Faith, Healing, and Miracles
1 Corinthians 12:9-10 (Audio Only)
Message #7
We’re on week seven of the Holy Spirit study, We started with the “Baptism of The Holy Spirit.” Then, we dealt with “The Holy Spirit at Work in The World,” and we dealt with the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives, “The Manifold Grace of God.” We did “An Overview of The Gifts” of the Holy Spirit. This is our third week in the specifics of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Two weeks ago, we looked at "Knowledge And Wisdom." Last week, we addressed "Prophecy and Discerning of Spirit."
Today continues a technical message on the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are doing three gifts today. There are so many gifts, at least nineteen – some say there’s twenty or twenty-two – it’s a lot. We can’t really do them two at a time; some we are going to lump together (the ministry gifts). Today we are going to do the power gifts of faith, healing, and miracles.
As a way of review, let’s read 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4-11.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NKJV)
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation (these are manifestation gifts) of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually (severally or sovereignly) as He wills.
So, today we start with faith. Turn over to Hebrews 1, and it starts with a definition of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
1 Now faith is the substance (or the realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (or the confidence) of things not seen.
The most critical word to define in this verse is the word hoped for. This is not our wishful thinking. (I hope, I hope, I hope.) The definition of that word hope is, “a confident expectation based on solid certainty.” You are my confident expectation, based on solid certainty. You’re the anchor of my soul.
Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the realization of a confident expectation based on solid certainty, of something that is yet unseen. This is an incredibly powerful, powerful definition. That is the gift of faith.
So many people mistakenly refer to our faith as “blind faith,” which is impossible. It doesn’t even fit the definition. There is no such thing as blind faith because faith is seeing the unseen. Right? Believing is seeing. There is no blind faith – it’s just the opposite. Faith is seeing perfectly that which is as yet unseen. Confident expectation.
There are a number of areas that faith works in within our lives.
1). Salvation
First and foremost, salvation. Ephesians 2:8 – the first three chapters of Ephesians are powerful; know them well!
Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that (the faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
So, it is by God’s grace, through faith, which faith is a gift from God. We didn’t even have the faith to believe. We didn’t even have the faith to believe – God gave us the gift of faith, even to believe.
2). Relationship with God
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
6 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.
We cannot have a relationship with God without this faith, this confident expectation of things as yet unseen. This realization of things that we confidently expect. We can’t even build a relationship with God without this faith. And so, this is a relational faith that grows; it matures. I have more faith in God today than I did twenty-five years ago when I was first saved because I’ve seen him work more in my life.
But although those are gifts of faith, they are not the manifestation gift of faith. They are gifts of faith that save us, and that transform us, that sanctify us. However, 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9 says,
1 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
9 to another [is given] faith by the same Spirit,
This is a manifestation gift, noted in verse 7. A manifestation gift is a supernatural gift that is given as the Holy Spirit sovereignly wills. As you pray, as you ask for it, as you earnestly desire it, then as he wills, he gives it to you when you need it for the purpose that you need it for. That is the gift of faith. It is for a specific time, for a specific purpose. That’s a manifestation gift. It’s a supernatural outpouring for a specific time and a specific purpose. All of the gifts are actually exercised in faith. You need to know it takes faith to exercise the gifts. “Okay, God. I believe this is you, but…” And so, there is a time when you have to have faith to exercise any of the gifts. That is not this gift of faith. This manifestation gift is a supernatural outpouring for a specific moment. Just like a word of knowledge, or wisdom or prophecy, or discerning of spirits. A manifestation of a supernatural gift.
It was very active in the Old Testament, as you might guess. All of the gifts were active in the Old Testament. I say that over, and over, and over again so that we don’t have this misconception that the gifts were for this ninety- or one-hundred-year period when the New Testament was written, and that was all. Guys, a hundred years is like a second and a half to God. These gifts have always been active, and they will always be active.
1 Samuel 17, you know the story already. Great display of the gift of faith, the manifestation gift of faith. It has to do with a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy. You might be able to guess his name.
1 Samuel 17:45-46 (NKJV)
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (now, here’s the gift of faith)
46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.
And I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air, he says, and to the beasts of the field, which is exactly what David did because God gave him a supernatural gift of faith. He was a cheese carrier. He was bringing cheese to his brothers. And God gave him the gift. You can take this guy. Saul’s armor is too big for him; he can’t even walk in it. He says, forget it. Give me five smooth stones. Supernatural gift of faith.
Of course, Abraham, Sarah. Both Abraham, the Father of our Faith, and Sarah are listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith. I wish I had time to go to Hebrews Chapter 11 and read the Hall of Faith of fame. Let me just tell you for further reading devotional time, read verses 35-39 of Hebrews 11 because that lists the Hall of Famers who were tortured. Who were ripped limb from limb, who didn’t have food to eat, who were desolate, who were deserted. It’s not exactly the ones that get listed in the success-driven gospel – but they are in there – these Hall of Famers. Hebrews 11, from about verse 35 and on from there – the great, great Hall of Famers who were torn limb from limb. That’s a whole other lesson.
