SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hi, my name is Miss Bell Steele. After Philip and I want to thank you for listening to this message from Life of Faith First. We have more resources available to help you build your faith and bring your world by the Word of God. From our website, lifeoffface.net, you can connect to our YouTube channel. Watch the live stream feed from our church services. Access books and downloads in our web store and discover more about Life of Faith Church. Producing life city, state, nation, and world. Visit lifeoffaith.net today.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Well, good morning. Hallelujah. I think we're having a cold front. It's a couple degrees cooler than it was. Hallelujah. We'll take it. Let's go over to Isaiah 53. And um we're gonna continue uh looking at this that we've been dealing with the basics uh of healing, the basics of healing and um you know this this whole uh healing school, it's it's as much about uh teaching us to depend on the word of God uh as anything. Um I was watching a uh I guess it would have been a podcast uh the other day. And uh this this this is not a criticism, this gentleman's not a critical person, but he he was showing something from another minister's podcast that I enjoy from time to time. And a relative was interviewing this other minister, and this minister's dealing with some things in in his body, and he's a proponent of divine healing, has been for years. And um the the relative was uh talking to them and and basically saying, you know, how they had went to God and said, you know, if healing is always your will, then why is my relative, this person of all people, why are they dealing with this? And and uh, you know, why why have you not healed them? Well, this person uh responded and said, Well, you know, I was healed 2,000 years ago uh when Jesus took stripes on his back. Now, I realize that that can be something that is a a theological talking point from certain areas, charismatic, word of faith, whatever you want to call it. But uh, and I believe that's true. I just believe that very often um it's not carried far enough. But here's here's the the question, the the the the point I want to make is those questions that come up, you know, why is everybody not healed? Um if it's God's will to heal, is it God's will to heal everyone every time? Um you know, this person taught and and ministered healing and they died sick, or this person uh believes in healing and they're uh dealing with this in their body. You know, why why is all that? Well, that's largely a result of not knowing deeply in my spirit what Christ redeemed me from. Because we've been dealing with these basics of healing, and the first one is to always remember that God is faithful to his word. Uh the second that we dealt with uh last week was we we dealt from this chapter, uh, Isaiah 53, and and we'll read these three verses again. Uh but the the thing that we'll deal with today is one of the basics of healing is anything Christ shed blood to redeem me from is always God's will. It's always God's will. And again, what has happened over the years is when we make a statement like that, then if the emphasis is off of God and his ability, meaning that it's always God's will, so he's already settled that fact, then the emphasis comes on the person receiving and the person desiring healing. And the way that emphasis is placed is important because it is my job. It is my job to believe this. Um but it has to be done in such a way that the person's able to receive. Because, you know, there were G there were people that Jesus said, you don't have any faith. That's your problem, is you don't have any faith. He told his disciples, you know, he didn't talk to everybody like he talked to his disciples. You know, that the the he looked at the disciples and said, Where's your faith? I mean, don't you believe anything? Well, he didn't tell that to the multitudes, right? Even though that might have been part of the problem. Uh anything that Christ shed blood to redeem mankind from is always God's will. Isaiah 53 and verse 4 and 5. And it says here again, surely he, Jesus, has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. So he's saying it was his grief, it was our griefs, our sorrows, our sicknesses, our pains that he carried. All right, but we perceived him, or they perceived him as being punished by God for something he did. All right? What Jesus had done, something Jesus had done. Verse 5, though, starts off with, but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. So we'll go to these other verses, but notice he said, He bore our griefs and carried our sorrows, griefs is sicknesses, sorrows is pains. And it says he bore these, he carried these in his body to the cross where the penalty was paid. Hallelujah. So all sickness and all disease was placed on Jesus at the whipping post. And he carried those in his body to the cross. Notice Matthew chapter 8. And these verses will be our foundation for ever how long the Lord has us here. Because we said last week that any discussion about healing starts here. It has to start with Isaiah 53 and 5, and 4 and 5. And people say, but you know, Jesus, God in the beginning said he was the Lord that heals you. That's absolutely true. He said, I'm the Lord that heals you. But we have to believe that, especially for the New Covenant believer, especially for the New Testament believer, that what Jesus did is what provided that healing power of God in my life. In Matthew chapter 8 and verse 17, verse 16 says he healed all that were sick. Verse 17 says that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses. So himself took them. Say it out loud, he took them. All right, he took our infirmities, our weaknesses. He bare our sicknesses. Alright? Notice that both Isaiah and Peter, I know Isaiah says, with his stripes we are healed. But both Isaiah and P and uh Matthew, and we'll look at Peter in just a moment, both of them put this in the past tense. And so then the statement that is made, if he's going to do this or if he did this, this