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Date Posted: 22:36:27 02/19/07 Mon
Author: surfer51
Subject: Re: Good Samaritan
In reply to: Joan 's message, "Re: Good Samaritan" on 14:47:03 02/19/07 Mon

Joan,
A few thoughts for your retreat:

1. Peter was chided by God as though he (Peter) had something to do with his failure to continue his (Peter) sea walk. Apparently in God's eyes Peter had little faith and positionally was in doubt at that moment in time.

Matthew 14:31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

2. Jesus had just told the people that the child was asleep and not dead. Luke 8:53
"And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead." In the crowds mind she was dead. In the mind and heart of Jesus, she was as if only asleep, because He knew that in moments she would be alive and awake. Now in this next scripture take notice how Jesus has to remove the negative, doubtful crowd from the situation prior to addressing the matter at hand. He shuts them out , so that He could perform a miracle. Raising from the dead is a powerful miracle.

Mark 5:40
And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying.

41And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.

42And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

3. Here is example of what happens if you don't have people around you with faith. Jesus goes to His own home town and can't do many works there.

Matthew 13:58
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

The word unbelief is 'epistia' in the Greek. It is an evil state to be in.

Apostle Paul reveals that a heart of unbelief (apistia) is evil.

Hebrews 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

4. A woman just knew in her faith filled heart that if she could but touch the hem of Jesus garment, she would be healed. She did do it and she was healed. But get this, Jesus tells her that it was her faith that made her whole!

Mark 5:34
And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

There are so many examples of this in the bible.

Doubting nothing is given as a command by the Holy Spirit.

Peter got it. The Holy Spirit said to him...

Acts 10:20
Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing.

Acts 11:12
And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting.

A heart of faith says:

A. In His faithfulness to His promises to hear and to answer my prayers. I have absolute confidence that God answers my prayuers, whether I see the results or not.

B. In His wisdom. Because of His wisdom, which so far surpasses mine, I trust that He understands, even when I don't, every motive, every circumstance involved in my praying for this healing of a particular person. Because of my ignorance, I sometimes pray for a mistaken thing, or in a mistaken way, and so I do not see the results turn out as I think they should. But these will turn out as God in His wisdom sees best.

C. In His power. I believe that everything is possible with God. Nothing then is impossible to the prayer of the Christian- EVEN A RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.

D. In His goodness. Because I believe in God's goodness I try to see everything as reflecting His love. Whatever is ultimately the most loving thing will happen in response to my praying for healing.

Therefore:
My faith is not in my faith. Faith leaves me no doubt about God's power to heal. My faith is in God, not in my own powers- not even in my own faith. We must be God centered. If we could but touch Him, we know that we would be healed!

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