Faith for Healing – Part XXII

Hear & be Healed

Luke 5:15 (KJV) 15  But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
Luke 6:17 (KJV) 17  And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

Here’s an important note about praying for others. I’ve come to realize that when people need healing, it’s not only prayer they need, the also need teaching. They need to hear what God says about healing so their faith can be energized to be able to receive God’s healing. How can you believe for healing without knowing what God has to say about it? You can’t.

Notice in the above scriptures that the people who needed healing came to Jesus to hear and be healed. They first had to hear to stir up their faith. Remember, faith in God comes from hearing His Word.

When people get healed by someone else’s prayers, that’s great. But, what happens when they go home and a symptom pops up? Do they know how to stand against it or do they panic and open the door by the words of their mouth and let the devil jump right back in? We need to teach them how to stand after they receive prayer. Fortify them with the Word so they’re able to stand against the wiles of the enemy when he raises his ugly head.

This is one of the most important things you need to learn about healing. Remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. [Romans 10:17] The key word is HEAR. Yes, we must hear the Word but what does that really mean?

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XXI

Do You have Faith?

Romans 12:3 (KJV) 3  For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

God didn’t give degrees of faith. He gave each born-again person the same measure of faith, which is a measure of His faith! We all start with the same lump of faith. What you do to develop it will determine how powerful you will be in using it. And that depends on renewing your mind to what God has already provided for us.

Don’t save your faith for a “rainy” day when you have a really big problem. Exercise it on little things to strengthen and develop it into really strong faith, powerful enough to move mountains. Actually, you only need a mustard seed-size of faith to move mountains but it has to be developed by the Word of God and not contaminated by unbelief. It’s not how big it is but how developed it is. 

Matthew 17:20 (KJV) 20  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Faith is like a muscle. You don’t get more muscles as you grow and mature. You exercise those muscles to develop and strengthen them. It’s the same with faith.

Study faith. Read faith books. Listen to faith teachings. Become a faith giant! The faith in your reborn spirit is a fruit and even though it’s perfect, it needs to grow and develop to produce the manifestation of what we believe. Yes, it takes effort to develop strong faith, a lot of effort! But it’s worth it. Whatever you invest in is what you value and what you don’t invest in, you don’t value.

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XX

Do You have Faith?

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Since the promises of God are only accessed by faith, we need to ask yourselves if we’re actually operating in faith. That’s a key to the power of God.

Putting your trust in God and not in your own works is a vital key to understanding God’s way of doing things. Do you have faith? Yes you do if you’ve been born-again! Faith is in your reborn spirit when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. If God hadn’t given you faith to get saved, you couldn’t have gotten saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) 17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV) 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Fruit of the Spirit should read spirit because it’s not the Holy Spirit’s fruit. It’s the fruit of your reborn human spirit.

Notice that faith is one fruit of your reborn spirit. You have faith in you and according to Galatians 2:20, it’s the faith of the Lord Jesus. How can we miss it if we have the faith of Jesus in us! We need to renew our minds to know what we actually have in order to walk in what God has given us. [Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23]

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Continued next time – Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XIX

God has Always had a Plan!

Isaiah 46:10 (KJV)  10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

In God’s eyes, mankind was already redeemed. God knew the end from the beginning. There was no more to do. So when we came along, why did we think we had to do something to gain what was already ours?

I’ll tell you why: The devil deceived people into a “works mentality” to keep them under his demonic thumb. If he could keep them in a works mentality mode, he could keep them from the promises of God. If he could keep them working for God’s acceptance and approval, they’d never really walk in His promises because the promises of God are only accessed through faith. And in order to use faith, you have to put your trust in God and not in your works.

Under the Old Covenant Law, the people had to obey certain rules if they wanted to be in right standing with God. However, we have a better Covenant, based on better promises that justify us by faith not by the works of the flesh.

Sadly, many people are still trying to please God and gain His approval by the works they do: Bible study, church, prayer, tithes & offerings, etc. It’s the rocking chair syndrome – you’re moving but not going anywhere. These are all good but not to gain God’s approval. It’s what Jesus did that gains us approval by God when we accept it. Praise the Lord!

Hebrews 10:38a (KJV) 38  Now the just shall live by faith: 

Galatians 2:20 (KJV) 20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XVIII

God has Always had a Plan!

Since God has always had a Plan, does that mean that everything that happens is the will of God? Absolutely NOT! God has the perfect Plan for each of us but we have our part to do and that is to cooperate with that Plan. Just because it’s God’s will for us, doesn’t mean that it will automatically come to pass.

Just like salvation is God’s perfect will for each of us but as you know not everyone will be saved because of their free will to choose. [II Peter 3:9]

Romans 4:17 (KJV) 17  (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

The Plan of Salvation was already in place before Adam sinned. It wasn’t God’s will for Adam and Eve to sin but God, in His foreknowledge, knew what would happen. He was prepared. He had given Adam and Eve (and us) a free will to make their own choices. He is honorable and will never override our free will.

