Tag Archives: Book of James

What Does Faith Have To Do With Healing?

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Today’s blog post I am gonna write about something I know nothing about – which really isn’t all that unusual for me. But I wanted to just let you know up front because I know a lot of you will have questions. I have questions but no concrete answers. Who knows maybe YOU will have the answers to my questions – in which case I should be letting YOU write this post.

As many of you know I am doing Beth Moore’s study on the book of James.

James is a very convicting book – well ALL of the Bible is convicting but you know what I mean. He doesn’t beat around the bush. He tells it just like it is. It’s not hard to grasp the meaning of what he is saying. Even the passage I am gonna discuss today seems very straightforward and easy to understand, yet I don’t get it. Here is the passage for today – James 5:13-15a:

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

I have been raised in church all my life and have seen the elders of a church pray over someone and anoint them with oil. I have been anointed and prayed over a few times in my life. Yet here I am day in and day out for 18 1/2 years still suffering with Fibromyalgia. So I don’t get it. Is my faith lacking? That is a very real possibility. Has the faith of those who prayed over me and anointed me been lacking? Also a possibility. So my question is how can I change that. And honestly if I have the faith of Abraham when he stood before that altar ready to sacrifice his promised son, Isaac, would that make a difference?

I was very apprehensive about reading what Beth had to say about this passage throughout the entire study. Last night was the night that the study homework covered this passage. I couldn’t even answer the questions asked in the homework. All I could manage to do was read her commentary. My heart was pounding and it felt like an elephant sitting on my chest.

What I believe is the answer to my dilemma is that God has another purpose in my illness. Beth put it this way -

“When we’re sick, we pray like made for healing and summon leaders to pray likewise over us and, yes, anoint us with oil. If we remain ill after diligent, enduring, faith-filled prayer, particularly upon the part of our intercessors, what do we do? We entrust ourselves to the hands of our faithful God and His sovereign plan, abiding voraciously in His love.” – James: Mercy Triumphs page 179

No one can explain really why some people receive their healing on this earth and why others must wait. After giving it some heartfelt thought and prayer and discussion today at Bible Study I’m not sure if my lack of belief that he will heal me really has anything to do with whether or not I receive my healing here or in Heaven. I believe it all boils down to what God’s purpose is behind my illness. I will be honest, because that’s what this blog is all about, I think if I could make a “deal” with God to carry out the purpose without having to suffer I would do that. I believe I know the purpose for my suffering. I think I know why he has given me this burden to bear. And I think I am fulfilling that purpose. But I’d like the chance to do that work without having to suffer.

I also think part of the reason for my suffering is a lesson in expanding my faith. While the Bible tells me that God is able I don’t understand then why he doesn’t! Sometimes I get angry with God. And I know he expects that. He’s a big boy – he can handle it. And he is patient enough to walk with me and continue teaching me how to trust him – how to believe him – how to have faith in him. My question is – will I learn this lesson before I actually get to Heaven and get my ultimate healing? Now THERE is a challenge.

James: Mercy Triumphs – What Belief System Are You Living?

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I did not make it to Bible Study yesterday. But I just downloaded the second video session from the Lifeway website. Beth did not disappoint and the Holy Spirit was not silent. This study is gonna be a good one. I plan to be a changed person by the end of the 8 week study.

If you don’t know – we are doing Beth Moore’s latest study, James: Mercy Triumphs. During the homework sessions over the last week we discovered who James was from the brief things we are shown in scripture. James was the half-brother of Jesus. James entered the scene as an unbeliever and became a leader/follower in the New Testament Church. The Book of James is written by him. In James 1:1 he identifies himself as ” a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ”. So at some point in his life he figured out that his big brother was the Messiah. He loved his people, the Jews, and wrote with the hope that they would come to know Jesus as the Messiah. That’s a big transformation.

It’s very likely that the Book of James was the first book written for the New Testament. That would mean that James, the once nonbeliever of the Messiah, is the one who broke the 400 year silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament. He had to have come a LONG way in his belief system to be the first book of the New Testament. I’m sure that Jesus spent many a prayer praying for his brother to believe. And at some point James’ heart softened and he heard what Jesus was saying and believed. Boy that is encouraging to me to know that if James could come around then I shouldn’t stop praying and stop believing it possible that someone I love that doesn’t believe can be reached.

The Book of James was written based on first hand experiences he saw from his big brother’s ministry on earth. He knew what it meant to struggle with unbelief, fight the conviction of the Spirit and wrestle with the Pharisees. He also learned what life was truly about. The message of his book can be summed up in two words: LIVE IT! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. No matter what our belief system (whether it is the Truth of Christ or the Lies of Satan) we are living it every day.

So as we begin digging into the actual book of James I want to be sure that my heart is right and my belief system is based on the truths of Christ. I do not want to believe any of the lies the devil feeds my mind and spirit. I do not want to live a life of worry and doubt. I do not want others to see judgment in my actions. I do not want to succumb to fear. I do not want selfishness to control my actions. As Beth said at the end of today’s video session – Joy is our birthright in Christ. Noone has the right to take it. That is what I want to live. That is what I want to learn from this study. I want to learn to let Christ adjust my sails and reveal a belief system based on Christ.

