THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE – Published 1/21/19

William F. Holland Jr.

We would never have a reason to ignore the simple yet provoking invitation found in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Those who ask will receive, and the one that seeks shall find, and to those who knock it shall be opened.” We realize it’s easy to read past this revelation and go on our merry way, but this is actually the basic blueprint for knowing God and finding his truth. A few seekers spend their life searching for answers and trying to discover the secrets to know the mysteries of life and here we have the key that will unlock all the wisdom and understanding we could ever imagine. The conditions to studying God’s word has much to do with context and not selecting only the verses that appeal to us. Using the above passage as an example, it creates a larger picture of spiritual reality when we include, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” Matthew 5:6, and, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” Matthew 6:33. The intentions of our heart are always in question. What are we seeking and why?

It has been said that the Christian life is mysterious and difficult to understand and I would have no reason to argue. The human mind is amazing when applied but the problem is that only a few individuals allow their mentality to expand beyond the elementary level. Generally speaking, the masses are satisfied with barely getting by and refusing to learn becomes the easy way to avoid responsibility. The motto of the default system is, “the less we know – the less we worry about.” There are many illustrations which reveal how the potential to be intelligent is given to everyone but the development of our potential is rare to say the least. These same basic principles apply to the spiritual realm. It has been said that the Christian life is mysterious and difficult to comprehend and I would have no reason to argue. However, the understanding of knowledge can be attained if one would apply themselves to diligent study, meditation, and prayer. Of course, we would never have a reason to ignore the simple yet provoking invitation found in Matthew chapter 7 and verse 7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Those who ask will receive, and the one that seeks shall find, and to those who knock it shall be opened.” We have just read the blueprint for knowing God and finding his truth.

Humans can build space stations, dams, bridges, and skyscrapers that take our breath away. Our advancements in the fields of technology, medicine, and science are growing so rapidly that today’s accomplishments will be surpassed next week. Seeing this happen all around the world we can conclude that it is not the “inability” to learn or a problem with our intelligence, but rather the level of interest for the topic. What if the average person spent as much effort learning how to be filled with God as they do concentrating on their own desires? Individuals are trained in higher education, serve as interns and apprentices, and with never-ceasing research and hard work are driven to know everything from the wonders of the universe to finding the cure to cancer but I wonder if there is another way to unlock even greater wisdom. Are we using ALL of our brain and is there a much higher intelligence that we are not aware of? We know there have been amazing demonstrations of building and construction with the examples of the pyramids that cannot be duplicated today. We have incredible machinery, genius architects, unlimited resources, and yet we are baffled to reproduce what was accomplished thousands of years ago. Did someone other than humans build them? Was this an example of alien technology? Was this intelligence given to humans by the fallen angels? Another example, is how did mankind know which herbs could bring healing to the human body? Who told them? How did they know about the universe? Since God has every answer and is unlimited in power, could a remnant of people have obtained this divine wisdom from him? And if so, where is this supernatural power and spiritual intelligence today?

When it comes to spiritual comprehension it’s deeply concerning that we have never quite realized the wall of invisible resistance that surrounds us constantly. What is it that the enemy does not want us to know? Two verses come to mind. One is found in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.” Here the writer mentions some type of vision and it must be very important since not having it causes those who do not have this vision to die. So, what is this vision? The first thing we think of is the vision is associated with seeing. However, is this referring to our physical eyes or our spiritual discernment? It’s true, that seeing with our natural eyes is good but it is not the vision that is the most important. A physically blind person may actually be able to walk with God on a higher level because they are not only able to develop faith, but can also focus their attention on the inward soul and spirit without the temptations, persuasions, and distractions of this world. The danger with being spiritually blind is not knowing God or his ways. This basic idea of this passage is another warning from God to those who refuse to embrace him declaring that a life without him is a road to eternal disaster but embracing him is a life of peace and happiness. Going deeper, we must take a closer examination of this vision in order to see a larger picture. Most people agree with accepting God as being the best way to live, but what do we think of when we consider the vision of God?

