Delightsome Agbabo

Saturday January 1st, 2022 Memory Verse: And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. Mark 5:34 Text: Mark 5:30 - 34 In the healing of the woman with the issue of blood, you could say that the woman sneaked up behind Jesus and "stole" her healing! But was Jesus offended? Not at all! In fact, He was so pleased with her boldness that He just had to meet her. Jesus did not seek her out to rebuke her. No, He sought her out so that He could affirm her with His love and assure her that He wasn't angry with her for having taken a portion of healing virtue from Him. That's why He even called her "daughter" and encouraged her to walk in her healing—"Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." Beloved, that's the heart of your Savior. He freely gives out His healing virtue to anyone who will take it from Him. So reach out and take from Him right now and bring pleasure to His heart! Confess

December 31 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.—PHILIPPIANS 2:10 The Name of Jesus Belongs to You The Name of Jesus belongs to us as believers. We have a right to use the Name of Jesus. The right to use Jesus’ Name is a blessing given to the Church, to every child of God. We have a fourfold right to use the Name. First, we’re born into the family of God, and the Name belongs to the family. Second, we’re baptized into the Name. And being baptized into the Name, we’re baptized into Christ Himself. Third, the Name was conferred upon us by Jesus. He gave us the power of authority. And fourth, we’re commissioned as ambassadors to go and herald the Name of Jesus among the nations. We’re representatives of Christ. Now I can’t find in the Bible where it says we need to have any special faith to use the Name of Jesus, because the Name already belongs to us. You don’t need any special faith to get in your car and

December 30 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.— JAMES 1:25 Study the Word Many Christians are trying to have faith. They are trying to believe. They meet together in services, each one urging the other to do what he’s not doing himself. They use scriptural expressions and high-sounding phrases that have no meaning to their inner consciousness. One problem is that they are listening to preachers, but they’re not digesting what they’re saying. They are not doing any original thinking on their own. They are not spending time in the study of God’s Word. They are what the Bible calls “hearers of the Word” and not doers. And that’s the reason these people go under when the storms of life come. Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain desce

December 29 . . . Whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.— PHILIPPIANS 4:8 A Testimony Inspires Faith I remember a woman who was bedfast at the age of thirty-six. She had terminal cancer and was living with her mother so that her mother could take care of her. She was brought up in the Pentecostal church so she knew about divine healing. People all over the country were praying for her. She was on her deathbed, and doctors said she could die just any minute. She was brought to one of my meetings. She listened to myhealing testimony, and I laid hands on her. The very next day, this woman was perfectly all right! Instead of an ambulance coming to take her body away, her husband came to her mother’s and took her back home. She was able to do housework and tend to her two small children. This is what she did. She said to her mother, “Well, that man who gave his testimony didn’t lie. He’s a preacher, but God is no resp

December 28 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are theissues of life.—PROVERBS 4:23 Guard Your Heart Proverbs 4:21 says, “Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.” You are to keep God’s Word in your heart. Then Proverbs 4:23 tells you to keep or guard your heart. How do you do that? By keeping the Word in your heart! How are you going to keep God’s Word in your heart? By meditating on God’s Word continually. In other words, think deeply about it until it becomes a part of your inner conscience. Don’t just memorize scriptures and forget them. You can memorize scriptures and say them by rote, and they won’t mean a thing in the world to you. Those verses are just in your mind. But, no, think on them until they get down into your heart. Feed on them. It will take a little time to do that. But, eventually, the scriptures will register on your heart. God’s words are life unto you and health, or medicine, to all your flesh. I don’t know about y

December 27 Let them [God’s words] not depart from thine eyes. . . .— PROVERBS 4:21 See Yourself Well and Whole I shared with this dear old woman, “The doctors said I was dying. I lived and relived my death over and over in my mind. In my mind’s eye, I saw the doctors turn my body over to the undertaker to prepare it for burial. I saw them take the casket and go to the church. I saw them roll the casket down the aisle and set it before the pulpit. I heard the people sing the last song and pray the last prayer. I saw them close the lid and roll the casket down the aisle. I saw the pallbearers put it into the hearse. I saw the funeral procession. I saw all of this many times in my mind. I watched as a graveside prayer was said. I saw everyone leave. I saw them put the casket into the ground. I saw the flowers on the fresh mound of dirt. I saw the flowers wither and die. I saw the hot sun of summer beat down on the grave. I saw myself dead. But I got hold of Proverbs 4:21 and began to see