What did Abraham and Sarah also teach us about faith? They taught us what it looks like when you walk outside of faith, right? They taught us what it looks like when you operate in the ISHMAEL or the flesh. When you operate in the flesh, you produce ISHMAEL.
Let’s go to the New Testament and look at Acts Chapter 3. It’s a large section, but stay with me; it’s really important to see about the gift of faith.
Acts 3:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful , to ask alms from those who entered the temple (he laid there daily. I guaranteed Peter and John were going to the Temple, when they could, daily);
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
Amen! That is such a great picture in your mind. We can be sure of a couple of things. First of all, this is not the first time that Peter and John had seen this particular person asking for alms. He was laid there daily. They probably went daily. That’s probably also not the first time this particular person had asked Peter and John for something. But at this moment, God said to Peter, “Now is the time. For this specific instance, for this specific purpose, I’m going to give you specific faith that works in the gift of healing.”
So, we see the gift of faith and the gift of healing working together, and we can use this text for either one. But if we skip down to verse 11, we’ll see the purpose for this.
Acts 3:11-16 (NKJV)
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s (so they entered the Gate Beautiful, went through the wall, and right above the Beautiful Gate at the southern wall is Solomon’s porch. So they were up there; it was kind of the social area of the Temple courts), greatly amazed.
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
That is an example of the gift of faith and a perfect example of the specific purpose of the gift of faith in action. The Holy Spirit says, “Now, Peter. This is the moment. I have something I want you to do in about five minutes, and you need to have a miracle standing next to you so I can get a bunch of people around you up in Solomon’s court. So, heal this guy, get him up there, the people are going to rush around you, and you’re going to give them a little Word.” So, that is both the supernatural gift of faith, and we see it is for a specific circumstance and a specific purpose.
Let’s go to Mark 11.
Mark 11:22-24 (NKJV)
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Has this text caused a little conflict in the Christian church? I think so. Why? Why so much conflict through this verse and others in the Gospel of Mark? Because we have a desire to read our own will into scripture. We have a desire to see scripture based on our own needs – our own selfish, perverse, un-eternal needs. And we refuse, when something sounds good to us, to compare scripture with scripture and allow the entire canon of scripture to speak to us. What is Jesus saying here?
He’s saying that if it’s God’s will that mountain be moved, and if the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to say, “Mountain move,” will the mountain move? Yes. It absolutely will. Does this scripture mean that you can take your self-interested, self-serving will and demand that God give you whatever you want? Only if you are God, and he is not. And if you risk this, you read Isaiah 14, verses 12 and following and see what happens to the last being who decided he wanted to be God. That is the story of the Fall of Lucifer. If you are God, and God is not, then you can demand whatever you want from God, and he will give it to you. I would not suggest wanting to trade places with him. Instead, I suggest, let’s let him be God. He’s a really good God. So, let’s let him be God.
So, what does this mean? Does it mean we can demand things of God? Absolutely not! All you have to do is just read a little bit in scripture, and you’ll know that is not true. Not even Jesus did his own. Even Jesus said, “I only do what the Father shows me to do.” Even Jesus was submissive to the Father. Who are we to say this? “I. Demand. It. In the name of Jesus. Now, give me what I want.” You don’t want the fallout of the judgment that is coming on that.
So, if the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to move a mountain, and the knowledge and the wisdom to speak it, then indeed, the mountain will move. If you speak it without the gift of faith, you can just yell at the mountain all day. In fact, you can yell at it your whole life – it ain’t coming because it’s not God’s will. God is God, and we have to let him be God. And when he sovereignly wills to bring some supernatural miracle in our lives, then we just experience it. We never demand it. We are never, never, never in charge.
But, if there is a mountain in your life that God wants moved, and if you will earnestly desire the faith to move that mountain, then God will bring – via the Holy Spirit – the supernatural faith to move it. I’ve seen it done. And maybe you can think of someone in your life who has had a mountain in their lives that God has moved, that God has supernaturally moved. And they have had the faith to move that mountain, and you’re just astonished when they say, “I know that God is going to do this. I see it as clear as if I could touch it. I can see that God is going to move this mountain in my life.” I have seen it happen, and that is a gift of faith, a manifestation of the gift of faith.
However, I’ve also seen God give the gift of faith for us to climb that mountain instead of that mountain being moved. I’ve also seen God give us the gift of faith for us to go around that mountain instead of that mountain being moved. In every case, it is the gift of faith. Our job is to earnestly desire the faith that we need to address the mountains in our lives. We need the supernatural gift of faith. We can’t live for Christ without it. So, ask for it, Luke 11:11 says. Ask for it, and he’ll give it to you.
Let’s move on to healing – 1 Corinthians 12, verse 9. Right after faith comes healings. Gifts (plural) of healings (plural).
1 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another (is given) gifts of healings plural) by the same Spirit,
Now, I’ve seen many, many infirmities – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. I’ve seen many, many infirmities, and I’ve been blessed to see many, many miracles in each one of those areas. All great miracles of healing. Often, in the Bible, we see faith and healing hand in hand because it takes tremendous faith. If you just read through the gospels, any of them – all of them – you see faith and healings connecting all through the gospels with Jesus.
