God Has Said!

Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? -Isaiah 53:1

Jesus said, “All things are possible to him that believes” (Mark 9:23). The only qualification He gave us is that we must believe. So often that’s the hard part for most of us. We say, “Lord, why did You make it so hard? Dear God, it’s hard to believe.”

Believing is the product, or the offspring, of God’s Word planted in the human heart. Our problem hasn’t been our lack of ability to believe; it has been not knowing what to believe. Believing has always seemed like an abstract, intangible mystery.

Someone says, “Man, I’m trying to believe God.

“What are you trying to believe?”

“I’m trying to believe God!”

But God gets a little more specific. He asks, “Who has believed our report?” In any given situation, we need to find out what God is saying and believe His report.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam, “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die (Gen. 2:17). Later the serpent beguiled Eve, saying, “You shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). Now Eve had two reports. She’d never had this choice before—and she chose to believe the serpent’s report!

When the Israelites were approaching the Promised Land, they sent in twelve spies. Joshua and Caleb returned and said, “Oh, yeah, it’s just as God said, and we’re well able to take it. Let’s go do it!” But the other ten came back and said, “No way! We can’t do it!

In any situation in our lives, we have a choice. We can either believe what it looks like, seems like or feels like, or we can believe what God says. The serpent asked Eve, “Yea, has God said?” (Gen. 3:1). Yes, He has. God has said something about every situation we’ll ever run into. Let’s look the problem straight in the face and say, “God has said!” If we want His power revealed in our lives, let’s believe His report!

CONFESSION:

God said that by Jesus’ stripes, I was healed. I choose to believe God’s report. I fully expect His healing power to be revealed in my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Live on the “More Besides Side of Life!

If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. And He said to them, Take heed what you hear; with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.                                                                                                                    -Mark 4:23-25

Jesus explains in this passage that what we hear determines the kind of fruit we bear in our lives. In the parable of the sower, found earlier in this chapter, the “wayside person quits hearing the Word, and the thief comes and steals it away. The “stony ground person quits hearing the Word when persecutions and afflictions come. The third person begins by hearing the Word, but the thorns of this life—the cares of this world, the deceitfulness or riches and the lusts of other things---enter in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful.

Too often people listen to the wrong things, meditate on the wrong things and feed on the wrong things. Jesus said, “Take heed what you hear.” The Amplified Bible makes verse 24 even clearer:

            And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you—and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.

I don’t know about you, but I want to live on the “more besides” side of life! We decide whether we live on the “barely-getting-along” side or on the “more besides” side.

But notice this: Jesus says, “More [besides] will be given to you who hear.” Will more be given to those who beg and plead or to those who pray all the time? No. Although it’s important to pray, prayer will do no good unless we are doing what Jesus tells us to do. “More besides will be given to us only when we set ourselves to hear the truth of God’s Word.

CONFESSION:

I continually hear God's Word, and the Holy Spirit constantly adds to my knowledge and understanding. “More besides" is given to me in every area of my life as I hear and obey God’s Word!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Shine Forth the Light of God

And he said to them, is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick? For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested, neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear. -Mark 4:21-23

The margin in my Bible more accurately translates the word candle as lamp or light. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” So this passage in Mark is talking about the Word of God. Is God’s Word to be put under a bushel or a bed instead of set on a candlestick?

Jesus is saying that His Word isn’t meant to be hidden or stuck on a shelf somewhere. It’s meant to be placed on a stand, where it can shine forth and give life to everyone. In other words, God wants His Word to get on the inside of us so it can start producing life on the outside.

How do we get God’s Word off the pages of the Bible and operating in our lives? How do we become living epistles, known and read of all men? (2 Cor. 3:2.) Mark 4:23 53 tells us “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.

The Word shines forth when we take time to hear and feed on it. The more we hear the Word, letting the Holy Spirit teach us God’s higher thoughts and ways, the more the Word gives us light, truth and understanding. Then we’re able to pass its truth on to others.

You see, were God’s billboards on this earth. As the Word produces life in us, the love, health, peace and light of God then shine forth in every area of our lives to give life to those around us.

CONFESSION:

I have ears to hear, so I choose to hear God’s Word. The Holy Spirit opens the mysteries of the Scriptures to me, revealing the life and the ways of God to me. God’s light and life are in me, shining forth so others can see.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

How To Be “Good Ground”

And other [seed] fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. -Mark 4:8

So what do you do to make sure you are good ground? Well, start out hearing God’s Word. When the thief comes to steal it away, keep on hearing the Word of God. When persecutions and afflictions come because of the Word, (and they will come to everyone), keep hearing what God says.

First Peter 4:12 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” What do you do when the fiery trials come? Do you feed on them? No, you keep on hearing the Word.

The cares of the world will try to distract you but keep on hearing the Word. The deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things will try to get in your way, but just keep hearing the Word and plowing through. One day the fruit of that Word will start popping up on the other side of all the trials and distractions of life. You’ll reap a harvest that is thirty, sixty or even a hundredfold!

