When thinking about what I wanted to say on the theme Prayer for this month, I felt like I was having writer’s block.  So, I prayed and asked God for guidance, but still felt like I wasn’t sure which direction He wanted me to take. Then the other day I decided to listen to one of my favorite podcasts, Living Proof with Beth Moore. As I listened to her preach on the topic “On  Edge,” she went to the Book of Mark. She started reading from Mark 5:25-30, 32-34 (NIV),

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in a crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, if I just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”  But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

I had heard these verses before, but on this particular day they had new meaning to me. As if God was telling me to really open my ears and hear what He was trying to tell me. I thought about the fact that this woman couldn’t touch anyone for twelve years because she was considered unclean. But she worked her way through the crowd to touch the cloak of Christ. Did she know there was power in just the mere touch of Him? I don’t know, but I think her faith brought her to the Great Physician, The Complete Healer, Jesus.

Can you even imagine not being touched by a single soul for twelve years? No hug. No hand holding. No embrace. No nothing. But this is where Christ shows up, He shows up in our weaknesses and in our times of need. Christ always shows up…

These verses reminded me of something that my pastor had said once and I haven’t forgotten it. He said that when we want to pray against something evil, we must pray to rebuke the evil in Jesus Christ’s Name. There have been times when I have had a quick thought pop into my head that I know was NOT from God. I have learned to recognize those thoughts, immediately stop in my tracks, and pray against that evil by rebuking it in Jesus Christ’s Name. When I feel scared in those moments, I remember that the Holy Spirit lives in me and I have some of Jesus’ power in me. We have to have faith and believe that we have that power. Just like the woman had faith that by just touching Jesus’ Cloak, she would be healed.

A few years back, my daughter was having terrible night terrors about sharks. She was in panic mode with tears and not wanting to stay in her bed. I recalled my pastor’s words about rebuking the evil in a prayer. I knew this wasn’t my daughter that I was watching in pure nervosity and I knew that this anxiety was not from God. Fear is never from God!! I told her to close her eyes and I began to pray over her. I rebuked the evil that was causing her agitation and apprehension in Jesus Christ’s Name. It was amazing to see that after that prayer there was immediate calm over her. What happened to Bella that night reminded me of the immediate healing that came over the woman that day when she touched the Cloak of Jesus; how AMAZING is our God?! Do you realize that you have that power of Christ in you? This takes place when you invite the Holy Spirit into your life to reside and take up residence?!

Ever since that day I prayed over Bella, she’s never had those night terrors return. Praise God Almighty…

What’s important to realize is how to recognize when evil is around.  And, believe me, it is!  Knowing how to recognize it and how to call it out comes with being immersed in God’s Word. It is also important to understand the power of prayer in Christ. When you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, not knowing what to do or where to turn, there is a loving Father waiting for you to invite Him into your life. He wants to gift you this beautiful faith that will save you the same way it saved the woman; your faith in prayer will heal you.