We’ve created an acrostic to help us remember some key points to turn this time of study into a time of spiritual growth and personal healing.
Digging deeper into these books will reveal truths that will change the way you view healing, and most important draw you closer to our Heavenly Father. May God bless you as you commit your time and heart to study His word.
Read John 4:43-54
(Read also 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Seek Him for Who He Is
At this point, Jesus had just left Samaria and at the passages just before, we see that they now believe Jesus is the Savior of the world because they saw and heard for themselves. Jesus began His ministry by gathering His disciples and travelling throughout the land sharing the good news of God’s Kingdom to all who would listen. In these passages, Jesus had left the Samaritan region and headed back toward his home turf, the area around the Sea of Galilee. He and the disciples ended up back in Cana, the place where He had performed his first public miracle, turning water into wine. Many people had heard of Him as a result of the “wine miracle,” as well as witnessed the miracles He recently performed in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival. So, when He arrived back in the area, it was no surprise to see crowds gathering wherever He went. But, it would have been shocking, in those days, for a Roman Official to even speak to Jesus, much less beg Him for help. Remember, all of the area within which Jesus travelled was governed by the tyrannical Roman Regime at the time, and Jews were considered inferior in all aspects to Roman citizens. Despite all of that, Jesus healed the Roman’s son immediately upon request.
An important truth revealed in this passage is that Jesus came for ALL people, not just the Jews, or any other select group. He came for whosoever! Another truth we see here is that Jesus’ words are not constrained by time or space. The words Jesus spoke on earth thousands of years ago, have the same force and effect today. He spoke it and it was done! Both principles are mind-blowing; but, perhaps, we should also pay close attention to what Jesus said to the crowd when the Roman’s request for healing was made that day. Jesus audibly observed, “[U]nless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” All of His words are important, so why did He say this?
Again, He’s letting us know that we must be careful not to seek Him only for miracles and wonders. Of course, those are fantastic, supernatural characteristics of Him, but He is so much more. Seeking Him solely for physical healing, for example, may cause us to feel disappointed, if our “healing” doesn’t manifest quickly or in the way we expect. He wants us to seek Him for Who He is—the creator of everything that exists and the One who loves us the most. While seeking ALL of Him, we may find that our whole being is in a much better place than if we simply seek “the miracle physical healing” part of Him. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that we were all created with three basic parts – a spirit, a soul, and a body: “And the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Let’s continue to seek all of Him so that our entire being (body, soul and spirit) will be whole.
QUESTIONS:
Read John 5:1-15
We Must Participate
Jewish traditional customs often involve immersion in water for purposes of cleansing and/or healing. In these verses, we approach the Pool of Bethesda in the city of Jerusalem, a pool in which many believed they could be healed if they were able to enter the water at certain times. (Note: remains of this pool are still visible today.) Despite the likelihood of there being many folk at the pool that day with many different obvious ailments, John describes how Jesus directed His attention to one man, a man lying beside the pool who had been an invalid for 38 years! When Jesus approached the man, the one simple question He asked him was: “Do you want to get well?” This may seem to be a strange question to those nearby, because it seems obvious why the man is lying there. Maybe we should look closely at the man’s initial response, “Sir, I have no one to help me…someone else gets ahead of me.” The fellow made excuses that involved other people. Instead of responding to his excuses, Jesus simply commanded, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” Miraculously, the man did just that!
During our healing process, let’s do what we can to participate in our healing. Let’s not make excuses, or blame someone else, if there are things we can be doing for ourselves to promote healing. For example, God may encourage a Type II Diabetic to treat his/her body as the Temple of the Holy Spirit by eating “God-Made” foods and exercise to become stronger. It may not be in the Diabetic’s best interest for God to miraculously heal rather than coach and teach him/her along the path to a healthier future. What we feast on, body and soul, will make a remarkable impact on our overall well-being. Let’s be diligent in doing the obvious: making wise food choices, exercising regularly, and leaving the supernatural to Him.
QUESTIONS:
Read John 5:16-47
Big Picture
In today’s passage, Jesus is telling His audience who He is and what His purpose is. It’s such a privilege to be able to hear from His own words! He tells us that He and The Father are together in all aspects. This is huge! Jesus and The Father act in the same way. They heal, they raise from the dead, they acknowledge those who honor them, and eternal life is freely given to those who believe in them! How beautiful and simple is that?
