Jeremiah 32:27 - Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
So, what's the catch we ask ourselves? There is a condition, and it's the first 3 words of Psalm 103:2 - "Bless the Lord!" Boy! Does he drive a hard bargain or what? You're probably asking yourself, (as I did) How in the world do you bless the Lord? The answer is, how do you bless anyone? If you wanted to bless your child, what would you do? One of the main ways you bless someone is to give them something good, that they need or want.
In a child's case this is easy. A new bike or an IPOD is a blessing to them. But what can you give to God, who can create anything? Believe it or not, there "is" something you can give to God. There is something he desires from you. It's the same thing he had with the first man on earth. "A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM".
NO!! This doesn't mean selling your house and moving into the Church. It means sharing yourself with him. Talking to him throughout your day, about your job, your other relationships, your hopes and dreams, 5 o'clock traffic or even your laundry!!! The point is, if you truly believe that God is omnipresent, and he is with you everywhere you go, "STOP IGNORING HIM!". Stop waiting until Sunday morning when the preacher says (in his most holy sounding voice) "Let us Pray - Now, Repeat After Me", to talk to him.
~ GOOD FOR THE SOUL ~
DEPENDENCE ON GOD
There is no such thing as in incurable disease to God. God is just as capable and willing to heal or perform miracles today as he was 4,000 years ago. However, It is my belief that it is much harder for today's generation to have faith for healing or miracles, than it was for generations in the past. (But it doesn't have to be)
If you lived 2,000 years ago and contracted a serious disease such as cancer, aids, multiple sclerosis, or any
other chronic disease with the exception of leprosy, you wouldn't even know what you were sick from.
Two thousand years ago, these diseases didn't even have a name, if they existed at all. If you started developing the symptoms of one of these diseases, you would believe that it would be a simple thing for God to cure. You might believe that the cause was possibly something you ate or drank and God can fix that in a minute! (in this case faith is easier)
Today however, it's a little different. When we leave the doctors office, after he has told us we have cancer or some incurable disease, it's like being put on death row! There's a finality to it in your mind, it shatters your faith and one simply sits around waiting to die. It's something with a particular name and it comes with the prophesy from the physician, that you have only weeks or months to live. Similarly, we have faith that when we turn on a light switch, the light will come on, until someone says: "That light bulb is burned out" (That one sentence removes all hope).
We've been trained from birth to have more faith in the medical profession, than in God. When we were little children and got the flu or an ear infection, the days had already been long gone when our parents would fast and pray and plead with God for our healing. Instead, they would run us to the doctor. The doctor would prescribe the pink antibiotics, and bingo! Problem solved. So who needs God? This has been programmed into us.
There is an old story I put on the "Increase Your Faith" page, about the guy with the long pole, getting ready to walk on a barrel across a tight rope, Fifty stories high from one building to another. He turns to one of the spectators and asks, do you believe I can do this? The spectator replied: "Yes, I do!" The man then said "Good! Get in the barrel!" That's Faith!
We've been brought up to believe that we live in this modern day utopia with advanced medicine that is equaled only in the Star Trek movies. The truth is, to God, the medical profession is barely ahead of medicine men dancing around a patient with beads and rattles. Sure, people live longer today, but in allot of cases, their quality of life is hardly worth living while they are enduring the treatments that keep them alive. Modern day medicine is mainly designed to treat symptoms, not cure people. (When is the last time you've heard of an absolute cure for a major disease)
I'll sum it up in one sentence: "There is no money or profit in cures"
1 Corinthians 2:14 - But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
If a doctor tells you that you have six months to live, life stops right there for most people. It's a wedge that is driven into their brain that they can't seem to remove. Their thoughts will be fixated on that statement for the next six months. Isn't it curious that we can hear the words "By his stripes you were healed" every Sunday sense we were old enough understand, but let a medical person say just one time that you are going to die, and we put all of our faith in them?
Know this for certain, It doesn't matter what your problem is, or how serious it is, you will be making a choice. Whether you realize it or not, and whether you want to or not, you "will" be using faith.
I'll repeat that because it is important. No matter what your problem is, especially medical, you "WILL" be using faith. So don't claim that you don't have any faith. If you believe the doctor when he tells you that you have 6 months to live, then you have more faith in the doctor, than you do in God.
Matthew 13:15 - FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'
~ PROPHESY OF DOOM ~
Think of your problem as being Goliath. Goliath stood taunting the Israelite armies, and they were all afraid of him, because to go against this giant looked hopeless. It finally took a young boy to finally say: "Hey! (In so many words) What are you afraid of? Isn't God on our side? (1 Samuel 17:26 thru 1 Samuel 17:37)
Your situation may look equally hopeless, because some so called professional told you that it is hopeless. As mere people, our response is usually to try to "Get over it and Be Strong". I'm telling you just the opposite. Be like a child. Be like David, and then let God be strong. When we were children (especially you men), we had this "My dad can beat up you dad attitude".
