Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 15

Luke's gospel reveals another very important issue where Jesus plainly reveals to us where sickness comes from. This is important because many Christians today live with numerous sicknesses and affliction in their bodies and minds that are not from God though their church leaders have told them that they are . God does not have some hidden mysterious reason to bring sickness and or affliction upon His children for any reason!

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
(Luke 13:10-13)

The first thing that we notice is this woman's affliction was being cause by "a spirit of infirmity." There is not one shred of evidence that some how God was behind this or that this woman some how deserved to have this dreaded condition. This was a demon spirit that was causing her condition. Now let's look at a typical reaction by the ruler of the synagogue (many of today's church leaders) to what Jesus did for this woman.

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd,"There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." (Luke 13:14) Clearly the Jews believed in healing; however, here we see that the ruler of the synagogue was looking for a reason to discredit Jesus, but what was really operating behind the scenes was the same thing that opposed Jesus in Nazareth...

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. (Mark 6:1-6) Notice that it does not say that Jesus would not do mighty works, but that He COULD NOT do no mighty works. Why? "Because of their unbelief."

In the church today, the LORD is unable to heal many of His children due to them being trained in unbelief by unbelieving church leaders. These church leaders teach unbelief because they have relied on the words of faithless Bible teachers and seminary professors rather than letting the Holy Spirit lead them into all truth. It is baffling that pastors, shepherds of Gods people, are not true shepherds because they do not truly Feed His lambs, Tend His Sheep and Feed His Sheep as the Shepherds did in the early church. This can only be accomplished by truly following Jesus, applying faith to His Word and rejecting the commandments of men. (John 21:15-23, Matthew 15:7-9)

Not see the conclusion of this matter...
The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound — think of it — for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. (Luke 13:15-17)  

Who had bound this woman? Satan! God had nothing to do with this woman's infirmity. But who freed this woman? The LORD!!! Also look at the words that Jesus uses, "whom Satan has bound — think of it — for eighteen years." Jesus, in a sense is saying, if you really think about this, you will see that Satan is behind all sickness and affliction (Bad things) not God. Logical thinking will reveal that God is the one who is behind healing and health, think about it. When Jesus' adversaries did think about it, they were put to shame.

For eighteen years this woman had to suffer with this condition because the leaders of the people were not truly leading the people for the LORD. You see it is faith that unlocks all the mysteries of God and gives us the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that leads the believers to a realm that transcends all the faithless teaching that do not reveal Gods true nature and the believers rights in Christ. It is faith in and acting upon God's Word that releases the power of God. So think about what Jesus said, "all it takes is a mustard seed of Faith" and you will clearly see that bad things do not come from God!

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 13

Headline reads, "Worst out break of tornadoes in state History"..."Hurricane causes one billion dollars in damages"..."Floods destroy crops"..."Earthquake claims over one thousand lives"..."Insurance
Companies report volcanoes destruction is an act of God."

What goes through your mind when you read or hear of such terrible things going on? Over the years I have listened to Christians agree with Insurance Companies claims as to where natural disasters come from. They claim them to be acts of God. I have also listened to Christians say that these natural disasters are God's judgment upon the people where the disaster has occurred. Unfortunately, beliefs like these are not true. They stem from ignorance of not understanding what took place at the fall of man and not knowing the true nature of God.

Look at one of God's responses concerning the fall of man, "Then to Adam He said,"Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it, "Cursed is the ground (literally the earth) for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles (a part of the curse) it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. (Genesis 3:17-18) Adams act of treason brought a curse not only upon himself and all humanity, but on the entire earth, all of what we call nature.

When God gave Adam the command, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17) Adam did not all of a sudden loose the incredible intellect. He was not lacking in wisdom and knowledge, but knew exactly what God had commanded. The Hebrew translation of the command is, "The tree of blessing and calamity." In this passage, the word evil means, grief, harm, trouble, adversity, affliction, sorrow and misery. In other words, the earth and all that was upon it was no longer in perfect harmony, but had now taken on the nature of its new ruler, Satan. 

Now let's look at how we can be sure that natural disasters are not God's judgment upon humanity. First let's look at the reason why Jesus came to earth...
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17) Does causing natural disasters sound like a God whose love is so great the He would become a man to save man and not condemn him?

Then Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?" (Luke 6:9) Has God somehow changed His mind from saving or giving life, to destroying it? Not at all. His nature is to bless and give life!

Not only does the New Testament reveal God's true nature but we also find it in the Old Testament as well...
"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."  (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) Again, we see God's true nature, one of blessing and life not curses and death.

Jesus tells us, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) Is abundant life a life filled with sickness, pains and all manner of misery? It is certainly not the abundant life that Jesus is talking about. Who is it then that steals, kills and destroys? Of course we know that these words are a reflection of Satan's nature. Who is it that has come to bring life abundant? Jesus!!! Again, does it really sound like natural disasters are the judgement of God upon people? If so what about His people that are caught in the same disaster? Should the righteous in Christ suffer with the unrighteousness? Certainly not. We see this revealed with Abraham's appeal for the sake of any righteous persons in Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham's question to God was, "Would you also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" God's response each time that Abraham lowered the number of the righteous to be found in Sodom anf Gomorrah was the same, "I will not destory it for the sake of the righteous." Do you honestly believe that natural disasters come from a God whose true nature is life and blessing? Absolutely not!!!

