And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. It is only the truth that we know well that will set us free.
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 

Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
The thief’s [satan's] purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My [Jesus'] purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.
 Stay alert!   Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.
 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit. “Listen, you spirit that makes this boy unable to hear and speak,” he said. “I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!”
While they were at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas came upon a man with crippled feet. He had been that way from birth, so he had never walked. He was sitting and listening as Paul preached. Looking straight at him, Paul realized he had faith to be healed.

So Paul called to him in a loud voice, “Stand up!” And the man jumped to his feet and started walking.
So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.

And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.
After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then their eyes were opened, and they could see!

Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.
And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.  Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.  These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to Jesus, and they begged him to touch the man and heal him.

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, spitting on the man’s eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, “Can you see anything now?”

The man looked around. “Yes,” he said, “I see people, but I can’t see them very clearly. They look like trees walking around.”

Then Jesus placed his hands on the man’s eyes again, and his eyes were opened. His sight was completely restored, and he could see everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him away, saying, “Don’t go back into the village on your way home.”
Jesus knew their thoughts. He said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” So the man came forward. Then Jesus said to his critics, “I have a question for you. Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?”

 He looked around at them one by one and then said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
Every good gift and every perfect (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].
 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].
So that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.
But many of those who heard the message believed (adhered to and trusted in and relied on Jesus as the Christ).
And leaping forth he stood and began to walk, and he went into the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking about and praising God,
 He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God.
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God?

You are not your own, You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?
And if you belong to Christ [are in Him Who is Abraham’s Seed], then you are Abraham’s offspring and [spiritual] heirs according to promise.
Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his Offspring, his Heir). He [God] does not say, And to seeds (descendants, heirs), as if referring to many persons, but, And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir), obviously referring to one individual, Who is [none other than] Christ (the Messiah).
Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil—
[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].
How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.
And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
 Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not [one of] all His benefits—
Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities,
Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,
Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.

It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.
Afterward, when Jesus found him in the temple, He said to him, See, you are well! Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.
Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned.
 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross],
 Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified);
He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
 And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases.
At that time you will ask (pray) in My Name; and I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf [for it will be unnecessary].

For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.
Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you
Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way
and [that your body] may keep well,
even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.
 When He was reviled and insulted,
He did not revile or offer insult in return;
[when] He was abused and suffered,
He made no threats [of vengeance];
but he trusted [Himself and everything]
to Him Who judges fairly.
 Now this was the passage of Scripture which he was reading: Like a sheep He was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so He opens not His mouth.

In His humiliation  He was taken away by distressing and oppressive judgment and justice was denied Him [caused to cease]. Who can describe or relate in full the wickedness of His contemporaries (generation)? For His life is taken from the earth and a bloody death inflicted upon Him.
Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:]

Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained,
 
But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.
 
And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!
Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages).
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick.

And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took  [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases.
How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.
 And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons,

But in every nation he who venerates and has a reverential fear for God, treating Him with worshipful obedience and living uprightly, is acceptable to Him and sure of being received and welcomed [by Him].
You masters, act on the same [principle] toward them and give up threatening and using violent and abusive words, knowing that He Who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no respect of persons (no partiality) with Him.
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.
And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].

Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.

For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?

Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent?
 
 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!
Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.

For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,

You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
Food [is intended] for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will finally end [the functions of] both and bring them to nothing. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again].

And God both raised the Lord to life and will also raise us up by His power.
Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord’s name.

And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil.

It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.
My son, forget not my law or teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
For length of days and years of a life [worth living]
and tranquility [inward and outward and
continuing through old age till death],
these shall they add to you.
 For we who live are constantly [experiencing] being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, that the [resurrection] life of Jesus also may be evidenced through our flesh which is liable to death.
And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.
 And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.
And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race].

He who believes [who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] and is baptized will be saved [from the penalty of eternal death]; but he who does not believe [who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Whom it sets forth] will be condemned.
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!
Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits—
Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit and corruption, Who beautifies, dignifies, and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercy;
Who satisfies your mouth [your necessity and desire at your personal age and situation] with good so that your youth, renewed, is like the eagle’s [strong, overcoming, soaring]!
He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons, and He drove out the spirits with a word and restored to health all who were sick.

