This is the blog of Pastor Steven McCartt, from Family Worship Center Church in Florence, SC.

[quote style=”boxed”]Jesus came down the mountain with the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears. Then a leper appeared and went to his knees before Jesus, praying, “Master, if you want to, you can heal my body.” Jesus reached out and touched him, saying, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there, all signs of the leprosy were gone.
Matthew 8:1-3[/quote]

There are 4 powerful things we can learn from Jesus’ first healing and the leper who received a miracle! When you need healing in your body, consider what this man did to receive a healing touch from God.

1. GO TO JESUS

This probably seems self-explanatory, yet sometimes we need to be reminded that Jesus is The Healer! This man could have settled with living as an out-cast who was lost and forgotten. Instead, he sought out the only one who could completely heal his condition and change his life!

When you need healing in your body, it’s OK to seek out advice from a doctor or take medicine. However, don’t forget that Jesus is the miracle worker!

2. PRIDE MUST BE OVERCOME

Leprosy is a disgusting disease that causes the body to become deformed. This man was unclean and probably looked appalling. He had been cast out of the city and rejected by the people of his city.

However, he didn’t care what these people thought. He didn’t care about embarrassment or the other’s opinions. This man had to humble himself in a way we could never even imagine but received a result that is priceless.

We need to remove all pride and humbly come before Jesus with worship!

3. WORSHIP IS VITAL

When the leper saw Jesus, the first thing he did was kneel down before The Lord. This act of prayerful worship obviously moved Jesus with compassion. Worship enables a connection to Jesus and an atmosphere for Him to move in our lives.

That’s why removing pride is so important: Humility is required before true worship can occur!

4. GOD’S WILL MUST BE SETTLED: JESUS WANTS YOU HEALED

Once the man knew that Jesus wanted to heal him, instantly “all signs of the leprosy were gone!” Once God’s Will to heal him was settled in his heart, the man was healed! This man wasn’t begging Jesus to heal him; he was prayerfully coming before Jesus with a heartfelt question: Are you willing to heal me? Jesus’ answer was clear: I Am Willing.

God sent His son to save us and heal us. By His Stripes we were healed (Isaiah 53:5)! His desire is to see you prosper and be in health (3 John 1:2)!

How do we receive that? I think the Leper taught us a simple process: remove our pride, go before Jesus with a heart of worship and stand on the will of God that He wants us healed! Do this and watch God heal your body!

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We often hear about the prayer of faith, but the reality is that praying the prayer of faith requires a doubt-free prayer. What is “no doubt prayer?”

[quote style=”boxed”]And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any:that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Mark 11:22-25[/quote]

1. OUR HEART (NOT OUR HEAD) MUST BE ABSENT OF DOUBT

The place where doubt can not exist is in the heart, which is our spirit. Our head might be giving us fits or surrounding circumstances may be contradicting our faith. However, a doubt-free prayer requires that nothing contrary to the Word of God can enter our heart!

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Doubt is defined as:
to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe to distrust; to fear and be apprehensive about.[/quote]

Our heart must stay fixed and steadfast on the knowledge of God. God said it! I know that I know that God will honor His Word and come through on my behalf. I have no doubt!

2. OUR HEART MUST BE FILLED WITH FAITH

Second, our heart (our spirit) must be filled with faith (the answer). We must follow the example given to us by Abraham. Look at Abraham’s example found in Romans:

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and not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Romans 4:19-21[/quote]

Abraham only considered what God had said. We must fill our hearts with God’s Word. The Word of God was, is and always will be the answer to any questions that arise from the world, the flesh or the devil.

3. OUR MOUTH MUST BE FILLED WITH PRAISE

The third key is to have our mouth filled with praise! Proverbs 23:7 says, “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Anytime we begin to operate in a high form of faith — a Bible-type of faith — praise will play an integral part. Our mouths are the clearest indicator of the content of our hearts. When my heart is filled with faith, then my mouth will be filled with faith as well. When our faith is complete, praise will always be there. We aren’t moved by our sight and just idly waiting for the manifestation. Instead, we offer praise! We can act on scriptures by operating in praise and thanksgiving. We encourage our faith and make it complete.