December 26 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.—PROVERBS 4:20–21 Keep the Word Before Your Eyes Back in September 1957, I knew an 82-year-old evangelist who had been bedfast for two years with cancer in her stomach. Doctors couldn’t understand how she had lived even that long. When they opened her body up and saw several malignant growths, they just sewed her back up. They said nothing more could be done. I felt led to read her Proverbs 4:20 through 22. I said to her, “When I was on the bed of sickness, I got hold of these verses and saw one place where I had been missing it.” I continued, “Proverbs 4:21 says not to let the Word depart from before your eyes. And this was a turning point for me. You see, I had seen myself dead. And when I got hold of this scripture and put the Word of God before my eyes, I began to see myself alive. I began to see myself doing things I’d never done bef

December 25 . . . I [God] will take sickness away from the midst of thee. —EXODUS 23:25 Incline Your Ear In Proverbs 4:20, we find that in addition to attending to God’s words,we are supposed to incline our ear unto His sayings. It’s strange, but we often incline our ears to what everyone else is saying, rather than to what God is saying. One time I was laying hands on the sick in a healing line. I came to a woman and asked, “What did you come for?” She said, “I guess I came for healing.” “What’s wrong with you?” I asked. “The doctor said I have an incurable disease,” she answered. “Well,” I said, “isn’t it wonderful that you and I have inside information! We have information inside the Bible. Himself took your infirmities and bare your sickness. The Lord will heal you.” She said, “Yes, but the doctor said it was incurable. I don’t think I’ll get anything.” You see, she was not inclining her ear to what God said. She was inclining her ear to what the doctor said. She needed to listen t

December 24 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.—PROVERBS 4:20–22 Don’t Neglect the Word When God said, “Attend to My words,” He meant to put everything else out and put His Word in. Put His Word first, above everything else! We need to ask ourselves the question, “What does God’s Word say?” Many times we pray without asking ourselves, “What does God’s Word say on the subject?” I think we endeavor to receive just through prayer what God’s Word offers. But sometimes it doesn’t come through prayer. In other words, if we are going to neglect the Word, prayer won’t work. So find out what God’s Word has to say about your situation, and it will change your prayer life! It’s amazing how many prayers you’ll have to throw away when you find out what God’s Word says about your situation. People will turn in the most outl

December 23 . . . In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.—MARK 16:17 God Confirms the Word We need to know what our rights are. We need to know what belongs to us. Healing is our Gospel right. It is our redemptive right. It is our family right, because we’re in the family of God. Our right to healing, which was given to us in God’s plan of redemption, has been invested in the authority of Jesus’ Name. Jesus said, “. . . IN MY NAME shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues” (Mark 16:17). God watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12). Mark16:20 says, “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and CONFIRMING THE WORD with signs following. Amen.” As we go forth to preach and teach, is the Lord with us? Someone might say, “Yes, He’s working with us to save people.” Well, thank God He is. But that’s not what the Bible says. It says that God works with us confirming the Word with signs following. What

December 22 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.—MATTHEW 24:13 Don’t Give Up! I remember hearing about the man who brought in the first oil well to east Texas. (At one time, east Texas had the biggest oil field in the world.) He had made a million dollars and then lost it.This man decided to drill another well. But the people who were financing it tried to get him to shut it down, because he had used up all the money. His fortune was gone. He had borrowed everything he could from the bankers. He owed everyone! But he said, “I’m not going to quit.” He kept telling his men to keep drilling. They were just about to quit because he hadn’t paid them when they hit a gusher! They tapped right into the edge of a great lake of oil. This time, instead of losing all of his money, he was wise and ended up saving his millions. What if that man had quit? What if he had listened to what everyone was telling him? His financial advisors—men in the oil business—had been trying

