Have you ever received miraculous healing? I know many who read this will answer yes. In more than 30 years of ministry I’ve witnessed several documented healings and have personally received a healing touch from God. I unreservedly preach that divine healing is provided for in the atonement and is the privilege of all believers. In my mind, if God created human beings, then He has the power to intervene when disease and sickness attack that creation.

Luke’s gospel does not shy away from showing Jesus as a healer. His letter to Theophilus is filled with divine intervention in the lives of the suffering. Two powerful stories found in Luke 5:12-26 help us see the power of God to heal. But let’s start with an important question, “Where does sickness come from?

I am writing this blog while flying from Bujumbura, Burundi to Johannesburg, South Africa. Sherry and I are attending the One House Conference for all Assembly of God missionaries in the Africa Region. We lived in Johannesburg for 12 years and it feels like we are going home. We’ll see many familiar sites, visit old friends, and remember some exciting days of ministry planting and pastoring churches in the city.

All followers of Christ are on a mission from God. Whether preacher or plumber, none are exempt from making disciples in every nation. But what does that look like? Luke 4:31-44 gives us a day-in-the-life of the chief disciple maker, Jesus Christ.

I am a biblical teacher! Over the years that gift has led me into various facets of ministry through the years. Today, I live and do ministry in East Africa. Most call me a missionary, but I am a teacher who happens to exercise his gift in a cross-cultural context. Living out God’s purpose for my life is wonderful but it also comes with temptations.

One thing I’ve learned in walking with Jesus is that I am always in need of correction. I know it’s hard to admit, but I am wrong about things on occasion. I say and do things that if not corrected can lead to brokenness of spirit and relationships. I don’t want that! But I also am tempted to view corrections or rebukes in a negative light. When correction comes (and it will come) I am put in a position to choose my response.

Frederick Wood said, “Temptation is not sin; it is the call to battle.” That statement blew me away. Why? Because it is a statement of freedom. Satan’s job is to tempt us. Our job is lean on the Holy Spirit and go to war against the temptation. Listen to me! Here is an important truth. If you resist temptation, victory is promised!