Unbelief

Over the last few weeks I have really been consumed with studying the Scriptures to fully understand what it means to be baptized in the Spirit. It has really been bothering me because I see people who have only been Christians for a short time who are filled with the Spirit and speak in tongues and yet here I am, a Bible-college graduate who has been a Christian for over 30 years, reads the Bible every day, fervently loves the Lord and has experienced God’s blessings in my life. And yet I have no power, no fullness of the Spirit and I do not pray in tongues.

One thing that God showed me today is how much I am just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. I am sure they looked on Jesus and his disciples with disdain. How could these uneducated fishermen led by a carpenter think they have the answers to life’s deepest questions when the Pharisees had trained their whole lives, practiced their religion with precision and performed pious acts for all to see. How could they have something that the Pharisees didn’t? It’s preposterous, really!

But God has taken the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. And my situation was no different. God took simple people and gave them his Spirit while he left me empty. Why? What did they have that I didn’t have? Why would God NOT give me the Spirit while he poured his Spirit on them? Was it because he was unhappy with me? Was it because I was too prideful? I thought about that and realized how much I had asked God to forgive me of all that. And besides, many people are not perfect when they come to Jesus and certainly, many of those I know who speak in tongues have tons of issues they are still working through. What then?

Through a series of events, thoughts and Scriptures, I came to realize that the reason I did not have the Holy Spirit is because I did not believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Why in the world would God give me something that I didn’t really believe in? I thought about how Jesus said that unless we become like a little child we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. I used to think he was talking about innocence, but I think he is probably talking about faith. When you tell a child that you are going to do something, he just believes you. He then proceeds to act as if it were a sure thing that you were going to do it. He doesn’t think about it and assess whether or not he deserves it or how likely you are to follow through on your promise. You said it, he believes it, end of story.

I realized that the people I knew that were filled with the Holy Spirit all believed God’s promise to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks. They believe Jesus when he said he would send the Comforter and that we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer. I know that belief was critical when I became a Christian, but now for some reason I feel like I need to “earn” the Holy Spirit. Immediately, the verses in Galatians 3:1-6 came to mind:

You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Last night as I was praying, God told me “Be still and know that I am God”. First of all, being still means to stop striving, stop whatever you are doing and just stand still. I decided it was time to just get quiet before God. My first inclination is to find another book on the Holy Spirit or do more work or give more or pray more or do something to try to get God to answer my prayer. But God said be still. Then he said I should “know” that he is God. Knowing implies believing. I need to really know, deep down in my heart, that he is God and that what he said he will do, he will do. The promises that he has made in the Bible are trustworthy and sure. I need to KNOW that they are true and believe in my heart that what he has promised for me I can claim for myself and I can be sure they will happen. This is why Jesus said if we have faith even as a grain of mustard seed we can say to a mountain to move and it will move if we believe it.

So, to sum up what I learned, it is pretty simple yet revolutionary. I need to believe God’s word and his promises. You may be snickering, because this is so obvious. But think about it – do you really believe God’s promises? When you pray for the sick, do you REALLY believe that God is going to heal them or do you just tack on “if it be thy will” to save face in the event they aren’t healed? When Jesus says that anyone who asks receives and that you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer if you believe, do you really believe that? When you pray and ask for something, do you really, honestly, believe that he is going to give it to you? If you are completely honest with yourself, you will probably admit that there is always this nagging doubt about whether God will really answer. If you find yourself asking the same thing over and over and saying “I hope the Lord hears me” or “I hope he answers my prayer” then it means that you don’t really believe that he will. When you believe something, you act on it.

If you received a call today telling you (and giving you a written guarantee) that you have won the lottery, you would immediately act on it. Even before you actually get the money, you will probably be excited, jumping up and down, imagining what you will do with your money, making plans for how you will spend it, dreaming of how your life will be different. The belief that you will receive what you were promised would immediately be evidenced in your life and your attitude. Why should it be any different when we pray and ask God for something? You may say that we aren’t sure if he wants us to have what we ask for. Or you might say that there may be reasons why he wouldn’t give it to us. Or you may say that you know he is able but you don’t know if he is willing. Call it what you want, but it boils down to unbelief. Now maybe you are correct in not believing because you are asking for something you shouldn’t be asking for. But still, as long as you don’t believe, you will not receive.

