PSEUDO FAITH

 

PSEUDO FAITH - AUDIO

Today I want to speak about unbelief, both a devotional and a confession.  I have a sense in my heart that I am not the only one.  Everybody goes through very difficult times.  Sometimes when we hear what other people go through, we see our own troubles and problems as minute in comparison.  And yet in our own life that which we endure becomes unbearable.  Such is the case with me.  As I have said before, I have a daughter that has four disorders and they are all linked to anxiety and only people that have been exposed to this will actually know how consuming it can be.  She is sixteen years old and she has been having anxiety since two years of age, maybe less.  It has been a life of anxiety and it just grows bigger and bigger.  Without going into too much detail about it, she was having a few panic attacks last night again and the extremes that it goes to can sometimes become unbearable. 

This morning when I came to speak to Father about it and to come into His presence, I was confronted and reminded by the words that my husband told me six months ago or so.  He basically said to me that I do not believe that Father can heal her.  I was not willing to accept that from him, because according to me he was not living on par with the Lord as he should be.  That may be true, but that was not the issue.  I rejected the message, because of the vessel that it came through.  But it was true.  I think this is what Father came to confront me with this morning and I think that is what He wants to confront His body with. 

Sometimes our problems are with us for a lifetime.  They become a constant companion that we learn to adapt to and we learn how to deal with every new wave that comes our way.  We learn how to say things, how to react, we learn how to go with the flow in order to survive.  We go into survival mode.  The amazing part of it is, is that Father says that He turns all things to good, for those who love Him and are called by His Name.  So He uses what the enemy brings into our lives.  He uses it to teach us and to mold us.  We grow immensely by what He does.  We open the door by our own disobedience and unbelief.  In fact, the Word says that unbelief is disobedience.  It is rebellion against Him.  In a way it is breaking covenant as I spoke in my previous devotional.  It is not that Father does not have compassion on our circumstances; that He does not grief over our pain and suffering, it is the fact that He actually made a way out.  We can trust Him for the small things, but we find it very difficult to trust Him for the impossible.  We can easily confess it, because we want to believe it.    I think sometimes wanting to believe it is such a strong desire in our hearts that we never go over to the actual belief, the actual faith.  That is what He is confronting me with this morning. 

There comes a point where He has done what He needed to do through what was allowed in our lives.  Where the enemy can no longer get the best of us, because we know now how to deal with it. But then He wants us to take authority.  He wants us to take Him at His Word. He wants us to believe.  To trust Him for the impossible.  That is a choice we have to make.  But it is not one we can make without confronting first our unbelief.  There is man in Mark 9 who came to the Lord and he was speaking to Him about the fact that His disciples could not cast out the evil spirit that threw his son into the fire and his son were foaming at the mouth.  He has an interesting way of putting it.

 Mark 9: 14 – 29

¹⁴ And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

¹⁵ And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

¹⁶ And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

¹⁷ And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

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.

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.

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.

²¹ And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. (infancy)

²² And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.

²³ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And therein lies our unbelief.  It is not that we do not believe Him for the small, it is that we do not believe Him for the big.  We deceive ourselves when we are not willing to confess and to own up to it.  If anybody had to ask us, “Do you believe the Lord can do this?” we will say “Yes.”  But when it comes to the crux, to really stand on it and not waver at all in the same way that we do for the small things, then we falter and come with many reasons.

²⁴ And straightway the father of the child cried out (a great sense of understanding came to him), and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

There is a duality here, there is “I believe”, but also, “help my unbelief”.  This is what Father wants to confront us with.  He wants to confront us with that part we do not believe. 

²⁵ When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

²⁶ And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

This is what Father will do with your circumstances.  It may seem as if it is dead, it may seem as if there is no hope, but He will take it by its hand and lift it up.  And it will arise and you will arise. 

²⁸ And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

²⁹ And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

It is interesting that “this kind”, means kin, born, diversity, generation, nation, and offspring.  So it has with it a generational offspring or origin.  Then He says that these things, that which binds like this can only be broken by prayer and fasting.  We know that prayer only has any validity in the spiritual realm when done through faith. 

The reason why Father brought this to me this morning when it comes to my daughter, is that many years ago when she was still going to school, in grade 2 the last time she went to a public school, everybody always came to me and gave advice.  I learned to receive people’s advice as the years went by.  I knew that the people came to give advice from the context of love and caring.  Often in complete ignorance and not understanding, but still love.  I remember one day when I was not in that disposition to receive it, I just ground my teeth. I was angry with Father, hitting the steering wheel as I was going home from the school.  I said to Him in anger, “Everybody has an opinion, but does He have one?  Because I sure would like to hear His!”  Such was my arrogance, but when I came home to pray, He did answer me.  And this scripture He gave me then, was this Mark 9.  Believe me, I have fasted and prayed, but the confrontation to me and the confession, is that I never truly believed.  I hoped, but never truly, truly believed.  And this is not a cry that everybody could rally up and please pray for Pietra and her daughter.  If Father places this upon your heart, please do. This is to speak to the Bride.  That we will understand that the smallest of unbelief is causing our prayers not to be answered.  Just one drop of unbelief is rebellion.  In it we are saying, “He can’t”. 

