You know, it is not enough for us Christians, to just want a healing or anything else from God. God wants to see, that we demonstrate our faith somehow. One thing is to believe, but entirely other thing is to act on your faith.
When we read Matthew 8:6,7, we can see, that there is a questions, which Jesus asked the centurion. Now, did not Jesus know, that all that the centurion wanted, is for Jesus to heal his servant. Of course, he knew, because the centurion has already told him so. But despite the fact, that Jesus knew what is the problem with the servant of the centurion, and what that centurion wanted Jesus to do for him, he still asked the centurion that question 'Shall I come and heal him'? Was that question necessary? Well according to the centurion, probably not, but according to God, yes. You see, God wants us to not only believe his Word and his promises, but to also act on our faith. God wants us to confess our faith in him and his Word, just like the centurion did, by saying to Jesus, to just say the Word, and his servant would be healed, in verses 8, and 9. If Jesus did not ask the centurion that question, if he should go to the place of the centurion, and heal his servant, perhaps the centurion would not make those great statements of faith, before Jesus, which he made in verses 8, and 9. What the centurion said in the verses 8 and 9, was pure faith in what Jesus can do for him, pure faith and a confession of faith in the miraculous from God. That is why Jesus was amazed at his faith, and commented that the faith of the centurion is a great faith. God could ask us a question, to test our faith, before he gives us a miracle, in order to see our response, if it will be a response of a great faith, which will glorify God, and will bring the miraculous, or it would be a lack of faith, which will be like a handbrake for the miracle from heaven. And all that is left, is up to us, how we want to respond to the promises of God.
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Did you know, that you can be around Jesus and still miss the blessing? God has many blessings for us, but he never forces any of his blessing on us, and we can completely miss them, if we are full with doubt and unbelief.
In the Gospel of Mark 6:56, It says that many people were around Jesus and that some people, were touching his clothes. But you have to notice that, although many people were around Jesus, only those who came to him and touched his clothes, were healed. Why? Because they had the touch of faith. All the other people, who were around Jesus, but did not touch his clothes, were just spectators, who completely missed it. There were many people around Jesus, everyday, while he was on earth. Some believed the miracles he did, but others when they saw the miracles, tried to kill him. So, being around Jesus is not enough. You have to do something, some type of action, in order to manifest your faith in him. Touching his clothes with faith, will give you the miracles. They would not touch his clothes, if they did not believe, that he would heal them. The only reason they came to him and touched his clothes, was that they believed, they will be healed, like many other people they have seen before, coming to Jesus, touching his clothes and get healed. Did not Jesus want to heal all the people around him? Yes he does. But he also wants to see faith. That is why in Mark 6:5, 6 it says that Jesus was in one place, where he did not do many miracles, apart from healing a few people, because of their lack of faith. And he marvelled at their unbelief. Knowing about Jesus is not enough to produce a miracle in your life. You have to demonstrate your faith in him and his Word, by some action, by something you do. Your actions manifest and display an unbelief or faith, and so do your words. Jesus is more that happy to see those actions of faith. The power of God was there all the time in Jesus, to heal everyone, but those only standing around him, just like spectators, did not receive it. Only the ones who did something practically, like touching the robe of Jesus because of their faith in him, received his power, and were healed. We as Christians, in our daily devotionals, read the Word of God, and meditate on it. We do it, first of all, because Jesus said that man shall not live with bread alone, but with every word, that proceeds from the mouth of God.
You see, our bodies need feeding every day, in order to live and grow. Our spirit and our soul, also need the food from heaven, in order to live and grow in the things of God. The only way we can overcome things in this messed up world, is by our faith, because the Bible says that we have overcome the world, by our faith. But our faith, can not be strong enough, to overcome the things in this world, which are going against the will of God, if our soul and spirit, are not fed and strengthened, by the Word of God. The Bible says in Hebrews 4:12, that the Word of God is living and active, separating soul and spirit, and judging the attitudes and thoughts of the heart. Now notice, it says the thoughts and the attitudes of the heart, not of the mind. That is important! Why? Because Christianity is first of all, a matter of the heart. With the heart we believe in God, and our heart or spirit, is born again, not our mind. Out connection with heaven, is first of all in our heart, and not our mind, because the Holy Spirit, is in our hearts, according to the Scriptures. The Word of God is living and active, but unless it is in our hearts, how can it be living and acting in us? We have to make sure, that we get the Word of God in our hearts, so that it can be living and active inside of our hearts, or our born again spirit. But how do we get the Word of God to be in our hearts? First of all, we transform our minds, with the Word of God, just as Romans 12:1, 2 says. Then when we transform our minds regularly, with reading the Word of God, eventually, the Word of God, will be in our hearts too. But it first enters in us, through our hearts. Once the Word of God gets into our hearts, then because it is living and active, it will first of all, judge our thoughts and attitudes, in order to make our hearts and minds, to align more with heaven. The more of the Word of God we have in our hearts, the more living and active it will be inside of us, and the more living and acting it will be in our lives too. Jesus said that the mouth speaks what the heart is full with. The more of the Word of God we store in our hearts, the more of the Word of God will come out of our mouth, in our daily conversations. And vice versa. The the less of the Word of God we store in our hearts, the more of this world, will come of our mouths, and that would definitely not be living and active, but will be burning and dying. The more of the Word of God in us, the more God can use that Word, and do miracles in our lives. God always uses our faith in his Word, to do a miracle. He just does not do a miracle, independent of our faith in his Word. That is why he gave us his Word on the first place, so that we believe in it. and by believing in it, it will be more living and acting in us, and through us, for his glory, and for our and other people's blessing. What we look at in life, will determine, if we have more, less, or not at all faith in God. What we look at, we pay attention to, and give ourselves to it. If we look and our attention remains with the circumstances of our life, or with the news on the TV, or with what the doctors or friends say to us, then we can be full of fear, and lack of faith.
In Matthew 14:30, you can see, that as long as Peter was looking at Jesus, in the middle of the storm, he was safe, and was walking on the water. But the same verse says, that Peter shifted his attention from Jesus, and began to look at the wind, he became afraid, which proves, that he lost his faith in the word which Jesus gave him, ‘come’, and began to believe in the power of the wind and the storm, rather in the power of God and his Word. The Bible tells us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Peter was doing just that, fixing his attention to Jesus, and walking on the water for a few seconds, but then he fixed his eyes on the circumstances around him, and especially on the wind. I am sure Peter began to think to himself, how powerful that wind and storm was, and completely forgot, how powerful his God was. But that is what happens to everyone, who fixes their attention on the wrong thing, because what we give our attention to, we empower to influence us, either on the circumstances in our life, which will produce often fear and no faith, or on the Word of God, which will produce faith and diminish fear. If Peter decided, to stay focused on what Jesus told him to do, and carry on looking at Jesus, instead looking at the wind, he would be able to walk on the water, and he would be able to walk over many other things and challenges, in his life. He had to stay focused on the words of Jesus, instead of focusing on the power of the wind and the waves. That is what determines success or failure, faith or doubt, victory or defeat. |
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