[QUOTEYou meditate on Laying hands on the sick as Jesus instructed that builds faith in what the word said.][/QUOTE]
But Peter and John didn't meditate before the lame man was healed, we read they fastened their eyes on him, I didn't meditate before laying my hands on my friend, ...she was subject to severe nose bleed, we were driving on the freeway when one started, I pulled off on the next off ramp and drove up to the convenience store, I jumped out of the car, ran into the store to buy a roll of paper towels and a large cup of ice, as I was scooping the ice into the cup the impression to lay hands on her for healing came into my heart, I thought, yeah right, (at that time in my life I was a brand new Christian, a baby in Christ in a church that taught we could lose our salvation and the sign gifts were not for today) I paid for the stuff and went out to the car, I gave her the ice and the towels and told her I had the impression I was to lay hands on her to be healed, she was as shocked as I was because we both attended the same church, she didn't have any faith she would be healed and neither did I, she wrapped the ice in the towels, placed it on her forehead, I placed my hand on her and not knowing what to say I just said, "in the name of Jesus be healed," ...and the blood stopped flowing, immediately, and to my knowledge they never came back.
So you see, I didn't meditate, I didn't have faith, she didn't have faith, I didn't obey any Scripture, she didn't have any Scripture to believe, in fact we had been taught against it, ...it was just like the instance in Acts, it was the Lord's timing and I was the tool He chose to use, and that was the beginning of the end for me in that church, because I couldn't deny what had happened.
Mike, please listen to me, unless the tongue is the Tahitian language I'm not interested in speaking in tongues, not in the least, Paul said it was speaking to God, but for me I want to know with my intelligence what I'm saying to Him, I have so much to say to Him I don't have any time for gibberish, I know what I want to say, ...actually, this is going to sound prideful, but that is not my intention, ...I'm so far beyond speaking in tongues in my walk with the Lord that I consider it to be child's play, now please, let me explain, I'm not saying I'm perfect, I'll be the first to tell Paul to move over because I'm the chief of sinners, but here is something you don't understand, I've been alone with the Lord for 23 years, no church, no pastor, no like minded Christian friends to talk to, no radio, no TV, just my Bible and the only one I've had to talk to was the Lord, out of those 23 years I've only had internet for the last 10, the first thing I did was to find the men I had learned from on the radio before I left and listen to them, why, because I wanted to make sure what I had been taught by the Lord was correct, it blew my mind, the Lord had taught me in my desert experience the same things that I was hearing on the net 13 years later, that conformation was a real faith builder, now that you understand how I was and am continuing to be taught, I want to explain why I'm beyond speaking in tongues, ...our walk together is close, it could be closer if I was more faithful, but His love, mercy and grace is unfathomable, ...it all started with learning the still small voice of the Lord, at first an impression would come into my heart as to what tool I needed to take with me to work (I'm a maintenance man for 78 apartments and at that time I drove a scooter so my space to carry tools was limited), sometimes it was a tool I was certain I wouldn't need, so I didn't take it, but then later on in the day an unexpected repair would come up and I needed the very tool He told me to take, needless to say that got my attention, from then on every time He told me to take a tool I didn't think I would need I took it anyway and every time I needed that tool that very day, then one day my boss asked me to build a very complicated piece of furniture for Him in my cabinet shop, I didn't have the slightest idea how to build it (cabinetry and furniture making is not my trade, I always wanted to learn, I had the tools but didn't really know how to use them), the morning I went to my cabinet shop to start building it an emergency came up at the apartments so I didn't have time to start that day, the next day it was the same thing, on the third day (and my daily Bible reading was in Exodus where God told Moses He would put His Spirit in the men to build the Tabernacle) as I was walking to my cabinet shop the plans, the jigs to build to hold and cut the pieces, what pieces to make first and how to assemble it all just came into my head............., PTL and He is faithful and is still telling me how to build furniture for my boss 5 years later, not only furniture, I'm also the construction superintendent for their remodels, He gives me insight into where there are unseen problems, what needs to be replaced, .......the list is so long I could write for hours and just scratch the surface, I have a moment by moment walk with the Lord, ...so why would I want to give all of that up to mumble something to Him that I didn't understand, ...I'm responsible for spending hundreds of thousands of dollars , choosing the correct contractors and materials that won't cost my boss more in the end, I have real problems that come into my life that are my responsibility to correct that effect and touch the lives of many people, I need to talk to Him about the situation and hear clearly what He is saying,...just think about it, if I were to mumble something unintelligible to Him and He answered how would I know what He was talking about?
Sorry this is so long, but I hope from this you can see that what you are saying isn't correct, look at your quote, you say your faith is built up through meditation, and that is meditating on the Word, but Peter and John didn't meditate on a verse, they acted in faith, I didn't meditate on a verse I (unknowingly) acted in faith, the man with a withered hand didn't meditate on a verse He obeyed what Jesus told him to do, ...faith is an action resulting from hearing from God and then in faith obeying, just read all of the recorded accounts of people in the Word obeying in faith, they didn't meditate, the acted, ...I don't need a formula to be used by God, and I don't have to speak in tongues to be used by Him either, it's just in childlike faith I believe what He has said to me through His Word and what He speaks to me in my heart, that is where my faith is anchored, firmly planted, unmovable, confident He will complete the work He has started in me.
Blessings,
Gene