Happy Wellness Wednesday, Garden Fam 🌸
I originally wrote this to and for myself, so clearly I needed it first, but I’m sharing it here for those who may need to be strengthened in their faith as well… true faith.
From my personal journal entry, written on Monday, Sept. 18th…
Sooo, whole thought loop that I won’t waste time and space listing here… but it led me to John 2:24, which basically talks about how people in Jerusalem during Passover believed in Jesus when they saw the miracles He performed. It talks about how Jesus didn’t trust them, though, because He “knew the nature of man.”
Initially, this scripture highlighted to me the fact that Jesus loved everyone, but HE did not trust everyone, because He knew their nature(s). That’s definitely still very valid, but today, in reading it, the Lord highlighted another aspect of it concerning faith. The commentary on verses 23-25 says, “Jesus’ knowledge of human nature pierces the superficiality of faith in Him on account of His miracles.”
Here’s what I know, the Lord will def use miracles at times to draw people to Himself, but also, we see over and over that Jesus was NOT in the business of proving Himself to people who already had dout in their hearts and minds, and were looking for Him to prove Himself before believing. I believe the miracles He performed were, of course, for the benefit of the person healed, set free, etc., but also to witness to those whose hearts were already prompted for belief, and not to disprove disbelievers. We see many times (if not all) that the faith and belief of the person, or at least their friends, parents, etc. was needed. Jesus didn’t mind helping people in their unbelief concerning the possibility of things changing as long as they believed in Him and who He said He was. I believe it’s the same way for us today.
Signs, miracles, and wonders should very well be a regular part of the Christian life, in our churches, in our homes, in our communities, etc. for the benefit of those in need and for drawing people in to the Lord… but not as an instrument to change the minds of those who are already set on disbelieving. Unfortunately, that includes [disbelieving] Christians, too. God doesn’t mind us asking Him to help us increase our faith for the next big thing He’s promised, but HE surely won’t be tap dancing for anyone who takes the stance that they’ll believe Him when they see it, whatever “it” may be. That’s not faith!
As such, I believe God is increasing the faith of His children in this hour. HE is stretching our resolve to believe in Him, His power, and who He is before we see anything. Over are the days of getting by on superficial “faith” that believes only because we saw. The Lord has always been looking for and resting upon those who believed in Him without ever seeing the thing come to pass… [those who believed in Him before He even began to share His promises to them]. Our faith rests on the back of Abraham, who chose to believe in a God he’d never even heard of before, and who died believing God would continue to fulfill the generational promises He had made to Abram.
Luke 1:45 says, “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” We are blessed when we believe what God says before we ever see it. And we can believe what He says when we truly believe in Him. God is always going to do His part, but will we choose to have true faith in Him enough to know and rest in that? Or do we have superficial faith that needs a sign, miracle, or wonder before we’ll consider believing?
If you’ve been lingering in option 2, I invite you today to develop true faith that believes before ever seeing anything. Build your faith on the solid rock, Jesus Christ, and rest assured that it’s a firm foundation!
Love you bunches,
Rhaven Epiphani 💞
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