BIBLE STUDY II: DEAL WITH YOUR ISSUES by Daniel Yohanna

 Mark 5:25-34 (AMP)

25 And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,

26 And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.

27 She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,

28 For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.

29 And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.

30 And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?

31 And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?

32 Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.

33 But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.

34 And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in(into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

    

Mark 5:25

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years (KJV)

FACTS

  1)      Everyone has got an issue. Some have issues with money, some with women, some with men, some with one affliction or another, but the bottom-line is that everyone has his/her own issues. Going to another person won’t help, because they’re also dealing with their own issues

  2)      People only see your issue, but don’t really know you.  You might have done what they said you did, but you’re not who they say you are.

  3)      Issues, if not dealt with, will end up ostracizing you; This “woman with the issue” was not supposed to mingle with the crowd, all because she had an issue to deal with.

  4)      Issues, if not dealt with, will end up giving you an identity that is not your own – “woman with the issue...” She didn’t have a name.  She was identified by her issue. That was how Elizabeth was identified – with her barrenness: “This is the 6^th month with her that was called barren.” Luke 1:36.

  5)      Issues, if not dealt with, will end up depleting you – depleting your purse, your strength, your resources. This woman spent all she had until she was bankrupt (v26).

When you bring you issues to the Lord, they will be terminated.

How do you deal with your issue?

  1)      Acknowledge the presence of an issue. Faith is not pretending there is no problem. Faith is not denying the existence of an issue. The sinner must acknowledge he is a sinner and needs help before he can be saved.

  2)      Since your solution is coming from God, you have to hear what He is saying, and not what men are saying about your issue. Only the Lord will tell you the truth. What others have can only be facts. There’s a difference between facts and truth. While a fact is the description of the state of a thing, the truth is the reality of a thing. Facts are changeable but the truth is constant. Only God knows the truth about you. Others are guessing.

She had heard about Jesus…

Whatever God says about you is the truth. If He says I am blessed, then I don’t need any other definition: I am blessed. If He says I am healed, I don’t require a Doctor’s confirmation; I am healed. If he says I am rich, I don’t need to see my account statement to validate that.

Psalm 85:8

I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

  3)      Say what the Lord says about you. Confession brings possession (Mk.11:23). Confession brings manifestation (Gen.1:3,4). You can never rise above the level of your confession. Confession in this instance means “to say the same (thing) as…” You are saying (with your mouth) what God has said (concerning you, in His Word).

Hebrews 13:5-6

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

The woman with the issue kept saying …v28 (AMP). If you keep saying what God has been saying in His Word, you will soon start seeing it in your world.

  4)      Take action. It’s not enough to say it, act it. The woman came and touched Jesus.

Jesus always challenged people to take action:  Rise, take up your bed, and walk (Jn. 5:8). Stretch forth your hand (Lk. 6:10). Go and wash in the pool (Jn. 9:7). Go your way, your son lives (Jn. 4:50). Go show yourselves to the Priests. And it came to pass, as they went, they were cleansed (Lk.17:14)

It’s not enough to say u’ll get to the top. Make your way to the top. Take initiative. Begin to move in the direction of your dreams. “Yard by yard, life is hard; but inch by inch, it’s a cinch.” Roberts Schuller

You’ll handle millions, but what are you doing with the hundreds that come? How faithful are you to your tithe and your giving?

  5)      Acknowledge the impact. Appreciate the change, no matter how little. Change begins when you touch the Master.

…her flow of blood was dried up at the source…v29

When Jesus cursed the fig tree, it withered from the roots (Mk.11:14-24). God always deals with the issue from the root, from the source. “He overturns the mountains by the roots.” (Job 28:9)

The woman came and told him the whole truth. Make testimony your lifestyle. Celebrate the workings of God in your life.

Psalm 66:16

Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Psalm 34:2

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Appreciate what God has done. Learn to testify. Your testimony brings glory to God and not to man. Your testimony is your ticket to victory (Rev.12:11). It is your key to restoration. It is your ladder for elevation. Jesus pronounced her whole after her testimony.

If you’ve been blessed by this article, share it with others. Shalom!

Misconceptions Concerning Sickness By Daniel Yohanna

Due to lack of proper and accurate biblical understanding, some people justify the presence of sickness in the lives of believers as a norm. When God brought out the children of Israel out of Egypt, He pledged Himself to be their Healer.

