Showing posts with label deliverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deliverance. Show all posts
New Christian Art -- Letting God Redeem and Restore our Memory: Annulling Agreements with the Enemy and Embracing God's Truth
Stacy Lee

Memory

They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.
~Psalm 145:7

Ever feel like this? (I have!) Looking back over our pasts can be excruciatingly painful if we don't let God radically transform our trials and wounds for His Glory. We have to be willing to let go of those memories and allow the healing power of God to come in and restore those areas of our lives. That is what this artwork is all about. It is about allowing God to restore our memory and align our history up with His truth.

Here is the thing (and I know this from first hand experience), Satan attacks us through our wounds and memories. If we let our memory and wounds remain in the dark, we will continue to live in unhealthy cycles of pain. Once we allow our history to be exposed to the light of Christ, He removes the lies and the darkness of the enemy and sets us free to walk in truth.

I pray that as you are reading this blog and looking at this artwork, that God would do a mighty work in you. I pray He would reveal to you the memories and wounds He wants to heal you from and expose all the lies you have agreed with the enemy on. I pray in the Name of Jesus that He would break those agreements you've made with the enemy and set you free forever with His Truth. May His Truth be planted in your hearts and take root in a mighty and powerful way--so much so that many others will also be brought to the Truth of Christ as a result of the fruit that springs forth from the seeds of Truth that Jesus has planted in you. In Jesus Name I pray this, Amen.

On a side note, please forgive my absence. I am in the middle of a major season of transition because God has opened up a new door in my life. It is an exciting but crazy time and I'd appreciate your prayers as I await God's provision. I am now on a church planting team and will be putting a lot of time and effort into building His church. Praise Him!

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Harvest Time: The Goodness of the Lord
Stacy Lee

The Goodness of the Lord

Do not let it be known that the woman came to the threshing floor. ~Ruth 3:14

The threshing floor is where the heads of grain would be broken from the stalks. This was done with either oxen trampling the stalks or by a threshing sledge. You can imagine that this can be a rather painful experience if we put ourselves into the shoes of the wheat. Yet, I believe God puts us through this process to refine us, mold us and transform us into His image for His Glory (Isaiah 28:23-29). Ruth certainly experienced this after her devastating losses (death of her husband, brother in law, father in law and leaving her homeland). However, I believe the LORD is saying in the above scripture (in symbolic terms) that He is going to exalt her so high, that no one would ever even know of her threshing floor experience, unless they were told of the very humbling circumstances that God allowed into Ruth’s life to prepare her for His Glory. This of course came to past as she is the great grandmother of King David and eventually of Jesus Himself. Yes, it is true that God does indeed exalt the humble (James 4:6) She started on the threshing floor, and God put her on a high place!

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name." -Psalm 91:13-14

My hope and prayer is that this will encourage you today. I know this Word has encouraged me. I don't know about you--but I'm ready for the harvest! It's been a long time coming ;)

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God and His Promises: Silent Night Majesty
Stacy Lee
My apologies for taking so long to post a new blog post! Summer has been very busy for me (shouldn't it be the opposite?). Anyways, I'm looking forward to things calming down soon before things gear up for the rest of 2010. God is true to His promises, and this is what He has lead to share about tonight:

Silent Night Majesty

He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6)

I love how righteousness and believing God go hand in hand. Not only in the passage above but also in Habakkuk 2:4 where God tells Habakkuk that the righteous will live by faith.

Abraham believed what God told him and as a result God counted him as righteous. Go outside at night and look at the stars. Look at the promise that God has made Abraham. Has it not already come to pass? All of God's loyal followers from Abraham's seed are now so many that they cannot be counted. It brings tears to my eyes. Yes, Abraham is our father. In Christ, we also are one of his descendants.

What has God promised you today in Christ? Will you believe God and have righteousness credited to you? We have to live by faith. We have to trust God no matter what--there is no other way to live. Remember that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). You cannot please God unless you believe Him. Remember that the next time Satan tempts you to doubt. God is faithful and true to His promises. For all the promises of God are "yes!" in Christ! (2 Cor 1:20)

Is there is something you are struggling with today? Pray. Stand firm in faith. Trust God to see you through. He is the great almighty Deliverer. He will see you through. Be still and know that He is God.