is when I was healed. This is when the penalty was paid. This is when the price was paid. See, faith is not a price to be paid. Faith is belief in something. Right? Faith is knowing that you know, that you know, that you know that something happened. All right? I stand up here today and I can say with full heart faith, I'm saved. I'm born again. I'm ready to go to heaven. And if someone would say, Did you feel saved when you got up this morning? I don't know how saved feels. I took it by faith. When I gave my life to Christ, I don't know that I felt different. I saw no fireworks. I didn't have this dramatic experience where the weight of the world was lifted off of my shoulders. I just took it by faith. The Bible says, if I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, I'll be saved. Right? That's the importance of taking the word of God as absolute truth. Then I believe and I stand on what the word says regardless of how I feel. See, not paying attention to your feelings is not a theology. It's faith. It's not theology, it's faith. It doesn't mean that you don't do anything about the feeling. If you have a headache, it doesn't mean you don't take an aspirin. It means you don't look at the feeling of the headache as a reason to believe you don't have what the Bible said. Hallelujah. And so he did carry our sicknesses, our diseases, our pains. So he took them. He took them away. And then 1 Peter 2. And each of these verses build on each other. Peter even goes a little further when he says in verse 24, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed. And over the years we've taught, Isaiah says, You are healed, so that's how it happens presently. And Peter says, What you have presently is because of what he did all those years ago. But notice where he carried all of this in his body. So it stands to reason if the Redeemer carried the sickness and the disease and the pain in his body, there's no reason for the redeemed to carry the sickness and disease and pain in their body. If the redeemer carried it, the redeemed doesn't have to. Hallelujah. And so Isaiah said, all of these verses said, He has carried our sicknesses, he has carried our pains. It says he was wounded for our transgressions, and he was bruised for our iniquities. So you place, you place healing, physical bodily healing, in the same place as you place eternal salvation. Because he paid the price for sin, he paid the price for wrongdoing, he paid the price for our failures, but he also took the penalty upon himself that paid for our healing. Hallelujah. So when he did this, healing was paid for and became a redemptive fact. So these things are facts. It is a fact that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you'll be saved. That's a fact. That's a fact. There's no question about that. Right? It's also a fact that it's his will that everybody be saved. Because the scripture says it's not his will that any perish, but that all men come to the knowledge of eternal life. Paul said, whoever believes on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. That's a fact. That's a fact. And that may be something that's elementary, but there are people that believe that's a fact, and they don't believe that healing is a fact. They wouldn't question their salvation, but they'll question healing. And that's where the failure comes in. That's where the challenge comes in. Because here's the thing nobody questions their salvation even though they see symptoms of the old person. Right? You know, when when when I don't know about you, but there's been times in my Christian walk, I'm like, dear God, how could I say that? How could I think that way? Why'd I do that? Why'd I act like that? I'm saved. I'm a Christian. You know, and I can go one step further maybe than you. I'm a pastor, I'm a minister, my Lord. Right? Now, a lot of that repenting was alone, right? I mean, I mean, amen. But now, so there there was a symptom of the old nature. Well, I didn't say, dear God, am I saved? Well, no, I made a note. Look, that's something I gotta work on. That's something I got I gotta put under the authority of the word. So here's the thing. When things come up that maybe it looks, we could say the symptom or a question or whatever it is, I cannot allow that to erase the fact that I'm healed. Right? I cannot do that. Because the the question will always lead to doubt. The question never leads to faith. And here's what I mean by the question. Why am I not healed? Will never lead to faith. Because you've just declared out of your own mouth you're not healed. And and you cannot have faith that you are healed when you're saying you're not healed. Well, why didn't God heal this person? Focusing on what you think God did not do for that person will stop you from focusing on what you need to believe God will do for you. Amen. I've talked to people before, and they'll say they were needing healing, and they would say, Well, you know, but I saw so-and-so, and you know, I know they were believing and they didn't receive, and I've had to politely say, we got to not focus on so-and-so. This is you, this is what you're dealing with. We don't know what they were doing, but we know what we're doing, we know what you can deal with this in your life. Hallelujah. So, if he's going to do this, this is how you'll be healed. Now, I focus on that all the time. I don't just preach and teach on healing. This is something I feed on regularly because I understand something. This is the things that I feed on the most from the Word of God are what the Bible says are mine by redemption. If they're mine by redemption, that's my focus. Amen. You won't hear me arguing with a lot of people theologically. Listen, I don't I don't care. I've got buddies, preacher buddies, that they don't believe in the infilling of the Holy Spirit. They don't believe that, you know, speaking in tongues is for today. Well, that's fine. They're still my brother in Christ. If they want to know, I can show them where it's at in the Bible. But I'm not, I'm not gonna focus on that. I'm not gonna focus on that. I have