SAID WITHIN
Matthew 9:21 For she said within herself, if I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
This is from the account of the woman with the issue of blood receiving her healing by touching Jesus’ clothes. The Mark account has a lot more details, and I usually use that one to teach from as a wonderful example of how to receive anything from God. As a reminder, the woman heard something; she must have heard you can get healed by touching Jesus’ clothes. She said something; she said, “If I can but touch His clothes, I will be healed.” She did something; she went where He was and was one of many who touched Him. She received something; power went out of Jesus and directly into her, and she was healed of that plague. Jesus said to her, “Your faith has made you whole.” We can all do these things and receive any promise from the Lord. What I want you to see is the saying part of this. I believe the Spirit of God has emphasized this for me and for the circle of people who I minister to. I think some people need a little help in this area because they think their good confession in front of church people is all that is necessary to receive from God. I want you to notice that she said this to herself, within herself. The Young’s Literal Translation also says that she said it within herself. We would call this self-talk. It’s when no one else hears you, just you and God. Yes, God hears your self-talk. I know that is wild, but He knows your thoughts, and He hears you even if you are just talking to you. It was enough for this woman to get her healing. Her confession wasn’t for those around her. At church and with your faith buddies, it is easy to say the right things, but do you really believe what you are saying? Are you saying all the right things around them because you know what you ought to say, and you don’t want them to think you are not in faith? Are you saying the right things because you don’t want them to correct and embarrass you?
The truth is, what you say within or to yourself is of utmost importance. What kind of self-talk are you doing? Are you negative? Are you thinking and saying things within yourself that oppose the Word of God and what you are believing? Have you ever monitored your self-talk? Have you listened to what you say to yourself about what you are believing for? This woman said within herself, “If I can but touch His clothes, I will be healed.” She believed it, and did it, and received her miracle. Your confession is not meant to impress me! Your confession is a releasing of what you believe, and if your confession is only right for a couple of hours on Sunday, then it is not a confession of faith. Watch what you are saying about something you are believing for within. What are you saying to yourself? You are definitely saying something. Whatever you are saying to yourself is what you really believe. And it can be changed if it is wrong. You may be doing it without even thinking about it. So, look at what you are saying and see if it is helping you receive from the Lord.