“God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.”
Acts 19:12 (NIV)
God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul, but Paul was not the source. The power did not belong to him independently. It was God working through him for the benefit of others. Even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul’s body carried enough of God’s anointing that sickness left and evil spirits came out.
This reminds me of Jesus in Gennesaret. People came from all over just to touch the hem of His garment, and everyone who touched Him was made perfectly well. The woman with the issue of bleeding was simply the first recorded healing by touching Jesus’s garment. These people revealed something about faith reaching for the power of God. When people believed and came close to Jesus, illnesses and evil spirits were gone.
We see something similar with Peter’s shadow in Acts 5. Miracles flowing through a servant of God were not only for Paul. It was not a one-time thing. When God anoints someone with His Spirit, it is almost like a river, and the strength of the current within that river is belief in the power of God. Jesus said signs would accompany those who believe, not only apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, or pastors.
So today, we must recognize our responsibility in the Great Commission. We are called to pray for others. Let’s believe more in the power of God through our relationship with Him than in sickness, evil spirits, or anything trying to harm us. Do not let doubt become a dam that dries up the river of anointing that God wants to flow through your life. Have faith today, and do not doubt that God can work through you to bless others. Come to Jesus, because all who touch Him are made perfectly well.