When Faith Triumphs

Pastor Colin Smith

 

"Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." 1 Kings 17:24

 

The boy was raised from the dead.  The woman received back her son, and at the end of the story, she says these words of faith to Elijah.

 

If you're a Christian today, then it's true you've begun the journey of faith.  It's also true that your faith is being tested.  And one day you will stand in the presence of Jesus and say, "Now I know."  That's the point of the resurrection.  Faith will be turned to sight.  Every question will be answered, and every tear will be wiped away. 

From Messes to Miracles

"A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul." (Proverbs 18:7)
We have what we say. As believers, we know that's a vital biblical truth. We can see it in Mark 11:23, Matthew 21:21, James 3:2, and many other verses. Yet we often let it slip.

We allow ourselves to begin talking like the world instead of talking the Word. And eventually we get what we've been asking for--a big mess.

If that's happened to you, remember, whatever you have in your life is a product of what you've been saying. 

Up in Smoke

"The tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:5-6)

Words. Use them right and they'll move mountains. Use them wrong and they can cause your entire life to go up in smoke.

"Now, Brother Copeland," you may say, "I find it hard to believe that major catastrophes can be caused by a few simple words. I just can't see the connection."

Look again at the phrase James used. "How great a matter a little fire kindleth!" Have you ever lit a few little pieces of kindling wood and set them in the fireplace beneath a stack of logs?

What happened?

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).