Praying in Faith, Healing the Sick

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. (James 5:13-5)

Is anyone troubled, afflicted, undergoing hardship? The appropriate response is to take it to the Lord in prayer. Peter said, “Cast all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God cares enough to do something about all the things that worry us. (See How to Cast Your Cares)

Is anyone happy, of good cheer, free from care? The appropriate response is to give thanks and praise, making melody to the Lord. Perhaps James has in mind the previous situation where someone was afflicted, but is now free from care because He cast it upon the Lord.

What if someone is sick, feeble, diseased, without strength? Then the appropriate response is for him to call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a one is, apparently, too sick to go to the elders; he must call for them to come to him.

Up until now, it might seem like James is simply suggesting ways to cope, to learn to live with adversity. But in the next verse we see that that is not his attitude at all. No, he actually expects to get results:

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up! (v. 15)

There is no if about it. When you offer the prayer of faith over this fellow, he will recover; the Lord will raise him up from his sickbed.

The problem many people have when they pray for the sick is that they do not pray in faith; they pray in ifs: “If it be Thy will.” That sounds good and pious, but it is not how Jesus went about healing, nor is it how He taught His disciples to go about healing.

When He sent them out, is was not so they could go and pray if it was the Father’s will. He sent them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and cast out demons (Mark 3:14-15). And that is exactly what they did:

So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast our many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. (Mark 6:13)

They understood the prayer of faith, that it is not about finding out if it is God’s will to heal, but that, yes, it is God’s will to heal, otherwise Jesus would not have sent them out.

The prayer of faith has no wavering to it. In the first chapter of his letter, James says,

But let him ask in faith, with not doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that ma suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)

Then in chapter 5, he says this:

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:16-17)

The Greek phrase translated “he prayed earnestly,” literally means he prayed prayer! In other words, he was able to accomplish what he did because he knew how to pray the prayer of faith. (See The Effective, Fervent Prayer of Elijah)

When we begin to understand that Jesus is the perfect expression of the Father’s will (John 5:19, 30; John 8:28,29); that He never turned away anyone who came to Him for healing, but healed them all (Matthew 9:35; Luke 6:17-19); that He bore our sicknesses and pains, and by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 8:16-17; 1 Peter 2:24) — then we will begin to heal as Jesus and His disciples did. Our prayer will not be if, but when. It will not be please, but thank You! That is the prayer of faith.

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Healing Scriptures and Prayers
by Jeff Doles

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Declarations for Morning and Evening

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night.

(Psalm 92:1-2)

When you got out of bed this morning, what did you declare? Was is the lovingkindness of the Lord? If not, you missed out on a sure thing — a good thing. Before you went to bed last night, did you speak about the faithfulness of God? If not, you missed out on another good thing.

The Hebrew word for “declare” is nagad. It means to report conspicuously, to announce boldly, to declare, proclaim, and make known with certainty.

As those who have been reconciled to the Father by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have wonderful things to declare every morning and every evening: His loving kindness and His faithfulness.

The Hebrew word for “lovingkindness” is chesed. It is the steadfast love and mercy of God, which He has promised to always show to His people. The word for “faithfulness” is emunah and is based on the word for “faith.” Today, we say that “faithful” means “trustworthy.” That is absolutely true, but it misses an important point: God is trustworthy because He is faithful, that is, full of faith. We can trust God to do what He promises because He believes everything He says and fully expects to see it come to pass.

What does it mean to declare His lovingkindness every morning? It is the bold proclamation that the lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with you all through the day. There will not be any moment of the day in which He has forgotten the love He has for you, or the promises He has made to you. This is an announcement you make by faith, trusting completely in Him. What a way to start the day.

How about declaring His faithfulness every evening? Take a moment before you go to bed and see how the Lord has been good to you, how He has kept His promise to you, how it was right on target for you to put all your trust in Him. But don’t just see it; say it!. Make a bold proclamation of it: “God has been faithful to me today.” Even if you don’t see it, declare it anyway, because it is true; because we walk by faith, not by sight; and because it will help you become more aware of God’s faithfulness the next day. It will also help get a good night’s sleep.

When you wake up tomorrow morning, even before you get out of bed, open your mouth and declare to yourself and all the world, “The lovingkindness of the Lord is going to be with me all day today.” In the evening, as you review your day, boldly announce, “God has been faithful to me today. But don’t just whisper it. If your surroundings permit, without disturbing the peace of others, get loud with it. Shout it out, even. It will break the bondage and cast off the chains of some things in your life, and your declaration will become even more confident.

Holy Saturday

On this Holy Saturday, we remember that Jesus, crucified on Good Friday, was dead for three days. We know His body lay in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathaea. But what of His spirit?

The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe … He descended into hell.” Today we think of “hell” as the place of the damned, but the word “hell,” as used here, refers only to the place of the dead.

To the thief crucified next to Him, and who believed on Him, Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Then, before He died, He cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46).

By the former, He may have only been referring to the blessed place of the dead, known as Paradise, or Abraham’s Bosom. By the latter, He may have only meant that He committed His human spirit to the Father to do as the Father desired. There was a separation of His spirit and His body, but when He was made alive again the third day, spirit and body fully united.

Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. (Ephesians 4:8-10)

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:6-9)

The important thing to know is that, wherever Jesus was on this day, He did not remain there.

The Restoration of Glory

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)

We were created to bear the glory of God. Indeed, we were created to be the glory of God on the earth. That is why we were created in the image of God, given the breath of God, and made to be “speaking spirits.” Adam and Eve were covered in divine glory, until the day they disobeyed God.

Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and hid myself.” (Genesis 3:9-10)

Look again at why Adam was afraid. He did not say, “I was afraid because I disobeyed,” but “because I was naked.” When Adam sinned, he disconnected from God, and he immediately became aware that he was no longer clothed — the glory of God had departed!

Think of a light bulb that has been unscrewed from its socket. It is cut off from the power source and cannot function as it was intended. When that happens, we say that the lights are dead.

That is what happened with Adam and Eve. The day they sinned was the day they died. And that is the legacy they passed on to all of us. We are the heirs of their death. That is why the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

But, thank God, there is also another inheritance they left behind — the promise of restoration. God immediately had a plan to deliver them from their terrible predicament, but it would require a terrible price.

Adam and Eve, seeing that the glory was gone, tried to replace it with something sewn together out of fig leaves, but that crude covering could never do. A divine solution was needed, so God made tunics of skin, and that required the shedding of blood (Genesis 3:21). This was just a stopgap measure, but it pointed toward a divine covering. To the deceiving serpent, God said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).

