6 They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
7 And there they preached the gospel.
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Our opening Scripture reveals the account of the cripple man at Lystra who got healed through the preaching of the gospel. Undoubtedly, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and all it encompasses. Paul was preaching the gospel and there were many people there, but one man received his miracle. Yes, they all heard the gospel, but something made the difference. The man had faith to be healed. This man was cripple in his feet from his mother’s womb, not yesterday, not two months ago, he didn’t fall from a height, and something happened in his childhood and he lost his lower limbs. No, he was born a cripple baby from the womb. He had never had the personal experience of standing on his feet or walking. Someone who was born a cripple from his mother’s womb, for the first time in his life had faith that the situation can be changed. He saw that he could walk and keep on walking. He heard something that stirred faith in him, that made him believe for the seemingly impossible. So, what did he hear? If he had heard a message that informed him that he would be healed in the Millennium, he would not have had faith to be healed. But he heard the gospel, the Word of God’s grace, that Jesus took his place and bore his sicknesses and diseases. That’s what the gospel offers you.
The cripple man having heard Paul preach the gospel had faith to be healed. Paul knew that the man had faith to be healed and so he screamed with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” Paul gave voice to what the Father had already completed, that the receiver had accepted and there was a physical manifestation as expected because faith does not fail. Faith, when acted upon, does not fail. Faith worked when God put it to work in the beginning when He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Your faith in God won’t fail you. Luke 1:45 says, “And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Performance is of the Lord, and it is reserved for those who repose faith in God absolutely. When the gospel is preached, believed and acted upon, it happens. Little wonder Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:16-17). The gospel begins with faith and ends with faith. This is the summary of the believer’s life and walk, from faith to faith. Hallelujah.
SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that I am a believer and I walk by faith in life and ministry.
Further Meditation:
Hebrews 11:1-6; Galatians 3:11.