Starve Out the Spirit of Death

Starve out the spirit of death.

Don’t give it any glory.

Focus not on tragedy

But on the gospel story.

Easier said than done sometimes,

But joy comes after mourning,

Although we know it takes a while

When grief strikes without warning.

Because so many questions: “Why?”

Wage war against belief,

And when folks offer platitudes

It magnifies the grief.

However, when Jesus was born,

Angels proclaimed His glory.

They starved the spirit of death

By dwelling on the gospel story.

“Joy to the world” they sang,

Prompting the shepherds to rejoice.

Then later in the temple,

There were just two who raised their voice.

Two prophets, Simeon and Anna,

Recognized and spoke of Him

Right under Herod’s nose

When Christ was in Jerusalem.

Then wise men came and brought their gifts,

But Herod was distressed.

His life was soaked in tragedy.

He wanted to be blessed.

No king would rule over him.

This babe was going down!

God warned Joseph, who fled with him,

Escaping his hometown.

But Bethlehem knew tragedy.

It was a sorry day:

Rachel weeping for her children,

Grief that wouldn’t go away.

And yes, there is a time to mourn,

As when Jesus died,

Our sins to nail upon a cross.

Behold His bleeding side!  

He died to set us free,

But He was also resurrected.

For joy He did endure the cross

Though nobody suspected

That he could really do that.

Yet it happened. Can you see?

Amid your tragedy, can you

Behold His victory?

Though you might have to sing through tears,

Just aching to survive,

By praising Him you give the

spirit of death No room to thrive.

Consider Him who reigns on high

And wields the two-edged sword,

Proclaiming “Starve the spirit of death

And magnify the Lord!”

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The Holy Spirit Meets Deep Healing Needs

I. The Holy Spirit Does Deep Healing, Bringing Order out of Chaos

Sometimes those who struggle with a chronic illness or disease need deep healing because the pain of mental anguish has turned their world “upside-down.” The first chapter of Genesis seems to speak of such a world.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (verse 1)

“And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” (verse 2)

Though Biblical scholars disagree as to the meaning of this verse – did God create the world that way or did it become that way (after the fall of Lucifer)? – one thing seems clear: the world was dark. Little meaning could be seen amid the disarray. But then we read:

“And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (verse 3)

Then God spoke, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (verse 4)

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God brought order out of chaos. He performed a “deep healing” on a world whose “body parts” were in disarray. The earth was like a lifeless corpse, but He brought order to it, separating light from darkness, waters from waters, and water from dry land.

“and God saw that it was good” (verse 10)

He spoke to the waters and they brought forth living creatures “abundantly” (verse 21). He brought forth many creatures from the earth as well.

“And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (verse 31).

II. Deep Healing For Deep Needs

God did not create the world to break down or become diseased. Everyone and everything was happy and healthy. But then, like the “pestilence that stalks in darkness” (Psalm 91:6), confusion snuck in, taking the form of a serpent. They didn’t see it coming but they felt the plague.

“Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat . . .’ ?”  (Genesis 3:1)

Man ate forbidden fruit. The result: heavy toil, hard labor, and death (Genesis 2:17; 3:16-19; and 3:22-24)

Adam and Eve didn’t die that same day in a physical sense, but death soon took its toll on their family. Their first son Cain acted insane by murdering his brother Abel, thus turning his parents’ world upside-down. No plant-based medicine could heal their aching hearts.

But the Holy Spirit hovered over their darkness, waiting one day to fulfill the promise spoken  in Genesis 3:15 :

“And I will put enmity between you (the serpent) and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

One day Jesus, the “seed of the woman” (not Eve but her natural descendant Mary) would fulfill this promise by bruising the head of the serpent’s seed (meaning Satan, who used the serpent to trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit – see Revelation 12:9).

“Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”  (Luke 1:35)

The Holy Spirit is the one who shows us Jesus Christ our healer, the one whose blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24).