This is the first promise of Messiah, the coming Deliverer, who save His people from their sins. And so, though the wages of sin is death, the Bible goes on to say, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

How does this happen? The Bible says, “For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). A great exchange has taken place, and it happened on the cross:

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might received the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

This is the message of the Gospel — the Good News. It is the return of the righteousness of God in our lives, and that is the restoration of the glory. That is why Paul declared,

But we are bond to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14)

Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)

For all those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him, that glory is now present, though it is not fully apparent. We are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, but it will not be fully revealed until He returns at the end of this present age. The apostle John said,

Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (1 John 3:2)

We were created to wear the glory of God. Though we have fallen far short, God has given His Son, Jesus, to bring us back to the Father and clothe us in His righteousness, to restore us to glory.

A New Commandment

A new commandment I give to you that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)

We have come to the end of the season of Lent. Today is Holy Thursday, which commemorates the institution of the Lord's Supper. It is also called Maundy Thursday because of the new commandment Jesus gave His disciples to love one another (maundy comes from an Old Latin term for “mandate” or “command”).

One day, a scribe asked Jesus which was the first and greatest commandment. Jesus answered:

The first of all the commandments is: “Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD you God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31)

James, the brother of the Lord Jesus, understood the law of love: “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well” (James 2:8).

John, who has been called the “apostle of love,” also understood this very well. In his first letter, he wrote:

Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. (1 John 2:7-10)

In his Gospel, John called Jesus “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9). In Christ we no longer belong to the darkness, which is passing away, but are of the light, which is already shining. The essence and expression of this light is love. Those who do not love are living in darkness; those who walk in love are those who walk in the light of Christ — it is, in fact, his love which is being expressed through them.

The apostle Paul was captured by the commandment of love:

Owe no one anything except to love one another; for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Love does not harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 8-10)

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:13-14)

Love is about much more than refraining from harming another. Love is proactive — it is the nature of love to give and to serve.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. (John 15:13)

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)

Tomorrow, Good Friday, we will celebrate the greatest act of love: The Father gave his Son; the Son gave his life to save us from our sins and the power of death. But on the night he was betrayed, and abandoned by all, and knowing full well what was about to happen, he gave this commandment to his disciples: “Love one another.”

In Jesus Christ, we belong, not to that which is passing away, but to that which has already begun to shine. When we walk in love, we are abiding in the light of Christ.

About Forgiveness

Thought I’d take a moment to compile a few posts I’ve written about forgiving others. That is such a major issue for so many people, and it is also one of the biggest hindrances to faith.

• Forgiving and Being Forgiven
• Faith Requires Forgiveness
• Faith and Forgiveness
• Don't Let the devil Outsmart You
• A Monk’s Tale of Forgiveness
• Is It Always Right to Forgive?

Faith is Not Generic

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Many people think of faith in a vague, generic sort of way. “Oh, just have faith,” they say. But faith in what? Many Christians are the same way: “Just have faith in God.” But what about God? What can we believe God to do for us? And how can we know?

Generic faith will not do. Fortunately, the kind of faith the Bible talks about is anything but generic. It has a specificity to it. The apostle John said,

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

John speaks of confidence and relates it directly to the will of God. Someone has said that faith begins where the will of God is known. If something is not in the will of God, there is no reason or basis for us to believe that it will be so. It is only when God has spoken and expressed His will concerning a matter that we can begin to have faith that it will come to pass.

Has God made His will known? Yes, He has, in His Word. He has revealed His will and His ways by the words He has spoken. Ultimately, we see His will expressed in Jesus Christ, the Living Word. For Jesus said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

It is possible for us to have faith only when we know the will of God. And it is possible for us to know the will of God only because He has revealed it to us in His Word. That is the essence of faith — confidence in the Word of God.

Now, sometimes we might pray, “Thy will be done,” because we don’t know or have not yet understood God’s will about a particular situation. That is a prayer of consecration — we are giving it over to God to do with as He wills. But even then, it is based on the revelation that God is good and wise, and His will is always best.

But in most things, we can search out the will of God in the Scriptures, where He has revealed His ways and expressed His promises for every area of life. As we receive those Scriptures and mediate on them in our hearts, the Holy Spirit will bring forth faith, not generically, but specifically.

Biblical faith, the only kind of faith worth having, comes only by hearing the Word of God.

Words Were Made to be Heard

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17)

Words were made to be heard. Yes, I know, and you are correct. You are indeed reading these words, seeing on the page (or the monitor) what I have written down. But in the process of reading, there is a little voice inside you that is decoding and speaking these words to you, even as your eyes are scanning them. You can hear that voice inside as you read along. Often, people even move their lips when they read. Why? Because they are giving utterance to that little voice. In fact, it is difficult, if not impossible, to shut the little guy up. So even when you are reading, you are actually hearing.

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” It does not come by seeing. In another place, Paul said, “We walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7). No, faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God. It is when the Word becomes internalized by the Holy Spirit that it comes alive inside you and brings forth faith.

When that happens, it is actually the voice of the Holy Spirit you have been hearing. The Bible says that “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Words were made to be heard, and we were created to be spirits who speak with the very breath of God. God puffed the breath of life from His lips into Adam’s nostrils, and Adam became a living being (Genesis 2:7). An ancient Aramaic translation/commentary on this passage says that Adam became a “speaking spirit.”

The Word of God was made to be spoken, and we were made to speak it. Not only that, but all of heaven and earth are tuned to the Word of God. That is how everything was created in the first place. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). God spoke, and it all came into existence. God said … and there was (see Genesis 1).

The Bible says that all creation is eagerly waiting for the Sons of God to be revealed (Romans 8:19). How will they be revealed? By their words. We were created to have dominion on the earth, and we exercise that dominion by speaking the Word of God to it. Creation is tuned to the Word of God and eagerly waits to hear it come forth from our lips. It will respond to the voice of His Word. That is why Moses could speak the Word of God to the rock in the wilderness and cause it to bring forth water. That is why Jesus could stand in the boat and speak to the wind and waves, “Peace, be still,” and the obeyed. And that is why, when He spoke to the fig tree, He used it as an opportunity to teach His disciples about speaking to mountains.

You were created both to hear the Word of God and to speak it to the world.

Giddy With Joy in His Strength

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!
You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips.

(Psalm 21:1-2)

In the first line of this psalm, consider the relationship between joy and strength:

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD.

Now, compare it with Nehemiah 8:10:

The joy of the LORD is your strength.

Here we discover a wonderful reciprocal truth:

The joy of the LORD is your strength; the strength of the LORD is your joy!

[It is like what we saw in an earlier blog: Ordained Strength, Perfected Praise.]

The strength of the Lord is His power, the ability of God to do great and mighty things. We might think of the joy of the Lord as His goodness, His kindness — the willingness of God to show favor to His people and bless them. It is His will, His pleasure, His delight to do so. When I realize that God is ready, willing and able to bless me and show me good, that fills me with joy and gives me strength to keep going.

So who is this king who has joy in the Lord? Since David is the psalmwriter here, he is first talking about himself, but in the third person.

