Do You Believe?

Matthew 9:28-29     And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

 

“Following Jesus”  These two blind men had been following Jesus crying out for mercy.  Jesus had performed several miracles in the previous verses and it goes without saying that people were talking.  These blind men had heard what was happening and decided that today was their day to receive a miracle, so, they began to follow Jesus.  If you want to receive your miracle today that is exactly where it begins – Seeking Jesus.

 

“Do You Believe”  God is not up in Heaven worried about what His next step will be or how He is going to help you.  He is able!  The question that must be addressed is what do you believe?  Is God able to open blind eyes?  Is He able to heal cancer?  Is He able to restore your marriage?  When you look at your situation and you cry out to God in desperation have you fully settled the matter in your heart?  A double minded man will receive nothing from God.  We cannot say God is able and then act like God has abandoned us.  Yes, Lord!  I know you love me.  Yes, Lord! I know you died for me.  Yes, Lord!  I know you are able.  God is waiting for us to settle this in our hearts.  What will our answer be today?

 

“Yes Lord”  When Jesus asked if they believed He was able to do this, heal them, the blind men did not hesitate.  They didn’t have to work through a lengthy mental exercise or weigh all of the facts.  They said two of the most important words we can speak in response to God.  Yes, Lord!  Not, “I think so.” or “if it is your will.”  Their response was, Yes, Lord!  I know that you can do this.  All power is in you.  You created the heavens and the earth.  You created every nerve ending in my body.  You are the breath that I breathe and the bread that I eat.  You are in control and at your Word mountains tremble.  Do I believe?  How could I not believe in you?  You are Lord!  You spoke and the world was created.  If you get the right perspective on who Jesus is you cannot help but believe.  He is not dependent on any mortal man.  He is God!  Lord of all creation and He is able.

 

“He Touched Me”  The song goes, “I was shackled by a heavy burden.  Neath a load of guilt and shame.  Then the hand of Jesus touched me, and now I am no longer the same.  He touched me…”  Have you been struggling with the weight of this world pressing on your shoulders?  Has worry and fear tried to steal the joy of your Christian walk?  Does every step you take feel like you can’t go on?  Cry out to Jesus right now.  Don’t wait for a better time.  There is no better time than right now to feel His touch and know His love.  Burdens are lifted and hearts are restored in the presence of the King.

 

“That’s Why He Came”  When we cry out to Jesus He will surely rescue us.  He is not far away and He is not deaf that He cannot hear.  He doesn’t have to “give it thought” or determine our worth.  So often we picture God like a celestial banker with a big ledger keeping track of the good and bad each of us has done and paying us back in kind.  But that is not why Jesus came.  He came while we were yet sinners.  He came when we were morally bankrupt.  He owed us nothing and we deserved death “But God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever…”  The truth of the matter is that He came looking for us.  He wants to touch us and when we call on His name there is nothing that can separate us from His love.   Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  He wants to touch you, to heal you, to save you, to restore you, after all, that’s why He came

 

 “According To Your Faith”  It is God that creates and sustains.  It is by His hand that we are made whole and it is by His Word that we are saved.  He is our all in all and there is nothing too hard for him but let no man think that he will receive anything from God without faith.  God has ordained that without faith it is impossible to please Him.  We are commanded to believe and to not waiver in James 1:6-8 and that principle still holds true today.  Jesus did not make this statement only once but Scripture is replete with this truth.  In Matthew 8:13 he told the centurion, “Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”  In Mark 11:24 Jesus said, “What things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.”    

 

So the question becomes, “How can I increase my faith?  How do I believe in the midst of this storm?  Paul tells us in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing the word of God.  But have you ever read the rest of that chapter?  He goes on to rebuke Israel because they heard and remained disobedient.  In fact the very next verse says “But I say, have they not heard”.  Just hearing God’s Word is not going to magically give you faith.  You must believe that God is and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.  You must hide His Word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him.  Again, just memorizing the Scriptures isn’t enough.  You must do it SO that you might not sin against God.  This implies that you are living to please Him, desiring to not offend God in even the smallest thing.  Faith is like the nucleus of an atomic particle.  A particle so small, yet within that tiny structure is power so great that when it is released the power takes on a self sustaining life of its own.  Faith in God is just like that.  Deep within the core of your being is something as small as a mustard seed that can lay dormant and inactive for a lifetime.  But when you come face to face with the Creator, its Creator, that faith can be activated and things will never be the same.  It truly is a gift from God and as Jesus said, “All things are possible”, only believe.

