How to Live and Not Die! (Mark 11:23; James 5:15)

KENNETH HAGIN

Many years ago, the Lord Jesus appeared in a vision to Kenneth Hagin and told him, "Go and teach my people faith". His mother was told by the Lord, that she was to name him John, because he would come, like John the Baptist, to prepare the way for the return of the Lord. He was obedient to that heavenly vision, and as a result, there are Rhema graduates and churches, all over the world; teaching faith, preparing people.

NORVEL HAYES

The Lord told Norvel Hayes, a close friend of Kenneth Hagin, "Go and teach my people how to talk". Norvel Hayes talks about a young couple, where the husband was in intensive care, and only breathing intermittently, and the doctors said he wouldn't live through the night. His pastor and Norvel Hayes, went to pray for the young man. They were only allowed to stay in the hospital room for 2 minutes. The only person allowed to stay by the young man's bedside constantly, was his wife.

THANK YOU JESUS!

After they had prayed for the young man, the Holy Spirit said to Norvel, "If Mark 11:23 is obeyed, he will live and not die". [Mark 11:23 says, "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and cast into the sea', and doesn't doubt in their heart, but believes that what they are saying, is happening right now, then they will have whatever they say"]. Norvel told the young wife what the Holy Spirit said, and told her to say, "Thank you Jesus for healing my husband. My husband will live and not die". He told her to say that over and over constantly. If she got tired, she was to take a break and then go right back to saying, "Thank you Jesus for healing my husband. My husband will live and not die". He told her to say it thousands of times; and to not stop saying it. The wife obeyed the word of the Lord.

MIRACULLOUS HEALING

Norvel had to leave to go do another meeting, but came back to that church 6 months later, and the young man came up and testified to his miraculous healing, because his wife obeyed God, and said constantly, "Thank you Jesus for healing my husband. My husband will live and not die". The husband was not only completely healed, but he was now the youth pastor of the church.

ROMANS 3:27 speaks of "...the law of faith..". When something is a "law" of physics, or science, it is so, because it produces the same results all the time; every time.

JAMES 5:15 says, "...the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up..." (KJV).

OUR UNDERSTANDING

We may have read that verse hundreds of times, and each time, our understanding of the words and concepts of "prayer" and "faith" automatically interprets the verse, according to our previous understanding of the verse.

CONFIRMS HIS WORD

The scripture says the disciples "...went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with (them), and confirming the word with signs following". The Lord does not confirm our opinion; our religious ideas; what we have been taught at some institute of higher education; or our understanding of what we think the scriptures say, He confirms His word, and only His word.

THE VOW of FAITH

The word translated prayer, in James 5:15 is only used 3 times in the NT:

ACTS 18:18, referring to Paul, "...having shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow".

ACTS 21:23, "...we have four men who have a vow on them..."

JAMES 5:15, "...the vow of faith shall save the sick..."

DECLARE OUT LOUD!

The word translated "vow", is the noun (euche), [2171,Strong's], from the verb (euchomai), [2172, Strong's], which literally means, "to speak out; to utter aloud; to affirm out loud; to make a solemn declaration". Therefore, (euche), is "that which is spoken out loud; declared out loud".

PRAYER

 The most common words translated "to pray", in the NT, are the verb (proseuchomai), [4336] and the noun (proseuche), [4335], both found in James 5:17, saying Elijah "...prayed earnestly...", or "...with prayer he prayed...". They are derived from the root verb (euchomai), which could literally be translated in 5:17, "...vowing, he vowed...", or, "...boldly declaring, out loud, he boldly declared out loud...."

BOAST, BRAG, ASSERT

Historically, the basic meaning of (euchomai) is, "to make confident statements about oneself ". It can also mean to boast; brag; and to assert.

BOLDLY DECLARE

If we don't know "how to" pray, we certainly won't get the results we desire. Everything that God's word declares belongs to you is yours, but you have to boldly declare the scriptures...and don't stop...to see the reality of the truth of God's word manifest in your life.

Norvel Hayes may not have known the Greek, for the principles of faith that he told the young wife, but the Holy Spirit did, and her husband did live and not die.

You are God's Best and God's Best is Yours