Within the doctrine of Christian salvation, we have been told that we accept Jesus Christ into our heart and that he comes to live inside of us. Through nothing less than a divine miracle, we are able to absorb and be saturated with the word of God, the Holy Spirit and enjoy the privilege of having Jesus Christ himself, sit on the throne of our conscience as our personal Lord, King, and Savior. Do you agree with this? So, if our old spirit has been transformed into a brand-new spirit and we are now merged together with him, it would only make sense that his idea is for us to become his hands, feet, and mouth. As our Lord, his intention is for us to be his obedient servant and “allow” him to do whatever he wants with our life. When we think of the vision of God, is this what comes to mind? As we have said in the past, before he can be in total control of our thoughts and actions, we must yield and surrender our will to him. This means we no longer rule our lives or make our own decisions. We listen to his voice and we do what he says. Is this the vision he is talking about?

A second consideration is found in Hosea 4:6 which declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Here we find a similar warning except this mentions the danger of not having knowledge. We are automatically wondering what type of knowledge and I believe we can agree this is talking about spiritual knowledge and understanding about God and his word. So, we see two things that Satan does not want us to discover and our next step is to learn why this is the foundation of spiritual warfare. Since John 10:10 clearly points out that Satan has come into this earth to steal, kill, and destroy, we can logically assume that he not only is aware of this spiritual vision and knowledge but is determined that humans will never obtain it. He realizes what power and authority can be displayed when Christ is allowed to move within a willing vessel. When Jesus walked the earth, he spoke with authority and miracles were a normal part of his life. He promised in John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” I declare this hour, Jesus is speaking to his followers. He is proclaiming that it is his desire that his people walk and live in the supernatural and do his works, but why are we not seeing these manifestations today? Because we are being distracted from the vision and knowledge of the holy. We are choosing to ignore his voice, we are satisfied with not finding his buried treasure of wisdom. We have become numb and calloused, we have not developed our spiritual sensitivity, and are suffering from a severe case of lukewarm apathy. The question is do we care and do we have a desire to be awakened?

What does it mean to be filled with God? Are Christians already filled with God and don’t know it, or is the Spirit like living water that has to be poured in every day because it continually leaks out and evaporates? Could it be both? It would be difficult to imagine that the Holy Spirit would step in and out of our life from moment to moment. The same is true with believing that we could be saved or lost depending on what mood or attitude we are in. I tend to embrace the view that either we are saved or not and that either Jesus lives in us or he doesn’t. Now, with that being said, if we are born-again and he lives in us all the time, there are evidently levels or degrees of his influence within our mind and heart. This would mean that each individual child of God chooses how far they will go and how much they will do to please God. We can be as close and have as much of him as we want. This interpretation declares that our free will controls and decides just how much of God is activated within us. He can only rise up within a person and be a reflection of his image according to the willingness of that individual to surrender and yield their will to him. In this light, we know that God is sovereign, but will not force humans to love him or serve him. He has given them a choice to live however they want but has also warned that he will judge them according to their decisions. “And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Joshua 24:15.

I had a dream the other night where I was standing in a church sanctuary and someone was preaching. All the sudden an angry tiger was running around and the congregation were running in fear and jumping over the pews as the tiger was roaring and swiping with its huge razor-sharp claws. The huge beast saw me standing in the corner and began running toward me. I was terrified because I thought it was going to devour me and then I woke up. What should I have done, tried to fight it or rebuked it in the name of Jesus? The next day I knew the tiger was Satan and I considered about how the dark and deceptive influences have infiltrated the modern churches. The aggressive demons have been able to walk into the churches and are roaming the earth and causing tremendous chaos and destruction. James 4:7-10 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” This implies that we are not to pay any attention to evil but rather to stay focused on God. It is when we are involved and absorbed with the affairs of this life, that we become filled with fear and anxiety.