Exodus 15:26

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

He was faithful to His promise, as it was recorded in Psa. 105:37. Out of over 2 million people who came out, for  40-year period, no one of them was sick.

Psalm 105:37

He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.

If they had such experience in the Old Covenant, how much more should we, under a New Covenant, which is a better covenant, established upon better promises (Heb. 8:6), expect such a blessing!

Here are a few misconceptions people have concerning sickness.

1)            Sickness is the will of God

                There is no way sickness can ever be the will of God. If it was His will, why would He lay our diseases on Jesus? If sickness was the will of God, why did Jesus heal all that were sick? Jesus said He came to do the will of the One that sent Him (Jn. 6:38). Part of what He did was healing the sick. That must have been the will of God.

2)            God made some people sick (Jn 9:1-4)

People hold this notion because they don't understand scripture. They read the account of the man born blind in John 9, and they run off with some half-baked truth. Let's see it together.

JOHN 9:1-4

1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.

2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

This is one of the areas that amaze me why the disciples would ask a question that sounds so stupid. “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? A man that was born blind, when could he have sinned? In his mother's tummy?

Then the difficulty in understanding this scripture comes from the punctuation in verse 3, making it look like he was born blind so the works of God should be manifested in him.

You need to understand that the original manuscript of the Bible was not written in Chapter and verses like we have it today, neither was it punctuated.

Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury, is believed to be the first person to divide the Bible into defined chapters.

Robert Estienne, also known as Robert Stephens, was a 16^th century printer in Paris. He divided the N.T. into verses, and was the first to print the Bible divided into standard numbered verses is 1555.

This helps us in referring to portions of Scripture with ease. But you'll find that Moffat's translation does not always adhere to this chapterization.
Benny Hinn said this Scripture should read this way, and I agree with him:

[3] Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, [4] I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

In all of scripture, God's work has been that of healing people and not making them sick. Out of their disobedience they could open themselves up for the enemy to afflict them, but the sickness never comes from God.

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

3)            God is glorified through sickness

Again, people misunderstand scriptural truths when they think sickness glorifies God. Look at one of their sources of misunderstanding.

JOHN 11:1-4, 40

1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick."

4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God…” Yes, the final outcome would not be death but God would be glorified. Wasn't that what happened? The 40th verse of that chapter talked of Martha seeing the glory of God by believing. What glory? The glory of resurrection! The glory of healing! That was where the glory was, in the healing and resurrection and not the sickness or death. He had to be healed, because if he wasn't, after being raised back to life, the disease would kill him again. You say, “But Peter's death glorified God!” Yes, because he offered himself as a martyr (Jn. 21:18-19).

4)            Paul's thorn was sickness

People try justifying sickness by referring to Paul's thorn as sickness. I wonder why you would defend your right to being sick as if it's a good thing. Let's look at scripture again.

2CORINTHIANS 12:7

 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

It is clearly written here: the thorn in the flesh was a messenger (Gk: Aggelos = Angel) of satan. He was to buffet Paul so he would remain humble. This messenger was a satanic agent always causing trouble in Paul's Ministry. That would force him to depend absolutely on God's grace, no wonder God's reply to him:

9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Cor. 12:9-10).

In Numbers 33:55, God used a similar expression when he warned his children against fraternizing with the Canaanites, as they would become “irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell.”

5)            God puts sickness on people to teach them a lesson

How ironic could people be? Is it not more of an oxymoron for people to claim God is trying to teach them a lesson through their sickness, and yet are undergoing medical treatment? If you believe God is trying to teach you something, why don't you pray for a greater lesson? Why do you consult Medical Practitioners? Are you trying to unlearn what God, as you may claim, is trying to teach you?

While it's true you may learn something through your experience, yet it is not God teaching you through this means. You have the Word; you have the Holy Spirit to teach you.

6)            The age of Miracles is Past

Some would aver that signs and wonders ceased after the days of the Apostles. Has God changed? Didn't the Bible say that “These signs shall follow those that believe?” (Mk. 16:17). Some would warn you that the Bible says in the last days, many fake miracle workers would arise. That is true. But do you realize that the reason you have a fake thing is because the genuine exists. You have fake Pastors because there are genuine Pastors. You have fake churches because genuine ones exist. You can never find a fake 80 Naira note because the genuine does not exist. But that there are fake Naira notes does not mean you won' collect your salary at the end of the month for fear of fake currency? No. You would look carefully before you accept. In the same vein, try the spirits to see whether they are of God (1Jn. 4:1).

