Signs Will Follow Those Who Believe

wise seeker

"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. Mark 16:17-20

When we became believers, we experienced how life-changing that message of the good news of the gospel can be. When we first received it by faith, the anointing of God in it snatched us out of the kingdom of darkness and delivered us into the kingdom of the light of God's Son. It changed our eternal destination from hell to heaven. It transformed us spiritually and made us a new creation. It released in us a new power to love God and to love others. And for some it released power to heal the sick and cast out devil. And some have received miracle healing from God because they understood it was simple as receiving salvation. And others have not entered into fullness of the gospel but became unbelievers without enough faith to heal a headache–much less cure cancer.

Many have not understood that to get and keep things that God gives including miracles, signs and wonders they have to fight the good fight of faith. But it’s a fight they can win because 2,000 years ago, Jesus gave them everything they would ever need to win the fight. He took their weakness and gave them His strength. He took their sin and gave them His righteousness. He took their sickness and gave them His health. He took their every defeat and gave them His victory in its place. Mind you they need the Holy Spirit to reveal it all to them and let it sink down into their spirit or it will not profit them.

Most Christians have understood only a tiny fraction of what was accomplished at Calvary by Jesus Christ because they have no understood what sin really was or did. But sin includes everything in our lives that falls short of the glory and perfection of God's original design for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-34). Jesus Christ reversed for us everything that sin had done to us including restoring our sonship, health and wealth so that we don’t have to be poor or sick anymore! On Calvary Jesus became our substitute. He became poor, that we might be rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He became weak so that we might be strong. He endured death so that we might be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). He "bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes [we] were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Hence in an instant we can be saved, delivered, healed and Baptized with the Holy Spirit because of Jesus’ death and resurrection if we will only believe it, accept it and confess it for God’s word is true:
And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.' Acts 2:21

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47

"If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. Acts 4:9-12

The Greek word for the word saved, well or whole is here is ‘sozo!’ Strong’s concordance defines sozo as
to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
a) one (from injury or peril)
1) to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal, restore to health
2) to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

Yes, just as sickness entered the world through Adam's sin, healing came when Jesus paid the price for that sin. Yes, the Lord not only forgives all our iniquities He also heals all our diseases, redeems our life from destruction, crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies and satisfies our mouth with good things! The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. Hence He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear Him (Psalm 103:8-13). His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them. He has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all (Psalm 103:18-19).

If we judge the sickness-ridden, poverty-plagued, defeated lives of many Christians, it may not seem like redemption did much more than save them from hell by the skin of their teeth. But that's because for the most part, God’s people don't have any idea what really happened at Calvary. This lack of knowledge has destroyed the lives of many precious Christian. God’s word is unchanging:

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water. Jeremiah 2:13

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. Hosea 4:6

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ' These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. Revelations 3:1-3