So, no matter what we experience during this brief time on earth, if we believe in the Father and The Son, we will have ETERNAL LIFE! If we suffer, even though for extended periods of time here on earth, what’s that in comparison to the joys we’ll experience in eternity?
QUESTIONS:
Read John 6:1-15
Thankful for What We Do Have
The disciples feeding thousands of people with only 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread one day on a hillside by the Sea of Galilee is described in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It’s a BIG event. There are many observations of importance in this passage, of course, but let’s look at one in particular. John’s passage says that a boy who had 5 loaves and 2 fish gave all he had to Andrew, then Andrew gave the same to Jesus, and Jesus gave thanks for what was given Him. Even though it was obvious to all that the food was insufficient in every way to feed so many people, Jesus gave thanks for what He had in His hand! The next thing we read is that the disciples began to distribute the food among the thousands of people! Imagine yourself in the crowd sitting with your family. (Note: It’s a somewhat grassy hillside with a gentle slope leading to the water’s edge. The acoustics on the hillside looking down upon the Sea of Galilee are excellent; likely all the people spread along the hillside could hear Jesus’ voice clearly.) With a small amount of stinky fish and hard, crusty bread in His hand, Jesus was grateful!
None of Jesus’ actions or words go without meaning. So, we must assume that it is important in the Kingdom of God that His children are continually grateful for the good things they have been given. If we’re suffering in one part of our bodies, perhaps we should be grateful for the other properly functioning parts. We can always find plenty for which to be thankful if we simply try. After Jesus’ sincere gratitude was displayed, manifestation of one of the most famous miracles ever began to unfold. Again, many believed in Him because of the miracles He performed. Purpose fulfilled!
QUESTIONS:
Read John 6:16-24
Stormy Weather
After witnessing thousands of people being fed with only a small amount of food, and tons being left over after everyone was full, let’s take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee back over to Capernaum along with the disciples. The scripture says it’s now dark so perhaps we can take turns rowing and napping while we glide over to the other side. We’re thinking, “Too bad Jesus didn’t get on the boat with us, we could have asked Him a hundred questions about today’s miracle.” Once we’ve rowed about halfway across, the winds begin to blow, the boat begins to rock, and the waves begin to roll. (Note: The current residents around the Sea of Galilee can describe how quickly a storm “all of a sudden” appears on that Sea, which is actually no bigger than a lake.) To make matters worse, we see what appears to be a person walking on top of the water coming straight toward us! To describe us as frightened is an understatement! We automatically assume we’re going down, down, down. When we thought it couldn’t get much worse, we heard His voice, even above the sound of the wind and waves, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Confused, but relieved, we take Him into our boat, and the next thing we know is that there’s no storm, no further journey, and we’ve reached the other side! What a relief.
Questions:
Support HealingStrong today by joining our Membership Program! With our Membership Program you will enjoy all of the valuable resources we have to share, become eligible for year-end giveaways and drawings and gain exclusive discounts from our partners.
Find a HealingStrong Group in your area today or join one online. We are better together!
Do you have the will to live?
Maybe you don’t, and that’s okay, but if you have the will to live, you MUST adopt the beat cancer mindset and these other aspects Chris shares in this quick clip from our 2023 10 Year HealingStrong Conference.
If you’d like to hear the rest of the talk, consider supporting our mission by being a monthly donor through our membership program found on our website. All our conferences talks are found within the membership program.
healingstrong.org/membership
⬇️
To find more inspiration from our favorite emcee, Chris Wark, head to his page @chrisbeatcancer
True or true?
We are all about the next step. This is why we share a Good, Better, Best approach in our holistic curriculum as well. We are not here to overwhelm anybody, but instead, support you where you are and encourage you no matter what your diagnosis or prognosis is.
💚Grab the free e-book curriculum at:
healingstrong.org/participant-guide
We believe there is always HOPE. We believe healing happens at home (our choices matter). We believe we heal better together - DO NOT JOURNEY ALONE!
If you don’t have support in the way you need right now, we encourage you to check out our directory for our in-person and online groups and see if any fit into your schedule, and join for FREE. Our groups are always FREE!
💚Healingstrong.Org/group-directory
to find a group or 3 to join😉
OR
be encouraged through stories on our podcast:
💚healingstrong.org/podcast
We’d recommend starting with episodes 1, 71, 89 (3 of our TOP 5 most downloaded episodes).
