Jesus healed a woman who had been suffering for twelve years with an issue of blood. Before coming to Jesus she spent all of her money on doctors, but none of them could heal her. She heard about Jesus and she knew in her heart He was the answer she had been looking for. But in order for her to get to Jesus she would have to do something that would be frowned upon by the people of her community. In fact, the religious law of that day said a woman in her condition was unclean, not allowed in public, and certainly not allowed to touch someone like Jesus. But knowing that the punishment for such a "crime" was possible death, it was still exactly what she intended to do. She believed if she could only get close enough to touch Him, even the border of His garment, she would be healed. So she did it.
And as soon as she did, Jesus stopped in His tracks because He felt power go out of His body. ”Who touched me?” he said. The woman came forth finally and admitted what she had done. Jesus pronounced her well, and said it was her faith that made her well.
The woman received a supernatural touch from the King of Kings. By the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through Him she immediately received her miracle. But what if she hadn't gone through with it? What if on the day of her great plan to press through the crowd and touch this great healer she heard about, she hesitated just long enough to start thinking about the consequences her actions might bring? “What if someone recognizes me...what are people gonna think... what are they gonna say...what are they gonna do?” It might have been all it would have taken to prevent her from going through with it. If she had thought about it too much, if she had started letting doubt come into her mind, she may have missed out on this beautiful blessing of God. As it turned out she didn't let doubt interfere with her plans. And people did talk. They continue to talk about her nearly 2000 years later. How against all odds, this brave woman risked her dignity, her reputation, indeed even her life, just for an opportunity to touch the Messiah everyone was talking about.
It really paid off for that woman, and you know what? The same opportunity is still available for you and me today. Jesus may not be walking through your town today in the natural, but the Bible teaches us that He is more readily available today than He was back then. Now we can have Him one on one all the time. His promise is once we receive Him as Lord and Savior; He will never leave us or forsake us.
Many of us believe that God can do anything, but we have trouble believing He will do it for us. Oh we like to say we believe, but deep down in our hearts there is always that fear. Our thoughts might go something like this:
And as soon as she did, Jesus stopped in His tracks because He felt power go out of His body. ”Who touched me?” he said. The woman came forth finally and admitted what she had done. Jesus pronounced her well, and said it was her faith that made her well.
The woman received a supernatural touch from the King of Kings. By the power of the Holy Spirit flowing through Him she immediately received her miracle. But what if she hadn't gone through with it? What if on the day of her great plan to press through the crowd and touch this great healer she heard about, she hesitated just long enough to start thinking about the consequences her actions might bring? “What if someone recognizes me...what are people gonna think... what are they gonna say...what are they gonna do?” It might have been all it would have taken to prevent her from going through with it. If she had thought about it too much, if she had started letting doubt come into her mind, she may have missed out on this beautiful blessing of God. As it turned out she didn't let doubt interfere with her plans. And people did talk. They continue to talk about her nearly 2000 years later. How against all odds, this brave woman risked her dignity, her reputation, indeed even her life, just for an opportunity to touch the Messiah everyone was talking about.
It really paid off for that woman, and you know what? The same opportunity is still available for you and me today. Jesus may not be walking through your town today in the natural, but the Bible teaches us that He is more readily available today than He was back then. Now we can have Him one on one all the time. His promise is once we receive Him as Lord and Savior; He will never leave us or forsake us.
Many of us believe that God can do anything, but we have trouble believing He will do it for us. Oh we like to say we believe, but deep down in our hearts there is always that fear. Our thoughts might go something like this:
"What will people think, what will they say if I begin to confess healing over my body in the name of Jesus? Many of the people in my church think that miracles don't happen anymore. Some of our friends have serious medical issues and are under a doctor’s care. And then of course there are those who have lost loved ones to illness. How am I to face them if I begin saying that God wants us well, that sickness is never from God, and it is never His will for us to die from illness. Besides, I don't want to be known as one of those crazy Holy Rollers. Maybe it's better if I just leave well enough alone. We have done pretty well up to now. I think I will call tomorrow and make a doctors appointment."
Beloved brothers and sisters please hear me. I have dealt with all of those same excuses, and still struggle with some of them. As a matter of fact, all of those objections are still very real for most of the people in my little portion of the world. But they are not reality. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He said he only did those things He saw His Father do, so we know that it is God's will to heal, to provide, to encourage, to love...and it always will be. But one thing that can keep you from receiving all that God has for you is the fear of man. You may say, "I am not afraid of anyone." But the truth is that if we truly believe, but hesitate to press in to God (unlike the woman with the issue of blood) we are demonstrating some sort of fear of man. Jesus tells us that without faith no one can please God, but do not stop reading the scripture there. Let's look at the whole scripture, including the promise that comes next.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.~ Hebrews 11:6
This problem of being more afraid of what man thinks, than what God says is nothing new. Jeremiah had this same problem, and God told him not to be afraid of their faces. He meant don’t worry about what people think. And one thing we can be sure of, if God tells us not to be afraid of something it is because if we listen to Him, He will protect us from whatever He has told us not to be afraid of. When you try to live by faith, you will have opposition. Much of it will come from those who know you the best. Again, this is nothing new. Jesus had the same problem. Make the decision today to trust God. Believe Him to provide for the needs in your life, and do not worry about what people think. This will make Him very happy, and it will cause you to receive the results you are looking for.
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