7)            Sickness is the Cross you Have to Carry

I've heard someone say, “Well, this sickness may be the cross I have to bear.” When the Bible said you should deny yourself, take up your cross, it wasn't referring to some sickness. God was saying you have to live a crucified life. You have to die to self. It's not talking about you suffering sickness or hunger and lack.  Yes, a Christian would suffer persecution on account of their faith. We're not told to carry sickness as a cross. Jesus Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses (Mt. 8:17). We have nothing to carry in this sense.

8)            Sickness is used by God to keep us Humble

                Just like the one that says God is trying to teach them lessons through sickness, can you sincerely pray and ask God to intensify the sickness so you can be more humble? If you believe God is trying to keep you humble, then it's a sign of having a proud and an arrogant disposition by praying for a relief of your pain or seeking medical assistance.                                                                                                                                                                      

9)            Something Must Kill you

Some people cannot accept the fact that you are supposed to leave this world peacefully and well prepared. As far as they are concerned, it's an exception and not the rule. They believe if you do not die by accident, you should die by sickness, or some other calamity or natural disaster. I will simply answer such people by making reference to the Patriarchs - the Fathers of Faith - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, etc. How did they die? They called their children, blessed them in advance, and in some cases, they even said 'goodbye' and took off. None of the Fathers died through sickness, and neither should you. Remember, we are called to live supernaturally; so natural disasters don't have to have a place in our lives.

10)          I am a modern  day Job

                Someone once told me this. She said she was the modern  day Job because of her afflictions and pain. “After all,” she reasoned, “the Bible told us in James 5:11 to follow after their example of patience.” But what you fail to realize is that if you are a modern-day Job, you should expect to be healed, because Job did not die sick. He trusted God for his healing (Job 19:25-27). The Lord turned his captivity  (Job 42:10).

11)          Sickness is Part of Life

                Some erroneously believe that sickness should be our normal experience while we are on this side of life. They feel that when we get to heaven, then we have “victory at last!” But Scripture teaches us that we have victory now (1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14). Sickness cannot be part of life. Health is part of life. How can something that carries death in it be part of life? Is it possible for darkness be part of light? We that are born again have the life of God  eternal life  in us. In the Greek it is called Zoë, pronounced zowe. It frees us from the forces of death.

[Excerpts from the book, “RECEIVE YOUR MIRACLE,” by Daniel Yohanna (Verity Books, 2008)]

MARRIAGE WITHOUT TEARS (IV) WHY MARRY? By Daniel Yohanna

WHY PEOPLE MARRY

By Pastor Daniel Yohanna 

We’re continuing our discourse on marriage. But let’s back off a little and find out why people marry. Our motive is very fundamental to whether we will succeed in a venture or not. Two people can engage in the same business, under the same business environment. You could find one succeeding very well while the other is exasperated and is always grumbling and complaining. If you do the right thing with a wrong motive, it automatically becomes the wrong thing.

Life is all about relationships. It’s a connection of different people relating on with another. Like a chain, we are somehow interconnected. We are meant to connect with people at different levels and in different ways. That’s why you do get lonely, because you are not meant to live on your own and for yourself and by yourself. That’s why you find people who have been let down and they still reach out to people, taking another risk to trust, knowing that they could still be hurt. It’s all because your heart is made to long for, reach out to and connect with somebody else.

People who have been through a divorce still miss the marital relationship. That’s why they still attempt to re-establish one. And when they don’t, they sometimes are very lonely. While it is not compulsory or mandatory for everyone to be married, yet the beauty of life is in being able to share it with someone else.

The highest and most intimate level of relationship in life is the marital relationship. Two people become one flesh. Living together without being married (co-habiting) is not proper. It is like executing a contract without signing anything. No one then is liable to anything. Co-habiting is trying to enjoy the benefit of an institution without enrolling. It is the result of a lack of commitment to the partner.

Living together with the opposite sex and engaging in sexual relationship is also wrong. There is no religion that approves of such lifestyle. It is regarded as immorality. I believe HIV/AIDS developed as a result of such promiscuous living in which people keep sleeping around with each other. Sexual chastity is not just a religious dogma but an honourable way to live.