preacher friends, I have, I have ministers in my family that will pray like this, Lord, if it's your will, heal this person. Well, then they're just they're just a bad person. No, they're not a bad person. They love the Lord with all their heart. They've helped numerous people in their lives. Can they help them get healed? No. But I'm not gonna worry about that. I'm gonna focus on what is mine by redemptive right, and I'm gonna focus on it every day. I'm gonna focus on it every day. And so it's not I I look at healing when I need healing, I'm looking at healing constantly, and consequently, I need healing less and less. Hallelujah. So these verses are describing the work of redemption, and he deals with sin, sickness, and reconciliation. Isaiah deals with sin, sickness, and reconciliation. All right, our iniquities were laid on him, our our uh sorrows, our sicknesses, our pains. And then he said the uh the uh punishment that was necessary for our peace, our reconciliation, was laid upon him. So what we see is the the three parts. We see body, soul, and spirit taken care of on the cross of Calvary. Hallelujah. So to ask, is it always God's will to heal? Is to ask, is it always God's will to save? Is it always God's will to redeem? Because they were all paid for at the same time. Walking in healing consistently requires constant awareness that I am redeemed from sickness and disease. Constant awareness. And that that becomes your answer, that becomes your state of being. It becomes something that you are more surprised that you're dealing with that sickness than just, I understand that happens and right? Hallelujah. Now notice this in Mark chapter 9, we always focus on the answer, not the question. I didn't say that the question won't come up and you won't have to deal with it. I say your focus is the answer. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 23, this is when Jesus had come and this young man had brought his, this man had brought his son to the disciples, and according to scripture, he said they could not cast him out. And he explained to Jesus what was happening, and he said in verse 22, if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said, the King James says, Jesus said to him, if you can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Now again, that verse has been you know plucked out of its setting, and and basically people have been told, see, it's always a believing problem. Right? And so so if you can believe, all things are possible. Now understand that's true. You have to believe, but understand what Jesus is saying. The Wee's Bible says, and Jesus said to him, as for those words of yours, if you're able. So he's focusing here. As though for those words of yours, if you're able, if you are able. And Jesus said, All things are possible to the one that believes. And so he's saying, I'm a believing one. Everything's possible. All right? He notice he didn't say, I'm the Son of God, I'm Jesus. All things are possible to me. He said, All things are possible to a believing one. All right, all things are possible to the one that believes. The CEV says, Jesus replied, Why do you say if you can? Anything is possible for someone who has faith. Anything is possible for someone that has faith. The GNC New Testament, the general nutrition, no, not really. The GNC New Testament says, as for your words, if you're able, Jesus said to them, He who has faith is able to do anything. The Wade translation says, Jesus said to him, Why this if you can? Everything can be done for him that has faith. So Jesus is saying again, I'm a believer, and all things are possible to a believer. Now here's how the thought process has to be. If all things are possible and the key is to a believer, then my job is to determine how I can get to that place of believer. Because all things are possible. Right? And you're taking this from the lips of Jesus who cannot lie. And so the one that cannot lie says, all things are possible to him that believes. And what where does he say the sticking point is? Right here on if you can. If you can. Well, Pastor, I would never say that. I understand that, but there are people that say this: why hasn't it happened? That's the same as saying you haven't done it. That doesn't get me into the all things are possible. That leaves me right where I'm at. Because it stops the power of God and it ends my faith. Hallelujah. The man said, if you're able. And Jesus said, All things are possible to me because I'm a believer. Now, what's the issue? This man needed to believe in the power and the ability of the physical man Jesus. Understand this. We see this twice in the Bible, at least twice in the four gospels. This man is in the very presence of Jesus. He must have believed at least somewhat that Jesus could do this, or he would have not brought the boy to the disciples. But he's in the physical presence of Jesus, who evidently he knew could heal, and in the physical presence of Jesus, the symptoms and the circumstances are talking louder than his faith in the physical man Jesus. Thomas saw Jesus after he resurrected. He put his finger in his hand and his hand in his side, and Jesus had to tell him to not be faithless. Why? Because feeling, seeing, touching is not faith. It's not faith. That's all after the fact. That's all after the fact. Remember, Thomas heard Jesus say at least three times. At least three in the four gospels. I'm going to be crucified. I'm going to be buried. I'm going to rise again on the third day. Remember, he told Mary? He said, I'm going into this city like I told them. Tell them I'll meet them there. Where were they all at? If they believed what Jesus said, they would have been sitting there when the stone rolled away. They didn't believe what Jesus said. And when Jesus showed up in the book of Mark and walked through the wall, he didn't say, hey guys, how you been? So glad everybody's here. It says he upbraided them for their hardness of heart and unbelief. Here's what I'm saying. Being in the physical presence of Jesus does not mean I will have faith in the ability of Jesus. That's