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Return,
Be Healed, and Let Faith Arise
A Word from Chuck and
Pam Pierce: Return, Be Healed, and Let Faith Arise
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Lots of warfare has been going on during this time, but
I believe that because of your faithful standing we are moving through warfare
into a "prosperous mindset." We are seeing governments shift. Do not
allow the enemy to wear down your mind!
A Time to Return: From Chuck Pierce
The Lord has been speaking the word "RETURN" to me. Return means to go
or come back to a place or former condition from which you have departed or
deviated. This can be in thought as well as in speech.
Return also means to revert to a previous owner. Return can be to take a
different course. A return can be a profit or revenue. A return can also be to
report or announce a result to a judge. The Lord then quickened Hosea (Hoseah
6:1-3) which says:
"Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal
us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us:
in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall
we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the
morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain
unto the earth."
Israel had strayed from the destined purpose of God. However, it was time for a
return! They began to exhort one another to return to God. We should be doing
the same. He who "tore" has the power and the will to "heal"
us.
Actually, our own straying many times causes us to be hurt in ways that are
unnecessary. In order for the Lord to bind up and heal the Israelites they had
to return to a place from which they had departed.
I have sensed four things about the Body:
Many have been in a place where they have strayed from the Lord's perfect
purpose. Many have gotten lost in their pursuit of God and are saying,
"Lord, how did we get here and how do we get out of this mess?" Many
have been wounded in the process of moving forward and now need healing. Many
are so weary in running the race that they have decided to depart for a
different path. Whatever the case, the Lord is ready to heal again! He is ready
to revive and He is ready to raise you up. However, we must go through the
three-day process to get there.
To be revived means to be restored to life or to live again. To be raised up
means to ascend from oppression and depression to a higher position of honor,
favor, and glory. I believe this process leads us into the next phase:
"Then shall we know….if we follow on to know the Lord…"
This is a time of maturing. The hard processes of life are
maturing us. If we make the choice NOW to "FOLLOW ON" we will know Him
in a new way. However, we are in a peculiar place of choice. The rain of
refreshing and cleansing is there waiting for you. Keep going. Your latter house
will be greater than your former.
We have experienced one dimension of healing, grace, and victory, but I hear Him
saying: "Keep going, and you will see the greater." You are over
halfway there! Keep pursuing His face.
Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.
Embracing Faith in Times of
Conflict: From Pam Pierce
I do not often have the opportunity to write you and thank you for all your
prayers for Chuck and I. Chuck asked me to write a perspective on faith. I hope
this helps many of you who might be going through circumstances where your faith
is being tested.
One misconception among believers is that faith is like a power source that can
be consumed like gasoline. On the contrary, faith is a gift from God that is
eternally present. Our problem, as earthbound humans, is accessing that faith
during times of stress, such as sickness, rebellious children, relationship
problems, and warfare.
In my own experience, I have realized that when I am bombarded by stressors in
the middle of the night and feel like my faith is weak, it's not really a
faith-supply problem, it's a sin problem. We are told over and over again to
"fret not," to "be anxious for nothing," to "cast all
our cares upon Him because he cares for you."
When I lay awake, staring at the ceiling, substituting worry for prayer, I can
see Scarlett O'Hara saying that one line from Gone With the Wind: "I won't
worry about that now. Tomorrow is another day." For the believer, the truth
in that statement is found in the promise that God's mercies are new every
morning. Whether I am fretting over the state of my laundry room or the state of
the Union, God's mercies are new every morning.
As I cast my cares upon Him, submit to the Holy Spirit, and walk in obedience,
faith is given new wings, unencumbered by the sins of doubt, unbelief, and
worry. Ultimately, I either believe that Jesus holds the keys to death, hell,
and the grave, or I don't. Personally, I choose to believe.
Sometimes choosing to believe is the first step in restoring faith to its
rightful position in our lives. There is no doubt that the "shield of
faith" is meant to protect and preserve us in times of trouble, but if we
are weakened by doubt and anxiety, that faith is ineffectual. That's when the
enemy comes in like a flood and wreaks havoc in our lives, sowing even more
seeds of doubt and unbelief and convincing us that God is not faithful. For this
reason, we must be diligent and alert.
Ephesians 5:15-17 says it best: "See then that you walk circumspectly, not
as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. . . .but
understand what the will of the Lord is." As we operate in this principle,
God is faithful to perfect that which concerns us for our good and His glory.
Let Him perfect you in the midst of your circumstance. Never lose sight of
eternity.