https://abide.com/prayer/7fovs9

Matthew 8:1–4 NIV When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” CONSIDER THIS . . . Braden had an issue with his ears his entire life. They felt full of fluid, and he couldn’t hear as well as he wanted to. He had asked God to heal his ears many times, but there was never a change. One Sunday morning, during an altar call, Braden came forward to respond to an invitation to receive healing prayer. His healing was instantaneous! His ears opened, and something else began to happen. Shame that he had carried for so long was lifted off his heavy soul, and he experienced a new level of joy in his relationship with God.(1) Leprosy, in the time of Jesus, was a pain-package deal. Not only did you have a horrible and irreparable skin disease, but you were also cast out into leper colonies where you all slowly died together as an object of fear and disgust in your community. This created a shame wound of an incredible magnitude. Jesus knows that healing is never just about the body or relief from pain. Jesus knows that the heart is the hardest spiritual organ to heal and that sometimes to reach the heart you must start at another place. This is why it is so important that we not get ahead of ourselves when we pray for healing. I have been praying for a person, many times, and though the person wanted me to pray for one thing, I sensed the Spirit in me guiding me to pray for something else. We always eventually get to praying for the illness or the request. But sometimes the real need is related to a broken relationship with a sibling, a nagging sense of shame over something we’ve done, or a spirit of fear that has held us captive for far too long.

In the King James Version (KJV), the prophet Hosea is instructed by God to marry Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. This marriage serves as a living allegory: Gomer's repeated unfaithfulness and subsequent redemption mirror Israel's betrayal of God through idolatry and His enduring, forgiving love. [1, 2, 3, 4] The story of their marriage and its deeper prophetic meaning is detailed across the first three chapters of the book: - Hosea 1: God commands Hosea to "take unto thee a wife of whoredoms". They have three children, and God assigns symbolic names to them (Jezreel, Lo-ruhamah, and Lo-ammi) to represent His impending judgment on Israel. Gomer eventually abandons Hosea for other lovers. [1, 2, 3, 4] - Hosea 2: Gomer's infidelity is used to illustrate Israel's spiritual adultery. God outlines the consequences for Israel's unfaithfulness but ultimately promises future restoration and reconciliation. [1, 2, 3, 4] - Hosea 3: God tells Hosea to seek out Gomer again, even though she is with another man. Hosea buys her back, demonstrating God’s relentless, redeeming love for His people despite their sins. [1]

Flourish Friday 🌺 The Making of You “We can also have joy when we have troubles. These troubles help us to become stronger. As we become stronger, we learn to trust God more. As we learn to trust God, we become people that God can accept. Then we confidently expect God to do great things for us.” Romans 5:3–4 (EASY) Family.. Have you ever found yourself asking God, “Lord… what are You doing?” Not from a place of rebellion… Not because you’ve stopped trusting Him… But because the road you’re walking looks nothing like the one you imagined. You said yes to God… Yet the journey became lonelier. You remained faithful… Yet doors continued to close. You kept serving… Yet you found yourself feeling empty because you were pouring into others more than you were being poured into. You forgave… Yet the relationship was never restored. You prayed for growth… But you didn’t realize growth would require pruning. You prayed for influence… But you didn’t know influence would first require hidden seasons. You prayed for greater capacity… But you didn’t know capacity would come through stretching. Then one day, in the middle of it all, you find yourself looking toward heaven asking, “Lord… what are You doing?” I believe God’s answer is simple, yet profound. “I’m making you.” Not punishing you. Not rejecting you. Not overlooking you. Not delaying you. Making you. There are some things God can only produce in us through the process. Character cannot be microwaved. Wisdom cannot be inherited. Spiritual maturity cannot be downloaded. Some lessons can only be learned by walking with God through valleys you never would have chosen for yourself. The making of you is rarely comfortable. Because every season of becoming requires the death of something that can no longer go where God is taking you. Sometimes He prunes your relationships. Sometimes He prunes your expectations. Sometimes He prunes your pride. Sometimes He prunes your dependence on people so you’ll become fully dependent on Him.