Second, it can apply equally well to any king who turns and trusts in the Lord; the strength of the Lord will be their joy and the joy of the Lord will be their strength. Now, the truth of Creation is that you and I were made to be kings of the earth; we were created in the image of God to represent God on the earth (see Kings of the World).

Ultimately, it applies to King Jesus Himself, who came to restore His kingdom, His domain, to righteousness. He came preaching that the kingdom of God is now here, demonstrating its power and presence by healing signs and miracles of deliverance. He taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven!” After His death, burial and resurrection, He ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father, where He rules and reigns forever. God also raised us up with Him, in the Spirit, and has seated us in Him in that place of ruling and reigning. His kingship restores our kingship.

And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

The word for “salvation” here is yeshuah, the name form of which is Yeshua, the Hebrew name for Jesus. Salvation, kingship and all the fullness of divinity and humanity are embodied in Jesus. No wonder there is gladness and joy for every king who understands this.

You have given him his heart’s desire,
And have not withheld the request of his lips.

God grants the heart’s desire of all who delight in Him (Psalm 37:4, see You Become Like What You Delight In). He did it for David. He certainly does it for Jesus; and He will do it for you, too. Jesus said,

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:12-14)

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. (John 15:16)

Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. (John 16:23-24)

The Father does not deny the Son, and the Son has authorized all those who belong to Him to ask in His name. The assurance is that those who ask in His name will receive what they ask.

Now, asking in Jesus’ name is not about tacking on “in Jesus’ name” to the end of your prayers. It is not some kind of magic talisman. Nor is it about asking Jesus to pray to the Father for you. For He said,

In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. (John 16:26-27)

By His blood, shed on the cross, Jesus has reconciled to the Father all those who believe in Him. We do not need to ask Jesus; we can ask the Father directly, in the name of Jesus. That means we come to Him on the basis of what Jesus has done for us. To ask in Jesus’ name means to ask as Jesus would ask on our behalf. When we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He has promised, “You will receive, that your joy may be full.” That brings us back around to the beginning of Psalm 21:

The king shall have joy in Your strength, O LORD;
And in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

The word for “joy” means to be lighthearted and glad. The word for “rejoice” refers to giddy joy, one that whirls and twirls and spins with delight. That is fullness of joy.

Take your place of kingship in Jesus. Let the strength of the Lord be your joy, and the joy of the Lord be your strength. Delight in Him and ask of Him freely, in Jesus’ name. He will not withhold the request of your lips, but will give you your heart’s desire—that your joy may be full.

The Power That Works in You

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

The Greek word for “power” is dunamis, the ability to get things done. Notice that God is not only able to do superabundantly above all we can ask or imagine according to His own power, but more precisely, according to the power that works in us. It is His power, of course, but it is present in us to work in this wonderful way.

How can that be?

Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus promised the disciples, “You shall receive power [dunamis] when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

By the dunamis of the Holy Spirit at work in them, the disciples would be witnesses concerning the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. A witness is one who brings evidence or produces proof. By this power, the disciples not only preached boldly in the name of Jesus, but in His name they performed signs, wonders and miracles, just as Jesus had done.

Preaching to Cornelius, the apostle Peter spoke of this same power at work in Jesus:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power [dunamis], who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Although He is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, that is not how Jesus performed His miracles of healing and exorcism. Rather, it was by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in Him—that same power He promised would come on His disciples. By that power, God is able to do much more than we can ask or even imagine.

Remember the woman with the issue of blood who came up behind Jesus, saying to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.” She did, and she was. She felt healing power flow into her body (see Matthew 9:20-22).

Jesus was not even aware of her until she received healing power from Him. He turned around and said, “Who touched me?” Peter answered, “Lord, there’s a lot of people pressing in all around — and You want to know who touched You?” Jesus said, “Yes, I know somebody touched me, because I felt dunamis flow out of me” (see Luke 8:43-48).

Jesus had not asked the Father for this woman’s healing, nor did He think about her being healed. He did not even know she was there — until she touched Him in faith. It was her faith that released the healing power which was resident in Jesus.

Consider the extent of this great power, which we receive by faith. In Ephesians 1, Paul prayed that we would know

What is the exceeding greatness of His power [dunamis] toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is name, no only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:19-21)

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, the same power that was at work in Him is also at work in you. By that power, God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or imagine — and it is released by faith. That is the way it is supposed to be from now on. Glory be to the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Delighting in Instruction

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.

(Psalm 1:2)

Here is a man who finds no pleasure in the counsel of the ungodly, the path of the sinner, or the seat of the mocker (v. 1). No, he takes his pleasure elsewhere, in the law of the Lord.

At first glance, it might look like this guy is a serious rule-keeper and point-scorer, that he is all about the “regs” (regulations). But that is to misunderstand what the law of the Lord is all about. Rule-keeping is about the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That’s the death-dealing fruit Adam and Eve partook of in the Garden. But the law of the Lord is about personal relationship with the living God. It is the Tree of Life that Adam and Eve chose not to eat.

We have been conditioned, largely by the translation of the Hebrew word torah as “law,” to think in terms of rules and regulations instead of relationship. We also have a negative idea of what law is all about, so we tend to think of the law of the Lord as that set of rules God is waiting for us to violate, so He can zap us.

Not so!

The Hebrew word torah, can just as well be translated as “instruction,” “direction,” or “teaching.” The law of the Lord is not about God waiting to drop the bomb on us, but it is His direction, to help us live effective, productive, even joyful lives. It is His instruction manual for planet earth, the manufacturer’s guide for optimum performance.

We think of this law, primarily, as the “Ten Commandments.” But that is not what the Scriptures call them. In Hebrew, they are the “Ten Words.” We also think of them as “thou shalt nots.” But these are ten words of love, ten words of covenant. They begin with, “I am the LORD your God.” When we understand that we are in covenant with the Lord and Creator of the universe, the “thou shalt nots,” become more like “you don’t have to’s.” We don’t need any other gods to take care of us; we can call on the name of the Lord, and He is more than sufficient for every need we could ever have. So we don’t have to kill, steal, lie, or covet to live a rich and satisfying life. In fact, doing those things actually take away from the good life. The Ten Words are actually ten words of promise and blessing.

No wonder the man in Psalm 1 delights in the law of Lord and talks about it to himself all the time; it leads him to success, prosperity and a fruitfulness that will not fade away (v. 3). Those who ignore the instruction of the Lord end up going in the wrong direction, one that leads to their destruction. They do not last, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away (v. 4-5). Not so the righteous, for God has already charted out for them the pathway to blessing (v.6).

In what do you delight, and on what do you meditate (talk about to yourself) all the time? Are they the words of instruction and direction that lead you to success and prosperity? Consider the life-giving Word of God.

You Become Like What You Delight In

Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

(Psalm 37:4)

It is a truth that we become like whatever it is we focus ourselves on. It is also a truth that we attract whatever it is that we are. These things work in both directions: good attracts good; evil attracts evil.

