Building Faith Destroys Doubt

Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”MATTHEW 17:9-20; MARK 9:9-27; LUKE 9:37-42The disciples’ unbelief in this instance was not a disbelief in God’s power to produce deliverance, but rather a “natural” kind of unbelief that came from a hardened heart that was more sensitive to what it saw than to what it believed. Jesus said that a very small amount of faith (a “mustard seed”) is sufficient to remove a mountain, if no unbelief is present to hinder it.Jesus was disappointed that His disciples had not been able to cast this devil out. Most people would have had no criticism of these disciples. After all, it wasn’t normal to have power over evil spirits. However, Jesus had already given these disciples power and authority over all devils. These disciples had also already used this power and authority successfully on previous occasions, making them more accountable than others. They weren’t just normal men any longer. They had a supernatural ability and calling.We also receive power from on high when the Holy Ghost comes upon us, and it becomes our normal Christian service to use this power to witness to others.We can always look around and find plenty of Christians who are not using this power, but 2 Corinthians 10:12 says that comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise. Most Christians are living so far below what God intended for them that when someone begins to live a normal Christian life (according to God’s standard), then everyone thinks he’s abnormal. We will be successful when we not only build our faith but destroy our doubts.

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knowing God’s Will Is Not Enough

KNOWING GOD’S WILL IS NOT ENOUGHLuke 1:34, “Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”LUKE 1:26-38Contrast Mary’s question and Gabriel’s response with the question that Zacharias asked Gabriel and the response that he received (Luke 1:18-20). You will find the questions are similar but the responses are totally different.Both Mary and Zacharias asked how these miracles would occur but it is evident that Mary was asking “how” in faith while Zacharias was asking “how” in unbelief. It is a clear Bible teaching that unbelief doesn’t please God (Heb. 11:6), but the Lord doesn’t mind us questioning Him for the purpose of instruction so we can cooperate with His will in our lives.Abram knew that it was God’s will for him to have a son but Abram and Sarai came up with their own plan which caused them and the world much grief (Gen. 16:1-6). Abram would have avoided many problems if he had asked the Lord how He was going to accomplish this miraculous event.If Mary had not questioned this angel, she might have reasoned that Jesus would be born through the natural union of her and Joseph. This would have been a grave mistake. It would have disqualified her from being used.It’s not enough just to know God’s will. We need to continue to seek the Lord until we know God’s plan for accomplishing that will.

Speculation and Assumption

Speculation and assumptions are not your friends. They move you down the wrong path and waste your time on foolish thinking. They will cause you to think and eventually act. Later you’ll discover your thinking is wrong. Stay flexible but at the same time keep your mind firmly planted in Me. Stay closely attached to Me. Don’t make your mind up too quickly about the matter. Don’t try to control the situation. I have it all under control. Trust Me and control yourself. Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-24 (NASB) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires

Thankfulness

LET ME TEACH YOU THANKFULNESS. Begin by acknowledging that everything–all your possessions and all that you are–belongs to Me. The dawning of each new day is a gift from Me, not to be taken for granted. The earth is vibrantly alive with My blessings, giving vivid testimony to My Presence. If you slow down your pace of life, you can find Me anywhere.

Some of My most precious children have been laid aside in sick beds or shut away in prisons. Others have voluntarily learned the discipline of spending time alone with Me. the secret of being thankful is learning to see every thing from My world is your classroom. My Word is a lamp to your feet and a light for your path.

Hebrews 12:28-29 28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire
Psalm 119:103 How sweet are Your words to my taste!
Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Meditate On This Scripture

2Corinthians 10:3-4 (AMP) “For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons. For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds