Faith requires an act. Unless that act or action is one initiated by the leading of the Holy Ghost – the first act is always SPEAKING THE WORD.

FF BOSWORTH
CHRIST THE HEALER

Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, “stretch forth thy hand.” Christ first gives faith, then calls it to its wondrous exercise. The man stretched forth his hand in reliance on divine strength, and it was made whole. As we put forth effort, in reliance on God, to do what without Him is impossible, God meets us with divine power. The thing is done independent of nature. In anything that God calls us to do, “All things are possible [not to him that feels able in himself, but] to him that believeth.” We see this man’s ability not in himself, but in Christ. Every part of salvation is contained in Him. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Through our union with Christ, the true Vine, the strength is already ours. But it must be put to use. It was the man’s effort to put forth his hand that opened the way for the healing touch to be given and the divine life to flow. Although begun in the natural, this act of faith became a way of entrance for the supernatural to meet the man’s need. By virtue of the divine power imparted, it led at once to an action wholly supernatural. It led to an exercise of the body not possible according to former conditions. It was an act independent of natural forces and wholly dependent on God.
The act of faith is not only a physical act; it includes the exercise of the heart and mind toward God. The full exercise 01 faith means that we think faith, speak faith, act faith. This brings the manifestation of all that faith takes according to the promise of the Word. You may be asking, “How can one exercise faith for the healing of blindness or

of an affliction that does not interfere with the motion of the body?” To the blind man Jesus said: “Go wash in the pool of Siloam.” This act gave the man an opportunity to exercise faith in heart, mind, and body. It was the same with Naaman, with the ten lepers, and with the centurion. In each case they went relying on the Word of Christ. They believed the healing was theirs before it was manifested to sight.

You might deposit a thousand dollars in the bank and come and tell me that you had made me a present of that amount. If I believed you, I would act my faith and draw checks on the bank as I needed the money. I have not seen the money in the bank, but it is just as much mine as though I saw it and had it in my hands. Just so healing for our souls and bodies is in Christ. God has made the treasury of all He is. Sickness, from which I have been redeemed, does not belong to me, but healing does. Therefore, I begin to check on healing. How? By attempting in His name what I cannot do without Him. This is acting faith; checking health and strength from the bank of God. It is counting on something we do not see or feel, but which we know from God’s own Word is ours. In the same way, the money in the bank is ours, although we do not see or feel it.