During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (2)/ Discerning of spirits and prophecy. Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 13:1-13; 14:1-25; Matthew 15:21-28

I HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

“This is what He promised us, even eternal life”(1Jn2:25).

Eternal life is more than life without end. It is more a quality of life than quantity. It is a new type of life, found in Christ alone! As a Christian, I experience it now, even before I go to heaven. It is taking each moment to do God’s will and not mine. Each day is an opportunity to pray and ask God: ‘What is Your plan for today, my Lord?’ Once He tells me, I obey it. New adventures manifest that are beyond my imagination. Each event, good or bad, be sickness or meeting people, become doors to the Spiritual realm that bubbles with life, light, peace and joy. Miracles become as ‘normal’ as my daily bread.   

In the past, as I do my will, life becomes boring and tiresome. But now, as I obey God’s word every moment, He reveals to me new ways of progress, peace, and prosperity I never dreamed about. My life becomes a sweet powerful spiritually romantic adventure with Jesus as my Lord. It is indeed much more than I can ever think or desire on my own. Eternal life is an overcoming victorious and all satisfying life because it is the life of God. This is a fact none can deny: because in Christ I have eternal life, I can never be a loser. I am an eternal winner. I never need a ‘plan B’. This eternal life is a wonderful promise to all His children. Money cannot buy it and man cannot give or take it away from you. If I forget any another thing, I can never forget this: I am a Child of God! I have eternal life! In Christ alone! To God be all the glory!

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – 1 Corinthians 12 (continued…)

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all… But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor12:4-7; 11).

There are different gifts, ministries, and activities in the church. In Greek, the word ‘ministries’ is ‘diakonion’, from which the word ‘deacon’ comes. It means a helper, a servant waiting to serve his master at the table. The word ‘activities’ comes from ‘energy’. It means that there are many ways of working in the church to produce an effect. The common denominator is The Holy Spirit, who is the source of all these gifts. 

*These gifts ‘manifest’ openly for the good of all the members in the Body of Christ. The word ‘manifest’ is like a light shining in the darkness. Once the light shines, people see and everybody in the church rejoices. The gifts are not for the profit of only one person. They are not given to make the recipient rich or famous. They are for the benefit of all people in the church. No one should be envious of other people’s gifts. The Holy Spirit knows best who to give to and what particular gift to give, all for the common good and for God’s glory!

*The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. The word ‘sovereign’ means to have the highest power and to be independent of others. Man can pray for the gifts, but The Holy Spirit gives these ‘as He wills’. You see that the Holy Spirit is a Person and not just an influence! Selah!

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13). The Holy Spirit is One. The Body of Christ is One! But there are many ‘members and many gifts’ in the Body! Even with so much diversity, there is no confusion or division in the Body. The Holy Spirit is the only common Unifier. All the members of the Body need one another for the Body to function well. Some members seem ‘weak’, less honorable, or unpresentable. God gives them special covering and help. Others are stronger and more presentable. They do not need special attention. But all the members are flexible and care for one another. This cooperation between all the members is the explanation why the Body is one! If one part suffers, all others suffer. If one part is honored, all others rejoice and congratulate that one. This unity of the Spirit is supernatural and extremely powerful!

*A common mistake about the gifts is that they represent God’s approval upon the people who have received them. This is not true!

*Finally, the devil cannot counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit, but he can fake some of the gifts. There are false prophets and false miracle workers. The devil loves the gift of prophecy, miracles, and the gift of tongues in particular. Be careful! Look for the fruits and not only for the gifts!

*This is a reminder that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural. Be careful not to ignore them or reduce their power to the natural level!

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

“… to another discerning of spirits…” (1 Cor 12:10).

