Why We Don’t Get Healed – Part 2

If you didn’t see the introduction to this post, you can view it here. Once you’ve seen it, let’s get started on listing the ‘clouds’.

1. Lack of Knowledge

Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” But before you complain that I have taken this out of context, it is explained in even more detail in 2 Peter 1:2, which says, “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” I’m sure that we can all agree that healing would fall under God’s grace, and here it shows that God will show us more grace as we grow in knowledge. Lack of knowledge will see us miss out. In Acts 14 v 8-10, Paul is teaching, and when he realises that the person has the faith to be healed, he heals him. Not before. Faith comes from hearing the Word (Romans 10:17). This means that reading scripture, listening to teaching, meditating on the Word, will build faith. A lack of faith (this knowledge), may see you miss out on healing. If you want to be healed, get out the scriptures about healing, and meditate on them until you know them backwards.

2. Misunderstanding of Law & Grace

Romans 4:15 says that the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. We are no longer under the law, we are under grace. This does not mean that God has changed His mind, it just means that Jesus has done a good job. Some of the ‘rules of the Law’ were based on pre-law principals, so they are still valid, except the punishments are no longer valid. Jesus took that punishment for us. Illness is a curse, we are no longer subject to the curse. Galatians 3:13 says, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” God may use our illness to teach us something, but He does not give us the illness, nor does He want us to have it. I believe that He may use the illness, because He makes the best of the situation, but He wants us to be well. We need to understand this.

3. Traditions of Men

Mark 7:17 starts with, “Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” This is a huge problem as far as I am concerned. So many people have their ideas about healing, and there are so many different ideas out there. The most common one seems to be that God heals when He wants to. This is not biblical. People use things like Paul’s thorn and Timothy’s upset stomach to try and justify that fact that we all have to put up with illness. This is not the case. I don’t believe that Paul’s thorn was illness (read more about that here), and Timothy’s stomach issue could have been anything. This does not justify our illness. People try and manipulate the scripture to suit what they see and experience. People then believe what they are told, and therefore believe a lie. We need to be aware of this. I wear glasses, but I believe that God wants me to have perfect eye sight. I could go and justify my eyesight by manipulating scripture, but that is not the truth. The truth is that I have not received my healing yet, because of something that is wrong here on earth. God does not want me to be short sighted. I will keep on doing all that I can in order to see God’s Kingdom break through here on earth. Instead of lowering the Bible to your expectations, why not lift your expectations to the Bible?

So there are the first 3 points of this series. This is post 2 of 5, keep an eye out for the next one.

Richard

Why We Don’t Get Healed – Part 1

This post has been a long time coming, and I can see it generating a few arguments. I can also see it setting some people free to receive healing, and for that reason, it is well worth writing it. I must just say that the ideas in the blog are not all my own, but I wouldn’t put them in if I didn’t agree with them. I have 12 reasons why people are not healed, so I’ll go through them and see how many I can fit on each post. If you would like to see the videos where I learned this, you can find them here.

First of all, in order for this series to make sense, you need to understand my basic views on healing. I believe that God wants all of us healed, all of the time. Jesus never said to anyone, “Sorry, but it is God’s will for you to be ill.”. He also never denied anyone who asked to be healed. If Jesus was doing God’s will (which He always did), surely He would have denied some people if God’s will was for some of us to be sick. Secondly, I believe that we should not pray for healing but command it. Why? Monkey see monkey do. Did Jesus ever gather around a sick person, call the disciples, and pray? No. Even if you use the incredibly thin argument of “We’re not Jesus”. How did Peter do it? How did Paul heal? No prayer I’m afraid, just commanding. If you’re now going to tell me that the Bible says that the elders should pray for someone who is sick, I’ll agree, but just look up that word pray. In this case it is the one case where it means ‘active-prayer’. Should that maybe rather be translated to ‘minister’? I’ll leave that up to you, but surely passages of scripture and examples by Jesus, Peter, Paul and others should outweigh one verse when we are deciding how to act? Thirdly, we have been given the authority to command healing. Jesus gave us the authority in Matthew 10:8. Here is a story to illustrate my point.