It is time for Christians to stop listening to those who believe the devil's lies more than they believe God's Word. Christians must put their faith in the integrity of God's Word and come to know without doubt that God was, is and will always be good. God did not send His only begotten Son Jesus to earth and punish Him to pay the price for man's sin, and then continue to exact punishment upon humanity. If so, then we must also agree that Jesus mission was a failure and justice was not satisfied through Him. Of course our faith says that He did pay the FULL price of justice, the just for the unjust. So now let's apply the same faith to see God's true nature and know forever, that bad things do not come from God.

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 11

We have seen that the Father's will and nature unfold throughout the Old Testament, but it wasn't until Jesus entered man's history that we see the Father's will and nature perfectly revealed. (Hebrews 1:1-4) When we see Jesus we see the Father. If we had known Jesus, we would have known the Father. (John 14:6-10) These things indicate that everything that Jesus said and did was the will of the Father.

John had a particular reason behind writing what he did in his gospel. (Keep in mind that although John did the writing, the Holy Spirit gave the inspiration)...
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31) Please note this; that believing you may have life in His name. The word life is the Greek word "zoe" which means "life in the absolute sense; life as God has it; that which the Father has in Himself and which He gave to the Incarnate Son to have in Himself." This is the same quality of life that Christians are to experience their entire time on planet earth. Honestly, does this really sound like bad things come from God? Absolutely not!!! With that said, let's look a little deeper into the gospel of John and see repeatedly what Jesus Himself says concerning His mission of revealing the Father's will and His the Father's true nature.

First, Jesus is by Himself and He has an encounter with a woman of Samaria at Jacobs well. At the end of His conversation with her, His disciples return to Him and urge Him to eat, but look closely at Jesus' response...
Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
(John 4:34) Notice Jesus' mission, "...to do the will of Him who sent Me.." So whatever we see Jesus do or and what ever He says, He is revealing the Father's will.  

Next we see Jesus healing on the Sabbath which causes the Jews to be filled with indignation so severe that they sought to kill Him because He healed on the Sabbath. Look at Jesus' response to the Jews...
Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. (John 5:19-20) Notice that Jesus does not initiate the things that He does, "...the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do..." Jesus only does what the Father Himself does. He only does the Father's will.

Not only does Jesus' actions perfectly reveal the Father's will, but they are also proof that He is from or that He has been sent by the Father. We also will see that Jesus only does and speaks the things that He hears and is taught from the Father...
But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish — the very works that I do — bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. (John 5:36)
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
(John 6:38)
"...I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."(John 8:26)
"...I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things." (John 8:28)

Now let's look at another very important key in the life and ministry of Jesus...
And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. (John 8:29) Not only does Jesus perfectly reveal the Father's will and nature, but EVERYTHING that He does and says pleases the Father.
Again Jesus has an encounter with the Jews. Look at the words that Jesus speaks to them...
If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
(John 10:37-28) These two verses should quicken the hearts of every Christian especially those who believe that bad things come from God. Jesus is pointing to the works that He does as the work of His Father. Next He says something that should awaken every Christian from the slumber of doubt. If one cannot believe that He is the Christ, the Savior, God the Son, the Son of God, then the works that He does should bring one to understand that the Father is in Him revealing Himself through the works that Jesus is doing.

The fact that Jesus perfectly reveals the Father's will and nature is the most crucial point of knowing that bad things do not come from God, especially to one who accepts Christ as Savior, confesses His Lordship from their mouth and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead. Of course this takes faith because most Christians are taught and trained to believe the opposite. Next time we will spend some time looking at the life and ministry of Jesus as recorded in the gospels. In doing so we will once again let the Word of God assault and destroy the lie that says God causes bad things to happen.

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 10

The Apostle Paul said, For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11) So we begin by looking at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel of John...
Jesus said to him, (Thomas) "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (John 14:6-11)

Christ is the way, the Truth (reality) and the life concerning all aspects of the Father. To know Christ is to know the Father. By studying the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we will see clearly that He perfectly reveals the Father in all matters. If Christians fail to believe this truth concerning Christ as the one who perfectly expresses the Father's will in ALL matters they will continually be overshadowed with doubts which means that they will always struggle with issues that are clearly the Father's will such as healing, finances, etc. and especially as to whether the bad thing that they encounter in life come from God. Christ has already set them free through His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and glorification and yet beneath the, "I believe that" lies doubt that neutralizes what they say they believe.

