retaining the fire

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. James 5:13 NLT

Today I visited a friend in hospital. She informed me she had suffered asthma since childhood, that her father also suffered it and died at 73. I cannot talk, I have had tinnitus since 1995, and yet, we both continue to seek the Lord for healing. Sickness is not normal, it is an aberration. 

When we read the gospels Jesus came to a world where sickness reigned and was normal. He threw the world of darkness into chaos as He rebuked diseases and commanded the dead to rise. He imparted His Spirit to His disciples and they went out healing all who were sick.

However, as the fire cooled so did the miracles. We see the apostle Paul telling Timothy to drink some wine for the sake of his stomach. He also was afflicted with something that the Lord refused to heal him of, because God wanted to show His strength in Paul's weakness. 

Again and again throughout time a man or woman would rise up in the power of the Spirit and command healing and miracles. It seems to come in waves, probably because of our inability to retain the fire or inpart it to others coming after us. Fortunately we now have the likes of Daniel Kolenda who has created boot camps to train and impart.  Praise God!

Myself I have been used by God to heal, yet attacks of the enemy would cause me to lose it. Perhaps we need to know how to keep the fire. Amen!