The Bible says, “My son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings” (Prov 4:20). As long as we want abundant life, including healing in our bodies, we must incline our ears to His sayings. We must hear God’s Word coming from the pulpit, from tapes, from television and radio and, most importantly, from our own mouths.

Someone may ask, “How long do I have to hear the Word? All through eternity! It’s that good. It’s not a chore—it’s a pleasure.

CONFESSION:

My ears are a gateway to my spirit. What I hear controls what fruit is produced in my life. I desire the fruit of divine health and abundant life, so I won’t let anything distract me from hearing God’s Word!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Watch Out for Thorns!

And some [seed] fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded not fruit.

And these are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. -Mark 4:7, 18-19

How could anything gain enough strength or power to choke the Word and cause God's Word to become unfruitful! The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things, don’t have enough strength in themselves to do it. It’s what we do with those “thorns” that cause them to choke the Word in our lives.

“These are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word.” This person starts out right. He’s hearing and feeding on the Word of God and the Word is starting to grow and bear fruit.

And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in…” Then suddenly the cares of this world show up, and he starts listening to them. The deceitfulness of riches and lusts of other things follow right along, and soon he’s feeding on them instead of God’s Word. The “thorns” enter in and choke out the Word, making it unfruitful in his life.

Several years ago, I was trying to share the Word and pray for a man in a hospital but having little success. The man finally said, “I guess I was just born bad ground.”

No, there’s no such thing as anyone’s being born bad ground. You decide what kind of ground you’re going to be. You can be the kind of ground that never bears fruit, or you can decide to be good ground that bears a hundredfold return!

CONFESSION:

I’m good ground for the Word. I cast my cares on the Lord. I seek the riches of my inheritance in Christ. The Word is planted in my heart and is bearing good fruit!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

 

 

 

“Stony Ground” Hearers

And some [seed] fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away.

And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.                                                                                                                    -Mark 4:5-6,16-17

We’ve all seen these “stony ground” people. They come to hear the Word of God, and they get really excited about it. They say, “Oh, man, this is so good! I’ve been looking for this for years!

But these people are also “have-hearders.” They don’t settle down and continue to hear the Word. Therefore, the Word they’ve heard never really takes root in them.

The minute persecution and affliction come along for the Word’s sake (and they will), these people stop hearing the Word and start hearing the persecution and affliction. In six months, we wonder where they are. They’ve just blown away with the wind.

When I first found out that by Jesus’ stripes, I was healed, I said, “Thank God, I’ll never be sick a day in my life again!” Then I spent the next six weeks battling all kinds of symptoms!

As soon as you get a revelation in the Word, the thief will try to steal that away through persecution and affliction. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up saying, “Well, I tried that, and it didn’t work.

Jesus said these people endure only for a short time because they have no root in themselves. (v. 17) How does God’s Word take root in us? By our hearing and hearing. What we hear on a regular basis is what bears fruit in our lives.

CONFESSION:

I attend to God’s Word, so it is rooted and grounded in my heart. When symptoms attack my body, His Word rises up in me to heal, strengthen and comfort me.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Don’t Be a “Have-Hearder”

Behold, there went out a sower to sow.

And it came to pass as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it up.

And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. -Mark 4:3-4, 15

Jesus is teaching the foundation on which the entire kingdom of God operates; sowing and reaping. This spiritual principle applies to every part of life. If you sow the seed, you reap the harvest. If you don’t sow the seed, you don’t reap the harvest.

The seed here is the Word of God. Jesus begins to explain the parable to them. “The sower sows the word.” (v.14) The Word of God is the subject. “These are they by the wayside, where the word is sown, but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

How was Satan able to do that? Why could he just come in and steal the Word away so easily? Look at the phrasing: “…but when they have heard…” Jesus says they are “have-hearders.” He doesn’t say, “They’re hearing it”, He says, “They have heard it.” The reason that Satan could steal it away so easily is that they quit hearing God’s Word and started hearing something else.

I remember when I thought I knew everything there was to know about Mark 11:24. I’d heard hundreds of different messages about that one verse. At one meeting, the minister said, “Open to Mark 11:24,” and I just shut off my mind.

About six weeks later, I couldn’t figure out why that verse wasn’t working for me! The reason was that I'd turned into a “have-hearder,” and the thief started stealing away what I’d already planted in my heart.

People often say, “I’ve already heard that. I don’t need to hear it again.” But we must hear every part of God’s Word continually. What we’re hearing today will bear fruit in our lives tomorrow.

CONFESSION:

I am a hearer, not a “have-hearder.” I continually hear the Word. I keep it before my eyes; I incline my ears to its truth. And as I act on God’s Word in faith, it bears much rich fruit in my life.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

A Treasure Hidden for Us

And he taught them many things by parables, and said to them in his doctrine, Harken, Behold, there went out a sower to sow. -Mark 4:2,3

In this passage, Jesus began teaching a crowd in parables. Later, when He was alone with His disciples, they asked Him the meaning of the parable of the sower. In essence they said, “We don’t understand what You’re talking about.”

Jesus said to them, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables” (v 11). Then He continued, “Know ye not this parable? And how then will you know all parables? (v. 13)

Jesus was saying, “This is the key. If you gain understanding of this parable, everything else will start to open up to you.”

