Study from God’s Word… More selections from the Synoptic Gospels by Dr. Smith revealing Jesus traveling through upper Galilee, teaching his Disciples about their inability to see Jesus’ kingdom teachings clearly ... see passage references on pages 1410 – 1415 of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order … Passage for Reflection: Mark 9: 24 [from the description of Jesus confronting the faith of a father whose boy was demon possessed and epileptic – the father desperate for his son’s healing – see Mark 9: 14-29]… NIV Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed [at Jesus’ inquiry as to his faith), “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith begins his devotional entry for this date with a faith challenge. He writes the following questions (answer each with a simple “YES or NO”) …
• Do you believe that Jesus is The Christ, … the Son of the living God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe in the virgin birth? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God? … YES/NO
• Do you believe that, with enough faith, you could literally move a mountain from one location to another? … YES/NO
Well, if you’re like me – as a Bible-believing, staunch follower of Jesus Christ, you were confident of responding “YES” to the first three of these questions. Then your answer to the fourth question might have been a bit more – if not a lot – more hesitant.
Today Dr. Smith, as the editor of The Daily Bible in Chronological Order, took his readers and students of Scripture through sections of the Synoptic Gospels where Jesus was trying to give His inner twelve Disciples a deeper understanding of how they needed to have a more committed faith in Him as THE Messiah and the Son of God. We see, as Jesus was traveling through the northern regions of Galilee, before He would head back to Jerusalem and to Calvary, the Disciples had come to the place where they really desired to place their faith in this man, Jesus, as their Messiah. Three of the twelve had even been given a walk up Mount Herman and witnessed Jesus transfigured and speaking with Moses and Elijah. The Disciples had been sent out into the countryside and had been empowered, by Jesus, with the ability to heal the sick and raise the dead. Yet, even after this, upon their return to Jesus, the Lord perceived that their faith in Him was inadequate.
Because in the scenario which is presented in the text today from Mark 9: 14-29 [linked here], we read that the twelve inner disciples, having returned from their ministry travels in the countryside, two-by-two, were perplexed that they could not heal a boy who was epileptic and demon-possessed. And so Jesus, showed them, and the boy’s father, that even a small faith in JESUS Himself, was strong enough to heal and cast out demons.
And we read that prayer of the father (above), where he recognized that his faith in Jesus was there, but incomplete; and he honestly responded to Jesus’ inquiry about his faith with a simple prayer to Jesus to help him in his unbelief. Oh, my friends, that’s a prayer we all need to be diligently praying more often, especially in these days which try our faith.
Back to the three questions above: Do we recognize that our faith is not, as some Word-of-Faith teachers claim these days, in our own faith? Our faith, as God’s word clearly states (see Eph. 2: 8-9), comes from God’s enabling/empowering grace. Yes, we must receive, by faith, God’s grace; and it is our own ability to do that which determines whether, in God’s scheme of things, we can or cannot move mountains. As Dr. Smith says in his devotional for today, ”Believing the affirmations of Christian faith is light-years away from having the depth of faith that makes those affirmations fully empowering. Most of us are staunch believers and fearful unbelievers … all at the same time. Were there not so great a gap of faith in all of us, Everest itself would have reason to tremble!”
And that, my friends and reader-followers, pretty well describes my faith – or lack thereof. How about you?
