As many of you know, I was stricken with Chikungunya virus in May of 2014 while in Haiti, which made walking painful. The doctors told me it could take up to two years for my body to be totally healed. Although I was recovering well, growing stronger every day and praising my Healer, evidently with the two-year anniversary date approaching, the Great Physician decided it was time to bring closure to the matter.

While I was sitting in my study on Feb. 4, 2016, I experienced a supernatural encounter with the Lord when He suddenly spoke to my spirit and said, “Take up your bed and walk.” I felt like lightning from heaven was going through my body, even causing me to scream. The encounter with God lasted for several seconds, and was a powerful, life-changing experience.

From that day forth, I have been walking, leaping and praising God. My youth has been renewed. As I continue to walk, I go from strength to strength and glory to glory. I immediately started losing the extra weight I had gained during the illness, often a pound a day. The living Word was alive and active in my study on that amazing day, and I was restored and made whole. And this is what Jesus wants for you!

Take Up Your Bed

John 5 teaches us about the pool of Bethesda, where many sick, blind, lame and withered people would gather together, waiting for an angel to stir the waters. When the waters were stirred, the first person to get in was healed of whatever disease he or she had. Being the first to get in the pool does not imply a point in time here; rather, it implies those who first seek God’s affection, His kingdom and His righteousness.

John tells us that a certain man was there, who had been unable to walk for 38 years. When Jesus came by, He saw the man lying there, and knowing that he had been unable to walk for such a long time, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:6). The man explained that he had no one to help him. Upon hearing this, Jesus said to the man, “‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked” (John 5:8-9). When Jesus speaks, we have proof of the omnipotence of Christ; He not only restored this man to health, but He gave evidence to those around Him that this was a real miracle.

Some of you may want to ask the Lord if you’ve been lying on a bed for too long. When the Lord says, “Rise,” it is a command from heaven. It’s awesome to know that this man was made whole and was obviously strengthened, as he was able to pick up his bed and walk. We can receive that same command of healing today. It only takes one word from Jesus to make us completely whole. The man at the pool was paralyzed, his body was contorted, and he was unable to walk, but when Jesus spoke, he was restored. I think it’s amazing that Chikungunya means “contorted.” If you’re feeling paralyzed in any way, remember that our God is an awesome God!

Qualifiers

If we are to experience restoration, we must believe in one true God and in His living Word. God promised us this very thing through Joel: “I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust, my great army which I sent among you” (Joel 2:25). What a magnificent promise. Do you believe it? I’ve been around long enough to be able to decree: God keeps His promises! They may not always line up with our time frame, but always with His.

If we are to experience restoration and completeness, we need to repent. A great army of locusts was sent among the people of God. Who sent the invasion? God did. Joel is speaking of a time when a great empire ruled Israel because of their sins and refusal to repent. The consuming locusts were even a specific kind of locusts—gryllus gregarius—that could make things suddenly disappear because of the speed by which they moved through a land, stripping it bare. If we turn to God once again with our whole heart, changing the way we think and thus the way we live, then there are no landing strips for evil spirits to invade and devour.

The Truth and the Whole Truth

To restore means that God makes restitution for what has been taken. It means to complete, finish and to make safe. Interestingly enough, the Hebrew word for restoration is the root word of shalom, which means that God makes us whole, He strengthens us, and restores our peace. When God says that He will restore to us what the locusts have eaten, He is promising to make us whole and complete, which will in turn lead us into our destinies.

God is not just talking about restoring a few days; He will restore the years that have been lost. This is a supernatural act of God. Perhaps some of the lost years came about by our own poor choices; or maybe they have been lost by the choices of others, circumstances we had no control over. Whatever the case, God promises to be the God of restoration, and He says to you today, “I will restore all of those years!”

What Can God Restore?

Since we serve a God of restoration, we might ask the question: “What can God restore?” The answer is that God can restore everything that has been lost; nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37). Whatever has been lost in your life, whatever has been stolen and whatever has been taken from you, God is able to restore it. Not only that, but whatever you have willingly given up for God can be restored too.

