Mike Wilkins Ministries

ACTS 10:46a NKJ
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.
PSALM 34:3 NKJ
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name
together.
In the New Testament, the word translated “magnify” is the
Greek word “megaluno.” It means to make great or enlarge.
We certainly cannot make God any greater, but we can perceive
Him as greater in our lives. In other words, what we think of
God can be enlarged.
How can we do this?
What you focus your attention on will seem bigger, because you
are choosing to let it occupy your time and thinking.
Very small objects can block very large ones. A small coin in
front of your eye can block the sun from view. Yet the sun is
infinitely larger than the coin. It’s the placement in your
life that determines how big things seem to you.
An airplane in the sky can look very small, though in reality
it is huge. That is only because you are far away from it.
When Scripture talks of magnifying God, we assume it meant they
were praising God and talking of His greatness and goodness.
Does God seem big and capable in your thinking? If not, then
magnify Him!
Do the problems you face seem like giants? Then remove your
attention and focus from the problems — de-magnify them — and
focus on the Lord. To shrink the problem, magnify the solution.
The more you think about a problem you are facing, the larger
it can seem. The more you think about God, what He has created,
and all He has done, the smaller the problem will look compared
to God.
God IS greater than any problem or any situation you face. You
just need to realize it and quit letting the problem be your
focus.
Praise God and magnify Him!

ECCLESIASTES 3:11a NKJ
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Everyone is beautiful to God. And the world will eventually see
what God sees in people.
God saw you as so valuable that He judged it was worthwhile to
die for you. The death of the Son of God was a huge price to
pay for you. You are valuable!
You may not be what the current world system calls beautiful.
But you are beautiful to God — the only Judge who really
matters.
God created you, and as it has been said, “God doesn’t make
junk.”
EPHESIANS 2:10 NLT
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in
Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us
long ago.
God has a wonderful eternal purpose for you, and He has not
made a mistake in your life.
Your body may be presently imperfect — or even disfigured. But
you must realize that the body you are now living in is not
you. You live in that body just like you live in a house.
The real you — who is truly valuable and beautiful to God –
is the inner person. That’s who you really are.
1 PETER 3:4 NKJ
4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the
incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is
very precious in the sight of God.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:16 NKJ
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man
is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
How you see yourself is important. It determines how you will
act. Reality is how God sees things.
When you embrace the truth that God truly loves you, and sees
you as valuable enough to die for, then you will see that other
people are also valuable, and should be treated with love and
respect.
You need to wake up to this reality.
How you look and act now is only temporary. You are being
changed to conform to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
You will be like Jesus! What a thought! God sees your
potential, what you will become, not just where you are now.
You need to get God’s perspective which will encourage you. You
cannot even imagine what a beautiful, glorious creature you
will be. God sees you with that potential now, and treats you
accordingly.
Everything God made is very beautiful. Anything that distorts
or mars that beauty is because of the curse brought in by the
devil. The Good News is that Jesus has already paid the price
to redeem us from the curse.
So, we are redeemed from everything that is not beauty. We can
say we are redeemed from being ugly — inside and out. We are
redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus! Jesus paid the
ultimate price to set you free from the curse and all it
brought. That includes everything ugly.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:2B NLT
2 Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can
read it and recognize our good work among you.
Every day by your actions you are “writing” your story.
One purpose of life on earth is to give us each an opportunity
to “write” our own story, which we will be able to share and
enjoy throughout eternity. We are here to learn, and what we
experience and learn will be shared with many.
Humans love stories. Facts and figures can sometimes be boring,
but when anyone tells what happened to them, it usually draws
our attention.
Everyone knows and loves the story of David and Goliath.
We all love a good story. But what does every good story
require? It must involve some problem or difficulty that is
ultimately overcome so there is a happy ending. These are the
stories we love to hear.
The good news is that, because of God’s love, your story will
at least have a happy ending. But you can make your story more
interesting by the choices you make now.
As you know, there can be many problems and difficulties in a
story. But how the story finishes is what’s most important.
You may be facing some terrible circumstances right now. But
your story is not over. The trouble you are facing now is what
will make your story interesting as it is told in the future.
You can overcome! God is there to help you! You can face
difficulties with God’s help and overcome (just like David did
with Goliath.)
So don’t judge your story too quickly. Life is not over. Your
story is still being written. Some of the best and most
exciting parts are still to come.
It’s too soon for a final judgment.