Since Jesus healed everyone and the only people who were not healed were the ones that did not believe him, we must ask some serious questions about healing. Does Jesus desire to heal everyone today like he did before or was that only a way he used to draw attention and establish his ministry? Since his resurrection and the fact that he now lives inside of us, what is preventing his healing power from being manifested? Is it because of him or us? This is a great question. If we are not seeking him for healing, if we are not involved in study and research about healing, if we are not fasting, praying, or expecting miracles, do you think the supernatural manifestations are just going to come knocking on your front door? If we are not believing it, we are not going to be receiving it. It is NOT Jesus who is holding back his miracle power, it is the lethargy and lack of interest on the part of his people. Instead of dedicating our life to God’s service we have foolishly acknowledged God as our cosmic vending machine. “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:2-3. We desire to do whatever we want and hope that God will give us everything we need. This in not the way it was supposed to be.

If Jesus is selective and only heals or blesses those he chooses according to his perfect will, then it seems he has changed his approach about physical healing. Where at one time he answered everyone’s cry to be healed, now the church teaches that he does not need to do this anymore. We still go through the motions and say, “let us remember brother so and so in our prayers and ask God to heal him if it is his will.” Jesus never told anyone that. Another point is that if he will only work through a pure vessel that is sanctified and filled with his Spirit, then we can put the blame on our own carnality and rebellion. These statements may be true but we must also include the consideration that either we do not know how or what it would take to activate his power or we do not give a hoot. Could it be that the secrets to releasing miracles have been hidden where only the spiritually diligent can find them? Could it be that Satan is doing everything he can to keep these divine truths a secret? The devil and his demons work around the clock to make sure everyone is watching television, playing video games, absorbed in their phones, and being snared in the deceptive spiderweb of the internet. These powerful persuasions tempt, motivate, and lure humans to make more money, enjoy more pleasures, and entice the heart with lust, envy, greed, selfishness, and jealousy. Why? To keep every person occupied with themselves instead of allowing them to search for the vision and knowledge of God. Can we imagine how much deeper we could go with God if we started fasting and eliminating these diversions?

I will use myself as a specific example, does God want to heal me? Does he really want me to suffer in pain and die from renal and heart failure? I have a serious kidney disease called Polycystic or PKD for short. It is a progressive disease that is getting worse and there is no cure. It affects everything in my body and will eventually ruin the function of my kidneys and they will stop working. The medical world’s only answer for this particular problem is a transplant and this is not always successful. I am believing and praying that God is either going to give me brand new kidneys or he is going to restore the ones I have. I will humbly take a transplant if there is one available and I praise the Lord for giving doctors the wisdom and for amazing medicines. I will also gladly receive a miracle directly from his touch. I have no doubt he can do it, and I believe he hears me when I pray. I trust his word and he knows my heart. Is this the perfect environment for a miracle?

We have heard from the ancient oriental culture about the human body containing energy and many others around the planet have also confirmed this truth. Science has proven the body is filled with electrical impulses and psychology declares the state of our mind and emotions are directly associated with our overall health. Many seekers will agree that all of these factors work together and play a major role in our well-being. When we bring our holiness and obedience and blend them with these components, we are producing a perfect atmosphere for a miracle. We know Jesus wants to heal us but is there a way to channel his healing power into our bodies? Our traditional way to approach sickness is to say, “Lord, will you heal me” and Jesus did respond to these simple requests, but obviously we need to be more like Jesus. But how? These miracles come from the holy of holies in heaven and as the Tabernacle of Moses clearly illustrates, there is more to being a remnant follower of Jesus than having a fish bumper sticker.