December 21 And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.—LUKE 9:6 Healing Is the Dinner Bell As a young pastor, just before my twenty-fourth birthday, I remember hearing Rev. Raymond T. Richey (a man who was used mightily by God in the area of healing) say, “Divine healing is the dinner bell.” I knew exactly what he meant when he said that. At that time people living out in the country had a big bell on their back porch, and when dinner was ready, someone would ring the bell to let everyone in the fields know it was time to eat. When I heard Rev. Richey say that, I wasn’t having healing services at my church on a regular basis. But I said to myself, “I’m going back home, and I’m going to start ringing the dinner bell.” We had Wednesday night, Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night services. I told the congregation, “Every Saturday night is divine healing night. I’m not going to preach on anything but divine healing.” So I start

December 20 And these signs shall follow them that believe. . . .— MARK 16:17 Signs Will Follow You People everywhere have clung to the first part of the Great Commission: “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15–16). Why have people clung to the first part? They knew how to use that part to believe and be saved—to receive salvation, and the remission of sin. But many people have turned away from the rest of the Great Commission because they didn’t know how to use it. Verse 17 says, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues.” One man said to me, “Now that can’t be so. I’m just as saved as you are, and none of those signs follow me.” I said, “It didn’t say that the signs would follow them that don’t believe. It said that the signs would follow them

December 19 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth andbis baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.— MARK 16:15–18 The Great Commission In Mark chapter 16, Jesus gave the Great Commission to His disciples. Jesus is about to depart and be with the Father, and His disciples are going to take His place in the earth. They are going to be His representatives and continue His ministry—to do what He would do if He were there. Jesus gave the Great Commission to herald the Good News to a world for whom He died. He revealed that the twofold ministry would continue. First, the Commission was given to meet the spiritual need of man. Jesus s

December 18 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered themfrom their destructions.—PSALM 107:20 The Word Will Change Your Circumstances A pastor friend of mine once said to the Lord, “Lord, You know I believe in divine healing, but no one in my church is receiving. What’s the matter?” The Lord said to him, “Why don’t you preach on it?” So he started preaching on divine healing, and his whole church got healed. Before, nearly all of them were sick. But they all got healed. That’s what happens when the Word of God is preached. The Word of God is what does the work. We are affected by the words we hear—whether it’s truth or untruth. You could listen to someone talk who is worried and oppressed. And when you left his presence, you’d feel oppressed yourself. Some people are so full of doubt and unbelief that the very atmosphere around them is charged with darkness. That kind of atmosphere is created by words. Thank God for the Word of God! His Word is His will. Psalm107:20 says, “He

December 17 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin.... --ISAIAH 53:10 Jesus Was Made Sick With Your Sickness God not only laid our iniquities upon Jesus, but our diseases as well. Settle that in your heart. Jesus was made sick with our diseases. He was made sin for our sins. In the mind of our Father God and in the mind of Jesus, our diseases and sins were borne by the Lord Jesus Christ. And if they were borne by Him, then it’s wrong for us to bear them. I’ve seen this simple truth get down into the hearts of terminally ill people. The best doctors of medical science said that they would die. But after twenty-five years, they are still alive! So how did this simple truth get down into their hearts? They accepted it as truth. They meditated on it. They spoke it over and over to themselves until it registered on the inside of them. Through the ministry of Christ upon the earth, God our Father revealed that it was

December 16 For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.—ROMANS 5:17 A Complete Redemption Let’s continue reading in Romans chapter 5. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:18–21). If man’s redemption from spiritual death (and that’s what these verses in Romans chapter 5 are talking about) is to be a complete redemption, it must be a redemption from disease as well as fro

December 15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.—ROMANS 5:15 You Can Rule and Reign Romans 5:17 says, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Where do we reign? We reign in life! Instead of Satan, spiritual death, sickness, disease, and poverty reigning over us, we reign over them! The Amplified Bible says, “For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” Notice the phrase, “reign as kings in li