—————-
Want these 3 links highlighted in this post and a few more? All in one place for your convenience?
Comment “HEALINGSTRONG” and we’ll immediately send you a document with these links plus some more. Otherwise, you can type in the link into a new browser window and do it manually.
When a vegetarian realizes she knows nothing about nutrition...
listen to the second episode of @christinacooks share her story plus encourage the listeners with some simple, and practical tips.
healingstrong.org/podcast
Episode #92 - part 2 of 2
Deficiencies and what to do...
with the food, soil, air pollution, toxic load we all encounter on a day to day basis, it ends up lending to there being deficiencies within each of us. This is why we discuss supplements inside our groups and holistic group curriculum...
To learn more about what we share regarding supplements and other healing modalities, grab your FREE e-book version of our 12 lesson curriculum where these tips came from, by going to:
healingstrong.org/participant-guide
OR comment “FREE GUIDE” to be sent the link directly & download it even sooner🤩
Physical healing is necessary, BUT...
there is a component to healing that must NOT be ignored.
Your emotional and mental well-being. What we think, who we need to forgive, all matter just as much.
Find resources and support by going to:
healingstrong.org/renew
#healingstrong #renewthesoul #cancersupport #cancer
Our food has changed... no doubt about it...
and we discussed how it has changed, in what ways, and what we can do about it to help ourselves live a healthier, more empowered life, especially for those in the United States of America.
Much more was shared beyond these slides, so make sure to register for the next and FINAL Q&A and don’t miss out... come learn alongside others in our next and FINAL summer holistic Q&A webinar...
📆Mark your calendar for AUGUST 15!
& save your ⭐FREE⭐ seat at:
healingstrong.org/jumpstart-summer
or comment “summer” and we’ll immediately message you the link to register for free!
Do you volunteer?
Maybe you serve at your local food bank, as a coach for a child’s sports team, for your church or elsewhere?
Did you know HealingStrong is mostly made up of volunteers? In fact, we’re MORE than 95% volunteer-led!
Each Group Leader is a volunteer who has taken a leap of faith to bring hope to their community, whether in-person or online. Our Group Leaders are made up of cancer survivors / thrivers, caregivers and those living for prevention. Some even volunteer with a friend and run their HealingStrong support group together.
In case you can’t tell, we LOVE to be in community... we truly believe we HEAL better together, and should NOT journey alone!
In this quick clip, listen to Denise who co-leads a group in North Dallas about a gift she loves to receive while in her Group Leader role. It’s probably not a gift you’re thinking...
📧 If you’d like to contact Denise, and you’re in the North Dallas area, you can reach her and her co-leader at:
northdallashealingstrong@gmail.com
www.healingstrong.org
—————————————
🔍 Want to search our group directory?
We can send the link to our directory, directly to you. You can search your area for in-person or our search our calendar for all online groups.
Comment “GROUPS” to receive the directory link immediately!
Have you ever heard of Valerian root or Vervain?
Jane from @barlowherbal and also a partner of HealingStrong, shares what they are, why to add them, and how they have helped her.
We’re so excited about this partnership with Barlow Herbal because Jane is not only a wealth of knowledge, a very kind, loving and generous soul, but offers amazing products that our community loves.
#healingstrong #barlowherbal #herbs #planthealth #stressrelief #insomnia
Don`t hold on to bitterness...
Renew the Soul, YOUR soul.
#forgive #healingstrong #cancersupport
healingstrong.org/renew
Terminal leukemia...
listen to this part 1 of 2 podcast interview with emmy-winning celebrity chef and a very unique journey to health... Christina Pirello of @christinacooks shares what led to her diagnosis and how her journey toward holistic healing began...
you don`t want to miss this episode...
healingstrong.org/podcast
“I will be spreading the word about your plans, for they really have guided me and given me encouragement in my job search..."
---------------------------
📚To see all our Bible Plans on the YouVersion Bible App, head to:
www.bible.com/search/plans?query=healingstrong
OR comment "BIBLE PLAN" and we`ll send you the link with all the search results for your convenience.
Refresh your spirit in Gods Word today and everyday…
Comment “trusting” to get our Bible plans directly sent to you that are found on @youversion
Introduce a friend or family member to HealingStrong and start the journey of healing body, soul and spirit together. Healing is always easier when done in community.
Please share the name and email address of the person that you’d like to invite, and we’ll do the rest.