"The Enemy Of Unbelief"

"The Enemy Of Unbelief"

"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." Mark 9:23,24

Belief isn't a hard thing to do, or have, that is if it wasn't for one "little" thing-- unbelief! It would be easy to believe if we weren't hit by unbelief. Unbelief comes to try to steal our faith. It comes to try to keep us from receiving the promises of God. It is an enemy to our faith, therefore, it has to be dealt with as such.

Unbelief can't be ignored. It can't be overlooked. You have to do something about it. The father in the verse above recognized that he had unbelief and he confessed it to Jesus. He didn't try to cover up the fact that it was there. He didn't try to hide it from Jesus. He didn't try to defend the unbelief. He didn't try to pretend that it didn't exist. He didn't let pride get in the way, but readily admitted that it was there.

If there is unbelief in your heart concerning a matter, don't ignore it, don't try to justify it, don't try to act like it doesn't exist- recognize it for what it is, then confess it to the Lord. It is not a "negative confession" to admit it is there- it is the first step to getting rid of it. Once you have confessed it to God, ask Him to "help your unbelief". Then begin to renew your mind and heart with God's word- "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)

Jesus didn't scold the man. He didn't turn His back on him. He heard the cry of an "honest heart" and He met him where he was. Jesus hears the cry of your heart as well when you are feeling weak in your faith. He won't turn away from you. He will help you to overcome the unbelief.

Have a great day. Unbelief is an enemy to our faith, and must be dealt with.

For further reading:
Mark 9:20-27; 11:22-24
Matthew 21:21,22; 14:27-31

"Point Of View"

"Point Of View"

"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

I woke up again this morning, as I do most mornings, with a song on my heart- this one verse in particular. "Wonderful, merciful Savior. Precious Redeemer and Friend. Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men. Oh, you, rescue the souls of men."

"Who would have thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men." Jesus was called the "lamb" of God that takes away the sins of the world. He wasn't referred to as some other "majestic" animal that was used in the sacrificial process. He wasn't the "lion" (the king of the jungle), or a great "stallion", or even the big, strong "elephant" when He was placed upon the sacrificial altar- the cross. No, it was just a "lamb"- a small, seemingly insignificant animal who has to be led. This is just further proof that God picks and chooses what, and who, He will use to fulfill His purposes. And often what He chooses is that which is weak and foolish. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are." (1 Cor. 1:26-28)

Just look throughout the Bible at the things and people that God chose to carry out His plans in the earth. They weren't always the biggest and the best. They weren't always the most educated, the most beautiful, the most talented, the most appealing, the most desirable, the smartest, the most fearless, the most pleasing, on the contrary, they were usually quiet the opposite- at least from the natural appearance.

In appearance Jesus was the "sacrificial lamb", but behind the appearance of the "lamb", the one fulfilling the plan of salvation for all mankind was actually the Son of God. Gideon was a coward in appearance, but behind that appearance was a "mighty man of valor". David appeared to be nothing more than a shepherd boy, but instead he was a "king". God chooses, from our point of view, the things that appear weak and foolish so that no flesh can glory in His presence. But from His point of view He has chosen that which will bring Him most glory.

Have a great day. What we see on the outside looks weak and foolish by our standards, but God takes that which appears weak and foolish and uses them for His glory because He doesn't look at the appearance.

For further reading:
1 Corinthians 1:29
Judges 6:11,12

"Applying The Sermon"

"Applying The Sermon"

"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass." James 1:23

What do you do when you hear a sermon preached, read a word in a devotional or writing, or hear a teaching? Do you take it and pray about it? Yesterday morning we talked about hiding our lights under the "bushels" of intimidation, fear, rejection, etc. After having read it, did you take it in prayer before God or did you ignore it, forget what you read, think that it applied to someone else instead, or did you let it shine a light into your own heart and bring exposure, truth and repentance.

When we read or hear a word, that should not be the end of it. We should take that word and ask the Lord to show us how it applies to us. We should ask the Lord to forgive us if we have failed in the area that it addressed. We should ask the Lord to help us to do what that word taught.

