Since I began getting serious about my relationship with God some 23 years ago, He has taught me many lessons about how to respond to attacks on my health. I would like to share some of them with you here, in the hope that they might help you as much as they have helped me.

Making confessions of faith on a daily basis, whether we are sick or well, is an essential part of laying hold of all the good things God has for us in the area of our health. I like to declare each day: "Jesus, I make You Lord over every area of my life - spirit, soul, and body. I claim You as my Healer. Sickness, disease, infirmity, and pain shall no longer lord it over me - Jesus is my Lord!" This reminds me of the unique and glorious relationship I have with the Son of God, who is everything I will ever need.

Reading through the Gospels, I can't help but notice how many times Jesus told people, "Your faith has healed you." Or, "Your faith has made you whole." (Luke 8:48 and Matthew 9:22 are only two examples.) So I like to confess often, "My faith in Jesus heals me and makes me whole." The Bible says that the Lord will even give us the faith we need to receive our healing. Based on this truth in Acts 3:16, I like to say: "It is the name of Jesus Christ, and my faith in His name - the faith that comes through Him - that gives me complete healing and perfect health." Sometimes, just speaking the name of Jesus out loud energizes me and boosts my faith, so I try to use as many of these declarations as I can. Based on Acts 4:10, I declare: "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth - who was crucified, and whom God raised from the dead - that I stand healed and whole!" This particular confession reminds me of the Savior's work on Calvary to make me free and whole in every way, and that the risen Christ is seated at the right hand of God, and "lives to make intercession for [me]." (Hebrews 7:25 NKJV) One verse that especially inspires me to release my faith for healing is Acts 9:34 (AMP), which says: "Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [now] makes you whole." Replace the "you" with "me," and shout out the "now" in this verse, as I do, and watch faith rise in your heart in a mighty way. ("Jesus Christ the Messiah NOW makes me whole!")

If you are serious about walking in health and wholeness, then you need to dig into God's Word, and ask Him which promises you can claim for your healing. Then it is up to you to pray and stand on them for your victory. Hebrews 10:23 (AMP) says: "So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word." Once we claim God's promises for our own, it is up to us to "hold fast" to those promises until they are fulfilled. Adverse circumstances and long delays can be promise-stealers. It is important for us to "confess" and "acknowledge" the promises day and night, to prove that we really believe that the Lord is "reliable (sure) and faithful to His word". As we let the promises of God take root in our hearts, they will eventually bring forth a harvest of healing and renewed health.

Praise will help us to keep our focus on the Lord like nothing else can. We must follow Abraham's example, who the Bible says, "grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God". (Romans 4:20 AMP) Focusing on what we see or feel can depress us and bring us down. But lifting our hands and voices in praise to God can encourage and strengthen us in ways that drive us forward to victory.

Begin declaring to the Lord: "Thank You, Lord, that the healing power of God is working mightily in every part of me right now! Thank You that You are restoring me to health and wholeness!" As you keep your hope and trust in the Lord - and in His Word - rest assured that your healing is on the way!

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are my Divine Physician and my Healer. (Exodus 15:26) I commit myself to You, along with all of my healing needs, Lord. I receive all the healing You have for me this day: I take it into every part of my body, into every fiber of my being, into every area of my life - and I give You the thanks and the praise for it all, in Jesus' name. Amen!

Promise-Power Point: Jesus Christ suffered and died so that I could be made whole in my spirit, soul, and body, and as I believe and claim His promises of healing and health, I will witness Him reviving and restoring every part of me.