Some people read the Bible and say, “I don’t understand the Bible. It’s Greek to me.”

Well, the Bible was written in code form. That’s why God gave us the Holy Spirit—to translate, interpret and teach the Word to us. The reason many people have trouble understanding the Word is that they’ve never let the Holy Spirit be the teacher. They try to read the Bible with their own understanding.

But the Word is revelation truth. Verse 22 AMP says, “[Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.” God’s revelation truth was hidden not to keep it from us, but to keep it for us.

Every time you open your Bible, just ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. He is the teacher of the Church, and He will reveal to you what is written on the pages.

CONFESSION:

The Holy Spirit is my teacher: He teaches me hidden truths and wonderful mysteries as I read and meditate on God’s Word. I am planting the Word in my heart, and it is bearing rich fruit.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Blessed Are the Merciful

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. -Matthew 5:7

The best thing you can do if you need healing in your body is to start praying for people to be healed. Believing God for others to be healed increases your capacity to receive healing for yourself.

Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful.” What are you doing when you’re praying for the sick? You’re showing God’s mercy. Blessed are the merciful.” How are the merciful blessed? “For they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

People all through the Gospels cried out for mercy, and the blessing they received was healing. You will receive God's healing mercies as well, as you minister God’s healing mercies to others. This is confirmed in Ephesians 6:8, where it says, “Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.”

Paul states a spiritual principle here. If you’re doing good things, the same good things will be given back to you. Therefore, the best thing you can do when you need healing is to thank God that healing belongs to you and then start finding people to minister to. Go pray for the sick.

Be out doing the work of the ministry, fulfilling the Great Commission, whether your body hurts or not. As you get busy seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and ministering God’s mercy to others, the healing mercies of God will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

CONFESSION:

Jesus is my healer. I show His mercy to people to help them receive, and I obtain the healing mercy I need.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Watch Your Attitude Before God

Also, He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’” -Luke 18:9-13

I believe Jesus is trying to show us the difference between the two men’s attitude here. The Pharisee arrogantly boasted, “I do this and that and everything else. God, Your blessings belong to me now.” The other man just humbly prayed, “Lord, I don’t deserve anything on my own. Please just be merciful to me.”

It’s true we need to stand up in our righteousness. We are to come boldly before the throne of grace, believe and confess the Word and act in faith. Proverbs 28:1 says, “The righteous are bold as a lion.”

But we shouldn’t come with an arrogant attitude, saying, “God, I’m doing everything You said to do; You owe me.

We need to come and say, “Lord, I’m doing what You said in Your Word. Now I thank You for Your mercy.

God’s mercy, compassion and grace provided everything we have in Jesus Christ, and we must treat His blessings as a gift. Because of God’s grace poured out upon us, we can say, “If we believe and say what His Word says, it will come to pass.” We are to be thankfully receptive, not arrogant about it.

So be bold when you go before God, but always keep a watch on your attitude. Remember, it’s only by God’s grace that you stand!

CONFESSION:

I go boldly before God’s throne to receive my healing. I don’t deserve it on my own. But, praise God, Jesus gave me His own right standing with the Father so I could receive it.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

The Table Set Before You

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointed my head with oil, my cut runneth over. -Psalm 23:5

Some folks think the table in Psalm 23:5 refers to the marriage feast of the Lamb in heaven. But that can’t be right. The marriage feast of the Lamb won’t be held in the presence of our enemies; there won’t be any enemies in heaven!

No, God has prepared a table before you right in the presence of your enemies down here on earth. Sickness may come running up, ready to attach itself to your body. But you have a table set before you with a big plate of bread right in the middle. When sickness presents itself, you can say, God prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Healing is the children’s bread. Please pass me the children’s bread!” (Mark 7:25-30)

Everything you need is spread before you on that table. You have the fruit of the Spirit. You have the milk of the Word to help you grow in God. You have the meat of the Word to make your spirit strong.

So, take advantage of the table set before you. No matter what enemy comes to harass you, just sit down at the table and feast on the Word and the children’s bread. You’ll be well taken care of, and there’s not a thing in the world your enemies can do about it.

CONFESSION:

A table is spread for me in the midst of my enemies. I feast on God’s Word, and it is life to me and medicine to all my flesh. So, please pass the children’s bread!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

 

God Isn’t Our “Heavenly Butler”

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written “The just shall live by faith.” -Romans 1:17

Someone once said to me, “You faith people make God sound like a heavenly butler.”

I replied, “Let me ask you something. Suppose you meet someone on this earth who has unlimited means. As he gets to know you, this wealthy person decides he likes you, so he goes out and buys twenty years’ worth of everything money can buy—cars, homes, everything.”

“Then the rich man says to you, ‘Now, I’ve bought everything you could ever want for the next twenty years. If you need it, want it or desire it, just come and knock on the door. I have it in a big warehouse, and its for you.’"

“Now, if you went to the door and said, I could sure use such-and-such,” would you be pushing that person around or treating him like a ‘butler’? No, you’d be taking him at his word.”

