Work & Learn, Inc.

Understanding the Power of God
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Growing up, I did not know nor understood the Power of God, I did not know that He had paid the price for my sin, so I lived in sin!
Coward - a person who lacks the courage to do or endure dangerous or unpleasant things.
One day I met Jesus, and I read in the Word that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be in me, so I could be filled with Power.
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
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Today some of you lack the knowledge of who God is and what he has done for you.
Some of you are like David - God gives you everything in life and you still are seeking out somebody’s else things.
You live your life like an Orphan always eating crumbs that fall from the table!
2 Samuel 12:7-8 “Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The LORD, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you King of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.”
In the Bible there were many cowards, but they turned things around. Abraham lied about his wife, Davie lied and had Uriah killed, Peter lied about knowing Jesus. What about you are you lying about the things of God because you lack courage?
God-
Romans 15:19 “They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum.”
When we preach, we need to show people the Power of God.
This is called Power Evangelism. John Wimber authored a book called “Power Evangelism.”
From the beginning of the Church - God has demonstrated His Power with signs and wonders!
As the Word says in Acts 7:36 “And by means of many wonders and miraculous signs, he led them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and through the wilderness for forty years.”
God wants you to understand him not just his Power to heal or deliver!
Psalms 103:7 “He revealed His character to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel.”
You-
Today you can be strong and powerful – because Christ is in you by the Power of the Holy Spirit!
2 Corinthians 13:3-4 “I will give you the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when He deals with you; He is Powerful among you. Although He was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the Power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with Him and will have God’s power.”
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At our Church we teach people that God lives in them and has given them Power to overcome in life.
God Power works best in us when we surrender it all to Him.
2 Corinthians 6:6-7 “We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God’s Power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.”
In these last days, we desperately need to operate in the Power of God so that signs and wonder can follow us who believe.
Mark 16:16-17 “Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in My Name, and they will speak in new languages.”
The Power of God in me is the Hope of Glory.

Your giftings will take you places they cannot keep; your sin will take you places and keep you there longer than you want to be.

Working Hard for the Master
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I work for the Lord. I am His servant by choice for no one forces me to teach, preach, feed the poor, go to the nations, and make Disciples. It is all an honor. For I serve at the pleasure of The King.
1 Corinthians 16:9-10 “There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. When Timothy comes, don’t intimidate him. He is doing the Lord’s work, just as I am.
I remembered that as a young man I wanted to work hard to accumulate earthly things which were of no value to God!
So, when God called me, I change my perspective in life and began working for the Lord all these years.
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Why are you standing there looking like you are lost - when there is a whole field to work in?
Galatians 6:9 “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”
Sin is always working in you and wanting to take you to places that look good but are not!
2 Corinthians 4:11-12 “Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jeus will be evident in our dying bodies. So, we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.”
The Niv says, “death is at work in us.”
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1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
God called us to be strong and immovable in Him and through Him.
He said work enthusiastically!
All that is done for the Lord is of benefit and never useless!
What about the work you are doing now? There are too many people that work so hard but at the end of life they lose everything. Is that who you want to be?
2041 érgon (from ergō, "to work, accomplish") – a work or worker who accomplishes something. 2041 /érgon ("work") is a deed (action) that carries out (completes) an inner desire (intension, purpose).
Luke 12:16-19
16” Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’
Luke 12:20-21“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
You-
What if you examined all your activities and hard work you are doing now, what would you find out?
Your life was a gift from the Lord to be used for His purposes - so we can do the good things of the Kingdom.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
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Now here we are at the end of this Message - so I ask you what will you do with this Message from God?
Are you going to make excuses like the people that were invited to the wedding?
Luke 14:16 -20 “Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. 17When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ 18But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’”
Excuses, Excuses, Excuses!
We, the Church, are called to be about our Father’s business – not make excuses!
One day we will all stand before Christ and give an answer for what we did with what was entrusted to us.
Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”
It is like at the end of the day - when the bell rings and you get to punch out and go home after a long day at work or school.
Marantha - Come Lord Jesus!