December 14 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.– LUKE 13:12 ‘ Thou Art Loosed’ There are several scriptural references in which Christ’s attitude toward disease is clearly shown. I think one of the best is in Luke chapter 13. Jesus loosed a woman from a spirit of infirmity on the Sabbath day. She’d had the disease for eighteen years. The rulers of the synagogue criticized Jesus for healing the woman on the Sabbath. He answered, “And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HATH BOUND, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (v. 16). Jesus clearly stated that Satan was the cause of the infirmity that had bound her physical body. Another instance is found in Mark chapter 2. A man with the palsy was brought to Jesus, and Jesus said, “. . . Son, thy sins be forgiven thee” (v. 5). When the scribes questioned the statement Jesus made, He answered them with this: “Whe

December 12 I [Jesus] can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.— JOHN 5:30 Christ Is the Will of God in Action Christ is the expression of God’s will. People sometimes say, “I don’t know what God’s will is.” Well, Jesus is the will of God. I like to say it this way: Christ is the will of God in action. If you want to see God at work, look at Jesus. If you want to hear God talk, listen to Jesus. There’s no better way of ascertaining theproper answer to, “Is it God’s will to heal me?” than by reading the Gospels. They record the teachings and works of Christ. You see, when Jesus healed the multitudes that thronged Him day after day, we see the Father revealing His will. We see God at work. When Jesus laid hands on everyone and healed them, He was doing and revealing the will of God for our bodies. One time I was reading a report by some theologians of the Episcopal Church.

December 11 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. —ACTS 10:38 The Twofold Ministry of Jesus Almost everyone believes that Jesus healed the sick when He was here on earth. Almost everyone believes that the apostles ministered to the sick. But many also believe that when the last apostle died, all of that ceased. Well, when Jesus was here on earth, His ministry was twofold: (1) to affect the spirits of men and (2) to affect the bodies of men. When He died on the Cross, His death was twofold: (1) bearing our sins and (2) bearing our diseases. It is written, “. . . Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17). The same is true today. The twofold ministry of blessing for our spirit and body has continued from the earthly ministry of Christ unto this present day in which you and I live. Christ bore man’s spiritual death that man might have

December 10 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.—JAMES 1:17 God’s Attitude Toward Sickness What is God’s attitude toward sickness and disease? We know what His attitude is toward sin. We’ve heard that preached all our lives. But have we ever heard someone talk about what God thinks about sickness? What’s His attitude toward sickness and disease? Well, the Word of God is clear on that subject. God looks upon disease as He looks upon sin; it is the work of Satan in the life of His creation, man. Christ came to reveal the Father God, to make known His attitude, toward man. By carefully following the life of Christ, we can learn God’s attitude toward sickness. Christ was the will of God the Father. He said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 6:38). Christ’s ministry from the beginning to the end was a twofold minist

December 9 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.—2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 The Source of Pain and Sin The fact cannot be denied that evil exists in this world. Andthe existence of evil has caused many earnest people to reject the belief in a God of love. They’ve not understood that evil was the result of Satan’s reign over humanity as the prince and god of this world. They thought that God was ruling over everything. But, no, Second Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan is the god of this world. The Bible does not say that God is the God of this world. Satan is the god of this world. He is also called the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2). There are philosophers who have been so affected and impacted by the reign of evil that they have concluded that the “central principal” of the universe is evil. But they’re wrong. It is not the Creator, but the usurpe

December 8 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.—ROMANS 3:25 The Third Attitude Those who adhere to the third belief or attitude believe that healing for the body is the legal right of every child of God. The child of God receives healing for his physical body on the same grounds that he receives remission of sin for his spirit. Healing is part of redemption—it’s found in God’s plan of redemption. And we receive healing just as we receive the remission of sin—by the same act of faith. We’re not saved by some special act of faith! Everyone gets saved the same way. God doesn’t just single someone out and say, “Well, I’m going to save him. I’m going to drop faith in his heart so that he can be saved.” No, Mark 16:15 and 16 says, “And he [Jesus] said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is bap

