The Holy Spirit and Miracles {359)

0:02 Welcome again to the Quality Christian Living Podcast. I am your host, David Friend. This week's podcast is entitled, Holy Spirit and Miracles. You know, it's so important to understand that the best way to do a podcast like this is to use the Word of God and to look for proof of miracles. You know, we discover a list of Holy Spirit miracles when we go through the Word of God, and only the Holy Spirit can give the gift of miracles. We find that in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. So, do you believe that the Holy Spirit can use you for miracles? So, before we go any further, we need to pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you. for your goodness. I pray you would bless this podcast, and I ask the Holy Spirit to come in and take control, take charge of everything that takes place. Thank you for this opportunity.

0:47 Thank you for bringing those in who are listening today, and I pray that the Holy Spirit would guide and direct everything that's said and done, and I'll be careful to give you praise for it. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Well, today we're going to look at a lot of different ways to kind of analyze what the Word of God says about miracles, because we need to use the Word of God to prove that miracles took place and they can still take place to even this day. Let's start in the book of Acts. In Acts chapter 19 verses 11 and 12 it says now God working unusual miracles by the hands of Paul. That's what I was talking about verse 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick and their illnesses were healed and the evil spirits left them. Now this is a powerful scripture and one day I was praying over some people and I ran across this scripture, and they were asking me to pray for someone who had an incurable cancer.

1:42 But they were someone that was overseas. They weren't here living here in the United States. And I thought, well, I can't get there. There's no way I can reach them. And I had no way to get in contact with them. So I looked at this scripture, and I thought, Holy Spirit, could you use that? Would you use that so that we could pray for people and believe for healing? So the Holy Spirit helped me to experience in this group, to experience with a woman who was not able to come to our church for prayer. because of her cancer and because of the distance she lived away. We read this scripture to a group in a prayer meeting and then we anointed a scarf with oil and asked the family to lay these on this person, this individual. We prayed for a miracle. We asked the Holy Spirit to release the miracle power that he has for healing in this individual.

2:26 A month later the family told me that the lady with cancer was healed. The healing basically impacted the entire neighborhood where she lived. because the neighbors knew the woman was suffering with cancer and all of a sudden the power of the Holy Ghost and the healing power of Jesus flowed through this woman and healed her body. Now several people in that neighborhood received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior after hearing of these healings, of this healing. So, first of all, to God be the glory, to God be all praise, glory, and honor. And I thank God for his scriptures and I believe this is an example because we experienced it personally, but this is an example of how we can apply God's Word to today for situations that we're dealing with on a daily basis here in our own communities. So I pray that might be of help to you and it's something that's very real that took place and we give God all praise and glory for it. Now here are a few Bible examples of miracle healings. I'm going to use the Word of God all the way through this. I will read them to you and then we'll make some comments on some of them. Before I get into the book of Acts where we're talking about specific healings, I want to read what John had to say in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 4. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. So that's so important to understand that before we go any further, that the Holy Spirit is the source of the gifts of the Spirit that he manifests in individuals who are seeking them. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10, a New Living Translation

3:57 again, it says the same Spirit gives great faith to another and to someone else though One spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives. one person the power to perform miracles. Now all of that is the foundation that we're building from to talk about how the Holy Spirit can bring miracles into our life. So now we look in the Word of God and we look and see what the Apostles did, what they were doing and how the Holy Spirit operated in them. There's a wonderful example found in the book of Acts in chapter three and verses one through eight in the New Living Translation. Let me just read this to you. I'm going to read all eight verses because it's necessary to understand how the Holy Spirit it worked and how Peter was used. Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon to take part in the three o 'clock prayer service.

4:43 As they approached the temple, a man lame from birth was being carried in. Each day he was put beside the temple gate, the one called the beautiful gate, so he could be begging from the people going into the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter said, John, well in fact they looked at each other first of all and then first back and forth each other thinking, you know, what do we say to him? That would be our natural intent. And Peter and John looked at him intently and Peter said, look at us. The lame man looked at them. eagerly expecting some money. But Peter said, I don't have any silver or gold for you, but I'll give you what I have. That's so important right there. I'll give you what I have. The Holy Spirit had given this gift to him. He knew it, and he knew that he could operate in that gift through the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. In the name of Jesus, he said, Jesus is the healer, the Nazarene, get up and walk.

