On this episode of Victorious Faith, CHERRI Campbell begins teaching “Lessons from Jesus’ Healing Miracles” as part of her series The God of Miracles. Looking closely at Jesus healing the leper and other New Testament examples, Cherri explains the difference between doubt and faith, why believers must know God’s willingness to heal, and how the prayer of faith works. This encouraging message helps listeners build stronger confidence in God’s promises and His miracle-working power today.
Good morning, praise the Lord. Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Welcome to Victorious Faith, I’m Cherri Campbell. This morning, I’m going to begin sharing with you message two in a six message series that I preached in our Victorious Faith services called The God of Miracles. And in this message and in the next couple of messages, we are gonna be studying lessons from Jesus’s healing miracles. And if you’d like to download the notes so you can study along with us or listen to the message in its entirety, you can go to my YouTube channel, which is under my name, Cherri Campbell, C-H-E-R-R-I Campbell, C-A-M-P-B-E-L-L. And there in the top category called radio broadcasts, you will see this series called the God of miracles. And then look at message number two called lessons from Jesus healing miracles. And when you click on the video, then in the description box below the video, you will see the link to download the notes. Now join me in our live service for part one of lessons from Jesus healing miracles. Part one. This evening, we’re going to pick up with lesson number two. In our last service, we taught on part one, the God of miracles, and we looked at miracles of finances. Tonight, we’re going to look at the God of miracles. Part two, miracles of healing. Miracles of healing. But we’re going to look specifically at the miracles of healing in the ministry of Jesus because we can learn lessons from those miracles because Jesus was not the only one involved in all the miracles. Some of the miracles that we read about, the person who got healed had a part to play. And so by studying that, We can learn, well, we do have a part to play. Learn what our part is in receiving healing. Because so many times, actually most Christians… Think healing is entirely up to God. God does it all. We have nothing to do except pray, which they consider big. Oh Lord, heal me. Oh Lord, heal me. Oh Lord, heal me. But there’s more to our part than just begging for healing. So we’re going to look at miracles of healing in the ministry of Jesus and that we can identify lessons we can learn from the first miracle of healing. I want to look at is the healing of the leper in Mark chapter one versus 40 to 42. It says a man with leprosy came to Jesus and begged him on his knees. If you are willing, you can make me clean filled with compassion. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man and I am willing. He said, be clean. And immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. And this, we have one of the very basic, but very important lessons. Every Christian needs to learn. Most Christians don’t know this man, the leper. Ask Jesus if you are willing. You can make me clean. Millions of Christians today still pray, Lord, if it be thy will, heal me. Or if they’re praying for someone else, heal my brother, heal my mother, heal my son. They pray if it be thy will. And many Christians, I’ve even heard Christians say they were taught that you should always, in every prayer, pray, Lord, if it be thy will. That is not true. They were taught wrongly. Just look at the prayers in the Bible. in the book of Acts, did the disciples pray? If it be thy will, you never read that. And in the letters of the epistles of Paul, Paul has recorded many prayers. I pray that the eyes of your heart be enlightened, that you may know the length, the height, the depth and the width of the love of God, that you may know what is the hope of your calling. I pray. And in Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, he prayed prayers that are written. Those are excellent prayers for every Christian to pray. And I encourage you, if you haven’t, go through the epistles of Paul and underline his prayers. And then you pray his prayers. But pray them for yourself and for your loved ones, your spouse and your children. You know, he’s praying for the church, but pray them for yourself and your family. Those are powerful, powerful prayers. But I’ll have you notice that. Never one time did Paul ever say, if it be the Lord’s will, may he fill you with the knowledge of his will. I pray that you may know what is the length, the height, the depth and the breadth of the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge. He didn’t say if it be God’s will. He didn’t pray if it be God’s will. None of Paul’s prayers. And you can look where he says, I pray, I pray. If you use computer software, look for the prayers in all the letters of Paul where he writes, I pray. I pray that you this. I pray that you that. Those are powerful prayers that I encourage you. You should pray them for yourself. And you’ll learn a lot. So go through those letters and underline all of Paul’s prayers and then pray them for yourself and pray them for your family. But Paul never one time prayed if it be God’s will. So we have the example of Paul not praying if it be God’s will. We also have it in the book of Acts. The disciples did not pray if it be God’s will. When Peter and John went to the beautiful gate and healed the lame cripple man, Peter said, silver and gold have I none, but what I have I give you in the name of Jesus. Get up and walk. He didn’t say if it be God’s will. So we have many prayers in the New Testament that did not pray. If it be thy will, which is proof that it’s not right to always pray. If it be thy will. And let me explain why. Because there are different kinds of prayers. Or you could say prayers for different purposes. Prayers with different purposes. purpose and motivation. Actually, worship is prayer in a way because you’re speaking to God. Then there is the prayer of dedication. I dedicate myself to you. There is the prayer of faith. And of those two prayers, just look at the question, if it be thy will. The word if is a question. It’s a doubt, right? But what is faith? True Bible faith is confidence. It’s assurance, right? It’s being fully persuaded. If you read Romans 4 and 17 through 21 about Abraham, the father of our faith, he was fully persuaded that what God said he would also perform. So another way to say faith is believing. While believing is another way to say it is being fully persuaded. Or a conviction, an assurance, a knowing. Knowing that you know. Knowing that you know. Fully persuaded. So if you’re asking if… it be thy will, are you fully persuaded? Absolutely not. You can see they are opposite of each other because if expresses doubt and uncertainty, right? I don’t know. It expresses doubt and uncertainty. Faith is supposed to be confidence and fully persuaded, being full persuasion of something, knowing that you know that you know that you know something. Because only when you know that you know, can you actually step out in faith and do something and see God come through miraculously for you and see results. So faith is being fully persuaded, knowing that you know, no question, no doubt about it. But if is expressing doubt. So praying, if it be thy will, is the opposite of faith, which means it actually negates faith or there is no faith there. There is no faith, no positive full persuasion when you pray if. So you’re not praying the prayer of faith when you pray if it be thy will. The prayer if it be thy will needs to be prayed when you’re seeking God’s will. When you’re seeking to know direction for your life, specifically the path you are to take, steps you are to take, where you are to go, whom you’re supposed to marry, what job you should take, where you should live. You’re praying for God to show you the way. And Lord, is it your will for me to go this way? Is it your will for me to take this job or this job? Is it your will for me to take this man or this woman as my spouse? So if it be thy will is to seek the direction of the Lord. We actually only have, that I recall, I could be wrong, but I only, all my study, I only recall one time the prayer, if it be thy will, was prayed, and it was by Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. But his was a prayer of dedication. He was surrendering, not my will, but your will be done. If it be your will, take this cup from me. He said, I’d rather not go through this yet. Not what I will, but your will be done. So he was saying, if it be thy will yet, he followed it with yet not my will, your will be done. And he was dedicating himself to to the will and the plan and the purpose of God to do his will. He was not believing to receive something. What you just heard was part one of message two in a six message series that I preached in our victorious faith services called the God of miracles. And this message is called lessons from Jesus healing miracles part one. And we will continue this message again tomorrow. So join me again tomorrow. And remember, God loves you. You are blessed and highly favored by the Lord.
