The Role of Faith in Healing
Jesus said a variation of the same idea most of the time people came to him for healing.
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you."
Matthew 15:28 "O woman," Jesus answered, "your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Mark 5:34 "Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction."
Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Luke 17:19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has [n]made you well.”
Then when he taught on faith he said this.
Matthew 13:31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE SKY come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” 33 He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sat of flour until it was all leavened.”
The word "hid" is also translated as "mixed into." Faith doesn't make God do something, he's already offered everything in Christ. Faith makes the effort to mix Christ into the area that needs healing. How will you mix the word of Christ into your issue? Once you do, it will work its way through the whole thing and bring healing.
#4 in FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation
“Jesus said, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction.””
Jesus often repeated similar phrases when people sought healing from him.
Matthew 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you." And his servant was healed at that very hour.
Matthew 9:29 Then He touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you."
Matthew 15:28 "O woman," Jesus answered, "your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Mark 5:34 "Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction."
Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Luke 17:19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
This can be an empowering concept, but it can also cause great frustration.
What Is Faith?
Defining something often requires clarification of what it is not. Faith is not a means to manipulate God, a measurable quantity, or a reason for God to grant blessings or answer prayers. Faith is not something you do to get God to respond to you. Faith is a response to who God is.
Faith is trust and conviction in God's nature and character. It is a response to who God is and what he has done for you in Christ. It is not a means to manipulate God or earn blessings but a recognition of His desire to heal and deliver. Faith is not a measure of one's abilities or a commodity with varying amounts, but a personal belief in God's power and love.
Faith is this…
Matthew 9:28 And after He entered the house, the men who were blind came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They *said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done for you according to your faith.”
Matthew 8:2 And a man with leprosy came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Jesus is willing AND able.
Faith does not doubt that God is willing to heal, provide or deliver.
Theology focused on circumstances undermines faith and weakens the church's power. By reducing the Word of God to match individual experiences, it robs believers of the promise of life and health. This watered-down theology stunts faith growth and hinders the church's ability to access the full power of God.
GOD IS ABLE AND HE IS WILLING TO HEAL YOU!!!
People are not healed because of a lack of conviction that God is willing, not because God is withholding or waiting. God has already granted the power to receive healing through Christ, as revealed in Jesus' teachings on faith.
What Did Jesus Teach About Faith?
Matthew 13:31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE SKY come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.” 33 He spoke another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sat of flour until it was all leavened.”
The heart is like a field and the power of healing is like seed and yeast. As a farmer plants seed or a baker adds yeast to dough, it begins to spread and affect the entire substance. The tiny mustard seed grows into a large plant, and yeast permeates the entire dough, causing it to rise and become usable.
The word 'hid' in verse 33 can also mean 'mixed into'. Faith doesn't coerce God, but rather integrates His promises in Christ into the need for healing. By meditating on and sowing the Word of God into your heart, faith produces results and expects the Word to bring change in your life.
Sow the Word of God related to joy to overcome fear and depression. Sow the word of righteousness to overcome sin. Speak it out, memorize passages that target your specific need, and believe God's word above circumstances. This will bring life and produce results.
How will you mix the word of Christ into your issue? Once you do, it will work its way through the whole thing and bring healing.
I give more examples and a longer description of how to sow the Word in the video.
Prayer and Quantum Non-Locality
There is an intangible aspect to prayer that transcends distance, location, space, and time. Though intangible, it still has an affect. Prayer is not just words spoken into the air, prayer is a declaration of God’s will has a physical effect independent from space or distance. Prayer is not magical, but it is powerful. Join us today as we discuss the phenomenon of non-locality in physics and how that sheds light on the power of prayer.
“God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out.”
There is an intangible aspect to prayer that transcends distance, location, space, and time. Though intangible, it still has an affect. Prayer is not just words spoken into the air, prayer is a declaration of God’s will has a physical effect independent from space or distance. Prayer is not magical, but it is powerful. Join us today as we discuss the phenomenon of non-locality in physics and how that sheds light on the power of prayer.
