Nothing New
It's one of those biblical principles that is repeated so often that Christians have lost the reality and the impact of it.How often have we heard in seminars and read in books, and seen in movies and the like, that if you believe you can achieve!
Well what does the Bible say?
Mark 9:23 says it this way- If thou
cans't believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
If you can just believe, anything is possible to him that believes.
So there you have it. No special translation or revelation or interpretation needed. The infallible Word of God says, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM THAT BELIEVES.
But what of this word ALL? No exclusions, no exceptions.
And what of this word BELIEVES? Entirely convinced of the surety of a thing, even a present believing.
See we believe, but to a point. Logic, rationale, and earthly wisdom win out over faith.
We get stuck in pre-salvation thinking. Ephesians 4:22-24 says that you put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. It's time to break free from the corrupt thinking.
Unbelief is not a faith issue, it's a
heart issue. There is a measure of faith embedded in us all. It gives us the ability to respond to the call of grace to salvation. But there is a greater measure of faith that is waiting for us to take hold of as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. This is a faith to believe the miraculous- this is the faith to believe, such that signs and wonders began to follow. ( Mark 16:17)
A Heart Issue
The greatest commandment is to love the
lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul and all our strength.
ALL means ALL- no room for anything
else. This is a hard saying, but I'm sure it was a hard pill to swallow when
Jesus responded to the disciples inability to cast out a devil by saying:
O faithless and perverse generation!( Matthew 17:17-18)
When we love the Lord our God with ALL, we immerse ourselves in whatever enhances our relationship with him - the Word. As a result we grow in grace and knowledge of him. This then feeds our faith, which is the root of believing.
Faith: 1. complete trust or confidence in someone or something. 2. strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion,
Believe: accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of.
When we know him, our faith is not just in his ability or power to do, but we believe that what we ask him for we receive. Yet, when we know him , we know what we ought to ask for- taking out the variable of power-drunk, "wand-waving", genie-in-a-bottle, type pf asking. With no exclusions to what is possible if we only believe, God in his wisdom provides the Holy Spirit to aid us in cultivating the spiritual fruit that is needed to not fall prey to greed and pride.
Elijah stopped the rain. Joshua stilled the sun. Moses brought forth water from a rock. Peter walked on water.
If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it
shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you. ( Matthew 17:20)
Nothing, you say?
NOTHING. No exclusions, no exceptions.
God is challenging his children to believe for the impossible, in such a way that our world can not escape the truth of the Greatest One- Jehovah, the creator, Emmanuel, God with us- the King- Jesus Christ.
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