The Church Anointing, part 4

By Doris Tarbutton

March 4, 2005

I firmly believe there is a correlation between what we see in the physical and what is happening in the spiritual realm.  There is no reason to exclude sickness or infirmity from this correlation.

A year ago when I had the annual well-woman check-up everything was normal.  However, the way in which the mammogram was conducted caused me to vow to not have another exam or mammogram.  I was angry and rebellious against this diagnostic tool.  I continued with this attitude of stubbornness for almost a year.  The Holy Spirit, however, knew the vow must be rebuked and a compliant spirit must replace the rebellion.  The change was orchestrated by Him through recognition of the foolishness of the vow, repentance and cleansing.  However, the rebellion gave an opening of weakness in my spiritual armor and the enemy took advantage of it.  I believe the consequence of the sin of rebellion was the formation of this tumor.  It is remarkable that it was hidden, silent—I never experienced pain from it—and grew in darkness but the Lord put a limit on it.

I am reminded of the limits that Jehovah put on satan as he came to accuse Job and to attempt to destroy him.

“The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.”  “The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.”  Job 1:12; 2-6

I believe that my loving Lord Jesus allowed this tumor to grow, but only to a point.  What was meant to ultimately destroy me would be used to bring glory to Jesus!  In the end, that is what happened with Job.

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10

Job learned valuable truths about God through his experience; I will do the same.

What does the large size of this growth signify?  That is another question I have pondered.  I believe it grew to a size that would require significant surgery and healing by my Master, Jesus, for His glory.  I think it also represents the growth of consequences when we hang onto our sins—in this case rebellion and stubbornness.  Scripture says that “rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance (stubbornness) like the evil of iniquity and idolatry.”  1 Samuel 15:23

Scripture also makes it clear that rebellion and stubbornness are two things that God hates.  They both cause the heart to be lifted up against the Lord.  In the beginning the rebellion seems like a small thing, easily pushed aside and forgotten.  There comes a moment of reckoning for that sin.  My Savior is gentle, but His holiness is like a refining fire in my innermost being.  That sin and its consequences must be dealt with severely and completely.  This was born out in my experience.  The surgery was severe and complete.  I believe the fact of the tumor being 100% benign is evidence of the limiting power of the Father in all things, large and small; hidden and seen.  A principle at work here was that when the tumor was discovered it was no longer hidden but in the light.  Once in the light it must be dealt with promptly.  The Lord chooses the timing for this to happen.

What am I to learn about suffering for His glory?  I learned a profound truth about suffering for the glory of God—the Holy Spirit chooses the person, the circumstance, the time, the place, the people to be influenced, every detail is of His doing.  Along with choosing the person comes understanding of what is happening and at least in part, why.

Two Scriptures became important at this point in my learning curve: “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

 “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will.’  “He went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’  “So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.”  Matthew 26:39, 42, 44

Romans 12:1 is a Scripture that resonates intellectually, but not by experience until you are called on to be a living sacrifice.  The Holy Spirit made it clear to me that I was to fulfill the commitment I had made to Him so many times: “Lord, I am willing to be a living sacrifice for your glory.  It is an act of worship.”  It is well to note here that making a vow to the Lord is a serious matter and will be called to account at some point.  Be very careful what you promise!  I did take comfort in my being a living sacrifice for His glory!  I began pondering and questioning what this would mean in this circumstance.  Being a sacrifice of any kind will mean suffering.  That was another commitment I had made many times before: “Lord, I am willing to suffer for Your kingdom, for Your glory.”

 “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things…I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”   Philippians 3:7-10

I had prayed that Scripture so many times, not knowing how or when or why I would be called upon to be a living sacrifice to suffer in fellowship with Him for His glory.  Now I was experiencing and finding out what those Scriptures really mean in my life and service to the Lord.

As I meditated on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane I focused on an important principle:  Jesus honestly asked what was His deepest request of the Father, but was willing to totally surrender His own desires to the overarching will of the Father.  The principle is this: I have the right as a child of the Father to honestly bring my deepest request to Him but I must totally surrender my desires and will to His will in the matter.

Many people joined me in requesting complete miraculous removal of the tumor without surgery.  That was my cup.  Even as I was anointed with oil and prayers were said over me the request was still the same– complete healing without surgery.  However, that was not the plan, nor would it have fulfilled the total purpose of bringing the most glory to the Lord.

