Are You the One?

    

Matt 11:1-6

 

11 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.

2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"

4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:  5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.  6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."

NKJV

 

What?!  Offended with Jesus? Offended with the Almighty?  Does that really happen?  You betcha! It happened to Bible greats such as Elijah and John the Baptist,  and happens today to everyday Joe's and Jane's like you and me.

In this passage John the Baptist, the faithful forerunner of Christ, is wasting away in prison.  After spending years preaching, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand," John is forced into premature retirement.  The one he heralded; the One he proclaimed,  has rose up in power, just as he predicted.  So where did that leave John the Baptist?  Sitting in jail, possibly questioning his life's work.  All of a sudden, he is no longer sure.  Needing affirmation, he sent some disciples to ask, in essence, "Are you the One I have been waiting for?"

Don't forget that previously John the Baptist himself had pronounced these powerful words:   "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"  (John 1:29)  Where had his confidence gone?  Why is he now doubting when Jesus' ministry was growing exponentially?

Jesus said that there was no greater man than John the Baptist, but here he is- unsure, discouraged, and possibly feeling cast aside.  How can a person go from one extreme to the other?  Very easily.  Very easily indeed.

When we are operating in a powerful anointing, it is easy to speak boldly in the Spirit.  But afterward, when we are feeling like "plain 'ol us", we can struggle with self-doubt and confusion.  Maybe even disillusionment with God. 

I am not sure what John the Baptist expected, but if I were him, maybe I would have thought after a life of sacrifice, maybe Jesus would work a miracle on my behalf. Maybe it was hard to understand why the Lord had not protected him. And for those of us familiar with the rest of the story, we know the plot does not improve for John.  He is later beheaded and made a door prize for a dancing little girl.

What, then, is the moral to this story? Faithfulness to God is not about outcome, but rather, obedience.  All we can do is fulfill our duty and trust God that it will turn out in a way that furthers His Kingdom and is for our good.  That does not mean everything will be good.  It just means that it will ultimately turn out for our good. 

The ending of John the Baptist's life can almost seem like a tragic movie.  The hero dies at the end, and the curtains close.  You leave the theater undone and saddened, but deeply moved. But what is going on here is so much greater, so much more universal and eternal than we will ever perceive.  I have no doubt in my mind that the minute the sword severed John's head, that he was immediately ushered into the presence of God with much fanfare.  A true hero's welcome.  No more to doubt or feel alone.  Then his focus was clear as a bell.

I don't know what you are going through today.  I can only speak to what I feel the Word of God speaks to us.  No matter how lonely and misunderstood you feel, God sees you, He cares and He has not forgotten.  You will walk in your destiny if you will just hold on and obey to the end.  The outcome and reward may not be evident here, but rest assured, in eternity it will be worth it all!

Dear Lord, I need to see life through Your perspective.  Forgive me for times I doubt and harbor offense with Your plan and ways.  I submit to follow you, come what may.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

The Man God Denies

“That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;” James 1:7

 

Who is that man?  That man is the one we talked about yesterday- the one who asks God for something but doubts and is tossed like a wave of the sea.  That man should not think he will get anything from God.  These are pretty strong words.  This makes me believe that God takes doubt very seriously.

Faith is God’s chosen vehicle for most – if not all- of the blessings of God.  Salvation is dependent on faith, in Ephesians 2:8 we find:  “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith…”   In several places the Bible talks about the just or righteous living by faith. Faith is integral to the Christian experience, which is why we call it the Christian faith.

We must work to keep doubt away from our mind.  When we ask God for something, in accordance with His will, we must believe that He hears us and will answer. We must operate in undiluted faith.  Otherwise, we place ourselves in a line that prevents us from receiving anything from the Lord.

Keeping our doubts at bay is pretty intense work.  We must constantly arrest those thoughts in our mind and make them line up to the truth of God’s word.  In fact, if you believe God to answer a prayer, His Word, is the best place to find encouragement to build up your faith.  Life will bring us doubts, but we must draw more deeply from the Spirit of God through prayer.  We must cling to the truth of God found in the study of the Bible.  We must guard our thoughts and words to ensure they line up with what we have declared that we have believed.

Pray today to be a believing believer, rather than a doubting believer.

Dear Lord, forgive me for having a wandering mind that lends itself to doubt, fear and unbelief. Help me to build up my most holy faith that I might receive all that you have for me.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen. 

Sherri

Riding the Wave

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:6

On Mother’s Day weekend, we took out boat out to Shell Island.  The waves were wicked.  By the time we arrived at Shell Island, we were soaked from head to toe because the tall waves kept coming aboard our little boat.  We were motions sick, damp and miserable.  Being tossed about by the winds and waves is not a much fun as you might think!

In this passage James had just told us to ask God for wisdom.  But then he goes on to add today’s verse.  If you are going to go through the trouble of asking, we must then follow through with believing.  That seems simple enough.  Obviously we believe, or we would not ask.

I think the tricky part often occurs between the time we ask and the time we actually receive.  So often, the fruit of our prayers remains in the soil a long time, before we see it erupt with any promise.  Then we have to wait for the sun and rain to do their jobs before we ever get to actually eat the fruit of our prayers.

So what happens in the spirit during the incubation period?  A whole lot of nagging doubts, fears, second guessing and becoming impatient!  When we are in the Spirit and our faith is high, it is easy to believe God is going to answer our prayers.  But when life wears us out, it often seems our faith and hope begins to fade.  We must resist this tendency if we want to enjoy a fruitful prayer life.

Being tossed and blown by the wind causes instability.  Our sure-footedness often goes lacking. Hold on!  Be strong!  Keep believing!  Do not give an audience to your doubts.

Often I am like the father in Mark 9:24 who said “Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief.”   So true and so profound- because like that man we often have that mixture of doubt and faith.

Dear Lord, help me to believe and not waiver.  Help me to cast down all doubts and believe that you are not only willing, but able, to answer my prayers.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri