1Cor. 6:9-11 (Amp) says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous and wrong doers will not inherit or have any share in the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled); neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor cheats, swindlers and thieves, nor greedy graspsers, nor drunkards, nor foul mouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit nor have any share in the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you once. But you were washed clean, purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin, and you were consecrated, set apart, hallowed, and you were justified, pronounced righteous by trusting in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of God."
The above scripture describes who we once were and reveals what God has made us to be, through Jesus. So many times, Christians refer to ourselves as still being in sin, unrighteous and unworthy. God has made us and sees us as being righteous worthy and without sin, by faith in His Grace and Jesus' Sacrifice. We must teach the babes in Christ the Truth of who they now are, forgetting who they were before being born-again.
Do we truly believe what Jesus has done for us? Or, are we afraid to trust God's Word over our carnal thoughts and feelings? Are we like those Paul says are "mere men" and not new creations? Through Jesus' Great Sacrifice and faith in that Sacrifice, we've been given righteousness, right standing, along with the Blood bought right and privilege to come once more into the Throne Room of Grace. We've been given the privilege of speaking face-to-face and spirit to Spirit, with the Almighty God, as our Loving Father.
Peter tells us in 1Peter 2:2 (Amp) that, "The Word of God, the pure unadulterated Spiritual milk that gives growth to the newborn babes in Christ." Denominational doctrines and opinions, will not bring us into Truth, because only the Word of God can do so. It doesn't matter what our opinion about it is, it is still Truth. God no longer sees us by who we used to be or by what we did before being born-again. Paul persecuted, imprisoned and killed believers, but says in 1Cor. 4:4 (Amp), I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account; it is the Lord Himself Who examines me and judges me." Paul feels this way, because he knows that it's God Who sees, examines and judges him.
When God's children learn who we are in His Presence, it gives us the assurance, hope and confidence that God hears and wants to "Be our Ever Present help in the time of need." Sadly, many believe they're still just sinners, so their prayers won't be heard by a Holy God. We lose hope and faith, believing that our prayers weren't answered, because "It's God's will." Children know what they can ask their parents or caregivers for, so they ask according to their parent's/caregiver's will. We're born of God, filled with His Spirit and can know what His will is by reading His Word. Col.1:9 (Amp) plainly says that, "It's God's will that we know His will." Thus, it says, "For this reason (their love) we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make special request for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep and clear knowledge of His will in all Spiritual Wisdom and comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of Spiritual things."
Today's Church is still debating whether or not healing is God's will, when His Word has confirmed that it is. Jesus instructed His followers in Mark 16:15 (Amp) to, "Go into all the world to preach the Gospel and these signs will follow those who believe what they hear." One of the "signs," is that we would lay hands on the sick and they would recover. James 5:14-15 (Amp) tells us that, "If there are any sick among the Church, then they should call upon the elders of the Church, who would anoint them with oil, pray the prayer of faith and lay hands on them; and the Lord will raise them up." If it wasn't God's will to heal them, then He would never have bothered directing the elders to lay hands on the sick. Many pray, "If it be Thy will," because they don't know what God's will is. They believe that if it's God's will that the sick are healed, then the people they're praying for will be healed. And, if it's not God's will that the sick are healed, then they might die. Why are we even praying, if we don't believe God's Word, which says, "By Jesus' striped we are healed?"
Tradition and carnal thinking have undermined true faith in God's Word. We wait to see whether laying hands on the sick works or not, instead of believing and seeing that it does work. It doesn't depend on someone's testimony, but the Truth of God's Word. If these things weren't His will, then why would Jesus tell us to do them? If it's not God's will that we pray and trust Him, then what good is prayer? Shooting a prayer into the galaxy and hoping it finds someone to answer, is more hopeless than playing the lottery. We have God's Word, which tells us God will hear and answer our prayers of faith. This is how we got saved.
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