I had to follow my Lord Jesus’ example in the Garden; I had to genuinely relinquish my will to the more important will of the Father.  A Psalm I had memorized earlier was in preparation for this decision:

“ Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.  The boundaries have fallen for me in pleasant places; Surely I have a delightful inheritance.”   Psalm 16:5-6

It is the Lord who assigns us our place in His kingdom and gives us meaningful spiritual work to do for His glory. His plans and purposes are set in eternity.  As He brings His plans along to completion I can be sure that the part He has assigned me is secure—it is for me to do, not someone else.  I know from experience with Him that my willing obedience will result in multiple blessings for me and for many others.  Indeed the boundaries of His grace are set in pleasant places; I can delight in Him.

 Psalm 37:3-4 “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  With this promise from the Father I can rest easy knowing that He has everything under His perfect control.  He sets the boundaries for every area of my life, including how far satan can go in bringing infirmity upon me.

This same Psalm says 3 times “do not fret”.  My faith is in the power of God, not doctors, nurses or medicine.  I rest secure in the knowledge that the power that raised Jesus from the dead is resident in me as I am in Christ.  (See Ephesians 1:18-21)  Therefore, there is no reason to fret, to worry or be anxious about the cup and portion that has been assigned to me by the Holy Spirit.  Indeed I have not “fretted” about the surgery, the possibility of cancer, the recovery.  Jesus is my Peace and He keeps me free from those evidences of lack of trust and belief.  His Spirit of joy is present even in the midst of this trial.  Some have suggested this tumor and subsequent surgery was a test of my faith.  I must testify that my faith in the power of God is at least as strong, maybe stronger, than when this started.  He is completely faithful to who He is and therefore He is faithful to fulfill His promises to me.  “Surely I have a delightful inheritance.”

This whole experience was a way to understand more fully the mystery of divine healing.  It was my experience, others will have their own unique “object lesson”.  I am so glad the Lord deals with each of us as individuals–He is truly a Personal Savior.

 

 

The Church Anointing, part 3

By Doris Tarbutton

How else will Jesus receive glory from this?  I don’t know but I believe there will be more.  We are believing for a miracle.  People believe as a result of miracles; this is what I am praying for and expecting on Thursday.

As we started home from church, Allen received a phone call from John Sherrill who was in Stephenville ministering in a church.  He asked what was happening with us.  We told him about the anointing and the prayer service.  At about the same time, John had asked the people in the other church to pray for me!  There were prayers for my healing going up in that place at the same time.  His asking opened the window of heaven for blessings of the presence of the Holy Spirit to be in that place.  Jesus was receiving glory in that church body as well!  How awesome is that!!

I ask the question again “how else will Jesus receive glory from this?”  I don’t know but I wait in anticipation to see what else comes about.  We have another group of pastors scheduled for Colorado next week.  If the Lord does the miracle I am asking for we will be able to go and continue our ministry there.  Stay tuned…

March 3, 2005

Much has happened since that Saturday night prayer service for my healing.  I continued to seek the truth about this infirmity.  On Thursday, when we went for my pre-op meeting with Dr. Bevers, the gynecologist  oncologist, I asked him “how do you know the tumor is still there?”  He looked at me questioningly as I assured him that much prayer had been raised to heaven for my complete healing.  After all, it had been a month since the initial exam.  He immediately said “Let’s go find out.”  After the exam he assured me the tumor was still there.  The Lord is my Healer and this will be done His way for the most glory.  Friday, February 25^th, 10:45 a.m. the surgery began.

As I was being prepared for the operation Carolyn and Jack Simpson came.  What a comfort it was for my dear friend to spend a few minutes with me in prayer.  Jeff and Renee Lynn were there and my special friend Shauna and her husband Brandon.  It was a part of the bigger lesson the Lord is teaching me about receiving love from others.  Through this experience I am closer to believing that other people really can and do love me.  Trekking to the Medical Center on a Friday morning through heavy traffic certainly speaks of genuine caring!

The last thing I remember as I was about to be wheeled to the operating room is praying “Father, I am in Your hands.  Please send your angels to oversee this operation.  I trust You and my faith is in Your power, not in the doctors.”  The next thing I knew I was waking up in the recovery room.  Did Jesus receive glory in that OR?  Dr. Bevers testified that they could feel the prayers in that room as they worked on me.  Praise the Lord for being there in power.

There were results that showed the Lord’s faithfulness and a display of His glory: The procedure only took 1 hour 40 minutes to complete; the tumor was 100% benign; there was no other involvement with other organs; my recovery went well; I was able to quit the narcotics the following morning, relying on the Q Pump delivering pain relief directly to the incision.  I took no other medicine in the hospital.  I was dismissed Monday morning.  It is good to be home and the recovery continues.