The Labor Force in Action
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Me-
I like to work hard, and I never want to be a whiner!
I see other people need my help so I try to help them as much as I can.
James 2:15-17 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So, you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
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Are you the kind of person that works hard or the kind of person that always wants someone else to pay for you and the lifestyle you want to live?
Hebrew 7:6 “But Melchizedek, who was not a descendant of Levi, collected a tenth from Abraham. And Melchizedek placed a blessing upon Abraham, the one who had already received the promises of God.”
When you give and hard work - you give that which costs you something!
The Prophet Gad came to King David and told him to build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The King wanted to buy the threshing floor, but Araunah wanted to give it to him for free.
2 Samuel 24:24 “But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So, David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.”
God –
Paul was a hard worker and he always worked to pay his own way even though he had the responsibility to many Churches and disciples.
2 Thessalonians 3:7-8 “For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you.”
We pay for our own, that is what Paul was encouraging and teaching the Church in Thessalonica.
The work of the Lord is always Prayer - for I believe that Prayer is the work!
Jesus always took time as He worked so hard daily to help those in need - He took time in Prayer and Communion with His Father.
God has given you an assignment to do too and that is now your work assignment - so just do it.
Acts 20:24 “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
You-
Today you can start by paying for your own way and helping others too.
Make up your own mind that you will work hard, and God will provide whatever you need to do the task that He has assigned for you.
Abraham worked hard and trusted the Lord to provide the lamb for the offering.
Genesis 22: 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.”
The kings James Bible says, “God Himself will provide.”
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The Body of Christ takes care of its own - they are to provide for each other.
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
We want to teach people to be givers and hard workers in Church!
People that work hard for the Lord can be very generous givers.
Psalms 37:21 “The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.”
Are you a borrower or a giver?

Do You Work or Are You Broken?
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Why do I work? I work because I have responsibilities and I need to take care of my family.
I not only work a full-time job, but I’ve been called to Pastor this Church full time!
I want to be like my Heavenly Father and work all the time! Why?
John 5:17 “But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
U.S. Inactive Labor Force Seasonally Unadjusted 2022-2024
In April 2024, The Inactive Labor Force amounted to about 100.58 million people in the United States. Labor force measures are based on the Civilian Non-institutional Population 16 years old and over. May 6, 2024
US Employed Persons is at a current level of 161.08M, down from 161.49M last month and up from 160.71M one year ago. This is a change of -0.25% from last month and 0.23% from one year ago.
About 1/3 of people are not working - that is not sustainable.
1 Timohty 5:8 “But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.”
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How hard do you really work?
Stop working for things and start working for the Lord!
Exodus 35:2 “You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death.”
God –
John 9:4 “We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.”
The task God gave you is for you and you only!
I have been given my own task to do for my Lord.
Did you know that there is a time when you will not be able to work?
God will take His people to Heaven to rest from the work that they have done here on earth.
The work in Heaven is to Worship Him forever for all that He has done for us!

Financial Security
Work can provide money to pay for the necessities such as: food, shelter, and clothes. It can, also, help people feel financially secure in the future.
Personal Development
Work can help people learn new skills, such as customer service, organization, or public speaking. It can also help people develop important life lessons, like determination, responsibility, and problem-solving.
Contributing to Society
Work can help people feel like they are part of their community and can help others. For example, a mail carrier can help an office save time.
Sense of Purpose
Work can provide a sense of purpose or fulfillment in life. Some people enjoy their jobs because they have skills or knowledge to share that can benefit others.
Mental Health
According to some Psychologists and Sociologists, satisfying work can be a major component of happiness.
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Get a good job and work hard until you die - but with your secular job – Save, Build Wealth and then Give some of it away to those less fortunate than yourself.
And remember even our Lord took some rest from all his work.
Genesis 2:2 “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.”
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We, the people of God, know how to work hard as unto the Lord.
John 5:36 “But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.”
The job that you punch-in is there to provide for your needs, but the work God has for you is to give you a greater purpose in life than you could ever imagine.
John 17:15-16 “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them Holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is the truth.”

