God Answers Prayers

JOHN 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Bible should never be covered in vagaries, nor should it be interpreted in a manner that could mean several different things, without any specific answer. It is true that there are parables and prophecies which contain symbolisms, yet even these can be explained using the scriptural method of interpretation, namely “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little”. But there are also very plain statements of holy writ that can be clearly understood if we study with an attitude to do God’s will.

This past week we expounded briefly on the above passage of scripture, but now we are going to expand much more on what the text means and how we can thus apply the knowledge to our walk with The Lord. Let us therefore recap briefly a few points that were made before proceeding.

Point (1) Adding the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer request does not necessarily mean that the request was made “in His name”.

Point (2) If we are deliberately living in violation of God’s law or any of His precepts, prayer requests cannot be made “in His name” until genuine confession and repentance have taken place.

Point (3) We cannot in good conscience invoke God’s blessing on something He has expressly forbidden, nor should we ask something He has never promised, for doing so can result in a curse instead of a blessing.

Point (4) Asking something with the intent of fulfilling the carnal desires of our hearts, prevents the request from being made “in His name”.

We will now proceed to an expanded explanation of

John 14: 13  And it reads:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Let’s take a long, hard look at the word “whatsoever”. This word refers to anything we can think of and more, meaning that there is absolutely no limit on anything we can ask of God. In other words, if we can think it, then God can do it, and if we cannot think it, God can do even more, this according to the scriptures. Let’s read:

Ephesians 3:20   Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 

  3:21   Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. 

 We often become timid or apprehensive in making requests to the Lord for fear that our request might be too large or too audacious, or even too bold for the Lord to even consider. However, this should never be the case according to the following texts.

Let’s read:

Hebrews 4:16   Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Let’s be very careful with that word “boldly”. Boldly does not mean irreverently, disrespectfully or with an attitude of presumption. Simply put, it means to come confidently.

 The other text we are going to use reiterates the

Same point, by affirming the way we should

approach God in making requests. Let’s read:

Phillipians 4:6   Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

These two texts taken together, enjoin upon us the privilege of asking anything, no matter how large or how small, once it is done “in His name”. A striking example of what is being referred to here can be found in the experience of Elisha, when he was surrounded by a large army, that was bent on executing him.

In his distress he made a very startling request of God and got an immediate answer to his prayer. He asked the Lord to make the entire army blind so that he would be invisible to them. This request would seem to be crazy, by any stretch of the imagination, but Elisha did it “in His name. The request was obviously made “in His name” for as soon as it was made, every soldier went blind, so that the same Elisha that was cornered and about to be executed, was the very one to lead them on to have dinner.  Let’s read:

2nd kings 6:15   And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?    6:16   And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them.    6:17   And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.   6:18   And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 6:19   And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.  6:23   And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel. 

The other truth contained in John 14:13, that we are going to focus on is what happens when we pray “in Jesus’ name”. Let’s read it again:

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,

that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Note well that the Lord did not merely say that He will answer. To give us an answer is one thing, but to actually grant us what we specifically asked for is another. Here the Lord states explicitly that He will do it. The caveat then seems to be “in His name”.

When a person applies to Bank of America for a mortgage of $350,000.00 to purchase a home, they do not want a mere answer per se, for an answer could go either which way, “yes” or  “no”. What they are looking for is an answer that would grant the request of $350,000.00 so that their needs could be supplied. And what does Bank of America then do? It thoroughly checks out the person’s application to see if the pre-requisites are all in place, and once it is determined that the conditions were fulfilled, then they cut a check for $350,000.00. It’s that simple.