5:39 Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man's feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. He jumped up, he stood on his feet and began to walk. Then walking, leaping and praising God, he went into the temple with them. Now, what a great story that is. You know, some people look at that story and they say, well, that's really great. That's nice for them. But you know, now today is today. And you know, some people, some churches say that's all stopped now. Those healings are not taking place. Well, I'm here to tell you that they do take place to this day. I gave you an example earlier on in this podcast where we just looked at the Word of God and saw what took place and we prayed and we asked the Holy Spirit to do the same for this woman. And this woman was halfway around the world. And all they did was they went with their faith and trust in God the handkerchief really was nothing it just simply was something that was anointed but their faith went with them and as their faith expanded and increased and they prayed and they laid hands on this lady she was healed that's happening today and as a pastor who prays for a lot of sick people I've seen some amazing miracle healings take place and I just want to say to God be all the glory all the honor and all the praise because we have to give what we have and what we have is faith if all we have to is faith, then that's enough. So when you pray for people, what you have to give is faith. You're not a doctor. You don't know how to give certain medical advice. And even if you are a doctor, you don't know for sure how the treatments are going to go, and how they make one way in one person, another way in someone else. But when we're followers

7:11 of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we've received the Holy Spirit into our life, then He's there, available, and ready to use us to do His work. And so we can claim by faith what we have, what Peter had. we have his faith and trust in God and we call forth healings and believe for them and claim them in Jesus name. Now let's look at another example of how the Holy Spirit operates with miracles. In the book of Acts chapter 5 and verses 15 and 16 in the New Living Translation, it says this, as a result of the Apostles work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall across them. And as he went by verse 16 crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem bringing their sick and they possessed, those that were possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed. They were all healed. Now look at that example. That is truly remarkable. Now, some people say, well, that stopped way back then. Well, no, it has not. If you look and study a lot of the powerful revivals that have taken place, I think of Charles Finney. And in Charles Finney, when he was a great evangelist and he traveled the world, it said that when he would walk through factories to pray with people, they would be slain in the spirit. They would be overpowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit that was operating in him and they would be healed or they would be saved or they'd be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. So those miracles are alive and well on the planet Earth today. We must believe for them, we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us to operate in them and take authority over

8:43 evil spirits, take authority over sickness, over illnesses and disease and pray in the name of Jesus, not in our name, but in the name of Jesus that people will be healed or restored and see miracles come forward. You know recently because of the number of healings experienced for so many people over the years I was impressed to do a series of podcasts entitled Faith for Miracles. Well that series of podcasts turned into a book that I just completed recently and at the end of this podcast I'll tell you how you can get that book and where it's accessible but I just want to let you know that that book has gone out and now I know that literally hundreds and people of thousands of people now are starting to experience the power of the Holy Spirit through the miracles that operate in them. Because of the Holy Spirit being in them and being their source of miracles and source of these these great things taking place Now let me ask you some very personal direct questions now Do you believe that this can happen today? Because if you don't the balance of this podcast probably isn't going to do a whole lot or even this whole Podcast might be of any value might not be of any value if you don't believe that this can happen today Do you believe that the Holy Spirit can use you? That's another part Some people say, well, it's not for me. I know that this person can be used or that person can be used, but for me, I don't think so. Well, God can use anyone as long as we are willing to yield ourselves and surrender ourselves to Him and be led by the Spirit of God rather than by our own spirit.

10:12 Now, let me just ask this then. Who will step up and take the place of Peter and Paul and ask the Holy Spirit for miracles, to believe for healings? and believe for miracles. Matter of fact, I'm feeling really touched by the Holy Spirit now to pray for people, for faith, to believe this podcast. Heavenly Father, I need to stop right now. And under the authority of the Holy Spirit, I ask now that those who are listening to this will believe that they can be used, that they can perform miracles of healings and just various miracles through the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. So I pray now, Father, that faith will increase because the Holy Spirit is also the one that gives great faith. That's one of the gifts, the power gifts of the Spirit is great faith. So I pray now an impartation of that great faith would go forth into these individuals who are listening today and Father they shall lay hands upon the sick and they shall rise up they shall pray for those that need a miracle and the miracle will take place and we'll thank you for that and give you praise for it now in Jesus name I pray Amen.

