Passage: Acts 3:6-7

Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankles received strength.

Message: Believing

As a believer you've been given rights to use the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Mark 16:17-18, “these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The key word is belief, the healing power of God manifested through Peter because he believed. Peter didn't speak and walk away, he accompanied his words with actions; lifting up the man. Then the passage informs us, that after Peter's action, the lame man, whom Peter was speaking to, was immediately healed.

Acts 3:16 testifies to Peter's belief, Peter spoke to those who wondered how a man, lame from birth (Acts 3:2) had received his healing, saying, “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.” It's interesting that He points out faith being through Jesus.

Faith comes by the knowledge of the word of God, the word of God is also known as Jesus (the word that became flesh). Sometimes we beg rather than believe because we're unaware that the very thing we're asking for, Jesus desires for us to have, it's something He's already made provision for.

I pray we go deeper in God's word, prioritizing His information over the distractions that capture our attention.

- Stephanie Ike