Dependent on Faith

I truly believe that faith is an action verb.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, 'Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.' So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. - Mark 6:6-13

What we learn when Jesus returns home is that he can do no works of healing for anyone if they have no faith. 

That says something about our role in the process.  We need to be actively faith-filled or we will experience little spiritual healing.

We also learn that the disciples need to act on faith as well.  They travel with nothing but what they wear, and so they are dependent on the good graces of those they encounter, for food and lodging, for protection from the weather.

Even though they have been given power to cast out demons, that power is dependent upon the faith of the ones needing help.

Dependence on faith means we all need to be humble.  We cannot assume a loft or righteous place.  We are powerless without it.

That's a good thing, isn't it?  If that is the way God works, if those who profess to be healers need to be humbled, it should be easy to detect frauds.  We can avoid being misled and conned.

So it is not just our faith that aids in the process of healing, but the faith of the healer as well.  We all need to be engaged and committed.

So, we should pray for each other, that all of us gain in faith.  Without it, we can do nothing.  With it, there are no limits.

More to come...