And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen. It will be granted him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them and they will be granted you.” Mark 11:22-24

The test is this – Whenever we declare something in prayer, do we actually believe it will happen, instead of just hoping it will happen?

If we do, then we are in faith, if not, we are not. Faith is a settled knowing that it will happen, and we no longer have to even think about it. Faith is like throwing a ball in the air and not having to look up to see if it will come back down. Unbelief finishes the prayer wondering if an answer will come back down from Heaven. It won’t. Faith knows that it will, it just does not know exactly when.

It is easy to receive when one has faith, and impossible when one does not. The effort then is to have faith. Read about faith, study the Bible, meditate on the scriptures, and spend quiet time with God. Faith comes by hearing, and God usually speaks in a quiet time with to the scriptures that have already been put in the heart. Faith comes from God, but only as we put His word into our hearts and seek Him. We receive the answer by faith now so that we can receive it later in reality.

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9:27

The things in our lives that were half completed stay half completed. Our most valued possessions become the possessions of someone else. What will I leave undone? What will I leave behind?

I am also reminded of one of the last scenes in the movie Schindler’s List, when Oskar Schindler comes to grips with the good he has done and the realization that he could have done more. He now regrets not selling the few things he still has so that he could have saved more. His possessions mean nothing to him now. He now wonders why they ever meant anything to him at all? What a dramatic change in perspective the end brings.

Albert Einstein was a truly remarkable man. There is much debate on whether he believed in the Judeo-Christian concept of a personal God or not. Of course, I hope he did. But in any case, one day he died and abruptly left all behind. All the things he was working on, all the things he was going to do, all the things he had done, and all the things he had accumulated, all were left behind. What will you leave behind and what will you take with you?

Careful study of the book of Acts will reveal that this is exactly what happened. Everywhere the Gospel was preached, miracles of healing were performed: Acts 5:12, 15, 16; 8:7; 9:33, 34; 14:8-10; 19:11, 12; 28:8.9.

The Gospel which the early church preached was the same one that Jesus had preached. It proclaimed release from bondage and oppression and announced healing to those who were afflicted. Healing was an vital part of the Gospel of the early apostles, as the book of Acts shows. Read Acts 14:8-10 “In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.”

Paul was preaching the “Gospel” at Lystra. There was, in the crowd, a crippled man, who received faith to be healed as he heard Paul speak. It is obvious that what the man “heard” in the good news which Paul preached, was that God was willing and able to heal him. If Paul had not declared that healing was available through the Lord Jesus Christ, the man would not have had the faith to receive it. Faith comes by hearing, and the crippled man received faith for healing by hearing a gospel which proclaimed freedom from sickness.

So even after Jesus’ return to heaven, God’s will was still healing. The reason for the healings which are recorded in the book of Acts was more than verification of the apostles’ ministry. The Bible says that the people came to the apostles from all places and were healed every one by the power of God.

“As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.” Acts 5:15, 16

Proof of ministry would only have required one or two spectacular healings. But the apostles carried out Jesus’ commission to preach and to heal the sick, because it was still God’s will to heal all those who were afflicted with sickness and disease.

Most people who write a comment to our site seeking help are primarily seeking the strength and encouragement to go on. The things of this world and the pressures of this world will drown out the encouragement of God if you allow it. In God, everyone has the possibility of a better future, but depression blocks one from seeing the potential and the hope of that future. And to those who have really been darkened by the blindness of hopelessness, suicide may start to look like a viable solution. IT IS NOT! As the saying goes, “Suicide is a long term solution to a short term problem.” Actually, it is not a solution at all. The problems we are in and the situations that we are going through may not appear like they are short term problems but they are. In light of the rest of our lives and our eternity with God, they surely are.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison 2 Corinthians 4:17 English Standard Version

God is the only viable infallible long term solution and His involvement comes through getting His word inside of us. The first effect of His word in our heart is hope and encouragement. The second effect of His word in our heart is faith and peace. The final result of His word in our heart is the manifestation of the promise – the answer.

“The stars may fall, but God’s promises will stand and be fulfilled.” – J. I. Packer

Allow the goodness of God’s future for you to seep back into your soul. This comes by soaking oneself in the scriptures. The scriptures are encouraging because:

1. God writes good things about what He has in store for each of us. His promises to us are all good and they are all ‘yes and amen’ (II Corinthians 1:20) for each one of us. He does not help one and not help another. “You are valuable because you exist. Not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.” – Max Lucado

2. The scriptures are true and infallible, so you can trust them with your life and your future. They are breathed by God for our personal use. Everything that God has and that God is stands behind his word. “Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.” – George Mueller

3. The Bible is not like every other book. The Bible is ‘Spirit and Life” (John 6:63). When you read and spend time in the word, God’s Spirit and Life gets into you, bit by bit. Let His love and power and grace soak into your heart and soul. It will change you and your life.

