When the need is great and the valley is deep, do you live by faith or doubt? Elijah had great faith, and he used it. He boldly stood before King Ahab and proclaimed that God said a long drought was going to take place. There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word (I Kings 17:1). Ahab didn’t believe Elijah, but it happened. God shut up the heavens for three-and-a-half years.

During those years of drought, God was able to take care of Elijah because Elijah had faith. First, God directed him to stay by a brook, and the Lord sent ravens to feed him. So he [Elijah] went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook (I Kings 17:5,6).

When the brook eventually dried up, the Lord sent Elijah to a widow woman’s home. When he arrived, she was out in the yard gathering a couple of sticks to make a fire so she could use what she had left to bake one last, little cake for her and her son. After that, she knew they would probably starve to death. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son (I Kings 17:13).

“Fear not.” That was a great message to receive from the servant of God. That woman realized Elijah represented God and not himself, and she knew God was talking to her through Elijah. He went on to tell her, For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth (I Kings 17:14). Elijah lived by faith, and he knew he must get that woman to live by faith as well because her need was so great.

As soon as the woman believed what the Man of God told her, she felt God’s love begin to flow; and all fear left her. Then she went on her way full of the love of God and did what Elijah had told her to knowing that God would not fail her. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah (I Kings 17:15,16). When faith meets faith, God really moves.

Trust in the Lord

The Lord never fails divine faith, divine love or His promises; but He will have nothing to do with doubt. If you have any doubt, you must close the door on it because doubt brings fear; and fear will prevent you from receiving what God has for you. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear (I John 4:18). When fear comes to you, you must immediately let the Holy Ghost flow the love of God into your mind and flush it all away. You can’t let fear stay.

God only works with divine faith, and the Bible says we must walk in it. For we walk by faith, not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7). Divine faith will bring you into God’s promises, love, courage, determination and full assurance. Every promise in the Word is yours, and you will find the strength of God Almighty in each one.

To claim those promises, you must completely trust each one with your whole heart. Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5,6). People don’t always have the ability to keep their promises, even if they want to; but God keeps all of His promises.

Elisha Received a Double Portion

Elisha had followed the prophet Elijah for a number of years. Their faith matched, and so did the love of God in their hearts. The time came when God was going to take Elijah to Heaven alive; so Elijah said to Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me (II Kings 2:9). Elisha had watched Elijah for years, and he knew what Elijah had from God was real. He wanted a double portion of the spirit Elijah had so he could use it to help others.

And he [Elijah] said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so (II Kings 2:10). The condition for that promise to take place was that Elisha would have to see Elijah go to Heaven; so by faith, Elisha followed Elijah every day. Then he was there when God took Elijah home. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11).

As Elisha watched Elijah go, he saw Elijah’s mantle falling back to the ground; and he knew his request had been answered. That mantle contained the double portion of Elijah’s power he had asked for. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over (II Kings 2:13,14).

God had chosen Elisha to continue Elijah’s work; and with the double portion of Elijah’s spirit he had received, Elisha raised the dead and performed many miracles.

A Woman of Great Faith

The Word of God tells of another widow woman who cried out to Elisha for help. She was in great debt; and because of that, her sons were about to be made slaves. Then with great compassion, Elisha asked her, What hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not anything in the house, save a pot of oil (II Kings 4:2). That oil was a type of the oil of the Holy Spirit. The woman needed that oil to survive, and we must have the oil of the Spirit to be a success in the Lord today.

The widow woman must have had divine faith, or she never would have gone to see Elisha in the first place. Then he [Elisha] said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few (II Kings 4:3). Elisha didn’t tell the woman what was going to happen after she borrowed the vessels; but because she had faith in the miracles God had used Elisha to perform, she knew that his words were the same as God speaking to her.

It took great humility to knock on someone’s door and ask for an empty pot, and the neighbors probably thought the woman was crazy; but she was simply obeying God. After she had finished collecting all the pots she could, she asked Elisha what she should do next. He said, When thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full (II Kings 4:4). You too have to shut the door on all the doubters and do what God wants you to do. You can’t listen to what others have to say.

