Published by admin on 11 May 2012 at 01:41 pm
SLOW TO BELIEVE
People get all excited when they hear of all the wonderful things the LORD has done. But they stop short of receiving them because they are slow to believe. Let me explain;
We can read in Luke 24 the account of a couple men walking to Emmaus after the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, how they had HOPED that He was the Messiah. They sound a lot like us today.
Luk 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
Luk 24:3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
Luk 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
Luk 24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luk 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
Luk 24:7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
Luk 24:8 And they remembered his words,
Luk 24:9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Luk 24:10 It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
Luk 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
Luk 24:12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.
Luk 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Luk 24:14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Luk 24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
Luk 24:16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.
Luk 24:17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
Luk 24:18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
Luk 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
Luk 24:20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
Luk 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
Luk 24:22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
Luk 24:23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.
Luk 24:24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.
Luk 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
Luk 24:26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
It’s hard to find a better account of how people are slow to believe the promises of God than this particular passage. Now, if the original disciples were slow to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until He actually appeared in the flesh unto them, I can see how those who have not seen Jesus in the flesh have trouble believing today. BUT, that is not an excuse for unbelief by any means.
I can preach how the Lord Jesus healed all the sick who came unto Him until I’m blue in the face, but until faith reaches out and believes, the sick of today will remain sick, even though Christ Jesus paid the price for their healing in full. You see, everyone wants to be healthy and free from pain. Christ Jesus paid the price to make that happen, but what is standing in the way of the manifestation of that happening? If the Word of God does not return to Him void, and it is impossible for Him to lie, then where must the problem lie? Obviously, the problem is not God, it’s US!
It’s nothing new; the Lord Jesus dealt with the same problem over 2,000 years ago. Let’s face it; some people are just slow to believe. I’ve taught about healing for almost 19 years now, some get it immediately, some don’t. Out of any group of people, they all heard the same exact message, and to some it brought forth healing right then and there, and for others, nothing happened at all. So if the problem wasn’t the word, it must have been the listener. I’m assuming all those who came out to hear wanted to be healed of whatever they were suffering from. And it’s always my faith and desire that all who hear will be healed. Yet, even today there are those who WANT to be healed, but WON’T be, because they are slow to believe.
Does that mean they cannot be healed? No, they can be. Notice I said “slow to believe”. That doesn’t mean “won’t believe”. There is a difference. It just means they aren’t quite as quick to get their healing, because in order to be healed, they must FIRST believe. You see, people have the attitude of “I’ll believe it when I see it.” God’s requirement is clearly stated in Mark 11:25: Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Notice the order which the Lord Jesus put things, believe FIRST, then receive. Jesus said it exactly in the order it has to be done in. Some people are stubborn and want to have it on their terms, their way, and that doesn’t work. So until they finally come to the realization that it’s God’s way or no way, their healing is sitting there paid for, just waiting for them to believe. They are slow to believe, but they finally come around. Some of them are so slow to believe, it literally takes years for them to be healed.
God is patient, though, and He doesn’t turn His back on us. In fact, He isn’t willing that ANY perish, but all come to repentance. God’s loving nature is such that He reaches out to us continually, sending us preacher after preacher to try to persuade us to believe, hoping to turn us from unbelief to belief, so that He may heap His love upon us. It’s only those who absolutely refuse to believe, no matter what, that He can do nothing for. But for the “slow to believe”, there’s still hope that their natural lifetime will not run out before they come to believe everything the LORD has spoken in His Word. The LORD is slow to anger, merciful and gracious, quick to forgive our sins and disobedience. He even furnishes the faith we need to believe! He gives unto every man (and woman) THE measure of faith, and being HE is the giver of that faith, it means it’s His own faith He gives us. That faith created the entire universe, so you know it works. God has provided everything we need: the promises, the faith, and the Savior, Christ Jesus. So don’t be “slow to believe”. Come to Him now BELIEVING and receive everything you need!
Darryl on 11 May 2012 at 2:54 pm #
Thank you so much for that insight: “He even furnishes the faith we need to believe! He gives unto every man (and woman) THE measure of faith, and being HE is the giver of that faith, it means it’s His own faith He gives us. That faith created the entire universe, so you know it works.”
A real benefit to hear, praise God.
Shawn Leahy on 13 May 2012 at 7:19 pm #
The Word Of The Lord Is Perfect
Stephanie Campbell on 28 Jun 2012 at 6:47 pm #
Thank you again for a new revelation.