Do the simple things necessary to allow the Holy Spirit to encourage your heart on a daily basis. God, in turn, will do the hard and impossible things. Spend time with God and let His love and hope and peace seep back into you. He will restore your life, your soul, and your body. See also Scriptures On Encouragement

They will learn about God creating the world, how Adam and Eve sinned, the foretelling of Jesus in the Old Testament, and the Gospel Story of Christ and the Cross. They will see with their own eyes temples, priests, the Roman Empire, Gospel miracles, and the Resurrection of Christ. And they will hear Jesus talk to them  in their own language.

The Jesus Film is a big really deal. Since 1979, when it was first filmed (it has recently been updated and improved), it has been shown over six billion times worldwide and is now available in over 1,100 languages. It is responsible for over 200 million decisions to accept Christ. Let me say that again – It is responsible for over 200,000,000 new Christians on this earth. And now it can be used by anybody with no permissions necessary. I am going to use it when I go back to the wonderful native people of the Amazon region. I cannot wait. I want to see their faces when they see the face of the Christ talking to them. Watch them cry, as they all do, when He is crucified, and then jump for joy at His resurrection.

Watch a clip of it here for yourself. Learn from it and teach from it. There is incredible power released when native people hear the story of Jesus in their own language. Download the full film – here. Download clips of the film – here.

“Faith is … the evidence [or title deed] of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). In Jeremiah a title deed is repeatedly spoken of as “the evidence.” Your deed is “the evidence” or proof that you own your home. Faith is the title deed to what you have not yet seen. When you have been given a deed to a home, which you have not yet seen, you already have a home before you see it. Jesus repeatedly said, “He that believeth, hath.” Moffatt’s translation of Hebrews 11:1 reads: “Faith means that we are … convinced of what we do not see.”

In Mark 11:24 Jesus commands us to believe we “have received” the things we pray for at the time we pray, without waiting to see or feel them. On this condition He promises, “Ye shall have them.” Faith for the healing of your body is the same as faith for forgiveness. You are to believe, on the authority of God’s Word, that you were forgiven before you felt forgiven. Nothing else is faith, for faith is the evidence of things not seen. As soon as the blessing we take by faith is manifested, faith for that blessing ends.

If you are the beneficiary in a rich man’s will, you are already wealthy the moment the rich man dies, though you have not yet seen any of the money. Just so, everything bequeathed to us in our Lord’s last will and testament is already ours by virtue of the death of Jesus, the Testator. Faith is simply using what belongs to us.

Healing is the same as with forgiveness. We are to believe we “have received” healing at the time we pray, before seeing or feeling it. This is the “confidence” that the Holy Spirit, in Hebrews 10:35-36, tells us not to cast away. The reason is that this confidence “hath great recompense of reward.” Peter tells us that it is the testing of this faith (the faith that we “have received”), which is “more precious than gold.”

We are to believe that our prayer is granted at the time we pray, that we already have what we prayed for before we see it. This is the “confidence” referred to in 1 John 5:14-15: “We know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

The fig tree, which Jesus cursed, dried up, not from the leaves that could be seen, but “from the roots,” which were out of sight. By looking at the leaves, the death of the tree could not be detected at first. This is an excerpt from Chapter 9 of Christ the Healer. See also – Faith Is ‘hupostasis’ – Hebrews 11:1  and  The Life of F.F. Bosworth

Have you ever heard of a person named Abihud? No, no worries, not many people have. He is mentioned only once in the New Testament, in the genealogy of Christ, as the son of Zerubbabel and the father of Eliakim. There are a lot people like Abihud in the Bible, normal folk just like you and me. And like him, few people are going to know or care about us in the future.

Abihud probably lived a normal life doing normal things, nothing spectacular. But it was spectacular because he served a spectacular God. How could he foresee, while living that ordinary life, that someday his name would be included in the legal genealogy of Christ? Someday, just like Abihud, you and I will have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, another book that will last forever.

Each one of us is unique and valuable, just like everybody else. In this current world, being unique and valuable means that in some way we are more important than another person. In God’s new Kingdom, His divine love makes everyone equally important. In God’s Kingdom, everyone is spectacular, unique, and valuable. This is the new normal.