December 7 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.—EPHESIANS 2:8 The Second Attitude Remember, the people who have the second attitude toward healing believe that God heals today, but only according to a special act of faith.I had people say to me after I was healed and raised from the bed of sickness, “Well, God just gave you a special faith so you could be healed.” No, He didn’t! These people believe in healing, but they believe that God only heals in answer to a special act of faith—and only when He wills to. They believe that healing doesn’t belong to the child of God and that it’s not included in God’s redemptive plan. They will say, “If God gives you faith to be healed, you will, and if He doesn’t, you won’t. You just have to do the best you can.” I’ve heard them say it. I don’t believe them, though. I believe that healing is a part of man’s redemption in Christ andthat it belongs to every child of God. No special act of faith i

December 6 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.—MARK 5:34 A Settled Fact While on the bed of sickness as a sixteen-year-old boy, I struggled with the subject of miracles. And every time I would have a good scripture about healing, the devil would come to my mind and say, “Healing is not for us today.” And sometime she would say, “Now that’s not for the Church; that’s just for the Jews.” Well, I’d listen to those words and put the light out. What little light I had on the subject of healing would be gone. I didn’t know how to follow my spirit. I didn’t know that I could follow my spirit. I now know that it was my spirit that knew about healing and miracles, because my spirit received the life and nature of God in it when I got born again. And my spirit was picking up things from God and trying to pass them on to my mind. My spirit told me that there was help for me. I had been bedfast for six months. As I was reading on

December 5 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. —HEBREWS 13:8 The First Attitude Those with this first attitude believe that healing is not for us today. They believe that healing is a miracle, and that miracles do not belong to us today. I think this first attitude can easily be shown to be erroneous by the simple definition of a miracle. According to the dictionary, a miracle is an act or happening in the material or physical sphere that apparently departs from the laws of nature or goes beyond what is concerning these laws. A miracle is an intervention of God into the realm of natural laws or human activity. In other words, it’s God coming on the scene. And whenever God comes into immediate contact with man, a miracle is performed. Every answer to prayer, regardless of how small or how big, is a miracle. Every New Birth is a miracle. In fact, you can ask God for no greater miracle than the New Birth. Think about it. In the New Birth, man becomes a new person. H

December 4 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.—2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Three Attitudes Toward Divine Healing There are at least three different attitudes toward healing among Christians that I want to explore. One attitude is held by the group that teaches that healing is not for us today. They base this on the theory that healing is a miracle, and miracles do not belong to us today; they only belonged to the apostolic age. And when the last apostle died, divine healing ceased. A second attitude holds that God heals today in answer to special prayer or a special act of faith, but it is according to God’s own will in the matter. A third attitude teaches that healing for the body is the legal right of every child of God and that the child of God receives healing for his physical body on the same grounds that he receives the remission of sin for his spirit. Confession: I base my attitude toward divine healing on the

December 3 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.—1 JOHN 2:2 God Is on Your Side God is on your side. He is not against you; God is for you. Your Heavenly Father loves you. I’ve heard people say, “But what if I miss it?” He’s still not against you. If He was against you, He wouldn’t have made provision for you to get back in right standing when you miss it. He would have just said, “Let him go.” But, no, He made provision. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God said in the second chapter of First John, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that yesin not. . . .” (v. 1). You see, God is a holy God and cannot encourage or condone sin. But He went on to say, “. . . if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (v. 1). Even if you’ve missed it, you still have help. An advoc

December 2 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.—MARK 16:18 A Desperate Situation At a meeting one time, a woman whose husband was a senator said to me, “I want one of those instant treatments.” She was talking about receiving an instant manifestation of healing. I said, “Well, I’m not giving out treatments.” The senator said to his wife, “Honey, the Lord is the one who does it, not the minister.” “Yes,” she said, “but I’ve suffered for so long, and I’m tired of suffering. I want one of those instant treatments.” I said, “All I can tell you is that the Bible says, ‘. . . They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover’ [Mark 16:18]. I can lay hands on you and expect you to recover.” So I laid hands on her and prayed. About ten days later, I saw the senator and his wife again. He stood up in the meeting and asked the associate pastor if he could testify. He said, “You kn