Imagine Jesus to be the sun (and the Son, see how that worked out?). The sun is always shining. Why don’t we see it at night? Because we are not facing the right way. Why don’t we see it when it is cloudy? Because the clouds are in the way. Does that mean that the sun is not shining, or just that we are not experiencing the sunshine because something is preventing it from getting to us? This is exactly the same with healing (and other things). Isaiah 53:5 says that by His stripes we were healed. Not may be healed. Were healed. This means that Jesus has already done what He needed to do in order for us to be healed, it is now up to us to use our authority to heal (ourselves and others). I know that this may come as a shock to some, it did to me, but knowing this has changed my life for the better. Please just note that I am not saying that we command Jesus to heal (He is not our puppet), I’m saying that we command the sickness to leave (or the person to be healed), in accordance with what Jesus died for. We’re telling the person’s body and the sickness what to do, not God. One more thing, we always do this in the name of Jesus. We’re not doing this in our own strength. If you agree with my statements up to this point, then carry on reading. If you have an issue with what I have already said, then I strongly suggest that you go away and pray out it, read the scriptures and ask God if I am talking rubbish or not. The rest of this won’t really help you if you disagree with what I have said so far.

Thanks for reading this post, which turned out to be the introduction. As I said, I want to share 12 of the ‘clouds’ that prevent us from experiencing the power of the ‘sun’ (Son) and all that He has to offer. This series is 5 posts long, as I talk about each ‘cloud’. If you disagree with anything that I have said so far, please find some scripture to back your arguments up, pray about it, and if you still think that I am wrong, show me why. I am not adversed to learning, provided it can be backed up properly with scripture. I used to just blindly believe what people told me, not anymore, I now believe the Bible (and those who speak truth from it) regardless of what others may say.

I hope that you are as excited about eliminating these ‘clouds’ as I am. Look out for the next post.

Richard

Time to Acts – Part 18

Each and every chapter of Acts has taught us something, and this is no exception. In fact, this one shows us some things that we have not seen before in Acts, so let’s get started and see what it has for us. Read Acts chapter 18 and then take a look at my thoughts.

Firstly, the first paragraph is so important. Let me spell it out just in case there is any confusion. WE ARE ALL CALLED TO FULL TIME MINISTRY, REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR JOB IS. Get it? So often I hear people say that they are not called into full time ministry, now I know what they mean, but I think we all are. Yes, we pay some people to be a pastor or take up a ‘position’ in the church, but that is the exception to the rule. If the others didn’t work, how would we pay the pastor? I have been called to teach, heal, prophesy, lead and deliver people, and I have a full time job. In fact, I have my own business (there is a link to the right of the blog post if you want to see what I do). I see my ministry as just as important as my business (if not more so), even though I don’t get paid for it as such, God provides me with everything, so I do what He calls me to do.

Secondly, we see Paul stop teaching and leave when people oppose him and blaspheme. This is a tricky one because we often refuse to ‘give up’ on someone who does not want to hear the gospel. We keep on trying to teach people who don’t want to hear. Now I am not saying that we give up the first time they disagree with us, but what I am saying is that there are people out there who will just not believe. These people often look for a fight and blatantly come against anything you have to say. Paul just walked away and left them to it. I often have the same attitude. There are so many people out there who want to know the good news, I’d rather be teaching them than getting frustrated trying to teach someone who isn’t interested.

Now here is the next point, and I have a funny feeling that this may upset some people and I may get some comments about this, but that has never stopped me before. Look at what happens next, God appears to Paul in a dream and tells him to speak boldly and that he will not be attacked here. That is so different to the rest of Acts where Paul gets beaten almost every chapter. Why does God say this? I’m not sure, but let me give you my theory. God says, “for I have many people in this city.” . I believe this to be the reason. I have said it before, I don’t believe that being sovereign means that you always get your way (Sovereignty of God). I believe that God is sovereign, but He doesn’t always get His way. God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), but we all know that not everyone is (Matthew 7:14). I believe that our free will can (and usually does) come against (and often prevent) what God is doing. Because God had many people there, the chance of His will being done was greatly increased. God did not want Paul to get hurt, but He won’t oppose free will (Paul’s Thorn). This gives us more responsibility, are you sitting around waiting for God to do something, or are you allowing God to do something by using you? We have a responsibility and we have the authority (in Christ) (Our Authority in Christ) to do it. God works through us. Now before you get all upset and start writing to me, I am not saying that we are more powerful than God, I am merely saying that Jesus gave us the authority, and now God chooses to work through us. God has intervened in the past, but I believe that we need to do our part. If the boy didn’t come forward with the loaves and fish, would Jesus have still fed the 5000? I don’t think so, in the following chapter He feeds 4000 and again calls for any food that people have. God’s power, our actions.