My prayer is that this image will give you peace as you are still before God and meditate on the wonderful works of His hands like the stars. Go outside and let God romance you with His creation. Be still before Him and most importantly, believe.

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Save the Gulf: Charity Art In Response to the BP Oil Spill Disaster
Stacy Lee


Save the Gulf

I imagine earth joins me in crying out to God:
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
~Psalm 61:2



I don't live near the gulf, but I've been horrified by what I've seen on the news. This is my attempt at doing something about it. I've prayed and will continue to pray. This artwork is in response to prayer. 50% of the profits off this artwork will go to www.ibrrc.org who are down in the gulf now rescuing oiled wildlife. Unfortunately, the wildlife are the innocent victims of human greed.

I'm very concerned about the people in the gulf. I pray that God will have mercy and shield them from the toxins. I also pray that the oil can be contained as much as possible to keep from spreading. My heart goes to those who lost loved ones in this disaster and for those who will be out of food and out of work for an indefinite amount of time.

No doubt that earth is groaning and moaning and waiting for her King (Romans 8:22).

May God help us all and have mercy on us! Lord, please, have mercy!

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. ~Habakkuk 3:2

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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14

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Walking Through Refining Fires
Stacy Lee

Refined As Gold

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;
I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”
~Isaiah 48:10

“I will bring the one-third through the fire,
Will refine them as silver is refined,
And test them as gold is tested.
They will call on My name,
And I will answer them.
I will say, ‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”
~Zechariah 13:9

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.
~Malachi 3:3

God allows certain trials and tribulations in our lives so we can refined for His Glory. The more He cuts away, molds, and shapes us, the more we become like Christ. I've learned that God wants me to have a Holy attitude when tribulations come. Will I trust Him and lean on faith that He is using this for my good? Or will I have another meltdown?

One of the biggest way God uses circumstances in my life to refine me is in seasons of waiting. Especially when I'm waiting for deliverance. Am I going to complain or trust His timing? Am I going to be patient and believe God knows what He is doing or freak out?

I've found that for each level of blessing comes new levels of challenges and trials. I'm willing to bet that what God is using to refine you now is the very thing that is going to build up your faith so you are ready for the next major work He is going to do in your life. Let us not grow weary in persevering in the refining fires, but let us look at it as a major season of preparation for what is ahead. God knows what is before us, and He knows the end that He wants to bring us to. He also knows what we need to endure now before we get there to that end. He is a good God-- let's remember that, too.


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Rise Above: When God is Calling You Up Higher on the Mountain
Stacy Lee

Rise Above

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there.” ~Exodus 24:12a

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ~Psalm 61:2

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet. ~Psalm 8:6

There comes a time in your life when God will call you up higher on the mountain to be alone with Him. You don't pick the time-- God does. He orders your steps. He orders your circumstances. Like the Psalmist says, "When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). When life becomes crushing and unbearable. When faith is the only thing you have left. When people (family, friends) turn their back on you. When the ones you helped have all walked out. When tragedy or trauma hits. When stress and pressure builds up and you become like a bomb just waiting to explode. It's time. It's time to go up higher on the mountain with the Lord.

During a season in my life when God called me up higher on the mountain, He revealed something important to me. My life circumstances were crushing, but what He told me on the mountain was soothing. He showed me Psalm 8:6. He reminded me there that He has put all things under our feet. He said to me, "Rise above." Then I got it! The higher up on the mountain we go with God the more things He puts under our feet. The closer I draw to my Lord the more I identify with HIM and the less I identify with my crushing circumstances. The more I see Jesus and focus on Him the more I rest in faith and not doubt, fear, worry, or despair.

Is He leading you to the Rock? Is He calling you up higher? Go to Him. Go higher. Draw near to the Lord. Let Him lift you up and put all these crushing things under your feet. The higher you go up on the mountain with the Lord the farther below your circumstances will go under you until they vanish and you can only focus on the One who called you. Peace.

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Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Who Provides
Stacy Lee

Jehovah Jireh

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” ~Genesis 22:14

2 Kings 4:1-7

This passage of scripture is about Elisha and the Widow's Oil. The widow has no way to pay off her debt so her sons are about to be sold into slavery. However, God provides for the widow's needs by filling up may jars full of oil for her to sell. She ends up with enough to pay off her debt and provide for the needs of her family.