Here is an example of the latter:

The wicked prowl on every side
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

(Psalm 12:8)

Or as the NIV puts it:

The wicked freely strut about
When what is vile is honored among men.

You can tell what someone honors by noting what has free reign over them and who freely struts about around them. If they delight themselves in wickedness, they will receive the desires of their heart—evil. They may not like what they get, but they will get what they desire.

David recommends the former: “Delight yourself in the LORD.” The Hebrew word for “delight,” literally means to luxuriate yourself in. It is like a treat, or a delicacy to you. When you think of the Lord, does it put a smile on your face? Do you want more and more of Him? That is delight.

You become like whatever it is you delight in. When you delight yourself in the Lord, focusing your life on Him, you become more and more like Him. That is what godliness is all about — becoming like Him. Some people think that godliness is about keeping rules and scoring points. But that is dead religion, the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and what they are really only focusing on is themselves.

Delighting yourself in God is not about rule-making and scorekeeping; it is about relationship, focusing on Him, luxuriating in Him, letting Him have His way in you. You don’t have to change yourself—in fact, you can’t. But if you yield to Him, He will change you by His love, by His Word, and by His Spirit. Then, as your heart begins to beat in sync with His, and you begin to love what He loves and hate what He hates, your desires will become like His desires, and He will gladly fulfill every one of them.

Paul prayed for Christians “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17). This is intimate, personal knowledge of God that goes deeper and deeper and results in knowing Him more, loving Him more, trusting Him more. It is a personal revelation that comes by the Holy Spirit, and if you ask Him, He will gladly do it for you, too. That’s why Jesus came, so you could know the Father more and more.

Tell me what are the desires of your heart, and I will tell you what you are delighting in. Delight yourself in the Lord, and not only will you receive the desires of your heart, you will really like what you receive.

Don’t be Afraid of Money

On a Christian writer’s forum I frequent, somebody asked if it is okay for a Christian writer to want to get paid for his work (there were also a few other issues involved). Here is how I replied:

There is nothing at all wrong with wanting to get paid for your writing. In the Old Testament it says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4). Paul quoted this twice in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 9:9; 1 Timothy 5:18). Also, Jesus said, “The laborer is worthy of his wages” (Luke 10:7). Paul quoted this in 1 Timothy 5:18.

Yes, there are many Christian publications, online and off, that pay little, if anything. This is often because they cannot afford to pay more. Some do not compete very well in the financial aspects of their business, in the business aspects of their ministry, or in the quality of their publication. Others have a vision of being able to offer better pay to writers, God bless ’em.

There is also nothing wrong with Christian writers plying their trade in secular venues. Is there any place where light can shine brighter than in the darkness? Christians should be involved in every legitimate field of endeavor — marketplace, business, arts, entertainment, media venues, education, government, etc. Let the leaven of heaven work through the whole lump.

Do not fear rejection — if you know Jesus, you are already accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). It doesn’t get any better than that!

Do not fear unworthiness. Unworthiness is something we think about when we think everything is about us and what we can do. But when we begin to understand that it is all about the Lord and what He can do, fear of unworthiness has nothing in us to hold on to. Go ahead and study your craft and develop your skills, but always fully leaning on the wisdom, direction and ability of the Lord. Remember, also, that God is bigger than any mistakes you could ever make. If you are trusting Him, He will not let you go astray or lead anybody else astray. If you ask Him for bread, He will not give you a stone.

Don't feel guilty about making money, or wanting to make money. Poverty does not come from God; He is a God of provision and prosperity, of abundance and success. He has given you the ability to create wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18 ), so don’t be shy about using it. The world needs to see how godly people get and use wealth.

The Bible says that “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance [more than enough] for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 ). In context, you'll find that he is talking about money and finances.

Some ministries have a poverty mentality. So they usually go a’begging, and the oxes that tread out their grain go starving. They need to get over the fear of money and begin learning how to use if for the kingdom of God.

The Lord bless you with assignments that pay very handsomely.

Kings of the World

In the movie Titanic, there is a scene in which the character Jack Dawson (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) leans forward on the railing at the bow of the boat and shouts into the wind, “I’m the king of the world.” It is a moment of elation.

Jack did not realize how right he was. He was not being literal, of course, but merely expressing the sense that things seemed to be going very well for him at the time (even though we know that things ended very badly for both the ship and for Jack Dawson).

Still, I am struck by his words, and I want to consider them very literally, because I believe that is what the Bible teaches us: We are kings of the world. Go back to the creation account in Genesis 1, where God created man.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, ad over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28)

Notice the divine mandate: Have dominion. It encompasses, not only every living thing, but the earth itself. That is how Psalm 8 understands it:

What is man that you are mindful of him,
And the son of man that you visit him? …
You have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands;
You have put all thing under his feet.

(Psalm 8:4, 6)

To have dominion means to rule and reign. The dom in the word “kingdom” is short for the word “dominion” or “domain.” The kingdom is the dominion or domain of the king; it is that over which the king has authority to rule and reign.

Man was created to rule and reign over the earth. That is our domain and our destiny. We were created to be the kings of the world (notice that this mandate was addressed to women, too). Jack Dawson or (rather, the writer who put that line in Jack’s mouth) did not realize how right he was.

God has never revoked the divine mandate, even though Adam and Eve submitted themselves to the wiles of the devil and fell into sin. Instead, He had a plan for redemption, which He Himself would fulfill in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was fully divine, therefore, capable of redeeming all the world; He was also fully human, therefore, qualified to represent all the world before the Father.

Jesus came and exercised His kingship in His humanity, proclaiming the kingdom of God and demonstrating its power by miracles of healing and deliverance. Then, by His death on the cross and His resurrection three days later, He destroyed all the works of the devil and restored us to the royal role God originally intended for us.

C. S. Lewis depicted this wonderfully, in allegorical fashion, in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Book 1 in the Chronicles of Narnia series). After the scene of redemption, there is the scene of coronation, where the “Sons of Adam” and the “Daughters of Eve” are restored tother role as the kings and queens of Narnia.

The truth we need to understand is that all of creation is now waiting for us to take up the divine mandate and assume our royal identity.

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:19-21)

Creation longs for the revealing of the sons of God — the kings of the world.

If you know the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been restored as a king of the world. Have you stepped up into the place of dominion and discovered your royal identity in Him?

(See also Having Dominion.)

See What He is Saying

You have probably been in a conversation with someone who stopped in the middle and said, “See what I’m saying?” They are asking if you understand. Or perhaps you have been the one who interjects, “Yes, I see what you mean.” You mean that you have just gotten a revelation of what they are talking about. You are experiencing it in a way you did not before. It has suddenly become real to you at a deeper level. You can actually see, in your mind’s eye, exactly what the other person is speaking of. You can imagine it, see an image of it internally.

