...And I Will Heal Their Land

…AND I WILL

HEAL THEIR LAND

DR. MICHELE MARIE BURKE

Copyright © 2011 Dr. Michele Marie Burke

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ISBN: 978-1-4497-2253-1 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2254-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-2255-5 (hc)

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2011913123

Printed in the United States of America

WestBow Press rev. date: 09/14/2011

Table of Contents

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYER

ESTHER’S WARRIORS

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the memory of my father, a man of great compassion, integrity, and honor. He was a caring, dedicated and gracious teacher, mentor, and dad who touched the lives of countless individuals as an Officer proud to serve in the United States Army and in his second career as a Professor Emeritus at a local college. I remain forever proud to call you dad. Thank you for all you did in service to your country, your family, and your community. Thank you for all you did for me. You are truly one of the best! I love you and miss you, dad.

As long as I can remember my mom would tell me I should write a book but life was busy. I would often ponder what kind of book I would write if I were to undertake the challenge. As with any major endeavor the book you now hold was completed in His perfect timing ‘for such a time as this.’ My deepest regret is that my mom will not have an opportunity to read it. The seeds she planted and watered over my lifetime result in the harvest of this finished work. I dedicate this book to her for seeing in me what only a mother can see. Thank you, mom for everything. I love and miss you.

INTRODUCTION

If My people who are called by My name

will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face,

and turn from their wicked ways, then

I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin

and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

We are in a time as never before both in the natural and in the spiritual. We are in or certainly going into the end times as told to us throughout Scripture. However, as believers, His people called by His name, we are to stand firm in our convictions and fear not. Jesus said in Mark 13:7-8, "And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."

As His followers we are called to represent His Kingdom on earth and bring the Gospel to all the world. His Great Commission to us will bring His message to nations and open doors to bring people into the Kingdom of God. This is our call. This is our commission from Jesus Himself. It is straightforward and we as His church are to be fulfilling this commission as we walk out our daily life. He will return for His bride, His church, His representation here on earth. I am not talking about a building or a denomination but each and every one of us that comprise the body of Christ. It is each and every one of us, individually and corporately, that comprise His church.

I believe that especially in America we have long put religion with all of its trappings and man-made doctrine above our relationship with and understanding of the Lord. Although many can and do quote Scripture with finite accuracy, the real depth of living out the tenets never reaches the heart. It is in the heart that the Holy Spirit, if welcomed, can do the work of circumcision and the resultant mind transformation totally necessary to walk out the Word of God in one’s life. Without humbling ourselves first at the individual level, we are impotent to come together corporately to humble ourselves before Him. To walk in the authority He gave us as Kingdom emissaries we must start in our own individual heart to follow His commandments and walk in His ways.

The church is hemorrhaging people by the numbers; many have grown cold, and most want to hear only what would ‘tickle their ears.’ The same issues prevail that Paul wrote about to the various churches under his purview. The same issues prevail that Jesus outlined in the Book of Revelation. So should we just throw up our hands in desperation and give up? Not at all… we should throw up our hands in prayer and seek His face. While humbled before Him we should turn from our wicked ways and pray that He will hear from heaven and heal our land. Pray not just that He would heal our country but the very landscape of each and every one of our hearts. It is always a heart issue that determines how we will go forward in our life and what we will witness in our behavior.

We have allowed many thieves in our temples both on the individual level and corporately. It is time to clean out the temples and return them to the house of prayer intended by the Lord. This will require much work for some and a firm commitment for all but it is necessary to go forward in His work in this season. Many who call themselves Christians would rather sit complacently in their box called church with their life unchanged. This is virtual suicide on the spiritual level both individually and corporately. I have spoken to countless people as I researched this book and the majority cite that they just want to go to church once or twice a week and really not get involved with evangelization or in any way speaking outside the walls about Jesus. Yet this is our calling if we are truly surrendered to Him as Lord and Savior of our life.

Meanwhile, the Muslim community is doing their own form of witnessing, which is quite successful as their numbers grow. Their mission is to convert the world to Islam. They are focused and they are intent while we sit in our pews and avoid ‘getting involved.’

The time is now for us to get on our face in repentance and seek the face of the Lord for what He would have us do in this season. We know the path is narrow and few find it, but for those among us with an ear to hear what the Holy Spirit would say in this time, we must listen and follow His direction. There is a clarion call going out to the true church of Jesus Christ to rise up for such a time as this. Now is the time.

This writing is not meant to be a condemnation of the church but rather a call of conviction to arise now and become the bride without spot or wrinkle. We are in a very precarious season and the time for playing church is over. We are the church and now is the time to actually be the church of Jesus Christ to a suffering and dying world. Won’t you join the Lord’s service with a heartfelt commitment to follow Him completely in this auspicious season?

CHAPTER 1

IS THERE ANY OTHER WORD THAT COUNTS?

The Importance of Spending Time in the Word of God

For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword.

Hebrews 4:12

The Bible has historically been one of the best-selling books of all time, attracting seekers from all walks of life. Those who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God and the blueprint for living a life in line with Godly principles. The treatise of this discussion pertains to those who follow Christ or at least who profess to be His followers.

