Did you happen to see the made-for-tv movie, "Jesus," that first aired in 2000? I especially was moved by the scene of Peter stepping out of the boat to walk on the water to Jesus. It was during a storm in the dark of night. The wind was blowing and the waves were high. Even though it was all Hollywood trickery, I watched spellbound as the Lord told Peter to come to Him. Poor Peter. Who of us could not sympathize with his desire and faith. He made a good start of it, stepping out of the boat. As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, his faith held him up. But Peter's faith faltered. He began to notice the waves (the world) and started sinking into the sea. Reaching out to save Peter (and his faith), Jesus rebuked him saying, You of little faith, why did you doubt? We echo back, Ahh, yes, Peter, why did you doubt? But Jesus is asking us, Why do we doubt? What is keeping us in the boat when it comes to believing in Jesus to heal our body of sickness and disease? We know what it means to man the oars, but to step out of the boat in faith that Jesus will heal us is another matter altogether! God's Victory Through Jesus Christ: Throughout His ministry, Jesus did two things. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed people of physical suffering (Matthew 9:35} over and over again. He never relented, because Satan is found in every spiritual and physical sickness. What good is it to preach about goodness if that goodness is incapable of overcoming the power behind both sin and suffering? The message and mission of Christ was twofold: repentance and healing. "Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows...he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities...and by his wounds we are healed" {Isaiah 53:4-5} The question is are we willing to step out of the boat on that truth? Friend, if Jesus were here today looking you straight in the eye, can you imagine Him NOT healing you of whatever sickness or disease you may have? He would call you by name, tell you God's kingdom is near to you, and ask you if you want to be healed. Do you want to be healed? "Oh yes, yes, Lord. Heal me! We wouldn't think twice about our cancer, our AIDS, or our Leukemia, would we? "Heal me, Lord," we would cry. What a powerful testimony we would become for the Lord. Now ask yourself, is your faith any different, any less, because Jesus is physically out of sight behind heaven's door? Unfortunately, for many of our brethren, the answer to that question is, Yes, it is. God's Adversary: The greatest hindrance to the advance of Christianity in the world is not lack of money or people. The greatest hindrance is the whisper of Satan in our heads telling us God no longer heals the way we read about in the Bible. We have taken the everyday nuts and bolts of our faith and intellectualized it. For many who wear the name of Christ, their faith in God is no more secure than the boat that held the disciples up from sinking. Sure, Christians trust God with their souls. That is easy! But holding up their faith for healing? Well, that is another matter altogether. Never mind that God says He is our Healer. I have cancer. I have diabetes. I have leukemia. These are incurable diseases, we reason. The voice of Satan fills our head. The father of lies, the evil one, gives us all sorts of reasons to doubt God and keeps us in bondage by our own words. Like Peter, who took his eyes off Jesus, we've taken our eyes off God's promise to heal. We focus our attention on the waves (our problems) instead of God's promise. We want healing but are confused and afraid. We are afraid that God heals, and afraid that He will not heal, both at the same time. The end result is that many of us have forsaken God as our Healercancelled Him out as Yehovah-rapha. Early Christians witnessed the power of Jesus preaching and healing. As a consequence, they never separated physical sickness from spiritual sickness. They recognized that God places great worth on our body and heals us body and soul. The thought of saving someone's soul without addressing his physical need never entered their minds. Today, we are just the opposite. In many churches today sickness is viewed as a matter for the world, and salvation as a matter for the Church. Many Christians no longer bother to consult with God about their maladies; they simply go to the nearest medical doctor. If You Want Healing Step Out of the Boat: Isaiah 53:4-5 is not intended to diminish science or modern medicine. But, Friend, God does not require science or medicine to heal. All He needs is your permission and faith. Beyond that, He calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17). God in Jesus Christ alone is the source of salvation. He alone is the source of healing. Can we come to grips with this eternal truth? This is the place where the rubber meets the road of our faith and the reason why so few churches serve as healing centers today. Like the rest of the disciples, we want to profess our faith but prefer doing so from the safety and comfort of our boat. Humanity seems to work that way, and we can be sure Satan knows this as well. Do you want healing? It makes no difference to our heavenly Father what ails you, life-threatening or not. If you want healing, you must step out of the boat. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for our sins and infirmities. |
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