“And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel'” (Matt. 9:33).
Why was the crowd amazed? They were amazed because they saw Jesus doing something they didn’t think He had the ability to do. They didn’t expect it.
We get amazed when we see God do something in our lives that we weren’t expecting. But when we’re in faith and believe He’s going to do what He said He’s going to do, instead of amazement, we should have excitement and joy.
There is a difference between rejoicing and amazement. As faith people we must understand the difference. You can usually spot the difference in people when God moves mightily.
A few years ago when I was traveling, my wife and I were in Columbia, Missouri. When we walked in the auditorium, there was a man sitting in the back. The man who had asked me to speak that evening said, “Don’t worry about that man who is sitting in the back. He comes to every meeting and is totally stone deaf. He has two hearing aids, but he can’t hear anything. He really loves the Lord and shows up at these meetings. The reason that I’m telling you this is he sleeps and snores. Since he can’t hear anything, he doesn’t realize he snores really loud. Nobody wants to go back and bother and embarrass him. We just wanted you to know that so you won’t be offended.”
When I got up and spoke to the group, he snored, but he did stay awake a little while. When the end of the meeting came, people came forward to be ministered to. This gentleman also came forward and got in the prayer line. I remember taking his hands and asking, “What would you like to receive from the Lord?” Since he didn’t hear very well, he talked real loud. He shouted, “I want to hear!” So I just said in a normal voice, “In the name of Jesus, ears be restored, be healed” and touched his ears. That’s all I did.
The man reached up and hooked his fingers around the hearing aid wires and yanked his hearing aids out. They were dangling down on the front of his shirt. He backed up and his eyes were wide! I said, “What’s wrong?” The man yelled, “Quit screaming!”
I hadn’t said anything loud. Because his hearing aids were turned up on full power, when I said, “Be healed,” he thought I was shouting. He hadn’t heard in years and even normal sounds seemed loud. The gift of faith was in operation and there was no amazement when he was healed. It was expected.
When you are ministering under the anointing, there should be total confidence that God is going to do what He said He would do. When you see a miracle healing, you should not stand in amazement. Amazement is a result of seeing something you didn’t expect. We should expect God to always keep His Word.
When God moves mightily, we should shout in victory. Strong faith is joyful and confident but never surprised at what God does.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.