The term "Jehovah Jireh" means "The Lord Who Provides" or "The Lord Who Will See To It." The term originates from the story of Abraham who almost sacrificed his only son Isaac out of obedience to the Lord. But the Lord provided a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac. Abraham called this very place "Jehovah Jireh."

Just as God saw the widow and Abraham, He sees us. He is the One Who knows our needs because He sees us. He will meet our needs at just the right time as He did for Abraham and the widow. He will meet our needs in full-- not just half-way. Are you in a season right now where you are in need? Remember that God sees you. Will you let Him prove to you that He is your Jehovah Jireh? Bring out your jugs as the widow did as ask the Lord to fill them. As you are obedient to His Will He will make sure that everything you need is provided for.

I am so thankful that we have a Lord who will see to it. There is a rest in that. Thank you Lord for your peaceful rest!
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God Can Restore Your Wasted and Desolate Years
Stacy Lee

Restore the Desolate Years

I want to encourage you. It doesn't matter what you've done, what others have done to you, or what the enemy has thrown you into. God can restore your desolate years. This scripture has comforted me so much:

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.

Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the LORD your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame. “
~Joel 2:25-27

Do you believe it? We may be a dead tree but all God has to do is breathe life into us and a new branch is born. Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)-- He can resurrect anything! What I love about God is He will take the mistakes that we've made and use them later down the road for purpose that brings Him Glory and does us much good in the end.

Do not fear your past. He is the God of the second chance! All things work toward the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Be at peace, and let God work. If you let Him, He will restore your desolate and wasted years. He loves you.

Let us pray.

Father, comfort your children with these words. Lift them up and hold them close unto You. Let them remember Your faithfulness and Your promises. Redemption, O God, is only found in You, and we ask You to redeem us now and restore our wasted and desolate years. Have mercy on us Lord, and we thank You for Your lovingkindness. Help us to be a vessel for Your use so we may show the same mercy and lovingkindness You have shown us to others for Your Glory. We praise Lord, and we love You. We worship only You.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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Modern Christian Art: Mourning Into Dancing
Stacy Lee

Mourning into Dancing

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
~Psalm 30:11-12

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
~Genesis 1:2-3

I love how God can turn the bleakest, darkest, most miserable places into a place of dancing and rejoicing! That's what this artwork is all about.

In the beginning, there was darkness, and all God had to do was say, "Let there be light." And there was light! Do you know that God can breathe life into anything? Do you know that He can resurrect anything? Your relationships, your health, your financial situation, etc. Like the above Genesis scripture tells us, light came out of a dark place. All God had to do was speak. God can certainly speak over our desolate situations today and breathe them back to life!

We have to look within during the dark times. Greater is He who is in you! The same power that conquered the grave lives inside of us! Look for the well of water that is never empty inside of Jesus. He will sustain you until God speaks light over your circumstances.

I didn't realize that the process of building solid faith is done in a very dark, depressing, discouraging, and despairing place. But then again, I don't know anyone who gained their faith basking in Glory on the mountain top. It's in the dark valley where we are called to step out on faith and believe God's promises and believe He is good despite how bad our situation might be. That is a place where faith is built! Surely, no one gets there without a struggle and a fight! In fact, some of you may be in the battle for your life right now. Times like that require great faith to pray, "Thy Will be done." It's easy to pray, "Lord, have Your way!" when everything in your life is going good. But when everything you touch crumbles to pieces, when everything is falling apart and nothing comes together, when all hell has broken loose around you, it's a different story-- a faith story to pray, "Thy Will be done!"

Out of the darkest times of my life, I look back and see how God built a solid foundation of faith in me. I may have been backed up into a corner and surrounded by chaos in a pit that kept getting deeper, but God was using it all to make a prayer warrior out of me. He will equip you for your calling in a tough place. Know that you cannot do what God has called you to do, no matter what it is, without great faith. But once we go through what we have to go through to build our faith, God will show us how He has been there all along anxiously waiting to turn our mourning into dancing. God won't bless us with our calling or next stage in life until we are ready for it. We'll stay in the valley as long as it takes to build up the necessary faith. But once we are ready, God will swiftly bring us out of the dark as He speaks light over our lives. Glory be to God!
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Many are the Afflictions of the Righteous
Stacy Lee

Many are the Afflictions


Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
~Psalm 34:19

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. ~2 Cor. 4:17

Everything we go through is with purpose. Some pits we get ourselves into and others God throws us into. Just look at the life of Joseph (Start Genesis 37). We have to trust God in these moments of blindness that He has a plan with good intentions for us (Jeremiah 29:11). In these times of afflictions, faith is built, and we are made stronger.

