96 - Believe and Receive Miracles#
96 - Believe and Receive Healing Miracles
(JP Text Group - Happy Angels Compilation)
2 Kings 5:1-14:
1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. 2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.
3 She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 "By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"
8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
11 But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise you for your grace. Today we come to seek Jesus, for you are the answer to all our problems, you are the supplier of our strength. We receive your rest and your power to live. As we begin this new week, we start by worshiping Jesus Christ, looking solely to you, laying down all burdens and worries. We believe that during the process of listening to your word, you will grant us wisdom and strength to solve the problems we face. We thank you for this, in Jesus Christ's name we pray! Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Believe and Receive Miracles
Brothers and sisters, is a miracle a good thing? Are you willing to receive miracles? Some say that God worked in me yesterday, and that is a miracle. The meaning of a miracle is what God does, not what you do; it is the hand of God at work, not by your own ability or wisdom. It is God accomplishing it for you!
Many people desire miracles and thus pursue them, but this is wrong. Miracles are not our goal; all miraculous power comes from our Lord Jesus. If you closely follow the Lord Jesus, miracles and power will follow you. I emphasize again, bring your problems to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ! Miracles are what the hand of God does; do not rely on yourself, just simply receive the God you believe in. Amen!
Do you believe that this God is omnipotent, receiving His power to be accomplished in you? Whatever the problem, please hand it over to our Lord Jesus Christ and see how He accomplishes it in you. Amen! Look at how God accomplishes great things for you; this is the process of continually knowing Jesus Christ. Many people experience miracles and the power of God and rise to testify. This is our ongoing recognition of God.
The first point of sharing is: Bring Your Problems to Jesus
Always remember: do not seek the wrong person; if you do, it may be in vain.
Look at a person, Naaman. Naaman was an Aramean, and Aram in Greek is called Syria, a country still at war, a country with many problems. The Bible mentions that Naaman was a leper. What does he have?
First, he is a commander, a high-ranking official. Naaman was esteemed and great in the sight of his master, even though he was a commander, the king valued him highly. He was a person of high status. This is Naaman, who won many victories. The Bible says that the Lord made him victorious. But he did not know this God. He was a mighty warrior, with power, fame, and wealth.
Naaman's life was very successful, but he had leprosy. There is a saying: "What good is it to have everything but be sick?" Brothers and sisters, Naaman had it all: power, wealth, and yet he was sick with a terminal illness. We can imagine that he must have sought doctors for his leprosy. Such a prestigious person could even command subordinates to bring doctors from all over the country and even the world to treat him. Yet no one could heal him; it was a terminal illness.
Brothers and sisters, in the face of such problems, do not lose heart. When you find the right person, the problem will be solved. Naaman, the Aramean, had a terminal illness of leprosy; he had everything in the world, yet he could not be healed of his leprosy. Today, leprosy is still an incurable disease.
At the beginning, a person with leprosy will show many symptoms like fish scales, eventually turning white, and later, the person will emit a foul odor of decaying flesh. Even more frightening is that in the end, the person has no sensation; while walking, flesh falls off their arms without them feeling it, exposing bones, and they feel no pain. This is the symptom of leprosy. Naaman had this terminal illness and had no hope of healing. Why do I say this? Because later he gave Elisha a considerable amount for medical expenses. How did he get the news to seek the prophet? It was from a young girl in his house.
Let’s first talk about the relationship between the Arameans and the Israelites. The Arameans were sometimes friends of the Israelites, helping them when there were problems. But sometimes they would harass the Israelites. This is their relationship. Where did the young girl in Naaman's house come from? Verse 2 says that previously, bands of Arameans had gone out and taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She was taken by force. If you were that maid, would you want your master to be saved? If her master died, she could go home. This young girl is not named in the Bible, but she was spreading the gospel. Amen!
Brothers and sisters, do you want to see miracles? Do you know the purpose of miracles? Do not say that miracles are just for fun, praying to God to produce some miracles to add color to life; that is not the purpose of miracles.
Mark 16 tells us, "The disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."
To confirm that God's word is true, the purpose of miracles is to let us know that the words in the Bible you hold are true; otherwise, what is the difference between this book and an ordinary book?