That woman could have scoffed and told Elisha, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I have just one pot of oil”; but she didn’t say that. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed (II Kings 4:5,6).

The woman filled pot after pot until all the pots were full. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest (II Kings 4:7). Again, she obeyed, and she sold all the oil. She used great faith, and she won.

Steps of Faith

The widow woman’s miracle came about gradually. She had to take step after step of faith before the miracle was complete, but she had plenty of faith to make every step the Lord instructed her to without asking any questions. Then the victory came.

You too can have Jesus victories every day by making steps of faith, not doubt, in the will of God. Divine faith will direct every step you make and supply all your needs. Jesus didn’t make one doubting step when He lived on Earth. Every step He took was a faith step; and He said, Follow thou me (John 21:22).

Peter took steps of faith when he walked the water with the Lord. He had faith to ask Jesus to let him come to Him, and he had faith to step off the boat. Peter...said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus (Matthew 14:28,29).

The Bible tells us that Peter did walk, and his faith would have kept him walking; but when he started looking at the big waves all around, he let fear creep in. Then he began to sink. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt (Matthew 14:30,31)? Peter had started taking steps of doubt rather than steps of faith.

Some of you claim to have faith, yet you are always questioning God. You want to know what He is going to do and when and how He is going to do it. Isn’t it enough to know that He holds your hand? When God tells you to do something, you must do it without asking questions and believe He will move for you.

That is how Jesus was able to perform His first miracle. Both Jesus and His mother had been invited to a wedding; and during the celebration, the host ran out of wine. Mary said to the servants of the household, Whatsoever he [Jesus] saith unto you, do it (John 2:5). Jesus then told the servants to fill the empty water pots with water and serve it to the guests. The servants obeyed; and when they poured out the water, it was wine. What a miracle!

God Moves through Faith

Jesus asked the disciples, Where is your faith (Luke 8:25)? The Lord is asking the same thing of some of you today. The Bible says, But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). Are you going to believe the Word of God or not?

A centurion who was not even of the household of faith came to Jesus because his servant was deathly ill, and the man’s great faith amazed Jesus. When Jesus offered to go and pray for the servant, the centurion said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (Matthew 8:8,10).

Jesus then rewarded the man’s faith and said, As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee (Matthew 8:13). If you will serve the Lord, obey Him and use His faith, you can have all the miracles and healings you need. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ (Ephesians 4:7).

You may feel that you don’t have any faith; but the Bible says, God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Therefore, it is impossible to be a child of God and not have any faith. In fact, you could not have been saved without faith because the Lord gives every sinner who wants it a measure of faith to find Calvary and receive deliverance. Then it is up to you to live by faith. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17).

Faith to Salvation

Examine your life in light of this message. Are you full of faith today or doubt? You can’t be full of faith without having Jesus in your heart because divine faith comes from Heaven. Jesus said to Nicodemus, Ye must be born again (John 3:7); and He is saying that to every sinner and backslider today.

Use your measure of faith, and start a new life of faith with Jesus today. Say the sinner’s prayer right now. Oh, God, save my soul. I am so sorry I sinned against you, Lord, but I have come home; and I am going to serve you the rest of my life. I believe in the blood of Jesus, and I know He died for me. I know there is power in the blood of the Lamb to wash away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, Jesus has come in; and now, you are a brand-new creature in Christ. You have a new life of faith, so don’t live it in fear. Live it in grace, faith and love.

Use Faith for Your Miracle

Now that you have given your heart to the Lord, you can be healed of any disease or affliction. God said, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me (Jeremiah 32:27)?

The Bible tells us that good health belongs to the children of God, but some of you doubt that. You will pray for healing, but you won’t believe you can really have it. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15). God promised to get you well.

Lord, I bring those with AIDS, cancer, heart trouble, diabetes or any other deadly diseases to you. Give them life, Lord, as you have done again and again through this Jesus ministry. Through the precious blood of your Son, Jesus, destroy all their diseases and give them any deliverance they need. Heal! in the all-powerful, blood name of Jesus, and make them whole.