Let’s go back to the Old Testament. I didn’t really put a definition of healing in because I think it is pretty clear. Healing is making something wrong, right. Whether it is physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. It is a supernatural correcting of something that is wrong. So, in the Old Testament, the first gift of healing involves Abraham and his wife. Again, a mistake by Abraham of lying about his wife. Wife goes in to Abimelech’s harem, long story short, in Genesis 20, verse 17, as Abimelech gives Abraham his wife back,
Genesis 20:17(a) (NKJV)
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. . . (because he had afflicted them because of Sarah, which was really Abraham’s fault).
But the point is, Abraham prayed… and God healed…
Of course, in Exodus 15, just after the crossing of the Red Sea, is a fabulous introduction of one of the covenant names of God. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, it could be the first one because it is even before “I AM THAT I AM.”
Exodus 15:26 (NKJV)
26 “… For I am the Lord who heals you.”
I AM the LORD GOD who heals thee. Jehovah-Rapha. I AM the LORD GOD who heals thee.
The gift of healing is such a big deal that it is foundational, fundamental to the Isaiah 53 prophecy of Jesus Christ. One that we are familiar with.
Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Guys, healing is a real gift from God. A real, real gift from God because we were very sick. We were very, very sick. We had an eternal disease, and each one of us that has accepted Christ as our Savior has been healed. And many, many of us are continuing on with that healing power of God – continuing to be healed. I would not be here today had it not been for emotional healing in my own life; I can assure you of that. By his stripes, we are healed.
In the New Testament, let’s go to Matthew 9.
Matthew 9:35 (NKJV)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
At the end of the Book of John, it says if all the works of Jesus were put into books, the world could not contain them all! And that’s the truth. So, the ones that are in the gospels and in Acts are specifically for signs. But here in Matthew 9, it says Jesus… healed every sickness and every disease…
John the Baptist sent his disciples saying, ask this Jesus if he is the One.
Matthew 11:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Jesus didn’t have to say, “Yes, I’m the One.” The miracles, the healings, the restoration, the new life spoke so loud that John the Baptist knew that he was the One.
Matthew 10:1 (NKJV)
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
This is before he sent the Twelve out on their “local” missionary journey (kind of like us going to Mexico). He gave them this power and sent them out.
In Mark 16, Jesus says that the mark of a Believer, the sign of a Believer, will be both supernatural protection from harm and supernatural healing if they are harmed. Very, very powerful verse – also, it is one greatly misused.
We have seen supernatural healings in this fellowship. We’ve had another recent, very miraculous physical healing. Over and over and over again, we see miraculous healings. Not only physical but emotional, spiritual, other areas of healing. Healings of forgiveness, healings of relationships. Gifts of healing.
Healing doesn’t always happen according to our assumptions because we’re not God. And we need to really get that through our self-centered little minds. We’re not God! There is a God – but you’re not him.
When God chooses not to heal physically, he does it for our good. I’m telling you that. I have had an opportunity to share, to hear the testimony of someone who was healed whose life was miserable. After the healing! And all I could think of was, you might have been closer to God with your infirmity than you are now, healed. That’s the truth. Often, God allows us to stay infirm for his good.
Paul had a thorn in the flesh. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 1, a powerful section of the good that God uses in our infirmities. You can read it all later, from verses 3-7.
2 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV)
4 (God) who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Your role in this life is to walk with Jesus and to be used by him. It is not for you to attain or obtain whatever you desire for your life. But it’s to serve and love him. And so, if he chooses that you best serve the Kingdom through infirmity, then we praise him for that.
The greatest miracle that I’ve ever seen in my life is written in 1 Peter 4:19.
1 Peter 4:19 (NKJV)
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Guys, there are those of us in the Kingdom battle who suffer according to the will of God. That doesn’t sell a lot of books, but it is really, really true. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. That became so clear to us when we were in Africa and saw so much disease, sickness, death, and phenomenal oppression. Darkness. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. And that country doesn’t need MTV in order to be blessed by God. They don’t need a department store on every corner. They don’t need new cars in their nonexistent driveways. They just need Jesus. That is all they need.
The important thing about healing is we’ve got to understand there is no formula; there is no recipe, there’s no box. There never has been; there never will be. We cannot force God. We allow God to work as he sovereignly wills. He calls us to pray, and so we pray, we allow him to heal when he wills. And he does, and he doesn’t. But let me tell you this. That God will either heal you, or he will give you the strength to carry the burden, or he will ultimately heal you. But every one of us who names the name of Christ will ultimately be healed of every affliction, physical, emotional, mental – every affliction. There is a healing coming! Amen! There’s a healing coming. It’s already set. By his stripes we are healed in his time.
He will never leave you; he will never forsake you. There’s nothing that can separate you from him, and infirmity does not necessarily mean that you are separated from him. Now, if you are living in sin and suffering the consequences because of your sin, then you may very well have brought an infirmity upon yourself via your sin. But God is with us in our suffering.
James 5:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone among you sick? 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.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
The prayer of faith will save the sick – now, or later. The prayer of faith is effective. We need to pray for healings, guys, because they happen. They happen. And they are a sign of the great power of God.
Let’s move to miracles.
