Throwing Water

I read something this morning that reminded me of what has happened to me on more than one occasion so I thought I would do a ‘Tidbit’ on it.  While you have been serving the Lord have you ever had a breakthrough, maybe a deliverance or a healing or an answer to prayer or something that got you all excited, something you couldn’t wait to share with someone, but when you finally did they just stared at you with little or no expression like they didn’t even hear you.  That is what I call throwing water on a person’s faith and excitement, stealing their joy.

It seems like over the years I have had many occasions to praise the Lord and get excited about the things He has done, but when I share them with people many just seem to have a duh attitude.  I don’t understand how unemotional some believers seem to be.  I know that walking with the Lord can seem like an uphill climb or a battle but if there is no joy you will have no strength for the journey.  Just like the people in Nehemiah’s day, when they heard Ezra the Priest read the book of the law of the Lord and realizing how far away they were from obeying it, they wept openly in repentance promising to change their lives.  

Just to give you a little background of what was going on in that day, read what it says in Nehemiah 8:10-11, “Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, ‘Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.’”

Just like the people in Nehemiah’s day needed the joy of the Lord for their strength we also need the joy of the Lord for our strength.  When somebody in the body of Christ gets excited and shares what the Lord has done or is doing in their lives we are commanded to rejoice with them.  But how many of us are guilty of just throwing cold water on them, so to speak, because of our emotional state of mind at the time?  All of us need encouragement at times and I think we all should share what the Lord has done and what He is still doing in our lives and not be discouraged while doing it.

Let me share what happened to me about ten years ago, I was praying in my bedroom by myself about being healed of various things and all of a sudden I heard these words in my mind, “Jerry, if you was to be healed of one of these things, what would it be?”  To say the least I was a little shocked.  To make a long story a little shorter, I chose the asthma which I had severely for many years, having to take medicine two or three times a day at times.  It has been close to ten years and I have never had a doctor tell me that I have asthma, praise the Lord!!  I have shared this many times but there was a time I shared it in church and as I was leaving a man walked up to me and said, “I have asthma worse than you ever had and now I have emphysema.”  There was no joy in his remarks, just a lot of cold water.  I don’t know this, but maybe that’s why he isn’t healed, because he can’t rejoice when someone else gets healed.  But, just for the record, I have prayed for his healing and hold no bitter feelings towards him.

At another time I had a guy say it must have been a familiar spirit because he didn’t believe that God would only heal one thing.  Believe me I wasn’t jumping up and down when I heard that; no it felt like more cold water was being thrown in my face, trying to drench my faith, so to speak.  Unless I am mistaken, I have never read about anyone in God’s Word being healed unless the Lord healed them directly or through one of His servants, but even then He is the one who did the healing and He is the one I give all the praise, honor and glory!!

If you are familiar with the Bible I think you understand that Jesus healed many people of just one illness, in fact, I don’t recall anyone being healed of more than one disease at a time, not that I don’t believe that He could if He wanted to.  We need to be careful of our words because they can result in blessings or curses, life or death to the hearer.  I hope this has been an encouraging, eye opening message that will help whoever reads it.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!