While the entire Bible reveals the Father's will, much of His purpose remained hidden until they were fully revealed in Christ...
In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself (Ephesians 1:7-9)

The writer of Hebrews expresses Christ revealing the Father in all matters in this way...
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Look closely at verse three...
"Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person...
A more literal translation of this verse would read...
Jesus Christ is the radiance or exact reflection of the Father's glory as well as the exact representation and reproduction of the Father's nature and character.
So with this in mind, we must conclude that the Old Testament as well as the Epistles cannot be properly interpreted without a clear understanding of what Jesus both taught and demonstrated in His life and ministry. No one ever revealed the Father's will, nature, character and purpose perfectly in every way until Jesus Christ.

I pray that you take some quiet time to consider these truths concerning Christ's relationship with the Father and how it is in Him that the will of the Father is perfectly revealed. Although some of these truths may be somewhat difficult for some to comprehend, do not lose heart. Jesus said, However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13) By leaning on the guidance of the Holy Spirit concerning these truths, the doubts that have kept you from living in a totally victorious life will begin to wane and faith with begin to rise.

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 7

In the previous parts of this series, the conclusions have been based on New Testament principles which we will discuss in greater detail in future. However, please keep in mind some of the things that we have discovered in the Old Testament which have clearly revealed the source of the bad things that come upon humanity. Some of these things are; Adam's rebellion which opened the door for Satan and sin to have their way in humanity; that bad things can happen to God's people, but it is certainly no indication that it is God's will whatsoever; that when God's people met His conditions they could expect exceeding great blessings:
when God's people  rejected and rebelled against His conditions they would remove themselves from God's authority, place themselves under Satan's authority and would reap the destructive nature of sin and Satan; that God is just and everything that comes upon man is according to his works and ways.

With that said, let's look at some additional Old Testament passages of scripture that reveal God's true nature as one who does not bring bad things upon humanity, but one who blesses.

Psalms 34:19-22 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He guards all his bones; not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
If it were God's will that His people have many afflictions, then He would not deliver them from them ALL,
redeem their soul and keep them from being condemned.

Psalms 91:9-10, 16 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation."
What wonderful promises for those who trust and rest in the LORD. They will be free of evil, (Satan, the epitome of all evil and the evil schemes of man) all sickness and disease and have long life on the earth.

Psalms 103:1-5 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Please look at these five benefits from the LORD and notice the word ALL in some of them. Honestly, does this sound like bad things come from God? Here we see that God forgives, heals, protects, satisfies, renews and is fondly affectionate toward His people.

Psalms 107:17-22 Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing.
Who brought affliction on the people? The people did through their transgression and iniquities, NOT GOD! The people opened the door for Satan and sin to have their destructive way with them. However, we see that it is God who sent His Word to heal and deliver them. It is the LORD who pours out goodness and wonderful works upon men!!!

Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
As we have seen previously, fear is from the devil, it gives him place and it prevents God from working in ones life. However, with the absents of fear and the calm assurance that God is with you, He will strenghten, help and uphold His people.

Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me," says the LORD.
No instrument of war, no sword, or spear; no persecution or torture and no accusation either natural or spiritual will overtake one of God's children, but on the contrary. God's children will put them all to flight because it is their inheritance as a child of God.

These are but a few Old Testament passages that reveal the true nature of God. Although they may point to Israel, they also apply to the believer today who has been grafted into Israel through faith in Christ. (Romans 11:17-24) The point is, whether Israel or the believer today, bad things do not come from God, they never have and they never will. Even in the judgment to come at the end of time, it will be justice being served to the sons of disobedience, Satan and all that is evil. It has never been God's will to have evil infiltrate humanity, nor to cast man into hell. It all come down to mans rejection and rebellion against God which places him under the authority of Satan and the destructive nature of sin which prevents God's blessings and all of His goodness from flowing.

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 6

Now let's look at another incident that the Bible records in which many Christians have been trained to believe concerning bad things coming from God, the life of Job. The first thing that we must understand is that the Old Testament revelation of God is incomplete (Ephesians 1:9, Colossians 1:26). We must also understand that Jesus Christ alone completely reveals the will of God in all matters, (John 5:19-20, 14:7, 9) which we will see as this series continues to develop. We must also recall the things that have been clearly  revealed in scripture thus far that have evidenced sin and Satan being the actual causes of all the bad things happening to humanity, through man's constant rejection and rebellion toward God.

The thought behind Job's condition is that although God may not have directly caused all the bad things that happened to Job (Job 1:6-19, 2:7) it must be His will because He let Satan have his way with Job. This type of thinking creates serious error concerning the true nature of God. It indicates that God uses or lets Satan attack people for some mysterious divine purpose that only He knows; that God operates in any way He desires even if it contradicts His Word; when God allows something to happen, whether good or bad it must be His will and therefore what happened to Job was God's will. Can you see the twisted logic in this thinking.

Just because God permits something to happen, in Job's case, many terrible things, does not mean that it is God's will. We must understand that all the bad things that happen on the earth are clearly not God's will. If they were then we would have to blame God for all of the sin, injustices, losses, tragedies, pain, destruction and even demon activity because it must be His will. Honestly, to think like that is nothing more than a demonically influenced view of God, it is flat out Anti-Christ. So why did these things happen to Job?