In the realm of quantum physics, there’s a fascinating concept known as non-locality, where particles, once entangled, remain connected regardless of the distance between them. This connection is instantaneous and transcends the physical constraints of time and space. Interestingly, this principle provides us with a powerful analogy for understanding the spiritual dynamics of prayer.
Prayer, much like quantum non-locality, transcends physical barriers. It’s not confined by the limitations of time, space, or distance. When we pray, we’re engaging with an intangible yet potent force that connects us to God’s will and power. Prayer is far more than just words spoken into the air; it’s a declaration that resonates in the spiritual realm, creating effects in the physical world, independent of where or when the prayer is made.
Consider the centurion in the Gospels who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Jesus didn’t need to be physically present to perform the miracle; He spoke the word, and the servant was healed. This story exemplifies the principle of non-locality in prayer. Just as quantum entanglement allows particles to affect one another regardless of distance, our prayers, spoken in faith, can have real, tangible impacts no matter where we are.
Prayer, therefore, should not be viewed as a magical formula or an attempt to manipulate physical reality. Instead, it’s an interaction with the higher dimension of Heaven, where we operate out of our authority in God’s kingdom. Through prayer, we align our desires with God's will, tapping into His creative power that governs the universe. This alignment brings about outcomes that are not just miraculous but are in harmony with the laws of God’s kingdom.
In essence, prayer is a powerful tool that allows us to engage with the spiritual laws of God’s kingdom, which operate beyond the limitations of our three-dimensional world. By understanding the principles of quantum entanglement and non-locality, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the effectiveness and reach of our prayers. We’re not merely asking for things; we’re participating in the co-creation of God’s will on Earth, reflecting the unity and connection that underpins both the physical and spiritual realms.
So, when you pray, do so with the confidence that your words, rooted in faith, resonate far beyond the immediate and the visible. They reach into the very heart of God’s kingdom, activating His power and bringing His will to pass in your life and the lives of those you pray for.
Build a Home in Your Heart for the Promises of God to Dwell
We walk by faith, not by sight. But our faith is not of our own making, our faith in God’s promises and purposes. To be faithful is to expect God’s promises to come to pass, and to yield to his leading to accomplish his purposes. Join us today as we discuss how to reason in our hearts that God is faithful.
#3 in FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation
“By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country...”
Abraham, the father of faith-righteousness, made several mistakes. God told him to leave his family and go to a new land, but Abraham brought his nephew, Lot, and his family, which caused all sorts of problems. He lied about his wife to Pharaoh and gave his wife to him, the wife he was to have a promised child. He gave his wife away again to another king. He had a child with a different woman who was not his wife. And I'm sure there were more along the way.
Yet he is the man through which God birthed the nation of Israel. God's chosen people, his elect, the ones with whom he cut covenant and revealed his name.
I say this not to disparage Abraham but to encourage you. Abraham is someone we are to regard as a model of faith.
Why?
Because Abraham believed God.
That's it. That's faith. Believe what God said and make every decision accordingly.
Faith is not something you need more of, faith is a commitment to God's promised reality. God has a plan for your life. It comes with promises and purposes. Blessings and assignments.
All of those promises are in Christ, who is in you. The more you know and experience Christ in you, the more you will experience the promises of your joint inheritance with Christ.
The more you search out God's nature and character, the more you will understand his will for your life.
But it's not the accruement of time that yields the fruit of faith, it's being convinced of who God is and that he will accomplish what he promised, like in Abraham's life.
What has God promised you?
What purposes has God revealed to you?
How are you prioritizing your life to apply the wisdom he's giving you concerning those things?
There is more detail on these questions, along with a suggested exercise to write out the promises you are believing and the purposes you're pursuing.