The gift of ‘discerning the spirits’ is the supernatural ability to know the spiritual source behind prophecies, teachings, preaching, and miracles. The word ‘discerning’ means ‘to pass judgment’ like a judge in his court room. This gift has a smaller manifestation than the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom. Through this gift, the believer suddenly knows what spirit is behind that preacher, that teacher, that prophet, or that miracle worker. It is not just a form of ‘common sense’, or a natural ‘discerning’ of a situation. It is the ability to know that the person speaks by the Holy Spirit or by evil spirits. The gift is totally supernatural. This gift removes the mask that covers the person. The believer knows and sees the spirit motivating the speaker. It is not a natural gift of fault-finding. It is not discerning the character, attitude, or what a person is thinking. For example, it is not observing that a person is greedy or selfish. It is discerning the spirit behind the person. Only God can reveal such a spirit.

The purpose for this gift is to give power to see the spirit behind the person and to make the right decisions based on truth. It is useful in prayer and deliverance. The discerning of spirits does not immediately result in deliverance. You need to be led by the Holy Spirit to do that. The gifts of prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues have a human component. They are under the control of the believer. But the gifts of the word of knowledge, wisdom and discernment are totally independent of the believer. They come suddenly as The Holy Spirit gives them in His sovereign will. Once you see and you know God’s revealed truth, you are free from deception, and you win the battle!

Some sicknesses are natural. Others are demonic, especially mental afflictions. Jesus applied this gift especially when dealing with evil spirits:

Ex. “He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matt 10:1).

Ex. A woman is delivered from a spirit of infirmity: “And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Lk 13:11-13)

This gift is necessary to know how to pray, or how to relate to people. For example, a pastor may look good outwardly, but behind the good presentation, there may be an evil spirit of religion. We are too easily deceived by appearances. To know that truth, you need to test the spirits because they are not all from God. To test the spirits, you need time. The gift of discernment of spirits reveals the truth in an instant. Never forget this: the devil is God’s enemy. He uses his agents of darkness to perform miracles. Many are deceived by that. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess 2:9, 10). Loving God’s Word, which is truth, is the sure protection against the devil’s agents who perform fake miracles to bring you into bondage.  

There are three kinds of ‘spirits’: There is God the Holy Spirit, there are many evil spirits, also called demons, and there are the human spirits. Man has three parts: the body, the soul (his personality) and his spirit. When he becomes saved, the Holy Spirit activates, quickens his human spirit which is neutral in nature. The human spirit can be influenced by the Holy Spirit or by evil spirits. The gift of discernment of spirits gives the believer the power to see what spirit is behind the human spirit: God or demons. Once you see the truth, your relationship with that person changes immediately.

In the story of King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat alliance for war, prophet Micaiah displays the gift of discerning spirits. God opens his eyes to see that the false prophets of Ahab speak by the power of a lying spirit. “Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So, one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’ Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you” (2 Chr 18:18-22). His prophecy based on the gift of discerning the spirits proved to be true. The gift of discernment gave The Prophet Micaiah boldness to stand and not be intimidated by the royal court false prophets. King Ahab rejected Micaiah’s gift of discernment. He went to war and died the next day.

There are people who are involved in witchcraft. They claim to see spirits behind events or people. Such information is from the devil who is a liar. Reject that! What the witches claim to see, is false information. The gift of discernment of spirits is the real gift that reveals the truth. Selah!

EXAMPLES OF THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

*Apostle Paul went to minister to Sergius Paulus, the governor of the island of Paphos. He has an assistant called Bar-Jesus or Elymas. Through the gift of discerning of spirits, Paul suddenly knows that this man is a sorcerer. Elymas withstood Paul, preventing him preaching to the governor. Then Paul withstood Elymas and placed a temporary blindness on him. This miracle helped the governor believe that Paul is a true man of God! “When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Ac 13:6-12). Here you see Apostle Paul manifesting the gift of discerning the spirits and the gift of miracles. The blindness that came upon Elymas was a miracle performed by Paul. Its purpose was to slow down Elymas in his wicked work of deceiving the governor about salvation in Christ.

*By the same gift of discernment of spirits Paul identifies a (python) spirit of divination in a girl at Philippi. Paul confronts and rejects the demon. The girl became free. “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities” (Ac 16:16-19).

In both these stories, the gift of discernment of spirits prepares the way for the Gospel to be preached.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EVIL SPIRITS?