For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.
(Job 3:25) The Apostle Paul tells us in his second letter to Timothy...
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
(2 Timothy 1:7) Notice that Paul tells Timothy that he is dealing with a SPIRIT of fear. A spirit of fear is not from God but from Satan. Paul tells the church at Ephesus...Nor give place to the devil.
(Ephesians 4:27) Job gave the devil an open door through a spirit of fear to attack him in the areas that Job feared and dreaded. Notice that both accusations and attacks against Job were limited...
And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:12)
And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life." (Job 2:6)

It is quite apparent that Job was dealing with fear and dread of losing certain things but not everything, such as his own life. Therefore Satan was not permitted to take his life. Also to show that he (and I might add his friends) had no idea why these things were happening, they did exactly what Adam and Eve did when they were confronted with their sin (Genesis 3:12-13), it's called the blame game. (Job 3 - 31) Finally a young man named Elihu spoke up and corrected Job and his three friends for playing the blame game. Look at two of many statements that Elihu makes concerning the true nature of God...
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. (Job 34:10-12)

There are some things that Elihu point out that are very important to grasp. Elihu considers what is taking place to be wicked and God does not cause wickness! Next he reveals that God repays or permits things to happen to people based on their works and their ways. Finally, Elihu says, "Nor will the Almighty pervert justice." God is just and responds accordingly toward man in every situation because He shows no partiality. (Romans 2:11) In other words, every person either meets or fails to meet the conditions that God has established and by this they receive the reward of their actions good or bad. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives us a great example of this...

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. (Galatians 6:7-8) The words may be different but the principle applies throughout the entire Bible and will continue throughout the history of man until Christ returns. Next Elihu says...

As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice;
He does not oppress. (Job 37:23) Look at these words that describe God, "...He is excellent in power, in judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress." The word oppress in this verse means that God does not afflict, depress, browbeat, deal with harshly, hurt, ravish or weaken. We can certainly all agree that Job was experiencing all of these things, BUT THEY WERE NOT FROM GOD NOR WERE THEY HIS WILL FOR JOB!!!

Finally we see at the end of the Book of Job his repentance (Job 42:1-6) which took away the devil's place in his life and placed God in the position of authority over his life. We also see the true nature of God (Job 42:10-17) that of blessing. Unfortunately, due to poor teaching concerning the Book of Job, two main things arise in the lives of many Christians who truly love the LORD. They have been trained to accept bad things happening to them as God's will and or when bad things happen to them, they enter into the blame game and in doing so subtly blame God for bad things happening. Either way the results of this type of thinking produces serious doubts concerning the true nature of God and reduces the full redemptive work of Christ to nothing more than the born again experience and then muddling through life here on earth until one dies.

There are several reasons why so many Christians think this way, one being a lack of true Bible faith not being taught or preached in most congregations today due to a lack of faith among church leaders. If Christians leaders would put faith in the integrity of God's Word, teach and preach it to the church, the world would see the true nature and power of God in the church and run to Christ for the abundant life that is only through faith in Him!  

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 5

The next era of mans history as revealed in the Bible begins in Exodus which is the disspensation of the Law or the Law age the lasted for 1500 years. During this time God gives man a greater revelation of Himself.
Not only does He reveal Himself through a visible manifastation of a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21) and as a Law giver (Exodus 20:1-17), but one of the greatest revelations that God had given to man during this time, is that He reveals His very nature to him (Exodus 34:5-7) This is very important to understand because the LORD does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8)

The Apostle Paul tells us that the purpose of the Law is to show a sinner their guilt before God and stops them from justifying themselves (Romans 3:19), it brings the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20) and it defines sin (Romans 7:7). The Law does not give the knowledge of or define God, but sin.

God sets up a temporary system to deal with mans sin (Leviticus 1 - 7, Hebrews 9 - 10) but we see something revealed that shows us God's true nature even though the Law had been given. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 we see that God is the one who blesses not the one who curses or causes bad things to happen. However, in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 it seems to indicate that God does cause bad things to happen to His people. This is where many people have learned to believe that bad things come from God. After all God does not change and bad things are happening to His people so it must be true for today also. But let's take a closer look at what the Bible reveals.

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:" (Deuteronomy 28:15) The first thing we need to note is that this does not say that God will cause all of the curses to come upon them, but the curses are a result of their decision to disobey God, sound familiar doesn't it (Adam and Eve). The curses would come upon them due to their CHOICE to disobey. It was the same thing that happened to Adam when he chose to disobey God and become the slave to sin and Satan. The same principle that applied to Adam also applied to Israel. However, God in His true nature of being merciful, gracious, longsuffering and abounding in goodness and truth, gives Israel the principle to live in His blessings and not the curses of sin and Satan.