How can we recognize when we’re standing in faith? Praise can be used as an indicator of whether we’re really in true Bible faith or whether we’re just hoping and trying. When we’re operating in God’s kind of faith, praise will be there. We abound in faith with thanksgiving. If there is no thanksgiving, we are not abounding in faith.

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PRAISE IS LIKE A SPIRITUAL THERMOMETER

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Praise is like a thermometer we can use to take our spiritual temperature and find out where we are in believing God. If there is no praise, or if praise is limited, then our faith is limited. When we get to where we’re really abounding in praise — praising God as if it was already done — we know we are beginning to abound in faith. When we’re abounding in faith, it’s just a matter of time until we see the thing that we desire. Praise is a super-important part of faith!

Let’s guard our hearts from doubt, fill our hearts with faith and fill our mouth with praise!

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We find four words in the book of Mark that will change our lives forever: Have faith in God.

[quote style=”boxed” float=”right”]And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

Mark 11:22[/quote]

Here are some of our favorite faith quotes (in no particular order)! All quotes are from @PastorSteveFWC unless otherwise noted.


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Faith without doubt will bring me out!

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Faith begins where the will of God is known.
– Kenneth E. Hagin Sr. / F. F. Bosworth

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The need to use faith is before, during, and after the challenging events of our life.

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Faith is the shield we use to stop Satan’s fiery darts. (Ephesians 6:16)

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Faith is used to bring resources into our life so that we are equipped to handle the challenge at hand.

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Feed your faith and starve your doubts.
– Kenneth E. Hagin Sr.[/quote]

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Faith is used to render useless the barrier between me and my success. (Mark 11:23)

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Never allow your circumstances to crowd out your faith.

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Faith is my actions in correspondence with His word, demonstrating that I believe that His Word sown and kept in my heart will not fail me no matter what the challenge!

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Your limited destiny can become unlimited through faith.

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Faith is used to create things that are not and it’s used to move/change things that are.

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Faith is for the termination of and protection from opposition.

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What Is Faith & How Do We Develop It?

Read Hebrews 11:6 & Romans 10:17 to learn more about faith.

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Christians, we need help! We need help because living the Christian life isn’t just a matter of will power, philosophy, or a desire to do good. It requires more than just showing up to church on Sunday morning. Real Biblical Christianity requires us to not only do more than we are capable of doing on our own, but also to overcome what we can not overcome with our natural abilities.

SO HOW DO WE DO IT?

We as believers HAVE to receive and utilize a heaven-sent gift and be filled with supernatural power: the Holy Spirit. God through the Holy Spirit, comes beside us and works within us to bring through us what couldn’t be developed otherwise.

[quote style=”boxed”]And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever.
John 14:16 (AMP)[/quote]

If this is true, which it is, then why would we support messages that label the Holy Spirit (and gifts of the Spirit) as non-essential for Christians? In the same regard, why would we support entities that condone sin which the Holy Spirit was sent to help us overcome?

THE CHURCH MUST STAY ON COURSE

Throughout first and second Corinthians, Paul delivered a profound message to the church at Corinth. A church that was facing many problems we’re facing today: Man-made division (chapt. 1), lustful and carnal living (chapt. 3), leaders who were openly rebelling against God (chapt. 5), and rejecting teachings on how to live for God. Paul helped correct the Corinthians by reminding them of the simple, powerful message that founded their church:

[quote style=”boxed”]…and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
1 Corinthians 2:4-5 (NASB)[/quote]

RETURN TO THE BASICS

After an inexcusable loss, Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi sat his players down with a speech that reminded them to get back to the basics.

“Gentlemen,” Lombardi stated, “This is a football.”

Lombardi operated on a simple philosophy: Excellence could be best achieved by perfecting the basics of the sport.

Today, the Church of Jesus Christ is being called back to the basics. I’m tired of hearing about unscriptural approaches to church that are based on “persuasive words of wisdom.” Some ideas sound good and stir your soul, but they have no long-lasting supernatural supply.

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Many churches today offer too much hype and not enough hope.

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If we’re hyping anything more than Jesus, then we’ve missed it. Clearly, methods change but the message stays the same. We need to return to the basics of God’s Word which history shows us made Christians a powerful force for God! One message worked for Paul and it still works today. Paul knew that preaching the right message brings POWER and DEMONSTRATION of the Holy Spirit so that our faith can stand in the POWER of God, not man!

