Are you walking by faith, or just talking about it?

Faith is the foundation of the Christian faith.

It’s by God’s grace, through our faith (in Jesus) that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).

But we don’t drop faith once we receive salvation. No, that’s just the beginning! God’s heart is for our faith to go from strength to strength as we walk with Him. That’s what pleases Him.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:6 NIV

So sometimes God allows tests in our lives to refine our faith. They’re an opportunity to test if we really believe God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV

For example, while sickness doesn’t come from God, it sure does test our faith and our trust in God’s promise of complete healing in Jesus (Isaiah 53:5).

And this is a test you want to pass! Because most of the time, having faith is a key principle for receiving a miracle – including healing.

Throughout the Bible, we see people being healed because of their faith.

The woman with the issue of constant bleeding (Matthew 9:20-22).

The Roman centurion’s servant (Luke 7:1-10).

Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).

The crippled man in Lystra (Acts 14:8-10).

But there’s a particular story through which God revealed to me how our mindsets and actions can impact our faith.

The account is found in John 5, during Jesus’ ministry on earth…

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

John 5:1-9 NKJV

I’ve read this story so many times over the years. And just like any instance of Jesus healing a person, it always encourages me. But more recently, God began to share more layers of revelation within this miracle healing.

He spoke of the elements of faith that can keep us from receiving the complete healing He wants to release to us. So, if you’re still waiting for your healing (or know someone who is) this blog post could be for you.

So, sit tight, keep your mind and heart open and allow God to meet you where you are and speak to you.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

1. Do you want to be made well?

There’s a question Jesus asks the paralysed man in this passage from John 5 that’s a bit confusing. And you might have noticed it too.

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

John 5:6 NIV

Now, I don’t mean to be rude to my Lord and Saviour, but my first instinct is to respond to this question with a “Duh! Of course I want to be healed!”. I mean, this man has been paralysed for most, if not all, of his life. Who in this situation wouldn’t want to be healed? To regain their independence. Go for walks. Run around with their children. Just feel normal again. Right?!

But you’d be surprised how many people might say they want to be healed because it’s the right thing to say. Yet deep down, they’ve begun to identify with the illness. They think it makes them more interesting. Or it causes people to pay attention to them. Maybe they see it as a good excuse for saying no to certain events and activities.

I remember being on the verge of identifying with the diagnosis I’d received eight years ago. My heart didn’t settle for seeing the disease as my fate, but at times my words spoke otherwise. There was also a point where being sick made it easier for me to say no to things without reason. But thankfully, God convicted me on this and I never lost sight of truly wanting and believing for complete healing.

God looks at the heart. He knows our heart better than we do.

For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.

1 Samuel 16:7b ESV

And even though we may say to others we’re believing for healing, God always knows the truth. He looks for hearts that believe by faith and He then responds to our faith. Sometimes, we need to speak in faith before our hearts come into alignment.

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Romans 10:17 NKJV

Other times, there’s deep work we need to do with God in our hearts and minds to align with who He says we are. Where are you right now?

Photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

2. How are you expecting God to move?

While my response to Jesus’ question may have been on the edge of astonishment and sarcasm, the paralysed man had a different response. You’ll notice he didn’t answer the question directly. Here’s what he said:

The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

John 5:7 NIV

Rather than answer the question about whether he wanted to be made well, the man gave an excuse for why he thought he hadn’t been healed yet. His opportunity hadn’t come the way he expected it to.

This paralysed man had seen other people healed a certain way – at the pool at Bethesda. And he believed that was the only way it would happen for him to. Scripture tells us that he’d been paralysed for a long time. So it’s reasonable to assume he’d been attempting to receive healing this way for as long as he had this infirmity.

Then Jesus comes along, carrying greater power than the angels – and a better way to receive healing. But as Jesus opens up a conversation with this man to release healing, the man is caught up in how he believes he will be healed. He could’ve easily missed out on the healing Jesus had for him for this reason.

I see that with many people today. We have a specific idea of how we think we should be healed or delivered. Maybe we’re fixated on how others have received their healing. Or we received a vision or dream and treat it as gospel. Or we want to receive in a way that we’re comfortable with – not willing to step outside of our comfort zone in faith.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.
It will be health to your body [your marrow, your nerves, your sinews, your muscles—all your inner parts]
And refreshment (physical well-being) to your bones.

Proverbs 3:7-8 AMP

I’ll admit, I was one of those people at one point. I only had certain points of reference in relation to healing. Sure, I was open to receiving healing in any way (how I would look or sound was never an issue for me), but I just hadn’t witnessed enough miracles to widen my perspective.

Then I came across a highly anointed servant of God (Apostle Kathryn Krick) with a ministry flooded with powerful testimonies of people being healed and delivered. And I’m so grateful I wasn’t stuck in my own ideas of what my healing would look like. I expectantly leaned into God’s ways of healing like in the book of Acts and received mightily – praise God!     

Photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

3. Are you walking by faith?

Though the paralysed man had his own ideas of how to receive healing, Jesus gave him another opportunity to respond in faith with his next command:

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

John 5:8-9 NIV

This passage says the man was immediately made well. But he likely wouldn’t have known for sure if he hadn’t taken a step of faith and stood up to walk. That takes a lot of courage! Especially with many witnesses (the scripture tells us there was a multitude of sick people present).

For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.

James 2:26 AMP

Faith without a corresponding act of obedience is dead. For God to work with our faith, it needs to be alive through our actions. This man could’ve said he had faith, but without actually getting up and walking, that faith would’ve been incomplete.

Would he have received his miracle? I don’t know. But reading about how he received it teaches us so much about faith. He’s shown us what it looks like to walk by faith and not by sight.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV

And I’ll tell you, seeing that act of faith lead to healing would’ve unlocked a new level of faith for that man. I say this because that happened to me. When I took faith steps in obedience, my healing shifted from the spiritual realm to the physical realm. For me, the correlation between walking by faith and being healed was unquestionable.

That’s not every person’s story. Some people receive healing immediately after receiving anointing through prayer. For others, it just takes time. And then there are people who, for whatever reason, God wants to first take a step of faith. Maybe it’s doing something you couldn’t do before. Or stopping an action or habit that signalled agreement with the enemy’s lie of sickness.

Whatever your journey is, even beyond healing, I encourage you to renew your mind about the value of faith in God’s kingdom. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and walk by faith. See what God does.