Knowing the Agenda

What I believe many who call themselves Christian miss in their understanding of the Bible is the Kingdom focus and design between the pages. If they read the Bible they may only see it as a life manual while failing to grasp the Kingdom overlay that is so vital if we are to be truly empowered ambassadors here while on earth. Myles Monroe, in 40 Days to Discovering God’s Big Idea For Your Life, Devotional, summarizes this dilemma beautifully.

The Bible is about a King, His Kingdom, and His royal family. It is a royal document chronicling the purposes, desires, and decrees of the King, as well as the activities, past history, and future destiny of His children and heirs. It also describes the King’s expansion program, His plan to expand His heavenly realm into earthly territory. (65)

Without a full understanding of the Kingdom agenda lying within the pages, we remain less than effective as Kingdom emissaries. We remain less than victorious as Jesus’ followers.

Discipling is Key

What we do know and what is overwhelmingly preached is, as described in the Bible by Jesus, that to be a true follower one must be born again of water and the Spirit. Many recite a believer’s prayer, acknowledging their sinful nature, their need for a Savior, and their acceptance of Jesus as the Lord of their life. Once this is done, for a vast majority that is the end of their involvement.

I believe that this stunted spiritual growth is due to the lack of discipleship of new believers such that the body of Christ consists of many long time believers who never grew in their walk with the Lord. Perhaps they never even knew of their Kingdom inheritance and thus do not walk in the fullness of their Kingdom call. The Bible is memorized but not grasped concerning the depth of its meaning, and remains hidden to many. Further, because of their spiritual immaturity, they produce little if any fruit pertaining to adding to the Kingdom of God through their lifestyle choices and witness.

What Is Required Personally?

To develop a personal relationship with the Lord requires diligently seeking Him through reading and studying His Word. It is impossible to have a relationship even in the natural without knowing how someone thinks, what is important to them, what their character is and what issues they value the most. All of this and more is available to anyone who reads and spends time in the Word of God. His character, His values, His direction and guidance, His encouragement, His chastisement, and most importantly His love and mercy for us are so evident in His Word.

The book of Ephesians contains a prayer that we  . . . may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you [we] may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:18-19) How better to comprehend His love than through His Word to us? To really learn about God and develop a deep lasting relationship with Him, one has to spend time in His Word.

Let our prayer be that the Holy Spirit would enable the Word to come alive for each member of the body of Christ, that the truth of God would become manifest, and that He would reveal what He would have us know to fulfill our destiny in Him. This would begin a lifelong pursuit of the God of the universe through His written Word. As we diligently seek Him in the Word that Word will come alive in our spirit and begin to change us from glory to glory in Him as He works through us.

Through Holy Spirit revelation of the Word we are empowered to live a life in the fullness intended by our creator. What a gift we have in the Bible! Yet many who call themselves Christian do not avail themselves to read beyond a head knowledge and simple verse recitation. Many professed Christ followers do not even read the Word for themselves. Instead, they rely on weekly sermons, group studies, and Christian television and resources to fulfill their Bible learning duties. Most often citing lack of time for personal Bible study, they miss completely the opportunity for God to unfold to them the depth of His wisdom, the richness of His compassion, and the sacredness of the His Holy Spirit. They miss the fullness of His guidance for their individual life.

The Word of God has very definitive applications for each of us, for the unique call on each of our lives. We can only tap into this wellspring of wisdom if we spend alone time with the guidance of the Holy Spirit to cut deep into our spirit and reveal what is there for us personally. As we spend time in the Word, we develop and mature in our walk with the Lord and are better equipped to help and encourage others both within and outside the body of Christ. Without consistent time spent learning and cherishing God’s Word and will for our lives, we miss what He really has for us.

A Little Knowledge Can Be A Dangerous Thing!

What is most egregious is using a little knowledge of the written Word to self-righteously condemn another without a depth of understanding and the wisdom of maturity. Flip recitation of Scripture verses to speak judgment is not at all productive when encouraging another believer going through a trial, or worse yet, reaching a non-believer. So many Christians can recite chapter and verse and use them to condemn others, yet never know the Savior’s heart concerning an issue.

Judgments are made of others and Scripture is used to justify the condemnation. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matthew 23:13) It is amazing that more than 2,000 years after Jesus walked the earth that the Pharisaical spirit is alive and well. We literally shut up the Kingdom of heaven when we misuse the Word. Have we really learned so little? Have we missed the reason He came? It was to set us free, not to hold us in the chains of religious condemnation or mindsets of religious bondage. How dare we be so bold as to twist the Word of God to our own self-righteous need to at a minimum judge another and, even worse, to control or condemn them.

What Does He Really Say About Healing?

We have also become out of balance in our interpretation and misuse of the Word as it pertains to healing. The Lord healed throughout Scripture and set the pattern for us relative to healing today for He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. However, many take Scripture so far from the compassionate healing of Jesus to an extreme judgment call concerning another’s injury or infirmity. If not instantly well one can be told they have sin in their life, an open door to the enemy, any number of negative circumstances purported to be solely their fault. Problems can certainly be caused by sin and open doors but sometimes it