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Hebrews 4: 2
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
God’s Word is powerful and has the ability to set people free from any enslaving condition or circumstance. Only, however, if they mix the Word with faith. It is faith which energizes the Word you hear. Think about that for a moment. Do you remember the story about the woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed? Jesus said of her, “Your faith has made you well,” (Matthew 9: 22). She mixed her faith with the Word she had heard.
Apparently, she had heard about Jesus and the great works he performed. She probably had heard about other people being made well. I imagine her friends had heard this same news. They probably sat around discussing him. Things were different for her though. She took hold of the good news that was preached about Jesus and she mixed it with faith saying, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well,” (v. 21). What makes the difference between people like her who receive God’s miracles and those who don’t?
The God’s Word translation shows today’s verse in a light which answers that question. “We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe.” Many people have heard the good news preached. Many have read the words in the Bible. Not all believe. One time I heard a pastor say from the pulpit that the miracle of feeding the five thousand was not as represented. His explanation of feeding the multitude was that the good women in that crowd were smart enough to pack provisions and they, therefore, fed the crowd. He is a preacher, but he is not a believer. He doesn’t believe the Bible. So, he is not going to reap the blessings of the Bible.
God said that He sent His Word and healed them, (Psalm 107: 20). His Word healed. All God had to do was send the Word. The Word did the rest. It heals, saves, delivers, restores, blesses, leads, and anything else we need.
The Word can work for any one of us too. However, we need to believe it like the woman in Matthew 9. It takes more than one reading or one message. Those who receive have thought about the Word until their hearts are assured. They are beyond persuasion having passed over into convinced. That same belief and victory is available to each one of us. Spend some time with the Word and with the Father and persuade yourself to belief.
