Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is not based on what we are able to see with our own eyes; it is based on what we believe to be true through the Word of God. By faith, we need to trust in the promises that are written in the Bible; and by faith, we need to press on through the doubts, the fears and the lies of the devil to receive the promises of God.

The Bible lets us know that God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Faith comes from Heaven, and that faith has to be put into action for it to be useful. Is your faith getting greater or weaker? If you have lost hope in the promises of God, your faith will get weaker; and when you give up hope, you won’t press on with faith.

If you want your faith to grow, you must hear the Word of God and then put it into action. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). And we know that the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (John 1:14). That Word is Jesus Christ.

When you read about miracles in the Bible, do you have faith to believe you can receive one? Nothing is too hard for God; but remember, the devil is going to do all he can to keep you from receiving your miracle. That is why you must press on with faith to receive.

Look to Jesus

Those who received a miracle in Bible days were those who pressed on with faith. Those who doubted received nothing. If you need a miracle, look to Jesus, press on with faith and believe in the divine blood of Jesus. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

The Bible lets us know that Jesus is the same yesterday, and today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). If you believe that, then you should believe Jesus can heal you. Jesus has not changed, so He still has the same power to heal that He had when He lived on Earth 2000 years ago. It is up to us to have the faith to believe.

Consider the woman with the issue of blood. There was so much going on around Jesus when that woman went to Him in search of her miracle. It is hard to say how big the crowd surrounding Jesus was that day, but we do know that there were instances when as many as 5000 people gathered to hear and see Him.

The woman had heard about Jesus, and she had a desperate need; so she had hope that she could receive a miracle. No one could help her but Jesus. He was her only hope, or she was going to die. She was weak in body and probably weary in mind, but she was determined to get to Jesus that day. Her faith in Him was great, and she was determined to receive her miracle.

I’m sure that woman didn’t feel like fighting the crowd of people surrounding Jesus, but she wasn’t going by her feelings; she was going by divine faith. She pressed on with that faith and depended on it to give her the strength she needed to overcome any hindrance in front of her. She didn’t allow discouraging words of the physicians or other people to rob her of her hope. She kept her faith in Jesus.

When people say discouraging words, you can stop them with the shield of faith. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). When soldiers in battle have a shield, it protects them from the enemy and enables them to press forward without becoming injured. We need to press forward with the shield of faith so we can reach miracle ground and have victory. We can’t let anyone hinder us from receiving the promises of God.

Press On

The crowd surrounded Jesus, but the woman with the issue of blood was not going to let that stop her from getting to Him. She had suffered with her sickness for 12 years, but she had the divine hope to believe she could receive. She had spent all her money trying to get well, and she had probably endured many painful procedures; but the Bible says she only got worse.

It doesn’t matter how rich you are if your money can’t bring you good health. Many wealthy people have died of incurable diseases. They may have spent thousands of dollars on medical help but had no success. You don’t need money to receive a miracle or a healing from Jesus; you just need the faith to believe, and the woman with the issue of blood had divine faith in the blood of Jesus. She had an incurable disease, but she was not going to let that stop her from believing in the divine blood.

Put yourself in that woman’s situation. You have fought the devil for 12 long years, and you are ill and tired. You are trying to make your way through a large crowd when you see an opening, and just a few steps away is the Great Physician, Jesus Christ. Now, be aware that the devil will fight you the hardest when you are close to your victory. He will try to put stumbling blocks in front of you to discourage you from receiving your miracle or healing.

Yes, there was a big crowd around Jesus, but that woman was determined to get to Jesus; and that is where many people fall short. They may take their eyes off of Jesus and start looking to others, or they may listen to the devil and his chatter. The woman with the issue of blood kept her focus on Jesus because she was determined to receive. She kept pressing on with her shield of faith in front of her.

Delivered by a Touch

Whether or not you receive your miracle is determined by the faith you have working inside you. You have to examine your heart and make sure there is no doubt there that will keep you from reaching the hem of Jesus’ garment.

When the woman with the issue of blood finally reached Jesus and touched the hem of His garment, she immediately knew she was healed; and Jesus knew that virtue had gone out of Him. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth (Mark 5:30-33).

