Hope for Healing, Faith for Living Podcast: Recent Episodes
Tim Dumas
In this podcast, Tim Dumas shares about knowing God for who He reveals Himself to be, living according to the Word and experiencing a new life in Christ Jesus.
God's Word Is A Seed
God's Word is like a seed to be planted into our heart, which will reveal the truth of God's will for our lives and produce faith to take hold of His will.
Luke 8:11 WEB
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
Romans 10:17 WEB
17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith comes to us by the Word.
His Word is Healing
Proverbs 4:20-23
20 My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Psalm 107:20 English Standard Version
20 He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.
The Lord our Healer
Exodus 15:26 English Standard Version
26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
It’s important to note that God himself said he doesn’t change. (See Malachi 3:6) He always is our Healer.
The Young’s Literal Translation reads this way, “for I, Jehovah, am healing thee.”
This is present tense. He is healing thee. Healing is always his will if we will believe him and draw near to him and trust him.
Some struggle with God saying he put diseases on the Egyptians. How can God be the healer and the afflictor at the same time?
Dr. Young says it should be the permissive sense instead of causative.
Example
Exodus 12
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.
Always look at Scripture in light of other Scriptures and how God is. This will help us rightly divide the Word of Truth.
Blessings in Christ
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
The Perfect Heart
Summary:
If our hearts are not ready and good ground for the seed of the Word, the Word will not produce in our life what God wants it to produce.
“You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask. 3 You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” James 4:2-3 World English Bible
The Parable of the seed and the sower is found in Matthew 13:1–23, Mark 4:1–20, Luke 8:4–15.
Let’s go back and look at part of this account in Matthew.
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’
People can have a dull or hard heart and though they hear the Word, they will not understand.
The Scripture also talks about having a hard heart.
Mark 8:17 ESV
And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
There’s also a perfect heart. Perfect as used in Scripture means compete. A perfect heart is a heart completely yielding to and desiring God.
2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV
9 For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
What we can have a right heart by accepting his Word and acting on it in faith believing God will do a work in us.
Are you asking God and believing he is working in you to give you a willing heart to do his will?
God says He will do a work in our hearts. We must trust Him to do it.
Jeremiah 24:7 ESV
I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 ESV
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Deuteronomy 30:6
6 And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.
Prayer:
Psalm 51:10 ESV
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Philippians 2:13 ESV
for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Hope for Healing, Faith for Living
104 To Experience God, You Must Love Him And Keep His Word
Summary
John 14:21 ESV
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
In Context
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[f] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[g] in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Amplified
21 The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I [too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him. [I will let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]
Do you want God to be this real to you? Then you have to really love God. How do you do that? By keeping his Word.
In fact, keeping his Word is the standard we go by to know we are loving God and even other people.
1 John 5 ESV
1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
1 John 3 ESV
24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
Romans 8:16 ESV
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
If we will love God by knowing, believing and keeping his Word, Jesus promised to manifest himself, by his Spirit, in our lives. Let's want that!
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Hope for Healing, Faith for Living
To Experience God, You Must Believe Him By Faith
Summary:
What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 ESV
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction (or evidence) of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
This verse is about coming to God by believing he is and that he is a rewarder but did you notice it starts with talking about faith. Faith is how we come to God and faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction (or evidence) of things not seen.
That means we come to God believing he exist without seeing him and believing he is a rewarder before we experience it.
We believe God is who he says he is before we see it and experience it.
If you want to know God as the Healer he claims to be in Exodus 15:26, then you have to believe he is that while you are still sick.
Faith isn’t a wait and see before you believe.
Faith is believe and you will see.
Mark 9
27 As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” 28 When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They told him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 Then their eyes were opened.
They believed Jesus could before he did.
Faith is believing you have received, then you will have.
Mark 11
22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.
We have to see beyond our present circumstances and believe God is who he says he is and then we can know him for who he revealed himself to be.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Hope for Healing, Faith for Living
In our last episode, we talked about the words of Jesus when he said, ““Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Today I want to share with you about being humble before God and being teachable.
Summary:
Psalm 119:34 Amplified Bible
“Give me understanding [a teachable heart and the ability to learn], that I may keep Your law;
And observe it with all my heart.”
Being teachable is about being humble before God. It’s about yielding to truth instead of hanging out to our current beliefs. If what the Scripture says contradicts what we have always held onto as our belief in the past, then we need to yield to the Word of God and take hold of it’s truth.
2 Corinthians 10:5 English Standard Version
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Sometimes pride will keep us from being teachable, thinking we already know everything. We don’t! We can learn from anyone who is sharing the Word because it’s not so much about the messenger, it is about the message.
In Matthew 13 Jesus talks about the parable of the seed and the sower.
Let’s look at that and then the explanation Jesus gives for what the parable means.
Matthew 13
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears,[a] let him hear.”
The Explanation
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Jesus is talking about the condition of a person’s heart.
Is the heart hardened lake a path?
Is the heart like rocky ground ?
Is the heart full of cares for the things of this world which acts like thorns choking out the Word.
Is the heart like good soil, hearing the Word, accepting and understanding it, allowing the Word to grow deep roots in our hearts and bearing fruit?
This is what a teachable heart is. It’s a humble heart. It’s a pure heart. It’s this condition of the heart that we need to grow and experience God.
If went want to grow and experience God, we need to yield to Him, to his Word, and let him prepare our hearts to receive His Word.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Hope For Healing, Faith for Living
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Our desire should be to see God. I’m not talking about seeing him in the sense we will see him in heaven, but see him as in the results of him in our lives.
A doctor may give you some medicine and say in a few days you should see improvement, meaning experience it.
That’s what we want, to experience God in our lives and it will take a pure heart.
What is a pure heart? One that does not have other things in it but love and faith towards God.
What’s the greatest commandment?
Matthew 22:34-40 ESV
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
A pure heart is a heart that is fully devoted to God and filled with love for him.
How do we get a pure heart? It will happen by the grace of God through faith, asking God to create it in us and then yield to his work of grace by faith.
Let’s see what David wrote in the Psalms.
Psalm 51:10-19 English Standard Version
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right[a] spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
A pure heart is a heart of peace and a heart that can enjoy God’s salvation. One of the reasons we don’t have peace is because our hearts are not pure, not full of God. There’s other things we still desire and it creates a war within us.
1 Peter 2:11 ESV
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
God’s goal and desire for us is to have peace which comes from a pure heart and faith in Christ. A pure heart has a sole desire for God. I’m not saying you can’t have a desire for a spouse or love a spouse but nothing has a place over God in your heart. And the love you have for your spouse or anyone else, is a godly love which he has given you.
Romans 5:5
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
1 Timothy 1:5
“The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
Acts 15
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
What is a pure heart? One that does not have other things in it but love and faith towards God.