what people think. Well, if Jesus, if Jesus would just come down, the Bible says he's not going to do that. It says, don't say in your heart, who will ascend to heaven to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the earth to bring Christ up. But what saith it? The word. The word is very near to you, even in your heart and in your mouth. That's the word of faith that we preach. Right? So that means that the physical presence of Jesus is not more powerful than the written word of Jesus. So this man needed to put faith in the physical man Jesus. We have to place faith in the power and the ability of the written word of God. It is written. Jesus said in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, in the Greek, it says this, it is written and it's still on record. It is written and it's still written. Right? So Isaiah 53, 4 and 5 was written and it's still written. Matthew chapter 8, verse 17 and 18 has been written and it's still written. 1 Peter 2, 24, it was written and it's still written. What's it written? That with his stripes I was healed. That's it. That's it. And then you take that as actual fact. You know, I don't have to try to believe actual fact. Actual fact is it's hot. I don't have to go outside and try to believe it. Just step outside. I believe, Lord, I believe. I'm a believer. Glory to God. Amen. Now, but here's the thing. And and and understand this. Why do I understand that's natural fact? I see the thermostat, I feel the heat. Right. So if I'm basing everything off actual fact, then there's no question. If somebody came up to me and said, Oh, it's really cool today, isn't it? No, it's not. It's not really cool. It's hot. Because we're basing things on actual fact. Right? This is the word is the genesis of all truth. But it's the higher truth, it's the higher standard. And that's why it changes temporary circumstances. Hallelujah. Temporary circumstances. Everybody believes sickness is temporary. Everybody believes that. Even people that don't believe in healing, they'll say, well, one day they won't have to suffer with this no more. When they get to heaven, they won't have to suffer no more. So they're saying sickness is temporary. Even they don't even believe in healing. When you take the word as the actual truth, it answers all the questions. Well, why was that person not healed? I don't know why they were not healed, but I know that the price was paid, so I know they could have been. That's it. Why hasn't God healed me yet? I know the price has been paid. And I know Jesus said, My job was to believe in the one that can do all things. Oh, hallelujah. Do you see this? Glory to God. Verse 24, notice this man, he said, straightway the father, now this is right after Jesus said, all things are possible to a believing one. And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Now I want you to understand something. All this man has seen every day is his son having convulsions. All she's seen every day is these fits of whatever kind they were. And notice he didn't say, Well, I am too believing. He didn't say, I am too believing. Why hadn't it happened? He said, I believe you can do this. This is what I believe. So help me, meet me where I'm at. Amen. When you, for instance, I told you this story about coming home from work. I had come home from work. I was sick when I got up that morning, went to work, and came home. And I decided, I made the decision all those years ago. I'm not doing this no more. The word works. I believe the word works. I preach the word works. I'm running this out of my body. And I sat in that chair for about four or six hours and just declared that one verse. By his stripes, I'm healed. I'm healed in the name of Jesus. Right? But here's what I want you to see. You might have to go to the word and say, now, wait a minute. Lord, I believe this. I believe that with your stripes I was healed. Now meet me where I'm at. That's what the man's saying. Lord, I believe. I believe you're able. I brought my son to you. I believe I'm able. Whatever's stopping this, help me with it. Amen. Do you see that? Focus on what you do know. Not on what you don't know. Focus on what you do. These are the basics of healing. You got to focus on what you do know, not on what you don't know. In the beginning, for some people, it might just be God loves me. God loved me enough to save me, He loves me enough to heal me. Amen. I may not know why, but I know what Jesus did. I may not know how, but I know what Jesus did. And that's got to be my focus. The gospel and all of its components is based on simplicity. It's simple. I don't know everything, but I know what Jesus did. Amen. In John chapter nine. John chapter nine. And verse one. It says, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples said, Master, who said this man or his parents, that he was born blind? The disciples are focused on what they do not know, and they are in no position to help this man. No position. Because they're focused on what they don't know. What's the problem? He's blind. Who cares why? Why does it matter? You know, I don't see Jesus asking anybody, do you know why this happened? Did you do this? Did you do that? He did heal at least two people and then went and found. Well, he uh uh uh redeemed the woman caught in the very act of adultery. He told her, go and sin no more. And then he told the man at the pool of Bethesda, he went and found him. And he said, Now look, go and don't sin anymore, because something worse can come on you. But notice he didn't say to either one of them before he redeemed them, before he healed them. He didn't say to them, Well, how'd this all happen? And what all happened here? And the disciples are wondering, they're asking the question. And to some it may seem valid. But they're asking this based on their theology, based on their Jewish theology, because they believed if anybody's sick, it's because they sinned. Remember when Jesus says he was in his house, and the power of the Lord was present to heal them, and they let the man down through the roof, and it says Jesus saw their faith, and