There is a great war going on for how people think about God. Consider Hebrews 11:6. It says, �Without faith it is impossible to please God for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.�
This verse has two parts. The first part says that we should believe that God exists. And the second part says that God is a rewarder. He gives rewards. And it says it is impossible to please God without believeing these two things about Him. In other words, we have to see Him as a good God. When people addressed Jesus as �good Master,� He responded saying, �Why do you call me good? No one is good except God.� We can measure the brightness of stars on a scale. If we could measure goodness on a scale, no one even comes close to God. That�s how Jesus described God. That was His perspective. And He was continually trying to explain to His disciples that they need to see God as a good, benevolent Father. Philip asked Jesus, �Show us the Father!� He knew that Jesus was good. Whenever a sick person came to Him, even if Jesus was in the middle of a sermon, He stopped and healed the sick. He even healed people on the Sabbath day, showing us that loving people is more important than keeping the letter of the Law. When someone was regretful, He said, �Your sins are forgiven!� When they were about to stone the woman who was caught in adultery, He intervened and stopped them from killing her and saved her life and forgave her. When they were hungry, He multiplied the food and fed them. When they were in danger, he calmed the sea. When they were confused, he answered their questions. He called them friends. So, Philip knew that Jesus was good. But he wanted to know what God was like. And Jesus said, �If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.� In other words, Jesus was saying, "God is just like Me. There�s no difference. God would do the same things for you." He said in Matthew 7:11, "If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Jesus saw God very differently than how most people think about God, and in His sermons He was always trying to shape people�s perception of God. Jesus was always trying to make people believe that God is good.
Now, if we look at God from the devil�s perspective, then God is bad, because the devil knows that his days are numbered, and he will go to the lake of fire. So, he sees God as a punisher, murderer, unjust, and merciless. And if we talk to unbelievers, we get the sense that God doesn�t care. God doesn�t help us. We are on our own. God is harsh. At best, God uses tough love. If we ask God for a fish, He will give us a snake to teach us a lesson. This is Satan�s Gospel btw. There are two opposite forces in the world. And they are trying to change the way we think about God. Jesus wants us to see God as pure GOOD. The devil and the world wants us to see God as bad. Again, Hebrews 11:6 says that we can only please God if we believe in His existence and if we believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. In other words, we have to see God as a good God who wants to give us good things.
Many years ago, I read a story about someone who had an accident and became paralyzed. This accident was described as �God�s gift,� because God allowed this person to spend more time with Him. He couldn�t go anywhere. So, he was able to spend more time in prayer and Bible study. And that is fine. If a person is truly satisfied and thankful for his condition, that�s okay. Jesus never healed anybody against their will. First He always asked people, �Do you want to be healed?� And most people said, �Yes.� But today, many people think that whatever happens is God�s will, therefore, if I have an accident, God must have caused it or allowed it to happen for a reason. And why should I resist God�s purpose? If He wants me to be in a wheelchair, then I should accept it and try to be thankful for it. Unfortunately, this way of reasoning leads to the conclusion that God�s will is for us to have a sickness or disability. My mom was a math teacher, and you know, in mathematics, it is possible to prove that 1 equals 0. It is not true, but it can be proven using some faulty logic. And to say that God wants someone in a wheelchair is a result of faulty logic, faulty reasoning, because as I said earlier, God is good and He wants us to think of Him as a good God. Any kind of reasoning where you get 1 equals 0 is wrong. Likewise, any kind of reasoning where you come to the conclusion that God is bad is wrong. So, we have to reject that thought process or that logic. It is how the devil wants us to think.
The Bible says that Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue who had a daughter about 12 years of age, and she was dying. He called Jesus, but as they went, someone came from the house and said, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the teacher!" But Jesus said, "Do not be afraid! Only believe and she will be made well!" When they got to the house, people were already crying because it was a known fact that the child had died. Jesus kept denying this fact by sayin, "She is not dead but sleeping." and they ridiculed him because they knew that she was dead. Now, WHY DID JESUS DENY THAT SHE WAS DEAD? And the answer is because He knew they believed that once someone is dead, Jesus can no longer help. So Jesus kept denying the child's death to keep their faith alive. But when He realized that these other people who were crying and mourning don't believe His words at all, He put them all outside. And He went inside with the father and mother of the girl and Peter James and John. He said to the girl, "Little girl arise," and the girl immediately came back to life.
Remember this: No matter how big the problem seems to be, God can help. But if you believe that your situation is beyond repair, then God cannot help you. So, it is up to you to make sure to keep your hope and faith alive. When you are sad, it is an internal sign to you. It's like your spiritual feedback that tells you that you are losing hope. Don't go there! It is very important that you keep the faith. Remember, ALL the people who didn't believe were put outside. You don't want to be one of those who needs to be put outside! You won't get a miracle if you need to be put outside! When Jesus told the father of this child, "Do not be afraid! Only believe!" that was like a lifeline to him. His job was to grab onto that promise and not let go like someone who is grasping a rope clinging from the edge of a cliff. He had this one promise - Jesus told him, "Don't be afraid. Only believe!" and he believed.
I will pray for you to have God's peace, comfort and reassurance so that you may not worry but focus on your health, wellbeing and be available for God to use you, yes you.
God meets us wherever we are, in whatever condition we are in. He knows us like he knows every hair on our head.
Ask God why you have mental illness. talk to Him, everyday, all the time. Be patient, He will answer in due time.
Because you reached out, would you keep us posted on your blessings. Look for them, they are there. Just open your eyes.
Jesus not only died for our sins, but He took upon Himself all of our sicknesses and sufferings. Therefore, healing is a free gift just like salvation. And some people reach out in faith and receive both. Some people only have faith to receive salvation, so they only get that. But both salvation and healing have been paid for by Jesus. They are available to us. If you would like to know more about healing, go to YouTube and listen to Benny Hinn, Reinhard Bonnke, T. L. Osborn, A.A. Allen, Kenneth Copeland, Lester Sumrall, Smith Wigglesworth, John Alexander Dowie, and John G Lake. These are all God's generals who had healing ministries. My advice to you is this : start studying these people and what they believed. The book of Hebrews tells us to learn from those who were before us and follow their faith.
For example, the last one in the list, John G Lake, had a healing school up in Spokane, Washington. This was during the Great Depression. The U.S. Government declared Spokane the healthiest city in the world at the time. Why? Because John Lake healed everybody. Anybody who visited him got healed. He started out with a big advertisement that said he will give $500 to anybody who doesn't get healed. He healed all diseases, and even sick animals got healed through his ministry. People went to him saying they have no faith. How are you going to heal us if we have no faith? He told them, "It's okay. I've got faith." God doesn't care whether it's your faith or someone else's faith is present. Faith is key, and that's one of the reasons why when MANY PEOPLE PRAY for a miracle, it is more likely to happen. because chances are someone in the crowd has the faith of a mustard seed. And that's all that matters.
