(This is the fourth of 4 posts on Faith. Read all previous posts here)
In Mark 10:27b, Jesus looked at his disciples and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; All things are possible with God.”
All through the existence of mankind, we have witnessed things that were once deemed impossible, become possible – Flying in an aircraft, telecommunication, space travel, racial integration, a black man becoming president of America etc. Jesus says in Mark 10 that all things are possible with God. This must be one of the most frustrating scriptures for a Christian to read because we rarely can see how this manifests in our life. Of what use is it if all things are possible to God, but you can’t walk in those things?
Jesus’s statement in Mark 9:23-24 helps us to put this in perspective and ties together what we have been discussing over the last 3 posts. It reads: Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes,” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!” Jesus simply said “it’s down to what you believe in your heart.” The heart of a man becomes the zone of possibility or impossibility.
There are subtle differences between an African and a European or an educated person and uneducated person or a person with means versus a person without means. The operation of mindsets, cultural differences and strongholds across generations and regions leads to world views, programming and conditioning. For example, what’s your attitude towards outdoor adventure, scientific enquiry, entrepreneurship or learning? How do you regard drivers with an L sign on their cars? For Christians, the biggest difference between the way our hearts work is our exposure to God. God is able to manifest his influence over our hearts and thus broadens our zone of possibility through the working of faith, hope and love. Faith, hope and love – these 3 things form the Possibility Triangle.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 says, “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” All through his letters, it is as though Apostle Paul was fascinated by these three forces; Faith, Hope and Love- the three theological virtues.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “And now these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love, But the greatest of these is Love.” Faith and Hope we have spoken about extensively in the last 3 posts.
Faith is the vehicle from #HereAndNow to #WhatIHopeFor & #ThingsIDoNotSee. We increase our knowledge of God and faith in him by studying the bible, meditation and prayer, and by sharing testimonies.
Hope is an expectation of a positive outcome. Its opposite are dejection, hopelessness and despair. The devil loves to bring people to a place of hopelessness. That is one of the strongholds of depression. Therefore, shield your heart from the effects of people who criticize or talk you down continually.
In the Pilgrim’s Progress, it is a character called Hopeful who comforts Christian in the doubtful castle. Conversely at the entrance of Dante’s Hell were the words, “Lay down all hope, you that go in by me.” Whatever tampers with your ability to hope tampers with your ability to have faith in God. Hope gets its bearings by imagination and then drives the vehicle of faith along the road of love. Colossians 1:5 says: “The Faith and Love which spring from the Hope that is stored for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth…”
Love ensures that our greatest expressions of faith in God involve being a blessing to other people. God wants to bless us so that we can be a blessing. Our creativity was designed to thrive in answering the question, “How can I create value for others?”
In Silicon Valley, billion dollar companies are often created to solve existing problems before the founders know how to monetize the products. Without love, our faith vehicle goes nowhere. (Galatians 5:6b: The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.) No man can walk in great faith without walking in love. Are you in love?
James 4:2 & 3 says, “You don’t have, because you don’t ask God. And when we do ask, you don’t receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Conclusion
Paul prays for the church in Ephesus that they would come to a place where they would realize how much God loves them. So my closing charge is to build your Faith in God urgently and purposefully. Fuel your Hope and stay in Love.
May this year present the biggest miracles you have ever seen. May the year present the best “you” that the world has ever seen. This year, you will enter doors to houses that you didn’t even know existed. God will remove certain boundaries that you had put on your life and He will replace them with new lines and he will move those lines again and again. I declare that things that are dead are coming back to life. I declare that where you had given up, the same power that raised Jesus up from the dead will quicken your body and circumstances. I declare you will walk in the love of God and newness of life. I ask God on your behalf that impossible and difficult situations will receive divine intervention immediately. Mountains will move and valleys will be lifted up. Bodies will be healed, women will receive the strength to conceive, careers will be restored and chains of addiction will be broken.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I sincerely hope this post has been of benefit to you. If you think it will be useful to others, please share. You may reach me at pi@lifepointeng.org.
God bless you!