The Twist

"Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord,' the man said, 'if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.'

Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,' he said. 'Be healed!' And instantly the leprosy disappeared." Matthew 8:2-3 NLT

Like many of you, I have heard this verse explained a number of times. But today, when I was led here, the Lord showed me a different twist. Follow me and see if this hits a cord with you.

The twist isn't just that Jesus can heal of us our physical diseases. If you took the word 'leprosy' and replaced it with the word 'sin', how would it speak to you? "Suddenly a man with sin approached him and knelt before him. 'Lord, if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean' ...Jesus reached out and touched him. 'I am willing,'...'Be healed!' And instantly the sin disappeared." Would it tell you that you can believe that Jesus will heal you from your sin? That He doesn't hold it over you? That you can believe Him when He says that He came to free you from your bondage. That He died for your sins. To be your covering from them. That He is enough?

You don't have to win the approval of people. You don't have to earn your place with Him. His grace is sufficient. He willed it. All you have to do is believe, ask and receive. Nothing more, nothing less. When you try to please others, or to even please your Heavenly Father, it takes away what He already did for you. Don't take that away from Him. What He did, He did freely without any regrets. Without any second thoughts.

Just give Him what He wants--your heart--totally and complete. With no hidden places. If you do that, He will know it was worth it.

"And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him...When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God." Romans 6:8. 10 NLT