Friday Bible study
Today we discussed the implication of some of the questions we filled out (see a few entries ago).
Regarding the areas we have the most difficulty having faith for, Pastor Don said that there are several reasons why it is hard to have faith in a particular area. That we need to access those reasons and take action to change our attitudes.
1. One area is when we have had a failure in believing for something. Then we assume that we will always not be able to have faith in that area.
2. Our upbringing can give us many wrong teachings. Our parents can instill wrong beliefs in us. Sometimes even in a religious environment, parents do not teach truth. They make kids feel that they are wrong when they can’t have faith in an area. They don’t teach that you can have right beliefs, the right word, even the right idea, but if our hearts are in the wrong place, God may not honor the words, for His concern is more where our hearts are. If our hearts are not right, God isn’t in it.
3. Our own limitations and blindsides can affect our faith. We can spend more time focusing on our circumstances than on the truth of God’s word.
We need to realize that the problem stems from us, not God. That nothing is too difficult for God. That if there is a problem it stems from within us. We have to be honest because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We have a greater chance of having our needs met if we are honest with God, God can work with honesty. Hypocrisy, pretending to have great faith when you have little faith, putting on a front will not help you to gain the faith necessary for change. Way better to go to the elders, to the pastor, to God and own up to the fact that you are having trouble believing in an area, and ask for help in building up your faith. God knows our heart, so it is best to be honest with God.
Some people have faith in faith, and that doesn’t work either. We have to have faith in God. Pastor Don gave the example of Peter walking on the water. That Peter focused on asking Jesus to tell him to walk on the water, then he did, ignoring the wind and waves. Peter did very well until he took his eyes off of Jesus, then he sank. Peter lost it when he examined his faith, instead of just focusing on God. We must have God in the midst.
We grow our faith, we do steps towards greater and greater faith.
Often in our country (as opposed to countries where there isn’t freedom of religion) we are a Word rich country. We are steeped in the Word of God, but knowing the Word, being able to teach the Word, is not all that is needed. We are not so good at acting on the Word.
Many pastors and people are afraid to pray prayers of faith for healing, they think, “What happens if it doesn’t work.” and then doubt and unbelief limit the faith. We need to pray, meeting the person where they have faith.
Pastor Don told of a time when he was in India, and there were many healings, but one child was brought to him that was so crippled, that he had compassion for her, but did not have the faith to pray a prayer for healing. He prayed, but no healing came. Later he discovered that many parents there took their kids to other temples for a multitude of gods to pray for them, then as a last resort they come to the Christian God. The parents also deny their children medicine that could help them, so there is much demonic influences around them. Pastor Don talked about this child to the other pastors, and mentioned what the Holy Spirit had told him regarding the child. He realized that, had he known all that beforehand, the parents would have to be councelled and the demonic influences broken before a healing could occur. Pastor Don said that he prayed to God to never have that kind of doubt again, to never just accept the circumstances.
God doesn’t play for half a success or a reversible success, God wants total healing.
Pastor said that to pray in boldness without faith is stupidity. It can also hurt other’s faith. If you are not believing in faith and you pray for someone, your prayer may not be answered. You really need to ascertain what the person you are praying for has faith for, and pray a prayer of agreement, (where two or three are gathered), to pray in unbelief or uncertainty can cause a person to lose what trust they have in God. Far better to find a person who has faith in a particular area and bring the person to them for prayer, or an elder of the church (and hopefully the elders have faith and are not just elders in name).
To pray in boldness with faith paves the way for creative miracles.
If there is a problem with a person, and you cannot have the faith for them, James 5 should be put into action, that you call the elders and pray the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith is Romans 4:17, Mark 11:23-24.
Some people believe that you pray one time and the problem goes away. In some instances that is the case, but in others it is important to keep praying, keep saying until faith comes, and you know that you know that you know.
Sometimes it takes time for the circumstances to change, think of how long it took Abraham believing in faith for a child, to have his son. Abraham had to believe in faith, in a seemingly impossible circumstance.
When an anointing is prayed on you, you have the anointing within you, but you must also act on the anointing. Pastor Don said that in many instances when a true healing anointing is prayed over a person they seem to get sicker before they get better. That is satan’s last ditch attempt to get the person to believe the circumstances rather than believing the truth.
If you find that you are weak in faith, the best thing to do is to admit it, to be honest, humble. And ask for more prayer, ask to start all over again.
If you think about it, if you pray and the thing does not happen, either God messed up (not possible) or we have to suffer (not the truth).
We have to ask the Holy Spirit to show us where we are weak in faith and begin to build those areas up inside of ourselves.
Sometimes we are praying or believing for something that isn’t God’s plans for us, and satan is happy to have us waste the effort in that pursuit. So we have to make sure that God is there, for He will give us the desires of our Heart, but that is if we are focusing on God.
Pastor Don gave a silly example, of a person who wanted to believe in faith that they would be a ballerina, but they are 60 years old, never had dance lessons, are out of shape, have no sense of rhythm, and two left feet. And they were not gifted from God in this area. This could be an example of faith in the wrong thing. That the person would best look to areas where God gifted them and advance those.
Everything we do is based on a need. We need to identify those needs. So many are filled with false humility, hypocrisy. We need to be honest about our needs. God does not have a problem with needs, just with religiosity.
Pastor Don said that he loves to counsel with people, to help them grow spiritually. He does it from love of God, but there is also a need and a pride that he has when he sees people grow, especially those who are hard cases. He realizes this need and uses it to advance God’s kingdom, but He doesn’t cop a phony attitude of doing it only for God. He realizes that he too gets something from doing God’s work.
Altruistic people are the most selfish because they gain so much from the good that they do.
Selfishness can be altruistic, or it can be destructive. Again it boils down to a heart issue.
The only way to get our needs met is to die to self, and when we do that, dying to our immediate gratification, do we find what it is that we really need.
Then regarding question 2, we find difficulty in faith, where we have failed before. And God, in his infinite mercy will permit us to keep being tested in that area until we finally overcome the difficulty to our faith.
The area (question 3) where we are strongest in faith is where God has done a sovereign move in our lives.
We then had to answer three questions (which we turned in to Pastor Don).
1. Describe ourselves honestly. Adjectives. One thing I put down is that I am often insecure, feeling that others are far better than me, and others often don’t see me as insecure. I also pointed out that I feel that I mucked up so much that it is hard to believe that God can really use me. Etc.
2. We had to describe the kind of person who we would have a tough time discipling. I put down a mean, angry, aggressive person that would remind me of my father.
3. We then had to describe the kind of person we could easily disciple. I put down someone with a similar past to mine, for there would be much compassion for them.
Pastor Don pointed out that as Christians we must be loving to all types. That in the Bible there is no personality profile of Jesus, he was tough in situations that required toughness, tender and soft, He was flexible and adopted to whomever He was working with.
That we need to love all, even those who are tough for us to love, and to reach to them to be what will help them to be a follower of Jesus.
Tough stuff for me, but I am so convicted that there is much that I need to work on. I am praying that I accurately am relaying what was taught today, it was a tough lesson, and one that could be easily misunderstood if I blow it in taking proper notes. Sometimes written words do not convey what the spoken word is really implying. Any errors is just my difficulty in these areas.
Hoping you have a blessed day.
Heather
