2 Kings 10-11,14 (NKJV) And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’…So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Naaman was disappointed, offended, and frustrated. He expected something more complex from the prophet than simply washing himself in the River Jordan seven times. The River Jordan in Israel is small and its water is not clear. Naaman thought Elisha would personally come to call on the name of the Lord, perform some visible act, and that everyone would witness the healing of the leprosy. He also expected Elisha to show respect and follow proper protocol, considering he was the commander of Syria and had been sent by the King to seek help for his healing.
Naaman acts as our reflection. Like him, we are accustomed to receiving what we want from others, including God. This passage teaches us to simply accept the Word of God. In this context, it refers to what God instructed Elisha to say to Naaman. We should be like children who trust their parents’ word without any doubt or suspicion.
The servant girl reminded Naaman that it wasn’t hard to dip himself in the River Jordan seven times since he had travelled all the way from Syria for his healing. Naaman listened to the servant’s advice and obeyed.
Faith in God and the fight of faith are deeply personal. Faith depends on whether we yield to doubt or have the steadfast determination to stand on the promise that God has given us. The faith walk establishes our close relationship with God as we invite Him into every part of our lives.
Although faith in God is a foundational teaching of the Bible, many Christians find it challenging to live by faith. There is a distinction between mental assent faith and heart faith. Mental assent faith means we believe and agree with the theological truths about faith, but it often does not translate into complete trust in God when walking it out. In contrast, heart faith comes with a deep conviction about God’s faithfulness and the tenacity to walk out that conviction during complex and challenging times. Heart faith is unaffected by the senses but sees in the spirit the outcome of faith.
Romans 10:17 (NKJV) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Although there will always be struggles when we grow from little faith to solid faith, because after all, it’s a different level of faith, our faith in God will become more substantial as we apply the truth after listening to God’s Word.
Sermon Series：We Need to Have Simple Faith
单纯地接受神的话语
列王纪下10–11,14 以利沙打发使者对他说：“你去在约旦河中沐浴七回，你的肉就必复原而得洁净。”乃缦却发怒走了，说：“我心里原想他说必定出来站着，求告耶和华─他神的名，在患处以上摇手，治好这大麻风。”……于是乃缦下去，照着神人所说的话，在约旦河里沐浴七回，他的肉复原，如小孩子的肉，他就洁净了。
乃缦失望、生气并感到挫折。他期待先知会给出更复杂的指示，而不是只是简单地吩咐他在约旦河里洗七次。以色列的约旦河很小，水也不清澈。乃缦心里想，以利沙应该亲自出来，求告耶和华的名，做一些能看见的动作，好让所有人看到他的痊愈。他也期待以利沙按照他的身分给予尊重，毕竟他是叙利亚的元帅，也是奉王命前来寻求医治。
乃缦的反应也反映了我们。像他一样，我们常习惯从别人甚至从神那里得到我们所想要的。因此，这段经文教导我们要单纯地接受神的话语。在这里，就是指神吩咐以利沙对乃缦说的话。我们应该像孩子一样，全然信任父母的吩咐，不存疑惑，也不反复猜测。
那位使女提醒乃缦，他既然从叙利亚远道而来，其实要在约旦河里沐浴七次并不困难。乃缦听从了使女的劝告，也顺服去做。
信心与信心的争战都是极为个人的事。信心取决于我们是否向怀疑屈服，或是坚定地站立在神所赐的应许上。信心的道路建立我们与神的亲密关系，因为我们邀请祂介入我们生命的每一个部分。
虽然信靠神是圣经的基础教导，但许多基督徒仍觉得在实际生活中凭信心而活很有挑战。我们需要分辨“头脑上的认同”与“心里的信心”。头脑上的认同，是指我们在神学上同意关于信心的教导，却未必真正信靠神、在生活中按着信心行事；而心里的信心，则带着深刻的确信，相信神是信实的，并在艰难复杂的环境中仍坚持活出这份确信。心里的信心不受感官影响，而是在灵里“看见”信心的成就。
罗马书10:17 “可见信道是从听道来的，听道是从基督的话来的。”
当我们从小信心成长到坚固的信心时，难免会经历挣扎，因为每个阶段的信心都不同。然而，当我们不断聆听神的话语，并将真理应用在生活中，我们对神的信心就会越来越扎实。
讲章系列：我们需要简单的信心