It is necessary to state here that marriage is defined as a matrimonial relationship between a man and a woman. Same-sex ‘marriage’ is an anomaly, an abnormality and absurdity. In the beginning, God made them Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve or Amanda and Eve.

But back to our discourse, why do people marry? The foundation of any building is also the destiny of such a building. Your reason for marrying will determine the kind of foundation you’re willing to lay for such a holy estate, and that in a way also determines the outlook or future of your marriage.

So, why do people marry? Let’s see a number of reasons, dealing with what I believe to be right reasons and purpose for marriage before considering the wrong reasons people marry.

There are right reasons to marry.

The Purpose For Marriage.God created marriage. He created marriage for the following reasons:
1. Companionship and compatibility. The Creation story reveals that the first man Adam was alone, though not lonely (You couldn't be lonely except you have first experienced intimacy). Read Gen. 2:18, Eccle. 4:9, Deut. 32:20.
2. So the couple can help each other fulfil the purpose for their existence. Read Gen. 2:18, Matt. 18:19, Luke 10:1, Gen. 6:19
3. For the couple to experience pleasure. See Prov. 5:15-19, 1Tim. 6:17b, Psalm 16:11

4. For procreation. The couple can raise a godly seed. That’s why homosexuality is an aberration. They can’t fulfil this purpose for marriage. See Mal. 2:14-17; Gen. 1:28, 7:2-3; Psalm 112:2.
5. To avoid sexual immorality and promiscuity. See 1Cor. 7:1-2; Prov. 5:15-19; 1 Thess. 4:3-4; Heb. 13:4.
6. For God’s pleasure. See Rev. 4:11; Col. 1:16.
These are the fundamental reasons for marriage. If your marriage would work and please God, it must be centered on these, built on God's word and driven by divine Love.

Wrong Reasons People Marry

1. Loneliness. People have an illusion concerning marriage. They think marriage cures loneliness, however some of the loneliest people I've met are married people. You find married people that are frustrated and seeking attention and affection in all the wrong places. Just getting married doesn't cure all the ills in your life. If u're unfulfilled as a Single, you'll most likely remain unfulfilled, though married.
2. Peer pressure. That all your class mates or age mates are married is no reason to marry. If all your course mates die, will that be enough reason for you to die?
3. Parental pressure. Sometimes parents cause a lot of problems on their children. You hear statements like, “I want to carry my grandchildren.”
4. The love of money. Just because someone has money is not enough reason to marry them. Ladies have married rich men only to discover that money doesn't make anybody happy. I heard of a lady who broke up with her fiance - a relationship of some years - and followed someone who had a Daewoo Racer (then, that was the car!) - and now, after many years of marriage, that's they only car they still have.
5. To curb one's sexual appetite. Some think being married automatically satisfies your sexual urges. Well, while you have a partner to satisfy your sexual desires, being married does not automatically mean the partner will not be tempted to look outside. Marriage does not automatically bring discipline to your life.
6. Satisfy one’s ego or to prove a point to somebody. Someone was jilted, and the next thing she would do was to marry someone in a hurry just to get at her ex-lover. That’s a dumb thing to do. They left you because they didn't belong to you or deserve you.
7. Because of age. They feel they’re getting too old. So they settle for just anything or anyone. It’s better to marry late and marry right than to marry early and marry wrong. After all, if you marry late or later, your marriage is the latest.
8. To belong. Just because everyone in the group is married, you feel odd and so just decided to marry, so that you too can, for example, be a Mrs.
9. Lust and or infatuation. Marriage is not just for sex. Don’t marry with your sex organs. Put your emotions under control.
10. To use partner to advance ambition. I’ve seen men that have latched themselves to a lady because she is a British citizen and they see an escape route of this country.
11. They feel sympathy for the friend. Just because somebody jilted them, you wanted to cure the pain. You may not be fulfilled.
12. Out of guilt. Maybe since they were put in the family way by you, you decided to settle for them.
13. To feel important. At a particular age, everyone greets you and automatically asks, “How is the family?” So, you feel you are not being respected because you have no husband.
14. To feel responsible. Sometimes the society tries to put pressure on people by making them feel, and maybe they are, a little bit irresponsible. So, in order to try to prove they are responsible, they get married.

15. Etc, etc.

It’s a new day for you!