he said to the man on the stretcher, Son, your sins are forgiven you. And those sick leaders that were there, those sick Pharisees and scribes, it said they reasoned in their heart and said, Uh, uh, who is this man that forgives sin? Nobody can forgive sins but God. And Jesus looked at him and said, You're reasoning in your heart. He said, Is it easier to say, uh, your sins be forgiven you, or take up your bed and walk? Well, they didn't have an answer. He said, But so you may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins. He said to the sick, rise, take up your bed and walk. See, this is important. It was their theology. It was their knowledge of their man-made ideas that was causing them to not receive. There's so much in the Bible that's just fixed. You know, you you have people and they'll say, they'll say this, well, you know, we are uh we are uh uh uh Judeo Christians. That's not a Bible term. Judeo-Christianity, it's not a Bible term. People say, well, I'm a Jewish believer. Well, I I understand that, but here's the problem with that. I I appreciate that, you know, they have their their, you know, I believe in Jesus and I'm and I'm a Jew, and we're gonna hold to our Hebraic beliefs and do all this. The problem with that is that the Bible says that God took people out of the Jewish race and out of the Gentile race and made them one new man, believers. Not Jews, not Greeks, believers. Not Jews, not Greeks, believers. That's why Paul never told us to celebrate feasts. He never told us to celebrate new moons or sabbaths. He told us to come out of the world and be separate. Why? Because we're believers. We're believers. You a person is not a better believer because they believe something hebraically or they believe something in that realm. See, they're letting their theology get in the way of this man getting healed. And the only one that didn't answer that question or ask that question was Jesus. He didn't say. Wonder why he's blind. He said, Nobody sin. In other words, your theology won't work here. It's not because of sin. He said, it's the works of the devil. He didn't implicitly say that, but he said, I gotta work the works of the one that sent me. And that's when he put clay in his eyes, told him to go wash, and he came forth seeing. Hallelujah. Now, this is so important because why something happened is less important than what you know that'll get you free. Focused on why something happened will stop you from moving into faith to get you healed. I've had people say this. Well, I thought I was believing the first time. Well, you got to forget that and you got to move on into what you do know. Notice this. This man helps us. And he was he was not a theologian, he knew more than those religious leaders. But remember, they kept asking him. We know this man's a sinner. And he said in verse 25, he answered and said, Whether he's a sinner or not, I do not know. One thing I know, whereas I was blind, now I see. Notice what he focused on, what he did know. I don't know if he's a sinner. I know this. I used to be blind, and now I see. Wow, that's powerful to me. Because he wasn't focused on what he didn't know. What if he'd have got focused on what he didn't? Wonder if he is a sinner. Wonder if he is. Well, he'd have lost his healing. Because what he based his faith on. He said, I base my faith on the guy that touched me and told me to go wash in the pool. Right? You base everything you believe about your healing on the actual fact of the word of God. This is what the word says about me. And I don't care if Mama and M didn't teach me. I don't care if I was raised Baptist, Pentecost, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, God help us. You know, it's it doesn't matter. What does the word of God say? I've seen Baptists just take the Word of God at face value and get healed. I've seen Methodists take it and just get healed. I've seen people blind get it and just get healed. Deaf, cancer, whatever it may be. Why? That and those are things that seem so elementary, especially in our circles. But listen, I can hear something so much and know that that's what the group I am a part of believes. But do I believe it? Everybody around me may believe it. Do I believe it? I lay hands on the sick because I believe Jesus said they would recover. I don't do that just because I'm Pentecostal or charismatic. I do that because Jesus said they would recover. Amen. Listen, I was laying hands on the sick as an assistant pastor in a church that largely believed, if it be your will. And people were getting healed by the scores in that church because I had the opportunity to get them to believe, no matter what you've been taught, if you believe the word. Amen. Kenneth Hagin got a hold of the word as a 17-year-old teenager on his deathbed alone. He didn't have anybody believing with him. Nobody. His mama didn't believe, his grandmother didn't believe. The preachers that came didn't believe. He had to take Mark 11, 23 and come off of that sickbed based on what he believed. Amen. Remember, he said he would have a pity party in the beginning. God, I'm only 17. This isn't fair. I know boys out there that are sinning and they got everything they want and they got all the money they want and they're healthy. God, this just isn't fair. What's he focused on? What he can't change. Can't change that. What can I change? What I'm saying. I can change what I'm believing. Hallelujah. See, when you focus on what you don't know, your focus is not on what you should be doing. Amen. So the man is not focused on what he doesn't know. He's focused on what he does know. What does he know? I was blind. Now I see. Amen. Amen. I've had people tell me about healing. Well, I believe God can heal, but how's He gonna do it? I don't know. That's not our job. I say, that's not our job. Amen. There was a lady came up one time and to have my father pray for her. And she had like a had some kind of some kind of condition, some kind of tumor or something. I don't remember. I was just really young. But she let me say it this way, she was overweight, but it wasn't