Each Step I Take

Psalm 27:1 (KJV) - The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

Have you ever longed to get somewhere but seemed to be stuck in a rut and just going in circles? The more your desire to arrive at the destination grows, the more frustrated you become when you can’t seem to get past the obstacles that block your way. I have often told people that they can’t graduate unless they pass every grade. When we fail the first grade we have to retake the lesson and try to pass again. There is a progression to everything in life. Seeds turn into sprouts, sprouts turn into healthy plants, plants produce the harvest, the harvest returns to the seed take out one of those steps and the garden won’t grow.
The Christian life is no exception. The Psalmist alludes to this forward progress in our verse. The Lord is first my light, then my salvation, then my strength. You may be familiar with Psalm 119:105, “The word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” But verse 104 gives us a greater insight into this important first step, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” It is God’s Word that illuminates the darkness of sin in our lives. Without seeing that sin for the destructive cancer that it is we can never truly be repentant. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:9, “now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you sorrowed to repentance: for you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation…” I am so thankful that when Jesus stepped into the room where I had hidden my sin His light illuminated the darkness and there was no hiding from His holiness. He did not bring condemnation but He brought conviction of sin and the sorrow that I felt was not of this world, shallow and quickly forgotten, but it was deep and abiding. I realized that it was my sin that had nailed Jesus to the cross and like the Psalmist “I hated every false way.” There is no salvation without godly repentance.
But God doesn’t leave us in our despair. His light not only reveals our sin but He reveals the cross, the cross where Jesus died for our sin. The debt of sin that I could not pay was paid in full as Jesus drank the bitter cup and satisfied the wrath of God. Salvation belongs to Christ and grace opens the door so that I might enter in to the holy presence of God. It is here that we can say with Paul, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
He is my light, my salvation, and my strength! So many want to walk in the power of God and live in the Spirit without experiencing the light and salvation. We must walk step by step and know that God is faithful to keep us. Preaching the power without the cross is empty. Preaching the cross without the knowledge of sin is meaningless for the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The grace of God allows us to walk in His power and to know His victory over sin and death. But to fully embrace God’s love and grace we must fully embrace the destitute nature of sin and flesh that robs us of the glory of God. There is a path to victory. It is clear and when followed step by step all who come may enter. Is Christ your light, and salvation, and strength? If He is then you have nothing to fear, victory has already been won.

You Have An Anointing

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." 1 John 2:20

Today many Christians run from church to church or meeting to meeting looking for “The Anointing”. We sing songs asking for “The Anointing” to fall on us. We hear sermons about “The Anointing” and at times refer to someone as “Anointed”. But what is this anointing and how does it come to rest on those lucky people who we call anointed? The Apostle John, while writing to the church made a bold statement, “You have an anointing from the Holy One.” Instead of John saying, “I’m the anointed one. Listen to me.” He told God’s people, “You have an anointing. You know the truth.”

The Hebrews used oil to anoint things that were to be used for God’s work. In Exodus 29:36 the altar was anointed in order to sanctify it. The word sanctify is closely connected to holiness. It appears that anointing something with oil served to sanctify that object so that it might be considered holy unto the Lord.

"And thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made an atonement for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it." Exodus 29:36 KJV

But it was not just things that were anointed. People seemed to be a much more significant subject of anointing. Elisha sent the young prophet to anoint Jehu with oil.

"Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not." 2 Kings 9:3 KJV

Samuel anointed David with oil and “the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” Something happened that changed the little shepherd boy and made him a King.
1 Samuel 16:13 (KJV) Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Being anointed isn’t something that was meant to come and go. It isn’t something that is here today and gone tomorrow. I know that our experiences seem to run contrary to that fact. We see what appears to be flashes of anointing in a preacher, a singer, an evangelist but then that “anointing” goes away. But that is not what Scripture teaches us. John didn’t say go get an anointing. He said you have an anointing. The oil has already been applied. You are sanctified. You are holy. You know the truth.

Consider what happens when we pour oil on a cloth. The oil soaks into the cloth and binds with it. In effect the cloth is fundamentally changed. If we use an ointment to rub onto our skin we get the same effect. The ointment becomes a part of our skin. It saturates us and invades our very being. I rubbed Tiger Balm on some sore muscles recently and discovered this very fact. The healing heat penetrated deep into my body and did its work. This is the picture we need to keep in mind as we contemplate the anointing John tells us about.

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:38-39 KJV

Jesus told us that from out of our innermost being would flow rivers of living water. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. He doesn’t come down, rain down, or fall down on us. He inhabits us. The oil has been poured upon our heads and penetrated into the core of our being. Our spirit has been transformed and the third person of the Trinity now desires to live the life of God through us. God does not partially inhabit us. We don’t have his leg or hand living in us. We have all of Him living in us.

I have often heard Christians praying for “more” of God. Perhaps what they should be praying is for “less” of themselves. Because the Spirit of God that dwells within us wants to live His life through us but there is a struggle that takes place. That struggle is between Self and Spirit. Some might call it flesh but in actuality it is Self. If I truly want more of God to make His way out of my innermost being then I have to get out of the way. I have to crucify the flesh of self and become porous and the more I die to self, the more God’s anointing flows out of me and into the world around me.

“You have an anointing!” Now what are you going to do about it? I say let the river flow.