You might say, “Well, if God spoke to me like that, I’d believe Him.” But He gave you sixty-six books and in every one of those books, He spoke to you! He said, “By Jesus’ stripes, you were healed.” So healing is yours. He said, God supplies all your needs,” so all your needs are met.

We’re not pushing God around. Don’t be concerned about that. He’s big enough to handle Himself. No one pushes or controls God.

So just take God at His Word and choose to believe that what He has said, He will do.

CONFESSION:

I go to the Word, my spiritual “warehouse,” and obtain the benefits God has given to me. I’m blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus who paid the price for everything I need. I take God at His Word and believe healing is mine.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Pain Doesn’t Change God’s Word

This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth: but you shall meditate it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written therein… -Joshua 1:8

Sometimes people ask me, “How can I believe I’m healed? I still have pain in my body.” But it doesn’t matter whether or not there is pain in your body. Pain doesn’t change the promise of God.

Let me ask you this: Does the pain in your body affect the fact that Jesus is coming again? No. Regardless of the symptoms or circumstances we deal with in life, we are always “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7).

Well, if your pain doesn’t affect one of God’s promises, then it doesn’t affect another of His promises. If it doesn’t affect God’s promise of Jesus’ soon return, it doesn’t affect the fact that by His stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)

You see, as we start believing God’s Word, it will begin working the change we desire in our symptoms, our circumstances, and our problems.

How do we develop our faith in the Word? We feed on it! That means we read it, study it, think about it, meditate on it and mutter it to ourselves. Soon our hearts will be so full of the Word that our faith in God’s promises will drive every remnant of pain and sickness away!

CONFESSION:

Even when my body is in pain, the Word of God is still true. And as I walk by faith, its healing power manifests in my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Follow God’s Instructions

And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. -Romans 12:2

In order for the Word to work successfully, we must be sure we’re following God’s instructions. Many times people are deceived because they only attempt to stand on the Word and believe God for their healing. I remember some of my own early experiences. I attempted to stand on the Word. But when I first endeavored to believe for God to heal me of the flu, the sickness didn’t go away for about seven days.

All that time, I knew if I were to let the sickness run its own course, it would also take about seven days. This frustrated me, until one day I realized I’d been doing something wrong. I’d been standing on the right Scriptures. I had them all located and memorized, but the Scriptures weren’t planted on the inside of me. I had some head knowledge, but my heart hadn’t grasped what the Word was really saying.

What’s the solution to “head knowledge faith”? Read the Word, study the Word, meditate on the Word and confess the Word—and keep on doing it! It takes time and work to believe what God says in the face of obstacles.

It’s so important to make sure the Word goes from the mental realm to your heart! As a matter of fact, the difference between victory and defeat in the Christian life is the eighteen inches between your head and your heart. Do you just mentally agree with the Word, or is the Word planted in your heart? The answer to that question determines whether or not the Word will work for you.

As long as we live in this world, problems are going to come. That’s all the more reason to do what God said: “Go to the Word.” Grasp it, believe it and then watch the Word go into action. God watches over His Word to perform it! (Jer. 1:12.)

CONFESSION:

I renew my mind with the Word and think God's thoughts. His Word is planted and rooted deep inside my heart. No matter what obstacle I face, I believe God’s Word is true, and it changes my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Believe God With Your Heart

Let these sayings sink down into your ears. -Luke 9:44

In today’s civilized societies, we’ve spent a great deal of time educating our minds far beyond our spirits. So when we start reading the Bible, our minds often say, “I’ve got this already! I don’t need to study anymore!” Unfortunately, that usually means we’ve grabbed hold of the Word with our minds and not with our hearts.

The only way to believe God's Word with the heart is to spend time feeding on it. You have to get the Word rooted deep in your heart so that its truth becomes more real than the doubts in your mind.

A lot of mental assenters haven’t done that. They aren’t believing anything because they don’t know what to believe. They’ve never taken the time to plant the Word in their hearts.

You can’t believe God with your mind, because your mind always tells you about all kinds of problems. And you certainly can’t believe God with your body because it tells you how bad you feel or how much pain you have. If you try believing God with your mind or your body, your spiritual walk will be up and down like a yo-yo.

But when God’s Word takes root in your heart, you can be strong and believe the Word in the face of big obstacles. Some of the greatest faith victories come when you are believing God with your heart while doubts are being fired at your mind and symptoms are being fired at your body like machine-gun bullets. So plant God’s Word in your heart, believe it and act upon it, and win your victory today!

CONFESSION:

I need the Word of God. It’s life to me and medicine to my flesh. God’s Word was sent to heal me, so I plant it in my heart and let it grow there. I believe and act upon it, and it works in my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Gain Possession of God’s Word

My son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the middle of your heart, for they are life to those that find them and health to all their flesh.                                                                                                                  -Proverbs 4:20-22

God is telling us here how to find healing, health and abundant life. But these benefits we read about don’t work for everyone. God’s promises are conditional. What’s the condition? He said His words and sayings are life to those who find them.

I used to think when God said, "to those that find them,”  that He meant to those who look up three or four Scriptures in a concordance and read them a few times and maybe even make some notes. But you won’t qualify as one who has grasped the Word just by reading a few verses a few times and making lists of Scriptures.