We must also remember to not put more emphasis on our gifts and abilities than the power of God generating within us or being delivered through us. When the Lord created us, I believe there is more than meets the eye. I realize that as a result of the fall, our potential has been hindered and that much of our brain is not being utilized, but I also strongly consider that we still have amazing potential. Can God work through us to heal ourselves and others? Could we raise the dead if God wanted us to? Could we call financial prosperity to manifest if God gave us a specific mission to accomplish? I believe the answers to all these is yes. Again, the key is listening and obeying his voice and understanding his sovereignty and authority is allowing these miracles to happen. The question is whether or not this is his desire. We have been given the Holy Spirit, God’s word, angels as ministering spirits and the infinite power and presence of the indwelling Jesus. Yet, we sit on the couch, speak curses upon our lives, and happily live in carnality and spiritual ignorance. Is this a picture of the overcoming church? Is this the representation of a remnant warrior that speaks God’s word and is used as an extension of his signs and wonders? Are these the type of people who light up a room with the glory and authority of Christ? Are these the individuals that spend more time on their knees in their prayer closet than entertaining themselves with social media?

When we continue to study God’s will concerning healing, we also notice a very special and important factor – the hands. Why are the hands always used to transfer the power into the situation? Are these conduits for the spiritual energy from God? Evidently so, because there are many references in the New Testament where Jesus laid his hands on those who were sick. Since Christ dwells within his followers, he has also commanded us in Mark 16:17-18 to continue his way of releasing his power. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Many times, we think the authority is coming from heaven but if we are saved, the power does not have to travel very far – it is coming from within us and going out through our hands. Question: Why can’t we lay hands on our own body? Why would God not want to revitalize and renew the vessel that he lives in? How easy it be for him to heal the physical container in which he dwells and flood the “house” with his glory?

There is an amazing passage found in Isaiah chapter 6 that many teachers have referred to as God manifesting in a church building. This story has been assumed to be a “vision” which changes the dynamics of the message. It’s true there were temples before Christ, but as we have been saying, once Christ resurrected, he started occupying or possessing his disciples. We also have continued to build structures where God’s people assemble and have sensed God’s presence. But we know that God does NOT live in buildings made with mortal hands. Where does Jesus live on this planet? Listen to these words, is this not a type and shadow of Jesus sitting on the throne of our heart? “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim’s: each one had six wings; with twain, he covered his face, and with twain, he covered his feet, and with twain, he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I; send me.”

There are different ways to teach this and so many things that can be pointed out and I believe God is allowing us to see more fresh revelation the deeper we are willing to search. I believe this can be seen as a literal and personal experience that Isaiah had and also can be taught as symbolic for an entire nation especially when based on the history of king Uzziah. I am also convinced we can identify with this scenario in our own spiritual life. The Lord’s train has been said to be the extension of his robe and here the writer tries to describe God’s majesty and glory is infinite and how this manifestation of his power “completely filled” the temple. Oh, if we could only imagine and invite Christ to fill our life with his presence and splendor. If we would lay down our life and love him with all of our mind and strength, we would be glowing with his nature and character. If we would only allow the refining fire from the coal to touch our lips and purify our mind and our heart. This is a sign of being filled with his Spirit. This is when others will be able to SEE the Lord not in a building but in us! They will be able to see Jesus in our temple! The post of the door of our heart will move when God speaks and our life or “house” will be filled with the glory and anointing of his presence. He will ask his overcomers who will go for him and only those who are washed in his blood and speak the word of his testimony will have the faith and courage to step forward.

The main point I am trying to make is that the king of glory lives within us and this same creator that spoke the universe into existence can surely speak healing into your body! The curse of the fall cannot be used as an excuse to why God does not or will not heal the physical body. When Christ walked the earth, everyone who lived at that time was also plagued with the curse of sickness and disease just like we are, yet Jesus overruled the curse, Christ took away the darkness and hopelessness and willingly gave his light and hope to everyone who called upon him. Since he is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then why does he not respond to everyone when they call upon him today? People will say, “Maybe it is because there is sin in these people’s lives.” This might be true, but was there not sin in the lives of those he touched? When he healed people, did he always ask about their sin first “before” he gave them a miracle? Others will say, “It is because he has a certain timing for his miracles.” This is also true, but can you see any occasion where he told someone that he cannot heal today but maybe he will heal them later? Then we have the group who teaches that miracles have passed away and Jesus does not operate like this anymore. If this is true, we have a major problem trying to explain why the reality of faith has changed and we are now subject to accept and suffer anything and everything that comes our way. This idea would require that we change all of our doctrines about intercession and spiritual warfare, patience, hope, deliverance, the power of God, spiritual authority, God’s promises, scripture interpretations, the reality of mountain moving faith, and many other divine truths. This would mean that we are all predestined to be vulnerable to Satan and the consequences of the fall and that whatever will be – will be. This cancels the battle-cry that, “prayer changes things.”