The woman was afraid to admit what she had done; but with great love, Jesus comforted her saying, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague (Mark 5:34). Imagine how those words must have affected her. When Jesus called her “daughter,&rdquo: it showed He considered her to be family. She no doubt repeated those words over and over again to herself and to others when she testified about her miracle.

That woman’s miracle and her great faith no doubt spread to others because the Bible states in the very next chapter of Mark, And whithersoever he [Jesus] entered, into villages, or cities, or country, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole (Mark 6:56). People were willing to reach out for their miracle. Are you willing to reach out for whatever your need may be?

Where Is Your Faith?

At another time when Jesus had just finished preaching to a crowd of people, He suggested that He and some of His disciples take a boat to the other side of the sea. And the same day, when the even was come, he [Jesus] saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full (Mark 4:35-37). When a ship is full of water, it sinks to the bottom of the sea; but if your vessel is filled with Jesus, it will never sink no matter how great the storms of life are.

And he [Jesus] was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith (Mark 4:38-40)? Jesus plainly asked those disciples why they were full of fear, and then He let them know they were lacking faith.

The next time you are going through a trial and the storms of life are raging all around you, look to Jesus for your deliverance. When you call on Him, He is always ready to give you the deliverance you need. The storms of life will come your way, and your faith will be tested; so you need to keep the shield of faith before you and press on.

Accept What Jesus Offers

A Canaanite woman went to Jesus seeking a miracle for her daughter, who was grievously vexed with a demonic spirit. When she saw Jesus, she began to beg Him for mercy for her daughter; but Jesus didn’t respond. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him [Jesus], saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word (Matthew 15:22,23). In the natural, you might think Jesus was being cruel to that woman; but that is not so. He was going to test her faith.

And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:23,24). The disciples wanted to send the woman away, but Jesus didn’t do that; and it gave her hope.

Most people would have given up and gone home thinking that maybe Jesus didn’t care about them but not that woman. Even though she was not of the household of faith, she pressed on with faith and hope for her daughter’s deliverance. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour (Matthew 15:25-28).

That woman had great faith, and she received a miracle for her daughter. We all can learn from that woman. She didn’t let her upbringing as a Gentile in the land of Canaan hinder her from using her faith, and Jesus gave her hope by letting her stay even though He was going to test her. She didn’t let pride and bitterness fill her heart, and she didn’t turn her back on Jesus.

When you are being tested, you too must hang on to divine hope and use your shield of faith. The Lord knows exactly how much you can take. That woman was willing to receive just a crumb from the Master’s table instead of the whole loaf, but that was all it took; and her daughter was made whole.

Press On to the End

Jesus has so much to offer each one of us in this final hour, but you will miss out if your heart is not in the right condition to receive when you are being tested. When you are faced with a trial, you have to be careful not to be offended by Jesus. He may not come to your rescue right away because He may be waiting to see how you are going to respond, but you can’t get discouraged. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:7).

There were many times when things did not go the Apostle Paul’s way as he walked with the Lord. In fact, he was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked and imprisoned for the sake of Christ. His faith was tried and tested, but he did not give up. Paul pressed on with divine faith; and at the end of his journey, he was able to say, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (II Timothy 4:7). The only way you can keep faith is by using it. You always need to keep your shield of faith before you and push through to miracle ground.

We all must finish our course the way the Lord wants us to whether it leads to Rapture ground or to the grave. We must keep pressing on with faith because souls are at stake, and we must get the harvest in before it is too late. The Lord wants to bless us with miracle strength to overcome the devil in this final hour, but we need to keep pressing on no matter what comes our way. We have to keep the shield of faith before us at all times and continue to move forward.

Sinner, Backslider, the Lord has given you the measure of faith you need to go to Calvary and receive forgiveness right now. The devil may be battling your mind and making you think there is no hope for you. He may tell you that you have gone too far; but, Friend, I’m here to tell you that it is not too late. Press on with faith and lay your burdens of sin at Jesus’ feet. Then accept Him in your heart right now by saying the sinner’s prayer located on page 6 of this magazine.