Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, “Look here.” He looked up, expecting to get something from them. Acts 3:4–5 (MSG)  Do you sometimes expect too little from God? I’ve been guilty of that myself.  For example, when our kids were small, my wife Sally and I often drove separate vehicles to accomplish everyone’s schedules and save time. Well, years ago, she started praying for good parking spots. At first, I thought that wasn’t worth praying about, but without fail, I’d end up walking a block and she’d get a great location.  Maybe you’re thinking, “Leon, with all the issues going on in the world, do you really think God arranges parking?” And I would have to say, …

Jesus put his hands over the man’s eyes a second time and made him look up. The man opened his eyes wide and he could see everything perfectly. His eyesight was completely restored! Mark 8:25 (TPT)  Miracles often involve a process. Yet many people think that if they don’t receive instant healing, it is not God’s will for them.  However, the Bible provides an example of a miracle that wasn’t instantaneous—even though it was God’s will to heal. In Mark 8, a blind man was brought before Jesus for healing. Jesus touched the man’s eyes, then asked if he could see. The man replied, “Yes, but all the people look like trees.” So Jesus reached over and touched his eyes a second time and completed …

Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Matthew 17:18 (NLT)  As believers, it’s essential to keep going even if we experience failures along the way.  Matthew 17 shares a story demonstrating the power of stubborn faith, even in the face of disappointment or setbacks. A father brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus’ disciples for healing. Not believing it would happen, they were unable to heal him. But that didn’t stop the father. He didn’t throw his hands up and say, “Well, that’s that.” No, he persisted until he got to Jesus, who did free his son.  It reminds me of the time I flew to a small, remote northern village for some meetings. …

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Mark 10:48 (NLT)  It takes stubborn faith to hang on for a miracle—especially when the crowd says to give up.  Mark 10 shares a great example of this. A blind panhandler named Bartimaeus was begging beside the road when he heard that Jesus was nearby. Bartimaeus hollered out for Jesus, but the crowd angrily tried to shut him up. Yet Bartimaeus didn’t care if he was acting embarrassing or annoying. He shouted even louder.  Now, I’m not saying we should go out and cause embarrassing scenes or make spectacles of ourselves to get God’s attention. But I want you to see the stubborn faith …

But they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Luke 5:19 (NLT)  If there’s one type of person I love to be around, it’s people with stubborn faith.  That doesn’t mean I surround myself with naïve people or “yes” people, but rather with those who don’t back down when a challenge is too big. They recognize it will take a miracle to overcome it—and they still say, “Yes, we’re pressing on with you.”  Luke 5:17–25 provides a terrific example of the value of having friends with stubborn faith. As Jesus was teaching in a house, …