Abraham's Faith
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
A few verses later, we're reminded that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his child of promise, Isaac. In Hebrews 11:19 we see that Abraham "reasoned" or rationalized that God could raise Isaac from the dead, so he was willing to sacrifice him. But that was just God's test to ensure that Abraham would see everything through. God never intended for Abraham to kill Isaac.
As a side note, God was doing something else with this test. He was rewriting what kind of god he was. Abraham was used to gods requiring blood sacrifices of children from living in the kingdom of Nimrod. But God wanted to reveal himself as the one who provides for himself a sacrifice, as a foreshadowing of Jesus. So this test was not an external trial, it was an internal searching out of Abraham's heart to make sure he had a willing vessel.
The word "reasoned" is an interesting choice. I think of it more as an equation. You must have all the correct integers or factors in the equation to come to the proper conclusion. Abraham persuaded his heart that God was faithful, even in a circumstance that was confusing to him. He reasoned or processed in his heart that God was a healer and could raise his son from the dead if that needed to happen.
We can learn a lesson from this. As we are believing God, we too must consider his nature, character, promises, and revealed purposes as we form beliefs and make choices. All of our beliefs and choices must consider who God has revealed himself to be throughout history and what he accomplished in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Ask yourself those two questions in everything; who is God? Did Jesus do anything about this? And whatever those answers are, do whatever it takes to believe those Word-based conclusions and do not deviate or doubt.
Setting Up A Home for Your Faith
Abraham built his tent or home in a foreign land before the promise was manifested. While this was a literal event for him, and might be for us in a way as well, this is something we can do in our hearts. You can dwell in or on the promises God has made to you in Christ before you see the manifestation as part of the process to persuade your heart of his promises.
Most of us dwell in or on what might go wrong, or the past, or a thought that usually never happens. We set up a home for our faith that is riddled with doubt, fear, worry, anger, disappointment, frustration, etc. But do you take the time to frame up a dwelling place in your heart for God's promises to manifest? His promises are in you already because Christ is in you. But is your heart receptive to his Word? Do you allow it to take root and bear full fruit, or do you uproot it with indecision, doubt, and self-reliance?
I hope you jump into the video above and apply my suggestion regarding the intentional stewarding of God's promises and purposes.
This series will continue for several more weeks as I look at what Jesus taught about faith and our role in persuading our hearts. Stay tuned!!
Cooperating with the Spiritual Laws of God's Kingdom
There are laws that govern the spiritual Kingdom of God, just like there are laws of physics in the physical dimension. Like the law of faith or the law of sowing and reaping. We can discover how to cooperate with these laws and experience the benefits of those laws. Mark 11:24 says, Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted to you. That is an amazing statement by Jesus. What does he mean? How can we apply this promise? Click for more on Faith, Hope and the Laws of the Kingdom of God.
#2 in FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
There are laws that govern the spiritual Kingdom of God. We see one example in Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. The law of sin and death is easy to understand - when you sin, it produces death in your life. But the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus seems to supersede the law of sin and death.
The law of the spirit of life does not absolve you from obeying God, but it has a greater effect than the physical law of sin and death. What is this law, and how do we operate in it or experience it?
The short answer is, by grace through faith - just like how we got saved.
Think of the law of sin and death as the law of gravity. Gravity is constant, and it affects every aspect of our earthly existence. And think of the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus as the law of lift. The law of lift can supersede the law of gravity if you have the proper factors in place, such as thrust and speed.
It doesn't matter how much a craft weighs. If it has the right kind of wings, the right speed, and the proper thrust capacity, that craft will be lifted into the air despite the force of gravity working to pull the plane back to the ground.
Sin will always try to pull you back into the darkness and produce death in your life, but the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus can lift you out of the darkness and cause you to rise above the effects of sin and death. Of course, we know this is true of our regenerated spirits, but you can also experience the benefit of the law of the spirit of life in your mind, soul, body, and life circumstances.