Totally avoid occult practices. Do not go to places where they invoke evil spirits. For example, do not read the daily horoscopes in the newspapers. They claim to tell your destiny based on the movement of the planets and the stars. This information is not just useless. It is evil and dangerous.  Also, do not attend the so called ‘prophetic’ meetings where the name of Jesus is not honored. Do not listen to people who tell you that they can read your future. Do not go to shrines or ‘native doctors.’ Do not be curious about sin. Test the spirits before you trust men with your soul. Study the Word of God and apply it in your life daily. Fast and pray if you are confused. God will reveal the truth to you! Trust God alone! There is freedom and power in the name of Jesus!

THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

“… to another prophecy… “ (1 Cor 12:10).

Prophecy is a divinely inspired and anointed utterance, in a known tongue. It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. It is totally supernatural. It comes with heaven’s authority. It changes lives. The way a blind man receives sight, prophecy is a miracle. The effect is as powerful.

In Greek, the word ‘prophecy’ is prophēteia. It means the gift of communicating revealed truth with authority. It also means prediction, which is a statement about the future. In Greek, prophecy means ‘to speak for another’. In other words, when you prophesy you speak for God. Your mouth becomes God’s mouth. For a moment in time, you are God’s spokesman. In Hebrew, the word ‘prophecy’ is ‘naba’. It means to speak or sing under the influence of a spirit. The true prophets spoke under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The false prophets spoke by evil spirits. The word ‘naba’ describes a fountain of water that bubbles up from the earth. It also means to go down, to let drop thick honey or rain from the clouds. The third meaning of the Hebrew word for prophecy is to lift up banners with mysterious words on them. As you can see, prophecy is a speech from God, words that go up, or go down, passing thru a human vessel. The word ‘prophecy’ appears 22 times in these 4 chapters (1 Corinthians 11 to 14). From among the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the word ‘prophecy’ appears more often than all. This is to tell us the importance of this gift and why we are told to desire it.   

Out of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the devil loves to attack prophecy. The attack comes in many forms. The most common is ignorance. Many Christians are ‘ignorant’ of the value, power and need for prophecy in the church. This ignorance is often a spell from evil spirits. The devil also attacks by producing false prophets. He gives a counterfeit prophetic gift to his agents. These entertain people with stories about the present or the future. These preach false doctrines. They do not honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Many believe them. Later, they discover that they have been deceived. This deception ends in bitterness and regret. The result is that from that time on, they reject all prophecies, even the true ones.

We are commanded not to despise prophesies. To despise it means to reject, ignore, or regard prophecy with contempt. Prophecy seems a useless or a bad thing. It is our duty to test all spirits and to differentiate the true from the false. The true prophecies should be received with thanksgiving as a gift from God. The false prophecies should be rejected. Being careless with prophesies quenches the Holy Spirit. This is a serious sin. The Holy Spirit will stop moving in a church. Ministry is affected. The supernatural signs and wonders cease in the assembly. No more miracles. That is a sad and dangerous situation in any church. “Do not quench [subdue or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:19-21; AMP).

A false prophet may enter into a trance to be able to prophesy. This trance can be ignited by smoking marijuana or taking some drugs. During the trance, the prophet is only partly conscious of his environment. False prophets are entertaining but extremely dangerous. They cause disorder and confusion in the church. It is not so with the gift of the Holy Spirit. When a believer exercises the prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit, that action does not take over his will or his personality. He prophesies and he remains himself. He can stop the prophetic speech at will. True prophesies unite the brethren in the bond of peace. “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Cor 14:32, 33).

There is a difference between the office of a Prophet and the gift of prophecy given by the Holy Spirit. Any believer can receive prophetic words to give to the church. But not every believer who prophesies is a prophet. There are many believers who prophesy but there are few prophets. In the Old Testament, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, these were true prophets.  In the New Testament, a prophet is a gift given by the Resurrected Christ to the Church (Eph 4:11). But the gift of prophecy is given to the believer. A prophet prophesies more often and more accurately than a believer who has the gift of prophecy. His words affect cities and nations. In the church, especially during prayer meetings, ‘all may prophesy’. But not all are prophets. “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be encouraged” (1 Cor 14:31).

