Trust that transcends human reasoning….
To feel that He is real and here!
Mark 8:17"……Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?”
There are the rare few who would look for a good spiritual feed (good church) before they move into a country or city; mostly it is only the net pay that is considered - never is God in their agenda! No wonder they are devastated with no props when calamity strikes! Unbelief is no small issue, you can be a Christian and still land up in hell because you failed to have belief in your Savior Jesus Christ and live your life in accordance to the standards given by the Lord. Hebrews 3:12 “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
Mere Christianity cannot save you! Church attendance cannot save you! You got to believe Him, respect His Words and live rightly! I just cannot put a bunch of scriptures, pull out some events from the Bible and conclude ‘therefore, we need to believe in Him’; this subject is vast and if you have a lackadaisical attitude towards the Bible and His words then you cannot experience ‘divine peace’ when things around you are crumbling and threatening to bring you down as well; the scriptures have to travel deep within your heart and take lodging there. When I recommended my friend to pray when her life was totally devastated on all sides, she asked me, ‘I did try to wake up early and pray but I find a feeling of ‘void’ surrounding me.’ I replied, ‘faith in Jesus is not about having His picture in front of you or narrating a written prayer 1000 times but it is belief that as He quoted in the Bible so would He hear your voice.’ Are you listening to me? I taught her to pray, fast and read the Bible and also invited her to attend the weekly meeting that we conducted in our home during that time. She did it diligently for a year; meanwhile, she would pester and harass me to plead on her behalf for a speedy answer from God. We cannot push God! The miracle happened in her life after a year and half, but let me tell you the aftermath of that crisis in her life: she repented, got water baptized, she regularly attends church now, fasts, reads the Bible and separates quiet time with the Lord – come what may.
We can sense the hurt and frustration in the voice of Jesus when he questions His disciples as to why they should reason about the lack of bread and not direct their hearts to the abundance that they had witnessed through the Hands of Jesus Christ. The disciples had already witnessed the miracle where Jesus fed 5000 people with two fishes and five loaves of bread and in the next crusade 7 loaves of bread and few fishes were fed to around four thousand people and they gathered seven baskets of leftovers. (Read Mark 8:5-8) Despite all these mind-boggling miracles; yet, we see a bunch of doubters! If it was any other CEO of a multinational company, the disciples would have been fired for their unbelief and dull heart; but Jesus puts up with them! We are no better! We Christians need miracles every ‘second’ in order to believe Him; otherwise we would callously and brutally reject and murmur. We need ‘believers’ who would not ask questions but trust Him unconditionally, absolutely, even in the midst of calamity, illness, failure and pain! I write this with tears!
Why should the disciples worry when He was at a touching-distance from them? Man, He was there, right beside them! Let me stop here and speak with you! We believers today also have this incredible privilege of being close to Him- if we choose to believe Him! Read this scripture please: “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the LORD our God is to us..” (Deuteronomy 4:7) I can feel His presence so…..soooooo close as I write this portion. I am not alone as I type this on my laptop, I am just narrating what I feel that He is real! No matter how serious the situation may be on your side: health, finances, family or job – fear not! Only believe! These are the words Jesus uttered when Jairus came sobbing and begging to Him that his daughter had just died. Jesus said: Luke 8:50 "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." Imagine! Those words of Jesus gushed life into the bones of Jairus, he did believe, waited for Jesus and took him to his home and got his daughter back for himself. Hallelujah!
Unbelief can creep into your heart when you are careless about the reading of the Bible: Faith and belief is no magic, do you hear me, let me repeat, it is no magic….you got to read the Bible over and over again to get faith pumped into your veins. It happened that way for me and it is so for everyone too! Read this: Luke 8:12 ‘Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.’
Apostle Paul spent much time in preaching the Word to people who were ready to give time for ‘spiritual knowledge’ read his awesome ministry, we need such preachers like Paul rather than gimmick workers and ostentatious platform performances:
Acts 19:9 But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul..”
Paul not only preached himself but also exhorted his disciples to keep spreading the Word and teach others as well. 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” I am speaking to someone out there! You need not be a pastor, evangelist or preacher to teach the Word. Love for God is enough!
More than miracles, God is interested in His people having the proper understanding about His ways. Don’t read the Bible as a custom or ritually, understand and believe that those are words by the Lord Himself. Many are content with reading a short devotion, very, very, very few get into my website and read the entire body of the message; yet, we do have time to click, edit and upload, loads and loads of pics on the Facebook and rate that of others as well. The most stupid job on earth!
You cannot trust Him if you have rejected Him in your heart: Read: John 12:37 ‘But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him..’ A young Christian lady had consulted astrologers, magicians, evil mediums and visited many con men before she got my mobile number and narrated her problems. I asked her one question, ‘do you believe He is alive?’ She said ‘no.’ She was running in mad circles because she did not believe in the one true God! Christian! Listen to me! No fun, having life size statues of Jesus and a big cross hanging around the neck or reciting prayers like mantra – you got to believe Him like a baby! My dad Jesus will take care of me should be your unshakable belief!
Psalm 27:5” For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”
When life looks like a puzzle
You can still dazzle in the dark!
When problems threaten to drown you
His written promises would save you!