I didn't understand that if I wanted to get strong and be a warrior in God's Kingdom, then I would have to suffer through many things. I have found that oftentimes, at our weakest point, God will kick us while we are down through an affliction, but only to build us up stronger. He will use the affliction to make us strong. The hardest times in my life have been the most forming times. I can easily look back and see God forming my clay vessel with His hands and breaking off the bad branches that didn't bear fruit, but restoring the wound and allowing it to heal into a healthy branch that can be used for His purposes.

God has to break our will first before He can truly use us. We are of no use to God if we constantly assert our own will over His. We have to learn to go when God says, "Go" without questioning Him. We have to learn to wait when God says,"Wait" without questioning Him. It is through these afflictions that work for us we learn to trust God completely, build up strong faith in Him, and grow stronger in the process.

After suffering through many trials, I've noticed how fearless I've become. Things that use to phase me don't bother me anymore. I can handle this because my God has brought me through and out of the darkest of pits! No one conquers fear without going into the battle and finishing the fight. These are the things that warriors are made of.

Let God work through the process you need to go through in whatever affliction you are dealing with now. Let Him has His way with you. Sometimes you have to go through what you go through. Through this you will learn to trust Him and hold on to Him for dear life. He will get you out in His perfect time. It may take a day, or it may take ten years. But our God is a faithful God, and He will always bring you out.

We don't jump from mountain top to mountain top, but we have to go through the valley of the shadow of death before we can reach the next mountain top. You will find that God is there in the midst of it all carrying you all the times you could not even walk yourself. Glory be to God!

I leave you with this scripture that comforted me during times of affliction:

But godliness with contentment is great gain.
~1 Timothy 6:6

Let's learn to be content in being Godly and obedient to the Lord and let God handle the rest.


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A Father's Promise: The Purpose is Greater than the Pain
Stacy Lee

A Father's Promise


O LORD God, do not reject your anointed one.
Remember the great love promised to David your servant.
~2 Chronicles 6:42

This is a very personal piece for me. I had a vague idea what I wanted to portray when I started, but God moved very powerfully in this piece. This woman has come from the mountain top of the Lord and walked through the dry and barren desert to get to her Heavenly Father's promise. It has been a long, hard and very painful journey, but she knows that her God never fails. Along the way God has whispered ever so delicately in her ear "the purpose is greater than the pain."

Sometimes it is so hard believe that God truly loves us when everything in life seems to be working against us. God will back us up into a corner and ask, "Do I favor you?" The answer has to be "yes," because God would not take the time to plan out one tragedy after the next in our lives. (I'm sure some of you all reading this can really testify...) It almost gets to the point where it is easier for God to bless than to strike out against us, but He chooses the latter.

Along the way I've realized that I have to pay the price for my anointing. Jesus, Joseph, David, Paul, Jacob, Esther, etc. all paid the price for theirs. Why would I be any different? The greater the anointing-- the greater test. I've realized in the midst of many tragedies that God does favor me-- despite what my life circumstances say. Only until God has taken every good thing out of Job's life does he say, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You" (Job 42:5). When God goes out of His way to take the good out of your life-- to the point where it gets almost comical (you start to laugh because you can't cry anymore), then your eyes have seen God. Then you know Him. You know it doesn't depend on you, and it's not up to you. It's up to Him. The time will come when He will bless, but in the mean time all you can do is believe-- the purpose is far greater than the pain.

God will keep His promises, and they will all come to past in His perfect timing. He is a faithful God who never fails. Be at peace during this time of trial even though it has been long and there may be longer still to go. There is a glory coming for you after this if you remain faithful to His plan for your life. When it's your time to be blessed-- then it's your time, and the devil can't stop! We will reach the lush forest of promise in due time if we do not lose heart.