I am in the beginning phase of a series titled FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation. I plan to talk a lot about spiritual laws, and the role faith has in experiencing the benefits of these laws.
Here are a few laws we'll discuss:
Law of the Lord
Law of God's Word
Law of Sowing and Reaping
Law of the Seed
Law of the Spirit of Life
Law of Sin and Death
Law of Liberty
Law of Sin
Law of Righteousness
Law of Faith
Law of Love
These are not moral, civil, or dietary laws to be judged and governed, they are the constant laws of the spiritual dimension. Like the physical laws of nature/physics, they're consistent. They're not personal, meaning they're not evaluated for each person per case.
If you fall off a ladder and get hurt, gravity did not decide to teach you a lesson that day, you experienced the effect of a consistent law that's always in place and should be observed and respected. So likewise, if you stay in sin, you will experience some level of death, but it's not God judging you or sending difficulty into your life as a penalty.
Jesus was already tried, judged, and punished for all laws that applied to obedience and righteousness. Christ became the manifestation of the curse of those laws in our place. That aspect of our experience of the New Covenant is a done deal.
Now we are joined to a new realm we previously didn't have access to. We are now joined to and are in the midst of the Kingdom of God. But we must apply something akin to the law of lift to experience the laws of that kingdom and rise above the effects of the laws of the physical realm.
I believe faith is that law of lift we can live in. In fact, Galatians 2:20 tells us that we can now live by the faith OF the son of God. Faith, however, is not an ability you have to exert, it's a response to who Christ is and who we are in him. Faith is not what we do to get God to respond to us, faith is our response to what God has already done in Christ.
Faith is typically thought of as belief despite the lack of evidence, but faith itself is the evidence (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is not a simple choice to believe in God, faith is a response to God revealing himself to you. It takes faith or a willingness of heart to seek and experience God. Faith is the spiritual law God has placed in you that enables you to be lifted into a higher dimensional experience of Heaven, even though your feet are firmly planted on planet earth.
God Rewards Those Who Seek Him
These two passages reveal the same concept from my perspective.
Hebrews 11:1 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.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
If you have a Newtonian view of faith, you will read these as cause and effect. You must act for God to respond with an equal and opposite reaction. But if you have a quantum view of faith, you will discern the constant spiritual law within these passages.
The law is this, God has made himself known, but you must get to know him and search him out to see what is concealed in him.
This example will make my point clear.
Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity in 1665. Daniel Bernoulli discovered the law of lift in the 1730s. The Wright brothers took flight using their knowledge of gravity and the law of lift in 1903. Albert Einstein predicted that gravity existed in waves in 1916, but the proof of that prediction wasn't discovered until 1976. We are still learning about gravity today.
Why didn't Newton know everything about gravity when he discovered it? Because there was more to it than he knew. There was more to be discovered.
As these scientists diligently searched out the dynamics of gravity and the law of lift and flight, they were each rewarded with new discoveries.
The Wright brothers were rewarded with flight when they applied these principles just the right way. The same is true when we search out what God has given us in Christ in the spiritual dimension of his kingdom.
While we are in a relationship with God and he's active in our lives, he is not hiding things from us. On the contrary, he has made everything knowable in Christ, and we are rewarded with the effects of our discoveries of the riches in him as we diligently seek him. We're spiritual explorers, searching out the wondrous realm that God has joined us to.
He's not playing hide and seek. He's already given us everything that pertains to life and Godliness. All his promises are yes, and amen. We are complete in him. God is a provider, healer, and our endless source of inerrant knowledge, but we are to seek him, and as we know him better, we KNOW him, which is in wisdom and revelation, knowledge and experience.
If you need healing, search out the healer and you will discover healing. If you need provision, get to know the provider and provision will be revealed. The rewards God has for you are not merit based, they are facets of his character and are received as your relationship with him becomes closer and closer.
I pray you KNOW him. I pray you experience him. And I pray you walk in all the wonderful purposes he is inviting you to.
