The Word To Live By: 7-13-26
Phil Waggoner
Overhearing but ignoring what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear; only keep on believing.” Mark 5:50 (Amplified)
The Word To Live By: There are two stories of faith in God bringing miracles into someone’s life here in Mark 5. Both of them had head knowledge of Jesus but not necessarily heart knowledge. We know this because they acted in desperation. The woman with the issue of blood had tried everything else, and Jairus was afraid. We know they both had head knowledge of Jesus because the scriptures say they had heard about Jesus. But they both acted on their head knowledge, not on the doctor’s report or their experience. The woman with the issue of blood is classic living by faith. She heard about Jesus. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Romans 10:17. She said, “If I just touch the hem of His garment I will be healed.” Mark 11:23, If you believe what you say, the mountain will move. She went to Jesus and touched the hem of His garment. Faith without works is dead by itself - James 2:17. Jairus, who was a synagogue official, came to Jesus, which means, however this turns out, he’s probably out of a job. How his heart must have sunk when the people came from his house and told him his daughter was dead. I’m assuming, instant fear; the thought was, “What am I going to do now?” But here’s what I want you to see. Jesus heard the same report, but He ignored it. I’m not telling you to ignore the doctor’s report and not do anything. I’m telling you to do what Jesus told Jarius to do, don’t be afraid, and stay in faith. The doctor’s report may be a truth, but it’s not THE TRUTH. (I look at unfavorable doctor’s reports as giving me a name to put the name of Jesus above, because at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. Like the woman with the issue of blood, ignore what you see and feel and go to Jesus, proclaiming your head knowledge, not the doctor’s knowledge. Like Jairus, don’t let fear keep you from moving forward in your head knowledge. Fear is a good indicator from the devil that God is about to do something big in your life because God doesn’t give you a spirit of fear, but of love power, and a sound mind. Head knowledge of the Word of God is sound knowledge. I heard Jesse Cole, the founder of the Savannah Bananas (Google him if you don’t know) and a bold Christian, say three different times this week in interviews, “Always come up to bat.” And “Always swing hard! You may hit it.” Swing as hard as you can with your head knowledge faith, you may hit it out of the park. But if you give up at the first report, I can tell you, you won’t even hit a foul ball.
Read through the Bible in a year: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; 1 Kings 14; Joel 2:1-11;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 13, Matthew 7:1-15, Acts 13:
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160