because of, it was because of what she was. Dealing with. And my dad laid hands on her and cursed whatever she was dealing with, commanded her to be healed. Listen, in front of everybody, it just went away. Her dress fell off of her. Now there are people that would miss the miracle, wondering where it all went. Wonder where that went and how'd that happen? And and well, he took it. Healing is supernatural. Oh, glory to God. Amen. Brother Hagin said he prayed for a lady one time, had a 98-pound tumor. She came up for prayer, 98-pound tumor, 72-inch waist. She had a 72-inch waist. He prayed for her, commanded that tumor to be gone. She went down on the ground, got up with the 29-inch waist. And then people, well, where'd it go? I don't know. Who cares? Here's what I do know. I used to have it, now I don't. Amen. I've told you uh this before, but I'll tell you again, man, I started, I started dealing with something. I did something to my shoulder. And I don't know if it was in the gym or or whatever it was, but uh, man, I did something, and it it was it was getting bad. I I couldn't raise it. I I mean it hurt. It was it was getting bad. And so I'm I'm dealing with it on the word of God and standing on the word of God. And one night, well, it was a Sunday night, and we were at home and we were watching the service from Kansas, and we were watching Kenny Blunt was there ministering, and um uh he said at the end of the service, he said, you know, he said, I I just this is in my spirit. He said, there's somebody you've been dealing with a shoulder problem. He said, just raise your hand. Well, I couldn't, I couldn't raise my arm very high, but I'm sitting there in the chair, and I raised my hand up. Well, just soon as he said that, and I raised my hand up, Liliana ran across the room and she grabbed my arm. She said, In the name of Jesus, you be healed. Go from him. Well, that thing popped. I've been totally healed ever since. And here's what people will say. Well, one reckon why God used that child. I don't know. I'm healed, I don't care. Right? One lady I knew praying for somebody sick, and you know they believed in laying hands on the sick and anointing with oil, and she's looking for some oil. Can't find no oil. You know what she said? Well, the Lord you spit, and just spitting her hand and laid hands on them. Now, we're not gonna do any spitting around here. This is not a spitting healing meeting. But here's what I want you to understand that person got touched. You you understand? Don't focus on what you don't know, focus on what you do know. Well, how's the Lord gonna do that? Because you know that I I when and maybe you don't ask that exact question, but the question can come, why is it taking so long? Why is it no better? I'll talk to people sometimes and they'll say, Well, I'm having a little improvement, but no, get the butt out of there. Improvement means it's working, it's better than it was. If it's better than it was, what's it mean? It's going to get better than it is. Glory to God. Amen. I say, Amen. Am I helping you? So say it out loud. I'm not focused on what I don't know. I'm focused on what I do know. Amen. See, that's when my life took an irreversible turn, was when I made the decision founded in the word that the word is truth. I've always been a very simple person. I am a very uncomplicated individual. I don't have a complicated life. I don't like drama. I don't like strife. I stay away from it. I I separate myself from anybody that has that going on in their life. Why? Because I don't like it. I like peace. Right? I like peace. I like the simple things in my life. And anything I learned a long time ago, if you can boil something down to the simplest, the simplest common denominator, you're going to walk in power in that. So when we were believing God, we had just got a hold of the Word of God. We had got those Charles Capps series, uh, Faith, Law of the New Covenant, and calling things that be not, as though they were. And Michelle's working nights, evenings, really, but three to what, three to eleven, something like that. And uh I'm at home with the kids, and I'm listening to Charles Capps. And he's teaching me to call those things that be not. He's teaching me that faith is the law of the new covenant. And in between listening to him, I'm listening to Kenneth Copeland talk about the integrity of God's word, and there's blood between us and God, and and and and there's a blood-sworn oath between us and God. And I'm I'm just going through the scriptures one day, and my eyes fell on John 17, 17, where Jesus said, Lord, Father, sanctify them through your truth. Your word is truth. Change my life. Change my life. I put my left hand on John 17, I raised my right hand to heaven. I said, From this day forward, I choose to believe that every word in this book is absolute truth. Because I was raised in church. I was raised Pentecostal. I was raised on the front row. Right? That was the switching row. That was the whipping row. That mom preached with a switch, and if you got to moving around, she nettled them legs. I'm not saying that was right, I'm just that's what she did. And you had already been warned that if she had to whip you, you better not cry. So not only you get a whooping, you can't cry about it. That's double bad. But right? But oh yeah. Some of y'all look at me funny. My mother would do that. She'd whoop you and say, now don't you you shut up, don't you cry, don't you say nothing. I'm in pain. Something is broke, you broke something. Why was she like that? See, I don't focus on what I don't know, I focus on what I do know. I do know I never did that to my children. But right, but here's the point. So I knew the word. I won contest. I went to Christian school. I won blue ribbons for the most scripture memorized. I knew all the verses. Right? Preached my first message when I was 15, 16 years old. But here's the thing: it had never become truth to me. It was the Bible, it was God's word. I would study the word, but if I ever believed anything I read, I can't tell you. I would preach the word and people would shout