And thus He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah, He Himself took [in order to carry away] our weaknesses and infirmities and bore away our diseases.
Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy].

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.
So be subject to God.
Resist the devil [stand firm against him],
and he will flee from you.
 He sends forth His word and heals them
and rescues them from the pit and destruction.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God [all the while] was making it grow and [He] gave the increase.
 Now the meaning of the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.
Those along the traveled road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and carries away the message out of their hearts, that they may not believe ]acknowledge Me as their Savior and devote themselves to Me) and be saved [here and hereafter].
 
And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear [the Word], receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof).
 
And as for what fell among the thorns, these are [the people] who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not ripen (come to maturity and perfection).
 
But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.
 For we walk by faith [ we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.
For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
For the Son of God, Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who has been preached among you by us, by myself, Silvanus and Timothy, was not Yes and No; but in Him it is [always the divine] Yes.

For as many as are the promises of God, they all find the Yes [answer] in Him [Christ].  For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.
Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain Be lifted up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
 
For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
So also faith, if it does not have works
(deeds and actions of obedience to back it up),
by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).
Do you discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
  
If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
You were bought with the price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
Then He touched their eyes, saying,
According to your faith and trust and
reliance [on the power invested in Me]
be it done to you;
For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
But [that appointed time came] when Christ (the Messiah appeared as a High Priest of the better things that have come and are to come. [Then] through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made of the [human] ands, that is, not a part of this material creation.

He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption ( an everlasting release for us).
Never forget 911

