Ezekiel 37:12-14 (NIV)
¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them.
¹⁴  I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.'" 

This concept of Healing the Broken speaks directly into my life. Twenty years or so ago, I participated in my first Beth Moore Bible study. It was called, Breaking Free. The verse for that study was...

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners...   (Isaiah 61:1)

When God set about the do a great thing in us, He sent His Son to us. Once we are healed in our Spirit by Jesus, we are strong and free. Breaking our chains like this, provides healing from everything that broke us. Tell how you were healed by the love of Jesus. Your testimony must be told.

Some of us can testify to physical healing, as He still performs miracles today. Other types of healing can be relational. Jesus is Love and His Word preaches Love. I recently went to see the move, Paul, Apostle of Christ. There was a message in this movie I will not forget. When Paul was asked by Luke, how do you forgive all the wrongs that have been done, the injustice of it all (paraphrased by this writer)? Paul responded by telling his companion that it is all about Love. We must love no matter what. 

That is a tough message to hear and to practice. But, isn't that why Jesus came to earth in the first place? It is love that breaks us free from bondage and heals all wounds.

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Luke 4:15-20

Have you experienced the power of the Holy Spirit lately? Have you felt His presence and guidance in your life? Have you cried out to God asking that He send His Holy Spirit to you because you are in deep trouble and can't find your way? Does this verse below speak to you?

The Luke reading is first seen in the Old Testament book Isaiah 61:1 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners... 

There are seasons in our lives when we find ourselves in bondage; a captive in need of release from pain and heartache. It is during this time we can call upon the Holy Spirit, begging Him to fill us with wisdom and hope; for hope is a specialty of the Holy Spirit.

When we find ourselves up against a wall, pinned to the pain of loss and brokenness, it is the Holy Spirit who will reveal a way out. One day everything is bleak and it seems as though there are no answers. We pray for help, submit to the One who has all the answers and then we close our eyes and sleep.

The morning will often bring peace and before you know what happened, answers will come. These answers may seem obvious and simple and we wonder why didn't I think of that? That is the power of the Spirit in our lives. Do you know what I am talking about, has this happened in your life?  Want to share with us?

Someone Does Care

John 11:21 (NIV)
"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 

Who among us hasn't at one time or another said, "There has to be more to life than this!" A statement like this is often uttered while we are hanging on by a thread. We cry these words during the seasons in life when we are overcome by our own helplessness.

Have you ever found yourself in such a place of despair and grief?

When we don't have faith that there is Someone who will pull us out of our pit of misery, we are forced to wallow in our troubles. Many situations bring us to the place where we just want to lay down and let the world pass by. 

The day I found myself at this juncture, I knew I had a decision to make; either find a way to change, or drown in despair. Either climb out of the pit of meaninglessness and desperate living, or settle in and allow the quicksand of my life to swallow me whole.
Martha's words to Jesus are filled with sorrow. They are also filled with faith. She knew that Jesus did make the difference between life and death. The rest of her words in John 11:22 attest to this faith. "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Martha understood that Jesus knew the Father intimately and spoke to Him constantly. 

It wasn't long after acknowledging the pain life was doling out, that I arrived at my first in-depth Bible study.  It was Breaking Free, by Beth Moore. The verses that spoke into my life and my heart that season were from Isaiah 61:1 and fulfilled in Luke 4:18 -- "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed..."

So, is your life filled with joy and hope, or are you still trying to climb out of that pit all on your own? Please connect with me, lets talk it over.

John 11:17-27

Now is the time to Break Free

Many years ago, at a women's Bible Study, I began my personal relationship with Jesus.  It was my first in-depth study, one requiring 5 days of homework and reading scripture. Looking back I can see God's hand all over this experience. The study was by Beth Moore and it was called, "Breaking Free."

I will never forget this study and have shared it a number of times since, with other women who were in the same place I was at that point my life; broken, alone, lost and hopeless. I was poor in spirit, a prisoner chained to an empty life. The key verse for this entire study was Isaiah 61:1-2.

The words in Isaiah were fulfilled by Jesus and told in the text for today by Luke. As we spend this final week studying about repentance and prayer and the Holy Spirit, these words speak to me and remind me of the days when God used 9 women at my study table to encourage and teach me how to embrace Jesus Christ as Savior.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
  because he has anointed me
  to preach the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for
  the prisoners
  and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.  (Mark 4:18-19)

I will never be the same again and I thank God for that.  Where are you right now? Do you need someone to come alongside you to help you through a rough patch, or do you need a mentor to show you the way to Jesus? I would love to speak with you. Send a confidential message to me here.

These past weeks as we studied the Book of Joel we learned repentance is forgiveness and restoration. We learned that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). It is about time we take this message seriously. It is time for a revival in our land.

Luke 4:14-21