It’s bragging time! According to the dictionary, to “brag” means to “boast” but here’s the thing – it is not time to boast on ourselves, it is time to boast on the Lord!
I’ll give you a little hint though – it is ALWAYS time to brag on our God and on our Jesus!
David put it this way, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord:” – Psalms 34:1-2a KJV
As a matter of fact, David was big on bragging on God! Look at Psalm 9 with me in the Amplified Classic Translation, “I WILL praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your marvelous works and wonderful deeds! I will rejoice in You and be in high spirits; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High!
Sing praises to the Lord, Who dwells in Zion! Declare among the peoples His doings!
That I may show forth (recount and tell aloud) all Your praises! In the gates of the Daughter of Zion I will rejoice in Your salvation and Your saving help.” – Psalm 9:1-2, 11, 14 AMPC
Paul talks about this very thing as well in 2 Corinthians 10. For purposes of space in this letter, I want to look at the beginning of verse 8 and then go directly to verse 17 and we will look at it in the Amplified Classic Translation as well. “For even though I boast rather freely about our power and authority, which the Lord gave for your upbuilding and not for demolishing you . . .
However, let him who boasts and glories boast and glory in the Lord.” – 2 Corinthians 10:8, 17 AMPC
Did you notice the connection between boasting and glory? Let’s look over in the book of Luke and I want to show you another connection. “And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” – Luke 17:12-19 KJV
Now let’s read verses 15-18 in the Amplified Classic, “Then one of them, upon seeing that he was cured, turned back, recognizing and thanking and praising God with a loud voice; And he fell prostrate at Jesus’ feet, thanking Him [over and over]. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, Were not [all] ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was there no one found to return and to recognize and give thanks and praise to God except this alien?”
The point I want to bring out in all of this is that boasting about God, bragging on Him, talking about and telling the things He has done, giving thanks to and about and for Him and what He has done brings glory to Him!
Not only does it bring glory to God; however, it produces a receptiveness and an openness in our own hearts and minds to receive even more of what the Lord has already provided for us.
Read that again.
This is a very important distinction! Thankfulness and telling about what God has done in and for us does NOT make God want to do more for us!
That desire and will has ALWAYS been there and is, in fact, why God has ALREADY done everything necessary and provided everything you need to live an absolutely victorious, healthy and abundant life!
We see it right here in Luke 17. All ten lepers were cleansed and cured in their bodies but one came back and expressed his thankfulness – which glorified God. This thankfulness expressed brought his faith to a higher level and now, instead of being able to receive healing, he was able to receive WHOLENESS! Whatever that disease had stolen through financial lack, mental anguish or social deprivation was now restored!
Let’s look at another example of this process in Mark chapter 5. “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” – Mark 5:25-34 KJV
This is such an absolutely powerful passage and so much can be taught from it but I want to zero in on the topic we are discussing in this month’s letter so allow me to be very concise.
There are four things that we know as absolute fact that she is experiencing from a close examination of this passage:
- The original disease – the issue of blood.
- Additional damage caused by physicians.
- Poverty – she was completely broke.
- Fear and anxiety.
She most likely had other things going on after being a shut-in for 12 years but these we know for certain.
Now follow this closely . . .
After hearing the Word about Jesus, she set her mind, her heart and her mouth for complete wholeness – vs. 27-28
When she touched Jesus’ shaw, placing corresponding action with her faith, the anointing flowed and produced HEALING in her physical BODY – vs 29.
At this point in this process, she has experienced HEALING (Gr: iaomai) in her body but NOT the WHOLENESS (Gr: sozo) that she desired and for which she had released her faith. She was still broke and we can see from verse 33 that she still had fear and anxiety.
Oh, but now it is time to complete the process and Jesus knew exactly how to do it! He called her out and got her talking about what God had done! She started bragging on God healing her body and it did something to her faith – to her ability to receive. Now Jesus was able to say, “Your faith has made you WHOLE (sozo)!”
I am not going to take the time in this letter to look at each word in the Greek but I encourage you to do so because it paints a much more complete picture! After she boasted on the Lord, Jesus was able to say, “Daughter, your faith has made you complete, healed, delivered, safe, protected and wealthy. Go in rest, peace of mind and prosperity and enjoy the good health of your body without the presence of that plague!”
Glory to God!
She became one of those who overcame by the world of their testimony! – Revelation 12:11 KJV
You and I can be part of that group as well! You might say, “But Brother David, I don’t have anything to be thankful for!” Oh really?!
The Holy Ghost, through the Apostle Paul, says it is possible to give thanks in EVERY thing!
Did you wake up this morning? Thank God you have breath in your lungs!
Did you eat today? Thank God you had something to eat!
Did you drive to work today? Thank God you have a job AND a car! Millions of people around this planet don’t, you know!
You can give God thanks, you can brag on Him and you can tell about the things He has done for and in you no matter where you are in life! And when you do, it will increase your ability to receive the next higher level God is trying to get you to in your life.