It contains many stories and many truths that we find good. Once these words become real in the present, it is no longer an ordinary book. The Bible is a letter from God to each of us. When you see miracles, it proves one thing: God's word is true to this day. The key is whether you can believe it. If you believe, you can receive miracles. Miracles are not about sitting at home waiting, "Lord, produce some miracles." Miracles happen in the field of the gospel. When you are preaching the gospel, you can hear God's voice telling you what to do, and you will see God's hand manifesting power. Amen!
Last week, while I was communicating with some coworkers, one coworker went to Kyrgyzstan, a Muslim country where it is very dangerous. On the street, one can be robbed if not careful, as they think Chinese people are wealthy. In such a dangerous place, that coworker went to preach the gospel. One time, a person fell ill, and he went over and laid hands to pray, and that person was healed on the spot. Why do miracles appear? To prove that the God you believe in is the true and living God!
If you believe that this word is for you, you can receive miracles. For example, for those who suffer from insomnia, if you believe that there is a verse in the Bible for you, "He gives rest to those He loves," and you say, "Lord, I believe this verse is for me; I will receive your miracle," then you will receive it. When you are ill, you say, "By the stripes of the Lord Jesus, I have been healed." I believe your word will be fulfilled in me; you just need to receive it. The key is to believe and then receive. Amen!
This is how miracles come. You believe that God is present in the field of the gospel, and God wants to prove that His words are true. Brothers and sisters, this is how we believe in God's words. If you believe, you can receive the appearance of miracles. Naaman might have truly been in despair when the young girl he captured shared the gospel with him. Let’s see how this young girl shared the gospel with her mistress:
"If only my master would go to the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
How did this young girl promote her God? Many people are also spreading the gospel; when some are sick, they say, "Why don’t you try believing in Jesus?" Why are they not so certain? Look at how the young girl spoke. Is leprosy a terminal illness? In Israel, there were no lepers healed.
Luke 4:27, let’s read together: "And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."
In Israel, were there any lepers healed? No. One of the key points in my sharing is here. Recently, many people asked me, "Teacher, are there any testimonies of insomnia being healed in your church?" I said there are too many testimonies. They asked if I could give them a call; they wanted to know how they were healed by God. I told them that many were healed during the process of listening to the word, without any special visions, dreams, or fasting. Yet they began to seek out other people, asking the same questions.
This issue is a common ailment for many. When they have this illness, they want to see if there are people in your church who have been healed of this illness. They want to meet that person… They are pursuing a kind of miracle. If that young girl had a leper healed in her country, she could say, "Don’t worry, we have a leper healed in our country." Then anyone could testify. The problem is that there was not a single leper healed in her country. So what did this young girl believe? She believed that the God she believed in was omnipotent. Even though no one had been healed before, as long as you believe, you will be the first one to be healed. There has to be a first one. This is how we believe and then receive this miracle.
Do not seek people; do not look for a certain pastor or someone to see how they were healed. Their method may not be suitable for you. But there is one thing that is definitely suitable: they must be seeking God, and God will personally heal them. As long as you find the Lord Jesus, your problems will be solved.
The Bible has many accounts of blind people being healed, but the methods are different. Some Jesus said, "You see now," and they saw. Some Jesus made mud with saliva and put it on their eyes, and then told them to wash, and they could see. Brothers and sisters, the method is not important; what matters is that the healer is Jesus Christ. You must be like this young girl; even though the illness she had was very rare in the world, you must believe that God has the power to heal you. This is an important source of our faith. We receive His power from our Lord Jesus Christ.
When you share the gospel with others, you must share the certain gospel, just like this young girl said, "As long as you believe in our Lord Jesus, you will surely be healed." Speak this certain word to others. In saying this, you must first have certain faith yourself. You must first believe in how great God's power is, and believe in how well you know God. Now we are in the process of knowing our God! Hallelujah!
There are very famous and experienced old Chinese medicine doctors in the world. Can they say, "I will prescribe you three doses of medicine, and after taking these three doses, you will definitely be healed"? How many doctors dare to say that? Most would say, "Take it back and try it; if it doesn’t work, come back." We are more willing to believe the words of doctors than to believe God, whose words are very certain.
