Faith is about knowing correctly
There is no way to learn about something if we haven't heard about it. Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. It cannot be learned from hearing the information or news of the world. The fourteenth verse says how can someone believe in the one whom they have not heard of?
We heard the gospel preached to us at church before we got saved. Something happened to us and faith came when we heard. Before then, Jesus was far away, but now he is close and real to us. Jesus was unknown before but now the closest person we know. We would have never seen Bethlehem or the calvary. Even though we haven't lived 2000 years ago, it all seems very real to us. When we heard God’s Word, the measure of faith had been given to us. Knowing is the essence of faith.
Now what we know is very important. Some are familiar with a specific area of the gospel and experience its fullness. It would have been impossible for them to gain knowledge about another area of truth and experience deliverance and freedom in it. There are people who have prospered financially because they understand what The Word says about wealth, but they are sick because they don't understand healing. Some know what God’s Word says about their health but lack knowledge of kingdom prosperity. John 8:32 says that they shall know the truth, and the truth they know shall set them free. Knowing is key.
Kenneth E Hagin shared his beautiful testimony of how he died thrice and was going down to hell. A suction force pulled him out of hell each time he was about to enter.
Afterwards, he learned his mother was praying for him in the next room. It is because of someone's prayers that we are here, saved. We are blessed especially if we have praying mothers. When my daughter went to college, I used to pray and bless her.
But my wife prayed for her for hours, and I heard stories about my daughter being the fellowship coordinator and leading people to Christ in college. This was the fruit of a mother's prayer. Mothers, if you are saved, you have a divine mandate to pray for your children rather than whining about how bad they are. Speak blessings over them, pray for them, and effect changes.
Having grown up in a Baptist church, Kenneth E Hagin knew what to do to get saved. As he went down to hell the third time, he asked Jesus to enter into his heart and got saved. The same church that taught him to get saved did not have the right understanding about God’s healing at that time so he could not learn it from there. He had to prepare his mind to die. Even if he died, he knew he would go to heaven.
As a 16-year-old boy, he had a strong desire to live. In their prayers for him, the preachers prayed that he would die without experiencing further pain. When a person is saved, he becomes hungry for God's Word. As Papa Hagin started studying from Mathew, he stopped at Mark 11:24. The scriptures read - whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it (past tense) and it shall be yours. He believed that his body’s health was included in that verse. Nothing happened despite his prayers for God to heal him. He then meditated on the next part of the verse to believe that he had already received it. In spite of his confession that he was completely healed and perfectly healthy, nothing changed. The Holy Spirit then prompted him saying, “If you were healed, would you stay in your bed?” He got up and rested both numb legs on the ground. Taking hold of the stick supporting the bed, he got up. He felt dizzy and his legs felt like they had a million pins and needles in them. Papa Hagin was happy that the legs that were paralysed has started to feel something. As a matter of faith, he asked his mom to make the dress for him so he could join them for breakfast the next morning. The next day, after getting dressed, he went to the table by himself to have breakfast with his mom.
The truth you really know is the truth that sets you free. If you don’t learn the truth in a particular area of your life, you will walk a life of failure in that area. To live a life of victory, you must know The Truth. Having the right knowledge of the truth is essential. You are likely to stumble if you interpret the truth (God's Word) incorrectly. If some traditional teachings from our upbringing are incorrect, we should unlearn them. Otherwise, we might be on the road to failure and defeat.
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