Relax, do your work, live your life, and receive a glorious eternity as a common citizen of the Kingdom of God. There can be nothing better. Anything more than this is pride and vanity. There is only one real superstar in this new Kingdom – Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory. And with that we are more than satisfied. See also – The Glory of Plodding by Kevin DeYoung

Can we have faith if we do not know if He will do it? I think not. There would be no basis for faith. To believe that whatever comes along is God’s will is nonsense. It is like having no goals. How would you know if and when you had received? You would never know what to expect. It would be just as absurd as painting the windshield of your car black and then believing everything you hit was God’s will.

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the (spoken) word of God.” Romans 10:17

Faith begins where the will of God is known. The big quest in the search for faith is the search for God’s specific will. His specific will for you, in your specific situation, and at this specific time. Once you receive the answer to that you either have faith or you don’t. And if you don’t, you now know that you need to seek Him for something else. Finding the will of God is done before you pray, not after. That way, you know what you are praying for and what you are to receive. Prayer is not a crap shoot. It is not throwing some prayer against the wall to see if it will stick.

Knowing God can do it is the basis of hope. Knowing God will do it is the basis of faith. There are those that do not believe you can know the will of God. They do not believe that God speaks personally to individuals today. And all their theology stems from that incorrect view. God does still speak to individuals today and He wants you to seek Him till you hear Him. And when you do hear Him you will have the answer to your hope. Then you will know – not only that He can do it, but that He will do it. And upon that you can walk through fire or stormy seas.

“Therefore, keep up your courage men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.” Acts 27:25

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.”John 14:10

And Jesus said over and over:

Luke 8:48 “And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

It was God the Father responding to the faith of the individual. Jesus never said anything along the lines of, “I heal you, be made whole.” He usually just stated the fact that they were now healed and made whole. And almost every time He attributed it to their faith. Jesus was the instigator and facilitator of the miracles but it was the individual’s faith and the confirming work of the Father that actually accomplished the healing. Jesus only did whatever He saw and heard from the Father.

Make no mistake, Jesus was and is 100% God, and we worship Him. And He is the Author and Goal of our faith, but while on earth He also walked as 100% Man. The Incarnation is one of the great mysteries of the Bible.  Now that we have the Holy Spirit indwelling within us, we are to do likewise.

In John chapter 14, Jesus goes on to say that we will do the same type of miracles because He goes on to the Father. Now we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, are to continue the role of instigators and facilitators, to bring people to a place of faith so that they too can believe and receive a miracle from God. Paul, like Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, sought out people who had faith and cooperated in their healing:

And there sat a certain man at Lystra, weak in his feet, being a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet. And he leaped and walked. Acts 14:8-10

We are healed today in the exact same way as the people in the Bible – by faith in God. We are now to believe and pray to the Father in Jesus Name.

“…so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” John 15:16b

“And there was a battle in heaven, Michael and his angels battled with the dragon. And (the dragon) did not prevail, Neither was his place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon was cast down, The Ancient Serpent, He who is called The Devil and Satan, Who leads astray the whole world, And he was cast down to the earth And with him his angels were cast down.” Revelation 12:7-9

We are now in the midst of this conflict, and there is no way around it. We are not to seek conflict but if we stand up for truth and God’s blessing we will find it. The Christian walk is the divine path of undesired conflict. This conflict arises when the behaviors and beliefs of Christ, who is in us, confronts the evil world around us. The path of faith is most often than not the road to spiritual war.

Our fight thought is mostly in the spirit, and is fought with weapons found in the word of God. The Bible tells us that the weapons of our warfare are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds. We are told not to tolerate the devil’s work in your life. We are also told not to tolerate doubt, unbelief, and fear. Rather, we are to rise up in faith and kick him out of our lives, and “Possess the Land” that God has given us. We can do this because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. II Corinthians 10:4 ESV

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. II Corinthians 10:4 NIV

“…in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,” II Corinthians 6:7 NASB

God has given us great and precious promises, but we must do our part to rise up in the authority of these great promises and “drive out” the enemy by faith. We as Christians must develop a hatred for the devil trying to take away the blessings that belong to us. We must rise up with a warrior spirit, born out of the Holy Spirit of God, and say, “No devil you are not doing this to me, you are not taking this away from me.” We need to step outside of our feelings and take an aggressive step of faith in order to destroy the devil’s strongholds in our lives.

CONFESSION: I refuse the spirit of self-pity. I choose to rise up in faith and throw the devil and all of his strongholds out of my life. I will not tolerate his work of doubt and unbelief in my life. I will not tolerate fear. I will seek God’s word and God’s face, and I will walk in faith. This is my choice, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will live in power and victory!