HOW MUCH FAITH DOES IT TAKE?
How much faith did it take for Lazarus to have to be raised from the dead ?
How much faith did the epileptic boy have to have to be healed? How was his faith ? Wasn’t he overcome by the demon? So it made it difficult, but the father said, “IF you can do anything”.
Mark 9:22-24 NKJV
…But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
How much faith did the leper have who asked …
Matthew 8:2-3 NKJV
2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
When people have gone through years and years of suffering without relief even though prayed for, over and over, it takes MORE FAITH to keep on believing in God that He may one day come through for you, than for the person who never had to suffer who believes with no problem he can heal the sick.
Too many people in the church pray ineffectively, without compassion or love in their hearts for others. TOO many people go to the altars each week and get a 2 min quick prayer, as if there is apostolic power moving in all of the church. Apostolic power comes with apostolic holiness. There is a lot of bravado, and hype, and so little effective authority in too much of the church, and people go on suffering and dying. Too many are not willing to pray because they’ve been taught people if they have faith, don’t need to ask others for prayer. That’s ridiculously unbiblical. What does bearing one anothers burdens mean then ?
MOST people have areas of UNBELIEF in their hearts. Not just those who are chronically ill. Sometimes it takes years and years to undo the cords of wickedness from those who have been violently abused.
It for SURE takes inner healing that effectively removes the lies believed, and sometimes that takes time, and reinforced LOVE from other Christians instead of accusations of not having enough faith that they never have to ask for prayer.
UNREPENTED sin of generations and of our own hearts is often key. But ONLY HOLY SPIRIT can remove the blindness that keeps us from seeing the truth. What God requires for miracles is COMPASSION.
I have gone to India and seen the deaf hear, and the dumb speak, many times, and the blind healed, goiters shrink, TB and hepatitis healed. I’ve seen men in the apts here with AIDS, have their aids count go down from 100,000 cells to 200 after one time of praying for them, or their T Cells increase when prayed for.
Yet here I am suffering with effects of two viruses, and allergies and asthma, and a candida infection that even when I’ve fasted, or gone months without sugar, or any carbs, doesn’t go away. In the vast vault of my heart, I’m sure there are still areas of unbelief. Yet I have no trouble believing for others and am surprised when others don’t get healed, or some answer when I pray, because I’ve seen so many miracles, and healings, salvations and restorations in lives.
Inner healing is all about converting the areas of our soul that still have some unbelief attached. Unbelief in God loving us enough to do a miracle for us. Sometimes it is irrational yes, but a little child who suffered being raped over and over again by adult males, in ritual abuse, and kept in a coffin for hours with a dead baby, may suffer the rest of their lives with anxiety if they don’t get the right kind of healing prayer,,,or if God allows them to suffer for the sake of their growth in perseverance, patience, kindness, and self control, and faith, or removal of inferior pride, or for the sake of the CHURCH like PAUL admitted in Colossians 1:24.
So I pray YOUR eyes would be like Amy Grant sings, like your FATHER’S eyes, that you would see people like HE sees them, and have the love that HE
Has for them, and that you would continue in love, even when their faith doesn’t SEEM to measure up to yours, even when their behavior annoys you, or irritates you – that you would GROW IN LOVE like it says in Ephesians 3:
Ephesians 3:17-20 AMP
17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,
18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [ God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];
19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] —
Remember that the weaker parts in the body are NECESSARY Paul said.
Sincerely, Priscilla Van Sutphin
www.upstreamca.org
tearsofthefather@sbcglobal.net
