The Lord Can Heal You

"To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners." -Isaiah 61:1

According to Isaiah 61:1, Jesus has His heart set on helping three different groups of people - the afflicted, the broken-hearted, the prisoners. Who are these people?

If you haven't figured out that you belong to at least one of these groups, you're not ready to get what He has to offer. But if you're saying in your heart, "You're right - I see myself there", hang on. Christ has something phenomenal to offer you.

He offers good things to humble people.

The first group that needs help is the afflicted or simply the poor. In Matthew 5:3, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," that is, people who are humble and are not always 100% out for themselves. Do you live for others without frequently thinking about what's best for you? This verse tells us that God takes care of the humble who will let Him meet their needs. Christ brings the good news - but only the humble hear.

He offers healing to the broken-hearted.

Has your heart been hammered by a devastating blow? This difficult circumstance might have scarred you emotionally. There might be profound misery due to something terrible that happened in your past. Isaiah 61:1 says that Christ came into this world to bind up the broken-hearted. Like a doctor attending to a broken limb. Like someone ministering salve over an open sore. As illustrated here, Jesus is "the great Physician." Now, how great is that?

He offers to set the captives free.

If you've had a week of failure and feel trapped in a cycle of sins and confessions, that's the feeling of being held captive. You are tired of that same old sin. "When will this sin ever be gone from my life?" What you desperately need is freedom. If you are chained to some sin, Christ wants to break this cycle in your life and release you from that bondage into freedom. I tell you in Jesus' name that is what He came into this world to do - to bring freedom to those held captive to sin.

Adapted from http://www.christianchallengeandblessing.com/