If you read a message about hiding your light, for example, you should ask God to show you if you are doing that. If He shows you that you are doing it, you should ask Him to show you how you are doing it. Once He shows you, you should repent and ask for forgiveness. From there you should ask for the help and empowerment of Holy Spirit to make a change and stop hiding your light. This goes for every message/teaching you hear or read.

Jesus said that a wise man is one who not only hears, or reads, the word but then applies it-- does something with what He hears. James says that we aren't justified by the word until we do more with it than just hear it-- until we become a doer of it.

The Lord didn't bring that word across our paths just so that we can talk about what a "good sermon" or "message" it was, but so that we can apply it to our lives-- not just its truths, but its convictions as well. We have to let that word bring repentance and transformation in our lives. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

Have a great day. When you hear the word being preached, or read it, what do you do with it?

For further reading:
James 1:22-25
John 8:9
Matthew 7:24
Acts 17:11
Luke 24:32

"Is It Hid?"

"Is It Hid?"

"Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house." Matthew 5:15

Is your light shining brightly? Or is it being hid under a "bushel"? Are you hiding it under the "bushel" of intimidation, fear of others, or the opinion's of men? Do you let what others think about you cause you to keep quiet when you should speak up? Do you let their opinions cause you to draw back or cow down when you should be bold? Do you let what they say about you stop you from doing the right thing at the right time? Are you hiding it under the "bushel" of rejection? Are you letting your desire to be liked by others cause you to hide your light through compromise? Are you so willing to please someone else- a friend, a family member, a boss, a co-worker, one of your peers- that your light isn't seen at all?

This world is a "dark" place. People are in darkness and don't even realize it- at least not until they see the light, then they recognize the difference. Each time we hide the light of Jesus that is within us, their world gets a little darker. As long as they are in darkness, they will remain that way until someone comes and shines a light on the path out of the darkness.

We are called to be lights in this dark world and shine a light on the path out of darkness and to Jesus, the true Light. But if we hide it under some of the things we have talked about this morning, there won't be a light to shine the way.

Have a great day. If your light is hid today, bring it out from under the "bushel" that it is hid under and let it shine brightly to those around you so that they can find the path that leads out of darkness.

For further reading:
Isaiah 51:12
Matthew 5:14-16
John 1:1-9; 9:5; 12:46
Ephesians 5:8
1 Thessalonians 5:5

"Being Careless"

"Being Careless"

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

Some of the synonyms for the word "careless" are: inattentive, negligent, forgetful. And one of the definitions given for the word is: unconcerned in attitude or action; heedless; indifferent. I bring up this word this morning because I want to talk about treating Jesus "carelessly". There are many ways we can treat Jesus in a "careless" manner, but there is one in particular that I want to discuss because we usually don't associate it with careless treatment of Him.

Did you realize that when you don't read your Bible, when you neglect to read it or study it, when you go for periods of time without even opening it up, you are treating Jesus in a careless manner? We just think that we are neglecting the Bible, but we are actually neglecting Him. How is that? Jesus is "THE WORD". He is the living Word that is brought to life for us through the pages of the written word.

When you are careless about your reading, you are being careless in your treatment of Jesus. You are being inattentive to Him. You are neglecting Him. You show your lack of concern about who He is and what He has to say to you. (You can't read the word of God without it speaking to your heart.) You are being forgetful of the place He should occupy in your life. You are saying that you have no time for Him. You are showing an indifference toward Him. Your action- or lack of it- is revealing your attitude toward Him.

Like I said earlier, we don't usually think that by neglecting our Bible and treating it in a careless manner we are treating Jesus the same way, but we are. Has that been you? Is that you? Are you neglecting Jesus by neglecting His word?

Have a great day. Our careless treatment of the word of God equals careless treatment of Jesus.

For further reading:
John 5:39; 1:1,14
1 John 5:7
Revelations 1:1
Hebrews 2:3