For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him.
Afterward, when Jesus found him in the temple, He said to him, "See, you are well! Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.
The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.
 But God's free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man].
For if many died through one man's falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of ] many.
And there was a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had endured much suffering under [the hands of ] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, for she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with the oil in the Lord's name.
And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
And behold, a leper came up to Him and prostrating himself, worshiped Him, saying Lord, if you are willing, You are able to cleanse me by curing me.
And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed by being cured.
And instantly his leprosy was cured and cleansed.
But she came and, kneeling, worshiped Him and kept praying, 'Lord, help me!'
And He answered, 'It is not right (proper, becoming, or fair) to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.'
She said, 'Yes, Lord, yet even the little pups (little whelps) eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] master's table.'
Then Jesus answered her, 'O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you wish.'
And her daughter was cured from that moment.
Behold! I have given you authority and power
to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and
[physical and mental strength and ability]
over all the power that the enemy [possesses];
and nothing shall in any way harm you.
I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.
 And there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had an infirmity caused by a spirit (a demon of sickness). She was bent completely forward and utterly unable to straighten herself up or to look upward.
And when Jesus saw her, He called [her to Him] and said to her, Woman, you are released from your infirmity!
Then He laid [His] hands on her, and instantly she was made straight, and she recognized and thanked and praised God.
Now at the setting of the sun [indicating the end of the Sabbath], all those who had any [who were] sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands upon every one of them and cured them.
And He was not able to do even one work of power there, except that He laid His hands on a few sickly people [and] cured them.
And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him).
And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.
And behold, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [you] Son of David!
The crowds reproved them and told them to keep still; but they cried out all the more, Lord, have pity and mercy on us, [you] Son of David!
And Jesus stopped and called them, and asked, What do you want Me to do for you?
They answered Him, Lord, we want our eyes to be opened!
And Jesus, in pity, touched their eyes; and instantly they received their sight and followed Him.
And it happened that the father of Publius was sick in bed with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to see him, and after praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.
After this had occurred, the other people on the island who had diseases also kept coming and were cured.
And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;
They will pick up serpents; and [even] if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well.
While He was in one of the towns, there came a man full of (covered with) leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and implored Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to cure me and make me clean.
And [Jesus] reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed! And immediately the leprosy left him.
And [Jesus] charged him to tell no one [that he might chance to meet], until [He said] you go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your purification, as Moses commanded, for a testimony and proof to the people, that they may have evidence [of your healing].
 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations].
If we say we have no sin [refusing to admit that we are sinners], we delude and lead ourselves astray, and the Truth [which the Gospel presents] is not in us [does not dwell in our hearts].
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].
Take the best spices: of liquid myrrh 500 shekels,
of sweet-scented cinnamon half as much,
250 shekels, of fragrant calamus 250 shekels,
And of cassia 500 shekels,
in terms of the sanctuary shekel, and of olive oil a hin. 
And you shall make of these a holy anointing oil,
a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a sacred anointing oil.
And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus
from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who
raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also
restore to life your mortal [short-lived,
perishable] bodies through His Spirit Who
dwells in you.
 And they drove out many unclean spirits and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Is anyone among you sick?
He should call in the church elders (the spiritual ones).
And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord's name.
And Jesus having returned to Capernaum, after some days it was rumored about that He was in the house [probably Peter’s].
And so many people gathered together there that there was no longer room [for them], not even around the door; and He was discussing the Word.
Then they came, bringing a paralytic to Him, who had been picked up and was being carried by four men.
 And when they could not get him to a place in front of Jesus because of the throng, they dug through the roof above Him; and when they had scooped out an opening, they let down the [thickly padded] quilt or mat upon which the paralyzed man lay.
And when Jesus saw their faith [their confidence in God through Him], He said to the paralyzed man, Son, your sins are forgiven [you] and put away [that is, the penalty is remitted, the sense of guilt removed, and you are made upright and in right standing with God].
Now some of the scribes were sitting there, holding a dialogue with themselves as they questioned in their hearts,
Why does this Man talk like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins [remove guilt, remit the penalty, and bestow righteousness instead] except God alone?
And at once Jesus, becoming fully aware in His spirit that they thus debated within themselves, said to them, Why do you argue (debate, reason) about all this in your hearts?
Which is easier: to say to the paralyzed man, Your sins are forgiven and put away, or to say, Rise, take up your sleeping pad or mat, and start walking about [and keep on walking]?
But that you may know positively and beyond a doubt that the Son of Man has right and authority and power on earth to forgive sins—He said to the paralyzed man,
I say to you, arise, pick up and carry your sleeping pad or mat, and be going on home.
And he arose at once and picked up the sleeping pad or mat and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and  recognized and praised and thanked God, saying, We have never seen anything like this before!
And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
 Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up (reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this [hope] you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel,
These miraculous signs will accompany
those who believe: "They will cast out demons
in my name, and they will speak in new
languages. The will be able to handle snakes
with safety, and if they drink anything
poisonous, it won't hurt them.
They will be able to place their hands on the
sick, and they will be healed."
 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:
“Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans,  but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.  Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
 Now at Lystra a man sat who found it impossible to use his feet, for he was a cripple from birth and had never walked. 
 He was listening to Paul as he talked, and [Paul] gazing intently at him and observing that he had faith to be healed,
 Shouted at him, saying, Stand erect on your feet! And he leaped up and walked.
And the crowds, when they saw what Paul had done, lifted up their voices, shouting in the Lycaonian language, The gods have come down to us in human form!
When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people, he returned to Capernaum.  At that time the highly valued slave of a Roman officer[a] was sick and near death.  When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent some respected Jewish elders to ask him to come and heal his slave.  So they earnestly begged Jesus to help the man. “If anyone deserves your help, he does,” they said,   “for he loves the Jewish people and even built a synagogue for us.”
So Jesus went with them. But just before they arrived at the house, the officer sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor.  I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed.  I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!”  And when the officer’s friends returned to his house, they found the slave completely healed.
Peter and John went to the Temple one afternoon to take part in the three o’clock prayer service. As they approached the Temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the Temple gate, the one called the Beautiful Gate, so he could beg from the people going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money.
Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, “Look at us!” The lame man looked at them eagerly, expecting some money. But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,[a] get up and[b] walk!”
Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them.
All the people saw him walking and heard him praising God. 10 When they realized he was the lame beggar they had seen so often at the Beautiful Gate, they were absolutely astounded! 11 They all rushed out in amazement to Solomon’s Colonnade, where the man was holding tightly to Peter and John.
The truth about forgiveness
is that it is an act of faith.
When Jesus talked about faith as a mustard seed, in Luke 17, the disciples had just asked Him to increase their faith.