11:15 Well, I guess it's important to be obedient to the Holy Spirit, especially when you're talking about the Holy Spirit. But I truly felt impressed that there were people who were having a rough time with the question I asked, do you believe that God can use you? Are you willing? And do you believe that those miracles can take place today and that he can use you to operate in those miracles? So I just thank God for that. And I thank the Holy Spirit for kind of correcting the direction that we were going in this particular podcast. Now the Holy Spirit and miracles are still, absolutely still alive and well today. So it only takes us to yield. We've got to learn how to yield to the Holy Spirit, to His power, so that His power will flow from Him and His gifts of healings and miracles will... be manifested in the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that with every ounce in me. I know that I've personally been healed of some amazing diseases.

12:08 I've been given terminal diagnosis of cancer and kidney failure and things that these doctors have just said. Really not a whole lot of hope, if any. And so I thank God for that, and I believe that that's a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I pray that that gift will pass forth to individuals listening in today. Now, Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7 some very important words in the New Living Translation. It says, a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. Now, that gift is not just given to us so that we can just have it and tell people, I've got it, and kind of boast about it, because we certainly can't boast about it. something like that because it's not of us anyways. But Paul is saying that a spiritual gift is given to each of us. Now he's talking to all of us and so we are able to do what? Help other people to reach out and help others. So I believe we should seek obviously the giver of the gifts but we should also ask for those gifts to be manifested in our lives so that we can pray for others and that others will be blessed and that they'll receive the healing that they need. receive the restoration that they need. They'll receive the intervention of the Holy Spirit to change their lives. For me, maybe an addiction on drugs or an addiction on whatever issue might be in their life, alcohol, whatever it might be. And I pray that that will take place and that God will use each and every one of us to use that and to pray. Now earlier in the podcast I read a couple scriptures. and because I read it in

13:39 the early part I think it's really important I go back to that right now and read them now that we've talked a lot about this and we've shared about you believing and me believing and all of us believing that it can take place in us today and it's still taking place now let me read these scriptures again to you and see maybe if there's a little more boost of faith that will go forth into each individual. Let's kind of repeat a couple scriptures, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 4, New Living Translation. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. Have we received more of that now to understand where the source is? It's not us. The source is the Holy Spirit, and He's the one that can manifest these gifts. And then in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 9 and 10, in the New Living Translation, listen to this, the same Spirit. Paul's writing this now gives great faith. Boy, we could just stop right there, couldn't we? Just talk about great faith. Is there anybody out there that would love to have greater faith? I know I would.

14:35 I pray about that and ask the Holy Spirit to help me with that. But Paul wrote this, the same spirit gives great faith to another and to someone else. The one spirit gives the spirit of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles. I picked those three out. Now, in that reading of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 1 through 11, which all of you should read, I just pray that all of you, I'm not going to go through and read it again. because I've did a whole series of podcasts dealing with these gifts, the power gifts, but they're found in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verses 1 through 11, where Paul is talking about all the gifts, and that's the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues, and the gifts of healings, of course, are in there, and the power gifts of prophecy and the things that people love to hear about, but sometimes they pull back a little bit when it comes time to receive the gifts of healing and miracles because they think that that's... maybe from just for super Christians, where there's no such thing as a super Christian. The only thing that's super is the supernatural power of God manifested through the anointing of the power of the Holy Spirit.

15:43 And so we need to pray for that and believe for that. So I encourage you, read 1 Corinthians chapter 12, study it, read it over and over again, and then ask the Holy Spirit for... the blessings and ask him to come in and make himself known to each and each one of us to receive the gifts that he chooses. Now he's going to choose what he gives and to whom he gives it. That's what that scripture is telling us. And so we've got to believe for that and take faith in that and trust God for that. Now I've asked This question, this particular question to a lot of Christians over the years. As a matter of fact, when someone comes up for prayer and they come up to me and they say, I need prayer, I've got a diagnosis of cancer or a heart condition, whatever it might be, I like to stop them first and say, okay, now before we pray, do you believe that God is the healer, that Jesus is the healer and that the Holy Spirit will move on you and you'll receive this healing? And sometimes they look at me and say, I hope so or yeah, maybe well we have to stop for a moment and talk about that now and I'll give them this scripture and tell them that the spiritual gift is given to each of us of course so that we can help other people and that the same spirit gives forth great faith and gives healings and miracles and that's in the Word of God. Do you believe the Word of God? And they'll say, well, yeah. Well, then that Word of God applies to you. Do you believe that? And they'll say, yeah. I say, okay now, now we're ready.