Let's desire and believe God for a pure heart so that we can see more of Him in our lives.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
https://hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com/
Blessed Are The Pure in Heart, For They Shall See God
Summary:
Sometimes when we want more of God or are pursuing his promises, we miss that we need first see God’s plan to prepare us for coming into a deeper relationship with him.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8 ESV
If we want to see God as more real in our lives, what are we to do? Have a pure heart.
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” - Hebrews 12:14 ESV
If we want to see, to experience the reality of God and his will in our lives, then we know the condition of our hearts and how we live our lives matters.
Have you ever heard someone like a coach or trainer tell someone to follow a certain diet and exercise plan and after time they will see results. That means experience results. This is what the Scripture is talking about, seeing the results of more of God in your life.
I want more of God. I believe you do too. But, we have to understand to see more of God, we must address those things in our actions and in our hearts that are not pleasing to God.
Look at psalm 19 NLT
7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.
9 Reverence for the Lord is pure,
lasting forever.
The laws of the Lord are true;
each one is fair.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
even the finest gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even honey dripping from the comb.
11 They are a warning to your servant,
a great reward for those who obey them.
12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
and innocent of great sin.
The psalmist mentions two types of sin. Those hidden that we are not aware of and those that are deliberate. Sin means missing the mark. Falling short of God’s will. Our thoughts and views can fall short of God’s will, his truth. Some we know and some we need to be made aware of.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! - Psalm 139:23-24 ESV
We need to seek God, asking him to reveal those things in our hearts that are not pleasing to him which can include deep rooted beliefs that are in contradiction to is Word. How will he reveal them? By his Word. We need to be diligent in being in God’s Word inorder to know it and act in obedience to it.
Then there’s things we hold on to that we know do not please God. It can be anger, unforgiveness or sensual sins that are enjoyed for a time.
We have to realize that we must make a choice. Do we want to grow in the things of God, increase in knowing and experiencing him, in seeing his will manifest in our lives, then we have to remove those wrong thoughts and desires from our hearts.
Psalm 66 ESV
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
and high praise was on[a] my tongue.[b]
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” - James 4:8
God will help us have a right heart if we trust and ask him to.
“And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.”
Deuteronomy 30:6 ESV
We can't hold on to things in our hearts that do not please God and expect to see more of him in our lives. We have to make a choice. Choose God over all other things.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Hope for Healing, Faith for Living
Can We Use Faith To Receive Healing?
Summary:
“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”
Mark 10:46-52 NIV
Jesus said, "Your faith has healed you."
That’s a huge statement. It’s some belief that God can heal but doesn’t always choose to. Jesus put the emphasis on the faith of Bartimaeus as the reason he was healed.
If Bartimaeus and others in Scripture can use faith to receive healing, so can we.
Let’s see what Bartimaeus did.
He heard of Jesus. Now for him to react the way he did he must have heard Jesus was healing people.
Bartimaeus called out to Jesus and referred to him as the Son of David.
This was a title given to the awaited Messiah because it was prophesied that the Messiah would be a descended of David. (2 Samuel 7:12–16)
In fact Matthew Chapter 1 gives the genealogical proof that Jesus was a direct descendant of David through Joseph, Jesus’ legal father and Luke 3 traces Jesus’ lineage to David through His mother, Mary.
So, Bartimaeus heard about Jesus, believed Jesus was who he heard he was, confessed who he believed Jesus was and called out for mercy.
Often we see people who need healing crying out for mercy because sickness and disease was believed to be is part of the curse or result of sin. So to cry out to for mercy is to cry out saying I’m asking for you to spare me from what I deserve.
So there’s a lot of humility in the way Bartimaeus calls out to Jesus.
Another important fact to point out, Bartimaeus wouldn’t quit. The Scripture says many told him to be quiet but he shouted all the more! Faith doesn’t quit.
The Jesus did call for him and immediately Bartimaeus stood and threw off his cloak. Why is that significant. It’s said that back in that time, people could recognize who was a bigger by the cloak they war. It was their identity and how they received money from those willing to give to him.
But he believed Jesus could and would heal him so he through it off. It was an act of faith that he was going to be healed now. No longer was he hoping that healing would happen for him someday. He had the attention of Jesus and he believed Jesus would healing him right then.
He came to Jesus and Jesus asked him what did he want him to do for him. Did Jesus not know? Of course he knew. But Bartimaeus needed to voice what he was coming to Jesus for. We need to voice our needs, in faith, meaning we know It’s God’s will when we ask.
Let’s look at a Scripture that shows this.
1 John 5:14-15 ESV
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
This account is in Scripture for out benefit. So that we can see what happened, understand healing is God’s will and know how we too can use the faith we have, (which comes from hearing His Word, Romans 10:17) and receive God’s will, his promises, for ourselves.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
This is the second episode dealing with discouragement..
Summary:
It may not be your fault that you got hurt but it is your responsibility to get healed.
Life can sometimes knock you down but it’s your responsibility to get back up.
You can get discouraged but it’s up to you to get your courage back, your enthusiasm for life.
Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill
Proverbs 24:16 says, “for a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again…”
Sometimes bad things will happen, plans will fail, friends may even turn on you. But, God is with you and it’s your responsibility to realize that and that alone is reason to have joy.
1 Samuel 30
4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David's two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul,[b] each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
David strengthened himself. Some translations say that he encouraged himself.
Now how do you do that? You do it by getting your mind off the problem and getting it on God.
Start with peace.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”
Now start looking at the promises of God and his faithfulness.
I shared these two scriptures before but I want to again.
Psalms 27:13-14 NIV
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Romans 15:13 NIV
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
So now the question is, will we take responsibility to have peace and be of good courage?
Joshua 1:9 ESV
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Whether we like it or not, this life is a battle and we will face hardships. The question really is, how will we face them? Will we face them feeling sorry for ourselves and discouraged or will we face them with great courage knowing God is with us.
Let’s be the ones who keep our minds on God and face the battles with great courage.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Website: www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
In today's episode we share Psalm 42 and see that when we feel down and discouraged, there is a way out.
By putting our hope, our confident expectation, in God's will coming to pass in our life, we can walk out of discouragement into joy and victory.
Scriptures:
All of Psalm 42
Psalms 27:13-14 NIV
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.
Romans 15:13 NIV
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Website: www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Today is Part 2 of What We Thing About God Matters
Scriptures:
Psalm 34:8 ESV
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Romans 2:4 WEB
4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
John 10:10 WEB
The thief only comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
Psalm 119:68 NLT
You are good and do only good; teach me your decrees.
James 1:17
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
17 Every good gift and every perfect ([a]free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
“With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.””
Psalm 91:16 ESV
What we think of God matters. What we think must yield to the truth of God’s Word.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Website: www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
What We Think of God Matters
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
Mark 9
27 As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” 28 When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They told him, “Yes, Lord.”
29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 Then their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.”