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them." (Deuteronomy 30:19-20)

All Israel had to do was choose God rather than sin and Satan to live a blessed life on earth free of bad things happening to them. However, if we look through Israel's history we see that they repeatedly rejected God and became slaves to sin which opened the door for Satan to have his way with them. Remember, Adam had forfeited his perfect life and all his authority to Satan and in doing so took himself out from under God's freedom and blessings to become Satan's slave. It was the same for Israel. They did not choose God's authority, protection and blessings to flow in their midst which would bring health, wealth and long life (Deuteronomy 28:1-14) but chose to reject God and let sin and Satan have their way bringing curses and ultimately destruction upon them. We see this very thing occurring throughout Israel's history as recorded in the Bible (Deuteronomy 28:15-68 the curse for disobedience)

We must see things from a correct perspective. God created man in perfection and gave him choice. It was man who chose to reject God and accept Satan as his master and all the evil that came with it. It was Israel that God chose and wanted to bless. It was Israel who chose sin (Satan) to rule over them through their rejection (disobedience to) of God. God does not choose bad things to happen to man, He permits them to happen because He will not encroach man's will to choose. If man chooses sin and Satan then he will reap the destructive nature of that choice. However, if man chooses God, he becomes a benefactor of all the blessings that God has promised, it is just that simple.

There are many believer that might say, "I am a believer and I did not choose this sickness, disease, fininacial problems, etc. so it must be God's will." However, when you look closer you will find that a statement like this is made due to one of two thing. One, is many believers let their body and soul have rule over their life and therefore open the door for sin and Satan to exploit them. The other is because many believers live their life in a natural type of faith that every person has. It is called sense knowledge faith or mental assent. It means that ones faith is based on ones mind and or senses, that is, seeing is believing, (John 20:24-25) and not revelation faith that emanates from the heart (spirit) that is, believing that you have received even though there is no tangible evidence (John 20:29, Hebrews 11:1) These things prevent believers from understanding the fullness of redemption which God has provided through Jesus Christ.

For many believers, redemption has been reduced to accepting Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior for the purpose of eternal life only, rather than seeing that redemption has completely restored man to what Adam was before the fall. This can only be realized through faith in Christ and in the integrity of God's Word. When believers come to realize that "Bad Things Do Not Come From God" they we begin to understand that they no longer have to live in defeat nor will they have to live a life constantly trying to defeat the devil, because he is already defeated. (Colossians 2:15) They will rest in the LORD because their faith has brought them to know that it is "God who ALWAYS leads us in triumph in Christ..."

Bad Things Do Not Come From God - Part 1

Another controversial subject that affects many believers comes in the form of these questions, "Does God permit bad things to happen to His people." Does God use bad thing to chasten His People." Is God behind all the bad things that happen in the world." When I use the expression bad things, I mean sickness, disease, poverty, premature loss of life, birth defects, wars, and what we call natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, etc). It will certainly take some time to thoroughly address these questions, but I do want to give you the answer to these questions up front now, emphatically NO! Bad things do not come from God!

Why so many believers have fallen prey to believing that God does permit, allow or use bad things to happen is due to church leaders having a lack of understanding God's true nature and character which effects their understanding of His will. They use the statement that "God is sovereign" but in saying so they insinuate that God's sovereignty permits Him to operate outside of His Word. God certainly is sovereign but He most definitely does not operate outside of His Word. The next problem is many church leaders have a gross misunderstanding of creation. These two together have promoted a false image of the Living God.

Genesis records...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"..."Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was VERY GOOD. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day"...
(Genesis 1:1, 31) and "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3) Note that after God had created everyhting, "God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from ALL His work which He had done." In other words, everything that God would ever do was set in motion in the six days of creation, His work was completed. This means that everything that would happen from this point, the beginning, forward to the end of time in the mind of God has happened. Remember God is the Alpha and the Omega the Beginning and the End. He is not bound by time and space and therefore He saw the end at the beginning. If we can comprehend this, we will begin to understand many incredible things concerning God's will, word, nature and charcater as well as seeing many of the doctrines that the church has embraced over the last five hundred years are not biblically sound.    

We will discuss this in greater detail, but for now it would be good for you to read and meditate on 
Genesis 1:1-31, 2:1-3. Let the Holy Spirit begin leading you into "All Truth" as Jesus said He would do because what will be discussed will increase your faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Word.

Who is Responsible Here?

It is the churches duty and or responsibility to exercise all the authority that can be exercised upon the earth because Jesus is no longer here in His physical body. The church is the body of Christ. It is no longer an option nor will results be produces by leaving everything up to Him. He has conferred His authority on earth to His body, the church. How do we know this?

"...and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."  (Ephesians 1:19-23)

The Father has placed Jesus as supreme ruler far above all principalities, powers, might (rule, authority, power) and every name that is name in heaven, on earth and under the earth, whether the angels of heaven, earthly kings or rulers, fallen angels and Satan himself. They are all under His feet (authority) forever. The Father has also placed Christ as head over His body, the church, where the fullness of Christ dwells. This may be hard to swallow, but the problems that exist are because believers permit them to. We are the ones who are suppose to do something about them. However,  instead of using the authority that we have as His body and demanding that which is contrary to His will to come into alignment with His will our tendency is to ask God to do something. The problem with asking God to do something is, HE ALREADY HAS and is waiting for believers to act in faith and enforce what He has already accomplished through Christ.