This is something that happens, not only in human relationships, but also happen in your relationship with God. There are many places in Scripture where God gives a message that begins with the word “Behold!” It is a powerful word that focuses your attention. It is the beginning of a revelation, an invitation to see in the spiritual realm what cannot yet be seen the natural.

There are two realms: the spiritual and the natural. The spiritual realm is the greater, for it is the source of the natural. In the beginning, God, who is Spirit, created the heavens and the earth, the natural realm — and He did it with words.

When God says “behold,” He is about to create something with His Word, and He is calling us to imagine it, to see it in the spirit, to lay hold of it by faith.

Paul said, “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). He was, of course, talking about natural, physical sight.” But walking by faith is a matter of spiritual sight. We might paraphrase Paul this way, “For we walk by spiritual sight, not by natural sight,” for that is what faith is about. It is seeing what God has said, seeing it with God in the spiritual realm, and expecting it to come to pass in the natural.

The author of Hebrews said that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). He added, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3).

These two things comes together: Faith is seeing in the spiritual realm; faith is based on the Word of God.

Perhaps you have had the experience of reading along in your Bible, perhaps reading a passage you have read a hundred times before, but then one day, it seems to come alive, to open up to you in a way it never has before. Suddenly, it is no longer just in your head; it has planted itself in your heart. It has become real to you, and now you can see what God is saying to you.

That is the experience of the rhema word. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word [rhema] of God” (Romans 1:17). There are two words for “word” in the Greek New Testament: logos refers to the Scriptures and everything God says; rhema speaks of the acutely spoken word of God, the word God is pressing upon your heart at a given time. It is when we hear this word, pressed in on us by the Holy Spirit, that faith begins to arise in our hearts.

Faith is seeing in the spiritual realm what cannot yet be seen in the natural, and it comes by hearing the Word of God acutely articulated by the Holy Spirit. So faith comes by hearing the Word, and seeing comes by hearing.

The prophet Habakkuk said something very interesting about seeing: “I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me” (Habakkuk 2:1). When God speaks to him, he not only expects to hear it, he expects it to form an image, a vision, inside him. And, indeed, that is what happened, for in the next verse, the LORD answers and says, “Write the vision.” Just as the vision was relayed to Habakkuk by the Word of God, so it would be relayed to others by the words he would write.

Now John says something similar in the Book of Revelation. Jesus has just spoken: “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches” (“Revelation 1:11). John says, “Then I turned around to see the voice that spoke with me” (v. 12). He is referring to Jesus, of course, but he recognizes that what Jesus says to him cause him to see. It is a vision, a revelation in the spiritual realm of things not yet revealed in the natural.

If you will hear the Word of God, you will see what He is saying.

How to Have the Understanding That Leads to Success

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

(Psalm 111:10)

The Hebrew for “good understanding,” refers to the kind of knowledge that leads to success. How does one get this kind of knowledge?

By fearing the Lord and doing His commandments.

Now we might just as well say, “by keeping His commandments,” or “by obeying His commandments.” But I like “doing” — it has a certain tangibility to it. I mean, you can keep something in your heart; you can obey something in your mind. But doing implies a “hands on” kind of activity and provides a solid way to measure your response: You either are doing something or you are not.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:48-49)

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25)

Now, the first line of Psalm 111:10 says that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. The second line shows us what the fear of the LORD looks like — doing His commandments.

Actually, the words “His commandments” are in italics. That means that they are provided by the translator for clarification. A more literal reading of the line would be: “A good understanding have all those who do.” But do what?

That leads us back to the first line: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. This wisdom is the skill and insight that shows you what to do. What we are supposed to do, then, is act on the practical wisdom and insight that comes from fearing the Lord.

But what does it mean to fear the Lord? God is not a terrorist. He does not want you to live in anxiety, worry and panic. The fear of the Lord is quite different. When you have this, you need not fear anything else. Here is how I have described it elsewhere:

The fear of the Lord is to live in absolute awe of God, to love what He loves and hate what He hates, to treasure His favor above all things and avoid His displeasure at all costs, to take pleasure in His word, His will, His ways and His works and to honor them in everything you do.

The awe of God is like the breath-taking experience of seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time, or looking out from the top of the Empire State building. It is like the respect an electrician has for electricity — he knows what a great benefit it is, but he also realizes that he doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of it.

The wisdom of God is found in His Word; His will and His ways are revealed in His commandments and promises.

Living in awe of Yahweh God is the beginning of practical wisdom and insight. Doing what that practical wisdom and insight teaches you brings you to the kind of knowledge makes your way prosperous and leads you to good success.

God is Not Moved By Your Need

God is not moved by your need. Not one bit. Does that surprise you? Shock you? Offend you? Then here is something else that will surprise you: God has already done everything He’s ever going to do about your need.

What? He’s not going to do anything to take care of you?

That’s right, because He has already done all that is necessary. He has moved heaven and earth to provide for you in every way. That’s why Jesus came to this planet 2,000 years ago and went to the Cross. It was to rescue you and meet your every need.

If God is not moved by your need, because He has already made full provision for it, then how do you access that provision. In other words, what does move God?

One word: Faith.

The Bible says,

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Without faith, there is no pleasing God. He is not moved in the least when you come to Him apart from faith. Oh, but when faith enters the picture, when you come to Him fully trusting His Word, the passion of God is aroused on your behalf.

Remember how Paul talked about the “thorn in the flesh,” the “messenger of satan” he had to deal with. He asked God three different times to remove that “thorn.” But God simply said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The grace of God had already provided for Paul in this situation. It empowered him to meet the need and deal with this demonic messenger. All Paul needed to do was to lay hold of this all-sufficient grace.

The same thing is true for you. Whatever your situation, whatever need is pressing in on you, whatever you are facing, God has already made provision for you concerning it. His grace is sufficient to meet every need and deal with every circumstance. His grace empowers you.

So how do you lay hold of His grace? Paul answered that in the book of Ephesians:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

You lay hold of God’s grace by faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). That is because the essence of faith is to believe the Word of God. It is the Word of God that tells us of His provision and His promises.

Jesus is the Word made flesh, and all God’s promises are fulfilled in Him. It is by faith in Him that we receive God’s provision for every need.

See also Pulling Paul’s Thorn.

Waiting on the LORD

Those who wait on the LORD
  Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
  They shall run and not be weary,
  They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31)

The Hebrew word for “wait” is qavah, and literally means to bind or collect. It is a gathering together. As used in the sense of waiting, it is a focusing of one’s attention, indeed, of one’s whole self. The focal point is the Lord.

This kind of waiting is not about “killing time.” Nor is it about occupying yourself with distractions while you wait. No, this kind of waiting is an attentiveness to the Lord, earnestly looking to Him in expectation. It speaks of complete trust. Therefore, it has no back-up plan; it is an all-in kind of faith.