What is Purpose of Work
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I want to talk to you about work, all kinds of work. Now we work for a living to pay our bills. We, also, work for the Lord - to bring souls into His Kingdom.
People get to retire from their jobs but nowhere in the Bible do we see the people of God retiring from their Calling.
God made people to work from the beginning. He called Adam to work! God Himself is always working.
Me-
I have been working since I was a young man to provide for myself and then for my family.
Yet, one day I was called by God, and I started working for the Lord. I joined the Vineyard works!
Matthew 20:4-5 “So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. I So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.”
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Why is it that now in these days people do not want to work?
When you work you receive wages and there are many kinds of jobs, physical, mental & spiritual.
The Word of God says, If you do not work then you cannot eat.
2 Thessalians 3:10-11 “Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat. Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.”
God –
Right from the beginning, God gave a responsibility to Adam.
Genises 2:15 “The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.”
The word ‘tend’ means ‘to work to serve.’
The word ‘watch’ means ‘to keep an eye on a thing like a security.’
Man was given his first job and that was to tend to the things at the Garden. One of the things that he was responsible to do was to name all the animals.
Genises 2:19-20 “So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.”
Noun: exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.
You-
What would it look like if you worked much harder for the Lord - than the way you work now?
Work is good for you, one sign that you are okay in life is that you want to work.
When a person is depressed - they do not want to work.
When a person is sick - they do not want to work.
As a young man Jesus chose to put the work of the Lord before his own interests and his parents were frantically looking for Him because they thought he was lost!
But Jesus said to His parents in Luke 2:49 “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

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As the Church of Jesus Christ, we must be at work and tending to our responsibilities by being at the watch tower.
Ezekiel 3:18-19 “If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me.”
Our calling is still the same – to warn the people!
“Therefore, Go and make Disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new Disciples to obey all the commands I have given you, And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

A Measure of Faith to Start

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Everything in life has a Starting Point - it is called the Beginning Point. The Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

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I started out just like everyone else - started with the Faith that the Lord gave me.

Romans 12:3 “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning. Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in you evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the Faith God has given us.”

In the Scriptures, Faith and Belief are not exactly the same. Faith always comes from God and involves His Revelation, therefore; Faith is beyond belief! (Bible hub)

I worked hard at getting my Faith to work with my actions!
Abraham believed God and his actions followed his Faith.
James 2:22 “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.”

Back in 1984, there was a beginning of my Faith when the Lord came into my life and started the process of moving my Faith forward.
Paul said his Starting Point was when he got knocked off his horse to a Higher Calling!

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When was or is your Starting Point – when you finally made up your mind and decided that you wanted to live a life that was pleasing to the Lord?

How is your Faith working for you and do you even know that Lord gave you some Faith?
Ecclesiastes 7:15-16 “I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people. So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?”
Faith is God's work; Faith is never the work of people. We cannot produce Faith ourselves, nor can we "drum it up at will." Rather, Faith comes as Christ speaks His rhçma-word within (see Ro 10:17, Gk text). (Bible hub)
You cannot live by someone else’s Faith - you must have your own!
Just because you say you go to Church does not mean that your Faith is working for you.

Jesus’ Starting Point was when He was baptized and approved of the Father the He was moved by the Holy Spirit into His Ministry.

God-
Romans 12:3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
What Paul is telling the Roman Church is that they need to know the limits of their Faith.
God gave you the Faith and you did not make it up on your own.

God wants to commune with you so that your Faith can grow. God said Abraham was His friend!
James 2:23 “And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.”
Some people think they are all that and a bag of chips, so they act on what they know in their intellect, which is only head knowledge. The flesh cannot receive what it cannot understand - only the Spirit can receive what it believes in the Spirit world.
Your faith is hindered because of your feelings and emotions, most people that struggle is because they are all wrapped-up in their own head!

