It’s not our problem to figure out how God keeps His promises. “Be not afraid, only believe” (Mark 5:36 KJV). Believing God is more important than trusting ourself. Do we know enough? Have enough faith? Repented enough? Prayed and fasted enough? That’s important and good, but it comes down to Jesus’ question. “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28 KJV). The blind men replied, “Yea, Lord” (9:28). Without any more discussion, “then touched He their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened” (9:29-30). Do whatever possible thing God requires of you; but essentially, God is responsible for the impossible, because it glorifies Him the way He deserves. “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23 KJV). Let God be God, who is responsible for the results. Let us not try to be God’s Public Relations, if things don’t work out. We are only responsible for the possible, which our limited thinking can understand. Only believe God! May the God of the Impossible be glorified by our confidence in Him!
Faith
Embracing Suffering Doesn’t Mean Rejecting Overcoming
Just because we embrace suffering as God’s way of refining us, teaching us, and magnifying Himself, doesn’t mean we reject overcoming. On the one hand, Christ said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33 KJV). On the other hand, He said, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (16:33). On one hand Paul said, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Corinthians 12:9 KJV). On the other hand Paul said, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37 KJV). Initially, Job defended his righteousness about his suffering. In the end, He confessed the Almighty’s rightness to choose, if and when he should suffer. “Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not” (Job 42:3 KJV). Is the Holy Spirit impressing you to suffer or overcome? He can do either. What has He given you to embrace for your circumstance? “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth” (Romans 14:22 KJV).
Show Me Your Faith
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18 KJV). Your house was just flooded. You appreciate well wishes, but anyone helping to rescue you, clean up, and restore you couldn’t be more appreciated! If you can help someone, especially in the household of faith, what better way to express Christian love!
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Remove Mountains
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23 KJV). Removing a mountain represents the impossible. Yet, Jesus compared casting a mountain into the sea with commanding the fig tree to dry up, which He just did (Mark 11:21). True, a mountain will be cast into the sea, if you will “not doubt” (11:23) in your heart. But first, does God want and need that to happen? Remember, prayer is not determining how to get God to do what we want, but petitioning the Almighty to do what He is determined to do. Here, Jesus is encouraging us to actually pray whatever prayer needs to be prayed, no matter how seemingly impossible, if we do not doubt in our heart that this is what the Lord is determined to do. Father, encourage us to pray.
Is Faith Optional?
Is faith optional? No, doubting God is the alternative to faith. Do we have to believe? Yes, it is our only way to please God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 KJV). Everything about our life requires faith. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2Corinthians 5:7 KJV). Faith has a relationship with love, opportunity, and understanding. Faith is compelled and “worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6 KJV), while the opportunity and understanding of faith are considered purposely rejected, whenever one “knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17 KJV). It does us good to think through God’s thoughts after Him. We are only guilty of over analyzing, when we are stalling for time and should be doing.
Does Better Understanding Build Better Faith?
Better understanding does build better faith. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48 KJV). When do we have enough understanding to believe God? The LORD knew that Gideon was not guilty of the sin of unbelief though he put out the fleece for a sign (Judges 6). Zacharias did not believe the angel’s announcement about the coming birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:20), so God struck him mute. We have enough understanding when we know what we should do. For “him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17 KJV). We need to practice arriving at a forthright conclusion and acting on it. The best course is straightforward.
What Stops Us From Believing?
What stops us from believing? According to Scripture, faith works by love. In other words, the motivation of love either drives or hinders our faith. “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6 KJV). We trust God more, if we love Him more. And, why do we love Him? “To whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little” (Luke 7:47 KJV). May God break down my pride that I may love Him more and trust Him more!
According to Your Faith
Jesus said, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29 KJV), not, ‘According to what others say you ought to think, be it unto you.’ To believe God, it is your responsibility to understand what He said, be certain that He did say it, then simply believe it. Believing is acting like you’re relying on the truth of what He said. If you really believe it’s going to rain, bring an umbrella. If you really believe you will pass the examination, then don’t be worried or fretful. Don’t complicate things by becoming anxious about consequences, whether something will come to pass. Be childlike and vulnerable with your faith. In reality, we are generally more concerned about what others will think, if what we believe does not come to pass. That’s Belief By Consensus. That fear of embarrassment will stop us from believing. Lord, help us to develop the habit of taking You at your word. Amen and amen.
Let Us Go On
“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit” (Hebrews 6:1-3 KJV). The first “principles” (6:1) are elementary education preparation for “perfection” (6:1). Whenever we find ourselves “laying again the foundation of repentance” (6:1), it reveals something was wrong with our First Principles understanding. The Enemy doesn’t mind, if we keep doing the same thing over and over, hoping for a different result. Insanity! But, the Holy Spirit covenants to help us change our understanding, get it right, and go on. “And this will we do, if God permit” (6:3). Hallelujah!
Poster Children for Hope
Abraham and Sarah are probably the best poster children for hope. The Living God promised Abraham at the age of 75 He would make of him a “great nation” (Genesis 12:2 KJV). Sarah was 65 years old. Twenty-five years later, Sarah bore Isaac. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER! “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:18-21 KJV). Glory only to God!
We Need A Miracle 
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