To find doesn’t mean just to locate. Quite awhile ago, I did a study to discover what the word find really meant. I learned that it meant everything but locate! To find means “to attain or acquire, to get a hold upon, to have, to take hold on.”

God is telling you to do more than just locate Scriptures. He said His words are life to those who attain or take hold of them. He wants you to stick with His Word until His Word sticks with you!

Jesus desired the same thing for His disciples. In Luke 9:44, He instructed them, “Let these sayings sink down into your ears…”

The Word of God begins to work for you when it becomes rooted and grounded in your heart. So gain possession of the Word in your heart, and watch the Word come to pass in your life!

CONFESSION:

As I obtain, take hold of and gain possession of God’s Word, it becomes life to me. I believe God's promises with all my heart, and they come to pass in my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Light the Fuse of Faith

My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.                                                                                                                       -1 Corinthians 2:4-5

The power of God can be defined as the ability to act supernaturally and miraculously. According to this verse, our faith is to stand in the strength of God’s divine power to remove every yoke of bondage from our lives.

But is there anything we can do to cause the power of God to manifest?

Power is released through faith. Faith is the fuse that releases the explosive force residing in God’s power. Confession lights the fuse. You can put the fuse in, but it does not good unless you light it.

So, confess the Word, and light the fuse of faith! Release God’s power to perform miracles in your life!

CONFESSION:

Speaking from a believing heart released God’s power on my behalf. I say to my mountain of difficulty, pain or sickness: “Be removed and cast into the sea!” I don’t doubt in my heart but believe that what I say shall come to pass. And according to the Word, I have what I say!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Sanctifying Your Food

For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused. If it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. -1 Timothy 4:4-5

This Scripture tells us that when our food is sanctified by the Word and prayer, we can eat anything without harm if we partake of it with thanksgiving.

After eating some food back in the bush country, I can tell you from personal experience that this verse is true! I didn’t know what we were eating, and I decided it was better not to ask! Janet and I just ate the unfamiliar food in faith and didn’t suffer any kind of ill effects from it.

We haven’t experienced any problems from eating unknown foods in other countries. We’ve always walked in divine health. Why? Because every time we sit down to a meal, we say, “Thank You, Father that this food is sanctified by Your Word and prayer.” The food can’t harm us then. We also frequently travel on the road. When I think of some of the restaurants we’ve eaten at along the way, I’m glad that particular prayer has worked there too!

The only way you could experience a stomach problem after that kind of prayer is by opening the door to the enemy through fear or worry. The solution to that problem is found further on in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.” That’s a good verse for preventing stomach problems!

If people would continually confess, “Thank God, He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind,” they’d stop getting sick. Fear is always the key that opens the door to the enemy. And when it comes to the food we eat, we never have to fear, because God has given us a way to eat safely in faith!

CONFESSION:

When I pray over my food, it’s sanctified by God’s Word and prayer: I’ve been redeemed from the curse of the law. That includes every sickness and disease known to man. The Word created life within me. I walk in health!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

He’s Returning for a Healthy Bride!

To the end that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

Jesus Christ, our soon-coming King, is coming back for a bride.

Well, how many grooms want to come back for a bride who is sick and emaciated? How many grooms say, “Well, Honey, I hope you’re good and sick now so I can take you to the altar”?

No, Jesus wants a healthy bride. He is coming soon as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and He plans to return for a bride who is without spot or blemish. (Eph. 5:27.) That means in part that He wants to come back for a bride who is walking in health. That’s His will!

So receive the healing Jesus purchased for you on the Cross. Walk in the divine health that belongs to you as part of the Church, the bride of Christ. Make sure you’re preparing for the Bridegroom’s return!

CONFESSION:

I am part of the Church, the bride of Christ. The Bridegroom has clothed me with the garments of salvation, and I walk in all that salvation includes: health, wholeness, deliverance and safety!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Get On the Life Raft of Deliverance!

[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the domination of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. -Colossians 1:13 AMP

We’ve been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear Son. The kingdom of darkness is the kingdom of Satan. When we were delivered from the kingdom of darkness, we were delivered from the rule and authority of that king and everything that is a part of his evil kingdom.

That means we’ve been delivered from spiritual death, sickness, disease, bad habits, oppression and poverty. We’ve been delivered! We don’t have to wait for God to do it, it has already been done. We just need to receive and walk in our deliverance.

If I were out in the middle of a lake drowning and my father threw me a big inner tube to hang on to, I’d grab hold of it! I wouldn’t say, “Well, I just don’t know if I can take that. You know, I’m the one who fell in the lake, and I probably deserve to be out here. I’d better just see if I can make it through.” If I said that, my father would probably get a little perturbed at me!

I can’t imagine what God must think when we do the same thing spiritually. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His Son. Yet we sit around nursing out symptoms and say, “Well, I don’t know if God wants me healed. He may want me to learn something from this sickness.”

No, He’s thrown us a life raft! He wants us to climb out of that sickness and disease and just float on into safety and health!