"You just need to go to the prophet in Samaria; he will surely heal your leprosy." Jesus' words are just as absolute! "If you can believe, you will see the glory of God." "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." This is the promise Jesus gives us. The key is whether we believe that this word will be fulfilled in us. We need to continuously know this God during this time.
We say that this young girl shared the gospel with her master; this might have been her master's last glimmer of hope. He had sought many people who all said leprosy could not be healed. He was worried that the healing process would infect him. In this situation, Naaman heard the gospel and decided to seek the God that the young girl spoke of. Before going, he brought gifts. Let’s see what gifts he brought:
In the second half of verse 5, let’s read together: "So Naaman took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing."
Do you find out how much this is in the Bible? Let me calculate how high Naaman's medical expenses for Elisha were. Why do we say he was extremely wealthy? Ten talents equal about thirty thousand shekels; converted to silver, that is seven hundred fifty pounds. Six thousand shekels of gold, with one shekel of gold being about fifteen shekels of silver. At that time, a year’s wage was ten shekels of silver. Ten talents of silver and six thousand shekels of gold, converted to today’s purchasing power, is seven hundred fifty million dollars.
One shekel of gold could buy a ton of wheat, and six thousand shekels could buy six thousand tons of wheat. This is just his medical expenses; there is more at home. We can also see that Naaman regarded this treatment as his last hope. Amen! At first, Naaman sought the wrong person; he went to the king of Israel. Brothers and sisters, if you seek the wrong person, it will be in vain, and the more you seek, the more your faith will be shaken. Could the king of Israel heal him? Let’s look at the king of Israel’s reaction when he received the letter:
Let’s read verse 7 together: "The king of Israel tore his robes and said, 'Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? This man sends someone to me to be cured of his leprosy. See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!'"
Brothers and sisters, I emphasize again, do not pursue famous pastors; do not look at how long someone has believed; do not believe that someone has preached for decades; none of this is important. The king of Israel had a high status and a good understanding of God, yet he did not believe in this God.
The contrast with the young girl is very strong. The Bible does not mention her name, but she believed that as long as you went to find our prophet, he would surely heal your leprosy. Why didn’t the king of Israel think that there was a prophet here? When he saw this problem, he began to tear his clothes, which was despair.
"Why is this man seeking an opportunity to attack me?" In fact, Naaman was truly there to seek healing. I want to tell brothers and sisters that you should not look at people; no matter how famous a pastor is, he cannot save you. He also has moments of weak faith. The only one you need to seek is our Lord Jesus Christ! When the man of God Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent a message to the king, asking why he had torn his robes. "Let the man come to me."
Elisha believed in his God. Why couldn’t the king of Israel believe? The young girl could believe in God; why couldn’t the king of Israel believe? This means we should not look at people. You see this person is strong now, but he may fall in a moment. The only one to look at is our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! The only thing we can believe in is the word of our God!
Many people seek healing testimonies, wanting a pastor from a certain church to pray for them. We must believe that even if you seek that pastor to pray for you, the power is not from him; the source of power is in the Lord Jesus. Do not chase where there are healings or where there is anointing. It is easy to fall into the trap of chasing people. Again, I emphasize that miracles and anointing are not our goal; Jesus Christ is! All miracles and anointing power come from Jesus Christ! You must bring your problems to our Lord Jesus. Hand your problems over to Him. Believe in Him, and you will see miracles!
At first, Naaman sought the wrong person. The young girl made it very clear, "You go find the prophet in Samaria; he will surely heal your leprosy." But he ended up going to the king of Israel. We must listen carefully; do not seek a pastor to heal you. Seek the Lord Jesus, Hallelujah! Elisha told Naaman to come to him.
Let’s read verse 9 together: "So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house."
I have read this passage many times, but last Saturday, God made me notice two words: Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha's house. Previously, I thought nothing of it, but then God made me see that this was the only thing Naaman could boast about. He brought a lot of money on his chariots; it was his only boast.
