When the Lord looks at your faith, does He think you have great faith to move mountains? Would Jesus marvel at the faith you have? Most people would like to think He would, but do you really believe that in your heart?

When God created the heavens and the Earth, Jesus was with Him; so Jesus’ understanding is unlimited. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite (Psalm 147:4,5). If Jesus has such great understanding, what could possibly make Him marvel?

The Bible tells us of Jesus marveling only twice during His ministry here on Earth. One time was because a man had great faith, and the other time was because of people’s lack of faith. So does Jesus look at you as one who has great faith or little faith?

The Bible says, God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). When you release that faith and use it, God will add to that measure. If you don’t use your faith, there is no need for Him to give you another measure.

In most cases, the more you do something, the easier it gets. That’s why Paul said, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Then when big trials come your way, you will be ready to use your faith without any doubt.

God Moves Through Faith

The devil is always searching for ways to try you. That is why the Bible says, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8). One way the devil will fight you is with sicknesses and diseases because he wants to hinder your faith. When God’s people at Grace Cathedral come together, we come together in the unity of faith. We all release our faith together, and God moves in miraculous ways. Jesus said, If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:19).

God wants to do so much in your life, but you have to release your faith before He can move for you. If you keep your faith active and you are obedient in everything the Lord asks you to do, He will continue to increase your faith; and you will be ready when the devil comes against you.

The Bible says, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). The Bible is a faith book, and every promise in the Bible is a God-faith promise. You have to believe everything you read in the Bible and take it by faith. If you only believe part of it, then you will be double-minded and have wavering faith. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:6-8).

A Special Roman Who Loved the Jews

Luke tells the story of a centurion who had a servant who was very dear to him, and that servant became sick and was about to die. Now, that centurion was not a typical Roman commander of that time because he loved the Jewish people. In fact, he cared so much for them that he used his own wealth to build a synagogue so they would have a place to worship.

The centurion had heard about Jesus and all the wonderful miracles He was performing; so when his servant became ill, he had faith to believe that Jesus could heal his servant. He first asked the Jewish elders for help in convincing Jesus to come and pray for his servant. And when he [the centurion] heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant (Luke 7:3).

When the Jewish elders met Jesus, they told Him about the centurion’s many great works, of how much he loved their nation and of how he had built a synagogue for them. They wanted Jesus to know that they thought the centurion was worthy of Jesus going and praying for the man’s sick servant, and Jesus agreed to go.

And when he [Jesus] was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof: Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it (Luke 7:6-8). The centurion believed that if Jesus would just speak the word, his servant would be healed.

The Centurion Had Great Faith

Although the elders had told Jesus about how worthy the centurion was to receive a visit from Him, the centurion didn’t think he was worthy at all. Jesus, the Son of God, gave up all of Heaven to come to Earth as our sacrificial Lamb, but our works did not make us worthy of that sacrifice. The Bible says, But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). It also says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8,9).

When Jesus heard the centurion’s message, He marveled and said, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel (Luke 7:9). And the centurion’s servant was made whole.

The spirit of humility coupled with divine faith is the recipe that healed the centurion’s dying servant. When you have divine faith, distance is not an obstacle. If you had been the centurion, would you have had the same great faith he had; or would you have expected Jesus to help you because of the works you had done?

The centurion didn’t know Jesus personally, but he had heard about the wonderful miracles Jesus had performed; and he believed in Him. The centurion wasn’t even of the Jewish faith, yet he had the kind of faith that made Jesus marvel. I ask again, does Jesus marvel at your faith? The Lord wants all of us to have that kind of divine faith.

Unbelief Hinders the Lord

As I mentioned earlier, the Bible only mentions Jesus marveling two times when He was on Earth: He marveled at the centurion’s great faith, and He marveled at the lack of faith in the people of His own country. Mark tells of a time when Jesus went to those people and began to teach in their synagogue. And many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands (Mark 6:2)?

Sadly, the people were also offended by Him saying, Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us (Mark 6:3)?