Feel God’s healing power flowing through you right now; and through divine faith, get well. If you are under a doctor’s care, go back and get your good report. Then let us know what God has done for you. You can write, email or leave a message on social media. Then never fail to give God all the glory for your miracle, and always tell others what you have received.

Helping God Make a Miracle

By Steve Millar

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:3,4). The whole world may doubt that miracles are real, but what counts is whether or not you believe in miracles. If you have divine faith in God, no devil or man can keep you from receiving from the hand of God.

When you stand on the faith of God, the world may think you are foolish; but God doesn’t. He is proud when He sees you using your faith and putting your trust in Him. How do you know if you have faith in God?—by how you handle the difficult situations you face in life. Do you have an emotional breakdown, or do you look to Jesus for strength? Do you use your faith to overcome?

Jesus must be the rock and the foundation that your life is built upon, and that kind of foundation is made up of the pure, divine faith made available through the blood of Jesus. Christians with that kind of faith are a minority in this world, and many think that those who step out in faith are foolish.

Faith and Obedience Conquered Jericho

The people of Jericho, no doubt, thought the Israelite soldiers were foolish when they were marching in silence around the walls of their city day after day, but that is what God had instructed Joshua to have them do; and they were marching by faith. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout (Joshua 6:2,3,10).

On the seventh day, the soldiers’ instructions changed. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him (Joshua 6:4,5).

That plan didn’t make any sense whatsoever to the human mind. How could the people possibly defeat Jericho by simply marching around the city walls in silence each day? But the Bible says, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

The Israelites didn’t understand, but they obeyed the Word of the Lord and stepped out in faith; and a great miracle took place. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword (Joshua 6:20,21). Through obedience, the Israelites helped God make a miracle; and they won the victory.

Your Walls Can Come Down

Child of God, when you are faced with a great obstacle in your life, do you settle down in the Lord and seek His face for divine direction; or do you become restless and seek your own way to deal with that obstacle? The Bible says, Study to be quiet (I Thessalonians 4:11). It is during those quiet times of prayer that the Lord can guide you and direct you.

I’m sure the people inside the walls of Jericho thought the Israelite army had a foolish strategy when faced with what seemed to be a huge obstacle. How do you handle the obstacles in your life? Do you look to God for the answer and yield to Him? People may think you are foolish when they see you depending on miracles; but when the miracle takes place, many will become believers.

In man’s eyes, it seemed impossible for the walls of Jericho to come down just by marching around them; but the Bible says that the captain of God’s host—meaning an angel—appeared to Joshua to let him know that they had divine help. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant (Joshua 5:13,14)?

The Israelite army and the people of Jericho could not see God’s host of angels, but they were there just waiting for the trumpet to sound so they could help God perform a great miracle. He has a host of angels who are ready to do battle for you too if you will only believe.

God is the one who will knock down the walls in your life if you will let Him. You just have to obey Him. It doesn’t matter whether others believe or not. The Bible says, Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:4).

Worship Only God

Study the three Hebrew boys. In the eyes of the king and his subjects, the three Hebrew boys probably looked foolish because they refused to bow to the golden image; but it didn’t matter what everybody else thought. Those boys were going to do what God wanted them to do and help Him make a miracle.

King Nebuchadnezzar worshipped idols, and he made a huge, golden statue that he wanted his whole kingdom to worship. When the statue was dedicated, an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace (Daniel 3:4–6).

At that time, the Jews had been taken captive into Babylon; and each person had a decision to make—bow down to the golden image and live or refuse to bow and die. Those who decided to bow to the image would break God’s commandments that said, Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God (Leviticus 26:1). It appears that the majority of the Jews must have bowed to the golden image because the Bible only tells us about the three Hebrew boys refusing to bow.

Never Compromise

At first, I’m sure King Nebuchadnezzar thought the boys must have misunderstood what he was asking because no one in their right mind would choose to be cast into a fiery furnace. Many people today won’t understand when you choose to stand for truth either. They will think you should take the easy route and compromise.