Many Christians would instantly say “Yes!” And a quick look at
Romans 8:28 in many Bible translations seems to confirm their
answer.
But is that what Romans 8:28 really means?
ROMANS 8:28 NASB
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for
good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose.
ROMANS 8:28 NIV
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.
While several translations can give us a different view on this
(like both of those above), it is not necessary for us to judge
translations or learn the meaning of Greek words to realize
some basic facts.
First, if everything that happened was good for us, then God
would never tell us to resist or refrain from anything. (And He
does!)
Therefore, everything is not God’s will for us. Neither can we
consider everything to be good.
So this verse cannot be saying that everything that happens is
good, or that it will cause good in our life. Instead, as the
translations above reveal, God is working to cause things to
end up good.
Yes, God is able to bring good out of bad situations. But God
should be given the credit, not the bad things.
If you believe God is working everything out for your good, He
will. But that does not mean God planned or desired bad things
to come into your life.
The Bible teaches that some things are bad. Sin is bad.
Sickness is bad. Poverty is bad. Selfishness is bad. Pride is
bad.
Is God able to turn things around and produce good, even after
bad things have happened? Yes!
God is always working to cause good. But that does not mean
everything that happens is good.
I know this verse is a cornerstone of many people’s faith. For
some it is really almost all they believe. This has been their
comfort in times of trouble when they did not understand.
But we need to grow in understanding. Just because we required
a pacifier as a baby does not mean we should always use one.
If all things work for our good, then why would God tell us to
resist the devil, or to refrain from certain activities?
God is working all the time to make things turn out good for us
who belong to Him. But that does not mean everything that comes
along is good for us. No! There are things we should refuse.
There are things we should resist.
Everything is not good and we should not accept everything as
being God’s will. The Bible instructs us so we can know God’s
will and resist all that is not God’s will.
Some may think bad things actually cause good, but that is not
true. We all know stories of people who, in the midst of great
trouble, turned to the Lord. Many use such accounts to claim
that everything works out for good. But that requires you to
ignore the greater number of people who turn away from the Lord
because of trouble.
Some have been told that suffering bad things is God’s plan for
them so that somehow others may be helped. But the Bible
teaches that Jesus already suffered all that was required for
people to be blessed.
The final end result for a believer who loves God and trusts
Him is that all things will work out for their good. Even the
bad things that come into their life will turn out to be
stepping-stones to a higher level instead of stumbling-blocks.
But it is dependent on that believer keeping their trust in the
Lord, loving Him, and allowing God to work things out. It is
not automatic.
Note that Romans 8:29 (the next verse) is a continuation of the
same thought. What is being said in Romans 8:28 is only part of
the statement. To get the right understanding, you need the
whole thought. Romans 8:29 starts with “For” or “because.”
ROMANS 8:29 NET
29 because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the
firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
The plan of God is that we become like Jesus. Bad things are
happening on earth because mankind allowed the devil and his
ideas a place here. Those bad things give us an opportunity to
overcome, to walk in love, and to grow into more Christ-
likeness. But bad things do not make us more like Christ. It is
only when we turn to the Lord (even in the midst of trouble)
and allow Him to work in us, that we are transformed into being
more like Him.
Multitudes of people experience bad things in life, who instead
of getting better because of them, get bitter and worse.
So do not take this one short phrase “all things work together
for good” out of context. It does not include everyone, only
those who love God, and it is only true in relation to God’s
purpose in making us more like Jesus. And that does not happen
because of bad things, but only when we love God and trust Him
even when bad things happen.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:21 KJV
21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Sometimes things that should be obvious to us are not. Like, if
what you are doing is not working out, it would be wise to
consider a change.
Too many people are not receiving the blessings God’s Word
promises, things the Bible says God desires us to have. But
instead of considering changing things in their life, too often
people fall into the temptation of blaming God and thinking He
is holding out on them.
But that is never true! There is never any fault or problem
with God.
PSALM 84:11 KJV
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give
grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly.
If you are acting on the Word and planting good seeds, don’t
let the devil discourage you and cause you to give up too soon.
But if the course of your life is going the wrong direction,
and it is not getting better over time, then it would be wise
to consider your ways — and make changes.
This is not something that should be done too hastily. Often
the only thing we are doing wrong that keeps God’s provision
from manifesting in our life is giving up on our faith too
soon.
Jesus told us the kingdom of God works like a seed (Matthew
13:31, Mark 4:26). A seed takes time to grow. Just because
full-grown blessing is not yet evident in your life is no sign
it is not growing.
If you do need to change, what are the changes you will need to
make? Always it will be following the directions God gave us in
His Word.
If you think you are following the directions in God’s Word,
and they are not producing freedom, peace, and wholeness in
your life (over time), then it is very possible you are
somewhat inaccurate in your interpretation and understanding of
the Word. Because acting accurately on God’s Word will make you
free.
JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free.”
Don’t be discouraged or disheartened. Just abide in God’s Word
and always look to Him and He will give you wisdom to know what
to do.

