Have you ever noticed that absolutely everything about God seems hard! To start with He asks us to believe this
preposterous story about a preacher/carpenter being raised from the dead. Then we move on to such things as walking on
water, parting water, making wine from water, even declaring that rivers of water are supposed to flow from our innermost
beings!
What He asks us to believe seems absurd. What He asks us to do is impossible. What He wants us to be is nothing short
of “ain’t no way Jose!” He wants us to think like Him, talk like Him, want what He wants, do what He would do if He were
here, and pray for those who want to kill us! He says crazy things like: speak to mountains, call things that be not as though
they existed, stop devils, speak with the tongues of angels, and love folks that are nothing short of BAD. Now what is all
this Christianity all about?!
We see some guy up on a mountain somewhere in the desert talk to a burning bush that does not burn up! Another guy
decides to stop it from raining for several years! There are talking donkeys! Staffs that turn into snakes! Floating ax
heads! Oil jars that never run out! And huge city walls that simply fall down because of a little trumpet music! Someone
who turns into Clark Kent from being Super Man just because he got a haircut! Speaking of hair….some wild-eyed prophet
calls for bears to mall a bunch of loud-mouth kids just for teasing him about his luscious, chrome dome!
To top it all off, God tells us that if we will follow Jesus the world will hate us and we will be persecuted and abused for the
sake of the Gospel. What kind of incentive is that to be a Christian!? From cover to cover, this Bible is filled with the
wildest, the most outlandish, impossible, and preposterous stuff the human mind can imagine. What was God thinking
when He wrote this book? It makes absolutely no common sense, and it clearly flies in the face of rational thinking. To sum
it up, it is downright foolishness! That’s right! But it is also TRUE! How are you able to wrap around something like a crusty
old fisherman walking on the water? FAITH! What is there inside of you that can believe that Philip was supernaturally
translated from one place to another miles away in the wink of an eye? FAITH! What enables you to believe that your God
[although He is invisible] hears your prayer? FAITH!
Maybe you can identify with Moses standing there all night with outstretched arm & staff parting the waters, but I find that
a bit intimidating. Sometimes I more readily identify with old Thomas who wants to see it to believe it, or with James and
John who can handle the problem by calling down fire….I am sure you have ever had those thoughts! The way I see it, I
need something supernatural from God just to wrap around everything He throws at me. God has given me something
supernatural; it is called faith. In fact, He has given me His faith – the faith that believes, envisions, and creates.
Over several decades of ministry, I cannot tell you how many hundreds of times I have heard someone say something like
this: “If I only had enough faith, I could….” [be a missionary to Africa…walk in divine health…fulfill the ministry God has
called me to….etc.] The truth is this: EVERY BORN AGAIN CHILD OF GOD HAS ENOUGH FAITH – THE MEASURE OF FAITH –
THE PROBLEM MOST OFTEN IS THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN TAUGHT HOW TO BUILD THEMSELVES UP IN FAITH AND HOW TO
OPERATE IN FAITH.
Child of God, you possess the faith of God. The Bible is clear on this matter. That is why Jesus tells you there is nothing
impossible to him that believes. Be a believer! Don't just believe far enough to get eternal fire insurance, believe enough
to receive all that is promised in the Bible for the covenant family of God and believe enough to do the works of Jesus.
Wow! Come on! Let's get started!
TRUTH:
God has purposely designed the Kingdom of God in
such a way that it is only by faith can one enter it and operate
within it. He says it like this, “The just shall live by faith.”
[Not only find life, but enjoy life]
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