So I hope that this has been an interesting chapter for you too. We have got the authority to do what God has called us to do, and if we bring the little that we can, God will do the rest. No matter what your job, find what God has called you to do and step boldly into it. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Walk in the blessing.

Richard

Dare to Believe

I have spoken a lot about healing, and that I believe that God wants you well, and does not send sickness. I have had a passage quoted to me to try and justify the theory that God does make people sick. What is more, people have used this passage to try and ‘prove’ that we can’t heal people (at all, even with God’s power) any more. If this is the case, then I am really confused, because I have personally seen two people miraculously healed in the last month, and heard testimonies of more. After reading this passage of scripture presented to me, I discovered that the person had it out of context. It is actually a very handy passage, so I though that I would talk about it today. Here it is, John 9:1-12.

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi,who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.

This is an interesting passage, let’s start with the second half of verse 3. Please note that it does not say anywhere that God made him blind. I believe that Jesus said what He said merely to counteract the disciples theory that the man was blind because he sinned. Jesus was in fact saying that these bad things could happen to ‘good’ people. Any illness you have may not be because of your sin, it is in the world because of sin in general. There is no sin in heaven and there is no sickness either. You may avoid sin yourself, but someone else’s sin could leave you ill. The good news is that your illness is also an opportunity for the works of God to be displayed. Who does the works of God now? Who did He send to heal? Matthew 10:8 says that it is you and I. Next thing is verse 4, where some think Jesus is saying that when night comes (Him going back to heaven) no one will be able to heal anymore. This could not be further from the truth. Night is referring to Jesus death. Jesus is merely saying that He can’t do miracles when He is dead, so He is doing them now. We can’t do any when we’re dead either, so make the most of your life here on earth. This is the message here. Jesus also said that while He was here, He was the light of the world. Who is the light of the world now? Yes, we are. Matthew 5:14 is clear about that.

Why did Jesus make mud and wipe it on the man’s eyes. Truth is, I don’t know. Maybe Jesus was using it as an analogy as man originally came from dust, so He was using that to heal the man. I don’t know. It is similar to the reason why he tells the man to go and wash it off. Why not just wipe it off? This time I do have a theory though. I believe the answer is in verse 11. They asked the man how he was healed, and he said that Jesus put mud on his eyes and told him to go and was it off. He said that he did just as Jesus instructed and he was healed. He didn’t question, he just followed Jesus’ orders. Mark 11:23 tells us to tell the mountain to move and then believe. Then the mountain will move. It doesn’t say how long we will need to believe for. This man had a while to believe, all the way down to the pools. At any stage he could have thought that it was silly and walked away. Would he have been healed then? I doubt it. Fortunately for him he didn’t. He did just as Jesus instructed and he was healed.

So what can we learn from this? When we are commanding healing in Jesus name (as we should be), we need to listen to God. There is no exact formula of how to do this, sometimes God may reveal to you that it requires a slightly different approach. Sometimes you need to rebuke a demonic force or break a stronghold. Maybe you need to speak something over the person, maybe you need to lay hands on them, maybe they need to do something in response. Jesus sometimes dealt with healing different ways, and the only reason I can see is obedience to the Father. We need to hear how the Spirit is guiding us and be obedient. If you are the one being prayed for (or in fact praying), keep the faith! Even if you don’t see healing there and then, keep believing. Keep your faith. I have commanded healing before and not seen it straight away. The next morning, the guy woke up miraculously healed! We didn’t allow unbelief to creep in.

Your action, God’s power. He has given us the authority to heal. Do it.

Richard

Your Attitude to Healing

I would like to start this post off by saying that I did not write this to pass judgement on anyone. If you read this post, and it upsets you, ask yourself why that is so. Is it because I have stepped out of line, or is it that this is a little close to something that you don’t really want to deal with? Remember, there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, so it is not my intention to condemn, but rather to help everyone set themselves free. Having said that, let’s have a look at what I am so concerned about sharing.

I have written various posts about healing, physical healing, like Jesus and the disciples demonstrated in the gospels. Now days that seems to have been watered down in most Christian circles, to merely praying for healing. Now this is not a post about how we should command healing using our authority in Christ, rather than asking God to do it, I have covered that. This is a post about the attitude of the person receiving the healing. I know that when you are in a situation where you are staring down the business end of a serious illness, you may be rattled and may not be filled with faith, but I feel that some ‘natural’ responses could prevent you from being healed. Let me explain. When I was younger, I used to have the theory that if you didn’t expect anything good, you wouldn’t be disappointed if you didn’t receive it, yet it would be a bonus if you did. This was designed to protect me from disappointment, and make good things more exciting. I now know that this is wrong. Let’s have a look at some Bible stories to see how I know this.