1 Corinthians 12:10 (NKJV)
10 to another (is given) the working of miracles,…
Right after healing. Faith, healing, miracles. The power three. The power gifts. Two definitions. Webster’s definition of miracle is “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” Isn’t that cool that they used the word “manifesting” in Webster’s? That word is right out of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. The manifestation gift of miracle.
Jim Hesterly, Acts 1:8 Ministries the Calvary Chapel, Holy Spirit ministry arm – great ministry about the Holy Spirit – has this definition of miracle. “God operating according to laws higher than the laws that we know and understand.” That’s all a miracle is; it’s God operating in a place that we don’t know, and that we don’t understand.
Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV)
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
What a tragedy it is when we try to force God to make sense to us. Again, it’s a table-turn. Who cares? His ways are higher than ours. We can’t know them. We can’t understand them. And that’s what a miracle is.
In Acts 26, when Paul is standing before King Agrippa, in Caesarea by the Sea, he says,
Acts 26:8 (NKJV)
8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
Why is that such a shock that God would raise the dead? He gave that dirt life in the first place. Why is it a big deal if he gives it life again? He is God the Creator.
Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
1 …God created the heavens and the earth
It’s the first miracle in the Bible. Miracle. From the first verse, miracle after miracle, after miracle. Every time God operates on a higher level than we know or understand, we say that’s a miracle because it is God operating in the God realm.
Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Why is that so shocking that God would raise the dead? He raised every one of you who believes in Jesus Christ from the dead. You were dead in your trespasses and sins. You just hadn’t started smelling yet. You were already dead, and he raised you to life through salvation. That’s a miracle.
Now, here’s the neatest thing you could understand about this word, miracle.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power (the Greek word is DUNAMIS – dynamic, dynamite power) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
So many of us have heard that verse but guess what? That word DUNAMIS is also translated “miracle.” Same word translated “miracle” as power. It’s the same word.
In 1 Corinthians 12:10, the word miracle there, DUNAMIS. Power. The power of God. A miracle is God’s power on display for us. So, we say, “Whoa! That was God!” Because it’s beyond what we understand, it’s beyond what we’re familiar with. That’s a miracle. That’s God.
John 20:30-31 (NKJV)
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Guys, when we see a miracle, it’s to cause us to believe. It’s a sign that God’s at work. That God is active in our lives. We need to pray that we would see it. We need to recognize it when we do.
3 Purposes for miracles
1). They declare the greatness of God
2). They point people to Jesus
3). And they give us boldness to proclaim the gospel
All three of those are specifically mentioned in Acts.
Now watch this, in Matthew 8 and 9.
Miracles prove that:
Jesus has power over disease. (Matthew 8:3)
Jesus has power over the spirit world. (Matthew 8:16)
Jesus has power over nature. (Matthew 8:26)
Jesus has power to forgive sin. (Matthew 9:2)
Jesus has power over death. (Matthew 9:25)
And guess what Colossians 2 says? Colossians Chapter 2 says that the victory that Jesus Christ won on the Cross is ours through him. And so, every area that Jesus Christ has victory over, we have victory over in him. That’s a miracle. That’s a miracle that our victory over sin, our victory over disease, our victory over the spirit world, the enemies, our victory over death is all in Christ Jesus. And all of those victories are miracles. They are miracles.
The actual gift of the working of miracles is maybe the most difficult one to have. Why? Because we are prideful, egomaniac, self-centered people. And if God were to really give us a routine gift of the working of miracles, it would probably destroy us. Very, very difficult gift to have. The Holy Spirit is very careful. There are those who have had this gift. I went to a college with about a forty-foot picture of a person who had this gift, and it is very powerful. But not many. Not many have this gift because of pride, power, and because of self-interest.
Where do we see this gift a lot? In the deepest, darkest mission fields. That’s where we see miracles; that’s where we see healings. That’s where we see supernatural power. Why? Because there are no televisions, that’s why. Because there are no morning talk shows to go on. There’re no magazines. There is no culture that wants to idolize – whatever. Look at the stuff we idolize! If there were someone with this gift, we would idolize them so fast.
The other things that limit miracles are:
1). Questioning and unbelief – just like in Nazareth
2). Blindness to the things of the Spirit – sometimes we see a miracle and don’t even know we’ve seen it. We need to say, “That’s God!”
3). Not walking in the Spirit but walking in the flesh – keeps up from performing and seeing God perform miracles through us.
Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
The power gifts are so desperately needed. Faith. Healing. Miracles. To bring victory, the victory, and the authority of Jesus Christ over the areas in our lives that are destroying us or that can destroy us, we need supernatural gifts. We need to earnestly desire them. The gift to see things that aren’t seen. The gift of healing for us or for others of the Body. The gift of miracles as a sign that God is God, and he is still at work. You can’t even come to God without the gift of faith. We were healed by the unimaginable stripes upon Jesus Christ. And without the miracle work of salvation, we are dead in our sin. These are active gifts in our lives.
We need to pray that God would give them to us. Earnestly desire them. We need to look for them and see them, and we need to give God the glory for them.
