What keeps Christians from receiving what is promised in their Bible?
by Alan Ballou
One of the turning points in my life came when I decided to just trust what was written in my Bible and cry out to the Lord for understanding. Living by faith can get confusing if you are listening to many different people trying to give you their explanation of it. Read Hebrews chapter eleven over and over.
Think about this. God told Noah that a flood was coming and that he was going to have to build a boat (the ark) in order to save his family (Hebrews 11:7). So, by faith, Noah built the ark, by following God’s instructions. This is as complex of an explanation, that living by faith, needs to be.
Hebrews 11:7
7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. NKJV
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Noah “believed” God, and was 100% sure that if he followed God’s instructions, he would receive what God promised, and the same is true today.
Part of the will of God is to believe in the Son (John 6:28-29). Therefore, just as Noah put his faith in God, we turn toward the Son, Jesus Christ.
He said that if we did not forgive others, then we would not be forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15). Think about that, as if that is what God told Noah, and then you will be able to see how “obedience comes from faith” (Romans 1:5). If you have faith in Jesus, you will forgive others, just like Noah moved in faith to build the ark.
Many church attending people today cannot see this because they have spoken against it with the rise of the “Jesus did it all” gospel, which is misleading in the least. Read 1 Peter 4:17-19, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, and Hebrews 5:9 and ask yourself if there is a part of the Gospel that we need to obey if we are planning to make it into Heaven? It’s that important, but we will have to cover that on a different Sunday.
Jesus said that if we seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, then the things that we worry about would be given to us (Matthew 6:25-37). Let’s take a look at that promise through our eyes of faith.
If our “hope” is to have the things we need for this life, then we have “evidence” written in Matthew 6:25-34, that if we would “seek first” the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, then what we need will be given to us. We can’t see how, but we believe that so eagerly, that we speak in line with it (Romans 10:6-8, 2 Corinthians 4:13) without wavering through unbelief, regarding the promise (Romans 4:18-22).
Check those verses because they describe Abraham’s faith, which is the type of faith we should have. This is one of the biggest obstacles that keeps Christians from receiving what is promised in their Bible today.
Whatever we do not believe, we cannot receive (James 1:5-7), and if we do not believe what our Bible says, then we are not going to speak with a spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). Read your Bible and let it tell you what to believe (Hebrews 4:12), even if you do not understand it or see how it can happen (Proverbs 3:5). Understanding comes after obedience (Psalms 111:10, 119:97-105).
The second thing that knocks us out of receiving what is promised is incorrect information. Get the instructions right! I have met so many people who simply believed something that was a slight bit off. All they needed was to double-check what they thought and then to allow the Word of God to change their attitude.
Most of us have no idea that by simply speaking against the faith we can fall away from it (1 Timothy 6:20-21). Get this. If I was working for the enemy, I would not want you to get your instructions straight out of your Bible. Why? The promises work and in fact we are instructed to use them to receive what God has already given us for this life (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Think about this. Any boat can float and seems good enough in our mind, but God told Noah what to build and how to build it. It’s that critical. Take the time to find the promise you are setting your hope on and read everything about it. Who is the promise for? What are the exact instructions? What are the conditions?
For example, God’s Kingdom and God’s righteousness are both found, revealed, and discussed in the New Testament (Luke 16:16, John 1:17, Romans 1:16-17, 3:21-26). If you start seeking them in the Old Testament, you will not see results no matter how long you seek.
Lastly, tell God what you are doing. In other words, cover your plans with God. Say, “Father in Jesus’ name” and just start talking. I start by reminding God what He has promised. Yes, He knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8), but “the instructions” say to always communicate with Him, cast our cares on Him, and make our requests known to Him (Philippians 4:6, 1 Peter 5:7). This would be acting in line with faith.
If you have any questions on this subject, please ask. There are many other things that we are not covering for the sake of space and time, but I believe they are less common, too. I’m Alan Ballou; a servant. http://www.howtostopsinning.org http://www.howtostopsinning.com
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