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            Everything we learn in the school of Christ will come from God—He alone can enlighten us to know of the blessings, the gifts, and the healing He wants us to have and enjoy.  God cannot change; the power of the Blood will never change, and the Holy Spirit is always present to inspire faith, so we can then receive from God what His children in the Bible received.  Satan can only rob us if he keeps us in ignorance.

            Most professing Christians are not aware of Satan’s devices, but when we are enrolled in God’s school, we will begin to see how the devil deceives people.  1 Peter 5:8 ”Be self-controlled [sober] and alert.  Your enemy [adversary] the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

            A true believer in Christ is in a spiritual battle with the devil—who uses anyone or anything to bring our faith down to the level of the world.  Ephesians 6:12 ”We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.”

            The devil’s plan is to deceive and destroy human souls thru thoughts and suggestions to their mind—and done in such a way that we think it is just the sensible reasoning of our own intellect, when it is actually a counterfeit of Satan John 10:10 “to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” 

            The devil opposes anything that is for our spiritual interest and eternal benefit.  He always portrays God’s Truth in the worst possible light.  Satan uses false teaching as a main weapon to deceive and destroy those who are not alert to his wicked ways.  With the millions of religious groups in the world—and many claiming to be Christian—very few go directly to God for what is needed in this life.  They do not even realize that they are not trusting God in faith for anything, but have instead, a million substitutes replacing God.

            Satan has deceived, robbed, and destroyed millions of souls for an eternity thru delusions, false teaching, and outward religious gestures—all of them distorting God’s Truth in some way, and all of them devoid of any real faith and trust on the living God.  Most Christian churches today are where the first-century religious leaders were in that day.

            Jesus said Mark 7:6 "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written Isaiah 29:13 ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.”  Satan well knows that it will take the whole gospel Truth—exactly as it was in Bible times—to deliver us from our troubles here, and take us to Heaven hereafter.

            Anyone who does not surrender their self-will to God, and place themselves under the teaching and training of His Holy Spirit, will be an easy prey to the devil, and a victim of the instruments he uses to destroy them.  The only protection from deception is to learn and know what the real Truth is, from God Himself.

            Many professing Christians today do not receive answers to prayer, because they do not trust God in believing faith.  Millions of professing believers never find out that God is able and willing to answer prayer today, just as He did in Bible times.  This low spiritual condition of most professing Christians today is opposite to the high level of trust on God people in the Bible had.

            True believers go to God in prayer, in faith, and they persist until they receive answers for deliverance over Satan’s oppressions.  This modern-day lack of faith in God, is the result of listening to the lies of the devil—and of those he has deceived.  If anyone is willing to learn from God Himself, He will teach them how to receive answers to prayer.

            New Testament teaching has always been that we go to God and place all our troubles—big and small—before Him in faith, and to believe His Word that the prayer will be heard and answered.  If this true Christian life is followed each day, by the leading of the Holy Spirit, it will result in receiving from God what we need in this life—spiritually, physically, financially, in the home, at work, with friends, and in everything else.

            When we are willing to learn from God, His Spirit is given to guide, to inspire, and to enable us to make scriptural decisions concerning all things.  This brings about the death of self, so that the Spirit of God can be in control.  We are to grow spiritually, and to see our faith increase—as we meet things and people according to the Word of God.  The most important result is eternal life—as we stay on the path of faith and trust on the Atonement Blood of Christ.

            Jesus said Matthew 18:3, “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”   We must take the same attitude toward God that a small child takes toward a parent.  A small child depends on a parent for every little thing.

            We are to trust God for physical healing by faith in the Atonement of Christ—the same as they did in the Bible.  No true believer went to a doctor, took any drug, or trusted in medication, but they received healing only thru faith and trust on the divine power of the living God.

            The first recorded healing Genesis 20 and the last Acts 28, reveals that God alone heals those who trust Him in believing faith.  Physical healing is valuable, but knowing what God will do is even more valuable.  Jesus suffered on the cross, so that thru His broken body, ours might be whole—Isaiah 53:5; and Matthew 8:16 Jesus “cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick.”  Most church ministers do not see that, and will not believe that God heals today.

            Naaman’s healing in the Old Testament and the man lowered thru the roof in the New Testament, give evidence that God will heal wherever there is a willing heart to believe.  Many verses explain the truth on healing.  James 5:15 ”The prayer of faith will restore the sick man, and the Lord will raise him up to health; and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven.”

            Abraham’s righteousness came from believing God’s promise and trusting Him for healing.  Romans 4:16 ”Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham…“

            18 “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations.  20-21 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.”  This was written in the Bible, so that we could also believe, trust God, and be healed as they were.

            That quality of faith makes us righteous before God; Romans 5:1 ”Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  That type of faith made the woman who “suffered many things of many physicians” Mark 5:26 a daughter of God, and was delivered from the power of the devil by faith in the power of God.  It is a contrast to her previous experience of spending all her money and getting no help.

            The man who preferred the Word of God as sufficient evidence for the healing of a servant Matthew 8:5-13 had the kind of faith that would qualify him to join Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in Heaven; while those who lacked that faith in God, would be cast into outer darkness where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.

            It takes real faith to trust God for healing.  No one can hide behind empty words and pious phrases.  Many false teachers mock God’s people, because they reject medical help, so they can trust God in faith.  Both healing and salvation are gifts of God thru the Blood of Christ.  If we will not trust God for the minor issue of healing, then we would not be able to trust Him for eternal life either.

            God’s financial plan is all about faith in Him.  It is not the losing or gaining of money that is of value, but the faith lesson learned from God Himself—that is of huge value—that He is by our side to provide whatever we need—if we will trust Him to supply it Romans 8:17 “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”

            Money lies close to the human heart, although few will admit that.  We begin life loving money with all our heart; instead of loving God with all our heart.  God’s financial plan strikes at the root of this love for money.  No one can follow New Testament teaching on money matters, unless they first get rid of this love for money.

            The young man thought he was packed up for Heaven, but Jesus said his attitude about money would keep him out of heaven.  Jesus proved that he loved money more than he loved God, when he refused to obey His financial advice.  The man’s heart was on his treasure on earth.

            Jesus said our hope for Heaven depended on our attitude toward money.  We must handle our finances according to the will of God, because if we are not scriptural in such a small thing as money, we could never be scriptural with major issues like eternal life.  Following God’s financial plan strikes a lethal blow to self—that wants us to hold on to every cent and save every dime.

            Salvation is thru faith in Christ—it is all about trusting God in this life.  Matthew 7:21 "Not every one who says to me, ‘Master, Master,’ will enter the Kingdom of the Heavens, but only those who are obedient to my Father who is in Heaven.”  The will of God is the teaching of the New Testament; therefore, we must come to know it, believe it, and obey it, under the guidance of His Holy Spirit—it is the only way to be ready for the kingdom.

            Jesus said John 12:24 “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”  He then applied that to us; John 12:25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”

            If we hold on to the ways of the world, like most professing Christians do, we would lose our life here, and spend an eternity in the lake of fire hereafter; but if we are willing to learn from God, how deadly the sin nature is; we will hate it, and get rid of it, thru His power—1 Peter 1:5 “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”