Your dad may have been a stumbling drunk who weighed 97 pounds, but that's the attitude we had. In your current situation, your Father really can fight off "any" enemy that might be facing you. He's so powerful, no one or no thing can stand up to him, and he viciously protects those who truly love him. (I'm not talking about those who simply repeat the Lords Prayer a couple of times a week, or recite after some preacher once every Sunday) David knew that! You need to know it too! When it comes to having a personal, intimate relationship with God, SKIP THE MIDDLE MAN!
~ BE A DAVID ~
If you have been given the "Prophesy of Doom" from your doctor, decide who you are going to have faith in. Don't misinterpret me, I'm not telling anyone not to go to the doctor. When needed, "I" see a doctor. However, have more faith in God, than the medical profession. Don't accept the diagnosis as final. Whatever fancy medical name your disease is called by (invented by man), forget it and start praying about the symptoms!
Instead of asking God to heal you of cancer or some medical name you can't pronounce anyway, and never heard of two weeks before, pray to God and say "God, Please make this pain (or symptom) go away and heal me" and "God, Make me like new again, because nothing is impossible for you".
~ IN YOUR OWN WORDS ~
It's very hard for this generation to have more faith in God than in the medical profession because, this generation basically doesn't know God. Sitting in Church singing praises, worshipping God and having fellowship with other Christians is great, but most people stop there. They leave God inside the Church when they leave the building. What most folks don't realize is, the most important time that they can spend with God is "outside" the Church, one on one and personal.
If your relationship with God has consisted of Sunday morning Church services and a short prayer before dinner, don't expect an instantaneous healing or miracle, but "Do Expect a Healing or Miracle!"
If you have been given the prophesy of doom and are seeking God for help, you are doing exactly what God tells you to do. It's what he expects us to do and it's what he wants us to do. God really does love you, and he's not sitting up there with a score card, saying: "Hey, you didn't want to spend personal time with me before, why should I help you now?" Instead, he's sitting right next to you saying: "Come and walk with me for a while. (If I have to, I'll carry you - as long as you're willing) Spend some time with me. Trust me, be patient and have faith. It's not a question of "if" I will grant your request, but a question of "when".
As I've stated a hundred times throughout this website, You're personal relationship with him is EVERYTHING!! If you don't get anything else out of this entire website and ministry, I pray that you would understand that, and do it!
~ IT'S ALL ABOUT WHO YOU KNOW ~
Where are you going to place your faith? Believe me, you will have faith in one of these two sources. Will it be in the doctor who has just given you a prophesy of doom and gloom? Or will it be in the Bible and scriptures that say:
Psalms 103:2 - Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
Psalms 103:3 - Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases;
Psalms 103:4 - Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Psalms 103:5 - Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalms 103:6 - The LORD performs righteous deeds And judgments for all who are oppressed.
According to the later, it doesn't matter what you've done before and it's not a matter of being worthy, he will pardon "all" of your iniquities, and heal you of "all" your diseases. That would be enough wouldn't it? However, there are bonuses. (or benefits according to the scriptures above) He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion. He even promises to satisfy your years with good things and "renew your youth as the eagle.
~ BENEFITS OF THE LORD ~
~ BLESS THE LORD ~
I know that must sound crazy to you, but knowledge does destroy faith, and faith is one of the key ingredients to receiving a miracle or healing from God. I used to think how wonderful it would be if I were ever to be visited by an angel, or if God were to actually (audibly) speak to me in person, and I used to actually pray for that. Granted, I didn't spend 20 hours a day kneeling on broken glass praying for it, but it was one of my prayers.
Now I'm a little older and a little wiser, (well - older anyway) and I am glad that God never answered that prayer. The reason: If God had talked to me or if I had been visited by an angel, faith would no longer be a factor and faith is something that God considers valuable in us. At the very least, it pleases him.
John 20:29 - Jesus *said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
Wouldn't it be awesome, if at the lowest points in our life, we could talk to God and have him directly talk back to us, and tell us everything will be alright? If that were the case, no matter what our problem is, health, marriage, finances, or that miracle we desperately need, our worry would instantly disappear and we would be overcome with joy. We would have faith that our problems would be solved and we would gladly sit and wait. The only problem is, that wouldn't really be using faith.
You see, (And this is very important to know) God has already told us that everything will be alright.
Psalms 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalms 37:5 - Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Jeremiah 29:11 - 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Mark 11:24 - "Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.
~ KNOWLEDGE DESTROYS FAITH ~
So, when we believe and then let ourselves be overcome with that same joy because of his promises to us, "THAT" is faith! (Joy on credit) Then it will not be a question of "if" God will grant our request, but a question of "when" he will grant our request!
God created us to be dependent on him and to fellowship with him. God walked and talked with Adam in the garden of Eden, and all of Adams needs were met. Even the need for human companionship. (Eve) God hasn't changed, but "we" have. God still wants to walk and talk with us, and meet our every need, but it is a two way street. Sunday morning services and giving thanks at dinnertime every day isn't a very good deal for God, if we expect him to give us the desires of our heart in return.
Proverbs 3:5 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
Proverbs 3:6 - In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:7 - Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:8 - It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones.
If you had this same relationship with anyone else, do you think they would even lend you a dollar, if you only spent an hour Sunday morning and a minute daily throughout the week? If everything you said to them was a short canned pre rehearsed speech, how close of a friend do you suppose they would consider you to be?