Consider Abraham, who willingly climbed Mount Moriah with his son Isaac, preparing to sacrifice him in obedience to the command of God. As Abraham had the knife raised above his head, God called out, “Stop! Now I know that you love Me.” Because Abraham was willing to give up his promised son, God gave him many sons in return, making him the “father of many nations.”

And Jesus likewise promises, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Matt. 19:29). In other words, what we give up, God gives back.

What have you sacrificed, friend? Have you given up money or time? What has been taken from you—your health, your joy, your marriage, or your business? I’m here to shout from the rooftops that God is about to restore what the enemy has taken from you. He clearly showed me there will be a harvest before the Great Harvest. We are about to see the greatest harvest of souls known to mankind, and it’s important to be blessed in order to be a blessing to thousands.

• How wonderful it is to cling to God’s promises and know that He restores strength, energy, passion and motivation, even in old age? The women said to Naomi toward the end of her life, after she had lost her husband and her sons: “And may [God] be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age” (Ruth 4:15).

• God can restore your flesh: “‘Put your hand in your bosom again.’ So he put his hand in his bosom again, and drew it out of his bosom, and behold, it was restored like his other flesh” (Ex. 4:7).

• If you have lost property, then know that God is able to restore that as well: “So David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually'” (2 Sam. 9:7).

• Positions can be restored too: “Then he restored the chief butler to his butlership again, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand” (Gen. 40:21).

• Our God of mercy, compassion and love can restore those who fall: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1). So, not only does God restore our lives, but He then uses us to bring restoration to others. To say it another way, Paul said, “[He] comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor. 1:4).

• If our health has been taken away, then know that God is the One who restores our health. He said through Jeremiah, “‘For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord” (Jer. 30:17).

• Finances can also be restored as seen in Genesis 42:25: “Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey.”

• God even promises to restore the damages that have taken place in our soul—our mind, will, and emotions—so that we can prosper once again: “He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3), and, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2).

• And last, but certainly not least, if we become discouraged, we must remember that God is the One who restores our joy: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit” (Ps. 51:12). Oh beloved, the joy of the Lord is our strength—if we lose our joy, we lose our strength.

The Conclusion of the Matter

No matter what you are going through today, rest assured that we serve a God of restoration. Restoration is what He does. He even sent His only begotten Son to bring restoration to the Earth. You see, Jesus went to the ultimate length to restore us as the people of God—He died so that we could be restored to life.

God became man in the person of Jesus Christ. Everything that Adam had lost in the Fall by giving over to the enemy, Jesus came to redeem and restore. When Adam and Eve sinned, they allowed the enemy to have access to their lives—body, soul, and spirit—but Jesus came to defeat the enemy and to give us life … abundantly. John wrote, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Jesus gave the lame man three commands in John 5:8: to rise, take up his bed and walk. Today, Jesus is commanding us to rise above earthly ways and to step into in heavenly pools of glory, for the glory of God is the divine source of all that’s good. Taking up our bed and walking signify a way of giving God the glory in our healing and in our restoration. We are not beggars lying on mats but rather ambassadors of Christ walking in and living abundant lives. God wants us to become miracles for the world to see and ask, “How can I know this miracle-working Jesus?”

Bethesda means the house of mercy or house of grace. It is wonderful to know that God’s mercy reigns over judgment, and He pours out His grace on withered, dry bones. It is time to stand to our feet and become an exceedingly great army. It is time for us to believe the promises and speak the promises of God. It is time that we open our mouths, speaking life to each and every situation, because we are reminded that “death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). The power of God is released when we release the power of God.

Are you feeling paralyzed by life today, or perhaps blind or lame—physically, mentally, emotionally or even spiritually? Do you feel like you’ve been lying by the pool for years, waiting for help, waiting for an angel of God to stir up miraculous healing powers? Well, isn’t it fascinating that after waiting for 38 years, the man who was healed never did get in the pool? Jesus just showed up on the scene, singled him out and made him whole.

Let’s ask ourselves that probing question that Jesus asked so many years ago: “Do I want to get well?” Jesus asked the question in order to identify the need. Is there an addiction, a habit or a behavior that you’ve come to enjoy way too much and don’t really want to be healed of? We’d better be ready when we answer the question, because healing and wholeness bring tremendous responsibility to walk in the fullness of God and fulfill the Great Commission.