Mark 16:17 (NKJV)
17 And these (supernatural) signs will follow those who believe:…
Today continues a technical message on the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We are doing three gifts today. There are so many gifts, at least nineteen – some say there’s twenty or twenty-two – it’s a lot. We can’t really do them two at a time; some we are going to lump together (the ministry gifts). Today we are going to do the power gifts of faith, healing, and miracles.
As a way of review, let’s read 1 Corinthians 12, verses 4-11.
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NKJV)
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation (these are manifestation gifts) of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually (severally or sovereignly) as He wills.
So, today we start with faith. Turn over to Hebrews 1, and it starts with a definition of faith.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV)
1 Now faith is the substance (or the realization) of things hoped for, the evidence (or the confidence) of things not seen.
The most critical word to define in this verse is the word hoped for. This is not our wishful thinking. (I hope, I hope, I hope.) The definition of that word hope is, “a confident expectation based on solid certainty.” You are my confident expectation, based on solid certainty. You’re the anchor of my soul.
Hebrews 11:1 says faith is the realization of a confident expectation based on solid certainty, of something that is yet unseen. This is an incredibly powerful, powerful definition. That is the gift of faith.
So many people mistakenly refer to our faith as “blind faith,” which is impossible. It doesn’t even fit the definition. There is no such thing as blind faith because faith is seeing the unseen. Right? Believing is seeing. There is no blind faith – it’s just the opposite. Faith is seeing perfectly that which is as yet unseen. Confident expectation.
There are a number of areas that faith works in within our lives.
1). Salvation
First and foremost, salvation. Ephesians 2:8 – the first three chapters of Ephesians are powerful; know them well!
Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that (the faith) not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
So, it is by God’s grace, through faith, which faith is a gift from God. We didn’t even have the faith to believe. We didn’t even have the faith to believe – God gave us the gift of faith, even to believe.
2). Relationship with God
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
6 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.
We cannot have a relationship with God without this faith, this confident expectation of things as yet unseen. This realization of things that we confidently expect. We can’t even build a relationship with God without this faith. And so, this is a relational faith that grows; it matures. I have more faith in God today than I did twenty-five years ago when I was first saved because I’ve seen him work more in my life.
But although those are gifts of faith, they are not the manifestation gift of faith. They are gifts of faith that save us, and that transform us, that sanctify us. However, 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9 says,
1 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
9 to another [is given] faith by the same Spirit,
This is a manifestation gift, noted in verse 7. A manifestation gift is a supernatural gift that is given as the Holy Spirit sovereignly wills. As you pray, as you ask for it, as you earnestly desire it, then as he wills, he gives it to you when you need it for the purpose that you need it for. That is the gift of faith. It is for a specific time, for a specific purpose. That’s a manifestation gift. It’s a supernatural outpouring for a specific time and a specific purpose. All of the gifts are actually exercised in faith. You need to know it takes faith to exercise the gifts. “Okay, God. I believe this is you, but…” And so, there is a time when you have to have faith to exercise any of the gifts. That is not this gift of faith. This manifestation gift is a supernatural outpouring for a specific moment. Just like a word of knowledge, or wisdom or prophecy, or discerning of spirits. A manifestation of a supernatural gift.
It was very active in the Old Testament, as you might guess. All of the gifts were active in the Old Testament. I say that over, and over, and over again so that we don’t have this misconception that the gifts were for this ninety- or one-hundred-year period when the New Testament was written, and that was all. Guys, a hundred years is like a second and a half to God. These gifts have always been active, and they will always be active.
1 Samuel 17, you know the story already. Great display of the gift of faith, the manifestation gift of faith. It has to do with a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy. You might be able to guess his name.
1 Samuel 17:45-46 (NKJV)
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (now, here’s the gift of faith)
46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.
And I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air, he says, and to the beasts of the field, which is exactly what David did because God gave him a supernatural gift of faith. He was a cheese carrier. He was bringing cheese to his brothers. And God gave him the gift. You can take this guy. Saul’s armor is too big for him; he can’t even walk in it. He says, forget it. Give me five smooth stones. Supernatural gift of faith.
Of course, Abraham, Sarah. Both Abraham, the Father of our Faith, and Sarah are listed in the Hall of Fame of Faith. I wish I had time to go to Hebrews Chapter 11 and read the Hall of Faith of fame. Let me just tell you for further reading devotional time, read verses 35-39 of Hebrews 11 because that lists the Hall of Famers who were tortured. Who were ripped limb from limb, who didn’t have food to eat, who were desolate, who were deserted. It’s not exactly the ones that get listed in the success-driven gospel – but they are in there – these Hall of Famers. Hebrews 11, from about verse 35 and on from there – the great, great Hall of Famers who were torn limb from limb. That’s a whole other lesson.
What did Abraham and Sarah also teach us about faith? They taught us what it looks like when you walk outside of faith, right? They taught us what it looks like when you operate in the ISHMAEL or the flesh. When you operate in the flesh, you produce ISHMAEL.
Let’s go to the New Testament and look at Acts Chapter 3. It’s a large section, but stay with me; it’s really important to see about the gift of faith.
Acts 3:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful , to ask alms from those who entered the temple (he laid there daily. I guaranteed Peter and John were going to the Temple, when they could, daily);
3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms.
