Faith is an Act

How easily Satan can trick us into getting things backwards, making us cry out at God in frustration, "What's wrong? Why isn't anything happening?" All the while the problem is in us.

One good example involves the power of God being released through you. Tonight, are you totally baffled as to why this isn't happening? More than one partner has said, "I don't understand why God isn't using me. I have the faith to work His works, but not the power."

There can be a number of reasons, but one of them could be that you've gotten God's order backwards. Brother Cerullo has often said, "Faith is a fact, but faith is an act." It is after you express your faith in a step of action that the power flows - not before. Many of you are waiting for the power to come first, before you step out, but it will never come. It is action that releases the power, not sitting home thinking about your faith.

As the book of James emphasizes, just saying, "Goodbye. Keep warm. I have faith that God will feed and heal you." does nothing. But when you act on your faith, miracles happen! Then, "...God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of - infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes"(Ephesians 3:20, AMP).

Healed People Are People Who Receive!

Are you ready to take a faith-building journey through the Word of God? Get an in-depth look at four people whose lives were transformed by Jesus' healing ministry, and discover how believing God, releasing faith and trusting His Word will bring you the same results.

One of the best ways to increase our capacity to receive from God is to study the accounts the Bible gives of people who were good receivers. I want to focus on four of my favorites: the woman with the issue of blood; Jairus, the synagogue ruler; the Roman centurion; and the beggar—blind Bartimaeus.

We find the first two in Mark 5. Their stories are so intertwined in Scripture that they are best told together:

Behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw [Jesus], he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years…when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague
(Mark 5:22-34).