I hope that among us, there are not people who, when they have a lot of money, consider money their only boast. That is very pitiful! Just look at how many testimonies in this world show that many wealthy people die from a small rectal cancer. Money cannot buy life! Naaman was very wealthy; he could spend over seven hundred fifty million dollars on medical expenses. But without God's healing, he would still die. The only thing to boast about is not your house, car, or money. It is that you have a God! And this God is the only sovereign who created the heavens and the earth!
If you have this God and believe in this God, He can make you have everything. If the only thing you can boast about is your horses and chariots, one day you will truly be troubled by this. Because they cannot save your life. Naaman came with his pride to Elisha's house, standing at the door. Naaman had two kinds of illnesses that needed healing: one was leprosy, and the other was pride!
When he came with his horses and brought a lot of money, let’s make a hypothesis. If you were Elisha, and your servant told you that a patient was here asking you to pray for him, bringing over seven hundred fifty million dollars, would you want to meet this person? Brothers and sisters? To be honest, you would want to meet him, right? Isn’t that a good thing? But you see, Elisha needed to heal his leprosy, but first, he had to remove his pride. In the past, Naaman had sought many doctors, throwing money in front of them and saying, "Heal me!" The doctors looked and said, "I cannot heal you." Perhaps Naaman had also sought fortune tellers. Elisha had never seen his face, but Elisha truly wanted to solve his problem.
The Bible says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Amen! In the Old Testament, God did not ignore the lives of foreigners. As long as you are willing to seek this God, He will help you. Amen! How much more today, as you are a child of God. After Naaman came, Elisha did not meet him; he only gave him a word.
The second point of sharing is: Know that Power Comes from God's Word
Naaman was not summoned; Elisha only sent a servant to say to Naaman, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." The words of the young girl and Elisha's servant are very similar, right? They both spoke with certainty. When you pray for others' healing, you must be certain! When you introduce the Lord Jesus to others, you must be certain! In the face of such illness, the servant did not ask how many years he had been sick or if he had seen a doctor.
Elisha did not even meet Naaman; he directly gave him a word: "Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." This is a word that requires faith to say! Would you dare to say this in front of a patient? If you are not certain in your heart, you would not dare to say such words. Naaman did not believe; he was very angry and went away. In fact, Elisha truly wanted to heal him, but it was not Elisha's ability; it was the power of God's word!
Let’s read a passage from Luke 1:37, "For no word from God will ever fail."
I hope everyone reflects on this verse well. No matter what problem you have, remember that no word from God is without power; this is a double negative sentence. It means it will certainly have power; it will definitely have power. Amen! We need to have this understanding of God. Our Lord Jesus never speaks idle words; the Bible does not say, "No word from 'you' is without power." If it were so, do you know what the consequence would be? There would be no one left in the world.
If this promise were given to us, do you know what the consequence would be? There would be no one left in the world. Do you believe it? Do you know what our mouths say? "I’m so hot I’m going to die," or "I’m so cold I’m going to freeze to death," or "You make me so angry I’m going to die." If God said that every word from 'you' has power, you would have cursed yourself to death long ago. That is why the Bible says, "No word from 'God' is without power."
This also reflects one thing: our God has no evil thoughts. Our God is entirely good. He is the embodiment of love, and everything that flows from Him is love. His words have power and are greatly beneficial to us! If anyone's words had power, there would be no one left in the world.
Jesus never speaks idle words or jokes; even jokes carry power. The words of Jesus are very careful. What He says builds people up, brings hope, brings correction! One time, Jesus also spoke a curse, saying to a fig tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." What happened? That tree withered to the roots.
Think about it: if God gave us this power, you could say, "Shut your mouth," and that person would never be able to speak again. We need to meditate on God's power. The more you meditate, the more you realize that no word from God is without power, which proves that our God is a God of power! Let’s look at the next passage together.
Luke 9:1-2:
1 Jesus called the Twelve together and gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
When Jesus sent them out, He gave them power and authority. I specifically checked the original text online; many churches say you need to have anointing, and the word anointing appears only three times in the New Testament, all in 1 John 2. The root of this word is authority.
Authority appears frequently in the Bible; authority is not something that appears when you preach; it is given to you when you believe. When Jesus Christ sends us out, He gives us authority and power. What kind of power does authority have? It enables them to drive out all demons. Did He say that big demons are harder to deal with, so you should fast first? Did He say that if there are many demons, you should bring more people to subdue them? No! Jesus Christ's words have this power.
