Faith For Healing

Happy Sunday!

I prepared this message earlier in the week.  I was and still am so encouraged by the information. I never imagined that my brother would not survive. I thoroughly expected a miracle. So what now?  That's what I was asking God.  The Word says, "let God be true, but every man a liar". Romans 3:4 (King James Version)  So, I'm choosing to believe that God is not a liar!  His will is that "we prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper". 3 John 1:2

Dr. Barry Bennett taught a lesson entitled, "Faith For Healing".

No one wants to think that they aren't believing.  We all have a belief system in our heads which sometimes, many times we confuse for Faith.  When our minds are renewed and we have believed with our minds, we think that this is Faith. But Faith may actually be something else.  Let's look at Faith from another vantage point.  The Word says, "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3 (King James Version)

A great part of our lives is spent renewing our minds.  This is totally scriptural because Romans 12:2 says, "be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind". (King James Version) The problem is that Faith is not from the mind, Faith is from the heart. Romans 10:10 says, "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (King James Version) 

Many times when Jesus healed individuals he proclaimed, "According to your faith be it unto you." Matthew 9:29(King James Version) Faith is not static, Faith is alive. Faith is not a formula. Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (King James Version)   Faith is in the realm of the unseen.  We have to believe it before we see it!

Mark 10:46-52 recounts the story of Blind Bartimaeus. He was positioned on the roadside to beg.  He heard that Jesus was coming his way.  He began to scream, "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me!" (King James Version) Bartimaeus was blind, but he wasn't stupid!  He had heard about the things Jesus was doing, "How that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached." Luke 7:22(King James Version)  He knew by revelation and by the teaching of the prophets, that Jesus was the Messiah!  The phrase "son of David" refers to the Messiah.  He was proclaiming that Jesus was the answer to his need or problem.  Those around him, told him to shut up!  But he cried out even louder!  If some one can shut you up, you don't know that you know that you know!  But if you've seen it in Faith, you won't be stopped! Think about the four men that brought their friend to Jesus.  They couldn't get in through the door, but they made a hole in the roof!  When you are in Faith, you will do what you have to do! The blind man made a demand by Faith on the mercy of God, and Jesus stopped.  Look at what happened then, the same people that told him to shut up, now encouraged him. Don't be swayed by people!  They will tell you that their uncle died from that same disease, then when you get healed they will say "I knew you would make it!"

"Bartimaeus cast aside his beggar’s robe and stepped forward, feeling his way toward Jesus." Mark 46:50 (Voice)  Don't miss this!  He threw away his identity! That beggar's robe identified him as a beggar.  He knew his life was going to change. He knew by Faith he would not be a blind beggar again. He wasn't healed yet, but he believed!  Jesus asked him, "What do you want from Me?" (Voice) He could have asked for anything!  Season tickets to an NFL teams games, the latest Maserati, or millions of dollars. But he asked for his sight!  He knew he could do a lot more if he could only see! Jesus said, "Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace." (Voice)

Proactive Faith - Proactive Faith seizes the moment!  Proactive Faith wakes up in the morning and proclaims, "This Is My Day!" The woman with the issue of blood was demonstrating proactive Faith she said, "within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole." (King James Version)

Reactive Faith - Reactive Faith hears a word and responds.  They may have had no idea their lives would change that day, but they responded immediately and they were healed. Think of the man laid at the Pool of Bethesda.  He'd been in that condition for 38 years!  He had no idea his life would change with a simple question from Jesus. "Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 (Message)

Inactive Faith - Inactive Faith hears the Word and does NOT respond! Inactive Faith is just waiting and hoping.

Dr. Bennett used this analogy.  Think about walking into your bedroom and your cute little dog Fluffy is on the bed.  Fluffy knows she is not supposed to be on the bed. You use your authority and tell her to get off the bed.  No problem. She moves off the bed immediately!  The next day you walk into the bedroom and there is a large black, one-eyed, German Shepherd on the bed.  He growls.  Now, you have a different attitude because you don't know that dog.  All the authority you have with Fluffy doesn't translate to this dog.  This is what sometimes happens in regards to sickness.  We think we know who we are in Christ, then the Doctor says we have 3 weeks to live.  We don't know that dog!  What do we do now?  Glad you asked! We use our Proactive Faith and the authority of the Name of Jesus, and we tell that dog to get off the bed! We rebuke the sickness in the Name of Jesus!  Who's in charge? You or the Dog?

Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (King James Version)  Don't miss this!  Faith and hearing are two different things.  You get faith by hearing, and you get hearing by the Word of God!  When your heart hears the Word Faith comes.  There are two types of faith, Human Faith and the God-kind of Faith.  Human faith has potential. Positive thinking is human faith.  The God-kind of Faith has only ONE source, the Word of God! You must hear and believe the Word of God. Dr. Bennett used this example. He was waiting to be picked up at the airport.  The associate pastor asked the congregation, "Who wants to go with me to pick up Pastor Barry?"  A group agrees to go, but they go to the train station. The pastor is not at the train station.  The group decides to pray that he comes to the train station. Then when that doesn't work they fast, pray, and praise God.  Meanwhile, the pastor is waiting at the airport.  You can't pray for more faith. You can't fast for more faith. You can't praise for more faith.  Faith has ONE source! Hearing the Word!

Jesus made time to pray and commune with God.  He knew the prophecies from the Old Testament. Jesus said, "I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing." John 5:19 (Message)  He knew that he needed a word from God to do what must be done.  We also need a word from the Lord!  Contrary to popular belief we do have a word from the Lord...the BIBLE! Get in the Word, and let the Word get in you! Don't try to do what Jesus did if you won't do what Jesus did!  Jesus was the word made flesh and he said in St. John 15:5, "For apart from me you can do nothing!" (New Living Translation)

"So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:18 (New Living Translation)

Get the Word. See the Word in your heart. Act on the Word.  Faith is aggressive! Faith grows! Faith overcomes the world! Feed your Faith the Word of God, and your doubts will starve to death!

Love and prayers, Cynthia