There is a sign in my friend’s home that says “Hope…anything is possible”. And hope is a good thing, because without hope, there is no reason to believe.  But yet the Lord Jesus said in Mark 9:23, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Indeed, the sign in my friend’s home is accurate, BUT, consider this:  “anything is possible” , which can include “nothing” will happen.  If the Lord Jesus had wanted us to rely on HOPE, He would have said, “If thou canst hope, all things are possible to him that hopeth.” But He didn’t, did He?

So that means go ahead and hope if you want to, but if you really want it, then you must BELIEVE.  And that agrees with what the Lord Jesus said in Mark 11:23-24, which says,

Mar 11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mar 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Again, I must contend that Jesus said what He meant, and meant what He said.  Please note He DID NOT say, ‘Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, HOPE that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Rather, He purposely said BELIEVE that ye receive them and ye shall have them. You need to pay attention to that word “shall”, because it is conditional upon whether you “Believe” .  You see, it’s all about believing what you say, just as it says in verse 23. You can say with your mouth one thing, while you believe something totally different in your heart.

Now, this isn’t “Thus saith the Jerry”, but rather “Thus saith the LORD”.  And if He tells you something, it doesn’t matter if you think it works or not, God is trying to tell you how to have the things you ask for in prayer.  You can argue with me all day long that this stuff doesn’t work, but God said this is how He set it up to be done, and He is GOD, and He makes the rules, not you or me.  But this I can tell you with certainty; God cannot lie.  If you want something from God, it will be on HIS terms, and not yours.  He is the King of KINGS, not Burger King, where you can get your hamburger any way you want it. That means, figuratively speaking,  if you want a hamburger from God, you will get it the way GOD chooses to serve it to you, or you will do without.

Some people have asked me why I keep harping on Mark 11:23-24.  Well, when you get those two verses, then I can move you onto other things.  But until you get those two verses working for you, nothing else will work for you the way it should.  WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR PEOPLE TO BELIEVE WHAT JESUS SAID?   I don’t know, but it sure is.  People try to reason their way out of the blessings of God all day long.  There must be a lot of stiffnecked, hardheaded bunch of people who argue with God, hoping to win.  I find there are two rules that apply when dealing with God:  Rule #1, GOD IS ALWAYS RIGHT.  Rule #2, If you think God is wrong, refer to Rule #1.  Simple as that. Even a child can get it.

As I said earlier, hope is good, hope gives you reason to look for something better.  But to get that something better, you must BELIEVE.  Some tell me they believe I’m wrong.  Well, then, go tell Jesus that He is wrong, because I’m just telling you what He said.  I’ll tell you what I believe: I believe what God says, whether it agrees with my circumstances or not, whether it agrees with my five senses or not, or whether it agrees with what anyone tells me or not.  I can be wrong.  You can be wrong, but can God be wrong?  Absolutely NOT!  I spend a whole lot of time studying Matthew, Mark, Luke and John because I want to know what Jesus said, as well as what He DIDN’T say.  Funny thing, many people quote me stuff that is supposedly in the Bible, that they believe with all their heart, but when I say, SHOW ME WHERE IT SAYS THAT, they cannot find it because it just isn’t there.  And when they find out what they believe has no scriptural evidence, you’d think they would abandon it for what the Bible DOES say.  But many would rather hold onto their “traditions of men” that aren’t getting them the results they want, rather than admit they were believing wrong information, and start believing RIGHTLY.

As you know, God gave us free will, and He will not just grab someone around the neck and turn them around and say THIS IS HOW IT IS, NOW DO IT!  No, rather, He will show you something in His Word, and it’s up to you whether you will apply it to your life or not.  He gave us the Holy Bible to show us His will, and how to live our lives in a way that will please Him AND us.
I don’t think the Lord Jesus spent all that time teaching the people just to hear Himself talk.  He was trying to give them a major improvement in lifestyle, and for those who listened, they were blessed for it.  He often spoke to “those who have ears to hear”.  Well, we ALL have ears, or at least most of us, but we don’t all LISTEN!!

Mar 9:17  And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
Mar 9:18  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
Mar 9:19  He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
Mar 9:20  And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
Mar 9:21  And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
Mar 9:22  And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
Mar 9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Mar 9:24  And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Here is the key message that Jesus was telling that father, AND us today, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. That’s what it took 2000 years ago to see a move of God, and it’s what it will take TODAY to get your prayers answered.  So, after you’ve done it YOUR way until you’re tired of not seeing results, why not try it GOD’S way?  He is in no hurry, if you want to waste the next fifty years being hard-headed and not following His directions, no big deal, He isn’t going anywhere.  But if you’ve finally had enough disappointment at unanswered prayers, then today is the day you can make a change for the better.  Don’t just tell God, “I BELIEVE”, actually DO IT!  BELIEVE!!  And ye shall receive…
And ye shall be glad ye did.