As a result, Jesus could not do many mighty works there; and he [Jesus] marvelled because of their unbelief (Mark 6:6). Just think how badly Jesus must have felt because many of the people there were most likely ones He had grown up with, and they probably had some great needs; but the Lord’s hands were tied by their unbelief. Are you tying God’s hands in any way with unbelief? Are your thoughts focused on the human realm rather than the spiritual realm? God wants to marvel at your faith, not at your unbelief.

Those people saw Jesus as a man and not as divinity, so they missed receiving miracles and healings for themselves and their families. They were using human faith, which Jesus called little faith, instead of using divine faith, which is great faith. All God’s blessings flow through divine faith, not human faith; yet many people use human faith and wonder why God doesn’t move for them. The reason is that human faith is limited, and that’s why God wants us to live by divine faith.

Jesus said, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house (Mark 6:4). That means that even some of Jesus’ own relatives did not believe in Him, but He didn’t let them get Him down. Jesus kept His focus on His mission and moved on to the next village to teach the Word of God. When people don’t want the truth, you too must move on to those who will accept the truth.

Bartimaeus Had Divine Faith

When Jesus was traveling with His disciples through Jericho, a multitude of people followed Him. Bartimaeus, a blind man, was sitting at the side of the road begging when the sound of a crowd coming his way drew his attention. Bartimaeus probably thought it would be a great opportunity for him to get some much-needed money; but when he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming, money was no longer his main concern.

Bartimaeus began to cry out, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me (Mark 10:47). The people around Bartimaeus were annoyed, and they wanted him to be quiet. They were not concerned about his needs because to them, he was just a poor, blind beggar; but Bartimaeus believed Jesus was the Son of David and that He had power to heal him.

Bartimaeus was not going to let the crowd hinder him because he knew he needed Jesus, and he knew it might be the only chance he would have to reach out to Him; so he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me (Mark 10:48). By calling Jesus the Son of David, Bartimaeus was acknowledging that Jesus was an heir to the throne of Israel and the true Messiah.

Bartimaeus Kept His Eyes on Jesus

Bartimaeus got Jesus’ attention. The Good Shepherd heard the cry of one of His little, lost lambs over the sound of the multitude of people following Him. Jesus knew He would be going to Calvary and not returning that same way, so He knew it was Bartimaeus’ only chance.

Jesus thought so much of that lowly beggar in the midst of that great multitude of people. At one time, Jesus had said, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance (Luke 15:4-7).

Bartimaeus’ cry for mercy touched the Savior’s heart, and He called for Bartimaeus to come to Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). Bartimaeus cast away his garment and headed for Jesus. That may have been the only thing Bartimaeus owned, but he wasn’t concerned about material things. He was a blind man in need of a miracle, and he had his mind set on Jesus.

When Jesus asked Bartimaeus what he wanted, he immediately told Jesus he wanted to receive his sight; and he had no doubt that Jesus could heal him. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way (Mark 10:52). When Bartimaeus received his physical sight, he also received his spiritual sight; and he immediately followed Jesus.

Use Your Faith for Salvation

Bartimaeus only had one opportunity to receive Jesus because Jesus was heading to Calvary to die on the Cross for you and me. If you are a sinner or a backslider today, you must accept Jesus into your heart; and I would like to give you an opportunity to do that right now.

Pray with me and say, Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me of my sins. I have come home to serve you for the rest of my life. I believe that the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in, Jesus. Amen. Friend, if you meant that prayer, you now have Jesus Christ in your heart.

Now, Friend, I want to encourage you to go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Before Jesus ascended back into Heaven, He let the disciples know they needed to tarry in the Upper Room to receive more power from On High. They needed to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Use Your Faith for a Miracle

Now that you have Jesus in your heart, it’s time to get your miracle. Let’s pull down Heaven together for whatever your need may be. Lord, Heavenly Father, you know what the needs of these people are. Break their bondages and set them free. We curse every sickness and disease in their bodies. Heal them, in the holy, blood name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Heal! Amen.

Friend, look for every sign of improvement and always give God the praise, the honor and the glory. Then let us know what God has done for you. Jesus wants you to be a witness for Him and tell others about your miracle. You can write, email or post a message on social media. God bless you today.