Mark 6:1
He went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things?” and, “What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come about by his hands? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” So they were offended at him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 He could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people, and healed them. 6 He marveled because of their unbelief.
He went around the villages teaching.
Story about woman at the store.
Romans 8:32
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Does God care about this life
1 Timothy 4:8
8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
Psalm 27:13 WBBE
I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Psalm 35:27 WBBE
27 Let those who favor my righteous cause shout for joy and be glad.
Yes, let them say continually, “May the Lord be magnified,
who has pleasure in the prosperity of his servant!”
It doesn’t matter if you agree with me or anyone else. What matters is that you agree with the Word of God and believe and think about God according to what God has revealed in His Word.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Website: www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
How To Have A Desire For God's Word
Have you ever wished you had more desire for God, for his Word and a more willingness to do His will?
God's Word says He is doing a work in us. It's our job to look to His Word to see what His will is and how we are to cooperate with what God wants to do in our lives! God uses His Word to do a work in us. We need to yield to Him and His work.
Scriptures:
Philippians 2
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
1 Corinthians 3
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
Read Psalms 119 out loud and make it your confession. Your heart will change and you will desire the Word.
Psalm 119:32 Lew Life Version
I will run the way of Your Law, for You will give me a willing heart.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Hope For Healing, Faith For Living
Great Eagerness For God’s Word
Summary:
We should have an eagerness to hear the Word of God preached and taught but we also have a responsibility to examine
Scriptures:
Acts 17:11 NIV
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
2 Timothy 2:15 NIV
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Summary:
Failing isn’t falling down. Failing is quitting when you do fall.
Proverbs 24:16 WEB
“for a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.”
Proverbs 24:16 Amp
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again,
But the wicked stumble in time of disaster and collapse.
Let me share what always encouraged me to continue on in my walk with Christ. God
Philippians 1:3-6 ESV
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.”
Psalm 57:2 ESV
“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”
Psalm 138:8 ESV
Have you ever thought you have messed up too much and that God cannot use you for his purpose? That thought isn’t based on Scripture. King David is an example of God using someone who failed and he did fulfill the purpose God had for him and he died with honor.
“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,”
Acts 13:36 ESV
“Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.”
1 Chronicles 29:28 ESV
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
The Goodness of God
What we believe about God matters. We must learn to believe about God, who He is, what he's done for us through the redemptive work of Christ and what God has promised to do.
Hebrews 11:6 says, "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
God is good and his Word says he desires to be good to us. We must believe he is faithful to do so and honor Him but expecting to see his goodness.
Psalm 33:4-5 ESV
4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
We like to think He is faithful to us, and he is, but it’s really based on his Word. Who he says he is and what he says he will do is something we can trust and depend on.
Look at this verse,
2 Timothy 2:13 ESV
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
He is faithful to his own character, his own will, which are revealed in his Word.
In our next episode, we will look at Scripture to increase our faith in the goodness of God and that he wants to be good to us.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
What Jesus Has Done And Our Testimony
We need to look to the Word of God to find out God's will and how to experience it.
Revelation 12:11 King James Version
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony
We know what Jesus had done for us and we make it out Testimony! This is how we overcome!
Scriptures:
Hebrews 10:23 ESV
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Romans 10:9-10 ESV
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
1 Peter 2:24 ESV
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
https://hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com/
Merry Hearts And Good Health
Summary:
A merry and joyful heart will have a positive effect on our bodies health! Let’s learn how to keep our hearts in good shape so that we can reap the health benefits of it.
Quote:
A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble on the road.
- Henry Ward Beecher
Scriptures:
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22 KJV
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.. Proverbs 17:22 ESV
A rejoicing heart doth good to the body, And a smitten spirit drieth the bone. Proverbs 17:22 Young's Literal Translation
Proverbs 15:13 ESV
“A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”
Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..”
John 14:27 ESV
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
Proverbs 14:30 NIV
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 18:14 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?
Proverbs 4:23 ESV
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Above all else, guard your heart,for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 18:14 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
The strong spirit of a man sustains him in bodily pain or trouble, but a weak and broken spirit who can raise up or bear?
Psalm 42:11 ESV
“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.”
Philippians 4 ESV
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Doctors, Medicine and Faith
In all we do, we should be able to do in faith because without faith it is impossible to please God. (See Hebrews 11:6)
In this episode, I share from Scripture that God isn't against doctors or medicine and they can in fact be good. However, we must always keep God first and look to God first and not as a last resort. What we believe about our future isn't based on the words of a doctor but on the Word of God.
Scriptures:
“...For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” - Romans 14:23 (ESV)
Luke the disciple was a doctor. Colossians 4:14
Jesus was referred to himself as a physician. Mark 2:17, Luke 4:23
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments. - 1 Timothy 5:23
We must do thing in the natural to take care of our body or we can get wore down and sick. An example is Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25-30
2 Chronicles 16:12-13 (NIV says sought help only from physicians)
“12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the Lord, but only from the physicians. 13 Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his ancestors.”
"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." -3 John 2
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
God Has Compassion
Summary:
We can push our body too far by working to much, not getting enough rest, carrying to much stress, not eating right and not getting enough sleep. In doing so, we can set our self up for getting sick.
We need to understand there are natural laws that govern our body. We need to understand our bodies need good nutrition, rest, exercise and we need to not carry stress in order to help our bodies be healthy.
If we are sick because we have neglected to take good care of our bodies, we can still repent and confess what we have done and seek God's compassion. He is a God of compassion and healing is part of his compassion.
Scripture:
Philippians 2:25-30 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
25 However, I thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus [back] to you. [He has been] my brother and companion in labor and my fellow soldier, as well as [having come as] your special messenger (apostle) and minister to my need.
26 For he has been [homesick] longing for you all and has been distressed because you had heard that he was ill.
27 He certainly was ill [too], near to death. But God had compassion on him, and not only on him but also on me, lest I should have sorrow [over him] [a]coming upon sorrow.
28 So I have sent him the more willingly and eagerly, that you may be gladdened at seeing him again, and that I may be the less disquieted.
29 Welcome him [home] then in the Lord with all joy, and honor and highly appreciate men like him,
30 For it was through working for Christ that he came so near death, risking his [very] life to complete the deficiencies in your service to me [which distance prevented you yourselves from rendering].
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Sing Songs of Faith
1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. - Psalm 103 (NIV)
These are the first 5 verses of Psalm 103. They was written by King David. Did you know that he was a musician? Did you know that the word Psalms comes from the Greek word, psalmoi which means “"instrumental music" and,the words accompanying the music? In the original Hebrew text the word was Tehillim which means praises!
The Psalms was like a song book for the Israelites. They sang about the goodness of God and how he delivered them. They also sang about the hard times and how they decided to trust in God for deliverance.