Today is a great day for miracles. It’s a great day to get up and fight the good fight as a champion of God. Jesus is the Restorer; He’s the One who will single you out and say, “Hey! It’s your turn to rise up and walk.”

Paulette Reed is a powerful preacher, prophetic minister, encourager and author. She is a full-time revivalist/evangelist. Her passion is to share the love of Christ and unite people to the inexplicable love of our heavenly Father, exhorting them to arise and shine! She is an extremely accurate prophetess who has been raised up to bring hope and healing to the Body of Christ. Without a vision the people perish, so the Lord is using this handmaiden as His mouthpiece to speak forth individual and corporate vision, catapulting people into their destinies. Paulette loves to see God’s people awakened and proclaim the active extension of the Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. She ministers in the revival anointing accompanied by revelatory ministry, healing, miracles, signs and wonders. Read out to her by email at info@.

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For weeks now a powerful phrase has kept going through my spirit over and over again. The phrase is this: No honor, no glory. I’ve been searching through the Word of God to more fully understand what Holy Spirit is trying to teach me, because I know that “it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2). If we want to see and experience the glory of God, then we’ll need to build a foundation and determine why it is that if there is no honor, then there is no glory.

In 2 Chronicles 5:11-14, the glory of God falls as the priests worship in the temple:

“When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions … and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD … then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.”

We see here that on occasion the glory of God was manifested on the earth, but throughout history it has, for the most part, been veiled. Even when Jesus came to the earth, He carried the glory but it was veiled in human flesh. However, there were – and are – times when God’s glory, the shekinah glory, is revealed in a visible and tangible way.

The word shekinah comes from the Hebrew word shekinot, and it is used in the Bible when God would “settle in” or “dwell with” His people. This is the glory that was seen when God’s presence filled the temple like a cloud. We also see this glory at the transfiguration on the Mount where Jesus shone brighter than the noonday sun as He spoke with Moses and Elijah. God’s glory falls when there is unity, when there is worship that glorifies or honors God, and when all things are lined up with the kingdom of God.

What Is Honor?

Since we are each a temple of the Holy Spirit, it is so crucial to worship and honor the Lord with our lives and thus fill the earth with His glory. But what is honor? As a noun, honor means “esteem, value, or great respect.” In the Bible, to honor someone is to value him or her highly.

We are told to express honor and esteem to certain people, such as our parents, the aged, as well as those who are in authority (see Ephesians 6:2; Leviticus 19:32; Romans 13:1). But, at the same time, we must understand that all authority and honor belong to God alone (see 1 Chronicles 29:11; 1 Timothy 1:17; Revelation 5:13). Even though God can delegate His authority to others, it still only belongs to Him (see Ephesians 4:11-12). This means that when we honor someone, because God has commanded us to do so and because we want to, we’re really honoring God.

Honor in the New Testament is the Greek word time (tee-may), the literal definition being “a valuing,” or something that is attributed as valuable, precious, and weighty, much like gold or precious stones. Even though honor can be displayed as actions, words, or thoughts, all true honor originates from the heart.

In Isaiah 29:13 the Lord says, “These people say they are Mine. They honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. And their worship of Me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.” It looks like honor, sounds like honor, but it’s not true honor – at least not how God defines it. Honor is simply the overflow of the reverential fear of God springing forth in our hearts.

The Bible talks about a noteworthy group of people who are deserving of “double honor,” which are the leadership of the church. First Timothy 5:17 says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

Not only do we attribute double honor to church leaders, but we see that the Word gives us the command to honor one another in our marketplace relationships too (see 1 Timothy 3:1-7; 6:1; Ephesians 6:5-9), and of course in the marriage relationship between husbands and wives (see Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:23-33).

Of all the commands to honor one another, the one repeated most often pertains to honoring one’s father and mother (see Exodus 20:12; Matthew 15:4). This command was so important to God that if anyone cursed or struck one of his or her parents, then they were to be put to death (see Exodus 21:15, 17).

To Honor Is to Love

The word love is sometimes used synonymously for honor. Paul commands us to “be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). Honoring others above ourselves goes against our basic human instinct. It is only by walking humbly by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can esteem and honor fellow people more highly than ourselves (Romans 12:3; Philippians 2:3).