How blind have you been? Think about it. The God and creator of the universe wants to hang around us, be friends with us, and treat us as his own children, and the most some of us communicate with him is to recite the Lords Prayer or some other canned speech.
~ JOY ON CREDIT ~
If you want your prayers answered, and answered quickly (or quicker), you may find out that you have to "unlearn" about 80% of what you've been taught in Church and 98% of what you've learned watching Christian television. You may not like hearing it, and you may even hate me for saying it, but the picture that has been painted for you of what God is like, usually doesn't resemble God at all.
You've been taught that God loves you unconditionally no matter what and that God loves us all the same! You've been taught that if you attend Church once or twice a week and follow the pastor/spiritual leader, you are having a personal relationship with God.
God does "not" love us all the same! (sorry) Preachers have told us for years that "God is no respecter of persons". This falsely eases our mind when we leave the church. We no longer feel as though the gates of Hell are yawning before us. We figure because God simply adores kindly old Mrs. Cooper in the front row (and who wouldn't), he must adore me too. People love that message and afterward, it takes 3 ushers to carry the offering plate back to the podium because it is so heavy.
Preachers justify this message with this scripture:
Acts 10:34 - Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Hey! That makes sense, and it's written right there in the bible. The problem is, if you read the entire paragraph in context, what Peter was saying is: Salvation is for everyone of every race, "not" just the Jews alone! No More, No Less! Anything more is a manipulation of scripture.
Another misconception is that God loves us all unconditionally. God does "Not" love us all unconditionally. Don't misinterpret me. God does love us allot. So much that he sent his son to die for us.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
So, God loved us so much that he sacrificed his son for us, but, if you want "eternal life" there is a condition. In the scripture above, the condition is that you believe. In the same context, if you "believe" that you will burn your hand if you place it on a hot stove, you won't place your hand there, will you? Similarly, if you believe in the son of God, there are certain aspects of your behavior you will change or quit doing.
Do you need healing? Believe it or not, there are conditions. Just because God healed kindly old Mrs. Cooper in the front row of her bunions, doesn't mean that he's going to heal the boil on your backside because he loves us all unconditionally. There "are" conditions.
1 Peter 2:24 - and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
1 Peter 2:25 - For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
For one thing, kindly old Mrs. cooper not only returned, she never left. Not having the worldly distractions that most of the rest of us do, she sat in her rocking chair and talked to God all day long, about everything from her grandchildren to her delicious prized muffins that are always such a hit at the Church bake sale.
The scripture above says that you have already been healed, but did you notice the condition? The scripture also says that you have returned. Have you returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your soul (No, I'm not talking about your pastor), or do you just return to Church every Sunday at 11:00 am?
Another misconception is that God loves us "all the same". We were made in God's image and in many ways we are like him. We love those who love us and those who seek a relationship with us.
Proverbs 8:17 - "I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me
The fellowship of attending Church is a very good thing and for allot of us it is essential. However, Church will not benefit you at all if you do not have a truly personal relationship with God. He is the most important person for you to have fellowship with. The most important time to fellowship with God is throughout your day, every day, not just in Church. It's easier to do than you think. You start by simply "talking to God", just like you'd talk to anyone else.
Now here's the one that really gets me. "SPIRITUAL LEADER". In almost every Church across the nation, big or small, there is a pastor that is proudly proclaiming that he is the "spiritual leader" of his flock. Before I go any further, there are hundreds of people who read the Power of Faith Ministries website every day. I get many prayer requests and am asked for advice. I get many letters thanking me for this ministry, telling me how much it has helped people. However, let me make it perfectly clear that "I am no one's spiritual leader" and it is not my flock.
Matthew 23:10 - "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.
Matthew 23:11 - "But the greatest among you shall be your servant.
Matthew 23:12 - "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
You have one leader (spiritual or otherwise), and that is Christ. Although many don't realize it, if they are calling themselves Spiritual leader, they don't belong behind the alter, they belongs in the nut house, because they are putting themselves equal with Jesus Christ. That would be the same as if I were to say that I am God, or Napoleon. As I said before, SKIP THE MIDDLE MAN! If you have a problem (especially you women, every time you have a marriage problem, seek God, not some pastor).
To be perfectly clear, We are the sheep and Jesus is the shepherd. Pastors are simply "Sheep Dogs". If one of the sheep wander off, the sheep dog directs them back to the flock for the shepherd. Jesus is your spiritual leader, not your pastor! If your pastor wants to see better results, he or she needs to stand at the podium and boldly proclaim that they are a helper of the shepherd, not some glorified spiritual leader. (That title belongs to Christ alone)
~ GETTING YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED ~
I don't know what giant you might be facing right now, but I've added these scriptures as "Food For Thought". If you read them, they will be good for your soul and peace of mind. If you follow them, It will be good for your body!
Psalms 41:3 - The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.
Zechariah 1:3 - "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return to Me," declares the LORD of hosts, "that I may return to you," says the LORD of hosts.
Psalms 145:18 - The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalms 145:19 - He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
Psalms 103:13 - As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalms 33:18 - Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
Dan Douglass
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