On a much grander scale are the promises of God to us in answering our prayers. Any prayer that is made “in Jesus’ name” will receive an answer in the affirmative, commensurate with the pertinent request. That is what the Bible states unequivocally, and that is what it means and nothing else. Let’s read, for the word of God sheds tremendous light on this very important subject:

Psalms 37:4   Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 

  37:5   Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

 Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Matthew 7:7   Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:    7:8   For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 And then Christ gives a few practical examples:

Matthew 7:9   Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 

  7:10   Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 

  7:11   If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Again, the same truth is emphasized by the Apostle James. Let’s read:

James 5:14   Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 

  5:15   And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 

The apostle John also understood and adopted this very crucial truth that’s so critically important to the Christian, living in a world that is not favorable to the truths and principles of God’s kingdom. We all know brethren, that the Bible states that in the last days there would be scoffers who would ridicule and make fun of those who trust in the Living God. Whenever efforts are made to introduce the truths of God’s word, there will always be those that doubt, and so the Lord has given us mighty promises to live by, so that our faith in the living God may be confirmed. That’s why we must have confidence when we pray”Let’s read:

John 5:14   And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 

  5:15   And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

For instance, when Peter under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, publicly predicted that Ananias would drop dead for having lied to God; if some other answer or result had occurred, the credibility and viability of the gospel would have been seriously damaged, perhaps irreparably. If after such a specific prophecy, in Jesus’ name, Sapphira stood there laughing, and blowing bubble gums in Peter’s face, onlookers would have seriously questioned the credibility of the truth. And that’s why God came through in a marked manner so that allwho were wavering, and those who were “playing church” began to tremble and fear for their own lives. Let’s read, for He will do it again:

Acts 5:1   But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,   5:2   And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it], at the apostles' feet.   5:3   But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land? 

  5:4   Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.   5:5   And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.  5:6   And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him]. 

  5:7   And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.   5:8   And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.  5:9   Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband [are] at the door, and shall carry thee out.    5:10   Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying [her] forth, buried [her] by her husband.    5:11   And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. 

So then, the ultimate, burning question remains: what does it mean to pray “in Jesus’ name”?

Answer: It means that we first surrender ourselves totally to God to the best of our knowledge; it means not living in conscious disobedience to His laws; It means asking according to his will and according to what He has promised; and it also means not asking for merely selfish, carnal purposes, but that God’s will for us may be done.

If by the grace of God, we were to start praying as it is our privilege to do; if through the correct understanding of this truth, we were to make our requests known unto God; then an entirely new day would dawn in our hearts, and The Sun of righteousness would arise with healing in His wings; not only for ourselves, but also for those whom we are laboring for. Very many sons and daughters would be born into God’s kingdom, and Christ could finish up the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary.

We hope and pray that this would be our experience from day to day, and from now on, because it may very well be, that the vast resources of the storehouse of heaven remain untapped because we do not pray “in His name”. May God bless the reading and study of His word. God bless!

How To Wait Upon God. Sabbath Afternoon 02/15/2014

Isaiah 40:31   But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.

This passage of scripture contains both facts and promises that every Christian should be aware of. Our strength, spiritual, mental, and physical all come from God to begin with, but in and of themselves they cannot thrive or be renewed without us waiting upon God. One of the main reasons why many Christians suffer from spiritual fatigue is because their strength is not being renewed on a daily basis, and thus they run out of steam after awhile.

 Very many people have started their Christian journey with excitement, motivation and resolve, but with the lapse of time, their impetus to keep moving forward becomes blunted, and as a result they are not able to stay the course. That’s why the passage in Isaiah gives us the key whereby we may run with patience the race that is set before us. It states emphatically that waiting upon God is the means by which our strength is replenished day by day, hour by hour.

Samson found this out the hard way, when after falling a prey to the charms of beauty, he tried to free himself from the deadly coils of the serpent, and did not know that the Source of his strength had departed from him. Let’s read:

Judges 16:16   And it came to pass, when she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, [so] that his soul was vexed unto death;    16:17   That he told her all his heart, and said unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head; for I [have been] a Nazarite unto God from my mother's womb: if I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man.  16:19   And she made him sleep upon her knees; and she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head; and she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.    16:20   And she said, The Philistines [be] upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.

The reason why Samson tried to free himself as at other times is because he obviously thought that his God-given strength could be used independent of God. As a matter of fact, the Bible states that Samson actually acknowledged the fact that his superior strength and well knit sinews were a direct gift of God. Let’s read:

Judges 14:5   Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.   14:6   And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and [he had] nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done. 

 Judges 15:17   And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.    15:18   And he was sore athirst, and called on the LORD, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?    15:19   But God clave an hollow place that [was] in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which [is] in Lehi unto this day. 

