Many Christians already know that “without faith it is impossible to please Him [God]” Hebrews 11:6 NKJV. Does what we put our faith in, matter to God? Is there such a thing where we can put our faith in the wrong thing, even if it seems holy?
We are going to look at two passages which show the power of healing through Jesus and examine two examples:
1. Matthew 9:18-19 (NKJV) “While He spoke these things to them, behold, a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.
2. Matthew 8:5-10 (NKJV) “Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him”. The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”
In story one, we see that the ruler (named Jairus in the Gospel of Mark and Luke) wanted Jesus to heal his daughter by ‘touch’, whilst in story two we see that the centurion wanted Jesus to heal his servant by ‘word’ alone. Immediately we can see a contrast between the ruler and the centurion, as Jesus seems to commend the centurion for having such a strong faith which He could not find anywhere else in Israel, and didn’t commend the ruler. The ruler did indeed have faith, that Jesus would heal his daughter, nevertheless, he ‘needed’ more than God’s Word.
The ruler is representing Christians who indeed DO have the 'faith'…however they ‘need’ (want) something ‘extra’. They ‘need’ dreams, visions, signs, wonders etc. They cannot rely on the Word of God alone. Which is a dangerous position to be in. This opens a door for Christians to be led astray by false signs and wonders (read Revelation 13). What Christian’s today need to understand is that we live for GOD’S fellowship, GOD’S good pleasure, GOD’S will and GOD’S glory. Hence, we live to please our Lord and Savior, and what pleases Him is to have faith in His Word alone! We don’t need all these extra things like signs and wonders, however IF it is God’s will, He will give you a vision or a dream or a sign or a wonder, so there is no need to chase or look to those things.
[ On an off topic -> If you receive a vision, dream, sign, wonder etc. ALWAYS test it by the Word of God (1 John 4:1, Acts 17:11). God will never contradict Himself, never contradict His Word or His character. It may very well be your imagination, misinterpretation, or something demonic (the enemy attempting to deceive) Jude 8. ]
To strengthen the man’s faith, (Matthew 9:19) “Jesus rose and followed him”, in other words, Jesus didn’t rebuke or condemn the ruler for not having enough faith to believe His Word, but instead, Jesus (graciously) went along with the ruler’s request, however Jesus didn’t commend him. Matthew 9:29 (ESV) “…According to your faith be it done to you.” Now to a carnal man, that may give the licence to ask God for more signs and wonders as they believe that God would comply with every request, however true born again believers seek to please God, and to stand on His Word alone would be our pleasure (therefore we should never want or seek to act similarly as the ruler). It’s no wonder that the centurion was honored by Christ – he had faith in God’s Word and believed in His faithfulness.
[ On an off topic -> If you receive a vision, dream, sign, wonder etc. ALWAYS test it by the Word of God (1 John 4:1, Acts 17:11). God will never contradict Himself, never contradict His Word or His character. It may very well be your imagination, misinterpretation, or something demonic (the enemy attempting to deceive) Jude 8. ]
To strengthen the man’s faith, (Matthew 9:19) “Jesus rose and followed him”, in other words, Jesus didn’t rebuke or condemn the ruler for not having enough faith to believe His Word, but instead, Jesus (graciously) went along with the ruler’s request, however Jesus didn’t commend him. Matthew 9:29 (ESV) “…According to your faith be it done to you.” Now to a carnal man, that may give the licence to ask God for more signs and wonders as they believe that God would comply with every request, however true born again believers seek to please God, and to stand on His Word alone would be our pleasure (therefore we should never want or seek to act similarly as the ruler). It’s no wonder that the centurion was honored by Christ – he had faith in God’s Word and believed in His faithfulness.
Matthew 16:4 (ESV) “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah…”
Now it is interesting to note that, even though the centurion had the faith, the servant was not healed until Jesus gave the word. Matthew 8:13 (NKJV) “Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.”
We, as Christians, can have the faith in the Lord for physical, emotional, spiritual healing or anything that we ask of the Lord, however it must be according to His will. 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) “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.” His will also includes His timing, which is always perfect.
Joseph had two dreams (confirming it truly was from God – Deuteronomy 19:15), that his brethren would bow down to him. It took approximately 20 years until the dream God gave Joseph came to pass (and it was at the perfect time)! God is completely sovereign, omnipotent and omniscient, there should be no reason to doubt God’s power, sovereignty and faithfulness in hard situations. 2 Timothy 2:13 (NKJV) “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.”
Just because we can have faith that moves mountains, we must not neglect that it must be in the Lord’s will and timing that what we pray for can come to pass. One can easily be in danger when they start to believe that their timing (or anything else for that matter) is better than God’s timing.
E.g.
- “Why isn’t my wife healed NOW?”
- “Why can’t I find out my calling/ministry NOW?”
- “Why doesn’t the Lord’s Word come to pass NOW?”
- “Why isn’t my wife healed NOW?”
- “Why can’t I find out my calling/ministry NOW?”
- “Why doesn’t the Lord’s Word come to pass NOW?”
When one does that, they are stepping over dangerous boundaries, because they are saying (whether they know it or not) ‘my will is better, more timely and more loving than God’s will’, and what a foolish mindset that would be for anyone to have. Proverbs 28:26 (ESV) “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered”. Trust in the Lord God Almighty, have faith in Him and in His perfect will and perfect timing. God’s timing is never too early and never too late, but is always right on time – just look at the life of Jesus and how He was always on time.
Be long-suffering!
Be long-suffering!
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Summary
1. Look to Jesus, look to the Word of God (absolute authority) and not towards signs and wonders
2. God’s will and timing is perfect, have faith in Him (even if it doesn’t make sense to you)
3. Lean not on your own understanding, but trust in the Lord
2. God’s will and timing is perfect, have faith in Him (even if it doesn’t make sense to you)
3. Lean not on your own understanding, but trust in the Lord
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