LUKE 16:13 CJB
13 No servant can be slave to two masters, for he will either
hate the first and love the second, or scorn the second and be
loyal to the first. You can’t be a slave to both God and
money.”
This is a simple yet profound, eternal truth — always true in
every situation. It is impossible to take orders from two
places at the same time, without giving preference to one.
Jesus did not say it was hard. He said it was impossible. True,
sometimes it can seem possible for a while. But invariably the
time comes when the orders from each side are going to
conflict, forcing a decision.
Who am I really serving? What dictates my actions? Who has
final authority? Will I do what gets me the most money? Or will
I do what God says?
From this verse we see that there will be times when God’s
direction will not be the most financially rewarding choice.
Yet far too many who call themselves Christians never even
consider choices which would provide them with less money.
Money is supposed to be our servant, not our master. Instead of
money dictating our decisions, we should tell money what to do.
We should use money instead of letting it use us.
Money is just a tool to accomplish things on earth. Money
should never be your master.
But, unlike what many think, Jesus did not say that you cannot
serve God and have money.
None of this proves Christians should be poor, or that God is
against His people having every need met and even being
prosperous.
It simply means what it says. You can only have one Lord. So
you have to make a choice.
If you are making every decision in life based on your
finances, you need to realize you are not serving God, but
serving money.
You can’t be a soldier in two armies at the same time. You may
pretend loyalty to more than one army, but you can only truly
be loyal to one at a time.
LUKE 14:33 ESV
33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that
he has cannot be my disciple.
A disciple of Jesus must renounce all other gods — all that
tries to exert control over their life. Jesus must be Lord.
You cannot be a true disciple of Jesus and allow other things
to control you, dictating what you will do.
Many have misunderstood these things and thought Jesus taught
that His true followers have to be poor. But this is not true
at all.
The issue is not what you have, but what controls you — whose
orders you obey.
There are people who have nothing, yet are controlled by money.
Every decision they make is decided on the basis of how it
affects their finances. There are also people with substantial
wealth who are completely submitted to God. If God told them,
they would give it all away today.
A soldier has to completely subordinate everything he is and
everything he has to serve in the army. So a soldier “gives up”
all he previously had and enjoyed as he enters active duty.
That does not mean the soldier is without a place to live or
food to eat. But his source of supply is not from his own
resources.
A soldier on active duty has renounced control of his life. In
return, he trusts he will be taken care of.
You must understand that you CANNOT be controlled by money and
by God at the same time.
If you do serve money, you will be trusting in money to provide
for you — which you will surely regret, for money can fail.
But God never fails!

NEHEMIAH 8:10b NKJ
10 Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Letting joy flow allows spiritual strength to flow in your
life.
Laughing is a way to allow the joy already in your spirit to
flow. (Your spirit is the part of you that is a born again new
creation in union with Christ.)
Medical science has documented the beneficial effects of
laughter on our health. Experts tell us that every time we
laugh our immune system is boosted.
PROVERBS 17:22 NKJ
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit
dries the bones.
The devil wants you to become discouraged and disheartened, to
feel like a hopeless, helpless victim.
But sickness, at its worst, is only temporary. It will not last
forever. Jesus defeated sickness and redeemed you from it at
the cost of His own precious blood.
REVELATION 21:4 NKJ
4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there
shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be
no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
The price for your healing has been paid by the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ.
1 PETER 2:24 NKJ
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that
we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by
whose stripes you were healed.
Healing belongs to you, but does not come automatically. It
must be possessed. (See www.healing-book.com for more evidence.)
Real joy is not just a feeling but a life force coming from the
Spirit of God (Galatians 5:22). In the midst of trials the joy
of the Lord will protect you from being defeated and destroyed.
It will strengthen you and lift you up above the troubles.
Sickness tries to make you fear and worry. Laughing is a way to
resist that. Joy can be released through laughter.
Laughing is an expression of joy, victory, and contentment.
Laughter is a language of faith. Faith laughs!

