Testify!

John 4:25-42

The world seeks for answers to problems only the power of God can resolve, and many trust in other sources that are unable to offer permanent solutions to their issues. It matters not a person’s background, ethnicity, skin color, or language, God reserved salvation for all who would believe. It is the will of God that all men come to repentance, and those who are in the body of Christ can help in inspiring others to believe in the only One who can save them, and give them power to overcome. The testimonies of the Saints are key in revealing to others how God operates and functions in their own lives. All men struggle and face times of difficulty, but knowing and seeing someone come out of a difficult situation, without losing themselves, gives hope and strength to others who may be going through hard times themselves. When a man’s ways please the Lord, He gives them wisdom and direction through His Spirit, to witness effectively to others, but once a person is drawn to God, they can then be filled with His goodness themselves, and be enlightened to a greater level of understanding of the ways of holiness.

You may think your life is meaningless, but God can use your experiences to encourage others. Just as the woman at the well convinced many to believe in Jesus, I’m certain you have the power of influence to do the same. Spread the word, that Jesus saves, and God has a plan for all who follow Him.

Your faith has made you well

Mark 5:25-34

During His brief ministry on the earth, Jesus had built quite a reputation for Himself, while healing, delivering, and changing the hearts of many who were determined to be in His presence. Despite how much Jesus shunned the spotlight, His miraculous acts brought unprecedented attention to Himself, that was unavoidable.

Not too long after casting an evil spirit out of a man who dwelt in the graveyard, in the country of the Gadarenes, Jesus and His disciples journeyed back to Capernaum, where he was immediately met by a mob of skeptical people, one of which approached the Son of God with a very interesting request. One of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus, came to Jesus and fell at His feet. His daughter was at the point of death, and the man wanted Jesus to lay His hands on her, so she could be healed and live. It’s obvious the power Jesus spoke of from His Father was real, because many witnessed the evidence of manifestation for themselves, but personal faith in that power was still a prerequisite to receive blessings of such magnitude from God. Jesus agreed to pray for the girl, then followed Jairus to where she was. On the way to His destination, the crowd of people continued to follow Jesus, but in the midst of them pressing upon Him on all sides, Jesus asked a question, “Who touched my clothes?” Carnal-minded thinking led the disciples to conclude Jesus wasn’t making sense, as there were many who touched Him, but Jesus was speaking from a spiritual perspective, as He literally felt virtue leave His body. While ignoring the hopeless, yet privileged disciples, Jesus looked around to see who’s faith was responsible for pulling virtue from Him. There are so many points I want to expound upon from this verse, but I’ll keep it short, for the sake of the blog post. Jesus was God in the flesh, and operated in the same power as His Father in Heaven. He was also capable of doing exceeding, abundantly, above all we could ask or think. From then, to now, being able to receive a miracle was only made possible by first having a condition, being fed up with that condition, trying and seeing that man can do nothing, except what God allows, then striving to reach God, but through unyielding faith.

There was a woman who had suffered twelve years with a blood condition. She spent all her money, seeking help from physicians, but to no avail. This is similar to many today, who go all out looking for answers from man, when God’s been there the whole time, waiting to bless us. The woman pressed her way through the crowd, only to touch the clothes of Jesus, because she had faith enough to believe that if the man was as anointed as she had heard, then touching His clothes would be enough to bring about her healing. To her, and Jesus’ surprise, she was right! After revealing her story, and intentions to Jesus, He responded, “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” Being all man (and all God), I can imagine that every time Jesus healed someone, He felt joy on the inside that caused goosebumps to form all over His body. His love is pure, and has compassion on everyone, including those who plotted to murder Him.

From this lesson’s text, it’s clear that we must have faith in God, in order to be a candidate for a miracle. Some struggle from minor things in life, while others suffer extreme conditions. What may seem shallow to some people, may actually be severe for others. Whatever your need is, whether great or small, God is not limited in His power, and can deliver us from anything. Pray the prayer of faith, believing that God can back up every Word spoken in Scripture, then live your days in expectation of your miracle manifestation.

Walk in love,

Ell