Again, all the authority that was given to Christ the Head is to be exercised through His body, the church. He carries out His work on earth through His body. The major aspect of Christ’s work on earth through the church is to conquer the devil and his gang in all areas of life. But if believers do not apply faith in what God has said (His Word) then the things that the devil and his gang bring, sickness, disease, poverty, etc. on
believers is not God's fault!

Jesus told seventy other disciples, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, (the devils gang) and over all the power of the enemy, (the devil) and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) hallelujah!

Here is another mindset that may have to be dealt with. Christ cannot do His work on earth without the church. Most believers have been taught that God doesn’t need me but I need Him. The fact is He cannot get along without believers any more than believers can get along without Him. HE IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY, THE CHURCH. The Head and Body are indivisible. This is exactly what the Apostle Paul was conveying in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Not only can the head not function without the body, but the body needs every part to function properly to carry out the commands of the head. There is not one human body that does not need its head to function nor is there one human head that does not need its body. Likewise Christ cannot get along without us, because the work of Christ (God) is carried out through the body of Christ, the church. Again, believers must operate in faith in what God has said!!!

"God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) And we all say, Amen!!!

Jump up and Shout

The Apostles Peter and John had a very interesting encounter one day as they made their way to the temple to pray at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. When they arrived at the temple there was "a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms." The incredible thing is what took place next...

"And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God." (Acts 3:4-8)

What had taken place is that Peter used the authority in Jesus’ name to command or demand the lame man to be healed. Peter did not demand anything of God, because God didn’t make this man lame, Satan did. Peter was demanding that which was contrary to God’s will to come into alignment with God’s will. Peter knew what Jesus had spoken to them. He had no doubt, only faith in God's Word.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who BELIEVES in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask (demand something due) in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask (demand something due) anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14) This was not only a statement made to the Apostles but to "HE WHO BELIEVES."
When Jesus taught His disciple to pray as recorded in Matthew's gospel He made some very important and powerful declarations, one of which is...

"Your (Our Father in Heaven) kingdom come. Your (Our Father in heaven) will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) So let's answer this question. Is it the Father's will for there to be sickness, diseases, plagues, pains or injuries in heaven? Of course not! Well if it is the Father's will for these things in heacen, then it is also the Father's will that these things take place on earth. HEALING IS GOD'S WILL!!!

Now we know that there is all manner of  sickness, diseases, plagues, pains or injuries on the earth, but it is not the Father's will, it is Satan and the destructive nature of sin that is still in operation on the earth. However, like Peter, believers have the authority in the name of Jesus to "ASK" demand that which is contrary to God’s will to come into alignment with it. "Whatever you ask (demand) in My Name, I will do it.”

We also see in this encounter that Peter and John had with the lame man something else that is revealed here. “And he (Peter) took him (the lame man) by the right hand and lifted him up…” James says, "I will show you my faith by my works;" Peter was acting upon his faith. What he believed he confessed and acted upon it. Next we see the lame mans response; “So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God.” The lame man also had a response in faith by acting upon what Peter demanded. How do we know this?

"And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all." (Acts 3:16) Faith is produced or comes through Jesus. The church is His body and His fullness dwells in His body. If this is so, then we must understand as the head has power and authority to move mountains, then the body also has the same power and authority because the head and the body are one. But believers must keep this very important fact in mind. Believers are not the basis of power and authority, "It is His name, faith in His name" that releases the supernatural, period.

Demanding Something Due

John's gospel by far reveals some things that many congregation have permitted to slip away due to a lack of faith from church leaders or through liberal theologians who hold their wisdom above that of the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us...
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (John 16:13)

Notice that Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth. Well then if the Holy Spirit is not being permitted to guide, then the possibility exists that there many of the so called truths today that are accepted by many believers are nothing more than the product of the wisdom of men and not truth revealed by the Holy Spirit. Could this be why more believers are trained to doubt than to believe. Let's look at something that Jesus said that most church leaders have trouble accepting as a part of the ministry of the church today...

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. (John 14:12)

There are some things that must be settled in our hearts concerning what Jesus is saying. First, is this statement figurative or literal? Is it only for the apostles are for all believers? Well if you believe that it is a figure of speech and or because is was spoken to the apostles it was only for them, then you operate in doubt and not in faith. However, if you are convinced that this statement is literal and is for anyone and everyone who truly believes in Jesus, then it's time to release your faith and act upon it. Next we see something equally incredible...

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:13-14)

The reference here is not concerning prayer, but it refers to the believer acting upon Gods will by exercising spiritual authority in the Name of Jesus which every believer has the right to. The word "ask" means; to inquire; to request; but in the context of these verses it means to demand; to demand something due. It also carries with it the assurance that whatever we have asked or demanded in the Name of Jesus, it will be granted. It is not to place a demand on God, but in the sense of demanding that which is contrary to God’s will to come into alignment with it.

