SOMETHING
OF SIGNIFICANCE:
Scripture:
Mark 9:23-24
This is the story of a man who was feeling pain and frustration for the terrible situation his son was in. He obviously had heard about all the wonderful things Jesus was doing for the people around him, but the situation was so big in his eyes he was not convinced Jesus had the power or would even have compassion to help him out! However, to these questions Jesus replied:
Just like the situations many of us go through and things we see going on around us, this man’s faith was shaken by what he saw, and he became conscious of his own inability to believe beyond what he saw. He then asked Jesus to remove his doubt!
Jesus obviously honored that man’s prayer because when his believing got straightened out, immediately his son was set free. Jesus was happy to work with this man’s limited faith so that He could give him the miracle he needed!
Hebrews 11:6 says: “And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him!”
That is a powerful promise for us today that the Lord absolutely rewards faith and Jesus took time to help straighten the man’s thinking out so he could receive what Jesus wanted for him all the time!
Jesus loved performing miracles and answering prayers and today is still looking for those that believe He will do what the Scriptures say He will do!
“Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home. He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.” Look at that! We are talking about the Son of God, the living Word, walking among them, but people in his everyday sphere of influence forfeited miracles and blessings because of familiarity or judging things in natural ways. They were saying, “Oh, this is just the carpenter’s son and we know all of his family; He is just like us!”
Often, we, as believers, can have similar experiences with family, friends, business associates, etc., because they do not understand that as born-again Christians, God, through the finished work of Jesus, now lives inside of us and has delegated to us the power and authority to use His Name so that his will is manifest on earth as it is in Heaven!
The Apostle Paul said it like this in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.”
God desires us to continue to proclaim his Father’s Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven for the people HE CREATED! Jesus came from Heaven to earth so you can imagine his excitement about getting people to understand His Father’s heart so they could experience “Heaven on Earth!”
With all the bad news and confusion going on around the world that we mostly learn about through media, focusing on the Gospel continues to be the way we release faith for God’s will, not man’s will to be done!
Luke 18:8 Jesus asked, “…. but when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?
In Matthew 24:12. Jesus stated that right before his return, “because lawlessness, {wickedness and iniquity) would multiply and abound, the love of many will grow cold.”
Have you noticed how easy it is to get caught up in negative conversations which inflame emotions and before you realize it, you are agreeing with others about how bad things or people are when Jesus said: “IF YOU can believe all things are possible!”
Jesus was not ashamed when some did not believe! He just kept on doing what His Father had sent Him to do and those that believed received the blessings!
When stuff happens, however, we can get bogged down with issues and our faith to believe all God promised those who would believe can get blocked. When this happens, we must quickly cast it off being fully persuaded of God’s goodness and love for us and his desire to reward our efforts in seeking Him. Realizing we are God’s investment will help us focus on the benefits he has placed within us. Our part is to daily take time to make the great exchange:
His Peace for our worries:
John 14:27 “Jesus said: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
His Health for our infirmities:
1 Peter 2:24 “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, “by his wounds you have been healed.”
His Joy for our sadness:
John 15:11 “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow.”
His Power for our weakness:
Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak.”
His Faith for our fears:
Luke 12:32 “Fear not little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”
Visually making these exchanges on a regular basis can bring our lives into God’s Will on earth as it is in Heaven!
Have you ever heard the expression, “You can take it to the bank?”
It means what was said is absolutely
guaranteed!
Hebrews 6:17-18: “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”
From this Scripture, we, as heirs of the promise, can absolutely be convinced that if we do not draw back and allow wrong thinking or wrong beliefs to fill our lives but keep the faith for the victories He paid for us to have through right believing, we can take God’s promises to the Bank of Heaven and expect the promised results!
Diana
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