"But when you were afraid of Nahash, the King of Ammon, you came to me (Samuel) and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. All right, here is the king you have chosen. Look him over. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request." (1 Samuel 12:12-13 NLT)

I love it. A paradigm shirt or a paradoxical meaning. In one sense are are to turn our backs on worthless things by not sinning against the Lord. Never to turn our backs on Him.

“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people (1 Samuel 12:20-22, NLT).

Yet in the same token, Jesus gives us every spiritual gift we need to ask in faith. We trust that He hears us and we take Him at His word.

It's like cashing a check at the bank and walking away with the money. He said to me: "It is done (finished). I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son" (Revelation 21:5-7 NIV).

Today in my quiet time I was totally convicted. Like majorly, hardcore convicted.

The feeling of walking away sucks. The tears that well up in my eyes...starting all the way down in the pit of my stomach before they bubble over and out my eyes.

It's like I don't have enough: Faith. Trust. Hope. - 3 things I am learning. Still learning. Re-learning.

Did you know that in these times it is okay to turn your back on God? And by that I mean exercising great faith? Jesus, when he was on this earth could not be 10 places at once. That's why healing required faith. They didn't have the written Bible like we do. They didn't always have Jesus. Not to mention the presence of the Holy Spirit hadn't been (fully) released.

So when the Centurion said... "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it" (Matthew 8:8-9)

Jesus was astonished and let it be known, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith...'Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.' And his servant was healed at that very hour" (Matthew 8:10, 13).

Another example in Scripture is the Samaritan woman whose daughter was also healed "that very hour" (Matthew 15:28). Her faith encounter with Jesus resulted in the immediate healing of her daughter.

Did we need Jesus need to be present? No! Does that mean that Jesus is not fully able to heal? No, of course not!

Now-a-days, we have full access to the throne. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (by turning our backs on Jesus and walking away in full assurance of faith)...Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:14, 16).

Need help? Try walking away.

(Start by doing this)

(And then like this: these legs were made for walkin, and that's just what they'll do!)