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Today, while dropping off my kids at school, I decided to play with my kids a litte bit. I rolled down the window and began to tell them “I love you” repeatedly. They began yelling back “I love you too, dad!” They jogged and skipped along side the car as we drove away. I could tell that the person monitoring the car line was visibly agitated. As my sons passed by, the person gave them a little “what for” and scrunched their face at me letting me know their disdain.

I guess they just don’t realize how important the end of a conversation can be. You see, those words just might be the last words spoken. We just don’t know what the next minutes of our lives hold. Years ago my father went to the bed side of his best friend as he was approaching heaven. Just before his friends departure, he looked over at my dad and said, “I’ll see you soon, Howard.” Those were the last words they shared together. When my dad arrived back home, he took me aside and shared how much those few words meant too him. He was so moved by those words that it became the inspiration for a life long commitment.

Make sure that your last words with someone are words to remember! The morning before my mother lost consciousness, I went to see her. She was the best I had seen her in weeks. She was talking, her sentences were short with very few words, I don’t really remember anything we talked about. My joy at hearing her speak overwhelmed the content of the conversation. However, as I was walking out the door, heading off to work, I looked back one more time. In a shallow whisper she said, ” I love you son.”

I will never forget those wonderful words. I hang on those words at times. I only have one picture of her in my house at the moment because I’m not yet able to deal with the emotions related to all that happened with her. There were too many dark days that I sat beside the bed looking for small glimmers of hope. I shut out of my mind the vision of her being wheeled back into the hospital the last time with her face distorted. What I remember are those four words she spoke to me for the very last time. She never spoke again after that. The face I see is the one that looked at me as I walked away, her eyes filled with purpose, struggling to make sure that if she never saw me again she had said, “I Love You.”

Life is a conversation: It has a greeting, it has a body, and it has a salutation. Make sure you always end your conversation with words worth remembering.

Did you know that if we want to receive anything from God we are going to have to use our faith. You see, faith is what I like to call, the currency of heaven. God doesn’t use dollars or pesos in exchange for His provisions of salvation, prosperity, and healing. He uses our faith.

Our wonderful heavenly father has, by His grace, provided everything we will ever need. The grace of God is God’s provision given to us freely, based upon nothing that we have done. So God has already provided salvation, healing, and prosperity even though we don’t deserve it and did not earn it. Yet, even though all that we will ever need is sitting right there for the taking, it can only be ours if we use our faith.

Look at Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are you saved through faith.” Here we see the perfect example of what I’m talking about. Salvation is given to us freely and without works that we do; it is available to us by grace. But at closer inspection that does not mean that you are saved simply because God has provided salvation. For us to receive salvation we must exchange our faith for God’s grace. One author said this, “faith receives what grace provides.” That is quite good!

Here is another way of saying it, God’s grace or the provision of God, is brought into manifestation by our faith. Here is the good news: Everything that God has provided in His Word for us is ours by faith! We have the ability to exchange our faith for all of the promises in God’s Word. Wow! How wonderful is that. God has already made provisions to meet every need in my life and has provided a way from me to get them!

So instead of “Got Milk?” I say, “Got Faith?”

Pastor Steven McCartt
Family Worship Center Church of Florence SC

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to make a tough choice, and you knew that doing the right thing would cause you grief?  I was recently there.  I found myself struggling with what I knew in my heart, and with what I knew in my head.  I was standing there trying to decide what was the best thing to do for all those involved. It left me terribly conflicted. On the one hand was the abuse I knew I was going to endure, and on the other hand, the safety and protection of everything and everyone that was involved.

My first thought was to just forget it. I thought, man this isn’t worth it. I should just forget this and go on about my business. Why should I stick my neck out and get it chopped off? After all, it’s always the one’s that you help the most that hurt you the most. I asked myself, “Do you really want to go there Steve?”

After a short bout with self pity and the “Why me?” thoughts, I came to my senses and began to think of the others who were involved. I thought about the need for those persons involved to understand the true nature of what they had done. This was a moment of education–lessons could be learned and character could be examined and taught, judgment would be challenged and behavior would most definitely be curbed. I sensed, that should we overcome this challenge together, everyone would be stronger as a result. I truly thought that others would see the benefits of this and that I was going to have tremendous support moving forward. God had exposed things and brought things into the open. God had shined His light on something that would have prevented catastrophe in the future. Conflict would bring us to a position of strength. How could I possibly be so selfish as to think that this wasn’t worthy of taking some abuse?

