Heal Yourself: Partner With God to Heal Your HurtSample

Do the Work by Faith

As I sat in rush hour traffic, I envisioned a mouth-watering bowl of shrimp and grits. I had been craving this scrumptious dish for nearly a week. Because of my many obligations, I hadn't had the time or energy to make the quick fix. The growl from my stomach jolted me back to reality. Traffic was crawling; would I ever get home? Once home, then the work would begin. The dish wouldn’t make itself; I would have to do the work to make it happen.

I had a desire in my heart, yet I would not receive that desire unless I put the work in to make it happen. For years of my Christian walk, I prayed and prayed for things to change. I believed that God would fix my problems. I felt helpless to change them, and I waited for God to make things right. However, God was waiting for me to work out my salvation. He would fix it, yet I needed to act in faith. My former pastor encouraged me to “pray like everything depended on God and work like everything depended on me.”

In order to heal yourself, you must do the work by faith. As believers, sometimes we live on the polar opposites of the faith spectrum. Some of us are so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good. Others of us are so earthly-minded that we are of no heavenly good. In James 2:18, 26, the apostle James encourages us to strike a happy medium of faith. He exhorts us to activate and demonstrate our faith through our work. In 2 Corinthians 6:1 and 1 Corinthians 3:9, Paul declares that we are partners with God; this means that God works, and so do we. We work simultaneously with Him to transform ourselves into His image day by day, step by step.

Healing Strategies That Work:

-Practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and Bible study.

-Worship in community.

-Practice mindfulness.

-Practice reflection.

-Get an accountability partner.

-Go to therapy with a licensed professional.

Heavenly Father, help me to do the necessary work in my life by faith to heal my hurt.

Are you willing to do the necessary work by faith to heal yourself?

What three healing strategies will you implement this week?

Healing is the result of the work of both divinity and humanity by faith.

You’ve finished the devotion—AWESOME! Continue your healing journey and grab the digital resource:

“5 Practical Steps to Heal Yourself”. Then, check out my devotional: “Finding the Love You Deserve: 30 Lessons in Self-Love & Acceptance.”