(Continued from last month)


How we can increase our faith – the Parable of the Sower

Stronger faith is better.  An effective method of establishing our hearts in faith for healing (or indeed any promise of God) is through meditation of the relevant Bible promises (Romans 10:17).  

A foundation Scripture on which we base meditation as the process for increasing faith, and thereby receiving God’s promises in this world, is “The Parable of the Sower” (Mark 4:1-29). In verse 13, Jesus says “Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?” In other words, Jesus is saying that until we master understanding of this parable, we will not be able to understand the other parables.  

This parable teaches that we can influence how much fruit (e.g. healing), of God’s kingdom we can experience, by how well, and how much of God’s Word on healing we are able to successfully plant and grow in our heart (Mark 4:24).  No seed - no harvest; no watering - no harvest (Mark 4:14-15, 20).  The unknown, or uncertain factors, are the quality or openness of our heart to receive the incorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23), and the diligence with which we water the seed.  Is your heart good ground?  How often and with what intensity will you water the seed?

The most effective method of planting and watering the seed (for healing and other covenant promises) is Biblical meditation (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2).  This includes: study; vivid imagination of the relevant Scriptures including imagining ourselves healed; audibly declaring with emotion the healing Scriptures and one’s good health; and thanking, worshipping and praising the Lord for that good health.  Without meditation to establish this deep knowledge and belief, it is difficult for a Christian to establish their heart in true faith about healing.  Without deep faith, divine healing may not occur.  

As well as stronger faith being better, focused faith is also important: if we want healing, we must meditate on healing scriptures.  The seed of God’s Word will always produce whatever it says - if we are planting and watering seeds in areas other than healing, we can expect fruitfulness in those areas, but not necessarily healing (Mark 4:26).  

Is divine healing with limited faith possible?

For faith to work effectively we need to have certainty and conviction about the truth we believe. Scripture says: “let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8).  For healing to be assured, faith for healing must be without doubt.  If doubt exists about whether it is the Lord’s will that a person should be healed, then faith is lacking, doubt and double-mindedness exist, and Scripture says we should not think to receive healing from God.

Some people mistakenly feel that divine healing does not require deep faith in healing, and can be claimed even if faith in regard to healing is as small as “a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 13:31).  However, following the instructions of Jesus about interpreting all parables in the light of “The Parable of the Sower”, it becomes clear that the mustard seed parable does not mean you need only a tiny bit of faith to be cured from a major illness e.g. cancer.  It rather means that a tiny seed – (e.g. “Himself (Jesus) took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” - Matthew 8:17) - if planted, diligently meditated in the human heart, and given time to grow, has the capacity to completely heal a person from cancer.  

The concept is this:  in the same way that a small mustard seed can grow into a large tree, a small seed which contains faith for healing, sown into a receptive heart and watered through meditation, can grow into a large and effective faith.  A biblical example is Matthew 17:20 where Jesus’ disciples were, at that stage of their faith development, unable to cast out a devil because of their small faith or unbelief – yet later, with more faith, they enabled many healing miracles.  Faith increases as we use the faith we have by speaking to our mountains, or obstacles.

Everyone is at different levels of faith for divine healing.  Someone may have faith to be instantly healed from a headache, but insufficient faith to be divinely healed of leukemia. With continued focus on God’s promises of healing, however, faith can grow to the level of overcoming a serious and life threatening disease like leukemia.

Conclusion

We can be confident of the nature and power of faith in respect to healing - it is: based on the truth of God’s Word; part of the finished redemptive work of Christ; and, therefore, our right as children of God.  God has already provided healing for us - it simply needs to be accepted by faith. 

However, until we have spent the time and effort to establish our heart in the belief of divine healing, we may not have sufficient faith to receive faith-based healing (although we may still receive healing by divine gift of the Holy Spirit). Therefore, while a doubtful person should pursue prayer and faith building to increase their capacity for divine healing, they are also advised to use natural and scientific means to try and improve their health.

Over time, as God’s Words concerning healing are planted in our heart and watered, faith to believe in God for healing will grow. This requires a dedicated time commitment to meditate the Scriptures that declare His will of healing, and establish our heart in faith in the healing redemptive work of Christ. Once we have diligently established our heart in belief in God’s Words that promise healing, then we can be radical, and believe absolutely in, and receive, total healing. 

For a further comprehensive study of the Word of God on healing, you might like to refer to a book by this author “God’s Covenant of Healing” which contains more than 250 healing Scriptures. 

Recognition: I would like to thank my brother Michael G. Shreeve (B Comm Hons 1 UNSW) for his excellent editorial work on this article.

This itinerary is subject to change without notice

Sow financial seed: Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account (Philippians 4:17).