Now we must understand what this means. Imagine going to Church today and everyone is singing together words declaring God forgives all sin and heals all diseases. Do you think most churches will be willing to sing that? I know of some that would and do it rejoicing that it’s true.
The Israelites believed God was their healer. As we said in our last podcast that this is exactly who God told them he was, their Healer. (See Exodus 15:26)
As they sang together they were affirming their belief in the God who heals. There was no doubt that it was God’s will for them. They were so convinced that they sang about it.
Now think about a song that you like. Don’t you go around sometimes singing it to yourself? Speaking the words of the song?
I want you to know you can sing songs of God’s goodness and declaring Him as your Healer as you sing.
Let’s look at Colossians 3:16, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
The Psalms were not just used as songs, but as ways to teach and encourage each other. It was also a way to give God thanks.
My challenge for you today is to begin singing songs to yourself that will encourage you to look upon the Lord as your Healer. You can make up a tune using Psalm 103 or your can even make up your own song. In doing so you will be following God’s instructions as revealed in his Word. In doing so you will be allowing the message of Christ to dwell richly among you!
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Hope for Healing, Faith for Living
I want you to know Philippians 1:6 because in the days you are discouraged, this verse will not let you give up. God will not quit on you so don't you quit.
Philippians 1:6 ESV
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. "
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Today I share from Joshua 1:8 and see how God wants us to make our way propersperous and have success.
Joshua 1:8 World English Bible
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.”
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
We know we are called to and be strong in faith. We are called to a life of faith and it’s by through faith we access the saving grace of God.
But what about when faith waiver? What causes our faith to waiver and how do we not waiver but be strong?
James 1
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For that man shouldn’t think that he will receive anything from the Lord. 8 He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
We are to ask in faith without doubting. I want you to know doubting is used as a verb. It’s something you do.
What I want to show you from Scripture is what doubting looks like and how it is an enemy to faith.
Doubting is from the Greek Word “diakrinō.
It’s the same word used in this verse.
Matthew 16:3
“In the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can’t discern the signs of the times!”
It’s discern.
Doubting is making a judgment. It’s taking things into consideration and making a judgment.
So what doubting is in the biblical since, is taking into consideration two things instead of focusing on one. That’s a double minded man.
We are to focus on one thing, the truth of God’s Word.
Let’s look at Abraham.
Romans 4
19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform.
Abraham didn’t consider his body or the body of his wife which in the natural was too old to have children. He focused on the promise of God and grew strong in faith.
He didn't waiver. He didn’t practice doubting, considering more than one thing and making a judgement.
No he didn’t even consider the age of his body and the body of his wife. He knew what the condition of his body was but he didn’t consider it. He only thought about the promise of God.
If you want to keep your faith from wavering, stop considering things that are not inline with the Word of God. Keep your focus on the Word and in doing so you are steering focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (See Hebrews 12:2)
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Faith is important. Let’s start with Matthew Chapter 9.
Matthew 9:27-30
27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened.
Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
Is faith important? Yes.
In Matthew 8:13 Jesus said to the Centurion with the paralyzed servant, “Go your way. Let it be done for you as you have believed."
In Matthew 9:22 Jesus said to the woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years, “Your faith has made you well."
Ephesians 2:8 says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith”.
Romans 1:17 says, “The righteous shall live by faith”.
2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “for we walk by faith, not by sight”.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him”.
Faith is important.
Now let’s talk about what we can have faith for. It’s important to know that because Jesus said, “According to your faith be it done to you.”
Let’s go back to how do we get faith. Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
Faith comes to us by hearing. What are you doing when you are listening? You are taking in information. When we are hearing the Word of God we are taking in the anointed message of Christ, revealing the will of God for all people.
Our faith comes from knowing the will of God. Our faith for forgiveness comes from hearing and knowing the will of God concerning forgiveness. Our faith for salvation comes from hearing and knowing the will of God concerning salvation.
God’s Word reveals God’s will and once we know that, we can have faith for it.
It’s our faith that comes from God through the hearing of his Word, that takes hold of his will for our lives. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “Be it unto you according to your faith”. He’s saying you can access God’s will for your life through faith.
It’s not talking about that you can believe for anything you can think of. It’s talking about you can believe and have faith for everything that’s revealed in the Word as God’s will.
So what does that mean for us? It means we need to seek God, seek his will and find out through his Word what his will is so that we can have faith and use faith to take hold of it for ourselves.
Faith is believing what God says in his Word and acting on his Word.
It’s about live it out and being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
A Life of Faith is a Life Connected to the Word
Today we continue to talk about faith.
Lets again look at Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Let’s also look at Hebrews 10:38
“but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”
How do we get faith?
Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
We see that faith is connected to hearing the Word of God, the Word of Christ, the Message of Christ. They all are referring to the same thing.
Faith is connected to hearing the Word and so living by faith is also connected to the Word.
The Word of God must be a priority in our life because it’s our source of faith and faith is how we live. Faith is how we live a life that is pleasing to God.
The Word of God, the message of Christ, the Gospel produces faith in those who will hear it and receive it.
Let’s look at Isaiah 55
6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
7 let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
A few things I want to point out.
We are seek God and forsake our own way and our own thoughts. How do we do this? By the Word.
Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The Word of God reveals the Will of God and once we know the Will of God and receive it as the Will of God, the truth of God’s will, then faith can be produced in our lives.
That’s what the Word is sent forth to do and just like rain waters the earth bringing forth sprouts, so does the Word of God water our spirits bringing forth faith. His Word will produce faith in our hearts if we will receive it as the Word of God, revealing the will of God.
And it’s this Word produced faith in our hearts that we are to live by!
Now let me say something about the difference of belief and faith.
I can believe the weatherman when he says it will rain tomorrow. And that belief can influence my plans for tomorrow. So that’s one type of belief but it’s based on the circumstances. The weatherman is sharing what he believes based on weather patterns.
But then there’s believing God. That’s not based on the circumstances at all. It based simply on trusting God and what God says is his will. That type of believing is faith.
Faith is based on knowing God’s will as revealed in his Word. Faith is believing God.
Ordinary believing is based on circumstances.
Faith is knowing God’s will and taking hold of it even if it contradicts the circumstances because you believe God is faithful to watch over his Word to perform it.
Let’s look at James 5:14-15
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Now in what we just read, what is the circumstances? A person is sick. And in this case it’s actually referring to a person who is sick past taking care of themselves and they have to call for the elders to come to them.
So what might we believe about this person if there was not God?
That they may continue to get worse and die.
But, there is a God and has said of himself that he is the Lord our Healer, Exodus 15:26.
We see in God’s Word that Jesus, through his redemptive work, provided healing for us. 1 Peter 2:24.
His Word says, “Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”
So for those who believe those things about God and God’s will, what should they believe about this person when elders of the church pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord and pray in faith? They should believe the Lord will raise him up. That he will recover.
