Dare to Believe
I have a friend who is a medical doctor. Late one night years ago, he was driving down the freeway on his way home. He came upon an accident and stopped to see if he could help. Sadly, it was a fatality. There was a young man on a stretcher, and the paramedics had worked on him for a long time. They had tried CPR and had IV's in him. As my friend walked up, they were pulling the sheet over his head. Since he was a doctor, they allowed him to take a look. The man leaned over the body and very quietly began to pray for the young man, "God, give him another chance. God, let his life come back into him. Let his heart begin to work. Let his lungs kick in." For a couple of minutes, very quietly, he prayed the prayer of faith. He wasn't a minister. He wasn't trained in theology. He simply believed that with God all things are possible. He believed what Jesus said, that we would see the greater works.
While he was still praying, all of the sudden, the young man began to cough. The paramedics nearly passed out! In a few seconds, he opened his eyes, and not long after that, he was able to sit up. Today, the young man is alive and healthy, totally recovered. But had my friend not believed that God can do astounding, remarkable and overwhelming things, I don't know if that young man would be alive today. Friends, God is looking for someone to believe for the greater works, greater power, greater anointing, greater influence, greater victory. He's looking for somebody to take the limits off of Him.
Well, you say, "Joel, this sounds kind of far out today." Yes, but the God we serve is a far-out God! You have no idea what He has planned for your life. God wants to do something awesome to show His greatness through you. It's not to bring us glory; it's to bring God glory. When you take the limits off of Him and believe for the greater works, you'll be amazed at what will happen.
This is what Joshua did in the scripture. One day, he was fighting a great battle with all of his men. They were trying to finish off their enemies. It was getting late, and the sun was starting to go down. Joshua knew that if he didn't finish the job, his enemies would reorganize and come back against him again. He just needed more daylight. A lot of people in his situation would have thought, "Well, too bad. It didn't work out. I needed more time, but it just didn't happen." But not Joshua, he was bold. He looked up at the sun and said, "Sun, I want you to stand still. I need more daylight." The scripture says, "The sun stood still all because one man dared to believe." It goes on to say, "There had never been a day like that before. The people stood there in utter amazement."
Friend, I believe there is a day coming for you when you are going to stand in utter amazement at what God will do when you dare to believe Him. Keep your heart open to Him, keep expecting, and keep reading His Word so that your faith can grow. As you keep Him first, you'll draw closer to Him and see the greater works that He longs to do on your behalf!
While he was still praying, all of the sudden, the young man began to cough. The paramedics nearly passed out! In a few seconds, he opened his eyes, and not long after that, he was able to sit up. Today, the young man is alive and healthy, totally recovered. But had my friend not believed that God can do astounding, remarkable and overwhelming things, I don't know if that young man would be alive today. Friends, God is looking for someone to believe for the greater works, greater power, greater anointing, greater influence, greater victory. He's looking for somebody to take the limits off of Him.
Well, you say, "Joel, this sounds kind of far out today." Yes, but the God we serve is a far-out God! You have no idea what He has planned for your life. God wants to do something awesome to show His greatness through you. It's not to bring us glory; it's to bring God glory. When you take the limits off of Him and believe for the greater works, you'll be amazed at what will happen.
This is what Joshua did in the scripture. One day, he was fighting a great battle with all of his men. They were trying to finish off their enemies. It was getting late, and the sun was starting to go down. Joshua knew that if he didn't finish the job, his enemies would reorganize and come back against him again. He just needed more daylight. A lot of people in his situation would have thought, "Well, too bad. It didn't work out. I needed more time, but it just didn't happen." But not Joshua, he was bold. He looked up at the sun and said, "Sun, I want you to stand still. I need more daylight." The scripture says, "The sun stood still all because one man dared to believe." It goes on to say, "There had never been a day like that before. The people stood there in utter amazement."
Friend, I believe there is a day coming for you when you are going to stand in utter amazement at what God will do when you dare to believe Him. Keep your heart open to Him, keep expecting, and keep reading His Word so that your faith can grow. As you keep Him first, you'll draw closer to Him and see the greater works that He longs to do on your behalf!