True love for someone is not just giving them everything they want. Love doesn’t overlook or support poor choices and poor character. True love exposes inappropriate behaviors and deals with it strongly, all for the purpose of change. Real love looks into the future and says, “I want what is best for you without regard to what it costs me.” It says, “I care about your future and what you become.” It asks the question, “Where are you heading?” Love challenges higher performance and often times wants more for us than we want for ourselves. It isn’t a relationship without accountability, responsibility,  or correction. True love is as Hebrews says,

[quote style=”boxed” float=”right”]“My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons…. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb 12:5-11)[/quote]

How could I possibly be a man that would just cover up a situation and not deal with it?  No, I had to do something for this situation that would draw a map to a future filled with the goodness of God.  Everyone in the situation need to know that character counts and that integrity is vital to becoming your best. Yes, I have to make a point here. First, to the people involved and then to everyone watching to see if I would be a man of my word.  Could I be trusted?  Could those who follow see the value in me that they have invested in? So I made a choice and it was the right one. I did what I knew was best no matter what it cost me.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus suffered the most abuse from those he loved the most.  His people rejected him. He was humiliated by the very people that He reached out to.  He was rejected, ridiculed, despised, and crucified all for the love that He gave for His brothers.  He had given to them, and they had received of Him. However, when Jesus began to show them a new way and began to correct their old way they refused to accept it. They hung Him because He loved them (John 3:16). It’s that simple.

I have found this to be true in my own experience.  Not only with regard to my own life, but also in the lives of those that I pastor. Challenging people to go to the next level in their lives often causes the most resistance. People seem resistant to change. Albert Einstein once said that the definition for insanity is doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results.  How profoundly true.  I am amazed at how varied the responses are that accompany moments of confrontation.

My pastor has always said that mature, spiritual christians resolve conflict.   Bitterness, hostility, and strife are unacceptable and should be replaced with humility, forgiveness, and love. Believers should be the examples of better attitudes and better behaviors. We should be the model, not only to other believers, but also to the world that’s watching.  How many people are affected by the poor conduct of the church? How many have left the church and avoided the church altogether due to the lack of love that’s shown? Retaliation is a worldly pursuit. Believers shouldn’t pursue retribution or revenge. Vengeance is unbecoming of those who follow Christ. How can it possibly be that the church acts in a manner that is despicable to the world that we are witnessing to? How much love is really in us if when we come to a point of conflict we become so hateful and so mean that even those who are not believers are appalled? We talk as though we desire to lead others to Christ and act as if we don’t know Him.

What is most sad to me, as a pastor, are those who refuse correction. I am grateful to my pastor for the correction he has brought in my life. I am thankful for his challenges to my character and integrity. I willingly submit to the accountability of our relationship.  I have not always enjoyed the moments when I was brought to a place of introspection, but I have always risen to a higher place because of it. I respect my pastor’s position in my life. I recognize his authority.  I acknowledge his calling and the covenant between us, he as the greater me as the lessor. The choice to submit to my Pastor is what makes me a son in the kingdom of God and not a bastard. I understand that as a pastor we are not eye to eye. He is not my peer, but rather my superior. I couldn’t imagine ever lowering the man of God in my life to my level. I want to hear from him in his God given office. I want to sit on the other side of his desk and sit lower, so that I am calling on the gift that is inside of him. I would never reduce him to anyone, under any situation. That is why I can always receive from him, and why I will always be blessed as the Word of God says every true obedient son will be.

To sum all of this up, I want to encourage those that I pastor and all Christians to be teachable, correctable, willing to put your pastor (and all pastors) in the proper place in your life, to be men and women of integrity, character, and true witnesses to the world that we are so desperately trying to reach. When your pastor approaches you about a situation, trust the Holy Spirit within him, and follow that leading, whether it causes you pain or not. Spend time praying for him and get to know his heart. Ask God to bring revelation to you and your pastor.  Before you explode and begin defending your position hear the matter out. Look for the good and accept the opportunity to reason together. Support the man of God that God has so wonderfully placed in your life. Realize that your church and your pastor are a covering to you. They are more than just an expendable part of your life.  I believe that if we will do that, then we will fulfill the great commission, and protect the church that God has established.