My prayer partners—Carolyn, Connie and Mary—came for our regular Thursday morning prayer time today.  Indeed, this has not interfered with ministry, just as the Lord had promised.

I hope to be in church Saturday night for worship and to let the people see the goodness of our Lord to heal.  Monday the staples come out.  Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to display His power and glory before His people.  My desire is that this is just the beginning of a freedom in our church body to ask for healing prayer and believe it will happen.

An interesting ancillary to this episode is that Stephanie was healed of her pneumonia!  She received the miracle of healing.  What a wonderful, loving, compassionate Jesus we serve and worship!

Those are the facts.  The real value of this experience lies in learning more about our Father and His ways.  What was the opening, spiritually, that allowed this tumor to develop?  What does the large size of this benign growth signify?  What am I to learn about suffering for His glory?  How does being a “living sacrifice” relate?  The principle exhibited by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as He suffered surrendering totally to the will of the Father—how does this apply?

The other major lesson I am receiving concerns being able to truly believe that others value me and love me.  Receiving from others is difficult for me—I must learn this grace. Part 4 ahead…

 

The Church Anointing, part 2

By Doris Tarbutton

I’m repeating this first paragraph to put the text of my speech in context.

The next step I knew that had to be taken was to go before the Church body and ask for prayer.  Not just prayer, but believing prayer in faith accompanied by the anointing with oil by the spiritual leaders of the church, their laying hands on me and praying for my healing.  In preparation I met with Jeff, our pastor, and discussed his beliefs about divine healing.  To my joy they are compatible with my own beliefs—Jesus does desire to heal and does so for His glory.

On February 19^th, after the regular church service and a time of worship through music, Jeff called a special prayer meeting for me before the church.  The children were brought back into the worship center so they could be a part of this experience.

I went forward and briefly outlined why I was asking for anointing prayer.  I then used the opportunity to speak some words of instruction:

 “Sickness or infirmity of any kind is accompanied by a sense of helplessness.  There is a need for assistance from those who pray.  Sometimes we really can’t pray effectively for ourselves because we are pre-occupied with our problems.  We need someone else to come along side and intercede on our behalf.  That’s the plan for the church body so that everyone’s needs are met in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is always for His glory and to strengthen the faith and belief level of the people.

 In James 5:13-15 we are given instructions on how to go about getting the support we need:  “Is any among you sick?” (emphasis mine)  This can mean any infirmity.  It includes the idea of weariness of mind that hinders physical recovery.  I find myself distracted by my impending surgery next Friday.  I am weary and need support of others praying for me.

 According to this Scripture I am to call on the elders of the church to do 2 things: intercede for me, expressing their and my wishes for healing and to anoint me with oil in the Name of the Lord Jesus.

The oil of anointing is not a sacred anointing as for setting aside for priestly duties, but is symbolic of my submission to the working of the Holy Spirit in me.  In those days it was application of medicine.  Now, for me, it means I am willing to allow the Lord Jesus to do His will in me for His glory.

 There is another requirement: there must be a prayer of faith.  I refer back to James 1:6 “When he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.” (emphasis mine)

 If you can pray, without doubting the power of faith in God to heal physically, then I welcome your prayers.  There is a rampant sin of unbelief among God’s people that limits what He does among us.  Please look within yourself to examine what you by experience  believe about Jesus’ power and desire to heal.  My faith is in the power of God, not doctors or medicine.  If you agree with me I invite you to join in praying for my healing.  If not, please do not pray for me.  It would be a hindrance to the working of the Holy Spirit.

 I am asking 4 men who are in spiritual authority over me to lay hands on me, anoint me with oil and pray according to God’s will. They are Jeff, John, Allen and Tom

 Jeff then made comments about the rest of the passage in James 5.  Allen anointed me with oil of frankincense and myrrh; they laid hands on me and prayed prayers of faith in the power of God.  Allen especially prayed that the mass would be totally gone on Thursday when I go to the doctor who is to do the surgery.  After they had prayed, I asked Jeff to see if anyone else needed prayer for healing.  The power of the glory of the Lord filled that room.  Stephanie, suffering from pneumonia for 4 weeks, now came forward and others prayed for her; Connie came for Allen and I to pray for the completion of the healing in her face.  As we sang Shout to the Lord and Desperate for You, Robin, Judy and Michelle came to pray over me.  They were followed by Diane, Bernie and Suzanne.  What a glorious time in the presence of the Lord!  There were several children who came to me to say they will pray for me.  I assured them that Jesus hears the prayers of children.  How precious to receive the love of Jesus through the compassion of these young ones!