What gave them the sudden desire for more faith, was that Jesus had just talked about forgiveness.
In Mark 11:23 Jesus was talking about the powerful things about mountain moving faith and prayer that get results.

Forgiveness has a lot to do with that kind of faith.
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."  Mark 11:25
We are to let love fill us and change us into vessels that God can pour out His love to others.
We are to yield ourselves to the love of God and let it heal us and set us free from all fear.
Faith works through love.

If our faith is weak, we should check how our love is doing.
God's love makes our faith meaningful and effective.
When we receive the love of God and let it do its work in us, we are not tormented by ideas that God will punish or forsake us.

We are free to live and act out of His love.
When God's love has done its work in us, there is no more room in us for fear; it is booted out because fear produces torment, which means punishment or penalty.
Love casts out fear, which is the opposite of faith.

The Bible says, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment"
1 John 4:18.
Since God is love and faith comes by hearing the Word of God, then faith must be all about expressing the love of God.
God is love.

Love gives and serves and that is what God is all about.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
John 3:16
Faith without love is meaningless.

Paul said, "Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."  Faith can move mountains, but if we do not have love at work in us, then it doesn't make any difference.
The love we need is the love of God working in us and through us to reveal His righteousness.

Only faith working through God's love is able to bring things about.
The Amplified Bible translates it as "faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love."
Galatians 5:6, ".......but faith working through love."

Only faith, working through love, means anything.
We cannot mix faith and fear.

We have a choice, to listen the Word of God and let it fill our hearts and meditate on it or we can choose the voices of fear, the whispers of the enemy, the lies of the devil.
Jesus teaches us just as He taught the disciples to speak to the mountain, with only faith in our hearts and watch as the mountain obeys.
We must chose faith.

We cannot let the words of others contradict the Word of God and get us into fear.

We cannot poison our hearts and weaken our faith with fear.
If we focus our attention on Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we will also receive healing.

That means we are to look only at Him and not the symptoms.
In the Old Testament, when the Israelites were bitten by serpents, they had to look steadfast on the brass serpent on the pole in order to be healed, in Numbers 21:8-9.

That brass serpent was a type of Jesus who became sin for us when He hung on the Cross,   
2 Corinthians 5:21.
As we continually keep our eyes on Jesus and draw strength from Him, sickness and disease has to go.
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Philippians 4:13

Jesus is our strength.
To present our bodies as sacrifices to God, Paul was saying we need to get our bodies lined up with God's Word and believe that Jesus took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses and diseases.

Then we can present them as living sacrifices.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
Romans 12:1

Paul said we are to present our sick, broken, lame bodies as a sacrifice to God.
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings"   Malachi 4:2

Jesus is the 'Sun of righteousness'.

Once we have confessed Jesus as Lord, we are under His wings full of healing. All we have to do is believe and receive.
God's Word was sent to heal us.

We keep it before our eyes, and it becomes life and medicine to all our flesh.
Jesus, the Word made flesh, was sent to heal us.

When we receive Him as our Savior, Jesus also became our Healer.
We can only receive healing by faith when we know it's God's will to heal us because faith is believing God's known will and acting like it's true.

We have to know the Word says healing is ours.
If we take the time to read and study the Word, the revelation knowledge that God wants us healthy will become a part of us.

We will be able to walk in a life of divine health.
"Attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings, Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh"  Proverbs 4:20-22
We have the written Word of God and it's full of healing from cover to cover.

God said, "He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions." Psalm 107:20
Jesus was the Word that became flesh and dwelt among us.

During His ministry, He healed all who came to Him in faith.
As believers, we are to expect signs to follow us according to the Word of God.

When we lay hands on the sick, they are healed.

God's Word works in us, for us and through us.
Healing the sick is part of the Gospel, and we are to take the Gospel into all the world.

"And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name. . . .they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.
Mark 16:17,18

We are to let God use us to heal the sick.
Jesus paid for our sins and sicknesses.

We are free because He already bore them for us.
Jesus bore our physical infirmities on the Cross so we can live healthy and whole all the days of our lives, by faith.
Jesus fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy by physically healing people.
Jesus physically healed Peter's mother-in-law.
Jesus told those that desired healing, "as thou hast believed, so be it done unto you."

