That You May Believe

 

We see the word, "believe" a lot in our culture.  We are encouraged by wooden frames, and art to "believe in ourselves."  In all actuality that is idolatry telling you to place your faith in yourself.  I don't know about you, but I have no idea how to direct my life other than to trouble.  Do we really want to lift ourselves higher than God?  That we are worthy within ourselves to reject God and trust ourselves instead?  I guess we have all walked that path at one time or another.  My existence outside of Jesus Christ and His Spirit in me amounts to nothing.  It begins and ends.  I live for myself, doing whatever I please, going wherever.  It may be attractive for a season, but in the end my life it isn't hinged on any meaning.

In throwing the word, "believe" around so much it looses it's meaning almost like when we tell people we love them without thinking or feeling.  Believe is a key word to the Bible, especially the book of John.  Belief guides our theology and how we understand and love God.  It is the first root we put down in Christian life and goes deeper and deeper the longer we walk with God.

One of the things I hear often from pastors and speakers is discounting the word believe, that even "demons and Satan believes in Jesus."  Satan and his demons know Jesus exists, yes, they have seen Jesus, just as Judas traveled and saw all the miracles Jesus performed; heard His teachings, followed Him!  Satan was there too!  Jesus' own words focus on believing.  Believing is being persuaded.  Our response is what hinges in our belief.  When we see God move, what do we do?  When He pulls you out of a pit of death, do you put your faith and trust in Him and thank God, or do you form a riot against God?  Do you do the things that God is against?  

John 11 is about a man named Lazarus who died and was dead 4 days before Jesus came after being summoned by Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha.  Jesus stood outside the tomb and He wept.  A crowd had gathered and this pleased Jesus so that the power of God might be displayed and the people be able to respond.  Jesus raising Lazarus from the death proved to us that Jesus was God who has power over death.  He has power over life, He has power over death.  It was a foreshadowing to the the Resurrected Jesus, that though He was put to death, it didn't have power over Him.  Many put their faith in Jesus after He called Lazarus out of the grave, but some went and told the Sanhedrin (Jewish Teachers in the Temple) so that they might find fault in Jesus and stone Him.

Some may explain away that it was Witchcraft, but that's of Satan and in the words of Jesus, "how can Satan cast out Satan."  It is the power of God that raised Lazarus, and that takes into care every saint who crosses over from this world to the Kingdom, from life to life. 

I don't know where you are right now in life, what you need to begin believing God for. Even simply reaffirming your beliefs.  This world jerks us around and has us looking at stupid things that don't even matter.  God never fails us, the powerful truth of God is He's always right there, turn from yourself to seek the Lord.