Daily Devotionals

When Jesus trained the first 12 disciples, He taught them the same strategy He had been using on the earth: “Go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:7-8).

He also told the 70 disciples in Luke 10 the same thing in verses 8-9.

“Well, yes, that’s how Jesus said to do it back then, but He has a different plan for us.”

No, He doesn’t! His last words before He ascended to heaven were the same instructions: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature…. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils…they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:15, 17-18).

Praise God! We have the same new birth, the same Holy Spirit and the same commission those first disciples had. And you remember what happened to them after Jesus left, don’t you?

They kept right on doing what Jesus had done—and the crowds treated them just like they had treated the Master. They brought the sick so they could be healed. In Jerusalem, they actually laid the sick in the street, so Peter’s shadow might fall on them as he walked by.

Why did they do that? They had heard if you could get to where the Christians were, you could get healed. They had a reputation. It was the same reputation Jesus had. As a result, the early Church grew at a rate of thousands a day!

That’s the way it should be for us today.

“But I can’t heal the sick!,” you say. “I can’t cast out devils!”

Maybe not…but God can and He is in you. In fact, the Scripture says the person united to Him becomes one spirit with Him.

Jesus said it this way, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

You and Jesus are one. He is the Head and you are the Body. You are His instrument in the earth. Dare to believe that. Be bold enough to speak the words the Bible speaks and do whatever Jesus tells you to do. Believe me, people will come to you for help. The Spirit of God will anoint you—and great things will happen!

Speak the Word

I am united with the Lord. I am one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17, amp)