The office of a prophet is second only to that of an apostle. It is intimately connected with the person. But the gift of prophecy is only a tool in the hands of any believer. Many believers who have received the gift of prophecy became proud, selfish, and ambitious. They expect honor from others thinking that they are prophets and leaders in the church. This attitude will always bring trouble at last.  

PROPHECY AND PREACHING

This is another error: many people say that prophesy and preaching the Word are the same. They are not. Preaching is the result of preparing a sermon. The mind and the emotions of the preacher are involved. “Preaching is communicating truth though personality” (Philips Brooks). The preacher follows a pattern he has prepared in his mind. Preaching is done with the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But it is not the same as prophecy. The gift of prophecy may interrupt the preaching of a sermon, but it is separate from it. As the preacher goes on preaching his sermon, suddenly, the congregation has this impression that God is speaking directly to them. The preacher feels a sense of God carrying him and his words. The prophecy is not part of the sermon he has prepared. Suddenly, the wind of the Holy Spirit starts to blow, and His fire starts to burn. A sermon that seems boring, suddenly, it becomes fresh and exciting. The congregation feels the presence of the Holy Spirit and they are revived. Prophecy is always supernatural. The command is to preach the Word, not to prophesy. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). We are not commanded to prophesy. That is the gift of the Holy Spirit and can come anytime as God wills it.

Like the rest of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy is a grace gift. Grace is given only to the humble (Jam 4:6). The more you humble yourself, the more you become available to receive this gift. Prophecy is connected with the faith of the believer. Faith regulates the level of prophecy. To prophesy above the level of your faith is sin. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith” (Rom 12:6). Doubt is a sin. It brings guilt upon the one who prophesies outside the boundaries of his faith. “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23).

THE THREE MAJOR BENEFITS OF PROPHECY IN THE CHURCH (1 Cor 14:1-5) – BUILD, STIR AND CHEER UP

The gift of prophecy has three major benefits in the church. It is given for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of the people in the church.

*Edification means to build a strong house. The gift of prophecy builds the church, by giving strength to grow spiritually in the unity of the Spirit.

*Exhortation means to stir up, to encourage the brethren in the church. This word is similar to the office of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter!

*Comfort means to cheer up, to bring joy in the time of trouble.  

In other words, the gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit is given to build, to stir and to cheer the church. Amen!

A prophecy is a sign and a gift given to all people in the church, but especially to believers. Thru prophecy, the believer is encouraged that God is in the midst of the church. The unbeliever is convicted of sin and repents and worship God saying, ‘God is truly among you!’ (1 Cor 14:21-25).

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down and formed the church, the gift of prophesy was given to many, both men and women. Peter preached his first sermon. He quoted Prophet Joel’s prediction.  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy” (Ac 2:17-18).

It is possible that you have heard prophetic words in the past. What did you do with them? It takes faith and boldness both to prophesy and to believe prophecy. May we desire to speak for God, so that the church will be strong, stirred and encouraged! Praise the Lord!

A GENTILE SHOWS HER FAITH (Matt 15:21-28)

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matt 15:21-28)

This story of this mother looking for help, for healing of her daughter, is one of the sweetest in the Bible. She was from Canaan, a descendant of the people Israel met in the Promise Land. She was from an accursed race. She was to be killed by Israel. But against all odds, she survived. She is a mother. Possibly, now a widow. Her daughter is severely possessed by an unclean spirit. That means the girl is totally useless, physically, and mentally. The girl was ‘a psychiatric’ case. Even today, there is no medical cure for such an infirmity. The girl needed deliverance. The only Person who can deliver her is Jesus. This woman hears about Jesus. We know that Jesus ministered to people from Tyre and Sidon (Mk 3:8). It is possible that others told her that Jesus is the Savior. He has the power to heal and deliver. She sees Jesus as her last and only hope to help her and her daughter. They both need help. If the daughter is healed, the mother will be free from anxiety and depression. Jesus wanted to rest in someone’s house, close to the region of Tyre and Sidon. These were pagan cities. These are ports in today Lebanon, along the Mediterranean Sea. Queen Jezebel was also from Sidon (1 Kg 16:31).