I refuse to believe the spiritual atmosphere has been altered since the disciples passed away and Jesus returned to heaven. He is still here in Spirit, his gospel is the same, his authority is the same, and I have every reason to accept that all of his teachings and instructions have not changed. God has always said that faith pleases him and it has always been a critical matter when it comes to receiving from him. This must be the problem. There is NOT a change in God’s mercy – the failure has to be with us! God cannot fail, he is perfect, with him there is nothing impossible, and yet we see Christians suffering from terrible diseases and dying all around us while friends and family are praying. Why is this happening? What are we doing wrong? “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much” James 5:13-16.

This passage seems cut and dried. It is very clear and specific and actually simple. “The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” I suggest a couple of considerations based on this passage. Number one: Maybe we do not know how to fervently pray or maybe some do not want to. Number two: Maybe we do not understand what faith is and thus are not manifesting it. Number three: Maybe we are not walking in righteousness and some may not even be saved. We must agree these are very serious reasons that could hinder the process of healing or any other type of ministry. Whatever the case, the idea of being able to “release” the power of Jesus “through us” is crucial for his glory to be revealed. Notice that God is using the elders or spiritual leaders and telling them to pray and anoint the sick person. We are his hands and feet but it is NOT their power. They are an important part of the process but they are only channels and vessels. Again, it is not a power shortage with Jesus, but somewhere the connection is being lost with the human responsibility. OK, now let us ask, “Why do we need to call for someone else to help heal us? Why can’t we just go straight to Jesus? I believe we can, but we must remember that even though Jesus is all that we need, the power of prayer is multiplied when we join together in one accord. Agreement in prayer is not a new thing – it is Biblical. Matthew 18:19 says, “Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” In Acts 1:14 we read, “they all joined together constantly in prayer” and in 4:14, “they raised their voices together in prayer.” The concept of unity is a key as Acts 2:1 says, “with one accord.” What were the results? It was the filling of the Holy Spirit with boldness and Peter’s miraculous release from prison.

I still return to the fact that when Jesus ministered, he dealt with people one on one. He did not call a crowd together but sincerely asked them what they needed and he touched them and healed them. And today I am eager to know if what he is saying is exactly what he means. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it” John 14:13-14. And again, we read this passage a chapter further in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Of course, the concept of “abiding” in God is a huge subject but nonetheless, it is a clear promise to those who live with God that we can pray for our healing and be healed. Another important condition to this subject is whether or not we believe that it is God’s will (plan or desire) to heal us in every situation. If it is NOT his will to heal us in every situation, then how do we know when to ask him and when to stop believing?

Do you think there are times when God could use someone’s sickness for his glory? Do you believe he has caused certain individuals to be sick? It’s true, there is little doubt that God is more concerned with our spiritual condition than our physical body but our answers to these questions definitely play a huge part with our approach to prayer and our understanding of faith. Listen to this promise found in John 5:14-15, “And 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, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” Did you notice this mentions his will? Once more we must go back and decide on whether or not we believe that physical healing is God’s will. We must know if our physical healing is a part of our redemption and atonement. Did the blood of Jesus not only pay for our sins but also pay for our physical healing? When the Bible says, “By his stripes, we are healed” was this only referring to spiritual deliverance? Or does this blood covenant include the invitation for us to be healed spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? Do we need to beg for something that he has already provided through the cross? Did we need to beg him to save us and were we ever afraid that he would reject, refuse, or say no?