Pick a Bible story about healing, any one, and answer one question. Did the person (or a representative) come to Jesus, or did Jesus go and find them to heal them? I think that you’ll find the first option far more prevalent. Why is this important? I believe that the faith of the person being healed plays a huge role. Now I know that some Christians disagree with me, but as of yet they haven’t been able to show me any scripture to change my mind. All of the healings described in the Bible required some level of faith from the person receiving the healing, or a representative. Now answer this question, if what I have said is true .What are your chances of being healed if you don’t believe you will be, and you don’t ask? If anyone knows of a Bible story where Jesus goes to someone’s home when they had accepted that they would be ill and nothing could be done, and convinced them otherwise or healed them anyway, please let me know. I don’t think there is one.

Now I am not saying that having faith is easy, and I am not saying that there is no risk involved. I know the risk. The risk of being disappointed if you are not healed, the risk of getting your hopes up and then possibly getting let down. The risk of believing. If the crippled guy on the rug and his friends didn’t believe, they wouldn’t have made such an effort to get him to Jesus, and he wouldn’t have been healed. If the woman in the crowd had been too afraid to believe, she wouldn’t have desperately grabbed for Jesus robe, and she would not have been healed. Do I need to go on? Do you think faith came easy to them? It may have been easier then because they could see Jesus, maybe we need to have more faith to believe, Jesus mentioned that when talking to ‘doubting’ Thomas. I have been on the ‘healing’ side more often that the ‘been healed’ side of healing, and I can tell you that both sides require faith. Do you think that it is easy to command someone to be healed? To get their hopes up, when there is a possibility that they won’t be healed? The devil uses this fear on both sides, to stop us from demonstrating God’s power.

So what do we do now? Read the scripture, read the healing stories and see first of all how Jesus and the disciples did it, and how the healed person approached them. If you need healing, read the scriptures to build your faith, same for the people doing the healing. Dare to believe that you can be healed. If you’re still unsure of this, may I recommend a book called, God Wants You Well (Despite what you may have heard) by Alexander Roarke (search for it on your local Amazon website).

Read Scripture. Believe Scripture. Act on Scripture.

Richard

Sodzo

Here is a topic that I have spoken about before, but I’m going to talk about it again, as I keep seeing posts and articles in contrast to scripture. Please don’t get me wrong, I used to oppose this too, but I have now heard the truth and there is no going back. The word Sodzo (pronounced sozo) is the Greek word where salvation comes from. This means that Romans 10:9 could be read as “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be sodzo” We, as Christians, have no problem believing this – we can’t wait for someone to confess this, so that we can welcome them into the family, and rightly so. It doesn’t end there. Sodzo also means healed. I am talking about physical healing from illness, disease or handicap. Actually, the word Sodzo covers healing, salvation, deliverance and protection. Jesus died so that we could have them all, not just salvation.

Now, all of a sudden, the belief drops drastically. A whole lot of excuses start to make their way into our minds. “Jesus died for our sins so that we could be saved, He didn’t die for our health”. Rubbish. 1 Peter 2:24 says ”He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.” Also, Galatians 3:13 says “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” There is no doubt about it, Jesus died so that we can be healed. So why aren’t we? Doesn’t God always have His way? No. People misunderstand what sovereignty means. It doesn’t mean that you always get your way. If it did, Jesus wouldn’t have told us to pray “.. Your will on earth, as it is in heaven..”. God would always have His will, but He doesn’t. Now some of you are thinking that it is God who heals and not us, that is not entirely true. Before you start calling for my head, it is by God’s power, but we are called to use His power to heal, so the responsibility lies with us. Mark 16:17-18 says ”These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” God’s power, our actions.