A while ago Father told me that He will make me a pillar of faith.  I have been praying for many years that I will be a woman of great faith and I can see how He is fulfilling this through this as well.  I give Him all the glory for it.  He showed me a vision a while back, where I was sitting next to Him and He gave me a rose.  It was the most beautiful red rose.  As He held it in His hand it grew in full stature, till full bloom.  He gave it to me and in that moment of this vision, I thought to myself, “What if I am making this up?”  And when I thought that one petal of this rose fell to the ground. 

I said to Father, “Is that the extent of how fragile our faith is?” 

And He said, “Yes”. 

That is how fragile our faith is.  That is how easily it falls to the ground.  Like a rose petal.  It just falls to the ground the moment when there is one thought of unbelief. 

I said to Him, “Father, how will you make me a pillar of faith if my faith is that fragile?”   

He showed me in that moment this pillar and a rose bush at the bottom of this pillar.  A beautiful white granite pillar and the next moment I saw this rose bush growing right around it, like a creeper, creeping right around it and He said, “By being rooted and grounded in the soil of My love”. 

That is how you become a pillar of faith.  We have to believe in His love.  That there is no shadow of turning with Him.  We have to believe in the absoluteness of His love.  That He is not one day white, one day black and another grey.  Our faith has to be so sturdy like a pillar.  A pillar is made to keep other things sturdy.  It serves as a means to ground something and to cause something not to fall over and tumble.  He wants to make us pillars of faith.  We can only do that by being completely rooted and grounded in His love.  He gave me a word this morning.  I pray that it will truly bless you and that you will search your heart as you read this.

PSEUDO FAITH

Many of My children trust Me for a breakthrough.  They trust that I AM who I say I AM.  They believe that I AM their Deliverer.  But how can two walk together unless they agree?  How can they ask for deliverance, and not take it?  For they have a pseudo faith where they want to believe, but do not believe.

They trust Me for the small, but not the big.

They trust Me for the possible, but not the impossible. 

They may confess it, but do not truly believe it.  They desire that I would save, heal and restore, but succumb to their circumstances, secretly holding onto unbelief in their hearts.  Only Peter left the boat, the others stayed.  And even he faltered at the sight of the waves.  Why do you trust for the small, but not truly for the big?  If you say who I say I AM, why have you closed the windows of heaven by your unbelief?  Search your hearts My children.  See if there is any wicked way of unbelief.  For even the smallest unbelief towards Me is offensive. 

I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE.  I AM THE RESURRECTION.

As I said, If your earthly father knew how to give you good things, how much more your heavenly Father?  I AM able to do super abundantly above all you could even think or ask.  Yet you do not trust Me.  You do not believe that I will do it for YOU. 

You have accepted the waves as part of your life and have learned to go with the flow, but I have come to teach you to walk on water.  Come to Me, you who are heavy laden and burdened and I will give you My rest.  The rest found on faith.  I will never leave or forsake you. Do not turn away in unbelief.  Enter into My rest by faith. Examine your hearts and see if I will not deliver, sustain, strengthen and save. 

Is not My cross My pledge?  Is not My cross your surety? 

Arise My children from the ashes of despair above your troubles and look to Me and be saved.

PRAYER

 Father, if there is one thing that we are very good at doing, it is to lie to ourselves, to deceive ourselves.  You say in Your Word that we are to guard our hearts with all diligence, because out of it flows the issues of life.  And it is so Father.  The issues of life, this river that flows, we can clearly see how it is polluted sometimes.  Often with unbelief.

Father, like this man of Mark 9, we want to humble ourselves before You.  We want to say, “We believe, help our unbelief”.  Those areas Father that we confess, but not truly believe.  We have often for many years done exactly that…confess, but not truly believe.  Then we come up with various reasons why You have not answered.  But we have not confronted our unbelief. Which I think is actually so deeply rooted in us.  Often by how we have been brought up, even by our own fathers who did not provide as they should have.  They have marred the beautiful image of who You are.  We come to You Father this morning, this day, to ask that You will come and shine and expose with your truth and your light on any area of unbelief in our hearts.  No matter how small it may be.  Even if it is just a small dust particle, so that we may become the pillars of faith that You may use.  That our faith may not be of little, but of great faith.  We confess our unbelief to You Father.  We ask Your forgiveness and we ask, “teach us”.  Teach us to obey Your voice when You call us to walk on the water.  The disciples in the boat could very well have been the ones resembling those who trust you for the possible.  It is safer to stay in the boat.  It is safer to stay and not do the impossible. To not act out on our faith.  But to call You to come to us into the boat.  But You want us to come out of the boat and confront our unbelief.  As you say in Your Word, “if we believe, ALL things are possible”.  All…even walking on water.  Unless there is that faith, it is not.  Help us to be truthful Father, help us to be truthful about the condition of our hearts and trust You.  Really, really trust You.  Trust in Your love. Root us and ground us in Your unfailing love, which You showed through the cross. To that extent You went to prove Your love for us.  We thank you Father for Your mercy.

In Yeshua’s Name we pray…

Amen.

Scripture ref:

James 1:5 – 8

⁵ If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

⁶ But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

⁷ For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

⁸ A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

 

Hebrews 11: 6

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.