GENESIS 1:26,28 NKJ
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to
Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the
earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful
and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over
the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every
living thing that moves on the earth.”
God made a decision when He created human beings. He chose to
give us dominion on earth.
God had dominion, and He chose to give it to mankind. Notice
that God did not say, “Let him (Adam) have dominion.” God said,
“Let them (both Adam and Eve — and their descendants) have
dominion.”
This is something important for us to understand.
PSALM 115:16 NKJ
16 The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; But the earth
He has given to the children of men.
Dominion is the right to make decisions and to rule. Dominion
does not necessarily mean ownership but rulership.
That means what happens on earth is determined by mankind, not
by God. Otherwise, God lied in saying that man has dominion.
God honors the choices made by people. By that I mean He allows
us to have a free will and to make choices. We are not puppets
or robots. Each one of us makes choices and then we must live
with the result of our choices.
A question often asked by many is “Why does God allow bad
things to happen on earth?” What they need to realize is that
humanity allows it. God gave us dominion and with that came
responsibility.
God does not change His mind.
ROMANS 11:29 GWN
29 God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he
calls someone.
PSALM 8:4-6 NKJ
4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man
that You visit him?
5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You
have crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your
hands; You have put all things under his feet,
Some teach that God makes all the decisions concerning life and
death for humans, but God clearly says we are the ones who must
make the choices.
DEUTERONOMY 30:19 NKJ
19 “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and
cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your
descendants may live;
If you don’t understand what Adam and Eve had, then you cannot
clearly understand what you have. God never goes back on His
Word. We still have the dominion God gave them because we are
their descendants.

ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
According to Acts 10:38, those healed by Jesus were oppressed
by the devil. It has not changed in our day. Sickness is still
oppression by the devil. That means the devil is behind
sickness, supporting it and encouraging it — not God.
The purpose of sickness is not to benefit you in any way, but
to steal, kill, and destroy.
Sickness is not the will of God. His Word reveals to us that
sickness is an enemy to be resisted.
Just like the children of Israel who had to possess their
promised land, we have enemies who would keep us from enjoying
God’s perfect will, unless we fight them. We must resist what
is not from God (Ephesians 4:27, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:9).
Look how Jesus treated sickness. He healed all who came to Him.
Jesus was God’s will in action. Never once do we read of Jesus
telling anyone to stay sick for any reason.
Sickness is not from God. There is no sickness in Heaven. God
is not using sickness to teach you anything. Nor is He using
sickness to get your attention. To get your attention God
demonstrated His love for you at Calvary. That should be enough
to get your attention.
The devil is a liar (John 8:44) and a deceiver (Revelation
20:10). Think about that.
Deception requires getting people to accept a lie as the truth.
We know the devil is a liar so we don’t expect his followers to
speak truth. So the devil can’t effectively use a message
spread by devil worshipers to deceive most people.
To effectively deceive Christians (the ones who as members of
the Body of Christ have authority on earth), the devil has to
use people who will be accepted by Christians.
So his ideal messengers of deception would be Christian
preachers saying things about God that are not true.
If the devil could get enough preachers to say false things,
then nearly everyone could be deceived. Don’t think this is
impossible or strange. Remember how Peter spoke satan’s idea
right after speaking God’s revelation (Matthew 16:16,17,23).
Preachers (being human like the rest of us) have told us a lot
of things that are not true — things the Bible does not teach.
Things like “God sends sickness to teach us something.”
Not so! Sickness comes to destroy us, and the devil is behind
it!
No matter what preachers may tell you, the Word of God is what
we must depend on as the truth. If anyone speaks contrary to
the message of the Bible, we should disregard their message, no
matter who they are.
When Job was sick and afflicted, it says that God turned his
captivity (Job 42:10). It was not God who held Job captive. It
was God who set Job free.
Now Jesus has come to set all the captives free!
Most of us know of someone getting sick and then turning to the
Lord. There are many such stories, but we should not credit the
sickness for them finally making the right decision. They could
have turned to the Lord before they got sick. God was not
“sending” or “using” the sickness to save them. The sickness
came to destroy them, but fortunately they were smart enough to
turn to God during their affliction. (Sadly, there are also
those who have turned away from God because of affliction.)
The truth is that all sickness is an enemy. We should do
everything we can to resist it and not allow it in our midst.
For more Scriptures about healing, see www.healing-book.com.