and giving him Eternal Life forever more.  This does not anyway take away from the healing power of Jesus Christ. Jesus could have healed my daddy completely and my dad still could be living but the Lord's ways or not our ways and we need to bless the Lord always and choose to say, 'The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the Name of the Lord'

We have seen the Lord's presence in our lives so much during the turbulent time after my dad's cardiac arrest, during the time he was in ICU, the time he was in a nursing home, and even on the day my dad went to be with the Lord. Even to this day, we see the Lord's work in our lives.

Never give up on the Lord's healing even when we don't understand why sometimes His healing does not come when we want it. The main miracle and best miracle of all even in my dad's condition was that the night my dad gave his life to the Lord Jesus is the night he could finally rest for eternity with Jesus. I still believe in the Lord's healing!

Recently, after going to New Year's Eve with few of the OIF (Oakland International Fellowship) family, I became sick with a sore throat, cough, etc but through prayer I was healed. Of course, I took all the healing ways Jesus provided topping it off with prayer. My mom prayed for me, my Living Acts family prayed for me one of them even offered to come to where I live to make me Chicken Soup and give it to me when she found out I was not doing well. I feel a lot better this morning by the grace of the Lord and need to stay away from the cold if I can.

May you not give up but come to feel the healing of the Lord always knowing healing emanates as Lord is nurturing Giver! Please remember the Lord Jesus can healing even through medicine of our physical and mental conditions so don't be afraid to take medicine when necessary. Don't feel ashamed to go to biblical counselors, etc because God can use others to bring healing into your life.

More than anything I believe the Lord Jesus cares for the healing of your spiritual condition. It is interesting when Jesus healed people, He also addressed their spiritual condition which is always exciting to know. Jesus was all about restoration not only physically, mentally, but most of all spiritually

No matter how healthy you are on the outside physically, on the inside mentally and psychologically, you are not healthy at all but rotting away if you are sick spiritually without having Christ take over.

You see friend, our sin has separated us from the Lord. Because of that sin, it will eventually affect us physically and mentally. We need a doctor to heal us of our sin and restore us. Jesus is that Great Physician. For healing to occur first the symptoms have to be diagnosed. You need to come to the point to acknowledge your sinfulness in this world and that only Christ Jesus has the cure. You need to acknowledge you are in nakedness of sin that causes so much shame when exposed. It is this shame that God cannot allow to enter His presence in Heaven so He sent Jesus into this world to save you and deliver you who became the Lamb of God who takes the world's sins away. But you have to be willing to take His healing as Adam & Eve took the skin that God provided to cover their nakedness and as the man took the healing from Jesus.

Yes, friend Jesus alone has the cure but you need to receive it. Jesus went to the cross to produce it with His precious cleansing blood. For His blood alone can wipe the virus of sin completely from your body and set you free.  This Blood is for you. So come as you are and ask Jesus Christ to intervene in your life and take over. Jesus died and came back on the 3rd day to save so you and I can be saved when we accept His free gift of grace. We don't even have to pay anything. Everything we think we have to give up is not really giving up because what we receive is better than what we think we are giving up.

I don't want you to leave reading this devotional and not knowing Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior who heals us where we are this New Year of 2009 if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Without Jesus, we cannot come into the presence of God. When the demon-possessed man was healed, then He was able to sit in the presence of Jesus. We too need our sins washed to sit in the presence of God. We can and we will because of what Jesus will be in our life. That is exciting to know!

So, please come as you are to Jesus and allow Him to heal you physically, spiritually, and mentally. May you experience His presence in your life as healing emanates as Lord is nurturing Giver.

“Healing Emanates As Lord Is Nurturing Giver!” (H.E.A.L.I.N.G)/”Where do you need healing this New Year of 2009?”

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you know the healing we need in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. Thank you for healing the demon-possessed man spiritually, physically, and mentally. Thank you so much for caring for him and how much you care for us too. We are so sorry for our sin. Thank you for dying on the cross to take our sin and coming back to life to save us. Thank you Lord at the cross the broken can come to you, the sick can come to you, the infected can come to you, and all those who need your healing can come to you. So, we come now with whatever condition we face especially the condition of sin and ask you to cleanse us with your cleansing blood. Wash us and we will be whiter than snow. Please come into our heart and make our heart your home. Live in us Jesus and help us to live for you and serve you the rest of the days of our lives. Thank you so much Jesus. We acknowledge you as our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you that your Blood is for us. Thank you Jesus you have heard us and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you so much that we are never out of your love. No matter what is tormenting us, you are there for us. When there are days we cannot get through and loneliness has gotten the best of us because we are isolated in our torment and sin, you are still there. Just as the demon-possessed man saw you, ran to you, and fell before you for healing, we can come to you too. Thank you Jesus! You made yourself available to the man with the evil spirit. Thank you Jesus for making yourself available to us now when we call your Name for we are never out of your love and never out of your reach. You Oh Lord know what we have done; you know what we will do. You know what Satan will do to entice us and torment us. We come to you Lord and ask you for your healing presence in our lives. Take any addiction and torment that people face and fill them with your power to live for you. We know you can do it Jesus. Only you have the power to deliver us from any torment and find peace in you. Thank you so much Jesus. We come to you now Jesus and ask you to forgive us of all our sin. Deliver us Oh Lord and cleanse us with your cleansing blood. We believe in you Jesus; we believe you are the Son of God, we believe that you died and rose again; we believe you are here right now standing in our presence with the power to heal now and the grace to forgive. Help us Oh Lord as we turn this song “I Believe” into a prayer to you Oh Lord. Thank you so much for coming into our heart and making our heart your home as we ask you in. Take us in Oh Lord and be our Lord and Personal Savior as you lead us and guide us. Help us to help others as you help us! Thank you so much Jesus you are in our heart making our heart your home. Thank you for living in us. Thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you Jesus you have heard our prayers and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!