Sometimes I wonder, how long will it be before people believe the Holy Bible?  How many miracles must God do in our midst before we take Him at His Word?  Well, if you’re like most people, if you don’t say it you’re at least thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”  And I can’t really criticize, because I’ve done it in the past, but not in the past eighteen years.  Why? because I’ve seen it with my own eyes, just like the early disciples did.
Let’s look at this account from Luke 24.  It’s a bit long, but if you cut it any shorter, you wouldn’t be able to grasp what’s going on:
Luk 24:12  Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Luk 24:13  And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Luk 24:14  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Luk 24:15  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
Luk 24:16  But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Luk 24:17  And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
Luk 24:18  And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
Luk 24:19  And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
Luk 24:20  And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
Luk 24:21  But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
Luk 24:22  Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
Luk 24:23  And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
Luk 24:24  And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luk 24:25  Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26  Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
Luk 24:27  And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luk 24:28  And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
Luk 24:29  But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
Luk 24:30  And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
Luk 24:31  And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
Luk 24:32  And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luk 24:33  And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
Luk 24:34  Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
    As many of you know, I teach about healing, having experienced God’s healing in my own body several times.  Teaching from learned text is one thing, but teaching from personal experience is far stronger, and I have both.  Someone might well try to convince me there is no such thing as cherry pie.  I’ll just smile at them  Why?  because I’ve had cherry pie.  I could try to describe it, starting with the texture of the crust, what it’s made of and how it’s made.  Then I could describe what cherries are, where they come from, what they taste like, and how it’s eaten.  Maybe they will believe me, maybe not.  Or, I could put a piece of cherry pie on a plate, and slide it over to them with a fork.  Hearing about it is one thing, but the proof is in the eating, wouldn’t you say?   Well, that’s kind of what happened to the disciples, having heard about the resurrection of Christ Jesus, they kind of believed, but not really.  When Jesus appeared to them, he scolded them for their unbelief, and said, O fools, and slow of heart to believe……
   Oh my, do you think that’s us too?  Well, if we don’t believe His report, yes.  We could “flower it up” and say that’s not the case, but we know the truth: unless we truly believe the Word of God, we will not experience God in our lives, OR the benefits He so lovingly has provided for us in His Word.  Now, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it’s wrong, but here is the truth concerning healing:  God has already done everything He is ever going to do about our healing.  It’s done with, already provided for, and there is nothing lacking except our believing and grabbing hold of it and receiving it, and not letting go of it.  In other words, it’s up to us whether we receive healing or not.
   Now I know that may not be what people want to hear, but do you know what?  It’s not my job to tell you what you want to hear in order to tickle your ears.  My job is to teach you how to live by and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and I’m going to do whatever the LORD tells me to do to help you do just that.  Make no mistake about it, if you don’t receive your healing, you can’t blame God and say, Well, I guess it just wasn’t His will to heal me.  It IS God’s will to heal, and Christ Jesus clearly demonstrated that wherever He went.  You cannot show me even ONE time that Jesus refused to heal someone…NOT ONCE!!  He said in Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.  Later He went on to say in Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.  Tell me then, what part of that do you not understand?

   Later, those twelve disciples and their followers turned the world upside down by their testimonies and the power of God they wielded.  Is it so with us?  It should be!  How is the best way for you to demonstrate the power of God?  by experiencing it for yourself.  How do you experience God for yourself?  By believing all that is written of Him.
The believing always comes before the receiving.  Some tell me it’s cruel to insinuate that if someone doesn’t receive their healing it’s because they didn’t believe.  But salvation works exactly the same way!  It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve sinned or for how long, the very moment you believe in your heart that Christ Jesus died on the cross for your sins and was raised the third day from the dead, and you repent of your sins, and confess Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Bible says you will be saved.  Well, it says in Isaiah 53:1-5 says;
Isa 53:1  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
Isa 53:2  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
Isa 53:3  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isa 53:4  Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
Isa 53:5  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.
 
 Do YOU believe the prophets and the Word of God?  Verse 5 says with His stripes we ARE healed.  Is that past tense, or present tense?  It’s present tense.  We ARE healed!  And this was written far before Christ Jesus died on the cross.  In 1 Peter 2:24 it says, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  Now, here it says by His stripes we WERE healed.  Is that past tense, or present tense?  It’s past tense!  If we WERE healed, and we ARE healed, then where do you get the idea we have to wait until sometime in the future?  Nowhere does it say we WILL BE healed someday!  It’s done, praise God!  How long till we believe????