When the seventy returned, they said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." Jesus said, "Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." He healed all kinds of diseases, representing all diseases. This means that from the time humanity has been sick until the end of the world, all diseases, including those that doctors have not named, are included.
We need to recognize how great the power of Jesus Christ is and know that your healing comes from God's word. This is the basis. Since God has given authority and power to drive out all demons and heal all kinds of diseases, He then sent them to proclaim God's word and heal the sick. The Bible mentions many things about healing, proving that this is something we need very much. Amen! Today, God still gives us this authority and power.
In Matthew 28, it specifically mentions, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
So when Jesus sends us out, He gives us power and authority. We do not rely on anything else; we believe in God's word, which has the power and authority to make people believe. We just need to bring them to Jesus. That is the only thing we can do. If they do not believe in God, you cannot do anything. Amen!
Let’s make a hypothetical example. If Naaman got very angry and went back to his country, he would not be healed. But that does not mean our God has no power. Amen! Elisha made it very clear: you go wash in the Jordan seven times, and you will be healed. Why was Naaman angry?
Let’s read together, 2 Kings 5:11: "Naaman went away angry and said, 'I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.'"
This is a mistake that many people easily make. Naaman made a mistake by treating our God like a fortune teller. We have mentioned the idol-like Jesus; many people treat Jesus like that, but our God is not like that. He can accomplish everything by His word! Naaman had seen many fortune tellers before; they would come out to see Naaman, acting mysteriously. They are not God, so they can only pretend to be divine. They pray and chant all sorts of nonsense. Naaman thought, "I brought so much money to you; Elisha will surely come out to see me, just like the fortune tellers I have seen before." He did not expect that Elisha would not even meet him. He only gave him a word from God. Amen!
Our mindset must be renewed. Before we meet God and receive His power, we must first change our personal thoughts. The New Testament was written in Greek. In Matthew 3, "The kingdom of heaven has come near. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near." The original meaning emphasizes the first part; the original meaning is that you must repent because the kingdom of heaven has come near. The original expression means, "If you want to see God's eternal kingdom today, you must first repent." This repentance means letting go of your past fixed ideas. Do not use your worldview to view the coming eternal kingdom; you must let go of these ideas to see the coming kingdom of God. This is our principle!
Before you receive God's power and healing, you must let go of your past thoughts. Many people still live under the law, like fasting and praying for healing. This is a works-based approach; we should not do this anymore. I will share a testimony that just happened last week. That coworker told me a story before I realized that God loves me like this. Before he went to Dalian, his son said, "Dad, you must bring me a toy back." Then he added, "I have been fasting and praying for you these days." His father said, "Son, you don’t need to fast; I will definitely buy it for you."
Brothers and sisters, what do you think? I just mentioned that some people pray without effect and then fast. Isn’t this similar? If you believe that the Father loves you, the Father would say, "Child, you don’t need to fast. I will give it to you as long as you believe." Amen! This is how we need to let go of past concepts. The gods you worship in the past all have forms; this God is formless but full of power. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord! As long as we believe in God's word, you will be saved. The Bible says very clearly, "Believe, and you will be saved." Amen! You can receive healing and this power. When God says you are holy, you are holy, a group of people set apart from this world, a different group!
In verse 12, "Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?"
What does this mean? This statement tells us that Naaman thought, "How can water cleanse my leprosy? If washing could cleanse me, the water in my hometown is hundreds of times better." This tells us one problem: the key is not in the water, but in God's word. Amen! If the water of the Jordan had this effect, wouldn’t all lepers in Israel be healed? Water has no power; the key is that this word was spoken by the prophet.
Now everyone has an extremely precious treasure in their hands; every word here carries power. Every promise can be received as long as you believe; the key is whether you are willing to receive it. Just like the prophet said, "Go wash in the Jordan seven times, and you will be cleansed." Do you believe it? At first, he did not believe. His servant advised him, "If he told you to do something more difficult, wouldn’t you do it?" We often have a works-based mindset, which is a legalistic thought.
