Healing?

Good Morning,

Luke 9:1-2 (NIV)
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

I'm going to take the stand here, and I believe that it's backed by the Bible, that WE...yes, you and I and all other's who are Christians...have the same Jesus given powers that He gave to the Apostles. That would be, that we are no different, just normal human beings, exactly like Peter, and John, and James, and all of the rest of them. We breathe the same air and we bleed the same red when we are injured. They had no "supernatural" powers...they couldn't fly or lift up a mountain...just as we don't. They had doubts and fears just as we have doubts and fears. They had families and friends just as we have families and friends. Overall, these men were no different than we are...just everyday, normal human beings.

But, they had the power to heal and perform other miraculous feats, didn't they? This was bestowed upon them by Jesus. Now, if these men were pretty much the same as us, then why, if we all have the same Holy Spirit working in us as they did, then why don't we truly believe that WE can do as they did? After all Jesus said, "Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:21-22)

Now, why is it that many of us believe that healings and miracles can take place in others but not in ourselves? What is it in our minds that keep us from believing that it's OK for you to have a miraculous healing, but, well, it isn't so OK for me? Why in the world do I truly believe that God, through the hands and heart of one of His children, will heal someone...but not me?

This is one of the mysteries of life and I wish that I could give you an easy answerto it; an answer that would change the way we think and believe. I can't do that. Believe me, if I could, I certainly would. I mean, I can't seem to do it very well even for myself! So how in the world can I tell you how to change how and what you believe in this area of your faith?

I'm going to suggest a couple of small things that all of us can do when we are challenged with a lack of faith and belief about miracles and healings. I'll suggest them for you...AND for me!

First, we need to be in closer communication with God. I guess that sort of goes without saying, doesn't it? How can we have true faith and belief if we don't commune with the Father on a regular, daily, and very personal basis?

Next, in the same vein, we need to read His Basic Instruction Book every day. At least a little bit of it, don't you think? He's give us the Bible so we can get answers to many, if not all, of life's challenges and mysteries. All we have to do is open it up and read it. He'll take care of helping us understand what He's put in it.

Then, we need to have close, loving relationships with other Christian brothers and sisters. We need to have people close enough to us that we can express...openly and without fear of any kind of reprisals...that we might have a problem with our faith or that we are having difficulty in believing this or that. We need someone, even several someone's, with whom we can talk about our greatest secrets and fears; someone who will listen and love us anyway.

The last thing that comes into my mind this morning is that we've got to get the "world" out of our lives as much as we can. What I mean by that is we have to STOP looking at the "tabloids" in the super markets. We have to turn off the garbage that comes on television. We need to NOT listen to "Jerk and Idiot" on the morning radio programs on our commutes. We need to close our minds to those who would attack our beliefs and our faith in those small ways that we think are "harmless" in our lives.

I don't know if this message will be helpful to you. I pray that it's helpful to me. I can't tell you with 100% certainty that these ideas and thoughts will get you through your struggles with belief and faith. I pray that they will get me through my struggles with belief and faith. I have no idea how much, if any, comfort you might get this morning from these words. I pray that I will get great comfort from them.

So, I would ask that each of us reach out to one another and do all we can, with what we have, in the here and now to be for each other what we need to be. Let's show our love for one another, OK? It's the best way I can think of to start.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David