God wants desperately for His children to receive His Word, but the purpose of His Word is to give His children HOPE. Too many times, the Word of God seems so amazing…but impossible…that people end up in despair, thinking… “If only…”.
I’ve even had Christians warn me about getting others’ hopes up too high. They say, “You wouldn’t want to give people disappointment and have them question their faith!”
The only thing the Bible warns us about is thinking too small, or holding back in fear. I even recall the King of kings saying in Revelation 3:15 – “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.”
I’ve encountered as much unbelief in Christians lately as I’m seeing in the world. How is it that those who have actually believed the most incredible message of all (that an invisible God gave his own life to save them from an intangible hell and the effects of inescapable sin, and to bring them to an immeasurable reward in an imperceptible Heaven with Him), find it so difficult to walk by faith here on the Earth?
It seems like the moment they received the forgiveness of their sins, they stopped believing the rest of the message of the WORD, and the fullness of why Jesus came to die. God’s ability to work in our lives is limited to what we are willing to believe and receive.
Much of the church in general seems to be convinced that God often teaches the difficult lessons by choosing to directly or indirectly allow injury and pain onto His children. The truth of the matter is that He allows many things that are NOT HIS WILL, because He has given us His authority to resist them. The Holy Spirit then works tirelessly to point us to the WORD which delivers us from every negative situation.
GOD……IS……A……GOOD……FATHER……
…and He sent His son Jesus to bring us the fullness of salvation.
The definition of the original word for “salvation” is this:
‘sozo’ – to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction (from injury or peril)
to save a suffering one (from perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well, heal,
restore to health, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue.
Here’s how Ephesians 2:8 reads with the writer’s definition of ‘saved’ inserted, “For by grace you have been ‘sozo’ [forgiven of sins, born again, made righteous, healed, delivered, prospered, made whole in every way] through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” – (brackets mine)
Mark 9:23 – Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Make a decision today to stand on the TRUTH of God’s Word no matter what FACTS you see in others around you, or even in your own life and circumstances. You will begin to find HOPE where previously there was none.
It will be as a seed taking root, and pushing up through hardened ground…
You will KNOW deeply that the change has begun!
