A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of May 10-14, 2021
MONDAY
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
By the Spirit of the Lord, Jesus announces a change in the times. We serve a God who changes times and seasons. He has business that He is about, and He must make us aware of any changes in His plans. When God makes a change, it is for our good. He never does anything that is not for our good. Whatever God does, it lasts forever, so He has a plan to restore mankind to fellowship with Him. He has a good plan, and He has the power to carry it out. He must, therefore, make us aware of what His plan entails.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Jeremiah 30:17a ~ “For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the Lord.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
May 10: Numbers 19, Psalms 56-57, Isaiah 8-9 v,7, James 2
May 11: Numbers 20, Psalms 58-59, Isaiah 9 v,8 – 10 v, 4, James 3
May 12: Numbers 21, Psalms 60-61, Isaiah 10 v, 5-34, James 4
May 13: Numbers 22, Psalms 62-63, Isaiah 11-12, James 5
May 14: Numbers 23, Psalms 64-65, Isaiah 13, 1 Peter 1
May 15: Numbers 24, Psalms 66-67, Isaiah 14, 1 Peter 2
May 16: Numbers 25, Psalms 68, Isaiah 15, 1 Peter 3
TUESDAY
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
The plan of God that Jesus announced was a plan of acceptance. When we are accepted by God, we walk free of all judgment and condemnation. We have peace with God and with men. We have the peace of God as well as peace with God. There are no more barriers to the throne room, and we have access to the Father by a new and living way. We have the shed blood of Jesus to testify on our behalf that we are forgiven. We no longer struggle with the issue of worthiness or guilt. We know to Whom we belong. We grow in the love, grace and favor of God.
WEDNESDAY
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
How do we receive acceptance? By accepting the one Who died to make us acceptable. Jesus, in His great love, made a way for all people to be free of guilt, separation and condemnation. He gave us access to the presence of God by the blood of the cross upon which He died. He took sickness, poverty, and every bit of the curse with Him. This is how the drunkard, junkie, prostitute, backslidden preacher, fornicator, adulterer, child abuser and religious person can find a new life. We are all accepted when we accept the Acceptor. All sins are forgiven at the cross. All things are become new at the cross. The cross gives us both access and acceptance.
THURSDAY
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
To accept someone means to approve of them and to find pleasure in them. God delights in our prosperity, and He finds pleasure in allowing us to be forgiven of our sins. This is hard for people to accept…especially religious people. The religious can never accept the love of God being bigger and more powerful than our sins. To many religious persons, sin is more powerful than God. They are sin-conscious, and can never accept God’s forgiveness and love, not for themselves, or for others. Rightfully, Jesus told them that they do not enter into the Kingdom, and they shut up the Kingdom from others. For sin to be forgiven there must be a more powerful force to annihilate it. That power is the blood of Jesus. It totally paid for all that we need, and it totally cleanses us and makes us new.
FRIDAY
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4:18-19
So what do we do with this acceptance that we have? We give it away. We preach the same gospel under the same anointing that Jesus had. We let mankind know that they are free to be forgiven, and that they are accepted by God. In fact, their acceptance is assured. They only need to follow a few basic steps that all believers have followed; they need to take the road to Christ. This is the acceptable time. This is the time to present the gospel to every creature. This is the day of salvation, forgiveness and the new birth. There has never been a more acceptable time than the present for mankind to declare the acceptable year of the Lord. God is willing if we make ourselves available. Let us as believers rededicate ourselves to the preaching of the gospel to everyone. Everybody’s accepted—go tell it!