What promises are you believing for and what purposes are you living?
Faith pleases God, but what is faith? Faith is a response to God’s purpose and a hopeful expectation of rHis promises. Join us this New Year’s Day as we discuss how to live a lifestyle of faith.
#1 in FAITH & HOPE: Living in the Balance of Wisdom and Revelation
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Welcome to a New Year!! The Lord has laid it on my heart to focus on faith and hope for the first part of this year. Faith means to trust, and hope is to have a confident expectation of good things. One source defines hope as a confident expectation of eternal salvation.
Hebrews 11:1 tells us that faith is the title deed or proof of the good things we expect. The fact that you have faith for it in your heart is proof that it can be a reality in your life.
I want to live a lifestyle that is always full of faith toward God and is always hopeful of God’s promises and purposes coming to pass in my life. I want to confidently expect to experience all the benefits of the spiritual eternal salvation that Christ has given me. I want to experience the promises that come with salvation personally and walk in the responsibility toward others that comes with eternal salvation.
To do this, I believe we need to live in the balance of wisdom and revelation. In Ephesians 1:7, Paul prays that God would grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ.
Wisdom and revelation are paradoxical. Wisdom is the practical application of knowledge. While revelation is a spiritual process that isn’t written down anywhere for you to read. It’s the product of a personal and intimate relationship with the spirit of God. Revelation happens when the written Word comes alive in your heart in a new way. Revelation is when you see God more profoundly or understand His will due to intimate time with him.
Wisdom is when you go to the Word and put it into practice in measurable ways. Revelation is when you have an impression or unction and follow it into fruit that is hard to define. But the two meet in the knowledge of Christ. The knowledge of Christ will always keep your revelation anchored in wisdom, and the knowledge of Christ will always stretch your wisdom into revelation.
What joins the two is faith and hope. Trust and expectation. When you trust God but expect to see his promises and purposes manifest, you will always stay anchored in wisdom but allow revelation to challenge your current state.
I want to live anchored in wisdom but always expectant to see the impossible come to pass. I want to stretch my faith out there to experience all that God wants FOR ME and all that God wants to do THROUGH ME. Experiencing his PROMISES and PURPOSES.
I want to guide my life in this direction this year personally, and I hope to be an encouragement to help you do the same. I invite you to make this journey with me this year.
Guiding Thoughts
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Faith comes before understanding. We must trust God before we understand and be willing to move before we know.
Revelation will fill in the steps as we move forward. And the knowledge of Christ will keep your steps anchored along this journey.
Know Christ, know his Word, and see who you are as the result of his finished work.
Everything you see was created by something unseen. So we walk by faith, not by sight. So we are to walk by faith, not sight, because that which we hope for is being created, built, grown, or manifested by something you can’t see, which is the living Word of God.
Stretch your faith and be confident in your expectation.
Questions to Ponder
What has God promised you?
What promises are you believing?
What purposes has God revealed to you?
What purposes are you living?
How will you prioritize hope in God’s promises and purposes for your life this year?
Acting Justly, Loving Mercy, and Walking Humbly with God
It’s good to know what God expects from you, it keeps things simple. But When you look deeper into what God prescribes for your life, while there are definitely specifics, it’s actually very general. Meaning there’s lots of room for choice on your part.
As we wind down 2022 and look toward a new year, I plan to remember this verse in my daily life. I can’t say there’s one action defined for me from this passage. It’s more of a way of life.
When the Prophet Micah brought this word to Israel, he warned of judgment. He got to a point where he clarified how God expected them to live to avoid judgment. The funny thing is, it’s not that complicated.
“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
It’s good to know what God expects from you, it keeps things simple. But When you look deeper into what God prescribes for your life, while there are definitely specifics, it’s actually very general. Meaning there’s lots of room for choice on your part.
As we wind down 2022 and look toward a new year, I plan to remember this verse in my daily life. I can’t say there’s one action defined for me from this passage. It’s more of a way of life.
