Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Oh Ye of Little Faith



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Oh Ye of Little Faith

Jesus looked for faith, and at times he found great faith, but other times he was making a statement by saying: - "Oh Ye of Little Faith"   He was not surprised at their lack of faith, but he found it necessary to bring this to the attention of his believing disciples as he made a point:

On the mountain, Jesus was preaching about worry and anxiety and said: O ye of little faith? “Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

On another occasion while Jesus was peacefully sleeping on a boat, the disciples woke him up frantically saying, Don't you care that we are perishing in this storm?  And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”

One time the disciples had forgot to bring bread.  Jesus replied: “O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Don't you understand, and remember the feeding of the five thousand, and also the four thousand.  Must I remind you that I am your provider?

1.  Let us consider our necessary need for provision; for food, water and clothing
2.  Let us consider our need for safety from danger
3.  Let us consider our search for truth that will bring results

Today I encourage you to pray over your city, your State and your country with its great needs:  Provision, safety, and truth.  It is important to come believing that our bold prayers are reaching out to make a difference.   I am reminded that at times we are faithless and weak but do not get discouraged:  Take a look in the book of Acts chapter 12. 

King Herod was anxious to please the Jews, so he killed James the brother of John, with the sword, and when he saw it pleased the Religious leaders, he put Peter in prison, with four squadrons of soldiers and guards, chaining his hands before bringing him to trial.

Peter's Christian friends held an all night prayer meeting on his behalf requesting God to intervene.  About midnight, while Peter was calmly sleeping, an angel touched his side and said, "Put on your shoes, and get your coat, because we are leaving this place."  The chains that bound Peter fell off, and He quickly obeyed the angel, thinking he was seeing a vision.  The heavy iron gates opened of their own accord, allowing them to pass, and at the main road the angel disappeared.  It was then Peter realized this was real; so he headed to the house where the Christians usually met and knocked on the door.  

A young girl named Rhoda, came to the door but not opening it, she ran to tell those who were praying, "It is Peter at the door." 

Their response was one of doubt and unbelief - - That can't be true, that is impossible, we know he is in jail.  Rhoda exclaimed, come see for yourself, it is he.    Finally they opened the door and Peter told them how the angel came and set him free.  After a time of rejoicing, Peter left to go to another place of safety. 

We must not be too harsh in our judgment of Peter's Christian friends, because we have been there and done that.   It is time to remember when the fire fell on the day of Pentecost - To remember the conversion of Saul to Paul, to remind ourselves of the times we have seen God deliver us from a spirit of doubt and instead pour out upon us a spirit of faith, confidence and assurance.

Let not your heart be troubled, know that if God has ever done it before - He will do it again.  May I encourage you to come pray over your city believing that chains will fall off its citizens, and angels will escort men and women from their prison of sin and shame to follow Christ Jesus.  Be strong and boldly use your faith and know your prayers matter.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

It's so easy to that one that has little faith. It's a struggle in this flesh to draw nigh unto Him so that our faith is reaffirmed. What a gift of Him for His Spirit in us...