Did Jesus receive glory in this service?  Absolutely!  He is fulfilling His promise to me—this infirmity is for His glory.  I do believe that this encounter with the Lord will effect change in our church body that will continue to bring glory to the Lord for a long time to come.  Every encounter with the Living God brings change for the better.  Jeff was visibly impacted by what happened among the people.  There was an atmosphere of love that comes only from the presence of the Holy Spirit among His people. 

How else will Jesus receive glory from this?  I don’t know but I believe there will be more.  We are believing for a miracle.  People believe as a result of miracles; this is what I am praying for and expecting on Thursday.  Part 3 to come…

The Church Anointing, part 1

By Doris Tarbutton

As a part of my journey into learning about divine healing, the Lord allowed me to have a very real object lesson about healing.  This is my account of that process.

James 5:13-16

“Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the church to pray over and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up.”

 February 19, 2005

 On January 20^th I received the stunning news that a large, fluid-filled mass was attached to my left ovary—tests indicated it is probably benign—and that it must be removed.  This episode had happened so quickly my mind and emotions were in shock.  It was on January 18^th I had gone to have my regular well-woman exam, followed by a mammogram.  It was then that the nurse practitioner and the gynecologist found the mass.  That was quickly followed by an ultrasound, blood work and a CT Scan that all confirmed the mass was indeed present.  On the 20^th I went to see a specialist who also confirmed the necessity for surgery to remove the mass.  I could not comprehend what was happening to me!  I was healthy, energetic, no pain, busy with Holy Spirit appointed ministry.  This seemed surreal to me.

Three days later we left for Colorado and our ElijahMinistry to pastors.  The surgery would wait a few weeks.  There was little time to ponder my situation as we were absorbed in ministering to pastors and their wives.  Some I told about the doctor’s report and we had precious prayer time for healing.  As the third group was coming I got the flu!  During that time of true illness I had time to think, pray and ask the Lord what this is all about.

At the beginning of this ordeal the Holy Spirit assured me of two things: this was to be for His glory and that it would not interfere with ministry.  These promises have given me hope and strength to remain strong in trusting Him, believing Him and continuing with normal life.  I do not have any fear or anxiety because “my times are in His hands” as the Psalmist writes.

The question became “How will Jesus receive glory out of this?”  I began watching and listening.   While still in Colorado, one of the young wives of a worship leader began to discern teachings by the Holy Spirit that increased her faith in Jesus’ desire to heal and restore me to health.  Jesus received glory from this as she testified to me about the lessons she was learning—her spiritual eyes were being opened to truth about healing.

During the last week in Colorado I received a phone call from my gynecologist that I needed to have a do-over on my mammogram followed by an ultrasound.  The film showed an abnormality that needed to be tested.  I was crushed by the news.  “What else, Lord?” was my cry.  Now there were two major areas of concern.  When we returned home I immediately went for the additional tests.  The results came back—there is nothing there, no need to do anything!  Jesus receives the glory for this result.  He is my Adonai, my healer.  All the credit, glory, goes to Him!

Meanwhile, I met with my dear prayer partners who anointed me with oil and prayed such love filled anointed prayers over me that I knew the Lord was using this infirmity to bring glory to Himself.  It was the first time Mary had ever been involved in anointing with oil and laying on of hands in prayer.  As they prayed, Carolyn’s hands on my face became hot as the power of the Holy Spirit was imparted to me.   What a wonderful, memorable experience for all 4 of us to share!  I believe the Lord received glory in that meeting as His daughters exercised their faith in Him and His power to heal.  A question we asked the Lord was “what is the spiritual meaning of this mass?”  We believe that what we experience in the physical has a spiritual counterpart.  As Connie prayed we received discernment:  she prayed that I would be cleansed from the burden of all the weight of the problems I carried from prayer counseling with a number of women.  I do not consciously carry their problems, but in the spirit there is retention of loving concern for their growing deeper in relationship with the Lord Jesus.

The next step I knew that had to be taken was to go before the Church body and ask for prayer.  Not just prayer, but believing prayer in faith accompanied by the anointing with oil by the spiritual leaders of the church, their laying hands on me and praying for my healing.  In preparation I met with Jeff, our pastor, and discussed his beliefs about divine healing.  To my joy they are compatible with my own beliefs—Jesus does desire to heal and does so for His glory.

On February 19^th, after the regular church service and a time of worship through music, Jeff called a special prayer meeting for me before the church.  The children were brought back into the worship center so they could be a part of this experience.

I went forward and briefly outlined why I was asking for anointing prayer.  I then used the opportunity to speak some words of instruction:  Those words are next…