The Fear of the Lord and Health X - Living Grace Fellowship

Wednesday 08/28/13

Topic: The Fear of the Lord & Healing

Series – And He Healed them all:

The Fear of the Lord and Health X.mp3

Key Text:

Prov. 3:7-8

Prov. 4:20-27

Isa. 58:1-9

Prov. 12:15-28

The Fear of the Lord and Healing…

Well the rubber really hit the road tonight. We explored what it meant in real life situations – especially in regards to our health – to honor and fear the Lord in all we say and do. We began to work through Proverbs 4:20-27 and Isaiah 58:1-9 again, stopping to show the similarities some of what they say and their impact on health. However, we did not get very far into Prov. 4 at all before I really focused in on how we dishonor God with what we allow to occupy the center most part of our hearts.

Let’s look at these verses,

“My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” ~ Prov. 4:20-22

I spent some real time examining this, teaching that what we focus on…what we allow into the center focus of our hearts is in fact what we worship and honor.

For many of us it is our woes, concerns, anxieties, pains (both emotional and physical) that own that center spot within our hearts which was designed for our Creator alone. Furthermore, it is out of this center most part of our hearts that our mouths tend to yap. We talk a good game about loving God and honoring Him, but when it really comes down to it we DO NOT keep this verse and then cry out for healing when we have spurred all His counsel to keep His words at the center of our hearts.

We are quick to take to word of a doctor and slow to even SEEK the words of our Father concerning the same. The doctor has SO much authority in our own hearts that their words land with a finality that is greater than God’s.

Even those who talk a good “faith game” find themselves SO often “feeling the need” to tell EVERYONE about the drama of what has happened to them. This is SO true that if you listen to them… several days later they are still talking about that – NOT what they heard God tell them in response.

This tells me two things:

They really are not dedicated to getting better, but are seeking sympathy instead.
They have not set their hearts to seek God and hear from Him.

A statement of Jesus comes to mind concerning this need for human words of sympathy more than for the Words spoken to us by God,

“How can you believe when you actively seek each other’s thoughts, opinions and especially human favor and do not look for the praise that comes from the only God?” ~ John 5:44

When we do this we honor man and our own need for stroking and human based comfort and spurr the love, comfort and counsel of God. you cannot seek both!

Now, for you who are not familiar with me, I am NOT against doctors or their tests – they are very practical and helpful, but for any created being – NO ONE has the final word on our health other than the Creator, and so often we only go to Him WITH the doctors words rather than going to Him to HEAR HIS WORDS. This is NOT the fear of the Lord it is the fear (respect) of man.

The scriptures say this about such a person,

“The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected.” ~ Prov. 29:25

This is a trap of the enemy. He knows our fragile state and knows our need for acceptance and we bow down to this gold deity and kiss it’s feet with our allegiance removing our heart’s focus far way from the God who saves. Satan plays us, he uses our own weaknesses against us and then sets him trap. All the while we may feel perfectly pious when in fact our hearts have committed egregious adultery and we do not even know it.

This is a real danger my brother and sister! God has the right as Creator, Owner and especially as Redeemer to be sought FIRST and honored above all we see and hear. This IS the fear of the Lord and it brings the healing the scriptures promise with no ambiguity! God WILL keep His Word, the problem is our own self sabotage. We slay ourselves with our own self-devotions and out own mouths.

For more of this and how it ties into the Fear of the Lord and Health, please listen to the recording above.

We then went to Proverbs 12:15-28 and finished up.

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!