CONFESSION:

I’ve been delivered from the dominion of darkness! I’m under Jesus’ authority now. I don’t have to be sick anymore. Healing and health are mine! I walk in freedom, safety, and health because I’m in God’s kingdom!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Finishing What Jesus Began

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. -John 14:12

Jesus says we are to do even greater works than the works He did while He walked on the earth. How can we do the greater works? Jesus explained how: “The Father that dwells in me, He does the works" (v. 10).

The greater One living in Jesus did the works. Jesus always made that clear saying, “Everything I do is My Father’s will. My meat is to do My Father’s will. I do what I see My Father doing.”

Then Jesus said, “I’m going to leave, but I’m going to send the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and He’ll live within you. Then it won’t just be Me doing the works of the Father all alone. Thousands of believers will preach the Gospel and lay hands on the sick all over the world. My people will do even greater works because I’m going to be with My Father.”

In Acts 1:1, Luke talks about “all that Jesus began both to do and teach.” Jesus began to love and forgive people, to teach people and to lay hands on the sick and see them recover. But He couldn’t do the job all alone, so He sent His Spirit to empower you and me to carry on His work. He has never stopped the ministry He began. He’s continuing through His Church today. It’s up to us to get the job done.

CONFESSION:

I am an ambassador for Christ. I help continue the work Jesus began: teaching people, loving people, laying hands on the sick and seeing them recover. But it is my Father dwelling in me by the Holy Spirit who does the work!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Keep Your Eyes On the Answer

Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder and worship and we will come back to you. -Genesis 22:4-5

If you always have your eyes on the answer and consider only what God said, you’ll overcome in the end, regardless of your situation. A good example of this principle is the story of Abraham.

Abraham’s miracle child, Isaac, was born to him and Sarah because they “staggered not at God’s promise. But Isaac wasn’t the fulfillment of the promise; he was just the means to the fulfillment of the promise. God didn’t say, “I’ll give you a son.” He said, “I have made you the father of many nations. Your seed shall be numbered as the sands of the sea and the stars of the sky.” (Gen. 17:4; 22:17)

But in Genesis 22, God told Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to Him. Abraham would have been in trouble if he’d been walking around saying, “I know I’m the father of many nations because I have a son. If he had been thinking that way, he would have responded, “Lord, I can’t do that. Isaac has to live, or I can’t be the father of many nations.”

But Abraham was absolutely convinced God’s promise had to come to pass. He believed that if he sacrificed his son, God would have to raise him from the dead to fulfill that promise. (Heb. 11:17-19). So, Abraham told the servants, “I and the lad will go yonder and worship and come again to you.” He was saying “Both of us will go up, and both of us will come back.” And both of them did!

Don’t take your eyes off the answer—off Jesus and the Word—for anything, whether good or bad. Even when your body is feeling better, don’t dwell on that. Keep your eyes fixed on God’s promises. Say, “I know I’m healed, not because I feel good, but because the Bible says, ‘By Jesus stripes, I was healed.”

Always keep your attention fixed on the eternal promises of God, not on the temporal circumstances of this world. Be fully persuaded that what God promised you will see come to pass!

CONFESSION:

Whether my body feels good or bad, I keep my attention focused on God’s healing promises. Situations and circumstances must change, but the Word will never change!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Don’t Consider the Circumstances

And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God. -Romans 4:19-20

How could Abraham “stagger not” at the promise of God? A 90-year-old woman and a 100-year-old man having a child? That was a big promise! How could he not stagger? I mean, today many stagger at “by Jesus’ stripes, you were healed”!

“Being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body.” The word considered in the original Greek means “to observe” or “to perceive.” So you could say it this way: “And being not weak in faith, he observed not his own body now dead, when he was about 100 years old.”

Abraham didn’t sit there and perceive how his body felt. He didn’t dwell on how old his body was. He didn’t say, “Oh, Lord, I’m 100 years old, and Sarah is 90. It’s just not going to work.”

Abraham didn’t observe his own body or the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He was dwelling on the answer instead of the problem. That’s why he could “stagger not” at the promise of God. And as Abraham filled his heart with the goodness and faithfulness of Almighty God, he became fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was also able to perform.

CONFESSION:

Being not weak in faith, I consider not my own situation or circumstances. I consider not my own body or any symptoms of sickness. I am strong in faith, knowing that what God has promised, He is also able to perform in my life!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Following the Holy Spirit

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit 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

God anointed Jesus with the gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit were working through Jesus when He walked through the crowd at the pool of Bethesda and asked a man, “Is it your will to be healed?” The man said, “I have no man…” But Jesus said, “Get up and walk anyway,” and the man was instantly healed. (John 5:1-15)

Many times, Jesus just walked into a situation and delivered a miracle. In Mark 7:32-35, a deaf man with a speech impediment was healed. In Mark 8:22-26, a blind man at Bethsaida was healed. God sent Jesus to those individuals with the gifts of the Spirit in operation. But Jesus couldn’t turn those gifts on and off at will. If he could have, He would have healed everyone in the place every time.

After studying the ministry of Jesus, I’m convinced that He was just following the leading of the Holy Spirit. Whenever He came to a new place, He checked in His spirit and asked, “Is there something You want Me to do sovereignly, Father?”