Jesus is teaching His disciples and us about using His Name as a basis for authority. He is saying that believers are to demand that which is contrary to God’s will to come into alignment with it. That is the power and authority that is in the Name of Jesus and when believers demand something due in His name, He says that He will do it. Now I want to remind the reader again that we are not demand anything of God but demanding that which is contrary to God's will to come into alignment in the Name of Jesus. What a promise. The only thing that we must keep in mind is that we have to release faith for these things to happen.

Got Authority?

Jesus made a statement in the closing of what we call "The LORDS Prayer" that is very important and  believers need to grasp in their spirit "...For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:13) Think about that, ALL kingdom, power or authority and glory belong to God and Him alone! (Selah)

Though Jesus has defeated Satan for all humanity, what sets people totally free from Satan’s power, authority, dominion and jurisdiction is placing their faith in this truth; ALL kingdom, power or authority and glory belong to God!!! His kingdom authority operates through Christ who has all authority, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) but also God's authority operates through believers, the church, "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Looking at these passages of scripture reveals some things that believes must comprehend in their spirit.   There are to many believers that live in defeat by letting the devil push them around by inflicting sickness, disease, pains, poverty, hopelessness, discouragement, fear, doubt, unbelief, etc. upon them when in fact believers have been given authority to put the devil and his gang in their place, UNDER OUR FEET!!!

Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and earth; God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; God put everything under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. So you see, if the head has all authority, then the body, which is connected to the head has been given delegated authority to function. For instance, the human head speaks to the body and the body (if functioning properly) carries out the heads commands. If a person wants to pick something up in their hand, the head give delegated authority to every part that is involved in the hand carring out that function. In the same way, the Body of Christ (believers) have been given delegated authority to carry out the commands of Jesus the Head of the Body.   

Colossians 2:15 Tells us that Jesus disarmed principalities and powers (Satan and his gang)…1 John 3:8 tells us that, The Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Well believer, the devil and his gang are still at it, so that means the work that Jesus did is to be enforced by the church.
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
(John 14:12-14) Any questions?

Of course this comes down to a believers faith. Not sense knowledge faith which the Apostle Thomas operated in at one time (John 20:24-25) but revelation knowledge faith. The difference is, sense knowledge faith relies on ones senses to believe whereas revelation knowledge faith relies on our heart (spirit) to believe. Christians are to "believe that they receive" not receive and then believe. Think about it, if you receive something, do you really have to believe for it? Of course not, you already have it.

Jesus said, Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19) and if you believe that this only applies to the 70 disciples that He sent out, then it is no wonder why you live in defeat and blame God for things that have happened to you that He DID NOT DO!!! The following are some statements that believers use to blame God for things that He has not done, without directly saying, "It's God fault."

God does not heal, deliver, do the supernatural, etc. today...
God uses sickness, disease, pain, poverty, etc. in a believers life for a divine purpose...
God is soverign and it's up to Him to do whatever He wants...
Whatever happens, God's will be done...
God has a specific time when He will intervene in this situation...
God allows bad things to happen to His children as a learning experience or to correct their character...

These statements are only a few that are spoken by Christians that reveal a lack of understanding of God's will, nature, purpose, character and plan as well as a lack of taking the authority in the name of Jesus over the devil and his gang. I believe that every true Christian has enough faith, but they must destroy all the doubts that they have been innoculated with from pulpits that cause them to believe and spaek words that are contrary to God's will. There is a saying that I hear occasionally from believers that goes like this, "Let go and let God." I have a word of advice for any one who says that, "It is not a matter of letting go and letting God, it is a matter of believing and receiving what God has already accomplished and given through Christ."

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.
(Hebrews 11:1 TLB)

Establishing the Kingdom

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
(Philippians 2:5-8)

In this passage of scripture we see two incredible things that had taken place in the Son of God. First, we see that He emptied Himself in His divinity; and second He humbled Himself in His humanity. By the time the LORD came into the world He had emptied Himself of the all the glory and power that He shared with the Father and became an ordinary person of this world. He was fully God yet fully man and as a Son He willingly submits to the Father’s authority...
"O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.
(Matthew 26:42)
I  am going to the Father, for My Father is greater than I. (John 14:28)

This act of submission reveals two things; The Father is the position of authority and the Son the position of obedience to the Father’s authority. For people to become obedient it is a simple act of humility. For Christ it is no simple matter. The one of whom all things were created through had to let go of all that authority, glory and power accept human limitations of time and space, become a servant and even humble Himself further and “became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.”

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Although Adams act of disobedience had stripped him of the authority that God had given to him on the earth, both authority and obedience have come together in Christ. This is why it is so important to continually grow in faith, not a general unspecified faith in Christ but rather a directed unwavering faith that is totally convinced that Christ has fully and perfectly revealed the Father’s will, purpose and nature through His actions, teachings and commands and has provided the fullness of redemption in all of its forms. In other words Christ’s obedience has totally restored humanity and has established Gods authority on earth to all who come to Christ, that is through the church. We see this played out in the scripture...

Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

Jesus is the Head and beleivers are the Body of Christ. It is now up to the Body of Christ, the church to exercise faith and enforce what Jesus has established on the earth by using His name which carries His authority.

To Believe or Not to Believe, That is the Question

One of the greatest examples of faith is found in the life of Abram, who was later given the name Abraham by God. He received a call from God...
Now the LORD had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." (Genesis 12:1-3) Abram immediately responded. Keep in mind that Abram did not have a road map per se as we do today called the Bible. According to Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

The Apostle Paul also tells us of Abraham's great faith...
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations") in the presence of Him whom he believed — God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." (Romans 4:13-18)

To operate in the grace that comes from God requires faith on our part. The Almighty, all knowing, Creator of everything seen and unseen who gives life to the dead and calls those thing which do not exist as though they did, will never fail accomplishing what He has promised. However, many time believers begin to doubt His call if they do not see it manifest immediately. As a pastor I have watched countless people do foolish things such as quit jobs and leave the very congregations that God had called them to because they received a call from God but would not wait on Him to make it happen. Even Abraham tried to help God by accepting Sarah's maid Hagar to have his child. But Abraham stayed the course. Paul goes on...
And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Romans 4:19-22)

Wow...Abraham was called at age 75 and the promise of God did not manifest until he was 100, According to the natural realm, he and Sarah were beyond child bearing years plus Sarah was barren. However, God is almighty, and does according to His will and will fulfill His promise. God promised Abraham a son, so Abraham "did not consider his own body”. He did not give into unbelief, but was strengthened in faith being fully convinced that what God had promised He was able to perform. We must believe and act as though Gods Word is true!

Let’s be honest, there is so much scepticism in the church concerning God's will, and it's because most believers have been trained to doubt. The point is, Abraham is just one example of someone having great faith. Today we are very fortunate people to have a record (the Bible) of people who had faced incredible circumstances yet held their ground because of their unwavering faith in God. If the same scenario that was presented to Abraham was presented to most believers today, chances are that they would give in to doubt and abort the call of God due to their lack of faith. How do I know this? I listen to how believers talk and one of the greatest statements of doubt that I hear is, "If it be God's will." Sadly, this statement reflects doubt and ignorance by those who say they believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God and yet don't know His will. I want you to think about the following words that Jesus spoke...
"...when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)

Are You Willing?

When Jesus prayed to the Father in Gethsemane, He said something very interesting "Father if it be Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not my will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42).

We see that Jesus seems to be asking the Father for some clarity concerning His will. However, Jesus
knew the Father’s will for Him was to go to Jerusalem be rejected and killed. He revealed this to His disciples in all four gospels. So why would Jesus say, “If it be your will”? He was not questioning the Father’s will nor somehow did not know the Father’s will, He was showing us His willingness and availability to do everything and anything that that the Father wanted. His commitment to the Father was, “Nevertheless not My will but your be done”.

Some believers may end a prayer this way because Jesus did it here in the garden. But a prayer ending this way is not a prayer of faith. We need to understand that Jesus was not praying a prayer of faith but one of dedication and commitment of Himself to the Father’s will. Believers should only use the phrase “If it be your will” because they also want to be willing and available to do what God wants them to do. In other words, many times believers may need healing for themselves or prayer for another person for healing and then finish their prayer by saying, "The LORDS will be done," and then struggle when their prayers are not answered. It is apparent that they are not sure that God wants to heal. Their prayer leaves it up to God to decide whether He will heal or not.

Unfortunately, for them without an act of divine intervention, they do not receive their healing. Why? Because God has healed through His plan of redemption in Christ and has made it available to all who act in faith that it is God's will to heal. They are waiting for God to do something when in fact God is waiting for them to receive what He has already provided through faith in Jesus Christ as Healer. When James talks about the sick coming to the elders of the church for healing, he tells us that "The prayer of faith will save the sick." This is not the prayer of hope, the prayer of desperation or the prayer of dedication and commitment. It is the prayer of faith. Let's contrast two passages of scripture that involve the Apostle Paul to further show this point.

"And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day. On the next day we who were Paul's companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied. And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul's belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, "Thus says the Holy Spirit,'So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered,"What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying,"The will of the Lord be done." (Acts 21:7-14)


The Apostle Paul showed His willingness and availability to dedicate and commit himself to do everything and anything that the Father wanted of him as spoken by Agabus by the Holy Spirit. So the brothers conceded by saying, “The will of the LORD be done”. Whereas…

"And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother's womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice,"Stand up straight on your feet!" And he leaped and walked. (Acts 14:8-10)

The Apostle Paul did not question the Father’s will when it came to healing. He saw that the man had faith to be healed and spoke it…Do we see the difference? It should be the same with every believer. We have Gods Word so we can know His will and speak as I John 5:14-15 teaches us. But when the Bible is obscure concerning Gods will, and we desire to commit and dedicate ourselves to Him, we can say, “If it be your will” or "LORD what is your will concerning this?" So when we pray to the Father, let's look to His Word to find His will and pray the prayer of faith when we find it.