So then, why are people sometimes not healed? There are a few reasons but, for now, I would like to focus on the one which I believe to be the largest ‘culprit’. Faith. Look at the first line of Mark 16:17, These miraculous signs will accompany those who.. Believe. Not just in Jesus, but believe that the person will be healed. “Lord if it is your will please heal so-and-so, but if it isn’t, don’t worry” does not show faith at all. Besides, the example Jesus set for healing was that of telling the healing to happen, not praying. I don’t know where the idea for praying for healing came from, except maybe James 5:14. Really, the elders should know better. If you’re not quite convinced of this, Mark 11:22-24 says ”Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” Note also, the praying part came afterwards, the mountain was told to move. He didn’t say that we should ask God to move the mountain. Just saying.

Just in case you are using the scripture where Jesus declares that God’s will happen instead of His own, to try and justify that maybe God doesn’t want someone healed, here is another verse. Romans 8:11 says “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.” I believe that scripture is clear. God wants us healed (maybe not right this minute, but not necessarily only when we are in heaven, otherwise he wouldn’t have used the word ‘mortal’). Sometimes we are not healed. Instead of pinning this on God because ‘it isn’t His will’, maybe we are actually to blame. Us in the wrong? I know it is hard to believe, but I can’t see God being wrong. When I say us, I mean mankind, not just individuals. Sin, demons, unbelief, curses, lack of authority, lack of faith, and timing can all play a part in someone not being healed. Assuming that God doesn’t want someone healed, just because we pray and we don’t see healing, is wrong. People tell me that I am full of myself because I believe that I have authority over illness, but if you believe that it is God’s will that someone be ill because your prayers don’t work, who is actually full of themselves?

I have only touched on this topic here, if you are interested in knowing more, purchase this book and read it: God Wants You Well (despite what you may have heard…) (It is available on Amazon, search for it on your local Amazon website. Author: Alexander Roarke). It was written by a friend of mine and it covers this in much more detail. Next time someone comes up for healing, instead of praying, talk to the issue and tell it to go. Follow Jesus’ lead. Believe that it will happen. Talk to the ill person first, find out where their faith level is. Give them scripture to help them believe what God wants for them. I am still learning every day and this is a constant learning curve, but the more I learn, the more people I see healed.

You have the authority, use it.

Richard

God Wants You Well

I have never done this before, but I would like to endorse a book that I have read. The book is called God Wants You Well (despite what you may have heard) which you can find on Amazon by clicking the link. I read this book partly because it was written by a friend of mine, and partly because I had an idea of what he would write about, and I needed to hear it. If any of you need healing, think that you may have a healing ministry, want to see people healed or want to raise your faith, I strongly recommend that you read this book. It may be about healing, but it is actually about faith, and how important it is. I have applied concepts from this book to various areas of my life and have not been disappointed.

Here is the review that I wrote for Amazon. This book is primarily about healing, although it covers so much more. It is about life, about faith and believing in what Christ has done for us. Roarke writes in a very easy to understand, conversational type of way, which is really refreshing. I do not read many books, but I am glad that I read this one. I share many of the same views as the author, so it was not a complete life-changer for me, but it was good to help get all of my thoughts and ideas in order. I think that most Christians will find this to be a major game-changer, as it does go against many ideas that have crept into Christian practices. This takes us back to scripture and explains what Jesus intended us to know. It is easy to understand, yet contains plenty of scripture references and original words used, which makes it suitable for all readers.

You probably know about some of the issues that I have been facing of late, and this book really helped me to put things into context. It helped me to put my faith in God, and not just my faith but my actions. Actions speak louder than words. You may have heard the saying, put your money where your mouth is, well what about, put your actions where your faith is? We as Christians often say things, declare things or even command things, but do our actions back them up? If we go to a prayer meeting to pray for rain during a drought, do we take an umbrella? Do we actually expect something to happen when we say that we believe that it will? These are some of the topics that the book discusses.

This book is written as if the author is having a conversation with you, it is very simple to understand, but still has original Greek words and other ‘theological’ references. Whether you are a theologian, a new Christian or even someone who wants to know about Christianity but hasn’t made any decisions as of yet, you will be able to understand this book and you will get something out of it. I do have to warn you though, it could well go against theology that you may have heard in church. I believe it to be totally biblical, and I would be hesitant to disagree with anything said, however it does go against the grain of some fairly popular ‘Christian theologies’. All I (and the author) as is that you read it with an open mind, see what he has to say, and then make up your mind. What this book has to say makes more sense to me than what I believed before. A belief that was born out of a lack of understanding, rather than an understanding of the scriptures.