4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.”
5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God.
Amen! That is such a great picture in your mind. We can be sure of a couple of things. First of all, this is not the first time that Peter and John had seen this particular person asking for alms. He was laid there daily. They probably went daily. That’s probably also not the first time this particular person had asked Peter and John for something. But at this moment, God said to Peter, “Now is the time. For this specific instance, for this specific purpose, I’m going to give you specific faith that works in the gift of healing.”
So, we see the gift of faith and the gift of healing working together, and we can use this text for either one. But if we skip down to verse 11, we’ll see the purpose for this.
Acts 3:11-16 (NKJV)
11 Now as the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch which is called Solomon’s (so they entered the Gate Beautiful, went through the wall, and right above the Beautiful Gate at the southern wall is Solomon’s porch. So they were up there; it was kind of the social area of the Temple courts), greatly amazed.
12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?
13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14 But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15 and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.
16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
That is an example of the gift of faith and a perfect example of the specific purpose of the gift of faith in action. The Holy Spirit says, “Now, Peter. This is the moment. I have something I want you to do in about five minutes, and you need to have a miracle standing next to you so I can get a bunch of people around you up in Solomon’s court. So, heal this guy, get him up there, the people are going to rush around you, and you’re going to give them a little Word.” So, that is both the supernatural gift of faith, and we see it is for a specific circumstance and a specific purpose.
Let’s go to Mark 11.
Mark 11:22-24 (NKJV)
22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.
23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Has this text caused a little conflict in the Christian church? I think so. Why? Why so much conflict through this verse and others in the Gospel of Mark? Because we have a desire to read our own will into scripture. We have a desire to see scripture based on our own needs – our own selfish, perverse, un-eternal needs. And we refuse, when something sounds good to us, to compare scripture with scripture and allow the entire canon of scripture to speak to us. What is Jesus saying here?
He’s saying that if it’s God’s will that mountain be moved, and if the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to say, “Mountain move,” will the mountain move? Yes. It absolutely will. Does this scripture mean that you can take your self-interested, self-serving will and demand that God give you whatever you want? Only if you are God, and he is not. And if you risk this, you read Isaiah 14, verses 12 and following and see what happens to the last being who decided he wanted to be God. That is the story of the Fall of Lucifer. If you are God, and God is not, then you can demand whatever you want from God, and he will give it to you. I would not suggest wanting to trade places with him. Instead, I suggest, let’s let him be God. He’s a really good God. So, let’s let him be God.
So, what does this mean? Does it mean we can demand things of God? Absolutely not! All you have to do is just read a little bit in scripture, and you’ll know that is not true. Not even Jesus did his own. Even Jesus said, “I only do what the Father shows me to do.” Even Jesus was submissive to the Father. Who are we to say this? “I. Demand. It. In the name of Jesus. Now, give me what I want.” You don’t want the fallout of the judgment that is coming on that.
So, if the Holy Spirit gives you the faith to move a mountain, and the knowledge and the wisdom to speak it, then indeed, the mountain will move. If you speak it without the gift of faith, you can just yell at the mountain all day. In fact, you can yell at it your whole life – it ain’t coming because it’s not God’s will. God is God, and we have to let him be God. And when he sovereignly wills to bring some supernatural miracle in our lives, then we just experience it. We never demand it. We are never, never, never in charge.
But, if there is a mountain in your life that God wants moved, and if you will earnestly desire the faith to move that mountain, then God will bring – via the Holy Spirit – the supernatural faith to move it. I’ve seen it done. And maybe you can think of someone in your life who has had a mountain in their lives that God has moved, that God has supernaturally moved. And they have had the faith to move that mountain, and you’re just astonished when they say, “I know that God is going to do this. I see it as clear as if I could touch it. I can see that God is going to move this mountain in my life.” I have seen it happen, and that is a gift of faith, a manifestation of the gift of faith.
However, I’ve also seen God give the gift of faith for us to climb that mountain instead of that mountain being moved. I’ve also seen God give us the gift of faith for us to go around that mountain instead of that mountain being moved. In every case, it is the gift of faith. Our job is to earnestly desire the faith that we need to address the mountains in our lives. We need the supernatural gift of faith. We can’t live for Christ without it. So, ask for it, Luke 11:11 says. Ask for it, and he’ll give it to you.
Let’s move on to healing – 1 Corinthians 12, verse 9. Right after faith comes healings. Gifts (plural) of healings (plural).
1 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV)
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another (is given) gifts of healings plural) by the same Spirit,
Now, I’ve seen many, many infirmities – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. I’ve seen many, many infirmities, and I’ve been blessed to see many, many miracles in each one of those areas. All great miracles of healing. Often, in the Bible, we see faith and healing hand in hand because it takes tremendous faith. If you just read through the gospels, any of them – all of them – you see faith and healings connecting all through the gospels with Jesus.
Let’s go back to the Old Testament. I didn’t really put a definition of healing in because I think it is pretty clear. Healing is making something wrong, right. Whether it is physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual. It is a supernatural correcting of something that is wrong. So, in the Old Testament, the first gift of healing involves Abraham and his wife. Again, a mistake by Abraham of lying about his wife. Wife goes in to Abimelech’s harem, long story short, in Genesis 20, verse 17, as Abimelech gives Abraham his wife back,
Genesis 20:17(a) (NKJV)
17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. . . (because he had afflicted them because of Sarah, which was really Abraham’s fault).
