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As Healer, Jesus didn't come to Earth for the healthy, but for the sick. Just one touch from Jesus' garment, and people were cured. One spoken sentence, and the critically ill, even the dead, arose. The disciples, too, had a measure of His power. But they weren't always effective, and upon failing to heal a boy plagued by an evil spirit, they questioned Jesus, who told them it required prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29).

Jesus' power lives in all who profess His name. When you accept the Lord into your life, the Holy Spirit's power is a restless force that requires your participation. It's not enough to say you have Christ within you for your healing, or that of others, to come. You also have to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), worship and pray with other believers (Matthew 18:20), and seek out those who need encouragement in Christ. That to which you specifically are called is your personal mission in the Lord, as your expression of your faith. Failure to do so will cause the Holy Spirit to gradually withdraw and move on to someone else more willing.

Going to church doesn't complete your faith, but it helps support it. If you are hurting, it's where healing begins. But it doesn't stop there!

For the first several churchgoing years of my life, the pain I harbored was too great to have energy to go beyond seeking my own spiritual needs. I prayed, worshipped, went home, and did it all again next week. Even when I served, I was easily drained and gradually dragged down anyone in my path. I wanted to fit in and obey rules so I could go to Heaven. Nowhere in all of that mindset was I acknowledging my pain, or wanting to use it to help others, because as much as I despised my baggage, I didn't have the courage to speak up about it, and therefore lacked the knowledge to move forward, so my pain went with me everywhere, constantly creating misunderstandings between me and everyone else. I saw myself as a constant victim of circumstance, settling for certain things in life that required little thought or action at all.

How do you express your faith? Is your pain hiding its passion? What if. your pain is your personal mission?

While that's not to say you can't be of use in a variety of well-meaning activities, sometimes the very things that make you angry, or the injustices you want to correct in someone's life because of what you've already lived through is exactly where God wants to use you!

Reflect:

What is your passion? How can you use that passion to help others in need and share Jesus?

Apply:

Find ways to put your talents to use by making an impact in your community with other passionate people who support the same common goal.