You see, God may not want to manifest Himself through the gifts of the Spirit in each case. If He did, people might begin leaning on the manifestations more than they lean on His Word.

So Jesus must have had His “spiritual antenna” up all the time, checking inside to see how the Holy Spirit wanted Him to minister healing. And we should be doing the same thing.

You may say, “But that was Jesus.” Yes, but Jesus laid aside His mighty power and glory to live and minister as a man anointed by God. That means the strength of His ministry was in obeying the Holy Spirit and preaching the Word.

Well, if that method worked for Jesus, it will work for us! He’s the same Holy Spirit who leads, guides and heals today, and He is dwelling in us!

CONFESSION:

I follow the Holy Spirit’s leading just as Jesus did. The Holy Spirit guides me each step of the way, telling me what to do to minister healing to others or to receive my own healing.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Call On God’s Mercy

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you. -Psalm 84:5

When Bartimaeus called on the mercy of God in Mark 10:46-52, Jesus said, “What will you have me do for you?” (v.51).

Bartimaeus touched the heart of God when he called on His mercy. During Jesus ministry, many people called on God’s mercy. When they did, blind eyes were opened, deaf ears could hear, the oppressed were set free from evil spirits and the sick were healed of sicknesses and diseases.

What good does it do us to know that fact? Well, Psalm 86:5 says that God is good and ready to forgive and abundant in mercy to all who call upon Him. His mercy endures forever, and He doesn’t turn away anyone who calls upon Him. So just as people called on His mercy 2000 years ago, we can call on His mercy today and have the same results.

There’s a time to rise up and operate in our own faith for our healing and other needs. But there are also times when we just need to get down to business and say, "Lord, have mercy on me. Because Your mercy endures forever and You give to all who ask, have mercy on me."

Gods’ mercy is ready to manifest in your life as health, freedom, strength, liberty, wisdom and everything else you need. When you touch God’s heart by calling on His mercy, He will manifest His mercy to you—spirit, soul and body.

CONFESSION:

My God is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He is abundant in mercy to me because I call upon Him. His mercies are new to me every morning!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

When God’s Compassion Flows

As [Jesus\ went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace, but he cried the more a great deal. Oh son of David, have mercy on me.'

And Jesus answered and said to him, 'What do you want me to do?'

The blind man said to him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

And Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you whole.' And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way. -Mark 10:46-48, 51, 52

Blind Bartimaeus cried out, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” In the Scriptures, mercy and compassion are used interchangeably. Bartimaeus wouldn’t stop, he just kept crying out: “Have mercy on me! Have compassion on me!” And that divine compassion started to flow.

Jesus turned and asked, “What do you want?”

Bartimaeus replied, “That I might receive my sight.” And he did!

When God’s compassion flows, miracles happen. Jesus had compassion on the multitudes, and He healed them all. (Matt. 14:14.)

Sympathy feels sorry for people. But God’s compassion causes His love to flow to meet needs or produce miracles in people’s lives.

We have that same divine love shed abroad in our hearts. It's time we let that sweet love of Jesus flow forth to a sick and dying world. People are looking for love and compassion. When compassion begins to flow through us, God's power flows. And when God’s power flows, miracles happen!

CONFESSION:

God’s love and compassion flowed through Jesus to heal a blind beggar. His love hasn’t changed: it flows to me and through me to others to heal, bless and deliver!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Be Careful How You Hear

And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them. -Luke 5:17

God’s power was present, but none of the Pharisees and doctors of the law were healed. They weren’t there to receive, they were just looking for a reason to accuse Jesus.

But what about the woman with the issue of blood? She heard of Jesus, pressed through a crowd, touched His garment, and was healed. “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him…said unto her, Daughter, your faith has made you whole.” (Mark 5:30,31). The same virtue, or power, was available to everyone in the multitude thronging Jesus, but only the woman was healed.

Now look at Luke 17:29. In this account, a great multitude of people “came to hear him, and to be healed of all their diseases…And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him and healed them all” (vv 17,19). This time the entire multitude was healed.

All three of these accounts talk about the power, or virtue, Jesus was anointed with. He never ran out of that anointing. He never said, “Well, folks, I’ve healed too many people today, I just don’t have any more anointing.” No, John 3:34 says Jesus had the Holy Spirit without measure.

But these three stories each had a different result. The difference was in the hearing. In Luke, the Pharisees and doctors of the law wouldn’t hear, so no one was healed. In Mark 5, the woman had heard of Jesus and came to Him believing, so she received her healing. And the multitude in Luke 6 all “came to hear him, and to be healed.” And they were!

It’s a constant pattern in Jesus’ ministry. Those who heard and then acted in faith always received what they desired from the Lord.

CONFESSION:

What I hear and how I hear determine what I have in my life. I choose to hear God’s Word, and my faith increases daily to receive all that He says is mine!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

Jesus Paid the Price

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief, when You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. -Isaiah 53:10

Several years ago, I heard that one of my relatives was very sick. Her husband said that the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong. She’d been in for surgery two or three times, and there was nothing more they could do. Some kind of sickness had spread throughout her entire body, but they didn’t know exactly what it was, and they couldn’t get rid of it. They weren’t even sure if she would live.