That belief is based on who God is, what Jesus has done and the revealed will of God. It’s believed to the point that it’s acted on and that’s faith. It has nothing to do with the current condition of the person accept that the sick person has instructions for what to do to be well, to experience the healing power of God in their life.
How do we have the faith to believe this and take hold of it for ourselves? By reading in the Word that it’s so. That it is God’s will.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, which is the message of Jesus.
Let’s commit to living a life of continued hearing God’s revealed will so that we can have faith to walk in his will.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
The Word of Faith
We continue today to talk about faith. Remember without faith it is impossible to please God according to Hebrews 11:6
It’s also through faith we are saved.
Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
It’s God’s grace but it’s by the faith you possess and act on to receive God’s grace for yourself that you are saved.
Let’s hear some more Scripture.
Romans 10:8-14
8 But what does it say?(Deuteronomy 30) “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
This portion of Scripture is talking about faith. It refers to the Scripture as the Word of Faith. It talks about having the Word of Faith in your heart and in your mouth. It talks about believing, faith and how can you believe, or have faith, unless you have the Word of God being proclaimed.
Faith is connected to the Word. The Word is the Word of Faith.
We gain faith from hearing the Word.
Romans 10:17 ESV
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Acts 11:13-14 ESV
13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
Another translations of Acts 11:14 reads, “who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.”
Listen to what it says, “words by which you will be saved”.
Now hear this verse,
Romans 1:16 ESV
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel (The Good News of Jesus), for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The message of Christ, the Word of God is the power of God, the power to save, heal, deliver, provide and everything else God says he is and has promised in His Word.
His Word is the power of God for salvation to everyone….. Who believes.
You determine if the Word of God is the Power of God in your life. It’s determined first by you choosing to hear it and secondly choosing to believe!
Do you want the power of God in your life? The Faith to take hold of God’s promises?
Then get in the Word of God and see what it says. Listen to preachers and teachers who teach the Word of God is true.
Let Faith take root in your heart and turn into the power of God operating in your life.
Just decide to follow Christ and believe what he says.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
www.timdumas.net
Faith - Impossible To Believe God Without It
Today we are going to look at faith, mainly the importance of faith. Until we see the importance of faith, we will not place value on faith like we should. Until we place value on faith, we will not seek to understand and grow our faith as we should.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Hebrews 11:6 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
6 But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].
Hebrews 11:6 makes a very strong statement about faith; it’s impossible to please God without it. It is impossible. No matter how kind you are, no matter how much you give, no matter how much you do the right things, if you are not operating in faith, you will not be pleasing to God.
Think about that. Sometimes in trying to achieve something, we work hard and put forth much effort only to find out our focus was on the wrong things. Our focus in our relationship with God needs to be faith.
Did you notice how the statement on faith is actually connected with drawing near to God?
Let’s hear it again.
Hebrews 11:6 ESV
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
It’s actually talking to those who would draw near to God and giving them instruction for how.
If you want to draw near to God, it’s not going to be by giving more or doing more good works.
It’s going to be by faith.
This verse points out two things that are a must in order to draw near to God.
First, you have to believe that he is. You must have faith.
Second, you must believe that he rewards those who seek him.
We have to have a right view of God in order to draw near, a right view that based on who Scripture reveals God to be and that is a rewarder!
I’m so glad God is a good God who wants us to experience him and his goodness.
He is a rewarder! We must believe that or we are wasting our time.
We must have faith or we cannot please him.
We must believe that he is and… and… that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him!
What is the reward? It’s God himself and knowing him for who he is.
Let’s look at Genesis 15:1 where it’s speaking of God’s covenant with Abram.
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
Genesis 15:1 NKJV
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, [a]your exceedingly great reward.”
Genesis 15:1 Amplified
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield, your abundant compensation, and your reward shall be exceedingly great.
I want you to see something here. God told Abram that he is Abrams shield. Abram now has a shield and it is God. Abram has a reward and the reward is God.
You see when we have the provider, we have provision.
When we have the Prince of Peace, we have peace.
When we have the Healer, we have healing.
God gives us himself, through and in Christ.
Let’s study the Word and develop our faith.
Let’s believe God is and believe he is a rewarder to us because we diligently seek him.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
The Life I Now Live, I Live By Faith Part 2
Where Does Faith Come From?
Romans 10:17
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
It’s important to see that faith comes. Faith is real. It’s not an emotion. It’s not an idea. It’s something that’s real that comes to us, that is imparted into our spirits from God with which we believe God and act on his Word.
In Acts 3 we see Peter and John giving testimony to how a man lame from birth was healed.
16 And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus[c] has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.
What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
WEB “Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.”
KJV “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is the conviction, the proof, the evidence of things not seen. This is like a term used in a trial. What’s presented in trial as evidence is to consider so that you can get to the truth and reach a correct verdict. You have physical evidence presented and you also have evidence you can’t see, a witness giving testimony.
It’s words that become evidence and the weight those words carry depend on the one whose words they are.
The Word of God is the evidence, the proof revealing the truth of God. It’s His Word that we live by. Jesus himself said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Faith is an Obedience
Let’s break it down a little. First I want to share with you that faith is an obedience.
Romans 16:25-27
25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Faith is an obedience. We live a life of obedience, of submission to Christ. That is what the life of faith is.
Whatever the Word of God says is true. We believe it. Whatever the Word of God says we do, we do. Who the Word of God says we are in Christ, we take on that identity.
My thoughts, my actions, how I see God, how I see myself, all is surrendered in obedience to the truth of God’s Word. That’s living by faith.
There is an obedience of faith. There is a yielding to the truth of God which we live by.
Obedience To The Word Is How We Live By Faith
Living by faith means you live by something other than what you see.
The Bible says, faith is the evidence of things not seen.
Can you think of what evidence can be that you can’t see? Words. In a trial, somebody can be called in to give a testimony and a testimony is used as evidence. It’s nothing that you can see but it’s what you can hear, and it’s what you hear based on the credibility of who said it can determine what is truth.
What we believe determines what we do.
We also have to strive to have a right understanding of the Word by looking for more than one scripture on that topic or truth so that we can see them in light of all the Scriptures which helps us have a right understanding.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
The Life I Now Live, I Live By Faith In The Son Of God
Galatians 2:20 ESV
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul is making 3 distinctive statements here
First, “I have been crucified with Christ”
Romans 6:3-6
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
When we accept Jesus as Lord, we are accepting that he was crucified for our sins and we identify with him in this. He allowed himself to be crucified for us, to pay the penalty of death for our sins. We accept this and identify with Christ in this.
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
Second, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Romans 6
7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Again, it’s about identifying with Christ. We give up our own identity and identify with him. Who I am is all about Jesus. It’s about believing the Words of Christ and submitting to him.
Third, “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Paul is making a statement about himself and how he now lives. It’s important to see that Paul is making a distinction from his previous life to his life now in saying, the life I now live.
