YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL -Matthew 9:22
The world is filled with SIN and SIN leads to DEATH. And due to SIN many have the spirit of sickness, tormenting them. JESUS freed us from being slaves to SIN. When we believe in Jesus our sins are washed away and so our spirit is free from all SIN, yet why does sickness linger around us? They came to JESUS because they believed that only JESUS could HEAL them. And because of their faith in JESUS they were healed.
If we seek healing we need to have FAITH. To understand FAITH we should know what are the levels of faith and where we stand. When we read this verse its so simple ‘YOUR FAITH HAS HEALED YOU’…But the faith that is required for the healing is so many times ….not understood ?
COMMON FAITH
Romans 12.3 says For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Each one of us starts with a measure of FAITH that is given by GOD which is common faith, which is also spoken about in Titus 1:4.
We all have a common faith when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we BELIEVE that Jesus died for our sins and has healed us in the process. This is when we accept the truth about Jesus, and from this point onwards our faith has to grow.
HOW DO WE GROW in FAITH?
Romans 10:17 says Faith comes by hearing the word of GOD.
But when I read the bible, I am only reading and not understanding it. I can read 3 chapters or 4 chapters but what have I understood? does my faith increase?…. NO …..
Then what does this verse really mean….. ?
Hearing the word of GOD is repeating his promises to your selves again and again. Meditating on a verse day and night. When we meditate on a verse we understand what the verse means and when we apply that verse in our life, circumstances change and this increases our faith in GOD…
When I read stories of the bible, each character testifies the goodness of GOD in their lives. Their testimonies are true and whatever is written in the scriptures about GOD and his promises and the prophesies are ALL true… because it is from GOD. So now when I read I am not only reading the bible but reading it aloud to myself having no distractions and having complete focus only on the word of GOD and telling myself the words written in the bible repeating it to myself. And there will be a verse or two which I feel just pops out for me and I take that verse and meditate over it.
Because now when I read, I have taken that verse and meditated on the verse and now, that word is in me, in my thoughts and I am consumed by that verse and when I apply that verse to my difficult circumstances it is no longer me, but GOD working in that situation for me.
E.g: Deuteronomy 31:8 says And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not p nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.” This is such a powerful verse.
When I read this verse, it is something I KNOW about GOD that he will never leave or forsake me. But when I meditate over it day and night… I am only thinking about this verse and nothing else. And suddenly the verse is now within me in my thoughts and God is in me giving me STRENGTH to go on… PEACE to go on…. LOVE to go on….and a solution….
So, when I meditate upon it, I am trying to put the verse in action by believing it and not merely knowing it. And GOD just lifts me up from that circumstances to a higher ground. WOW how true this verse is!!
So now when God lifts me up from that situation. It’s no longer me knowing about GOD, but an encounter with GOD, a process of beginning to know GOD through his word.
When I read and meditate over it again and again and simultaneously the testimonies of what GOD has done for others, it gives me HOPE and this increases my faith to PRAY to GOD and seek GOD ……and when GOD does that for me my faith increases even more. When the smallest of my smallest prayers are answered or my impossible prayers are answered my FAITH increases. My testimony and my encounter with GOD grows my faith and this becomes my testimony.
So now when I am caught up in a weak moment where my FAITH seems to crumble, I recall these testimonies of what GOD has done for me. How GOD has been faithful to me and how GOD loves me and my faith increases. I start to remind GOD all his promises towards me, repeat the verse I once meditated upon, believing that each one will be fulfilled and that increases my faith and keeps me going on. It lifts my spirit instantly and gives me immense strength that GOD will never forsake me.
The more the word goes in my spirit the more the faith increases and the process just goes on.
LITTLE FAITH
Matthew 8:26 says But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
The sad part is many of us Christians have little faith and have not grown past this. We started with a measure of faith that saved us but we have only grown a little. We are afraid when faced with a difficult situation even though we know that GOD can do anything because we find it difficult to believe that GOD CAN DO ANYTHING even when GOD is with us all the time. WHY? The biggest reason for this little faith is FEAR. If we have fear then even when once upon a time we had great faith. It will decrease our faith. Because with GOD there is no fear. When the word of GOD is in you it only encourages you and strengthens you and Gods Perfect Love casts away this FEAR.
We need to read and meditate upon his word day and night so that we do not allow FEAR to enter our thoughts.
WAVERING FAITH
James 1:6-8 says 6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
There are so many times when we ask GOD so many things through prayer. if it’s something we feel we are asking too much from God and its Impossible. Eventhough we know only GOD can do it and we have read only GOD can do it; we still have a tiny miny doubt. Would GOD really do that for me? It’s so impossible how can he do it then? We fail to understand that we don’t have to make things happen for GOD. GOD makes things happen for us. We don’t have to stress on how things will be done we just need to believe it is DONE in the name of JESUS.
