Speak the Word - Matthew 8:5-13
This week we celebrated Memorial Day to remember the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives serving in the military. They served to protect and keep us safe from enemies who wish to harm and dominate free people. They may have volunteered or they may have been drafted and had no choice. Once they were enlisted they had to be physically and mentally trained, educated in weaponry and their field of expertise disciplined to follow orders and the chain of command.
During the times of Jesus, the Jewish people in Israel were ruled by the Romans. The Roman Empire was strong and covered North Africa, parts of Asia and Europe, and the middle east. Roman soldiers were foreigners who served many gods and goddesses. It was Roman soldiers that carried out the orders to crucify Jesus on the cross.
On one occasion Jesus had entered the town of Capernaum and a Roman centurion (military leader in the Roman army) approached Him and pleaded with Him, saying “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” Jesus responded and said, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’, and he goes, and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this and he does it.”
When Jesus heard the centurion speak He was amazed and said to His followers, “Truly I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way, and as you have believed, so be it done for you.” And the servant was healed that very same hour.
The Roman centurion understood authority and He respected Jesus’ authority to heal. Although he had a prestigious position in the military, he came to Jesus with humility and faith to plead on behalf of his servant. The centurion only needed a spoken word from Jesus. As far as he was concerned, once Jesus said the Word that was enough for him. As Christians, we have the spoken Word in written form. We are to speak His Word (scriptures in Bible) when it comes to our circumstances and mix it with faith believing that what God has promised He will perform. Jesus said the centurion had great faith. If we want great faith then we must continue to hear the Word of God and speak to our circumstances. Faith can grow by hearing and hearing the Word of God. As we speak the Word the seeds of faith get planted in our hearts and grow. As we meditate on God’s Word we can expect to be prosperous and have good success. (Joshua 1:8; Romans 10:8; Romans 10:17)
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
Let’s talk about your personal standards for your life. Standards are simply the things you do in your life that are absolute MUSTS, not SHOULDS. We all tell ourselves from time to time, “I should do this, and I should do that” but we don’t get our shoulds we get our musts for what we believe is a must in our lives.
These standards can be broken down to the rules we live by, the routines we practice daily, and what we think is right or wrong.
I believe we can all improve our lives by raising the standards by which we live. What I mean by this is, for example, if I wanted to raise the standards I have around my level of fitness I could raise those standards from being someone who workouts out routinely 3 days a week to 5 days a week.
Or let’s say I wanted to raise my standards for building my relationship with God each day. For example, maybe you are reading your bible twice a week for 10 minutes and attending church twice per month. If you wanted to raise your standards for this area of your life you might change your bible study time to 5x per week for 10 minutes and attend church every week.
This might sound simple but making simple choices about the areas of our lives we want to improve by raising our current standards to higher ones will improve the quality of your life in this area.
Leaders set a high standard for the team they are leading and any area of your life you want to improve can be accomplished by raising your standards. You don’t always get your goals in life but you always get your standards. Raise your standards, and change your life!
Question for you? Where in your life do you want to raise your standards?
Prayer for the week
Thank You Lord, that I have the mind of Christ as I make numerous decisions throughout my day, even difficult ones. When I am uncertain Your Holy Spirit is within me to guide and direct me. I make wise choices and good decisions. Even when I make a mistake You will turn it around for my good, in Jesus name, Amen.
PS. If you would like to support us consider checking out www.litwithprayer.com and picking up our devotional prayer journal to our new pieces of Christian-based Jewelry.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be the leader of your life and forgive you of all your sins, this is the right time to act. Pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart: “Dear God, Your Word says that You loved me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I want to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, past, present, and future. Forgive me now as I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. You promised me salvation and an abundant life. I believe and receive Your free gift. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me grow stronger in You each day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.” (John 3:16)
Speak the Word