One thing that never fails

Here follows a wonderful encouragement penned to me by my friend Carol . . . .

There has been much focus on healing among us for a while now. We have benefited much from attending seminars and putting it into practice, discussing, praying and experimenting with healing. Some have seen wonderful results, others have not. Some have been healed, others have not and some have even died.

What should be our attitude in the face of seemingly “unanswered prayer”?

We read “do not throw away our confidence; it will be richly rewarded. We need to persevere so that when we have done the will of God, we will receive what He has promised. For in just a very little while: “He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Heb 10:35-39

Therefore:

We do not throw away our confidence. We do not despair. We do not listen to the Liar and give in to discouragement. God is faithful. God is good. He will reward our obedience.

We stand firm in the faith. We help each other to stand firm and faithful. We encourage one another to stand firm and faithful.

We live by faith and not by sight. We are not carnal people living according to sensuality. We are seated in heavenly places, believing the Word, obeying Him, being alive in the spirit and dead to the flesh and sin.

We love. We love. We love. We love Him. We love one another. We pray for each other to be healed because we love one another and because we obey His Word to do so. When we are healed, it is wonderful. When we are not healed, we do not lose faith or give in to despair or discouragement, because we have loved and obeyed and we will be rewarded.

We remember that love trumps faith and hope:

Reading from 1 Cor 12:31: And now I will show you the most excellent way: LOVE…    If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.  . . . . .  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We remember that Jesus said (John 13:34-35):

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We don’t let ourselves be persuaded that everyone will know we are disciples of Jesus by the performance of miracles. We do not forget that in spite of the thousands of miracles that Jesus performed, most abandoned Him.

We meditate on our reward of eternal life that comes by faith and not by performance: Matthew 7:22-23: “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.'”

We build one another up and exhort each other to know Jesus before all else and to persevere in the face of disappointment. Everything we do must hinge on love and LOVE NEVER FAILS!

Eagerly desire the gifts! Yes!

Pray for people to be healed! Yes!

Cast out demons! Yes!

Prophesy! Speak in tongues! Move mountains with a word! Yes! Yes! Yes!

And more than anything else: LOVE! Yes!

Thank you Carol