That is regarding physical healing.
The infirmities and sicknesses God is talking about here are not spiritual.

Reading the Gospels, we can see what Jesus did to fulfill the Old Testament.
With the belief that is was only spiritual sicknesses that Jesus died for has put many people in early graves.
Jesus took our infirmities and bore our physical sicknesses; they were not spiritual healings as some want to believe.
Jesus never made anyone sick, but healed all who came to Him in faith.

When we come to Him in faith, we receive God's work of healing in our body.

Jesus said, "But that the works of God should be made manifest in him, I must work the works of Him that sent Me."

It was Jesus' work to do His Father's work which was to heal all who believed in Him.
In Jesus' day, religious people thought if someone were born sick, either the parents sinned before the child was born or the child sinned in the womb [how?].
Symptoms may seem to keep us from victory, but as we go our way, believing God's healing power is working wholeness in us.
When we obey Jesus' words, were are healed.

We have to take God at His Word, regardless of what we see or feel and go on our way.
The minute we take God at His Word, our bodies begin to amend.

We are healed as we go.
Don't think that all healings have to be instant.

Instant healings are available, but it's just as scriptural to mend "from that hour."

More people are healed gradually than instantly.
God is trying to teach His church to take Him at His Word.

Believe what He says no matter what the situation looks like, feels like or sounds like.
God's Word is just as powerful as His physical presence.

If we will take Him at His Word, it will do anything He could do if He stood right here in the flesh.
FAITH MUST COME BEFORE
THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
About 80 percent of the things we believe are accepted as truth without feeling or seeing them.

We believe what we read in history books even though we were never there or saw any of it.

Sometimes we are willing to believe anything but the Bible.
We need to believe God's Word just as readily.
Faith always speaks in the present.

Healing belongs to us as children of God.

We are not going to be healed - we are already healed because we believe we receive our answer when we prayed.
Mark 11:24,
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."

When are we to believe we receive them?
When we prayed!
Many of us have prayed for years, but haven't believed that we received when we prayed; and many still do.

We pray then check to see if anything happened; and if nothing is different, we don't believe we received; instead of going about our business believing God heard us [we prayed according to His will]
and remove our focus from our circumstances.

It isn't always instant like when Jesus did it and sometimes His started but took some time.
It's according to our faith that it's done to us.

If we pray and then believe we didn't get anything, we don't get anything.
God says He's the God who heals us.

We can ask Him right now to heal us and believe we have received our requests.
Read Mark 11:22-24
Jesus gives His disciples some good instruction on the subject of faith.

He started by saying, "Have Faith in God".

Then explains the two fundament principles:
        Believe in your heart and
        Say with your mouth.
When symptoms attack our body, we turn to God and say, "Thank you Father that Your Word is true."

We don't deny symptoms but we don't dwell on them either.

We look to Almighty God and receive the healing He's provided for us.
We are not moved by what we see or feel.

We are moved only by the Word of God.

We are healed simply because the Bible says that by Jesus' stripes, we are healed.
As we keep our eyes on the Word of God, it doesn't matter what our bodies feel like.

They will have to respond to that anointed Word.
If the enemy can keep us watching our symptoms, whether they are getting better or worse, he has control over us.
We don't need any other reason to believe we're well except 1 Peter 2:24: "By Jesus' stripes, we are healed."
If believers get their eyes off the Word for any reason, it could get them in trouble.

If they believe they are healed because they feel better and the next day feel worse, then they will fall back into doubt and unbelief.
The enemies [Satan] will do anything and everything in the world to get a believer's eyes off the answer and back onto the problem.
2 Peter 1:19
When problems arise, just believe God's Word,
which is greater than the problems, symptoms or
circumstances.

Be fully persuaded that what God has promised, He's able and willing to do,
Romans 4:21.
Don't deny the problem or try to think it away.

Just look at it and say, "Who cares?  The answer is mine, I have God's Word on it!"
God doesn't want us to deny the problem, He simply wants us to say, "It doesn't matter what I look like, feel like, or sound like; the only thing that matters is what God says. He tells me that by Jesus' stripes I was healed and I believe Him!"
Don't deny that the problem is there; just look at the Word of God and keep your eyes on the answer.
God isn't advocating lying or mind over matter.