Some talk about the miraculous change they've seen in people’s life when they got saved. Usually they are referring to someone who was wild, mean or just a well known sinner that had their life turned around when they got saved.
That’s good and praise God for changing lives but I want you to know giving our lives to Christ and living by faith is more than just a change of what we do. It’s how we live.
Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Paul said I live by Faith. That's how we live as believers, as new creations in Christ.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
How to Not Doubt
Scriptures shows us that doubting will hinder our prayers. I’m so thankful the Scripture not only tells us not to doubt but gives us principles to apply so that we don’t. We will look at this today so that we don’t have to give into doubt but can grow and be strong in faith.
Scriptures:
James 1:5-7 ESV
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
You’ve got to ask. You’ve got to ask in faith and you’ve also got to with no doubting. Now I want to say something here. You can believe with your mind and your heart but doubt is only a mind thing. If you can control your thoughts, you can control doubt.
Let’s see a principle taught in the Word about our thoughts and controlling them.
Philippians 4:4-7
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness[d] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned[e] and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
Romans 4:16-21
16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. 17 As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations.”Genesis 17:5 This is in the presence of him whom he believed: God, who gives life to the dead, and calls the things that are not, as though they were. 18 Besides hope, Abraham in hope believed, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, “So will your offspring be.”Genesis 15:5 19 Without being weakened in faith, he didn’t consider his own body, already having been worn out, (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 Yet, looking to the promise of God, he didn’t waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was also able to perform.
Abraham did not deny his circumstances but what he chose to do was focus on the goodness and faithfulness of God along with God’s promises. He controlled what he thought on. In doing so his faith grew strong and unbelief, or doubt, did not have opportunity to take hold.
Refuse to doubt by refusing to think on things that stir up doubt. Think on things, meditate on things, think and meditate on the Word of God which produces unwavering faith.
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
He Had Faith But Needed To Act On It
Acts 14:5-10
5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them (Paul and Barnabas) and to stone them 6 they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region. 7 There they preached the Good News. 8 At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked. 9 He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.
In our last episode, we talked about how we know healing was part of the message that Paul and Barnabas were preaching because by listening to them, a man cripple from birth had faith to be made whole. The only way to have faith is to hear the Word of God, or the message of Christ because Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word of God, or the Word of Christ as some translations say.
Therefore, since this man had faith to be healed, that faith for healing came for hearing Paul preach the goodness of Jesus and included healing.
Let’s look again at Proverbs 4:20-22
20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
The Word itself is healing or produces healing. Here we see faith for healing was produced in the crippled man because he heard Paul preach the good news of Jesus.
Now I don’t want you to miss this part. The crippled man had faith to be made well. He had faith “to be made” well. He wasn’t well but had faith to be made well.
Remember James 2:17, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
This man had faith but he had yet to act on his faith.
Paul saw this and gave the man instructions how to use his faith.
Paul said, “Stand upright on your feet!”
The Scripture says, “He leaped up and walked.”
So let’s go back and take a big picture look. A man, crippled from birth listened to Paul preach about Jesus. From that, he had faith to be made well. And, though he had faith to be made well, he wasn’t. Paul, apparently by revelation of the Holy Spirit, could see this man had faith and instructed him how to act on his faith. Once he did, what he had faith for came to pass.
Can you gain faith for healing by hearing the Word of God? Yes.
Can you have faith for healing but still not be? Yes.
Can you have faith, act on your faith, and experience the power of God in your life? Yes.
Let’s be determined to study the Word of God, to know it’s truth, to grow in faith and learn how to act on our faith so that we can experience the Will of God in our lives.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
www.hopeforhealingfaithforliving.com
Today we will again be in James Chapter 1 where we see in verse 5 that we can ask of God and that he is generous. He is good. Today we will see in verse 6 how we are to ask and how not to.
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
We are to ask in faith. Let me say again, this portion of scripture is talking about asking for wisdom but I want to make it clear, this is teaching us how to ask for anything we need from God, not just wisdom.
Verse 5 ends with the promise of when we ask, it will be given and then verse 6 starts with a but. “But let him ask in faith”.
Whatever we are asking of God, needs to be, must be asked of in faith.
In other words, we need that full assurance that we can ask, that God wants us to ask for what it is that we are asking for.
How are we going to get faith? How are we going to get that full assurance?
Romans 10:17 gives us the answer, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (King James says word of God)
God’s Word reveals God’s will. It’s his will that we can ask for.
1 John 5:14-15 English Standard Version
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
We know his will when we know his Word. His Word reveals His will.
When we ask according to the Word, we are asking according to God’s will. We are asking knowing this is God’s will for us, his desire for us, what he wants for us.
In the Scriptures we are studying in James, we are told if we need wisdom, we can ask.
Therefore we can have faith for wisdom because we know asking for wisdom is God’s will.
Now you may doubt God wants you to receive wisdom from him, but if you continue to meditate on the Scriptures that show you are invited to come and ask for wisdom, that doubt will subside and faith will take it’s place. You will get to a point of being fully persuaded of what God’s will is for you.
Let’s read verse 6 again, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”
How are we to ask? In faith. With no what? Doubting.
I want you to notice that the verse reads with no doubting. Doubting is a verb. It’s something you do. In this context, it’s taking in consideration other things besides the revealed will of God.
Let’s go back and read the verses again and you will see it talking about going back and forth.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Faith is focused on God’s Word, his revealed will. Doubting is considering other things that are not inline with God’s revealed will, the truth of his will. So that person goes back and forth.
Can it be dishonoring to God to put ourselves in the seat of judgment where we decide whether God’s Word is true or not? Yes.
You’ve got to decide. Will his Word be your final authority and you diligently study it to be sure of God’s will or not.
It’s the only way you can walk in faith.
Blessings in Christ,
Tim Dumas
timdumasok@gmail.com
Today we will look at a passage found in James Chapter one where we will see that we can ask of God for wisdom and believe him for it. We will also see the goodness and generosity of God.
James 1 (ESV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
We can are invited to ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 says If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask…..
How good is our God to invite us to ask for wisdom!
Now the wisdom we can ask for here is not limited to any one particular area of life. We can ask for wisdom for any area of life we so desire. It can be wisdom for our marriage, in parenting, in paying off bills, in dealing with relationships, in walking in health.
Every area of our lives can benefit from having access to godly wisdom.
Now let’s go back to the second part of verse 5 to see the goodness of God.
Vs 5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
We are shown here and are to believe that God gives generously.
Let’s look at more scripture showing the goodness and generosity of God.
1 Timothy 6:17 English Standard Version
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.
Matthew 7:7-11 English Standard Version
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
God is a good, a giving, and a generous God. Our Heavenly Father wants us to know this and believe this about him.
The next part of James 1:5 says he gives without reproach. That means fault finding.
When we come to our Heavenly Father to ask for wisdom, he’s not going to respond by saying how bad we are and by pointing out our faults.