If Elisha had said, "Mr. Naaman, you need to climb over ninety-nine mountains, cross ninety-nine rivers, climb to the highest mountain, sit for seven days, and you will see an old man with a white beard who will touch your body, and you will be cleansed," Naaman would have believed it. He would think, "I have done so much effort; I should be cleansed." But he did not expect that the method of healing would be so simple: just wash in the Jordan seven times, something very easy to do. It is precisely because it is too easy that people sometimes find it hard to accept.
Some say, "You always talk about God's grace; this is too easy; it may not be true." Is everything given freely? I want to ask, what is not given freely? What qualifications do you have to say, "Lord, I have done this; you must bless me"? What qualifications do you have to say such words to God? Everything is received from God. Amen! Thank the Lord!
We wonder why water has healing power. Because this is God's word, this is based. Later, we know that water has cleansing power, not only cleansing our bodies but also cleansing the whole person through water. Ephesians 5 says, "to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word." Amen!
Here I will tell brothers and sisters two stories, 2 Kings 4:38-44:
38 Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in that region. While the company of prophets was meeting with him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook some stew for these prophets." 39 One of them went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine and picked as many of its gourds as his garment could hold. He returned and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. 40 The stew was poured out for the men, but as they began to eat it, they cried out, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" And they could not eat it.
41 Elisha said, "Get some flour." He put it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot. 42 A man came from Baal Shalisha, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said. 43 "How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat, for this is what the Lord says: 'They will eat and have some left over.'" 44 Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
There are two particularly important places here. First, when they discovered there was poison in the pot, what is today’s scientific method for detoxifying? Can it detoxify? No. But the prophet in the Bible used a method that no one expected. Elisha said, "Get me some flour and put it in the pot." We might not dare to eat it on site. If the prophet says to eat, it must be fine. The last sentence is extremely important: "as the Lord has said." The prophet heard God's word; he merely spoke God's word, and at that moment, they could safely receive it!
What is impossible for man is possible for God! The important thing is that you must believe. Amen! These disciples did not die, and Elisha was not poisoned. I will explain the reason here to brothers and sisters because there is a promise.
In Leviticus 6:15, "The priest shall take from the grain offering a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn it as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord."
When offering a grain offering, the fine flour must be burned before the Lord. The fine flour is made from wheat and grain that has been ground; this represents our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our food! When He was ground, He would yield many seeds. Jesus said, "Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." When Jesus Christ died for us, He produced countless resurrected lives.
This wheat, when its body is crushed, becomes fine flour. Offered before God, this body can heal you. This broken body, wherever it goes, as long as you can receive it, you can be healed. To be more precise, this refers to the Holy Communion. Through the broken body of Jesus Christ, when you eat it, you will be cleansed and healed. Any poison loses its effect here; it is not just anything that can heal you. Everything has a representation. Amen!
2 Kings 2:19-22:
19 The people of Jericho said to Elisha, "Look, our Lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive." 20 Elisha said, "Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. 21 Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is what the Lord says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.'" 22 And the water has remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.
Brothers and sisters, does salt have the power to heal water? If you don’t believe it, you can go home and experiment. If the river at your doorstep is polluted, sprinkle some salt in it and see if it will be cleansed. Some say it won’t. Indeed, this place is good, but the water is undrinkable. The river water may be too salty or have other problems; in short, there is a problem, and the crops are falling before they ripen, making it impossible to produce. Elisha took ordinary salt.
Do not say that it was salt from the Dead Sea; the flour Elisha ate was not ordinary flour. The water in that river was not ordinary water; otherwise, we would bring some back. If you have an illness, wash it well… It is not that this water has special functions, nor that this flour has special functions, nor that this salt has special functions. It is what it represents that is significant!
Elisha poured the salt into the water source and said, "This is what the Lord says: I have healed this water." It proves that it was not the salt that healed the water; it was God's word that healed the water. Amen! "I have healed this water; it will never cause death." This is what the Lord said. It will not make the land unproductive either. Brothers and sisters, what truly heals us is God's word, the words that come from His mouth! After He said this, the water was healed! Why is salt so important? The Bible still has its basis.
In Leviticus 2:13, "Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings."