He's just saying 'don't consider problems; switch over and consider His Word.
God says by Jesus' stripes we are healed.

So when symptoms come against us, we call those things that be not as though they were, saying "I am healed by the stripes of Jesus!"
Matthew 28:6
God talks about what doesn't exist as though it already existed.

That is why it is alright for us to do the same.

We are not lying; we are following His example.
Romans 4:16 calls Abraham our father of faith.

God made a covenant with Abraham saying that He had made [not will make] him a father of many nations.

God always "calls those things that be not as though they were."
Romans 4:17
Anything contrary to God's Word is a lying vanity.

Don't forsake your mercy and watch symptoms or bad reports.

Make the right choice and watch for the answer.
Everyone of us needs God's mercy.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."  Hebrews 4:16
Whatever we need is available by God's mercy.
"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy."
Jonah 2:8
Don't focus on symptoms or circumstances; look at God's Word and walk in victory every times.
One example of great faith is in Romans 4:19: "And being not weak in faith, [Abraham] considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb."

Take the 'not's out of that Scripture, and we see an example of weak faith.
Weak faith is knowing what God says, but keeps on looking at the problem.

Great faith is not caring what things look like, but knowing what God says.

The difference between great faith and weak faith is found in what we dwell on - the problem or the answer.
Even when we miss God's best, He picks us up and helps us on our way.

There's no condemnation because we are in Christ Jesus, and we walk after the Spirit of God.
God doesn't want us to feel condemned when we miss it and get out of faith.

He's not condemning us.

His hand is always reaching out to help us back up on top of our circumstances.
God saves, heals, guides and protects us.

So we can boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear!"
Hebrews 13:5,6
Get in the Word!

Faith comes by hearing God's Word, and faith drives out fear and helps us to keep our eyes where they belong - on Jesus.
Sometimes Christians make the mistake of rebuking fear without replacing it with anything.

Jesus said, "Fear not, only believe."

Faith can drive out fear and keep it out.
We are to keep our eyes on Jesus, and not look at the circumstances or impossibilities that surround us.

We must choose to believe His Word, and our faith will hold us up.
When the One who made our bodies tells us they are healed, they are healed!

The Word of God is the foundation we are to stand on.
Choose to let God's Word be truth.

Steadfastly focus on His Word and receive what God says.
We may know God's Word is true, but Paul says that we have to choose what is truth in our lives.

Are we going to believe symptoms and circumstances or are we going to believe God.
We must let God be true.

Switch over to the realm of faith and say: Who cares what it looks or feels like? The Bible says I'm healed!
The Bible says, "By Jesus' stripes you were healed."
Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24.

Lots of people say that they know what the Bible says, but do not feel good.

They choose to let the symptoms be truth and God the liar.

They are living on the negative side of life, always focusing on their problems instead of God's Word; that won't bring victory!
With God, all things are possible.

He's greater than any sickness, difficulty, or lack.

He's greater than all and He lives in us; so all things are possible to us because we believe.
Whatever God has, is, and can do is available to us as we apply our faith to His grace and His ability.

If we get ahold of that, it will absolutely change our lives.
Jesus said in Mark 10:27,
"For with God all things are possible."

That's great but what about us?

Jesus cleared that up by saying,
"All things are possible to him that believeth."
In Romans 8:16-17 "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. . . ."

If we are joint heirs with someone, then whatever they inherit also belongs to us.

God appointed Jesus heir of ALL things!!
In Hebrews 1:1-2; "God. . .hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of ALL things. . . ."

All means ALL.

Jesus has been made heir of ALL things!
Jesus made a powerful statement to the man who brought his son to Him for deliverance.

He said, "All things are possible to him that believeth."  Mark 9:23
Too many times we  think about or watch the problem instead of meditating on the word of healing.

Then wondered why our faith doesn't work.

Looking at God's unseen Word produces victory every time.
According to Jesus, about seventy per cent of the people healed under His ministry did so as a result of their own faith.

As a result of our faith, all things are possible to us!