Now our own hearts may be heavy because of how we have been living and we need to be honest with God about that.
Let’s look at another promise real quick and then come back to James Chapter 1.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
If we confess, agree with God that what we did was a sin, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse! Amen!
Now back to James 1:5. He gives without reproach. I’m so glad when I come to God in prayer that he doesn’t respond with, “What about this sin? What about that sin?” He’s not looking to point out my sin. God in fact promised to forgive, cleanse and forget about them.
Hebrews 8:12 “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
When I come to God in prayer asking for wisdom, I’m coming to my Heavenly Father who loves me, who sees me as righteous because of the redemptive work of Christ. He’s not looking to find fault with me. He’s looking to show himself as giving and generous to me. And, he’s invited me to come and ask.
Amen! God is good! He is giving and he is generous!!
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Today I want to look at an opportunity Timothy had to say no to Paul’s advice, which was really spoken as a command, and miss living a healthier life.
Let’s look at 1 Timothy 5:23
Here Paul writes to Timothy, “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”
Now let me say at the very beginning, there is an argument of whether or not Paul meant fermented or unfermented wine. This is not the topic I want to cover today.
What I do want to cover is how Timothy could have responded.
He could have responded by not listening to Paul and instead just to determine to live by faith and not depend on a little wine to help him stay healthy.
Let me be clear. It’s not a lack of faith to listen to the wise counsel of others. It’s not a lack of faith to seek wisdom in a matter. In fact, the Scriptures tell us to do these very things so we are actually inline with God’s will when we do them.
We can’t just always say, “I’m just going to believe God.” It can be a matter of pride when people say something like this. And it could be the focus is no longer on God but on themselves and what they can do through faith.
If you are dealing with a sickness or ailment, I encourage you to get wise counsel. I encourage you to seek understanding and wisdom about the matter.
A doctor of course can help you. Studying the matter on your own can also give you insight. Speaking with others who have been through it can also help.
I’m not saying to not look to God. I’m saying to look to him and follow his guidance and that includes seeking wise counsel, gaining understanding and seeking wisdom.
Let me share with you a Scripture that sums it up.
Proverbs 19:20 ESV
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
I’ve had times where I’ve had a health issue and I prayed but I also went to a doctor to hear what he had to say. Sometimes the doctor gave me some simple advice that ended up being a tremendous help. Other times the doctor said what he believed the problem was and the course of action that needed to be taken but in my spirit I had a check. I didn’t believe the doctor was right and as it turned out, God gave me the wisdom for the answer and it was different than what the doctor said.
It’s inline with Scripture to seek counsel and instruction. That’s not a lack of faith.
Don’t let you’re trying to prove your faith to others, as a result of pride, keep you from getting help.
And don’t forget, God himself promised to provide wisdom.
James 1:5 ESV
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
God is a good God. He is a healing God. Let’s keep growing and keep trusting Him.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
We’ve been talking about the evidence in Scripture that healing is part of God’s will for us. Today I want to continue looking at the Scriptural evidence proving healing is God’s will. Our goal is to know and believe what God has proclaimed in his Word as truth. His truth is to be our truth. His will is what we are to submit to, act on and believe for.
You see it’s not that we are asking God to do something for us that we desire. No. What we are doing is looking to His Word to see what His desire for us is, then pursue it.
Let’s look at a passage found in Psalm 103
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Does this passage list healing as a benefit of knowing God?
Yes it does. Now is this true or not. You have to make your mind up.
Will your belief be determined by God’s Word or something else. Will it be determined by what you have heard others say or preach? Will it be determined by what you have experienced in the past or even in the present?
Or, will you base your belief about God and his will for your life on what he has revealed through his Word?
If the answer to that is yes, then make your words line up with God’s Word and begin to confess that healing is one of the benefits that belong to you as a child of God.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
In our last podcast, we went over the first three pillars of healing. Today we cover the last two!
First is 1 Peter 2:24.
Let’s start with verse 21. Here Peter is telling other believers we are to follow the example Jesus lived out for us.
21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
Here, Peter talks about what Jesus went through for us and then he make it clear what he did for us. He bore our sins so that we are set free from sin to live to righteousness and he also includes Jesus providing bodily healing.
James 5
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
What save? The prayer of faith. Who heals? Jesus. Oil is used but don’t focus on the oil. It’s one method where we can use our faith. By faith, we can take hold of what Jesus has already provided for us.
Continue to read and meditate on these scriptures. Let the Word dwell in your heart until you have a steadfast faith that God is the Lord our Healer, Jesus has provided healing and healing is God’s will for your life.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
timdumasok@gmail.com
In today’s podcast, I’m sharing the first part of a two part series where I share what I believe are the five most important scriptures showing God is our Healing, healing is part of the redemptive work of Christ and that healing is God’s will for us today.
Exodus 15:26 English Standard Version
26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.”
It’s important to note that God himself said he doesn’t change. (See Malachi 3:6)
He always is our Healer.
The Young’s Literal Translation reads this way, “for I, Jehovah, am healing thee."
This is present tense. He is healing thee. Healing is always his will if we will believe him and draw near to him and trust him.
Isaiah 53 English Standard Version
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Young’s Literal Translation
4 Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains -- he hath carried them, And we -- we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 And he is pierced for our transgressions, Bruised for our iniquities, The chastisement of our peace [is] on him, And by his bruise there is healing to us.
Matthew 8 14-17 English Standard Version
14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Matthew tells exactly what Isaiah 53:4 was saying, “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” Some will say the healing Jesus provided for us is spiritual. That’s true but it’s clear here that physical healing is also included. Isaiah is talking about physical healing.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
He had Faith To Be Made Whole
Acts 14:7 There they (Paul and Barnabus) preached the Good News.
8 At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who never had walked. 9 He was listening to Paul speaking, who, fastening eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be made whole, 10 said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” He leaped up and walked.
There was a man listening to Paul preach who had been a cripple from birth.
He was hearing the gospel being preached. What was the result? He had faith to be made whole. Meaning, in this case, to be healed and able to walk.
Remember Romans 10:17, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.
He had faith. Paul, as revealed to him by the Holy Spirit, saw this man had faith, and not just any faith, it was faith to be healed.
For this man to have faith to be healed, Paul had to have included healing as he preached the goodness of Jesus Christ.
He had faith to be healed but wasn’t healed. The problem was just what it says in James Chapter 2 says faith without works is dead. The Amplified Bible says faith without works is, “inactive and ineffective and worthless”.
This crippled man’s faith to be whole was inactive and therefore ineffective.
Paul saw he had faith and told him to do something. He told him to act on his faith and stand.
I would think that a crippled man may spend time wanting to stand but doesn’t really have the thought, “I believe I will stand up.” But, at this moment, that’s exactly what he did.
Let’s summarize what happened.