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Step into your Faith and walk it out - live what you say you believe and stop trying to make things up as you go along.
Abraham just believed - so today you must just believe the Lord, too.
Genises 15:6 “And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.”
Maybe you need to reignite your Faith because the hurts and pains of the past have snuffed it out.

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At MRC we have stepped out in the Faith of God - and we want to keep operating in it.
John 6:29 “Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

The Scriptures teach us that we must call on the Name of the Lord Jesus to be saved.
“Yet, I ask you how can they believe they first need to call on him, how can call him if they never heard about him, someone has to tell them about him. So, I say how good it is for those that go and share the Good News.” Romans 10:14-15

We are the Light on a hill to shine so the people can see and give Glory to God by what we do.
We are here to teach people to make the right choice to follow the Lord - and live a Faith-filled life that has purpose and destiny that only the Lord can give!

Question.. what is or was your starting point...

Lord, Put Me On The Path of Life
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The 1st Step to Restoration is to be on the Right Path.
In this life, there are two paths: One Is wide, and the other is the Narrow path, the first one leads to Death and the other to Eternal life.
There has been a dramatic increase of 465% in Su***de attempts and Emergency Room visits for Anxiety and Depression over the last several years.
The Doctors do not want you to get well - no more than the Casino wants you to stop gambling,
Nor does Planned Parenthood want you to see an Ultrasound for the minute you see that Baby - there is an 80% chance that you will not kill the Baby in your womb.
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What does my path look like today?
Job 31:5-6 “Have I lied to anyone or deceived anyone? “Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity.”
The Lord found me many years ago and all these years have led me on the right path.
I wanted to finish well, stand at the end of time, and say, ‘The dream was true, and I walked it out.’
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As you walk along your path - how do you know it is that Right Path?
Maybe today your life is in dis-order – Well, I want you to know that God wants to bring order back into your life.
You need to ask the Lord for help because you are on the wrong path and that is the reason you have so much dis-order in your life.
Sometimes you make the right choice, but you are still on the wrong path - so that does not help you.
Are you the kind of person who does not like people knowing any of your business?
I am not talking about just anybody - but your Leaders, the Pastors, that the Lord has put as Overseers in your life. You need a good Pastor – who cares enough about you to speak the Truth in Love and a good Church Family to be a part of the Body of Christ.
God-
Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
You must be honest with yourself as there are things that you cannot see coming at you!
The Psalmist asked, “Search me” God, and know my heart for I have anxious thoughts.
What do these anxious thoughts do to you? Well, they cause your mind to be confused and therefore bring dis-order in your life.
Jesus said, “Come to me and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28 “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Rahab (the pr******te) understood that there were people from God coming with a Leader and that Leader was Joshua. Once Jericho was destroyed and captured, Joshua kept his word, saved her life, and gave her rest with God’s people.
So, it is with our Leader Jesus - He saved our lives, and we have rest with His people, too.
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It is up to you to decide what you want to do with your life.
So, today take a stand and decide to live for a cause, something greater than yourself.
Psalm 26:1-2 “Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart.”
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As the Church of Jesus Christ, we must first be on the right path before we ask others to follow us.
For it is like the blind - leading the blind.
In 2019, Lesotho had the highest Su***de Rate at 72.4 per 100k, followed by Guyana, Eswatini, South Korea, and Kiribati.
Studies show that having a good family connection prevents suicides.
We, at MRC, are here for you and you do not have to be alone.
Come and join our Church Family and let us Disciple you for Jesus.
Proverbs 29:18-19 “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful. Words alone will not discipline a servant; the words may be understood, but they are not heeded.”
We want to teach you how to know the Lord then your life will have order in it.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children.”
Now we are the priests of the Lord as it says in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are Royal Priests, a Holy Nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.”
So, be healed in Jesus’ Name and walk out your faith.