Sometimes we ask God little…. like God heal my common cold or let me have my favorite burger to eat today, and we feel we are asking too little of GOD and so we think …will GOD do that for me? Even when Jesus says ask anything in my name and it will be done. We keep doubting God’s capabilities, when we are asked only to keep faith and believe. We do that … I have done that so many times. I go down that path and then I shake it off my thoughts because those are the thoughts from the enemy, so I cancel them immediately and just have faith that GOD will do that for me. No matter how impossible the things are or how simple the things may seem.
TEMPORARY FAITH
Luke 8:13 says But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
How many times we heard a message in church and have believed it, but when the circumstances come to apply the same, we tend to lose it and go back to the same way of cribbing and grumbling and asking GOD WHY ME? …when we were supposed to believe in the message and stand firm in our faith and God’s promises in the 1st place.
We just receive the word and we don’t apply it…… and so the message is lost…
GREAT FAITH
Faith of the Canaanite woman: Matthew 15:28 says Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Faith of the Centurion Matthew 8:10 says When Jesus heard it, He marvelled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Why are these 2 faiths called GREAT FAITH in the eyes of JESUS….?
The Canaanite women was very eager to have her daughter healed. Jesus had rejected her twice but even then; she was persistent and pleaded for her daughter to be healed. How many times have we prayed for our healing and then got disappointed and stopped praying because we did not receive our healing or accepted it as Gods will and lived with the sickness? The BIBLE says JESUS is willing for us to be healed. God wants us to be healed.
The Centurion searched for Jesus and came to him for his servant to be healed. He believed Jesus had authority and could heal his servant without the need for Jesus to personally travel to meet and heal his servant. How many times have we sorted healing services to be the ultimate place to get our healing and not in the Supreme GOD who is omnipotent and who listens to our prayers and sees our faith to be healed? Their eyes and hearts were only set on JESUS and no one else. There was no doubt and they showed this characteristic of great FAITH. This is the faith that JESUS wants to see in every believer whether it is for healing or dealing with difficult circumstances. JESUS has already healed us we need to believe and CLAIM THAT HEALING WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF DOUBT.
Mark 11:24 says Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
What was easier for them is their encounter with GOD himself to get that healing. We need to have that faith and expect our healing. Many times, God is willing to heal us. He has already healed us but we are not moving our hand or feet by taking that leap of faith the HEALING IS MINE and the HEALING is DONE.
It’s the same GOD yesterday, today and tomorrow. The path to healing your spirit is through repentance.
2 Chronicles 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
The old testament says Repent for your SINS—- GOD will forgive your SINS and remember them no more —-and heal you spiritually and physically.
1 Peter 2:24 says 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.
The new testament says Jesus already bore all our SINS on the cross, and has already paid that price for us as long as we repent, acknowledge and believe that Jesus died for our SINS and has forgiven us ALREADY and so we claim our HEALING. We no longer have to accept sickness and be tormented by the spirit of sickness because JESUS has freed us and the enemy has no hold over us, JESUS has overcome them all. Take authority and rebuke that spirit of sickness in the name of JESUS, believing the TRUTH.
Ephesians 6:12 says For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
We are in a continuous fight with the forces of darkness that are hindering us from receiving our healing or receiving our blessing and only through FAITH and continuous prayer can we fight the enemy by putting on the complete Armor of GOD(Ephesians 6:11-17). Have faith that you are forgiven and the healing is already yours to claim because JESUS did it all.
ACTIVE FAITH
James 2: 20 says 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
So, we should not only be hearers of the WORD but also the doers of the WORD. If we believe in JESUS then we need to follow the 2 commandments so that we can be the hand of GOD and JESUS can live through us. When we see someone in need, we can try to do whatever we can to help, along with prayer. Thus showing our LOVE to our neighbors. Active faith is application of FAITH through works.
We need to put the word in action. When we go and pray for an unbeliever by FAITH who is sick, that GOD will heal him. Then GOD sees our faith and heals the unbeliever. Try it sometime, it really works… Because GOD knows our heart and he is pleased at what he sees.
DIVINE FAITH
Galatians 2:20 says I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
This is an unshakable FAITH in GOD that he lives through you and you are representing GOD being ambassadors of GOD and being the hand of GOD to people who need GOD. So when they see you they see Christ working through you. Like divine faith we also have divine healing where you are anointed by the Holyspirit and given the gift of healing and you BELIEVE that when you lay hands and pray in the name of Jesus for healing for a believer or an unbeliever. GOD will do that, because this is a gift from GOD.
GREAT FAITH, ACTIVE FAITH and DIVINE FAITH ALL HEALS …..
GOD wants to Heal you…. Are you Willing?
I know the FAITH I HAVE….What level of FAITH do you have?
Ambassadors of Christ 