This woman comes to Jesus knowing that she has nothing to impress Jesus with. She also knew that she has nothing to lose. She is asking for mercy.  She comes crying for help and falls at His feet. She honors Jesus and calls Him, Lord. She also calls Him by His prophetic Jewish Messianic name: Son of David. She is a Gentile woman but, in her heart, she is like a Jewish woman. Through her cries she disturbs everyone. The disciples get angry and urged Jesus to send her away. They do not care for the pain of a pagan mother.  Initially, Jesus keeps silent. The woman does not take that as rejection. She continues with her cries. Then Jesus tells her that she is not in the area of His ministry. The Jews call the Gentiles ‘dogs’. She does not take offence at that. She continues to worship Him and pleading for help. She accepts the negative word ‘dogs’ and answers Jesus that even the dogs need to eat something. Because of this answer of faith, Jesus heals her daughter. How did Jesus heal the daughter who was far away? Just by His will and power. The woman believed Jesus, went home, and found the daughter healed from that hour, ‘lying quietly on the bed’ (Mk 5:30). Glory!

What are the lessons for us?

The woman came to Jesus knowing that He is merciful and all powerful. She totally believed that. She walked to Jesus asking for help. She knew the principle of common grace, that God blesses even His enemies. She was a humble woman. She knew that she is an enemy to Jehovah. She had nothing to offer to Jesus. Like Rahab in Jericho, she came as an enemy who had faith in the conqueror. She knew the Word of God. She believed that Jesus is the Great High Priest who is merciful (to sinners like her) and faithful to God (Heb 2:7). She decided to obey the invitation that was given to God’s children. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). She needed help in her time of need. The word ‘help’ describes the action of frapping a ship. During storms, the sea men go under using chains to tie the ship so it will not scatter. At the throne of mercy and grace we find the merciful Great High Priest who is able to gather the broken pieces of our heart and make us whole. This woman needed the mercy offered by the merciful Great High Priest, Jesus. Mercy is kindness offered to an enemy when he falls into your power. She got that. She got mercy. Her daughter’s healing was a product of mercy.

God rewards the prayer of faith, humility, and perseverance. God rewards prayer made in an attitude of worship. God rewards an attitude of holy ‘boldness’ in prayer (Heb 10:35).  

Lesson: Do not be offended by Jesus! When Jesus called this woman ‘dog’ she ‘barked’ in agreement. She did not argue with Jesus. She believed that He must be right even if He insults her. This is great faith! Do not draw back. Have faith! Even if men reject you, Jesus will help you. He cares for people who suffer. It is wisdom to overlook an offence. “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (PV 19:11; NIV). This woman ignored the offence because she loved her daughter and wanted her healed. Jesus said: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Matt 11:6). In Greek, the word ‘offended’ is ‘skandalon’ from which ‘scandal’ comes from. The word means a stumbling block, the reason you fall into sin and backslide. The Jews were offended by Jesus; by His birth without a father, by His lack of formal religious education, by His simple appearance in public, by the company of people that followed Him, whom they called ‘sinners’, by His doctrines, especially claiming that God is His Father. They hated His Grace, by which He forgave sinners. They hated it when he said that only by His Blood they can be saved. The disciples of John the Baptist were offended also because Jesus did not fast like their master. Even today, many Christians are offended by Jesus during times of pain and persecutions. They are offended when Jesus keeps quiet and does not answer their prayers. Jesus says that you are blessed, happy, if no matter the trials in life, you abide in Him and His words abide in you.

It is only two times that Jesus recommends people of Great faith and both of them are not Jews. One is this woman and the second is the Centurion whose servant Jesus healed (Matt 8:10). This Gentile woman teaches us that staying with Jesus, even when you do not understand His words or His ways, is still the best place in the universe! That place at His feet, is the place of answered prayers and miracles. May we find the strength to abide in Him always! Worship the Lord!