because of the anointing. But if I believed it, I can't tell you I did. Till that day. I chose where? From my heart to believe the word was absolute truth. Oh, hallelujah. And that's when everything changed. And so I went through all that say, so that is the lowest common denominator. That is the simple fact. What does the word say? What, see, what do you know? What do you believe? Do you believe he carried our diseases and our pains? See, if I believe that, then put all the questions aside and focus on what you do know. This is what I do know. Hallelujah. Folks, I still do that to this day. I say things and then I say to the Lord, now, Lord, I'm saying this because Jesus said in Mark 11, 23, I'd have what I say. I'm not just saying this, I'm saying it because Jesus said I would have what I say. I remember one time we were in our house and we had some family members over, and they were telling me things, you know, and talking like people do, and and and they were telling me things that, you know, the the the Bible said. The, you know, they what the Bible said. And so I would ask them, where does it say that? And they'd kind of act like I didn't say anything, and then they'd say, well, you know, it's like the Bible said, and I'd say, wait a minute, where does it say that? And finally one of them looked at me and they said, Philip, quit that. You're a preacher. This isn't fair. I'm just asking, where does the word say that? Right? Amen. You know, there there are things that Brother Ron Swagger over here, good to see you back, by the way. Hope you had a good vacation. All right. But but there are things that he knows about helping communities financially and economically. There are things he knows I have, listen, if he started telling me that, he might as well be talking Greek because I don't know. Right? I mean, I can sit there and look real intellectual. I don't have any idea what he's talking about. Right? Because he's he's got a degree in this, he's got a PhD in this. So here's my thing. It would be foolish of me to try to explain to him what that's all about when he's the one with the degree. See, I've seen people healed off their deathbed. I've watched blind eyes open, I've seen it happen by people acting on the simplicity of the word of God. And not focused on how long they've been going through something, not focused on how impossible it is, not focused on any of that. Hallelujah. See, I remember we were ministering in the prison in Ellsworth, Kansas. We did a camp meeting there every year. And uh, you know, it's it's something when you are with a bunch of people that are hungry for the word of God and you're you're ministering the word of God, and then God starts moving. And uh I don't do it all the time, I do it as the Spirit leads, but there are times people come up for prayer and and they'll say, you know, they got a back problem, hip problem, leg problem, something like that. And occasionally the Lord will have me have them sit down and we'll look at their legs, and one is shorter than the other. So there was a young man in there from the Hispanic congregation. It's so funny because I would get to preaching, and uh there was there was a lot of guys in there that I'd known for a number of years. Some of them had gotten saved in our uh outreach in the jail. And so, you know, it's it's interesting because even in the prison, over here on on this side were the black guys. Right? Then in the middle was, you know, some white guys and some black guys. And then over on the right were all the Hispanic guys. Funny how they segregated themselves. But I'd get to preaching, and this is what started to be the thing. Is there there was a guy that named Moses, by the way. His name was Moses, and I'd get to preaching, and he'd stand up, he's a black guy, and he'd say, Preach, white boy! And that's what he would say. And and and uh actually he started saying that because I was preaching in that section one day, and I said, Some of y'all need to stand up and tell this white boy to preach. And so they did. And so that became the thing every year. Preach, white boy. Even the white guy started saying that. I want to say, you know, it don't sound the same coming from you. I just, you know. But anyway, one day I'm preaching and I'm preaching along these lines, and over here in the Hispanic section, a guy stood up and he said, Benedica, bueno! Preach, white boy, right? And so then I got it coming from all languages. But anyway, so it was this Hispanic young man. He came up, I called for people that had leg problems, back problems. And he came up and he was having a lot of problems, and he walked with a noticeable limp. And so I laid hands on him and I did what the Lord told me to do. And I don't know, I I don't want to exaggerate, but I I mean, because I didn't measure, but it looked like a good inch. He he was he was had a leg a good inch shorter than the other one. I had not even finished praying for him, and and the thing grew out. And it was evident. I mean, he got up, he said, not only did he say that he said the pain's gone, the leg's back normal. Well, then we had a two o'clock service, and I asked for any testimonies, and he came up, and and we were rejoicing with him that his leg had been, you know, lengthened. And he said, he said, but there's something you have to understand. He said, My leg was shortened because of a medical procedure. He said it was it was not natural. Well, he's in prison, so he'd gotten in some issues with the the law, and and he had ended up in custody, got hurt, and they had to take him to the doctor. I don't remember all the procedure, but they they did something and it shortened his leg. So it wasn't something natural. So whatever was taken out, God put back. Now why? Just believing the simplicity of the word. He didn't come up there and say, This is impossible. This this is not natural, so it's impossible. He just believed what God said. Amen. Many are at a standstill because of the questions, why hasn't God healed me? The question will short circuit the healing process. That's why we say, I am what God