Remember David's words before He became King:

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the LORD
In the land of the living.
~Psalm 27:13
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Christian Contemporary Art Series on Isaiah 61:3
Stacy Lee
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. ~Isaiah 61:3

The following is a series of artworks done for this verse. I am so touched by the compassion and love in this passage of scripture. How amazing that our Lord Jesus Christ came to do these things! He still does them today. With this series I want to highlight the fact that Jesus brings light to those in darkness. He brings good news to those in great pain. He brings consolation, comfort, beauty, joy, and praise for all who are suffering. Jesus still sets the captives free today! May you be greatly encouraged by this new art series and may the Lord Jesus Christ be magnified!
To console those who mourn in Zion

To give them beauty for ashes
The oil of joy for mourning
The garment of praise for the spirit of heavinessAmen.

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New Christian Art: "Consolation" When God Disciplines Us
Stacy Lee

Consolation

To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
~Isaiah 61:3


“ My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”
~Hebrews 12:5-6

We all make the mistake during difficult times of casting the image of our former or maybe present abusers onto God. What a terrible mistake to make! Our abusers are out to victimize us, and they hurt us out of hate and out of spite. We must check our hearts, do we accuse God of the same thing? God disciplines us always out of love and never out of anything else. God is love! Whatever we endure in this life, no matter how painful it is, we can be sure that God can turn it around and get the Glory and use it for our good! God is always in control of our circumstances. Never think that something happens to you that God didn't see coming. The opposite is true, of course. God has seen the end from the beginning. God has a way of working in His mighty power where He is 100% in control of our circumstances and at the same time does not violate anyone's free will. This is how powerful our God is! Nothing happens to you that God is not in complete control over. His Word will not return to Him void and at the same time it will not violate man's free will! God's power is endless!

God will sometimes back us into a corner and isolate us from everyone. We realize in those moments that we truly love God more than we love anyone or anything else. We realize in those moments why we fight the battle of each day and who is in control of all of it. He will use each trial and struggle to tear us down in the bad areas and build us up stronger in the good areas. Oh, what a God we serve! He is constantly pursuing us and working actively on our behalf even in our sleep. He does everything with purpose which is far greater than any pain because after we have endured many trials we realize we are no longer afraid of the enemy's tactics because God will use whatever is meant for evil for our good. The enemy thinks he is in control but he is not. God constantly turns around what the enemy does for our good. God would not allow it otherwise.

After each storm of life we can expect to be consoled. Isaiah says Jesus came for it! When we are embraced by God's deep and abiding love for us we reject any notion that God could be like those who have hurt us so deep in the past. In fact, God uses those very wounds to transform us into doers of His Word and sets before us a very great purpose for which we are anointed for. Jesus paid the price for His anointing and so must we. But when we get to Heaven we realize how much greater the joy it is to have shared in Christ's sufferings and to suffer for His sake because how much more we grow and know the Lord because of all the trials and tribulations of life. We are here to be prepared for eternity and to fulfill the tasks for which we are anointed for. There is no other reason to live other than to do what God has called every one of us to do. Before we get there and while we are there we pay the price, but Christ has long since paid the price for all of our sufferings and it is only because of what He did that we are able to endure. Faith is the victory! Amen.
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New Artwork: The Sound of Deliverance
Stacy Lee
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.
~ Jeremiah 17:14

Every human being, young and old, needs healing on some level. Most of us need healing on many levels. The question is, do we move out of our spiritual comfort zones and allow God to show up and be a God to us? What did Jesus do in the Gospels? He healed. He brought deliverance to the people of God. This is the sign of the Kingdom of Heaven breaking into the world. Jesus still heals today. However, many Christians don't let Him. I'd encourage you to cry out in prayer to the Lord and ask Him to bring you deliverance. Allow God the opportunity to show up and be a God to you like you've never experienced before. Don't be scared to allow God to move powerfully in your life. He wants to tear down all those painful walls so He can bring you healing and deliverance and into a new spiritual level in your daily walk with Christ. Jesus is the way, truth, and the life (John 14:6). He promises us life and that we may have it abundantly (John 10:10). Let's ask God for healing so we can truly have His promises. Our healing may not come when we expect it or how we expect it, but it will surely come. God's Word promises this: "by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). Let's allow God to heal us so we may be who we truly are in Christ and go out and minister to others.


Click here and click on "view larger" to see a bigger version of the artwork.

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