The Ancient Robbers

This message focuses on spiritual robbers, who have robbed even the best of believers their miracles. I beseech you to read it prayerfully, and God will bless you richly, in Jesus’ name.

When physical things are stolen, they are somewhat easy to replace but it is a different thing entirely, when spiritual things are stolen. When next somebody wants you to pray against spiritual robbers, you must do so seriously, because a physical thief is still better than a spiritual one. Physical things are easy to replace. For example, a house can be rebuilt. It is those things which money cannot buy that spiritual enemies steal. For example, peace, health, etc.

The greatest spiritual thieves harassing believers and making them to lose their miracles and even their lives are four in number:

1. DOUBT:

The most ancient of all these spiritual thieves is known as doubt. It is a powerful thief whose activities affected the disciples of Jesus. It was so glaring that Jesus had to query them in Mark 4:40 as follows: “And he said unto them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith.” Jesus had to blame His disciples, because they doubted His ability to deliver. But Jesus understood His own ability so much that when He was on earth, He was never in a hurry. He knew what He wanted to do and how to do it. One of the terrible effects of unbelief is made explicit in Matthew 13: 58, which says, “And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” Let us look at Matthew 9: 22 where Jesus addressed a terrible problem. It says: “But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” Verse 29 of the same chapter has another wonderful utterance of Jesus Christ: “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.”

To the first person Jesus said: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” While He said to the second person, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” Let us read Mark 10: 52 for yet another utterance of Jesus: “And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” This is the story of blind Bartimaeus, the man who refused to let Jesus go when He came to the region where he lived.

Jesus addressed another woman in Luke 7: 30 thus: “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” Also in Luke 17: 19, Jesus commanded the leper to “…Arise, go thy way, thy faith have made thee whole.” Beloved, let me stress here that the most powerful statement that Jesus ever made is found in Mark 9: 23. It says, “Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”

The basic fact or truth that can be established from the quoted verses is that faith can demolish every mountain of difficulty and win every battle. This perhaps is the reason Jesus stressed that anyone, whose faith is as small as a mustard seed, can command a mountain to depart from its location and it shall be so. You may begin to wonder why Jesus used the size of a mustard seed, which is without doubt very small. The reason is simple. Jesus wants you as a believer or as a person to know that your faith need not be same as the size of your problem. Although a mustard seed is small, it is nonetheless strong. Jesus used the illustration to canvass for a strong, iron-like faith, which cannot be discouraged. Regardless of what your problem is, you must never give up. No matter the size of a stone that covers a mustard seed, it will always have the strength to grow very well. Just as adverse weather cannot affect a mustard seed, the adverse problems of life must not affect you. You must never submit yourself to any form of satanic discouragement.

People who have no faith and cannot believe God for a considerable length of time are those who give themselves on loan to God. Such people refuse to rely solely on God. Anyone who gives himself or herself to God only on Sundays or few times a week is only on loan to God. The element of faith is very important in one’s relationship with God. Faith is something we cannot substitute for any other thing. You cannot substitute almsgiving, candle, incense, psalms, water baptism, confirmation, etc for faith. Keeping the Bible under your pillow cannot replace faith. Common sense and crying cannot replace faith. Self-pity and sympathy cannot replace faith. The Bible says in Hebrew 11:6 that “Whosoever comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” The Bible again says that “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” You may please your pastor without faith. You may please your friend or relative without faith. However, it is impossible to please God without faith. Therefore, faith is an important factor in our relationship with God. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. On many occasions, Jesus asked His disciples why they had no faith. The Bible gives credence to the position of Jesus as it says that the just shall live by faith. It follows therefore that as long as the just one lives by faith, everything will start to work accordingly. The Bible did not say that the just should live by begging or by crying or by self-pity. It says again, that faith comes by hearing and by hearing the word of God. This perhaps suggests why Jesus was fond of saying, "Thy faith hath made you whole,” giving the impression that without faith, there was absolutely nothing He Himself could do.