What about you? Do you want to learn how to Live the belief system of Christ? Join me here as I share what I learn from James for the next few weeks.

James – Mercy Triumphs Week 1

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If you’ve been following me on Facebook then you know how excited I have been about beginning Beth Moore’s new Bible Study, James – Mercy Triumphs today.

It was as terrific as I was anticipating. What I was most surprised about is how different this study is from Beth’s other studies. I believe I have done every study she’s written at least once – some three times. So, I know how Beth writes and what her studies are like. I’ve been so exciting about this study because I love the book of James. Every verse in the book is a nugget of wisdom as rich as any you would find anywhere else in the Bible. And I happen to know that my daughter loves the book of James. That excites me! I wanted some way to integrate her into the study as well. We’ve never committed to a long term study together. But as it works out one of the paths the study can take is one that will allow me to do the study at home with her as well. I was praying for a way that she and I could work it out and it just so happens that the way that Beth wrote this study will be very doable for us to do it together here.

Let me explain. In case you aren’t familiar with Beth Moore’s Bible Studies, most of her studies are 10 weeks long. You have a workbook that has 5 days worth of homework per week. When you get together for the study you discuss the homework and then you watch an hour long video of Beth discussing some aspect of the study for that week. This study is structured differently. There are 5 different levels of participation. You can mix the various levels in any way you would like. Each level gets a little more involved. You choose what will work for you so that you can reach the level of involvement you need. The levels are:

1 – Participating in the video sessions only. for this level all you would have to do is watch the videos and fill in the video guide. You don’t even have to have the workbook if you don’t want to. Someone can make a copy of the listening guide each week. You can come to class – just watch the videos – involve yourself in the discussion as it moves along. This is what I can do with Lauren. I can make a copy of the listening guide with her and borrow the DVD to watch with her. We can watch it each week and talk about it.

2 – Participate in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework in the workbook. This is the typical way of doing a Beth Moore study like I mentioned above.

3 – Participate in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework in the workbook + handwriting the entire book of James at little each week. This allows you to go a little deeper in retaining what you learn because you are not only hearing it, discussing it but you’re also writing it.

4 – Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework in the workbook + handwriting the entire book of James + reading “The Next Level with Melissa”. Melissa is Beth’s daughter. She has written a deeper theological piece to accompany each week of study. It appears at the end of the week’s homework. Melissa is a theologian and provides a more academic approach.

5 – Participating in the video sessions + doing the weekly homework in the workbook + handwriting the entire book of James + reading “the Next Level with Melissa” + Memorize the book of James. WOAH!! That’s hardcore! I’m afraid I won’t be able to go this level. I can’t remember my own name most days. But some people are terrific at memorizing and wouldn’t find this difficult at all. More power to ya.

So, as you can see this study is much different. I’m so excited to get started. I’m planning on digging in tonight. I hope to share some of the nuggets I discover on this journey. Watch out for them. It’s gonna be quite the journey indeed! I’d love for you to join me.

In A Word….Memorizing…..With Do Not Depart (Yes I know that is 5 Words)

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Today begins a new journey in my spiritual life. I follow Katie Orr on Twitter. I have noticed that she is always tweeting scripture. This morning I checked out her hashtag (#HideHisWord) and went to the blog connected with most of her tweets, Do Not Depart. She is hosting a scripture memory challenge. I have never ventured into memorizing large portions of scripture because I have such awful Fibro Fog at times. It seemed like a senseless thing for me to attempt. However, I believe that I can go about it slowly and in small chunks. My memorization schedule may be much different than everyone else’s because I am going to go very slowly at a pace that I think my foggy brain can handle. It seems everyone is choosing their own passage. I have chosen the book of James because it is my daughter’s favorite book. I would love for she and I to do this together. We have both been having an issue with a consistent quiet time. So, I believe this will help her as well as helping me. I’ve always wanted to do this but never attempted because I didn’t think I could do it. What better reason is there than that to actually DO IT?

So, here is my plan (subject to change based on what my foggy brain can do):

1. I will memorize the first two chapters of James in the NIV in one year (by March 5, 2012).

2. I will memorize one verse a week.

3. I will write a blog post about my progress once a month according to the challenge guidelines and link them up to Do Not Depart.

4. I will post a quarterly vlog (video) reciting what I have memorized to show my progress.

Please visit Katie’s blog via the links above in order to read more about the challenge and join in. She has a lot of terrific tips on how to go about memorizing scripture. She also lists other sites of bloggers participating in the challenge so that you can find the encouragement and camaraderie that you need as you walk this journey together.

If you plan to join us, swing by there and read the guidelines and grab the button. It would be great to have someone to work with. This is not gonna be easy for me. Especially let me know if you plan to participate and you are a spoonie. I know it will be very difficult for us. The support for one another will help us to succeed.

If I can attempt to do this then you can too. We can do it together! Please join us. Come hide the Word in your heart along with me. Think of the benefits. They far outweigh the negatives. After all God tells us in His Word that memorizing scripture is good for us and serves a very real purpose. I will leave you with that verse.

Psalm 119:11 – I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.