My Prayer for Today: Lord, help me today in my unbelief!! Amen
Showing posts with label faith healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith healing. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Thursday, June 03, 2010
2010 – June 03 – Too Little Faith from the Faithful
Study from God’s Word… 1Kings 15: 8-11 [2Chron. 14: 1-5]; 2Chron. 14: 6-8; 1Kgs 14: 19-20 [2Chron. 13: 20]; 1Kgs 15: 25-26; 1Kgs 15: 31, 27-30; 1Kgs 25: 33-34; 2Chron 14: 9-15; 2Chron 15: 1-7; 1Kgs 15: 12, 14, 15 [2Chron 15: 8, 17-18]; 2Chron 15: 19; 2Chron 15: 9-15; 1Kgs 15: 13 [2Chron 15: 16]; 1Kgs 15: 16-17, 32 [2Chron 16: 1]; 1Kgs 15: 18-21 [2Chron 16: 2-5]; 1Kgs 15: 22 [2Chron 16: 6]; 2Chron 16: 7-10; 1Kgs 16: 7, 1-4; 1Kgs 16: 5-6, 8, 14; 1Kgs 16: 9-10; 1Kgs 16: 15; 1Kgs 16: 11-13, 20; 1Kgs 16: 15-19; 1Kgs 16: 21, 31, 22-29; 1Kgs 21: 25-26, 34; 1Kgs 15: 23b [2Chron 16: 12]-14; 1Kgs 15: 23-24 [2Chron 16: 11, 13]; 1Kgs 15: 23-24 [2Chron 16: 11, 13-14]; 1Kgs 22: 43, 46-47 [2Chron 20: 32-33]; 2Chron 17: 2-19; 1Kgs 22: 44 … Passage for Reflection: 2nd Chronicles 16: 12 … NIV 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.
My Journal for Today: Reading through the Passages edited by Dr. Smith today, we see the faithful in the divided Hebrew peoples being pitted against the faithless. It is a stark contrast, where, in the North the tribes of Israel did not follow the ways of God; and in the South, the tribes under two primary kings of Judah, Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat, basically followed the ways of God, even having God’s Law taught throughout the land. And God, true to His promise, blessed the people of Judah in the South and cursed those who were disobedient in the North. The application of that should have obvious application for all of us today, shouldn’t it?
But in today’s highlighted passage, and Dr. Smith’s devotional, we see that even the faithful can wane in their faith, trusting more in man than God. And this is illustrated by an illness of his feet incurred by Asa, one of those “good kings” in Judah; and Asa had been a man who pursued, by faith, God’s ways through God’s word. But in this one instance, when his foot ailment became too bothersome, he did what many of us believers would do; … he went to the doctors for help. But we read that he put all of his trust in the physicians for his healing; and if you read on in 1st Kings, you see that Asa died a couple of years later, apparently related to the disease in his feet (though that is not totally clear in Scripture). The question arises, … did Asa, this man of faith, die prematurely because he was unable or unwilling to take His health issues to God as well as to man (i.e., the physicians).
And Dr. Smith asks the very revealing and probing self examination question at the end of today’s devotional: ”When illness comes my way, do I ever make an appointment with the Great Physician?” Do we rely too heavily on earthly doctors when we’re sick, shying away from Peter’s exhortation (in 1st Peter 5: 7) to cast ALL our cares on God, Who truly cares for us; or ignoring Paul’s directive (in Phil. 4: 6-7) to cast aside anxiety and take our concerns to our infinitely faithful God, seeking His peace for the direction [or healing] we’re pursuing.
I’m an Elder in our church; and each week we have the privilege to be available to follow, in faith, the directions provided for healing prayer in James 5: 13-16 - linked. And when some from our flock come forward, in faith, as described in this exhortation from God through James, we are so privileged to pray for our brothers/sisters in Christ for healing. And we do so with expectation, because of God’s promises in His word. Now, we don’t know how or when the healing will take place; but if someone has come forward – in faith – having confessed their sins [see 1st John 1: 9], and carrying out the dictates of God’s word; and we Elders pray – in faith – expecting God to intervene, we KNOW that God’s healing will take place. As I said, we just don’t know how or when. And yes, the healing could be by God taking the person to be with Jehovah-Rapha, the God Who heals, by heavenly interdiction.