The devil continually tries to override our free will as does the world with its scheming ways. But again I say, God will always honor our free will to make our own choices, even to choosing Heaven or hell by accepting or rejecting Jesus. It’s our decision. Choose Jesus!

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XVII

God has Always had a Plan!

Isaiah 46:9-10 (KJV) 9  Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
10  Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

God has always had a Plan. He’s the Master Planner. Nothing catches Him off-guard. He has had a Plan from the beginning and you can count on it being fulfilled completely! Once He declares it, you can be sure it will come to pass. None of His Words have ever failed, nor will they ever fail. That’s one sure thing you can stand on. But whether or not you fulfill the plans He has for you is up to you because He has given you a free will and He will not override it, even to the point of letting you choose to go to hell if you want!

Choose life and live in the victory God has for you!

1 Kings 8:56b (KJV) 56  … there hath not failed one word of all his good promise,

Continued tomorrow — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XVI

God wants to heal YOU!

Hebrews 4:1-2 (KJV) 1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
2  For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

God’s kingdom rests entirely on the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ and His provision for us. It’s not based on our good efforts. It’s based on our walking by faith in what He has done – believing and receiving. It’s a done deal!

We need to enter into the rest that God has provided by ceasing from our own works of trying to get God’s approval, but rather relying on what Jesus has done.

Notice in the above scripture that the Word preached did not profit them because they didn’t mix faith with it. The Word was true but not to them because they refused to be persuaded that what God had said was what He would do.

It’s the same with us today. If we want the promises of God to manifest in our lives, we must mix faith with our prayers. God’s promises don’t happen automatically just because we confess them once or twice. Nor do they happen just because it’s God will for us. It’s not a matter of what God can do but on what we can believe and receive!

Our believing has to be mixed with faith in God’s Word and faith that He will do what He said He would do. He’s a Rewarder. He knows what He’s doing and we honor Him by believing His Word.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJ 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Continued next week – have a great week-end — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XV

God wants to heal YOU!

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Since it takes faith to please God, it’s absolutely impossible to please Him by what you do or don’t do unless it’s done in faith. Church attendance, Bible-study, praying, even giving tithes and offerings are not the way we please God and get Him to answer our prayers.

Yes, these are things we need to do because we love God and follow His ways, but the only way we actually please God is by doing it in faith. Therefore, everything we do must be done in faith. Otherwise we’re just spinning our wheels and deceiving ourselves.

As we’ve discussed in past lessons, faith is the way we access God’s realm – the spirit realm.  We can’t work our way into God’s good graces. Jesus did all the work for us. There’s no more to be done. Our part is to receive what He has already done. The trouble with us is that we are so programmed to work, work, work for what we want. The more we work, the more we get. We even think we must work to gain God’s approval. Not so.

Jesus did a complete work. There’s no more to be done and it’s the height of ignorance, disrespect, and dishonor to think that we now have to add to what Jesus did to get God’s approval. Let’s rest in what Jesus did and rejoice that our sins and sicknesses are forever forgiven and paid for.

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XIV

God wants to heal YOU!

 1 Peter 2:24 (KJV) 24  Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Jesus provided your complete salvation on the Cross. Salvation means deliverance, healing, preservation, and soundness. Everything has been provided for you. Nothing has been left out. How awesome is the goodness of the Lord!

However, to hear people talk is an utter shame. God has been inexcusably maligned, accused of putting sickness on people to teach them something! Some Christians even claim that He gave them their sickness/disease for some redemptive purpose. How scandalous!

Our Father gave His very best, Jesus, to provide for us and then we have the audacity to think that we have to do more than Jesus did because that was not enough! We now have to suffer to pay for our sins and sicknesses when the price has already been paid. No, no, no! A thousand times NO!

The sad thing is that many people really believe those lies. But thank God things are changing and believers’ eyes are being opened to the truth of God’s Word and they’re being set free. Hopefully you’re one of them.

Continued next time — Pamela

Faith for Healing – Part XIII

God wants to heal YOU!

Acts 10:34 (KJV) 34  Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

God is not a respecter of persons. He does no prefer one over the other, as some might think. However, He is a respecter of faith because it’s the only way to access His promises, which include healing.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God. Not only that, those who do come to Him must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. That means when you come to Him in faith according to His promises, you must believe that He will answer your prayer. That’s the reward.

We need to know what faith is so that we can please God and get answers to our prayers.

Hebrews 11:1 (KJV) 1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is what you actually hold onto while you’re waiting for your manifestation. Faith is trusting that what God has said is what He means and that He will honor what He has said. It’s our positive response to what God has freely provided by His grace.

Everything we get from God is received by faith in what He has already provided by His grace. You can’t get anything from God that He has not already provided in His Word. That’s why it’s so vitally important tht we know exactly what God has said in His Word so that we can pray effectively.

Continued next time — Pamela