It is young Samuel at night, when he heard the voice of the Lord. Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10). He was attentive for the word of the Lord. He was expectant.

It is David at prayer: “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up” (Psalm 5:3). Having directed his prayer to the Lord, he waits in anticipation for the answer.

It is the pilgrim in Psalm 84 as he pours out his heart: “My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (v. 2). His whole being is fixed on the Lord. Nothing else will do; nothing else will even come close.

It is the watchfulness of Habakkuk: “I will stand watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me” (Habakkuk 2:1).

When our trust and expectation are fully set on the Lord, there is a great strength that comes. We mount with wings like eagles to soar high above whatever may be pressing in. There is steadiness for the daily walk and endurance for the long run. For the Lord is faithful and will always come through.

The Evangelism of Being Blessed

God be merciful to us and bless us,
  And cause His face to shine upon us. Selah.
That Your way may be known on earth,
  Your salvation among all nations.

(Psalm 67:1-2)

Here is a benediction with which we can bless ourselves. It echoes the Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27. The Hebrew word for “mercy” used here literally means to bend or stoop. It carries the idea of being gracious and showing favor. The word for “bless” literally means to kneel. When man blesses God, it is an act of adoration; when God blesses man, it is an act of favor and kindness. The blessing of God releases His power and goodness on our behalf.

The benediction, both here and in Numbers, calls for God to “cause His face to shine upon us,” to be bright and luminous towards us. We desire the presence of God, and for Him to look favorably upon us. Show us the glory of Your face, Lord.

In the mind of the psalm writer, being blessed has an evangelistic purpose: “That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.” When we are blessed, it is a revelation of God’s glory to the rest of the world.

The way of the Lord is the method of His operation, the manner of His thoughts, the workings of His heart. It is the expression of His purposes and desires. His way is seen in His Word and in His works. His ways are not our ways; they are different, and operate at a higher level (Isaiah 55:8-9). But He delights to reveal them to us. He showed them to Moses (Psalm 103:7) and here we see that He desires to reveal His way to all the earth, for His way is a way of mercy and blessing.

The Hebrew word for “salvation” here is yeshuah. It is deliverance from whatever has you bound. As a name, it translates into English as “Jesus.” The blessing comes so that Jesus — the ultimate expression of salvation — may be revealed.

The blessing God has for you is not just for you alone; it is a gateway for God to bring His salvation to all the world. Do not shy away from asking God to bless you, as some have done, for someone is waiting to see if it is real in your life before they give their life to God.

The blessing of God is bigger than you and me. It is an abundance that reveals His way on earth and His salvation even to the nations. The evidence of God’s presence and favor in your life sheds a light that attracts others.

Ordained Strength, Perfected Praise

O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

(Psalm 8:2)

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful thing that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?” (Matthew 21:14-16)

There might seem to be a contradiction here: Is it “ordained strength” or “perfected praise?” The answer is: both. Let’s examine each and then see how they come together.

Ordained Strength

The Hebrew word for “ordained” means to set, appoint, establish or found. The word for “strength” can refer to boldness, might, power, strength, security, majesty, and praise. The Septuagint (early Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, designated by LXX) translates it using ainos, the Greek word for praise.

This psalm declares that the name of the LORD is great in all the earth, and that His glory is established above the heavens. But what is more, God establishes His strength even in the utterances of infants and toddlers (mothers nursed their children longer in those days), and thereby stills the voices of those who hate Him and carry a grudge against Him.

Perfected Praise

In the New Testament, the Greek word for “perfected” means to be thoroughly complete, leaving nothing lacking. The word for “praise,” ainos, literally refers to a tale or narrative, but came to be used in the New Testament to extol the Lord. You might say that praise is the tale of His goodness, or the narrative of His greatness. The greatness of the Lord is demonstrated in that even small children declare His name fully and freely. That is what happened in Matthew’s account.

Perfected Praise IS Ordained Strength

Jesus was in the temple. First, He drove out the money changers, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves” (Matthew 21:12-13). That upset some people (mainly, the money changers). He probably upset more people when He healed the blind and the lame — for these were not allowed into the sanctuary, but were restricted to the outer court (v. 14). Yet these were the very ones Jesus had chosen to minister to.

But the thing that really set off the ire of the chief priests and scribes was what happened next. There were children in the temple area, who, seeing the miracles Jesus performed, recognized their significance and began shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”

Now, children had no standing in the realms of the religious — and just what were they doing in the temple anyway? To make things worse, now they were raising a ruckus, crying out with Hosannas! to Jesus — and Jesus did nothing to stop them, but gladly received their praise. The indignant officials went to Jesus: “Do You hear these children — what they’re saying?” Imagine them impatiently waiting with a “Well, are you just going to stand there?” look on their faces.

What Jesus did next stunned them. For He not only affirmed the praise offered up by the children, He even backed it up with Scripture:

Yes. Have you never read, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise?”

You see, the children had readily received what should have been apparent to all who were around. Their young eyes had perceived Messiah in their midst, and they openly declared His praise. But the chief priests and scribes had already shut their hearts to Jesus, and now the praises of the children had shut their mouths — they had nothing else to say.

Praise is a powerful weapon in spiritual warfare (make no mistake, this warfare is going on all around us all the time). The more thorough our praise, the greater our strength. The enemy cannot stand to be around when the name of Jesus is exalted. The accuser cannot accuse when we are praising God for His mercy and pouring out our thanks to Him. Simple, child-like worship and adoration stills the God-haters and silences the grudge-holders, for thorough, perfected praise is the foundation of strength.

How to Develop Solid Expectation

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

We can have confidence in God, that when we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and will grant what we ask. This is solid expectation — but where does it come from? How can we know what the will of God is? Consider Paul’s words to the church at Rome:

But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach … So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:6-8, 17)

In this context, Paul is speaking about the will of God as the “righteousness of faith.” That, in essence, is what the will of God is always about. And it is not hard to know what the will of God is. We don’t have to die and go to heaven or pass through hell on earth before we can discover it. God has already revealed it, very simply. It is close by, “in your mouth and in your heart.” It is the “word of faith.” For, as Paul adds, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. That is where we discover the will of God.

We often think of the will of God as something we must learn to resign ourselves to, as if it were some terrible burden. But the will of God is His delight, desire and purpose for you and the world. It is not a negative thing, but a very good and positive thing. Consider the word the Lord delivered through Jeremiah to the people of Israel in the midst of their captivity in Babylon:

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me, and I will listen to you. (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

No matter what your need or circumstance, God has made some wonderful promises to you concerning it. His great desire for you is peace, to give you a future and a hope — solid expectation! Here is how you can develop that expectation:

• Get into the Word of God and begin learning His heart.
• Make note of those Scriptures which speak particularly to your situation.
• Let these Scriptures fill your heart and stir up your faith.
• Let them fill your mouth, also, declaring and decreeing the will of God over your life.
• Then ask God whatever you desire, according to His will, knowing that He not only hears you, but that He will give you what you ask.
  