Samson’s problem is that he apparently did not know that his strength needed to be renewed, and thus, as soon as he stopped praying, trusting to his own strength, he became as weak as any other man. And that’s why it is so critically important for us to understand this very important point. When we genuinely accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the power that He gives us initially, is not given so that we can run on “automatic”, independent of His daily renewals. This truth when understood and applied correctly, will make the weakest saint strong enough to defeat all the hosts of darkness through the might and power of Christ. The Christian who waits upon God is literally made superior in strength to satan and all satanic agencies, that’s why the Bible states that we are more than conquerors through Him that loves us.

The question then is, what does it mean to wait upon God?

Answer: To wait upon God means seeking Him daily for strength, guidance, direction, intelligence and wisdom to execute His will, whenever and however He pleases. We often submit our own plans to the Lord for His approval, but do not as often ask Him what His own plan for us is. There is a world of difference between the two. Let’s take for example Cornelius’ servants and his soldiers who “waited on him”.

Acts 10:7   And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;

The fact that they “waited” on him continually means that they were always at Cornelius’ disposal, to do his will whenever and however he required. This also means that there would often be instances where they will have nothing in particular to do, except being readily available at his beck and call.

 On a much grander scale should be our experience in “waiting upon God”. The habit of locking God into given timeframes or restricting our availability to do His bidding, puts us in the drivers seat with the Lord as a passenger, to follow wherever we think the vehicle of our lives should go. This is not what is meant by “waiting upon God”. Waiting on Him is a no holds barred approach, with no limits or restrictions to His use of us.

 When in our attitudes, we give Him free reign in our hearts and minds, then our spiritual, mental, and physical strength will be renewed to the point where we will run, but not get tired, we will walk, and not be weary, and the cares and responsibilities of life, instead of crushing out our very existence, would be as stepping stones to climb to a higher round on Jacob’s ladder.

A striking example of what we are referring to can be found in the experience of Moses when God called him to the top of mount Sinai, to communicate the most sacred truths to be given to all peoples. For six days, The Lord said nothing to him, and Moses just had to “wait”. Let’s read:

Exodus 24:12   And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.    24:13   And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.  24:16   And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.

 It’s very possible that with the  busy and impatient mindset of the “now” generation, if we were in Moses’ shoes, we would have become a bit restless and impatient after the first day.  By the second day we would probably be starting to lose focus and begin texting or surfing the internet. For certain by the third day we would be ordering pizza from the Sinai pizza hut, and by the fourth day we would most likely be dialing 911!

But not so with Moses , who continued to wait and wait and wait. Let’s read:

Exodus 24:17   And the sight of the glory of the LORD [was] like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.    24:18   And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

Note well that God did not give Moses a time frame in which His conversation would last, nor did Moses find it necessary to ask for one. All God said was “Be There”, which could then translate into one day, one week, one year, or several years, if it was God’s will. And if that turned out to be the case, Moses’ attitude was so let it be!

Often, when we pray, we place time-frames on God by giving Him a time-table in which to work. If we are looking for a spouse, we very often give the Lord preset parameters in which to work, and by thus doing we literally attempt to tie His hands. Whereas if we had “waited upon The Lord”, He would have given us someone more glorious, more faithful, more beautiful, more kind, more Christ-like, and our peace would have flowed like a river.

 At other times we insist that He deliver to us our “knight” in shining armor who often turns out not to be the husband or wife of our dreams, but rather the devil in sheep’s clothing. All of these and other regrettable circumstances can be avoided if we were to “wait upon the Lord”.

In contrast to the humility of Moses in waiting upon God, is the hastiness and impatience of king Saul, who had a bright future in the kingdom of Israel before him, but was afterward rejected, because of refusing to wait upon the Lord. Let’s read:

1st Samuel 13:5   And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which [is] on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.    13:6   When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.    13:7   And [some of] the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he [was] yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

  13:8   And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed]: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.   13:9   And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.   13:10   And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.  13:11   And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and [that] thou camest not within the days appointed, and [that] the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;    13:12   Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.   13:13   And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.   13:14   But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him [to be] captain over his people, because thou hast not kept [that] which the LORD commanded thee.