When the Prophet Micah brought this word to Israel, he warned of judgment. He got to a point where he clarified how God expected them to live to avoid judgment. The funny thing is, it’s not that complicated.
Micah 6:6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah points out that you can not do enough for God or make enough sacrifices for Him, but you can live in a way that honors Him.
Act Justly
Love Mercy
Walk Humbly with Your God
Act justly means to do the right thing. It’s not referring to keeping the Law perfectly, it basically means to live with honor and integrity in day-to-day life.
Love mercy means goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. That sounds like - love one another. God desires mercy over sacrifice, we can live the same way with others. To love mercy as a life’s philosophy reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13’s description of love, to give others the benefit of the doubt and be quick to forgive, not holding one another’s failures against one another.
Walk humbly with your God. The word “humbly” in this passage is not the usual word for humble, it means: lowly, to yield to, to hold the door for.
To be humble before God is to yield to Him in your life. So hold the door for Him and let Him go first into each situation. In other words, consider how He sees people in the arena you’re entering. How would He treat people or behave in the environment you are walking into? How would He love and unify in the spaces you occupy?
Hold the door for the Lord as you live your life, and allow your motives to be shaped by His character within.
How Should You Pray Under the New Covenant?
I have this discussion alot, centered around this question, "how do I pray under the New Covenant." We must remember that in Christ we are complete, he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness and all his promises are yes and amen. We are not asking God to give us something we don't already have in Christ. Prayer should be from the perspective to have our hearts and eyes enlightened to see and experience what is already ours in Christ.
How should I pray for myself if I am already complete in Christ?
The simple answer is this, your spirit is perfect and whole, but your body and soul need to experience the ongoing promises of God. Your salvation is secure, but the rest of your being needs renewal as you are continually conformed to the image of Christ. You experience that renewal the same way you were born again, by grace through faith. Everything the rest of your being needs to experience is also a gift from God. You can't earn it, suffer for it, or be good enough. You can only renew your mind and persuade your heart of the present reality that you are in Christ. As your mind and heart align with who God is in you and who you are in Him, it will shape your thoughts, desires, and choices, and your spiritual state will affect the rest of your being.
So you should still pray, but pray in such a way that you affirm your already completed spiritual identity. Remember that He has given you all things that pertain to life and godliness, and all his promises are yes and amen. We are not asking God to give us something we don't already have in Christ. Prayer should shift our hearts and eyes to see and experience what is already ours in Christ.
How should I pray for others?
When praying for others, you pray the same for them, that they would see who they are in Christ and what they have in Christ. One of the most effective things you can do in praying for someone else is to pray with your spirit for that person.
Concerning the enemy, if someone is oppressed, hindered, or believing a lie, pray in such a way that you reinforce their connection with God so that they would stand in their authority and display the strength and faith of Christ in them. The believer with a limiting belief or some kind of deception must resist the enemy by standing in the truth of their already accomplished victory in Christ. Still, even more so, they need to strengthen their hearts in what Christ has already accomplished.
The goal is not to chase away a demon; it is to strengthen the believer's heart/faith, so they don't allow the enemy's tactics to cause them to stumble.
Devils and demons aren't causing your hindrances, they're attracted to your hindrances. Those limitations and hindrances are in your heart, in your beliefs. Once you align those with God's word, the enemy has nothing else to reinforce in your life.
The most significant breakthroughs don't come from rebuking and binding spirits off your life. Instead, the most essential breakthroughs come when you know your power in Christ and are no longer susceptible to the lies or tactics of the enemy.
Truly, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. And when you stand in the power/authority of the one who is in you, the enemy has nothing in you to exploit. The church needs to wake up to the reality of the New Covenant, in which the enemy is already defeated and stripped of authority.
If you have no weaknesses in any given area, the enemy has nothing to exploit. But unfortunately, too many people pray as if the demon is causing the hindrance when in reality, the demon is just an opportunist.
