Difficult Question Answered...
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August 27, 2009"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, Remove from here to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. But this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting." (Matthew 17:19-21) Get the picture. A man brings his convulsing son to the disciples for healing, but they could not heal him. Jesus rebukes the demon and the child is cured immediately. The disciples were puzzled. They were sure they had faith to heal the lad, but it didn't work. Sometime earlier, Jesus had sent out the 70 and they came back with testimonies of healing and deliverance. They knew "this stuff worked". But it didn't this time. How was it possible that men who had been walking with Jesus for some time now, who had seen miracles mass produced and on a frequent basis and had faith for this, would end up disappointed? If the story were to stop there, or be something that happened in your church, you might well hear that obviously it wasn't God's will for the child to be healed or God would have healed him. You might have heard that somehow the child who was often thrown into the fire or into water to destroy him was suffering these horrors to teach him or his parents something. How cruel and damning to suggest that! Or perhaps you might hear that the child wasn't healed because of sin, either his or his parents. Tell me, who did Jesus ever heal that was sinless? Fortunately, the story doesn't stop there. We know exactly why the child was not healed, because the disciples asked Jesus directly and He responded with "Because of your unbelief". You can have faith and unbelief at the same time. Unbelief neutralizes faith. In fact, your unbelief can neutralize the faith that Jesus has. ("And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Matt 13:58) Now some would argue that because the child was demonized by a particularly tenacious demon that the only way it could be cast out was by prayer and fasting. I don't think so. Jesus didn't reply with, "The reason the child wasn't healed was because you haven't been praying and fasting enough." He told them flatly it was because of their unbelief. Period. So how do you get rid of unbelief? With prayer and fasting. And may I suggest that you not only fast food, but also everything that feeds your unbelief. That might be the fear based news media. It could be the info you get on the internet or in conversations with negative people. Fast whatever it is that feeds your unbelief. It will lose its power and your faith will have effect. To be continued...
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Excellent excellent excellent word! I've asked Poppa everytime I start "leaning" (Prov. 3:5-6) towards unbelif/doubt to remeind me of His Word in Hebrews 3:12 (Amp) which says, " Therefore be aware brethren, take care, lest there be in anyone of you a wicked unbelieving heart which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him, leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God". And you are right, it doesn't take much..... just a hint of unbelief can lead us into making choices based in fear that then lead us into destruction. Thank you for always speaking Truth. I am so belssed by your emails and am enjoying your book. God bless you Michael, your family and your staff. Outrageously Abandonded to Him, Keturah Ogletree
Keturah Ogletree at 10:13am EDT - August 20, 2009
And then we should also keep in mind that the process to being Christ-like puts Christians on different levels and different points along each path. According to Apostle Paul's writings: We each have to work out our own Salvation. And Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered. And God also uses trials to strengthen us by learning patience. Now Faith is, we must continue to decree God's Word until He brings it to pass at His perfect time. That's why God commanded us to meditate on His Word Day & Nite, Israel w/frontles. You are less likely to be deceived if one obeys that commandment. It is difficult to believe God allows a way of escape and He won't put more on you that you can handle, if one doesn't read Joshua. Just a few nuggets so no one reads this brief daily nugget and become weary because they have followed every command and their promise in what ever area they are seeking breakthru, has not come to pass yet. Some will get weary then become guilty because they did read Galatians, and God's word warns them not to become weary, but in due season, if we faint not. God's People must read from Genesis to Revelation, God's whole Bible. thank you and God Bless for your right now Word from our LORD!
Patricia Hunter at 1:01pm EDT - August 20, 2009
David Thompson, "...HE THAT IS BORN OF GOD DOES NOT COMMIT SIN..." Are you saying that all men are born of God? What does the scripture say? Where are the purveyors of truth on this blog? Do you agree with these statements or do you not know scripture well enough to defend the hope that is within? "All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper." Edmund Burke
John at 2:57pm EDT - August 20, 2009
John, I had never heard the second quote from Burke. Very appropriate. The first time I read anything on universal salvation was on this blog thanks to David Thompson. I have since read several books promoting this heresy. Some of the back and forth that has happened on this blog and offline has been very challenging to my belief system. I had to study the scripture to make sure I knew what I believed. To be born of God you must be born again!
Michael B. at 4:14pm EDT - August 20, 2009
Heb 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day & night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous & then thou shalt have good success. Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9 1Cor 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Patricia Hunter at 7:08pm EDT - August 20, 2009
This is a masterpiece of proof texting. It is also a lie.
John at 11:00pm EDT - August 20, 2009
There is no doubt or arguing that the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever! The question that is contended is who are the citizens of His Kingdom and how do you become one? Your thesis is that all are born of God and sin is nothing more than an "evil influence or seed of Satan" rather than a conscious act of rebellion on our part. I hold that only those who believe and obey are born of God. Once you are born again your spirit man is perfected. The problem is that your perfected spirit man lives in a body and in a world that will pass away. Part of the obedience that God requires is to renew your mind and be conformed into His image. This is not an inner conflict but a matter of action. From 2 Thess 2 - ...when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed--for our testimony to you was believed. Notice that it is THOSE who do not know God or obey who will pay the penalty of eternal destruction. THOSE is a personal pronoun. It simply means THE PEOPLE not the nebulous mystic seed of an evil idea. When John quoted Burke above "He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper" it affirmed that sometimes you have to stand up and say "that's wrong!"
Michael B. at 3:30pm EDT - August 21, 2009
Unbelief mixed with faith........... similar to the deleterious results where just one part of used motor oil makes one million parts of fresh water unworthy of a variety of uses. The release of used motor oil, either intentional or otherwise, can have adverse effects on the environment. Just one gallon of used oil can make a million gallons of fresh water undrinkable. When used oil is poured down the drain and enters a sewage treatment plant, a very small concentration of oil can foul the treatment processes. A film of oil on a water surface prevents oxygen from entering the water and blocks sunlight. This makes it difficult for plants to grow, thus reducing the animal and plant life in a body of water. Water, air and soil are all connected, and pollutants such as oil can make their way to these media. This is why proper management of used oil is such a major environmental concern.
Ralph Hawkins at 11:56pm EDT - August 21, 2009
Dr. Edwin Louis Cole said "silence may be golden, but sometimes it's just plain yellow"
John at 5:10pm EDT - August 22, 2009
Hi Everyone in blogging land!! Well first off, I don't think that we always have a 'problem', because we can always ask God for help with our unbelief, and even then, we have to believe that our prayer is answered in regards to our unbelief- so we still have to have faith when things are not going our way. God has made concession for this because he knows us. But that concession is there-not to dwell on, but as a spring board into solid unwavering faith. The thing is, that if there was nothing to believe for, we wouldn't need faith.......... so obviously these trials and 'problems' are pre-destined 'hurdles' for us to OVERCOME- by faith. So the best thing to do is to stop worrying about not having faith, because faith is evidence, as far as I am concerned. This cuts out the middleman of doubt, because I already have the substance of what I am hoping for. Get it? x
Pam at 8:20pm EDT - August 22, 2009
I am disappointed in David T. for disrespecting Michael by hijacking this space to the point I don’t feel comfortable making a comment in my own name, knowing I will likely be debated and possibly flayed in print. David, I honestly think you need to use your own blog as a platform, not Michael’s.
Anonymous at 12:04pm EDT - August 24, 2009
What was it Michael said? That’s like mixing dog doo doo in with a brownie. It doesn’t take much to ruin the brownie!
Lorisa at 7:10pm EDT - August 24, 2009