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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Faith That Heals
“Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed from that moment.” Matthew 9:22 (NIV)
We read several accounts of Jesus healings where he commends someone’s faith. Jesus told the people that the Centurion possessed faith to such a degree that he had not seen in Israel. He spoke to the woman with the bloody discharge, saying she was healed because of her faith. What does it take to have the kind of faith that allows us to be healed? Honestly speaking, at this point in my life, I am unsure of the answer.
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.(Hebrews 11:1 NIV)
Bible scholars tell us we have two words to describe faith--*sure* and *certain*. Faith combines assurance and anticipation. In our walk with Jesus, we find ourselves finding peace about certain issues that enter our lives. During the first Gulf War, a friend worried about her son and her younger daughter who were over there. One day she stood in her kitchen praying for them. She felt led to remember earlier times when God had intervened and spared these two young people. God reminded her of these benchmarks of their relationship. Just knowing that God had done so much for her children strengthened her faith that He would keep them safe.
In order to have a growing faith in God, we have to have a close relationship with Him and His Son. A relationship can only come about by persons spending time with each other. Before people can spend time together, they have to be introduced to each other.
Faith, not Doubt
“Jesus replied, ‘ I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, buy also you can say to this mountain-Go throw yourself into the sea-and it will be done. If you believe, whatever you ask for in prayer.’” Matthew 21:21-22 (NIV)
As children of God we sometimes have to learn to trust in God. Having said this, we should take time and look at how, when, and why we need to have an ever expanding faith in our Heavenly Father.
When we begin to grow in the Lord, we become aware of our need to rely upon God and His Word. One way we learn to develop our faith is to surrender everything to God. We are to practice this for ALL our concerns-physical, financial, relational, emotional, and familial.
What we sometimes do is forget that we have to surrender our cares and concerns ALL the time. As God’s children, we have to remember that certain issues come into our lives that we can’t do anything about. These circumstances loom in our surroundings and one day appear, seeming to be more complex than what we thought. They bother us-we can’t ignore them-they almost overcome us. Until we remember God stands there beside us and waits for us to realize that we will be better off if we give the problem, no matter the size, to Him.
After we realize how and when we need to let Jesus have the issue, we have to understand why. Simply stated, we need to exercise out trust in God because He *IS* God. He made us; He loves us and wants what’s best for our lives.When we learn these features of how our Christian life works, we can call Him our Friend.
Faith Others Can See
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” Luke 5:20 (NIV)
Jesus drew a large crowd-Pharisees and teachers from all over Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The Lord’s presence allowed Jesus to heal the sick. Four men entered the venue carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat. The crowd was too great for them to enter the house and lay their impaired friend before Jesus. These four friends got creative and cut a hole in the roof of the house and lowered him on his mat through. Jesus saw the faith these men possessed and forgave the paralytic his sins.
Can people see our faith? Is what we possess so strong that others know it is real? Do we rely on God to carry us through the difficult times? As children of God, we should have a faith that is strong. We need to rely on Him to help us resolve issues in our lives. The faith we possess should be what guides us in relationships to the point that others can see our faith propelling our actions and attitudes as we deal with others. Our faith should be the anchor that keeps us safe from harm. It should guide us through the stormy days of our lives. We have times we don’t know the outcome of the issues we face. It is then that our faith comes into play and gives us the strength, the courage, and the wisdom we need to see us through to the end.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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