As I said, I know the author, and he has agreed to answer some questions (if you have any). I have arranged to have a ‘questions and answers’ blog post in the near future. Please go ahead and purchase the book, read it, and then send me any questions or comments that you may have for the author. You can message me on Google + or send me an email with you questions, and I will select some of my favourite and send them to Roarke to get his answers. I really hope that you are as blessed by this book as I have been.

Step out in faith.

Richard

Only a Silver Medal

Most of my posts are about the authority we have in Christ, abundant life, or spiritual gifts. These posts are true, but sometimes we don’t see the miracles. Sometimes we have loads of faith and command healing, yet we just don’t see the results that we expect, and that frustrates us. This post is about those times when our lives don’t go as planned, and more importantly, don’t go according to what we think thank God has in store for us.

In the last church service that I was in, the preacher mentioned about the fact that what he was preaching, didn’t always mirror what was going on in His own life. I feel the same sometimes, always speaking about abundant life and the authority that we have in Christ, yet I don’t always see that in my own life. That doesn’t change the fact that I know it is true, it just means that I need to elevate my life up to that which the Bible says is possible, always remembering that there is no condemnation. Thinking about this, I was reminded about Joseph (with the coat), who was given a prophetic word that he would rule over his brothers. Next thing Joseph is in prison. He was probably wondering how he ended up there with the word that was given, but God was faithful and he did end up exactly where God said he would. It just didn’t happen as quickly as he may have hoped, in fact, he took a probably unexpected detour.

Of late, we have seen quite a few healings in our church, and I am grateful for what God has done. There have, however, been some people who weren’t healed. This bothered me. If we have this authority and we have the faith (to see healing), how come not everyone is healed? You know what, I don’t know why. There are some theories, but the bottom line is that we don’t always see what we want, when we want it. That doesn’t change the fact that God gives good things, it doesn’t change the fact that we have that Christ-earned, God given authority. It doesn’t change the fact that we have faith in God. In fact believing for miracles, even after you have ‘failed’ to see what you expected, shows faith. Even though I may pray for a miracle and not see it, I still believe that all things are possible in Christ.

I was watching the gold medal ice hockey match at the Winter Olympics. The Swedish players looked so depressed and unhappy while receiving their silver medals. I couldn’t help but think about that, I would have been ecstatic with a silver Olympic medal, but they looked so upset. You see when you have just lost a match and you are now handed a ‘loser’s’ medal, you feel like you have lost. The aim was to win and get gold, but you failed. However, if you asked them before the tournament if they would like a silver medal, you may have got a different reaction. Ask a young boy if he would like a silver Olympic medal one day, and he will be so excited, but when you lose the final it feels like a consolation. This may be the same with us. We expect God to heal all the time, so we spend more time wondering about the people who aren’t healed, than giving thanks for those who are. I find myself doing this sometimes. Are you maybe guilty of this?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God is worthy of being praised and thanked just because of who He is, even if we don’t see miracles happen for us. I am not saying that we shouldn’t strive to be more like Jesus, or believe for the big miracles, in fact I encourage people to step out in faith. We just need to remember that even if things don’t always go our way, God is good, all the time. He is worthy of being praised, and I for one will continue to praise Him. Regardless of my circumstances.

To God be the glory!

Richard

You Gotta Have Faith!

Romans 4 v 13-25 says: Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God’s promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless. For the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. (The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break!)

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God

Yes, I have shown this scripture because I really want people to understand that it is all about faith in God. Does that mean that we don’t need to do works? No definitely not! The purpose of this article is to show the importance of believing on God and what He has promised. We can do all of the works we can handle, but if we do not have faith in God, it is useless. This passage shows clearly that we need to find out what God has done for us and promised us, and we need to hold onto those promises, however long they take to happen!

There are words from God for individuals, and there are also general words in The Bible that God promises all believers. We need to be clear about both of these categories. Once we know what God has promised us, we need to believe (and keep believing) that God will be faithful and provide. There are sometimes occasions where we are required to do works in order to receive God’s blessings, but the point that I am trying to make is to believe God for them, don’t try and force the issue with works. It is our human nature to try and earn blessings, but God says that He has already provided, we just need to trust Him! I heard a sermon today saying that miracles can be found in the mundane. Jesus sent Peter to catch a fish (as a fisherman) in order to get the coin to pay the temple tax. Back to the mundane to see the miracle.

What has God promised you? Do you believe that He will provide? Do you trust Him? If you can (honestly) answer yes to all of these questions, get your actions in line with what you believe and watch God work!

Keep the faith!

Richard