God desires the very best for you—peace and wholeness, a future and a hope. You can know His wonderful will for your life, ask Him to fulfill it, and have a solid expectation that it will be done.

Giving Substance to Hope

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Many people have hope, but no faith, so their hope is vain. Hope without faith has no substance, no underlying reality to it. It is merely a wish, a desire which may or may not be fulfilled. It is faith that lays a foundation and gives substance to hope. Faith gives evidence about what is going on in the spiritual realm and must one day appear in the natural.

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). If you need real hope — hope that has substance, hope that has evidence — get into the Word of God and believe His promises. For whatever God says, comes to pass, and He has many wonderful things to say about those who turn to Him in faith.

Faith gives substance to hope.

Abundantly Available Help

God our refuge and strength,
Abundantly available help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear.

(Psalm 46:1-2)

I understand that first line to be a name by which God reveals Himself to us. It is the nature of His commitment to us, what we can expect from Him in our covenant relationship: shelter and strength. The “our” makes it personal.

Your Bible version may read “a very present help.” I prefer the margin note in mine, which reads “abundantly available help” (I always go with abundance).

God is abundantly available help for you in the time of trouble. This reveals God’s willingness to help. Many people realize that God is able to help in any situation. That requires very little faith. But what takes faith is to say that, not only is God able to help, but He will help (See God Will Deliver Us — Without a Doubt for a wonderful example of this in the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace.)

The Hebrew word for “trouble” means “narrow or tight; in anguish, distress or tribulation, beset by enemies, adversaries and foes of all kinds; pressed hard.”

Whenever you find yourself in a jam, a tight spot, “between a rock and a hard place,” God is more than willing to help. That’s why Jesus came. He will be your refuge, the place were you can go for safety. He will be your strength — you do not have to deal with adverse circumstances in your own strength. God is more than willing to help you, to protect you, to bring you out into a wide place.

A Covenant Without Curse

But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)

The old covenant God made with Israel was a marvelous covenant with many wonderful provisions and blessings for all who kept it (see Deuteronomy 28:1-14 for a good summary of these benefits). Alas, Israel was unable to keep the Law of Moses, so all that was left was the curse (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68). For God said,

I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and our descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

The covenant that was meant for life and blessing became a covenant of cursing and death. However, Israel was not without hope. For the Mosaic Law made provision for sacrifices which would cover willful sin and inherent iniquity. These sacrifices were types which pointed toward a greater fulfillment that would one day come in the person and work of the Messiah (see Isaiah 53, where the prophet describes this work).

In his letter to the church at Galatia, Paul speaks directly to the issue of the blessing and the curse, and what Messiah (Christ) has done about them:

Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:13-14)

Where there is curse, there is no blessing, but where there is blessing, there is no curse. Jesus has freed us from the curse of the law and brought us into the blessing of Abraham (which predates the law by 400 years). Therefore, the curse has no right to be on those whom God has blessed.

Once we were under the curse, dead in trespasses and sins. But now we have a new and better covenant with God, mediated to us by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This covenant does not come up short in any way. It does not lack any of the benefits of the Old Covenant, but adds to them. In the New Covenant, there is no curse, for Jesus has completely taken all of the curses and nailed them to the Cross. In effect, He has cursed the curse, for the Bible says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”

The curse no longer applies to those who have become the children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The devil may try to tell you that you are still cursed, but you can be free from his deceit by reminding him that Jesus the Messiah has redeemed us from the curse. You may still find the effects of the curse still operating in your live (see Deuteronomy 28:15-68 for a thorough listing of these effects), but you now have the right to bring them under submission to the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. The power of the curse has been broken, and its right to be on you has been revoked.

Dear Lord Jesus,
I thank You that You have redeemed me from every curse, so that the wonderful blessing of Abraham can come upon me. Thank you for the Holy Spirit, who comes to empower and teach me how to walk in the life of blessing You have provided for me. Thank You for the new and better covenant You have established by Your blood on my behalf. I trust Your provision, and I receive this New Covenant and all its blessings. And now, in the authority of Jesus’ name, I tell the devil, the curse and all its effects to take a hike — they no longer have any right to be in my life. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

To go along with this article, listen to Choosing Life, a free MP3 download from our CD, Healing Scriptures and Prayers Vol. 2: New Testament Scriptures (Actually, it is based on an Old Testament passage, but it is a bonus track on CD 2).

The Rest of Faith

I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the LORD sustained me.

(Psalm 3:5)

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.

(Psalm 4:8)

Be still and know that I am God.

(Psalm 46:10)

Unless the LORD builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the LORD guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

(Psalm 127:1-2)

The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day. (Mark 4:26)

Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the Word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath, they shall not enter My rest,” although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.” (Hebrews 4:1-4)

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest. (Hebrews 4:9-11)

When you enter into faith, there is no striving, no sleepless nights of worry, no fear. There is only rest, peace, and the intimate knowledge that He is God. It is the way of God, the way of His kingdom, the way of faith.

Enter into the rest of God by believing His Word.

How the Faith of God Works

Have faith of God. (Mark 11:22)

God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Romans 4:17).

Jesus said, “Have faith of God.” Your version might say “Have faith in God,” but a literal rendering of the Greek text is “Have faith of God.” Some Bibles note this in the margin.

What does it mean to have faith of God? It is the faith that comes from God. It is possible to have a sort of faith that comes from other sources. But the kind of faith the Bible talks about comes from God. It is the gift of God and it comes by hearing His Word (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 10:17).

What is faith? It is believing the Word of God. God is full of faith — He believes everything He says and always expects it to come to pass, fully and completely (Isaiah 55:10-11).

How does this faith work? Paul answered that in Romans 4, where he talks about the faith of Abraham:

Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” (Romans 4:16-18)

God calls things which do not exist as though they did. In the beginning, when darkness was over the face of the earth, God called for light. Light did not yet exist, it had not yet been created. God called for it anyway — “Light, be!” And there was light, because God called it.

God called Abraham “a father of many nations.” In fact, God changed his name from Abram (“exalted father”) to Abraham (“father of multitudes”).

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. (Genesis 17:5)

But at the time, in the natural, Abraham was not a father of any kind, not even the father of one, much less of multitudes. So what was God doing? He was calling things which did not exist as though they did. Notice that God was not speaking in the future tense, “I will make you a father of many nations,” but in the past tense, “I have made you a father of many nations.” It was a done deal, because God was calling for it. And because He was calling for it, it could not be otherwise. God fully expected to see it happen in the natural. That is how the faith of God works.