The solution is to strengthen the believer, and the enemy will have no ground to apply any sort of tactic.
The Apostle Paul's prayers are a good model for us. You never see him rebuking a devil, breaking a curse, cutting a soul tie, or pulling down strongholds over cities. Instead, we always see Paul affirming believers' connection with God through Christ. He prayed that our hearts, minds, and spiritual eyes would be opened to see what is already ours in Christ. Because he knew that when a believer understands the finished work of Jesus and operates from that identity/authority, the enemy has no effect, and we will accomplish the purposes of God.
If you'd like to dig a little deeper, read through all of Paul's prayers and pay attention to how he prays. I created a blog a while ago that lists all of Paul's prayers. I pray it's a blessing to you and helps you understand better how to pray as a New Covenant believer.
Click here -> https://www.clintbyars.com/blog/2019/5/6/complete-list-prayers-apostle-paul
Also, jump in on the discussion under a similar Facebook post.
Feed on the Body and Blood of Christ
What does it mean to feed on his flesh and drink his blood?
John 4:31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Jesus informs his disciples that there is a different kind of food available that nourishes us and strengthens us in place of natural food. It’s spiritual food but it is accessed with intention, by grace through faith. God will not spoon feed you the sustenance of his spirit like a baby, you must pick up a cup and drink.
How do you ;ick up that cup? Jesus said he did it by doing the will of his father and by fulfilling God’s will for his life.
“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
What does it mean to feed on his flesh and drink his blood?
John 4:31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."
Jesus informs his disciples that a different kind of food is available that nourishes us and strengthens us in place of natural food. It's spiritual food, but it is accessed with intention, by grace through faith. God will not spoon-feed you the sustenance of his spirit like a baby, you must pick up a cup and drink.
How do you pick up that cup? Jesus said he did it by fulfilling his father's will and fulfilling God's will for his life.
I can tell you that it is enriching and fulfilling when I'm serving, ministering, enjoying my family, or any other things that align with God's guidance for that moment. So many times, I preach and feel full as if I've eaten a meal. But that's just one example. We have access to be nourished by God's spirit in everything we do. Because we are children of God, we have access to his spirit as strength and nourishment in every aspect of life.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The Apostle John records a detailed conversation and teaching from Jesus about this subject. Read through the following section slowly. Pay attention to what you notice. Keep your heart open to God and allow him to give you insight into how the flesh and blood of Christ can strengthen you. Identify areas where you are living in your own strength and decide to allow God's spirit to be your strength.
John 6:27-59 (read full chapter)
27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you
54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day
55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.
58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
God Does Not Want to Judge You
Jesus bore God's wrath and judgment for sin in his body on the cross as the sin offering for the world. Now that Christ is in you, you don't ever have to worry about being judged by God. Jesus explains why throughout the Gospel of John.
““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Jesus bore God's wrath and judgment for sin in his body on the cross as the sin offering for the world. Now that Christ is in you, you don't ever have to worry about being judged by God. Jesus explains why throughout the Gospel of John.
While speaking with Nicodemus, Jesus explained that God would judge him on our behalf.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up
Jesus is speaking of an event during the Israelite's time in the desert.
Numbers 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." 6 So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the Lord said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
Our first response to this story should be thankfulness that we are not under the Mosaic covenant, otherwise known as the Old Covenant. The Old Covenant is not the whole of the Old Testament, it's just the arrangement the Israelites were in from their deliverance from Egypt to the time of Jesus when he enacted a New Covenant.
The Old Covenant included blessings AND curses. The Israelite's complaints against God and Moses brought upon themselves a judgment in the form of poisonous snakes. But when they repented and asked for deliverance, God gave them a way to be free from the judgment of their sin.
