« Is Your Faith In Reverse ? »

Is your faith in reverse? Well here is a cure for ‘reverse faith’ or what you may call lack of faith – Just Stop Doubting! It really is that simple – note: I didn’t say easy… Doubting is outside the will of God, anything outside the will of God is sin. The word for sin in Greek literally means “to miss the mark” as an arrow in the center of a target. Sin is anything that doesn’t attain what is the highest form of good in the end result or hinders the achievement of it. As a matter of fact anything within your relationship with God that is not of faith is sin Rom. 14:23; therefore it is forgivable but not irresistible. Faith is a Gift God gives to everyone Rom. 12:3 . Jesus Christ would not tell us to use something we did not have.

Romans 12:3 (NET) …..God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith.

Romans 14:23 (NIV) …..Everything that does not come from faith is sin.

Doubt is a sin against faith. Actually, you’re always believing something… it’s just either negative or positive, yes or no. Doubt is really faith in reverse; it’s still a form of faith; just faith in the wrong thing happening. If you really did not believe that you could get up out of your chair and walk away – you could not do it no matter how bad you may “want to” don’t get “want” and faith confused they are not the same thing. We are always acting within our faith whatever we are doing whether negative or positive. This is why the Bible says “we live [have real life] by faith” Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38 This is also why Jesus Christ said:

Mat. 9:29 “According to your faith let it be done for you.”

Mat. 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.”

The Apostle Paul quoted the Old Testament several times in the New Testament with these words speaking of receiving and living real life!

Romans 1:17 (GW) God’s approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, “The person who has God’s approval will live because of faith.”

You choose what you will believe – and what you believe will determine what you choose. This is one reason I said don’t get “want” confused with “faith”. And also a big reason why you don’t always get what you want – truth is, you don’t believe you will…

You can stop doubting just like you can stop lying, stealing or committing fornication – You just determine to quit it and stop any form of it as soon as it inters your mind. Replace it with some faith filled verse of scripture against it – there are hundreds of them! I should add, in the case of addictions or disease this can be quite a struggle; but not impossible.

Mark 11:23 (NKJV) For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, [Huge immovable obstacles] ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ [Of forgetfulness] and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Mark 11:24 (NLT) I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Luke 1:37 (NET) “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

You can have faith and believe something is surely true but not true for you – that is doubt or faith in reverse Mark 9:24 . Reversing what God has said is true. Even though doubt is faith in reverse, doubt is not the same thing as faith any more than holding a word to a mirror is the same as the word – doubt nullifies the meaning or intent of faith. Although, even in such a case, the Mercy and Grace of God will overcome it if we are honest with ourselves and God.

Mark 9:21–26 (The Message)…..If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!”

Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried,

“Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!”

Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: “Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!” Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left.

You say, yes, that all sounds simple and good but I don’t think I can do it. Have you ever tried? Like you have tried and successfully stopped other sins? You can, it’s a choice just like everything else.

Jesus may as well have said to ask yourself this question, “Why do you doubt?” Mat 14:31 I believe we would do well in taking His advice seriously; which is always truth and extremely important instruction to set us on the road to recovery from our failures in our efforts to have a better life – life more abundantly! This is why Jesus brought us the message He brought to the whole world:

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10 (NLT) The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life

It is the thief of life in your mind that want’s to destroy you and make your life miserable; He is putting those doubts in your mind. Who is he? He is YOU in your own mind separating yourself from the life God is trying to give you. I have even heard people who are deceived this way use pious sounding arguments like “Well, I wouldn’t be so bold as to think God would do that for me; a sinner like me! – who am I to think such a thing?” That is the thief! Yes! God wants you to be BOLD! He said Speak to that Mountain of Doubt and COMMAND IT TO GO JUMP IN THE LAKE! YOU ARE BELIEVING GOD!

That is why The Apostle Paul said our trouble with God is in our own fleshly minds which must be renewed in the Spirit of TRUTH! Not the Lies you tell yourself… Listen to this and let the truth open your spiritual eyes – God is not mad at you, working against you, or holding anything good back from you – These are the lies in your own mind! Jesus called Peter Satan one time because of what he was thinking!

Colossians 1:21–22 (NCV) At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies IN YOUR MINDS, and the evil things you did were against God. But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.

Romans 8:6 (NCV) If people’s thinking is controlled by the sinful self, there is death. But if their thinking is controlled by the Spirit, there is life and peace.

Ephesians 4:23 (NKJV) be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

Ephesians 4:23 (CEV) Let the Spirit change your way of thinking

Remember, “Anything is possible – with God”…. Just ask God and He will help you quit doubting and take your faith out of reverse and put it in “FAITH FORWARD!” Just like he did for the father of the boy with the ill spirit who admitted his doubts Mat 9:17-27 . I promise He will do it; not because of my faithfulness or your faithfulness but because of God’s faithfulness!

1 Corinthians 1:9 (NKJV) GOD IS FAITHFUL, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NET) No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And GOD IS FAITHFUL: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.

YES! YEAY GOD!!!

This is also why I believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the Whole World – Not just some! What does that have to do with this article? EVERYTHING! This is the same reason many don’t believe God will or can save every single person He ever created or ever will – Doubt! This is just too big of a Mountain in their minds for God to move. Too Grand a finale for them to fathom. Too much Grace for them to grasp. But you know what? Jesus said He came to Save the world, John said The Father sent Jesus to Save the World and also said He forgave the sins of the Whole world and Took them Away! Paul said that Every knee would bow and every tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the Glory of God the Father; and also said that God was in Christ reconciling the Whole world to Himself – Not counting peoples sins against them; that this was the message he was sent to preach! I have hundreds of scriptures to back up what I just said but that is not what my subject was here although it is related; but I have plenty of other resources and my own writings here on the website to confirm these statements. So I will just leave you with the same conclusion Paul did in the letter to the Romans in Chapter 11

Romans 11:32–36

For God has bound EVERYONE over to disobedience SO THAT HE MAY HAVE MERCY ON THEM ALL!

Oh, THE DEPTH OF THE RICHES of THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE OF GOD! HOW UNSEARCHABLE HIS JUDGMENTS, AND HIS PATHS BEYOND TRACING OUT!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been his counselor?” 

“Who has ever given to God,

that God should repay them?” 

FOR FROM HIM AND THROUGH HIM AND TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS!

TO HIM BE THE GLORY FOREVER! AMEN!

And in:

Ephesians 3:14–21 (The Message)

14–19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

20–21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church!

Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!

Glory down all the generations!

Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Pastor Dennis

Comments

[Debby]

Thank you so much for posting this just when In needed it! It's completely wonderful,
Debby

[Pastor Dennis]

Thank You Debby for your encouragement! Blessings to you...