Man was created to operate in the God kind of faith, to call things that do not yet exist as though they did. Consider the first assignment God gave to Adam. Adam was created in the image of God, and the breath of God was puffed into his nostrils. Then God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would call them. He did not tell him what to call them, but simply observed what he would call them. “And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name” (Genesis 2:19).

Names are very important. They call things into existence. When Adam gave names to the animals, he was calling forth their nature and destiny. He actually set their destiny by the names he called them. He assigned their character by these names. Though the creatures themselves existed before Adam named them, their nature and destiny did not. Adam assigned these to them by the names he gave them. He called those things which did not exist as though they did.

Jesus taught His disciples this principle of faith in Mark 11. One day, He spoke to a fig tree and said, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again” (v. 14). The next day, He and His disciples passed by the tree, when Peter noticed and said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away” (v. 21). Jesus answered,

Have faith in [of] God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

What was He doing? He was teaching them how to call those things which do not exist as though they did. If there is a mountain standing in the way, tell it to move. The removal of that mountain does not yet exist—that’s why you call for it to move. You are calling for something which does not yet exist (the removal of the mountain) as though it already did. Jesus says, when you do that, and you believe in your heart that what you say will be done, you will have whatever you say. In the next verse, He drives this point even further:

Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (v. 24)

The NIV render this, “believe that you have received them.” They may not exist yet in the natural. No matter — believe you have received them anyway. Treat them as if they do exist in the natural. This is calling things which do not exist as though they did.

Calling things that don’t exist is how God operates. It is also how the faith of God is to operate in us.

The Seed of the Kingdom

Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It starts out very small; it grows up and becomes huge, offering refuge for all who would come under its shade. The life of the kingdom and the entire pattern of its development is all within the seed at the very beginning. When it hits the soil, it goes to work and begins to emerge.

Jesus also talked about faith as a mustard seed:

If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,” and it would obey you. (Luke 17:6)

It is not the size of the seed that matters, but what you do with it. It must be planted, then it can bring about amazing, seemingly impossible results. The way you plant faith as a mustard seed is by what you say. Jesus said, “If you have faith … you can say” (see also Mark 11:22-23, below).

In the same way, the kingdom of God is planted by words. In the parable of the sower, earlier in Mark 4, Jesus identifies the seed as the word (v. 14). In Matthew it is called the “word of the kingdom” (Matthew 13:19). Luke’s account identifies it very plainly: “The seed is the Word of God” (Luke 8:11).

When the seed hits the soil, it immediately goes to work and starts to grow. Likewise, when the Word of God, the word of the kingdom, comes into the world, it immediately goes to work and begins to grow. For the world was created by the Word of God in the first place(Hebrews 11:3), therefore it must always respond to it.

For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
And do not return there,
But water the earth,
And make it bring forth and bud,
That it may give seed to the sower
And bread to the eater,
So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

(Isaiah 55:10-11)

It is by the Word of God that the kingdom comes forth and flourishes. It does not matter whether that Word is in God’s mouth or ours, it will always produce when it is spoken in faith. For Jesus has given all those who believe in Him the authority to speak the Word of God and call forth the kingdom of God upon the earth. He taught us to pray, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God be done on earth as it is in heaven!” (Matthew 6:10).

Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)

Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:19)

Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. (Mark 11:22-23)

The Word of God, whether in His mouth or in ours, is the seed that brings forth the kingdom of God on the earth.

Sowing the Kingdom

And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-30)

Jesus likened the kingdom of God to a man sowing seed. His role is simple.

He scatters the seed. The Greek text uses the definite article — “the seed.” This man has seed to sow, and he does with it exactly what you are supposed to do with it; he sows it.

He sleeps by night and rises by day. He goes about his business. He does not worry about the seed. He does not keep pulling it up to see how it’s doing. He knows that he has done his part, and he trusts the seed to do its part. He does not know how the seed will do what it does; he just knows that it will. And so he rests and goes about his business.

When the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle. He watches for the grain to ripen, then he harvests the fruit of the seed he has sown. It is an age-old principle: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest … shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22).

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not. (Galatians 6:7-9)

This man does not sow in fear, but in expectation. From the beginning, he has a vision of the harvest. He has an expectation of reaping, and he is patient. He does not reach for the sickle when the seed begins to sprout and the blade comes up. He waits. It begins to bud and blossom. Still he waits. The fruit grows and comes to its proper fullness. But it is not yet ripe, so he keeps waiting and watching. When the fruit is fully ripe — now it is time, and he reaches for his harvesting tools.

Notice that puts in the sickle immediately. All the while he has been waiting, he has been watching, for he knows that the time of harvest, when it comes, comes suddenly, and there is a short window of opportunity to gather it in.

Many people have sowed their seed, but missed their harvest because they were not waiting or they were not watching. They either killed it off early, or else they were not aware or prepared when the time came to act. But the man in this parable was wise: He sowed, he waited, he watched, and then he quickly gathered the harvest.

That is what the kingdom of God is like. It is like a seed that we sow. If we will sow the seed, the kingdom of God will do the rest. Jesus said, “The earth yields crops by itself.” This has very much to do with the kingdom of God, for Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The kingdom of God is His will being done on earth exactly as it is being done in heaven. The whole earth, all of creation, is waiting for this to happen. Paul said,

For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)

What is the seed that brings forth the kingdom of God? Jesus spoke of it earlier in Mark 4, in the parable of the sower. Explaining this parable to the disciples, He said, “The sower sows the word” (v. 14). This is the word that comes from God. Peter called the Word of God incorruptible seed “which lives and abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

This incorruptible seed, this eternal Word, was present at the beginning of creation when God spoke the world into existence. “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God” (Hebrews 11:3). Now all creation waits for the revealing of the sons of God — the people of God who will sow the seeds of His kingdom by taking His Word in their mouths and say, “Kingdom of God, come! Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Our job is to be faithful in sowing the seed, to believe the seed to do its work, to watch with patient expectation, and be ready to gather in the harvest.

Taking On Lent

Lent begins today, Ash Wednesday, six weeks before Easter Sunday. It is a time of repentance and preparation. The ashes on the first day of this season represent mourning over sin and the longing for holiness. In Lent, we remember the temptation of Christ in the wilderness and His journey to the Cross. We become aware of how Christ humbled himself and how God calls us, also, to humility as we participate in his redemptive purposes. We consider, also, what our own place of service and sacrifice is in his divine plan.

Lent concludes with Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, we think of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, knowing that soon he would be rejected by the Jewish leaders. The irony of this is subtly observed by the burning of this year’s palms to become next year's Lenten ashes.

Many Christians talk about what they are “giving up” for Lent. But that needs to be understood in the context of what we are taking on. That is, what am I willing to let go of so that I may accomplish the destiny God has for me? Jesus extends this invitation:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. (Matthew 11:29-30)

Paul reckoned it this way:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

The forty days of Lent is an opportunity to enter again into the purpose, passion and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, and be made more like him.