16:58 Now we're ready to pray for your particular need because I think we need to ground our prayers in the Word of God so that we get ourselves on the same page we operate with the same mentality to believe for faith for these the answers that we need then after I've talked to them a little bit now it's not heavy and is you know and in their face type thing but just simply encouraging them to believe God's Word then they're ready and they're open to receive their prayers for healing so I've asked this question to many Christians are you willing to yield to the Holy Spirit to receive power from him to work healings and miracles. Are you willing? Are you going to set aside your fear, your doubt, your questions, your anxiety, and just simply be willing to yield to the Holy Spirit? So anybody that's out there listening right now, are you willing to yield to that power?

17:47 To yield to the Holy Spirit so that you can receive power from Him? for the gifts that he's able to give to those that he chooses. I believe he chooses those who are ready and willing and able to operate in those gifts and their doubts have moved aside and they know that he is able and that he is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond anything we can imagine or even think. I believe that. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be doing this podcast. I'm serious. I wouldn't be into this thing for weeks and weeks and weeks. We're into our 42nd, I think, or 43rd podcast. on the Holy Spirit and still have many many podcasts to do on the Holy Spirit and will be led by him as he directs me as we go through this this particular series. So the big question then is are you willing to yield to the Holy Spirit so that you then can receive power from him to work miracles and healings. Now that's a big question I know that and I and I know that a lot of people a little bit shaken up a little bit from that sometimes but I think it's so important to realize that that Peter and Paul, I believe, had questions and doubts about could they be used for that same operation. But when they had that encounter with the Holy Spirit, when they had that encounter with the power of the Living God, they realized that, yes, they can receive that gift. Because Jesus spoke to Peter and told him, you'll do great works, you'll do greater works than I've even done. And so basically, they were prepared and ready, but they were only prepared because they yielded to the power of the Holy Spirit. we need to yield in trust and

19:20 believe. Jesus asked those who needed healing a question. And this is a question, I kind of switched gears a little bit here, but Jesus asked people who needed healing just a few words. And we need to ask people the same words when they come up to us and ask for prayer. It's so important that as I get closer to closing out this particular podcast, I want to be sure that we understand that Jesus asked people a question that we can ask people today. What do you want me to do? It's in the Word of God, and he's asked people specifically, what is it that you want? What do you need? What do you want me to do? Now, he knew what they needed. He knew what they had, but... but he wanted them to ask him directly and that way they know they would know that their source was him and that the power of God was there. Now some people he asked that for people that weren't even saved and people had not really made a commitment to Christ yet and because of their healing they totally made a commitment to Christ and their lives were radically changed.

20:18 Let me give you a couple examples of when Jesus was faced with someone that needed healing and he said, what do you want me to do? It's in Mark chapter 10 verse 51. Jesus asked a blind man, what do you want me to do and then the man was healed and then in Luke 18 41 Jesus asked a blind man what do you want me to do and he was healed now some people say that's just a the same healing just by quoted by Mark and by Luke, and I believe it most likely is, but I can just picture Jesus going around through the crowd. They didn't record every single thing that Jesus ever said. They didn't record every single words that he said to people as he went through the crowd. They couldn't. Our Bible would have a million pages in it, but the bottom line of it is they recorded enough and put enough down so that we would have the confidence in the Word of God to believe that those... things will be even taking place to this day. But Jesus went around and went around and went around and went around asking people, what do you want me to do? And they were healed.

21:17 In Matthew 20 verse 32, Jesus said, what do you want me to do? And once again, healing came forth. So I hope that you understand what I'm trying to say. What I'm really trying to explain is that we've got to remember that Jesus walked this earth and he walked and faced thousands of people. And how many did he heal? We only have a certain number. I don't know the exact number in the Bible where showed where Jesus healed people, but there were far more than that. I mean great crowds gathered and And they were all healed. When people came and just got near him, they were healed. The one woman just touched the hem of his garment, just simply the edge of his clothing that he had on. And because of her faith and because Jesus said that something has gone from me, healing power went from him into her and she was healed of an issue of blood that she had had, bleeding that she had had, that she had done everything she could to get it cared for. But when she touched the hem of his garment, She was instantly healed. And so we've got to believe that those things can happen and will happen to this day. And so I'm just going to, I think I kind of like want to commission all of you out there who are listening to this podcast today, that you can go forth. So let me just do that. Father in the name of Jesus.