The Hebrew boys were strong in their faith; and they were not willing to compromise, even if it meant death. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel 3:16–18).

When the people heard what the Hebrew boys said to the king, I’m sure they were thinking about how foolish the boys were for not bowing down. After all, how hard is it to get on your knees or fall to the ground even if you don’t believe in the golden image? Is refusing to bow worth being thrown into a fiery furnace? According to the Word, it is. Jesus said, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24).

If you had been in the same position as the three Hebrew boys, would you have bowed or gone into the fiery furnace? Down through the years, many saints of God have literally given their lives for the sake of Christ. People may have thought they were foolish for not sparing their own lives, but they were using divine faith and trusting in the true and living God. Always remember that it doesn’t matter what others believe. All that matters is what you believe and that you are willing to help God make a miracle.

Jairus Sought a Miracle

Jairus was one of the rulers of the synagogue; but when he had a great need, he didn’t care what others believed. He went seeking Jesus for a miracle. Jairus was desperate because his daughter was at the point of death; so when he found Jesus, he fell at His feet saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live (Mark 5:23). Desperate times bring many people to the feet of Jesus.

Jairus knew that Jesus was his daughter’s only hope, so I’m sure he felt great relief when Jesus agreed to go home with him and pray for his daughter; but the journey was not going to go as Jairus thought because much people followed him, and thronged him (Mark 5:24).

Jairus knew his daughter’s time was limited, and the crowd of people around Jesus was keeping Him from moving faster. That must have been hard on Jairus. Then as Jesus was making His way through the crowd, He turned around and said, Who touched my clothes? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (Mark 5:30,32–34).

At that point, Jairus probably struggled with the fact that Jesus had stopped because he knew his daughter was dying; and he knew every second counted. However, the woman with the issue of blood was also in a desperate situation, and it was a matter of life and death for her too. Was Jairus going to get mad at Jesus for stopping to help a dying woman?

Do you think Jesus is always helping others but has forgotten about you? If so, that is not a thought of God. Jesus’ timing is always perfect, and He will work a miracle in your life if you will reach out in faith.

Jesus Is Always on Time

While Jesus was ministering to the woman with the issue of blood, someone from Jairus’ house came and said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further (Mark 5:35)? Jairus was so close to getting that miracle for his daughter; but suddenly, things changed, and it seemed as if it was too late. When you receive bad news, the devil is going to do everything he can to magnify it.

It would have been easy for Jairus to let his mind listen to the devil saying, “If Jesus had not stopped to talk to that woman, your daughter may still be alive.” The most important thing is never to listen to the devil; listen only to Jesus. He told Jairus, Be not afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36).

It is easy to let fear take over when it seems like all is lost. Jairus had to decide whether he would give up in despair or use divine faith and put his trust in Jesus. He could have listened to the messenger and decided not to bother Jesus any longer, but he decided to trust Jesus; and they continued their journey to make a miracle.

You may encounter many obstacles in your life, but always remember that Jesus is right there to give you your miracle. You just have to keep your focus on Him.

At Grace Cathedral, we have heard many testimonies of the devil trying to hinder people from getting to church to receive a miracle; however, through faith and determination, they made it to church. Then with God’s help, they received the miracle they needed because they were in the right place.

Once Jesus arrived at Jairus’ home, mourners were weeping and wailing over the death of the young girl; and Jairus was faced with the reality that his daughter was really dead. And when he [Jesus] was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn (Mark 5:39,40). Jesus didn’t want to listen to those disrespectful doubters, so He got rid of them.

If you need a miracle, you can’t listen to doubters either. You have to shut them out just as Jesus did. Never let anyone hinder you from receiving a miracle. Jairus didn’t let anyone hinder him, and his daughter was raised from the dead all because he kept the faith and helped God make a miracle. And he [Jesus] took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment (Mark 5:41,42). You must always be willing to help God make a miracle for you and for others.