Enforcing the Victory…
November 20th, 2009 | Michael Q. Pink
“Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Which is easier to say? “By His stripes you WERE healed” (2,000 years AFTER He took those stripes) or “By His stripes we ARE healed” (700 years BEFORE He took those stripes)? Think of how strange it must have sounded in Isaiah’s day for a sick person to claim they ARE healed from some sickness because of the severe whipping and ripping of flesh on a Messiah who was not yet come. No more strange, but equally true for a sick person to claim they WERE healed by way of that same gruesome whipping on that same Messiah who came 2000 years ago.
Most of you know that my wife was diagnosed 2 ½ weeks ago with the worst kind of cancer in the brain and given zero hope. How has she taken to this news? She is deliriously happy, overwhelmed to the point of tears with the goodness of God and telling me she wouldn’t trade places with anyone, even if she could! The work God is doing in her is so precious, as to make the whole ordeal worthwhile.
Having said that, we don’t believe for a split second that God gave her this disease or that He allowed it to teach her a lesson. Having said that, we also firmly believe God will get glory - not from the presence of the disease, but rather by her deliverance from it! Brenda’s faith is unshakeable and it is transformational to be in her presence as His presence exudes from her.
She keeps saying “It’s done! It’s finished!” She knows that Christ paid the price for her healing and she is not about to squander that most generous offer. So, the question has been asked of me, if it’s done, why is she so physically impaired at the moment? Ahhh… there’s the great question of the day… Would that you could walk this path with us… then you would understand. Allow me to attempt to put in words what we gained not by words, but rather by impartation from God (revelation).
Whether you’re looking forward 700 years to the price being paid or looking back 2000 years to the price being paid, it makes no difference. It is received by faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Did you happen to notice the last few months the journey God had us on, relative to healing before we ever knew there was a problem? It was all preparation. Brenda and I had been doing a lot of hearing and faith was rising. Now is the time of testing. We win because He already won!
Maybe this analogy will help you. Suppose you’ve been out of the country for years. Upon returning home you see that the Super Bowl is on TV and your favorite team is playing. At the half, your team is down by 28 points. Things look grim and victory is very much a long shot for your team. Then you find out that you are actually watching a rerun from last year’s Super Bowl and during the half time, the announcer reveals that your team actually wins by a field goal in the last minute of the game. As you watch the second half of the game, wouldn’t your expectation be different? It would be pure joy to watch your team defeat the opposing team and you would have no fear about the outcome because you saw the final score and you knew your team won.
If someone came into the room to ask you how the game was going, you could easily announce, “It’s done! It’s finished! We’ve won this game!” If they didn’t know it was a rerun, they would think you nuts or out of touch with reality, but in fact, they are the ones not in touch with reality. So it is with healing. We have seen the replay. We know Christ took the stripes to purchase our healing 2000 years ago. It is not in doubt. We are still going to have to play out the game to enforce the victory, but we know that we know that we have won! It is a done deal! Does that help? It does me… (o-:
So while Brenda’s symptoms are not good at the moment, they will be. She will recover. The game is won! She is only enforcing the victory God has given her and she is using the game plan God has given her. That game plan, by the way, is so significant that many, many people will be helped and their lives saved as you will see in due time. More on this topic in future blogs. With sincere love and deep appreciation for all your prayers (which avail much), kind words of support and great suggestions along the way. God bless you all!
BTW - you can follow Brenda’s healing and submit prayers and encouragement directly to her through this website www.BrendaPink.com.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Brenda and Michael,
You are in our thoughts and prayers for full recovery!!! Jesus is, or course, right by your side!!!!
In Christ….
Kevin and Julie Finnestad
November 20th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I agree in Jesus Name!
November 20th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Micheal & Brenda
Thank you so much for sharing your very personal healing journey with such openness, honesty and abundant God empowered faith.
Be encouraged that you joined by many but more inportantly by the King of Kings.
I praise God for your, more abundantly then we can ask or imagine, healing.
A fellow follower of Christ Jesus
Robert McCoy
November 20th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
He called us out of death into LIFE to the cross we reconcile…. All praise n GLORY to our AMAZING God! We stand in agreement by faith in His life-sustaining Word that Brenda walks in His divine health and His beautiful blessings to you BOTH for for faithfulness:) We thank you for continued inspiration and testimonies to come…bless the name of JESUS!!
November 20th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
As Aaron and Hur did with Moses, we stand and hold your hands up high to the glory of GOD as you too win this battle! Blessings, k
(Exodus 17)
November 20th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
What a journey the Lord has sent you on. He is faithful. He will honor your prayers and the prayers of the saints. May the healing virtue of Jesus flow from the hem of His garment to overflow Brenda with His mercy and grace.
November 20th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
What a marvelous analogy and how encouraging is your example. I am walking the pathway to healing also and I am so encouraged by your “enforcing the victory”. So I agree with you and “where two agree” there is victory!
November 20th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
You are absolutely a joy to listen to! I love your analogies. They really help me to see the way to think about it. Bless you and your wife!
November 22nd, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I am in the middle of reading Michael’s post just now and have to stop to post this: BY FAITH….. ABEL, BY FAITH…… NOAH, BY FAITH….. ABRAHAM, BY FAITH….GIDEON, BY FAITH, BY FAITH and the list goes on.
Confirmation: The way of the new creation…… only by faith.
What Michael is saying is not just for this situation with Brenda, this is about the life of a child of God. Faith is the only way we can live. Faith is the HOW of the christian life, nothing else. We must believe every word that proceed from the mouth of God and live by every word by faith.
ENFORCE THE VICTORY!!
November 23rd, 2009 at 3:34 am
Dear Mike,
This is a very beautiful the way you have presented it. Everything that we shall ever need for a fruitful and glorious life have already been provided for free only awaiting us to collect/claim or posses them by faith in the giver. Remember the one submitted to becomes the boss.
I rejoice with you for yet another testimony of the finished work of the CROSS.
My testimony: before I recieved Christ as my Lord and Saviour five years ago, I had all kinds of ailments; hypertension for 7years, back pain, strange untreatable skin diesese, loss of sight, constant throbbing headache, diagonised with more blood than necessary (suggestes blood cancer), stomach ulcers. I used to be an A student in school but in my last year of high school my life fell apart. My right hand got paralysed for two weeks and from then my mind could nolonger focus. I stayed like this for about fifteen years over which my condition worsened. I would get Malaria every two months. It’s after coming to the Lord that He revealed that I had been bewitched with the highest form of witchcraft. By the time I got saved I wanted to die. I want to encourage you that God has healed me of all these ailments and my mind is getting clearer and clearer every day. I am believing God to walk in uncommon wisdom of God. I have known deep darkness and so I want also to reveal the greatest light who is Christ Jesus. Once we focus on LOVE we shall get to know HIM and our hope will be strong enebling us to grow in faith and wisdom. Lets purpose to bring heaven down to earth.
Glory to God,
Wilbrord
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:18 am
How can we have the victory without the competition or battle? To be called victorious is to have gone through something and won. Jesus made a public show of demons at calvary when he rose again from the dead, having defeated the principalities and powers working all evil works in our lives today. I pray God strengthen you to continue having faith. “If I perish I perish but I will believe my God nevertheless.” This is what Shadrech , Mischeck and Abednigo did. They knew God was able to deliver them should he choose and if he did not they were prepared to die. And God did deliver them. May God grant you grace and may he show us his glory through the healling of your wife. May the victory over death be seen in your family. For he came to set the captives free to bind the broken hearted and to heal…… God is not a man that he should like, nor the son of man that he should repent, has he not said shall he not do it?
IN JESUS NAME! AMEN