Pastor Steven McCartt
Family Worship Center Church of Florence SC

I was asked a question recently about the relationship between job, church, and family. My personal experience might be helpful to those who are asking this question. I have one disclaimer though. I knew from a very early age that I had a call on my life to full time ministry. With that said, I came to a point in my life where I had to choose between going into the corporate business world with lots of money on the table or to pursue the ministry.  I made the choice for ministry.  I refused the money because I knew that I couldn’t be entangled in the business world.  I got too caught up in it. As a matter of fact, I nearly lost my soul.  Not everyone has that to deal with.  Many people are called to be business men and women. They do a very good job staying balanced and keeping their priorities right. They are committed to being kingdom financiers. I, however, struggled.

God had called me into the ministry.  The better I did in the business world the more I was pulled into worldly pursuits.  I knew that I couldn’t go to deep.   I knew, if I did, I would have passed on the ministry.    The money would have bound me.  Even today I am very careful not to do things that could pull me away from my calling.  I have had opportunities come my way that I have refused because I knew I would have succeeded, and It would have required me to commit too much of my time, energy, and resources.  I could get too distracted and would become ineffective and entangled in worldly pursuits.

My first love was, and is, God, church, and family. Because I chose to obey and accept my calling, God has rewarded me with both my love, (church & family)  and money.  He said, “delight yourself in him and he would give you the desires of your heart”  (Ps 37:4).

If a person who is promoted and blessed with financial blessings will stay humble and teachable, they will be ok.

Deut has a stern warning against self reliance.  I think that everyone should read and internalize this scripture. Deut 8:10-19.

We should protect ourselves against the belief that the blessings we receive are what got us the blessing.  The blessings that come to us are a result of the seeds we have sown yesterday or even years ago. They are the fruit of our obedience before the blessings came. They are results of faithful service in the house of God. They testify to our commitment to be present in the house of the Lord. They are the products of the prayers that we have prayed and prayer meetings we frequented.  Blessings come because we have submitted ourselves to the gifts that God has place in the church, and in our lives. They are not the indicator of God’s will. They do not stand alone in isolation to indicate that we have arrived.

I said that, because people tend to forget that blessings do not indicate the will of God.  Instead, being in the will of God, and doing the will of God, will point us to the blessing.  Obeying God will produce blessings.

Many have strayed thinking that the new refrigerator, the washer and dryer miraculously given to them, or even a new job, was God’s divine leading and mark of approval.  They leave what got them those things. Only to be left deceived by the devil.  We should identify what has brought us to where we are.  Yes, it is God, but what about where God has led us.  What about the pastor, the church, our family, our church family, and all of the relationships that God has given us.

I am always amazed at those who come to our church with serious problems and challenges who receive the Word and begin to grow. Their lives begin to change and finally they see life begin to improve.  They receive healing in their bodies. They see their finances begin to turn around. Family troubles are rectified. They see their desires coming to pass.  Then all of a sudden they decided that they should leave and that God has showed them some new thing.  Their justification for this is the blessings that they now see.  Again discounting the fact that their blessings are the product of what they previously sowed.  They fail to recognize that a seed planted requires time to produce it’s fruit.  One doesn’t plant tomato seeds today and pick tomatoes tomorrow.  Time lapses and fruit is harvested.

So it is with the things of the Spirit.  A decision made or an activity we have done today most likely is not going to bring a manifestation today.  That would violate the seed time principle. No! today’s harvest is yesterday’s planting.  More often then not an open door is a manifestation not a leading. Our resolve should be to follow the Word of God and not the signs that follow, which leads me to my final thought.

Finally, it is important for us to remember that our spiritual pursuits are not of lesser importance than our natural pursuits.  People should realize that Godliness is profitable unto all things. (1 Tim 4:8)  Yes money is important but our pursuit of God is of far more consequence than the dollars that we earn.  We can not afford to prioritize our lives such that God is only in the portion of our lives that does not contain our work.  All of my life is His.  All that I have is His.  All that I do is His.

– Pastor Steven McCartt
Family Worship Center of Florence SC