22:31 I just commission. That means I sign them up. For people, Lord, who will step out in faith and believe that they can yield to the Holy Spirit and they can experience healings and miracles, they'll understand that the Word of God applies to them in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and that those gifts are being manifested by the Holy Spirit today. And Lord, so Father, as we make this assignment to those who want to step out and believe that, first of all, that the Holy Spirit would give them greater faith, greater faith than they have now. We all need that. including myself, that we'll have greater faith to believe and to trust God no matter how difficult the situation is, no matter how negative it looks, we can believe for divine healing and an intervention of the Holy Spirit. So Father, I believe for that and I ask it in Jesus' name. So I'm gonna have to wrap this up and close it up. I'm running out of time, but I just pray in Jesus' name for an outpouring of the Spirit of God and that the anointing of the Holy Spirit would come upon followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. And they'll be those who are Excited and on fire to believe for this to take place in their lives and father that you'll bless them Thank you, Lord, for that in Jesus' name again. Well, I got to close. So if you'd like to know more, I hope this has been a blessing to you. I just ran out of time. There's just so much to go. Well, we're going to continue on. And our next podcast is going to be about, as the Holy Spirit leads us, blessed by the Holy Spirit. The blessings of the Holy Spirit, something in that realm we're going to be talking about.

23:55 So we'll continue this teaching on the Holy Spirit. But if you'd like to know more about Quality Christian Living, the podcast, I'd encourage you to go to my web page at davidcfriendauthor .com. and when you get there the first page that pops up there there'll be a link to my podcast now that's a very important link because it connects you with the 350 some podcasts that have been done and you know series on finances series on on having good married series on for veterans to help them how to deal with the issues they face series dealing with faith and and on having greater faith and understanding that the miracles are available to us and just just talking and also series on finances and how our finances can be in order and how we can live debt -free and then we can understand what generosity is and how we will be blessed if we're generous not just with our finances but just simply with every part of our life so I hope that you'll listen to those podcasts or as many as you can and if you want to scroll down that page a little bit further you'll see a list of books that are on Amazon right now. I have six of them on Amazon that I hope would be of interest to you. I would also like to encourage you, and if you'd like to, to subscribe to my podcast. You can do that by going to cpnshows .com or wherever you listen to your podcast. So once again, I hope this has been a blessing to you. I'm just going to ask you, and I would appreciate it, If you would give a rating to this podcast or a little review of it, it really is of value to us and value to other people. You can leave a review on Apple

25:27 podcasts, on Amazon Music, on Charisma. Podcast network or just simply give us a star rating on Spotify. However, you know you choose to do that We just appreciate it and pray that you'll be blessed by it Well, I hope that you'll tune in again for the next podcast We're going to address the issues of the blessings of the Holy Spirit So there's just a continuation of how he wants to help us bless us and help us through the challenges that we face each and every day in our lives. So I hope that you'll be a part of that. I would encourage you to let your friends and family members know about the Quality Christian Living podcast and especially this series we're having on the Holy Spirit. I was thinking about reviewing the titles of all of them right now, but I don't have time to do that because there's about 40, I think 42. Lessons so far or teachings if you will on the Holy Spirit so you can go and pull them up doesn't cost a thing for you to do that and just Receive that and I pray that you would would do that at your at your best opportunity So let me just close here with a blessing. I do this at the end of each podcast May the Lord bless you and keep you may his face shine upon you. May he be gracious to you and give you peace. May you prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. So, until next time, I pray that God would bless you. I pray that the Holy Spirit would pour out his blessings upon you, that he would distribute his gifts of healing and of miracles and the power gifts and the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self -control, that the fruit of the Spirit would operate in each and every

26:59 one of us. Once again, I want to thank you for tuning into our podcast. My name is David Friend. I'm the host of Quality Christian Living, and today's podcast was entitled, Holy Spirit and Miracles. Thank you for listening in. May God richly bless you.