As Dr. Smith puts it today, “It is amazing how many people of faith, like Asa, minimize the power of God to work directly in the healing process.” So, the next time you are downed by health concerns, I hope you’ll realize that God cares for even small health challenges, like maybe a tension headache. But when ill health is overwhelming, consider a source of healing way above man’s expert and educated healing processes. Jehovah-Rapha is waiting to use doctors and earthly healing techniques; and if He so chooses, He can bypass all of that and just do it all Himself. And we Elders in our church have seen that happen on many occasions. But you may ask, “Does it always happen?” And I’d have to say honestly, “No.” But I know that bypassing God as the Great Physician and having faith only in worldly doctors is short-circuiting God, by lack of faith, the greatest source of healing we have available to us; and that’s just plain pride-filled foolishness.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m convicted by my own shoulder pain today to do what I’m so privileged to do for others and that’s to take my own healing to You in prayer; and my prayer of surrender and submission is directed there today. Thank You, Lord. You are my Jehovah Rapha. Amen
My Journal for Today: Reading through the Passages edited by Dr. Smith today, we see the faithful in the divided Hebrew peoples being pitted against the faithless. It is a stark contrast, where, in the North the tribes of Israel did not follow the ways of God; and in the South, the tribes under two primary kings of Judah, Asa and his son, Jehoshaphat, basically followed the ways of God, even having God’s Law taught throughout the land. And God, true to His promise, blessed the people of Judah in the South and cursed those who were disobedient in the North. The application of that should have obvious application for all of us today, shouldn’t it?
But in today’s highlighted passage, and Dr. Smith’s devotional, we see that even the faithful can wane in their faith, trusting more in man than God. And this is illustrated by an illness of his feet incurred by Asa, one of those “good kings” in Judah; and Asa had been a man who pursued, by faith, God’s ways through God’s word. But in this one instance, when his foot ailment became too bothersome, he did what many of us believers would do; … he went to the doctors for help. But we read that he put all of his trust in the physicians for his healing; and if you read on in 1st Kings, you see that Asa died a couple of years later, apparently related to the disease in his feet (though that is not totally clear in Scripture). The question arises, … did Asa, this man of faith, die prematurely because he was unable or unwilling to take His health issues to God as well as to man (i.e., the physicians).
And Dr. Smith asks the very revealing and probing self examination question at the end of today’s devotional: ”When illness comes my way, do I ever make an appointment with the Great Physician?” Do we rely too heavily on earthly doctors when we’re sick, shying away from Peter’s exhortation (in 1st Peter 5: 7) to cast ALL our cares on God, Who truly cares for us; or ignoring Paul’s directive (in Phil. 4: 6-7) to cast aside anxiety and take our concerns to our infinitely faithful God, seeking His peace for the direction [or healing] we’re pursuing.
I’m an Elder in our church; and each week we have the privilege to be available to follow, in faith, the directions provided for healing prayer in James 5: 13-16 - linked. And when some from our flock come forward, in faith, as described in this exhortation from God through James, we are so privileged to pray for our brothers/sisters in Christ for healing. And we do so with expectation, because of God’s promises in His word. Now, we don’t know how or when the healing will take place; but if someone has come forward – in faith – having confessed their sins [see 1st John 1: 9], and carrying out the dictates of God’s word; and we Elders pray – in faith – expecting God to intervene, we KNOW that God’s healing will take place. As I said, we just don’t know how or when. And yes, the healing could be by God taking the person to be with Jehovah-Rapha, the God Who heals, by heavenly interdiction.
As Dr. Smith puts it today, “It is amazing how many people of faith, like Asa, minimize the power of God to work directly in the healing process.” So, the next time you are downed by health concerns, I hope you’ll realize that God cares for even small health challenges, like maybe a tension headache. But when ill health is overwhelming, consider a source of healing way above man’s expert and educated healing processes. Jehovah-Rapha is waiting to use doctors and earthly healing techniques; and if He so chooses, He can bypass all of that and just do it all Himself. And we Elders in our church have seen that happen on many occasions. But you may ask, “Does it always happen?” And I’d have to say honestly, “No.” But I know that bypassing God as the Great Physician and having faith only in worldly doctors is short-circuiting God, by lack of faith, the greatest source of healing we have available to us; and that’s just plain pride-filled foolishness.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I’m convicted by my own shoulder pain today to do what I’m so privileged to do for others and that’s to take my own healing to You in prayer; and my prayer of surrender and submission is directed there today. Thank You, Lord. You are my Jehovah Rapha. Amen
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