Here are some helpful verses that you can believe in:

Matthew 21:22 (NIV)

²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 9:23 (NIV)

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Mark 11:24 (NIV)

²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 16:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

Luke 8:50 (NIV)

⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

John 1:12 (NIV)

¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 3:18 (NIV)

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 6:35 (NIV)

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 7:38-39 (NIV)

³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”^[a] By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

John 11:25 (NIV)

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

John 14:12 (NIV)

¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Luke 3:16 (NIV)

¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptize you with^[a] water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 10:21 (NIV)

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Luke 11:13 (NIV)

¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

John 14:26 (NIV)

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

John 15:26 (NIV)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

John 20:22 (NIV)

²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:4 (NIV)

⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues^[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 2:38 (NIV)

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 4:31 (NIV)

³¹ After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Acts 5:32 (NIV)

³² We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Acts 8 (NIV)

¹⁴ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9:17 (NIV)

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 10:44 (NIV)

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.

Acts 11:15 (NIV)

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.

Acts 13:52 (NIV)

⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:2 (NIV)

² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when^[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Acts 19:6 (NIV)

⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues^[a] and prophesied.

Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)

¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

1 Thessalonians 1:5 (NIV)

⁵ because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

Titus 3:5 (NIV)

⁵ he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

Hebrews 2:4 (NIV)

⁴ God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

2 Peter 1:21 (NIV)

²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

John 14 (NIV)

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

¹⁰ He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

What difference does prayer make?

This week during my devotions I was reading in 2 Kings and came across this in chapter 20:

¹ In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”

² Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, ³ “Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

⁴ Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the LORD came to him: ⁵ “Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the LORD. ⁶ I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.

What I find particularly relevant in this passage is the thought of what would have happened to Hezekiah had he NOT prayed. God had already told him that he would not recover. That he would die. How many of us in that situation would have just accepted God's word and said "So be it"? The fact that God responds to prayer and changes his plans for us accordingly should give us more than enough reason to persevere in prayer. Not that God will always answer according to our wishes, but one thing is for sure - we have not because we ask not! So keep praying and keep believing. Who knows what God may have in store for you in answer to your prayers?

Just Do It!

I find myself finally deciding to set aside a specific time for prayer. I think to myself - as soon as the kids get off to school and work and the house is quiet, then I'll settle myself down to some serious prayer time. But wait - maybe I should throw in that load of wash first so it can be done by the time my prayers are finished. Wash in, I go to my favorite chair where I read my Bible. I think - hold on, maybe I should go to my closet so I am completely alone. Or maybe I should lay prostrate on the floor to show my humility. Or maybe I should just go on my knees next to my bed. In the midst of my quandary, I hear God say "Just do it!" Plain and simple.

Remember, when it comes to prayer, the most important thing is that you actually COME and PRAY. Don't worry about what words you will say, or if you are in the right position, or if the timing is right or the place is right. Just do it. The more times you just do it, the easier it will become to do it. So don't make excuses, don't look for perfect conditions. Just do it. God will bless you for it.

Prayer brings peace

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phillipians 4:6-5).

When we trust God completely and lay our requests at His feet through prayer, He will fill us with peace. That does not mean that we will receive what we have asked for. Rather, it means that we will come to understand God's perfect love and his His perfect will and in faith, we will accept His way rather than our own.

If only we could comprehend how much God really loves us, we would have no fear of His decisions in regards to our life. "As for God, His way is perfect" (Psalm 18:30, II Samuel 22:31). How comforting to know that God's way is perfect. No matter how difficult our life is and how many trials we are going through, we have the assurance that if we yield our lives to Him, he will take us down the BEST path, the one that will strengthen us and build us up and glorify HIM. It may not be easy, it may not be fun or glamorous, but it will be exactly what we need to bring out the best in us.