After prayer, she went in for surgery one more time. But when they opened her up, they couldn’t find a trace of any sickness in her body except in her appendix. They removed her appendix, and she’s been healthy ever since.

As I pondered her situation, I thought: That’s a good picture of what God did for us! Just as it pleased Him to get the appendix that was full of sickness and disease out of my relative’s body, it pleased Him to send Jesus to pay the price for our sickness and disease!

You see, sickness and disease were destined to destroy the entire body of Christ. But God took all that sickness and disease and condensed it into Jesus’ body. God removed the sickness and disease, but He had to let it fall on Jesus so the body of Christ could be free from it.

That’s why it pleased God to bruise Jesus. Thank God for His love! In a moment of time, all the sickness and disease of mankind was centered in one Man. Jesus was willing to pay the price to destroy those works of the enemy. He paid the price for you and me to walk in health today.

CONFESSION:

God so loved the world that He gave Jesus. Jesus so loved me He willingly paid the price to set me free from sickness and disease. Praise God, I am free!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Jesus Was Bruised For Us

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief, when You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. -Isaiah 53:10

“Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.” How could it please the Father to bruise Jesus? I’ll tell you how. It pleased the Father for Jesus to be bruised because it provided healing and health for His people. Jesus would die, descend into hell and be resurrected in three days with a new, glorified body, free of all sickness and pain. From that day forward, God’s people wouldn’t have to suffer sickness, pain or disease.

Jesus was made sick, that we might be made well. He went down to hell so you and I could live eternally with Him. He left heaven so you and I would be welcome there. He left the throne room of God so we could go there in His name anytime we wanted.

And I tell you what—Jesus is alive and well and doing fine today! He’s not hurting anymore. He took all the benefits of redemption, wrapped them up, put a bow and ribbon on the package, wrote our names on it and said, “Here—pick these up anytime you need them.”

Jesus was bruised so you and I wouldn’t have to be. The price has been paid. Healing and health belong to us.

CONFESSION:

Healing belongs to me! Jesus’ body was broken so I could walk in divine health. God was pleased to accomplish His redemption plan, and He’s pleased when I walk in that plan by faith.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 Be Willing To Change

For I am the Lord, I change not – Malachi 3:6

Lilllian B Yeomans was a medical doctor who lived many years ago. She was raised from her deathbed by the power of God, and she turned in her medical license and started practicing medicine with the Great Physician. Dr. Yeomans made a statement to the effect that if she were praying or believing God for something that belongs to us in the Word, if she didn’t see something start changing in three days, she started changing. She had amazing results.

If something belongs to us, God has already paid for it. He has redeemed us, delivered us, healed us and set us free. God has already done His part. So when we see the answer to our need in the Scriptures, we latch on to God’s promise with the hand of faith and say, “Father, You said it, I believe it, and I receive it!”

But if time passes and our answer hasn’t manifested, something may have to change. Perhaps sin or disobedience is keeping us from receiving from God.

So often we say, “I’m going to keep standing. I’ll keep doing what I’m doing until God does something.” In other words, “I’ll keep doing what I’m doing until God changes.” Then we sit and do nothing, waiting for God to change.

That won’t work. You have to accept that God can’t change. Jesus can’t change, the Holy Spirit can’t change and the Word can’t change. But if you’re going to see results, something has to change. The only one left is you.

I’m not trying to put condemnation on you; I'm just showing you how you can get yourself into a position to receive. You can say, “I’ll take the responsibility. Maybe I need to change.” That will put you in motion. And as the Lord reveals the changes you need to make and you make them, you’ll receive the results you desire!

CONFESSION:

According to the Word, healing is mine. Jesus bought and paid for it with His own precious blood. God’s Word produces healing in my life. I’ll change when I need to, and I’ll receive the results I desire!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999

 

 

Sickness Is Not Your Teacher

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest unto your souls. -Matthew 11:29

How do we learn about the things of God? By spending time in prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit and in study of God’s Word.

I hear people say all the time, “I learned so much from being sick.” I admit people have learned things while they were sick, but they didn’t learn because they were sick. The learned because they fed on the Word of God and prayed. It may have been the first time they took the time to do that in a long time. That’s why a lot of folks mistakenly relate sickness to learning—they never took the time to study and pray until they got sick!

We’d be a lot better off if we learned to feed on the Word and pray when we’re not sick. We’d learn just as much, and it would be a lot less painful!

Someone once said to me, “Yeah, but I know God made me sick and wants me in the hospital, because I witnessed to someone while I was there.”

But God is intelligent, and so are we. I believe that as we wait before God in prayer, He can drop something in our hears about going to witness to someone in the hospital while we’re well. Too often we rationalize everything, trying to figure it out in our heads. Let’s just stick with the truth found in the Bible and accept God’s promise of health and healing every day!

CONFESSION:

God sent the Holy Spirit to be my teacher. The Holy Spirit shows me in the Word that Jesus took my sins and my sicknesses. I’m so glad I can learn of Him while I walk in His blessing of health!

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999