Under the New Covenant, Jesus has already been tried, judged, and punished for all your past, present, and future sins. You never have to wonder if God will judge you for your mistakes and sins. You have already been delivered from the curse of the Law. Also - you don't ever have to wonder if what you're going through is some judgment or trial from God because he is not relating to you that way because of the kind of covenant we're in through Christ. God is not sending poisonous snakes into your life in the form of depression, job loss, troubled relationships, poverty, disease, etc.
I love the glimpses we have into Jesus' heart. For example, he was highly stressed about the kind of death he was going to face. In several cases, he prayed to God for a different plan.
He said this about the kind of death Jesus would face.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." 33 This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
I believe the word "peoples" in verse 32 should be the word "judgment." Some translations read, "I will draw all men unto me." But the word "peoples" or "men" was not in the original editions of John. It was added at the discretion of the translators.
When you think through the context of this story, you understand that Jesus is drawing the judgment on himself, not on people. When the Israelites looked to the serpent on the pole, they understood that their judgment was being transferred to the serpent. As long as they beheld the serpent, they were delivered from judgment.
The same is true for Christ on the cross. When we behold him and place our faith in what he's done on that cross in our place, we understand that our judgment has been removed from us and put on/in him on the cross.
When Christ was lifted up on the tree, he took in Himself our curse to deliver us from sin and death.
How can we live out this powerful truth in practical ways?
1. Don't sin, but if you do, don't forget about Jesus.
As I mentioned, you can live free of fear because Jesus has already eternally atoned for your sin. So don't sin, but if you do, remember that was already tried, judged, and punished for it.
1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
When you feel the guilt and shame from life's failures, and those fiery serpents come to bite you, behold him and allow the sting of judgment to roll over to Christ rather than worrying if you'll lose your salvation.
2. Don't judge others.
Living with the awareness that you are forgiven allows you to be more understanding of others.
Matthew 7:1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
The context of this instruction from Jesus is horizontal, not vertical. Meaning when you judge others, others will judge you. This is not a warning and a threat of judgment from God.
Very simply, when you feel the desire to judge someone else, remember that Christ was judged for your sin. So if you sin or are tempted to judge others, the prescription is the same - remember that Jesus was cursed and judged for your sin.
If Christians lived aware of this truth, we would be much more effective in the world. Of course, we should not compromise God's truth and deny his natural order of sexuality and morality, but we should live judgment free of others because we live judgment free from God.
I pray this video is a blessing and helps you live free from the fear of God's judgment.
The Father’s Desire for you is Eternal Life
If you're going to have beliefs about God, base them on the instances where God describes himself, not your interpretation of a broken world's circumstances. God is not trying to make your life challenging to teach you lessons, he wants you to thrive and experience abundant life.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
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If you're going to have beliefs about God, base them on the instances where God describes himself, not your interpretation of a broken world's circumstances. God is not trying to make your life challenging to teach you lessons, he wants you to thrive and experience abundant life.
God is a healer, not a disease-maker. God is a provider, not a thief. God is kind, not cruel. God gives wisdom, not confusion. God can be trusted and depended on, he's not the source of your pain.
Jesus came to represent God and show us what he is like, and he went around doing good and healing people. That's God!! The one who wants to do good things in your life and heal you as you enjoy the life he gives you. You then minister to others out of that overflow.
God wants us to know him. God is not difficult to understand. If you know Jesus and are aware of his works, you can know God. In fact, God is soo good, he desires to do good things in your life, just so you'll sit back and say WOW!! So that you may marvel.
For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. John 5:20
The world doesn't know God in this way. Instead, they've been shown a judgmental deity that looks more like a Greek deity than the one true God. If you know God is good and only good, then get busy helping others know him. If you struggle to believe that God is only good because you've had a traditional view of God, then it's time to change how you see him.
Jesus is the clearest picture we have of God, base your beliefs about God on him. I walk through John chapter 5 and some of 6 to highlight the point that Jesus wants us to know how good God is. I hope the message is a blessing to you.