says I am. I have what God says I have, I can do what God says I can do. That's it. That settles the issue. Amen. I I try to declare every day of my life, for poverty he's given me wealth, for sickness, he's given me health. He's redeemed me from the curse of the law. I'm not under the curse, I'm not under the curse, for Jesus has ransomed me. For poverty, wealth, for sickness, health, since Jesus rescued me. Amen. Hallelujah. Now, let me finish with this, Matthew 9, 28, and we'll we'll wrap this up. I believe you're receiving. Matthew 9, 28. Now these are two blind men that came to Jesus, and they followed him into his house. And notice what Jesus says. When he was coming to the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe I'm able to do this? Do you believe I'm able to do this? They said, Yes. And it says, then he touched their eyes, saying, according to your faith be it unto you. And they were open. But notice where he started. Do you believe I'm able? So what I've got to do is get all the questions about why, how come, whatever it may be, and come back to this question. Do I believe that he's able to do this? You know, I don't know if you talk to yourself. I talk to myself frequently. Amen. I used to say, because it's good to talk to somebody with some sense every now and then. But I don't say that anymore. But here, I I ask myself, when I'm facing challenges, and you know, you're gonna face challenges. You're not gonna go through life without challenges. There's no such thing as a challenge-free life. You're gonna face them. Now they can be few and far between, or they can be less than than than they were. But I always ask, if I if I find myself in a situation, I go to the scripture. Remember Brother Hagin teaching uh what to do when faith seems weak and victory loss, the very first thing you do when faith seems weak in victory lost is find scriptures that cover your case. Find scriptures that cover your case. So when I'm facing those challenges, I go to the scripture, the scriptures that cover my case, and I read them, but I ask myself a question. Now I'm not giving you a formula, this is what I do. I ask myself when I read those verses out loud, do I believe this? Because if I believe it, it's gonna work. But do I believe it? And it's not because I believe I don't believe it, but do I believe this? And not only do I talk to myself, I answer myself. Yes, I do believe this. Then after I answer myself, I say to myself, then if you believe it, it's ours. And then after I said that to myself, I answer myself. Then if it's mine, I have it now. And that's it. And that settles the issue. Jesus, the book of Matthew tells us says it even plainer. It says that Jesus, when he looked at that fig tree, he said, No man eat fruit of you hereafter forever, and walked off. That's it. Now Mark leads us to understand that it was maybe the next day that they they saw the tree, but the Bible says in Matthew that it began to dry up immediately. So if that sickness in your body has begun to dry up immediately that you said you believed you were healed, the moment you said it, it started drying up. Do we still believe that? Because if I still believe that, the word's working. What's it doing? Right now, it's eradicating sickness and disease out of your body. It's restoring strength and health and vitality, it's correcting those problems. Amen. Hallelujah. And that's why you sit with your eyes closed, and every day you say, My my my uh my heart is strong. It beats with the rhythm of life, it it beats uh perfectly, not too fast, not too slow. My my uh uh uh my heart vessels, my vows are elastic and clean. And then you just take a minute and see it that way. Why? Because he said, I'll have what I say and I'll have what I meditate on. I'll have what I focus on. Oh, hallelujah. Glory be to God. So he said, Do you believe I'm able to do this? Amen. And that's that's how me and my wife do it. We'll be facing something and we'll get the word out and read the word, and then I'll ask her, now, do we believe this? Now I'm not standing up here like preaching in my home. But we'll sit down over the word and we'll ask each other, now, do we believe this? The answer is always in the affirmative, then we have what we say. When Liliana's dealing with something, she'll come and say, Dad, I got this, and I'll take her to the word and I'll say, Now, do you believe this? I believe it. Then we got what we say. Because you believe it, and two of us have come into agreement, we have it. That's it. I don't want to ever overcomplicate the word. Let me finish here. Praying more is not gonna get you healed. Fasting is not gonna get you healed. Making sure that you declare the scripture 500 times a day is not gonna get you healed. What do you believe? If if I can go to that verse, Isaiah 53 and 5, and ask myself honestly, do I believe this? If the answer is an honest yes, then I've got it. It's working. If there's any question, then stay in that verse till you believe it. Stay there till you believe it. It's that simple. And I listen, I've seen people come off deathbeds from that. I've seen cancer healed by that, I've seen blind eyes healed by that, and we're gonna see it more. We're gonna see it more than we've ever seen it. Why? Because we're in that day, we're in that age, but it's gonna come that way. Hallelujah. Father, in the name of Jesus. Lord, I thank you for the people that are gathered here today. I thank you for those that are watching online. Father, I thank you for the people that tell us that every healing school they watch on YouTube, they watch us online, I thank you for that. But Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank you that any questions as to why, any questions as why is this taking so long, that they would be answered today with this remark. I believe what God said. And so, regardless of what has been in the past, I receive my healing now. I receive it now, and from this moment forward, I won't question it. I won't question it. I walk in what I believe in the name of Jesus. Amen and amen. Hallelujah. We'll be here tomorrow night.