Someone asks the question, what was Saul supposed to do in such a desperate situation, for after all he did wait the stipulated seven days given by Samuel. Was he then supposed to just sit there and wait, knowing that the philistines would come and possibly wipe out the entire army?

Answer: Absolutely yes! Death before disobedience is the motto all Christians should live by, and if for some “good” reason, God should choose not to deliver, then so be it. But under no circumstances should we ever cause a desperate situation to cause us to deviate from God’s will.

In our busy, hectic world, where we seem to be always pressed for time and cumbered with numerous deadlines and ultimatums, we should be very careful not to rush ahead of God without waiting for His guidance and direction. Amidst the rush of the maddening throng, amidst the traffic jam of information highways,  amidst the multitudinous voices of cell-phones, computers, news media and online chit-chat, amidst the cares, worries, concerns and disturbances of everyday life, the Lord bids us “be still and know that I am God”. When we thus wait upon Him, He is then able to guide our feet into safe paths, and all things would be made to work together for good to them that love Him. This our most urgent need, and this is our most earnest prayer, that every Christian, every person, every boy and every girl, will learn the all important lesson of “waiting upon God”. End.  God bless!

We Believe In Miracles.

                 Sabbath Afternoon 02/22/2014

Mark 9:17   And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 

  9:18   And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

There are many questions that pertain to our faith in God and the promises He has made in His word. One of the questions deal with the issue of whether or not the promises made in the word of God apply to our individual, peculiar situations, or whether they are generic, not having any real substance for us personally. Another question is whether or not we should have any specific expectations when we pray for something in particular.

In our world today we are surrounded by many gadgets and man-made devices that are all subject to limitations, to which we have all been accustomed to. We need to be very careful lest the mindset of limitations invade our thinking as it pertains to the Most High God. The Bible explicitly states that there is nothing impossible with God, and therefore when we approach Him, it should be with the understanding that He is able to do abundantly more than we can ask or think.

Most of the many questions pertaining to faith in the promises of God, and their accompanying answers can be found in the experience of the man in our scripture for today, whom we will call Bolo for reference purposes. The case of Bolo and his son is very similar to the issues we often grapple with. To begin with, the reason why Bolo brought his son to the disciples is because he must have seen or heard of the mighty miracles Jesus was able to perform, and since “faith cometh by hearing”, he decided to take his son to the disciples with the expectation that his child would be healed. This is what he clearly stated in his complaint to Christ. Let’s read:

  Mark 9:18   And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

It’s very important for us to note that neither Bolo’s request or his expectation was vague. His son had a problem and he expected a concrete resolution by coming to Christ’s disciples. It’s just that simple.

Now the question is whether or not it was the will of God that Bolo’s son should be healed. What does the Bible say. Let’s read with the understanding:

3rd John 1:2   Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

 Deuteronomy 7:15   And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all [them] that hate thee.

Psalms 103:2   Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:  103:3   Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;   103:4   Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;   103:5   Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

And therefore, God who is faithful to all of His promises, went about doing exactly what He clearly stated in His word, in the Person of Jesus Christ. Let’s read:

Matthew 4:23   And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.    4:24   And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Now that we know that it is God’s will that we should be healthy, the next logical question is,

 will The Lord help Bolo in his particular situation.

Obviously, it was the will of God that Bolo’s son should be healed, even though Bolo together with the disciples had probably concluded that it wasn’t, because of the negative results of the disciples’ attempts, and the obvious embarrassment and disappointment they all suffered as a result. In desperation however, Bolo decided to take the matter directly to Christ for resolution, and the brief interview which followed showed the gravity of the man’s situation.

Mark 9:20   And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 

  9:21   And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 

  9:22   And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 

  9:23   Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

In other words, what Christ was saying is, if you can believe it GOD can do it. Observe carefully that Jesus did not address any question of whether or not it was God’s will, for as far as He was concerned, that question was already answered and permanently settled in the scriptures. The issue that would be the determining factor in the outcome, is whether or not Bolo will believe. Let’s read:

  Mark 9:24   And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 9:25   When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.   9:26   And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 9:27   But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

With the signal defeat of the hosts of darkness, a very serious and disturbing question arose in the minds of the disciples. What was the problem why they were unable to cast out the devil? Was it something they did or didn’t do, or even something they did not know? As always, the mighty Counselor had the answer. Let’s read:

  Matthew 17:19   Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 

  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. 