But the point is, Abraham prayed… and God healed…
Of course, in Exodus 15, just after the crossing of the Red Sea, is a fabulous introduction of one of the covenant names of God. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, it could be the first one because it is even before “I AM THAT I AM.”
Exodus 15:26 (NKJV)
26 “… For I am the Lord who heals you.”
I AM the LORD GOD who heals thee. Jehovah-Rapha. I AM the LORD GOD who heals thee.
The gift of healing is such a big deal that it is foundational, fundamental to the Isaiah 53 prophecy of Jesus Christ. One that we are familiar with.
Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Guys, healing is a real gift from God. A real, real gift from God because we were very sick. We were very, very sick. We had an eternal disease, and each one of us that has accepted Christ as our Savior has been healed. And many, many of us are continuing on with that healing power of God – continuing to be healed. I would not be here today had it not been for emotional healing in my own life; I can assure you of that. By his stripes, we are healed.
In the New Testament, let’s go to Matthew 9.
Matthew 9:35 (NKJV)
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
At the end of the Book of John, it says if all the works of Jesus were put into books, the world could not contain them all! And that’s the truth. So, the ones that are in the gospels and in Acts are specifically for signs. But here in Matthew 9, it says Jesus… healed every sickness and every disease…
John the Baptist sent his disciples saying, ask this Jesus if he is the One.
Matthew 11:4-5 (NKJV)
4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Jesus didn’t have to say, “Yes, I’m the One.” The miracles, the healings, the restoration, the new life spoke so loud that John the Baptist knew that he was the One.
Matthew 10:1 (NKJV)
1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
This is before he sent the Twelve out on their “local” missionary journey (kind of like us going to Mexico). He gave them this power and sent them out.
In Mark 16, Jesus says that the mark of a Believer, the sign of a Believer, will be both supernatural protection from harm and supernatural healing if they are harmed. Very, very powerful verse – also, it is one greatly misused.
We have seen supernatural healings in this fellowship. We’ve had another recent, very miraculous physical healing. Over and over and over again, we see miraculous healings. Not only physical but emotional, spiritual, other areas of healing. Healings of forgiveness, healings of relationships. Gifts of healing.
Healing doesn’t always happen according to our assumptions because we’re not God. And we need to really get that through our self-centered little minds. We’re not God! There is a God – but you’re not him.
When God chooses not to heal physically, he does it for our good. I’m telling you that. I have had an opportunity to share, to hear the testimony of someone who was healed whose life was miserable. After the healing! And all I could think of was, you might have been closer to God with your infirmity than you are now, healed. That’s the truth. Often, God allows us to stay infirm for his good.
Paul had a thorn in the flesh. In 2 Corinthians Chapter 1, a powerful section of the good that God uses in our infirmities. You can read it all later, from verses 3-7.
2 Corinthians 1:4 (NKJV)
4 (God) who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Your role in this life is to walk with Jesus and to be used by him. It is not for you to attain or obtain whatever you desire for your life. But it’s to serve and love him. And so, if he chooses that you best serve the Kingdom through infirmity, then we praise him for that.
The greatest miracle that I’ve ever seen in my life is written in 1 Peter 4:19.
1 Peter 4:19 (NKJV)
19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
Guys, there are those of us in the Kingdom battle who suffer according to the will of God. That doesn’t sell a lot of books, but it is really, really true. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. That became so clear to us when we were in Africa and saw so much disease, sickness, death, and phenomenal oppression. Darkness. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. And that country doesn’t need MTV in order to be blessed by God. They don’t need a department store on every corner. They don’t need new cars in their nonexistent driveways. They just need Jesus. That is all they need.
The important thing about healing is we’ve got to understand there is no formula; there is no recipe, there’s no box. There never has been; there never will be. We cannot force God. We allow God to work as he sovereignly wills. He calls us to pray, and so we pray, we allow him to heal when he wills. And he does, and he doesn’t. But let me tell you this. That God will either heal you, or he will give you the strength to carry the burden, or he will ultimately heal you. But every one of us who names the name of Christ will ultimately be healed of every affliction, physical, emotional, mental – every affliction. There is a healing coming! Amen! There’s a healing coming. It’s already set. By his stripes we are healed in his time.
He will never leave you; he will never forsake you. There’s nothing that can separate you from him, and infirmity does not necessarily mean that you are separated from him. Now, if you are living in sin and suffering the consequences because of your sin, then you may very well have brought an infirmity upon yourself via your sin. But God is with us in our suffering.
James 5:13-15 (NKJV)
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14 Is anyone among you sick? 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.
15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
The prayer of faith will save the sick – now, or later. The prayer of faith is effective. We need to pray for healings, guys, because they happen. They happen. And they are a sign of the great power of God.
Let’s move to miracles.
1 Corinthians 12:10 (NKJV)
10 to another (is given) the working of miracles,…
Right after healing. Faith, healing, miracles. The power three. The power gifts. Two definitions. Webster’s definition of miracle is “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” Isn’t that cool that they used the word “manifesting” in Webster’s? That word is right out of 1 Corinthians Chapter 12. The manifestation gift of miracle.
Jim Hesterly, Acts 1:8 Ministries the Calvary Chapel, Holy Spirit ministry arm – great ministry about the Holy Spirit – has this definition of miracle. “God operating according to laws higher than the laws that we know and understand.” That’s all a miracle is; it’s God operating in a place that we don’t know, and that we don’t understand.
Isaiah 55:9 (NKJV)
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
What a tragedy it is when we try to force God to make sense to us. Again, it’s a table-turn. Who cares? His ways are higher than ours. We can’t know them. We can’t understand them. And that’s what a miracle is.
In Acts 26, when Paul is standing before King Agrippa, in Caesarea by the Sea, he says,
Acts 26:8 (NKJV)
8 Why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?
Why is that such a shock that God would raise the dead? He gave that dirt life in the first place. Why is it a big deal if he gives it life again? He is God the Creator.
Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
1 …God created the heavens and the earth
It’s the first miracle in the Bible. Miracle. From the first verse, miracle after miracle, after miracle. Every time God operates on a higher level than we know or understand, we say that’s a miracle because it is God operating in the God realm.
Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV)
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
Why is that so shocking that God would raise the dead? He raised every one of you who believes in Jesus Christ from the dead. You were dead in your trespasses and sins. You just hadn’t started smelling yet. You were already dead, and he raised you to life through salvation. That’s a miracle.
Now, here’s the neatest thing you could understand about this word, miracle.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
8 But you shall receive power (the Greek word is DUNAMIS – dynamic, dynamite power) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
So many of us have heard that verse but guess what? That word DUNAMIS is also translated “miracle.” Same word translated “miracle” as power. It’s the same word.
In 1 Corinthians 12:10, the word miracle there, DUNAMIS. Power. The power of God. A miracle is God’s power on display for us. So, we say, “Whoa! That was God!” Because it’s beyond what we understand, it’s beyond what we’re familiar with. That’s a miracle. That’s God.
John 20:30-31 (NKJV)
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Guys, when we see a miracle, it’s to cause us to believe. It’s a sign that God’s at work. That God is active in our lives. We need to pray that we would see it. We need to recognize it when we do.
3 Purposes for miracles
1). They declare the greatness of God
2). They point people to Jesus
3). And they give us boldness to proclaim the gospel
All three of those are specifically mentioned in Acts.
Now watch this, in Matthew 8 and 9.
Miracles prove that:
Jesus has power over disease. (Matthew 8:3)
Jesus has power over the spirit world. (Matthew 8:16)
Jesus has power over nature. (Matthew 8:26)
Jesus has power to forgive sin. (Matthew 9:2)
Jesus has power over death. (Matthew 9:25)
And guess what Colossians 2 says? Colossians Chapter 2 says that the victory that Jesus Christ won on the Cross is ours through him. And so, every area that Jesus Christ has victory over, we have victory over in him. That’s a miracle. That’s a miracle that our victory over sin, our victory over disease, our victory over the spirit world, the enemies, our victory over death is all in Christ Jesus. And all of those victories are miracles. They are miracles.
The actual gift of the working of miracles is maybe the most difficult one to have. Why? Because we are prideful, egomaniac, self-centered people. And if God were to really give us a routine gift of the working of miracles, it would probably destroy us. Very, very difficult gift to have. The Holy Spirit is very careful. There are those who have had this gift. I went to a college with about a forty-foot picture of a person who had this gift, and it is very powerful. But not many. Not many have this gift because of pride, power, and because of self-interest.
Where do we see this gift a lot? In the deepest, darkest mission fields. That’s where we see miracles; that’s where we see healings. That’s where we see supernatural power. Why? Because there are no televisions, that’s why. Because there are no morning talk shows to go on. There’re no magazines. There is no culture that wants to idolize – whatever. Look at the stuff we idolize! If there were someone with this gift, we would idolize them so fast.
The other things that limit miracles are:
1). Questioning and unbelief – just like in Nazareth
2). Blindness to the things of the Spirit – sometimes we see a miracle and don’t even know we’ve seen it. We need to say, “That’s God!”
3). Not walking in the Spirit but walking in the flesh – keeps up from performing and seeing God perform miracles through us.
Mark 9:23 (NKJV)
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
The power gifts are so desperately needed. Faith. Healing. Miracles. To bring victory, the victory, and the authority of Jesus Christ over the areas in our lives that are destroying us or that can destroy us, we need supernatural gifts. We need to earnestly desire them. The gift to see things that aren’t seen. The gift of healing for us or for others of the Body. The gift of miracles as a sign that God is God, and he is still at work. You can’t even come to God without the gift of faith. We were healed by the unimaginable stripes upon Jesus Christ. And without the miracle work of salvation, we are dead in our sin. These are active gifts in our lives.
We need to pray that God would give them to us. Earnestly desire them. We need to look for them and see them, and we need to give God the glory for them.
Mark 16:17 (NKJV)
17 And these (supernatural) signs will follow those who believe:…