Another day in the office, except this day was filled with coughs from the corner. I overheard a coworker voice her concerns about breathing problems she had been experiencing. She was constantly getting choked, coughing horrendously and told a fellow employee that she was scared. Fear and faith do not coexist. Neither does sickness and the Kingdom of God. I approached her desk and asked if I could pray with her. Her eyes were watery from the constant choking. As she caught her breath in between coughs, she agreed. As I spoke the Word of God over her life, released the Kingdom of God and His promises of healing, the only sound behind the prayer was the sound of deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. For the first time that week, all coughing ceased.

As coworkers checked on her throughout the day I overheard her tell people, “Jonathan prayed for me and now I am healed!” I may have prayed, but the stripes of Jesus paid the price for her healing, yours and mine (I Peter 2:24). When we speak the Word of God, the mind is renewed and faith is activated (Romans 12:2, 10:17). In doing so, we align ourselves to receive the promises of God. Simply, we believe.

Paul was greatly annoyed by a demon possessed girl and cast the demon out (Acts 16:17-18). The question is how long do we let the works of the enemy annoy us until we put an end to it? The difference between sympathy and compassion: sympathy sits on its hands and feels sorry for the person. Compassion demands action.

The enemy came to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). In this world, we are like Jesus (I John 4:17) which means it's not only okay for you to put an end to the devil’s abuse, but it's expected.

Jonathan Fawcett