Have you ever wondered why revivals burn out? I have so much respect for God’s generals who have gone before us in healing ministries and miraculous movements, but sadly many of the people who lead them didn’t know how to sustain a healthy, well-rounded life. My son, Jason, has some incredible insights on the importance of being healthy in both a natural and supernatural sense, so check out this video of him preaching for more on the subject:
In a nutshell:
• The gifting and anointing God’s placed on our lives should match our character.
• When you look through revival history, many of our heroes like John G. Lake, oftentimes their anointing was much further than their character was. They were giving healing, hope, peace to others but didn’t have it within themselves and in their personal lives.
• If we want to steward what God has given us, we have to take care of ourselves—body soul and spirit.
• If we want to be able to pass on to the next generation what God is doing in us, we have to teach a value for both the natural and the supernatural. Truthfully, the natural and the supernatural can’t be separated.
• We must create a foundation that can sustain the grace that God is pouring out on you.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says (emphasis added), “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• 3 John 2:1 says (emphasis added), “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”
TAKEAWAY FOR THE WEEK
Like Jason said, he almost had a nervous breakdown himself because he didn’t know how to take care of his own needs. He had to learn how to find peace within before he could create a peaceful atmosphere in his family and relationships. I think this is something we can all learn from. How often are you checking in with your soul needs? Whether you’re in full-time ministry, have a family pulling on you everyday, or are working extremely hard to get yourself through college, the truth still applies—you have to build a strong inner world if you want to make a strong impact on the outer world.
So today I want you to take some time to think about your legacy and what you want to pass on to your family. Then write down what you need to work on in your inner world so that you can make that goal a reality. I also want to encourage you with this thought for the week: if the natural and the supernatural can’t be separated, then taking care of your soul is a holy matter and should be treated as so. In other words, go do something to really treat your soul well with some extra loving this week! What do you do for self-care? And how do you see that playing out in the way your anointing flows out from you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