Two distinct types of “unbelief are clearly brought to view in this episode. One is doubt and the other is attitude. The disciples unbelief could not have consisted of doubt, because prior to this they had subdued devils through the name and power of Christ and therefore received confirmation and assurance that they, by the power of God could handle any situation that could arise. Let’s read:

10:17   And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.   10:18   And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 

  10:19   Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  

We therefore conclude that Bolo’s unbelief was rooted in partial doubt, but the disciples’ unbelief  was rooted in their attitude. Question: what attitude were they harboring that could so negatively affect their work in the public domain?

Answer: An argumentative attitude. The disposition to argue, for any reason, whether valid or invalid, effectively stymies the power of the Holy Ghost operating in and through us. Let’s read:

Mark 9:33   And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? 

  9:34   But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who [should be] the greatest.

Striving for the highest place, or the desire for pre-eminence and popularity constitutes an attitude of unbelief, and thus, consequently prevents miracles from taking place. However, this is not the only attitude that can preclude the miracle-working power of God in our lives.  A disposition to imitate the customs, practices and fashions of the world also brings our minds into a state of unbelief, this according to the word. Let’s read:

1st john 2:15   Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

  2:16   For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

  2:17   And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The life of a true Christian is not “average”. The Lord does not take a person to Himself so that the individual may be just “average”. Let’s read:

Exodus 19:5   Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth [is] mine:   19:6   And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These [are] the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

1st Peter 2:9   But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 

  2:10   Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Now brethren, the following passage of scripture is very disturbing to us. Let’s read:

 Mark  6:5    6:1   And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him.   6:2   And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing [him] were astonished, saying, From whence hath this [man] these things? and what wisdom [is] this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?   6:3   Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him 6:5 And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed [them].   6:6   And he marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.

This text means that because of their unbelief, whether manifested in doubt, or whether revealed by attitude, they actually prevented Jesus from working miracles. In other words, Jesus wanted to work many more miracles for their benefit , but His plans were hijacked through unbelief.

Another factor that will prevent miracles from taking place is the harboring of cherished sin. When known sin is cherished in the heart, miracles cannot take place. Let’s read:

Psalms 66:18   If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]: 

Isaiah 59:1   Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 

  59:2   But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid [his] face from you, that he will not hear.   59:3   For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness.   59:4   None calleth for justice, nor [any] pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.

Then there is the factor of harboring or knowingly possessing the “accursed thing”. This is a Biggie, for within the precincts of many households can be found items, books, foods, novelties, charms, and movies that are expressly forbidden by the word. If these idols are knowingly cherished, this then stops a miracle dead in it’s track. This is what the scriptures say, and the word of God must not be interfered with. Let’s read:

Joshua 6:18   And ye, in any wise keep [yourselves] from the accursed thing, lest ye make [yourselves] accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 

Joshua 7:10   And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? 

  7:11   Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff. 

  7:12   Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 

  7:13   Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, [There is] an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.

   Deuteronomy  7:25   The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold [that is] on them, nor take [it] unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it [is] an abomination to the LORD thy God.   7:26   Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: [but] thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it [is] a cursed thing.

 Acts 19:18   And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.   19:19   Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all [men]: and they counted the price of them, and found [it] fifty thousand [pieces] of silver. 19:20   So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

And last but not least is the attitude of lightly regarding the law of God. Those who subjectively hold the laws and statutes given in the Bible, or who trample upon them because they interfere with their purposes, cannot really expect any miracles from God until full confession and repentance is made. Let’s read:

Proverbs 28:9   He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer [shall be] abomination.

1stsamuel 2:30   Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed [that] thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 

Isaiah 66:2   For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

It thus behooves us to embark upon serious soul searching to see if any of these factors may be hampering the fulfillment of God’s promises to us, and if not, then we should continue to press our petitions to the throne of grace for in due time will reap if we faint not.

We therefore end with a promise intended to encourage each one to seek the Lord in sincerity and in truth.

Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. 

  29:12   Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 

  29:13   And ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

May this be our experience both now and forever.  

                                God bless!