Flip That Switch


James 5:13-15
(NIV) Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 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. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

(MSG) Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

Pretty straight forward instructions here! The part that jumped out at me in all four versions that I read “the Lord will raise them up” “and Jesus will put you on your feet” “and the Lord will raise him up” “and the Lord will make you well”. Being lifted up and made well, to me, can mean ALL sorts of things! From straight up healing and removing whatever it is completely. I’ve seen it done, had it happen to me and people in my family. "Raise or lifted up" – to me can mean spiritually too. Not just physically, but emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as well. Sometimes our outer body is still in a place of ‘sickness’ yet our insides, our very soul is alive and well! When we come to and bring our all to Jesus, He raises us up and draws us to Him. Yes He can literally put us on our feet. I believe we are ‘on our feet’ even if we are not on our actual feet. The joy of being forgiven is immeasurable. I love the last line in The Message: “healed inside and out” – it makes His grace, mercy and forgiveness take on a whole new picture to me.

Today, follow what these verses say. Pray. Sing. Call for prayer and be anointed with oil. Believe. Accept forgiveness. 

I am praying for you and your journey with Jesus. As the next verse James 5:16 says “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. That “power” is in you!! You have it! YOU can pray for yourself as well as others which WILL produce wonderful results. Trust and obey today. It is the light switch of faith just waiting for you to 'flip it on'. If you are sitting in the dark, I pray that today you will flip the switch and enjoy the light of Jesus. The radiance and warmth of His love and forgiveness is SO wonderful! That’s the first step. Be safe, be well, and mostly be blessed today!



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