Pass the Potatoes

I had an insight about physical healing today that I would like to share with you all tonight. Scripture says that Jesus took our illnesses and bore our diseases (Matthew 8:17 quoting from Isaiah 53:5): "That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."" (English Standard Version) Healing was provided at the cross. It is part of the "redemption package" that the Father gave to us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. Think of a Thanksgiving dinner when you were growing up. Your Mom has spent all morning cooking and she has put all the hot and tasty food out on the table. The family gathers around the table and sits down. You see a big plate of sweet potatoes on the table next to your brother. Instead of asking your brother to pass you the potatoes you say, "Mom, would you go in the kitchen and cook me some potatoes and bring them to me?" This is exactly what we are doing whenever we ask God for healing. It's not that God can't do it. Healing is the children's bread. It's on the table. God spread a table for us through the death and resurrection of His Son. Everything we need is on that table: forgiveness of sins, healing for our bodies, deliverance from oppression, financial provision. It's all on the table. It's a table prepared for us in the presence of our enemies. Our enemies are not at the table. The family of God is seated around the table. All our enemies can do is stand around and watch and say things like "do you really think there are potatoes on that table? There are no potatoes on that table. " Our enemy also might whisper to our mind, "You are not worthy to get the potatoes. Think about what you did last week!" We've got to resist those thoughts and realize that we are a blood-bought child of God and we have a right to sit at the table and to eat everything that God spread out for us on that table. We have been redeemed (bought back from sin) by the precious blood of Jesus. We have been made worthy and declared righteous by the work of the Father. We have a place at the table and everything on that table belongs to us. Romans 8:32 assures us that the Father wants to give us all things that we need. "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? " When we pray for the sick we are not asking God to heal them. Healing is already on the table. We are just passing the potatoes. Sometimes when we are sick it is hard to have faith to receive our own healing. That's when we need our brothers and sisters to gather around us and minister healing to us. To minister just means to "serve". We are serving the potatoes to our hungry brother or sister. We simply release by faith the Holy Spirit resident within us so that healing flows through our hands and/or through our words into our brother or sister and heals them. We command their body to be healed. That is how we "pass the potatoes."
When we start to feel sick we can reach out by faith and grab the potatoes ourself. We can agree with God's Word and speak out loud, "He took my illness and bore my disease. I am healed through the work of the cross! I receive my healing by faith!" We can also speak to the disease and command it to leave. Jesus said to speak to the mountain or obstacle that was in our life and it would obey us if we believe His words: (Mark 11:23-24) "Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." This applies to any obstacle in our life that would prevent us from receiving what is on the table. Is God offended if we ask Him for healing? No, I don't think so, but the better way is to simply receive His healing provision and to serve it to others. If you study the New Testament carefully you'll see that Jesus never asked God to heal anyone. The disciples never did either. They simply "passed the potatoes."
Hey, I'm getting hungry, "Tommy would you pass the potatoes?" 

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