Paul preached the Good News of Christ. A crippled man decided to listen. As a result, he had faith to be made well but was still at this point a cripple. He chose to act on his faith and the result was a miracle. A Healing. A cripple man can now walk.
What is our take away?
We must be where we can hear the Word, even if it’s just making time to read it yourself.
We must choose to believe what we are hearing and we must choose to act on it.
Then we trust God for the outcome.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
timdumasok@gmail.com
What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 gives us insight as to what faith is. Looks look at a few different translations.
WEB: Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
NIV: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
KJV: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Amplified Bible: Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, [a]the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
So we see hear that faith is much stronger is a belief, or full persuasion so much to the point that it’s just like having the title deed to something.
Now this means I know it belongs to me and because i know it, I can take it for myself.
Faith that it is ours and faith take hold of it.
Let’s look at 1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold (take hold) of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses.
This eternal life isn’t just referring to heaven. It’s referring to the life of God that is available to you now. We take hold of the life of God now, first in being born again and becoming a new creation, and then continue to take hold of it as we learn and grow and begin to walk in his promises.
So faith is the assurance of what God’s will is for us and that it’s ours for the taking. Faith is also what we use to take hold of it.
Faith is being so fully persuaded, that it changes how we think and act. Our way of life changes. What we expect in life changes because it’s now based on the promises of God’s Word and that is learning to live by faith and to walk by faith.
It’s this full assurance that happens in us as we read or hear God’s Word. It’s God working in us by his Word and by his Spirit to cause this faith to rise up in us to believe, again first for salvation, and then continuing on to grow in the things of God and live according to his Word.
Confession: I choose to live by faith. I choose to walk by faith. I choose to trust God’s Word and act on it.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
He Sent His Word And Healed Them
Hebrews 4:2 (WEB)
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.
In our last podcast we talked about how the Word of God is meant to profit us. It’s meant to reveal who God is and how to know him. It’s meant to show us who God is calling us to be as new creations in Christ. It’s meant to show us what God’s will is and how to walk in it.
Let’s start with some Scriptures today that reveal some of what the Word is in our lives and let’s begin mixing faith with it.
He sends his word, and heals them, and delivers them from their graves. - Psalm 107:20 WEB
It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life. - John 6:63 WEB
Proverbs 4:20-22
20 My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
So we see and we know from Scripture that the Words of God are spirit and life. We know that God has and is sending his Word which brings healing and deliverance. We know that we are to attend to his words, keeping our focus on his Words, they are to be dear to our hearts because they are life to us and health to us.
These are truths revealed into to us by God through his Word. Now we choose to mix faith with it be choosing to believe it and acting on it.
How to de act on our faith. We will cover this more but one way we can always act in faith is be agreeing that what God’s Word says is true and true for us. It’s called a confession of faith. I say what I believe.
We can just profess it or we can do it with thanksgiving unto the Lord.
Let me give you and example
Psalm 107:20 says, “He sends his word, and heals them…”
I take that and choose to believe it and act on it by just giving God thanks. It could be as simple as this.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Word. Thank you that your Word brings healing to me. It brings healing in my marriage as I follow your principles. It brings healing to my mind as I understand your love for me and the forgiveness given to me through Christ. It brings healing to my body as your Word is life to me and health to my flesh. Father I thank you for your Word and I honor you by honoring your Word for what it is, life and health to me. Thank you in Jesus Name!”
You see that’s an example of choosing to mix faith with the Word. We don’t want to miss out on what God has for us simply because we read the Word and don’t mix faith with it.
Believe God. Read his Word and choose to accept it as true. Believe it. Do what it says and then simply continue to trust God.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Hebrews 4:2 (WEB)
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.
This Word translated here as profit is a Greek Word ōpheleō which also means, to benefit, to be of value.
The Word of God is to benefit us. It’s to be of great value in our lives.
2 Timothy 3:16 (WEB)
Every Scripture is God-breathed (inspired by God) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,
Now let’s go back to Hebrews 4:2 and see why the Word wasn’t profitable.
Hebrews 4:2 (WEB)
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but the word they heard didn’t profit them, because it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard.
So this verse makes it very clear. The Word does not profit or benefit those who hear the Word and don’t mix it with faith.
I know people who know what the Word says and it’s not profiting them at all. Some know the Word and are not even believers. They just see the Bible as a work of literature.
They are not placing value on the Word because they don’t believe it is the inspired Word of God and therefore they are not mixing faith with it.
Now what does it mean to mix faith with it?
Well let’s remind ourselves of the kind of faith we are to have as followers of Christ. I’m not going into a whole teaching on faith right now but I do want to take is to see what the Word says in James 2.
James 2:14-22
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him? 15 And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food, 16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. 18 Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.
The ESV version of verse 22 reads, “22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”
The faith we are to have as Christians is active faith and for faith to be active, you have to act. There must be some type of action accompanying your faith or else you faith will be inactive. It will be useless because it’s not being used.
When you read the Scriptures, choose to believe it and act on it. That's mixing faith with hearing God's Word.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmailcom
I wanted to take a few minutes to kind of give you an overview of what to expect from this podcast.
My goal is to present to you Scripture and Biblical Principles to help you know God for who he revealed himself to be in Exodus 15:26, the Lord our Healer
With each podcast, we will look to the Scriptures to know what God’s will is, who he is, what Jesus has already done for us through his redemptive work on the cross and how we can through faith, access and experience what is offered to us by his grace.
I want to be clear on this point, I’m not against doctors nor do I believe the Scripture teaches against doctors. In fact Luke was referred to as, “the beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14.
We are going to look at what faith is and how to grow in faith.
We are going to look at how to know God’s will and once you know it, how to believe for them.
We are going to look to see what God’s promises are and how to take hold of them for ourselves.
All of this, all of what we see God wants for us has been made possible because of and through Christ Jesus.
God is a good God. He is a faithful God and Jesus is Lord. I hope you enjoy and are blessed by the future podcasts and most of all I hope they draw you into a deeper relationship with God through Christ.
Blessings,
Tim Dumas
Email: timdumasok@gmail.com
Faith is real. It's not something that we just work up. It's not a feeling and it's not a thought. It's real and it comes to us from God.
Verses:
Romans 1:17
"For in it is revealed God’s righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, “But the righteous shall live by faith.”
2 Corinthians 5:7
"for we walk by faith, not by sight."
Romans 10:17
"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."
Also
Acts 3:16, 2 Corinthians 4:14, Mark 11:20-24
Thank you for listening. I pray you are encouraged and blessed!
Tim Dumas
https://hopeforhealingfaithforliving.transistor.fm/
In Exodus 15:26 God revealed Himself to be, "the Lord, your healer.” No mater how we feel or what the Doctors have said, we choose to believe God. We believe God is who He said He is and we choose to say of God what He has said of Himself. This is how we begin to know God for who He is.