Do you understand the important role of salt now? Salt represents the everlasting covenant that God made with us. Why does God bless the Israelites? It is because of the covenant He made with Abraham. Why does God heal you? Why does He bless you? It is because Jesus Christ established a covenant with His life; that is a blood covenant. In the past, this was the salt of the covenant. When he put God's promise in the water, God would surely heal that water.
Brothers and sisters, we have a covenant with God. Jesus Christ has already offered His body for us. We often say He is our healing God! By the stripes of Jesus, we have been healed! We believe that God's word has accomplished this. This covenant has been established. Thank the Lord! Since it is so important, Naaman listened to his servant's advice.
In verse 14: "So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy."
The Bible makes it very clear that Naaman went down to the Jordan River according to Elisha's words. Do you want to be healed today? You must follow God's word: "By His stripes, I receive healing." I command in the name of Jesus, "Cold, leave here; you have no right to stay here because this is the temple of the Holy Spirit!" Hallelujah!
You must believe God's word and receive miracles according to God's word. God said seven times; let’s make a hypothesis. If Naaman washed six times and thought, "Why does it still look the same?" He might think, "Is he fooling me? I’m not washing anymore; I’ll go home." He would not receive healing. Even if you washed six times and saw no effect, you must still believe that God's word is correct. You must still believe that God is your healer!
When it comes to the seventh time, you will be completely renewed. Many times we make this mistake. Perhaps you are just at the sixth time, and you say, "Lord, I have prayed for so long; why is there still no effect?" As a result, you give up. You will not see the miracle appear because you are at the sixth time. God wants to accomplish it for you at the best time!
Why seven times? It is because God wants to change Naaman's pride. God said, "My word is seven times; just do as I say." If you wash six times, of course, you will not see the effect. We believe that God blesses us according to His word. Even when you do not see the effect, do not give up; perhaps you are just at the sixth time. Amen! Keep praying for this, and you will surely see God's miracles manifested in you.
Do not lose heart, brothers and sisters; God is a faithful God. According to His word, He will surely bless us and fulfill His word in you. Naaman washed seven times and found that he received blessings he never expected. Naaman was a mighty warrior, and now his flesh was like that of a young child, tender and smooth. In our thinking, it would be good if he could return to his previous state. But God gives the best!
You should think this way during your prayer process. God does not give you what you ask for; He does not heal you according to your methods. God wants to heal you according to His methods and give you the best. Amen! Thank the Lord! When he saw the healing and the miracles of God, Naaman changed. The Bible says, "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Amen!
Some say you must be humble; actually, it is not like that. Our correct understanding is that when you see God's great and wonderful grace, you will humble yourself. At first, Naaman came with his horses and chariots to Elisha's door, expecting Elisha to come out and meet him, to heal him. He had never encountered such treatment before. He only received God's word, but after he was cleansed, Naaman changed.
Look at verse 15: "Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, 'Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant.'" Naaman referred to himself as a servant.
In verse 17, Naaman said, "If you will not, please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord."
This shows that Naaman no longer came to threaten Elisha as a general; he humbly asked Elisha if he could take two loads of earth back. The grace of God can change a person. A proud Naaman, under God's wonderful grace, became humble. If we see the grace of Jesus Christ, we will all humble ourselves. It is not like the law that requires humility; do not be proud, and God will bless you. How can you not humble yourself when you see God's greatness? Naaman thought he was great, but when he saw God's greatness, he humbled himself. Amen! Thank the Lord!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise your grace! We are willing to receive your miracles, to receive your power, relying on faith, believing that our God can do this for us. I come to receive your power at this moment. I am receiving your power, not relying on our good deeds, not relying on our finances to receive healing and power from God. It is a gift you freely give us because Jesus Christ was crucified for us and established an everlasting covenant for us.
I believe that God is my healer, the one who blesses me. No matter where I go, your gracious hand is always with me! Your word is my strength and supply. I believe your word; no matter where I am, I will meditate on your word. This word will become the strength in my heart, enabling me to overcome all difficulties!
Your word can change my current situation, renew my body, change my family, and alter my current predicament. I believe! Thank you for giving us such words. All glory belongs to you. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray! Amen!