If we think that physical healing applies to only certain and special occasions, then we are declaring that his predetermined plans will always be the final answer instead of our prayers and requests we make in boldness and confidence. If we believe that miracles have already been decided instead of what we are praying for, then we become very casual and unsure of the outcome. If or when the person does not recover or dies, we are left with the conclusion that it was not our fault but God’s sovereign decision. If they are healed, we rejoice that God heard us and intervened. I have more questions: Has this “safety net” doctrine caused faith to be diminished? Are people hiding behind the idea that whatever happens is always God’s desire? Is there ever a time when people fail in their faith and God’s will is not accomplished? Of course! It has happened so many times the books of the world could not hold the examples. I believe it occurs every day in each person’s life.

It appears the deeper we dig for solid answers, the more we can see that healing is actually much more complicated than we thought. We know we cannot just ask for anything, and that God is not our servant or like a genie in a bottle. But at the same time, we are encouraged (by him) to step forward and not be afraid to request our petitions. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us, “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” So, we are taking all that we have discussed and are praying that God will give us his wisdom and understanding. Before we approach any situation dealing with healing, I believe we are to ask for discernment and allow God to speak to our heart as we listen and proceed according to his voice. Is this not how Jesus ministered to the people? Once we have his instructions, we can continue in faith knowing that he is orchestrating the circumstance and that he is in total control of the situation. If the Lord has open arms for all who call upon him, I would think that he wants to help us in every way and that he has our best interest in mind. But how can we have confidence that he will give us the miracle we need? It HAS to be FAITH! Hebrews 11:1 is one of the most popular faith verses in the Bible. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This sounds like a mystery and it is. We must pray for the revelation of his wisdom to be “quickened” into our spirit and relayed into our mind. The mind being transformed and renewed is critical to understanding this spiritual reality.

Suppose that you want to cash a check for a hundred dollars at your bank. Would you go to your bank where you have several thousand dollars in your account, place the check on the counter, get down on your knees, and beg, “Oh, please, cash my check.” No, that is not the way you would cash your check. You would simply go in with confidence, place the check on the counter, and wait for them to give you the money which is already yours. You KNOW this is your money and you know there is no reason why you will not receive it. The confidence we have with this scenario is the same realization we must develop in our relationship with Jesus and the covenant he has made with us. There is no way to pray in faith unless we can see the evidence of what is not seen with our eyes. Faith is knowing in the spiritual dimension. We either know that God is saying yes, no, or wait, and this is the reason why our spiritual sensitivity is so important. Do we realize without a shadow of a doubt that God does NOT want to heal us? Do we know that he does? Do we know that when we pray for someone to recover that they will? If we do not know and are always unsure, it seems there is something wrong. How can we know what God is saying all the time? It will depend on how serious we are about being close to him. If he is down the street and talking in a normal voice, we will not be able to understand what he is saying. If we are sitting next to him, he can whisper and we can hear every word. We can be as close to him as we want, but maybe this is the problem. We want all that he has but do not want to give him all that we are. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded” James 4:8.

Can healing be any more simple than a person coming to Jesus and reaching out to him for help? “And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any, came behind Jesus, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stopped. And Jesus said, who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, who touched me? And Jesus said, somebody, hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately. And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace” Luke 8:43-48. Was this woman a good or bad person? She was no doubt a sinner because we are ALL sinners. Did God favor her or give her any special privileges? No. He did not even know who touched him. He just knew that someone had touched him and received his power. She came in her desperate need believing that Jesus was the Son of God and that he had the power to heal her body. Matthew 9:21 reveals, “For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” Today, do you believe with all of your heart that Jesus can heal you? Is your healing the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things that eyes cannot see? Whatever it takes, whatever the sacrifice, reach out, touch him and receive your miracle.