God delivered me from PMS today…
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8:11 NIV)
I used to collect medicine. Not just prescription and over-the-counter drugs, but also herbal remedies, and even “magic”. Whenever anyone wanted to throw out medication, even if it was expired, I was happy to buy the medicine from them. I would then write down the names of drugs and herbs, along with what they were good for, in order to know where to turn in times of need.
Praise be to God, His Spirit changed the desires of that heart many years ago, and I no longer have my collection, nor my lists (Notice, I said “that heart”!). I have to admit, however, that I am still tempted from time to time to continue my collection. Especially when I hear people talking about remedies. In fact, I was tempted just the other day as I was standing in the garden, trying to figure out what to do about a certain peacock who believes my garden is his to destroy.
Just a few minutes before I began writing this devotional, I was in extreme pain with PMS. Again, I was tempted to dip into the drugs. How wonderful is the Holy Spirit who guides me to His written Word and grounds me in it.
When we turn to God written word regarding our mortal bodies, those of us who believe in Jesus Christ and have His Spirit residing in us see a number of important truths:
1. God gave us the precious name of Jesus Christ;
2. God also gave us His Spirit: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. But his spirit who lives in us.” (John 14:13 NIV).
3. In addition, God gives us the blood of Jesus: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” (Ephesians 1:7 NIV).
Thanks be to God for His written word! To Him be the glory and Almighty in Jesus Christ. I had been struggling to cook for my husband who was running late for work, a task made much more difficult by the pain in my gut. I didn’t have plans to write this devotional. In fact, writing a devotional at this time would have been my last choice. Instead, I was sorely tempted to calm myself by using breathing techniques, and I was reaching for the bottle of pain killers. But God’s Word came to my mind: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Cor. 6:19-20 NIV).
Instead, I started to pray. Or, to be more accurate, the Holy Spirit was praying through me, helping me to renounce all the lies I had always ascribed to that PMS won’t go away and that God can’t heal my PMS. As I prayed, I claimed 1 Cor. 6:20: “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (NIV) and Isaiah 53:4-5: “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering…the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (NIV)
As I prayed, claiming these verses from God’s Written Word, my PMS was–gone!
Let pray: Heavenly Father, whether we live in the time of Moses’ Law or this century law, we all follow the law of our worst enemy, and we forget You. But your love is bigger than our sin. Jesus’ work is finished. He is the victor! We thank You for forgiving our sin, and we thank the Holy Spirit for helping us to honor God with our bodies. We don’t need to take the pills and then pray and ask that the medicine be turned into a magical potion to heal us, for Your written word tells us: “The Lord will answer when I call to him.” (Psalm 4:3 NLT). Your Holy Work for us on Calvary is good enough! To God be the glory. Blessed be Your name, in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Sophie Chun Ngeth