The book of Proverbs illustrates how our behavior results in honor. Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”

Let’s remember that honor as taught in the Scriptures is far different from the type of honor sought after by the world today. Honor and awards are frequently given to those with wealth, clout, worldly power, and celebrity status. Those who thrive on worldly honor are actually in a precarious place, because “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

We never want to be like the Pharisees who sought after honor from others, because Jesus totally rejected that type of behavior. He said, “Everything they do is done for people to see” (Matthew 23:5), and He not only labeled them as hypocrites but “snakes” and “vipers” too (Matthew 23:29-33).

The bottom line is that all of heaven raises its voice in honor and praise to God, and we are instructed to do likewise: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11).

What Happens When We Honor?

In 2 John 8 we learn that our full reward from the Lord is consequential. It says, “Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.” I don’t know about you, but I want a full reward, not just a partial one.

Mark tells us of some folks who made bad choices and who did not receive their full reward:

“Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at Him.

“Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.’ And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief” (Mark 6:1-6).

This is the very Son of God! He could do no miracles in His hometown because of the people’s unbelief, which ultimately resulted because of their lack of honoring Him. Do you see the power of dishonor at work here?

Isaiah had prophesied that the government would rest upon the shoulders of this Prophet, and that His kingdom would have no end. The people of the day assumed that the Messiah was to deliver everyone from Roman oppression, and when Jesus didn’t line up with the image they had in their minds, they became offended with Him and familiarity moved in. Jesus became just a carpenter to many: “Hey, isn’t that the carpenter? Didn’t he build the picnic table out back?”

The people did not receive Christ’s full reward because they did not honor Him. And because of that, He left and went on to another place. It has been said that familiarity breeds contempt, which could also be stated as familiarity leads to dishonor.

The better we know someone, the more likely we are to find fault with him or her. If we know an individual well enough, it is easy to stop respecting them, which is exactly what happened in Jesus’ hometown. Because of familiarity, they did not respect Him as a prophet, and therefore He couldn’t do any miracles there.

We need to be careful not to engage in familiarity in any arena of our life. We can’t become too familiar with those who teach the Word of God (“He no longer impresses me”), with the message of the Word of God itself (“I’ve heard that so many times before; I already know that”), or that we just no longer appreciate the significance of the Word of God (“I’m just not getting fed anymore”). If we do this, we may cut ourselves off from a powerful message, we may cut ourselves off from miracles (Jesus only healed a few), and, worst of all, Jesus might leave. Because of contempt and dishonor, we can lose access to receiving the full blessings of Christ.

Whom Do We Honor?

Let’s look one more time at how we are to honor. Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you, you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord'” (Luke 13:35, NIV). And again He said, “He who receives (honors) whomever I send receives (honors) Me; and he who receives (honors) Me receives (honors) Him (the Father) who sent Me” (John 13:20, NKJV).

When we expound on these Scriptures and replace the word “receives” with “honors,” the message becomes clear. First and foremost, we are to honor God. And we are also to honor “those whom He sends.” Everyone and everything else that we honor will flow from us as vessels of honor.

Paul wrote to Timothy: “If anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

Visualize yourself and others as the finest and most exquisite vessels of china in the entire world. Would you fill those vessels with trash? Of course not. And neither would the Lord.

In order to be filled with the glory of God, we must learn to express honor from the depths of our hearts. We desperately need the glory, as it eclipses everything – there’s no cancer in the glory, no slander, no poverty, and no sin. But we must remember that if there is no honor, then there will be no glory.

Reprinted from The Elijah List. Paulette Reed is a powerful preacher, prophetic minister, encourager, and author. She is a full-time revivalist/evangelist. Her passion is to share the love of Christ and unite people to the inexplicable love of our heavenly Father, exhorting them to arise and shine! She is an extremely accurate prophetess who has been raised up to bring hope and healing to the body of Christ. Without a vision the people perish, so the Lord is using this handmaiden as His mouthpiece to speak forth individual and corporate vision, catapulting people into their destinies. Paulette loves to see God’s people awakened and proclaim the active extension of the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. She ministers in the revival anointing accompanied by revelatory ministry, healing, miracles, signs and wonders. Reach out to Paulette Reed by email or through her website.