When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses (Matthew 8:16-17).In Isaiah 53, the prophet Isaiah, by revelation, foretold the sufferings of Christ, His passion on the cross, and gives us a picture of His crucifixion:
Jesus replied, If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23 NIV).I want you to understand the language of the Spirit in our opening verse. Why would Jesus say, "If a man loves me, my Father will love him?" Didn’t the Father already love everybody? The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Jesus came because
And these signs shall follow them that believe;In my name shall they cast out devils…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 16:17-18).The Lord Jesus never exaggerated; He spoke absolute reality. What He said in our opening verse is something you should consciously demonstrate or prove, knowing that the one who said it, never lied to anyone. You’re to lay hands on the sick to receive healing; you have the ability in the Name of Jesus.
Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears (Acts 16:25 MSG).2 Chronicles 20 gives the inspiring account of how the children of Judah were surrounded and outnumbered by three enemy nations. Then the king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, proclaimed a fast throughout the land, and while they prayed and fasted, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the Levite and he spoke forth the mind of God: “And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).
I knew a long time ago that wherever I am is God’s headquarters, because Jesus said He and the Father would make their abode in the heart of the one who loves Him and keeps His Word. As I meditated on this several years ago in prayer, loving Jesus became so real to my spirit, and I understood what Paul meant when He said, "For the love of Christ constraineth us…" (2 Corinthians 5:14). What He meant was that our love for Christ compels us.Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23).
