Don't worry, this is not about anybody else testing your faith, it is about you testing your own faith in the privacy of your own mind.
One of the most destructive problems I see about me in the Christian community today is LACK OF BELIEF, FAITH, and TRUST in the word of our God. We all say we believe the word of God, but do we REALLY believe EVERYTHING the Lord tells us? Do we really think that if the Lord says it is true then I will believe without reservation that it IS true?
It is easy to believe the believable. Even atheists will believe the believable. BUT to believe the UNbelievable, THAT takes true faith and trust. But before I start perhaps a quick demo.
The number of people who have EVER seen the far side of the moon with their OWN eyes in the whole history of man is probably less than 15-20 astronauts. Everybody else only knows the far side of the moon from photos they BELIEVEand TRUST are actual shots of the far side. Except probably those who have so little faith in NASA that they don't even believe any man has been to the moon and its all been faked. But before anybody laughs at them too much you should remember that everybody else only believes we have by FAITH in the word of NASA. In short EITHER belief is a matter of faith.
But getting back to the demo. Most people readily believe the photos of the the far side of the moon because they look pretty much like the near side of the moon that everybody CAN see with their own eyes. The photos are - believable. But what if somebody showed you a photo that had a big abandoned alien city in the middle of it and told you that THIS is what NASA actually found but are keeping secret? Would you still believe the PHOTO even though with the other photos all you had were the photos and NASA's WORD that they are genuine. Do you believe the photo THIS guy has or the photos NASA has? NASA's photos are believable, but this guy's photos are a whole lot less believable, even though you can only believe either one by faith alone.
What you find in truth is that it takes a whole lot MORE faith to believe this guy's photos than it does NASA's photos. The believable is easy to believe. The unbelievable is not quite so easy to believe.
But let's leave our faith in the word of NASA and turn our attention to our faith in the word of God. We are called by faith to believe the truth of the word of God. BUT that is the WHOLE word of God not just selected bits. To not believe ANY part of the word of God is to not believe the word of God. Unless we can say, "God said it, THEREFORE I believe it" for the WHOLE of the Bible, cover to cover, then we are not believing it BECAUSE God said it, but because WE find it believable. In other words our faith is not in the word of God but in our own ability to decide what is and what is not true. The problem is whilst much of the Bible is believable we try to ignore and not talk about, or we reinterprete the many, many things in it that are quite UNbelievable, in fact incredibly unbelievable. I think we avoid and ignore them in order not to be forced to test the limits of our faith lest it fail the test.
BUT we need to understand that INTERPRETATION is what we do when we can't bring ourselves to BELIEVE or UNDERTAND what the Lord has actually said. The danger of it is, in CHANGING the word of God from something HE SAID into something WE are prepared to believe we also change it from something that is true into something that is not true. What the Lord said and what we believe are no longer the same thing.
Another way we avoid testing the limits of our faith in what the Lord has declared is to convince ourselves that knowing or understanding it is not necessary for salvation and therefore knowing or understanding it is not important and so we avoid confronting the NEED to believe what the Lord has said. TWO problems arise from that.
The first problem is that the Bible is not a book of God's idle chatter. What the Lord has caused to be painstakingly written down so ALL may know and carefully and meticulously preserved so that future generations may also know, He has done so for a REASON and a PURPOSE, not because it is unimportant and of no concern.
The second problem which is actually greater than the first, if that were possible, is HOW are we going to KNOW it is unimportant to understand and believe what is written if we do not FIRST understand and believe what is written?
Once you have the indwelling Holy Spirit understanding the word of God is not as difficult as some will try and make you believe. The Lord is not out to HIDE the truth from HIS people but to REVEAL it to them. He is a plain talker par excellent. He SAYS what He means - and He MEANS what He says. Discerning the literal from the metaphorical or allegorical is not difficult. When speaking literally the Prophets and Apostles use literal language, when they speak metaphorically and allegorically they use metaphorical and allegorical language. When they are speaking of dreams they will TELL you it is a dream. When they are speaking of a vison they will TELL you it is a vision. And when they are speaking of reality they will TELL you this and that HAPPENED.
Remember the Lord speaks to EVERYBODY directly. He does not speak in a way that only the "learned and wise" among us can translate it for us. He chose the "unlearned" and the plain and simple as His Prophets and Apostles to speak in plain and uncomplicated language so that ALL may understand HIS word by the SPIRIT of understanding that comes from the Lord and Heaven and not the traditional interpretations and "religious" indoctrinations (like those of the Pharisees and Sadduccees) that come from men and the world. We need to fully appreciate the ways of the Lord are VASTLY different from the ways of man and THIS world. We must allow our minds to be renewed and our ways of thinking to be changed.by the Lord to the way HE sees and does things.
The passage I am about to relate I came across just the other day in my daily readings of the Word. No doubt I have read it many times before but this time I looked very closely at what it was saying and suddenly understood just what it was saying and how UNbelievable it was. And then it occurred to me (or perhaps put in my mind) to share it here and ask do those here REALLY BELIEVE what the Lord is declaring to be true? Not that you have to say anything but ask yourselves in you own mind "just how far I am prepared to believe that what the Lord declares to be true IS in fact true no matter how unbelievable it is.
They are the words of David, King of Israel, not some babbling idiot prone to hallucinations. The words of a responsible intelligent honest and discerning king of not only a great nation but the people of the Lord Himself. A Man after God's own heart. Words that declare these things HAPPENED (in reality) and were no dream or vision. THIS is what the word of the Lord declares - will you believe the unbelievable or will you attempt to reinterprete it or ignore it as "unimportant" to salvation. THAT is the test. Only you can decide in the privacy of your own mind but remembering it is also before the Lord who knows your every thought.
But be careful - IF you believe the Lord at HIS word you may experience some renewing of your mind and a change in the ways of your thinking. Reality in the mirror of God may appear a whole lot differently than you imagined.
The passage in question is 2 Samuel 22:7-20. Here David (being among other things a poet and songwriter) tells of the song he wrote for the Lord after the Lord miraculously saves David from certain death at the hands of his enemies' armies (Saul and others). It is David's account of HOW the Lord saved him. Because it is so important to understand I will repeat it. 2 Samuel 22:7-20 is Davids ACCOUNT of HOW the Lord saved Him from his enemies.
It is worth checking a number of translations (I checked KJV, NIV, Darby's Literal, and the JPS). But paraphrased for ease of understanding, David's account of what HAPPENED goes something like this. Facing certain death he prayed to the Lord for deliverence from his enemies. Next thing the ground and the very air shook violently. There was smoke and consuming fire streaming out and he saw the Lord descending out of the sky. Under His feet was something dark. He then mounted a thing the Hebrews called a "cherub" (We are still uncertain exactly what a "cherub" is but we know from the OT that it can fly and be ridden on/in). Riding in/on the Cherub the Lord is visibly seen flying to and fro through the sky above accompanied by thunderously loud noise and dark, thick clouds and glowing fire and bright light. As He flies through the sky He is decimating David's enemies with "arrows" (basically anything that resembles an arrow and flies through the air, it does not have to be an actual arrow) and something that looks like lightning. No mention is made of a bow however.In the process large volumes of water are displaced from bodies of water and large chunks of land ripped open.
While still airborne the Lord then reached down and plucked David up from where he was and took him elsewhere and deposited him in a large (presumably open) place of safety.
This is what David declares happened AND it is written in the pages of the word of God. Sounds kinda like a modern day military airstrike and extraction doesn't it? But, of course, what would David and those of over 3,000 years ago know or possibly imagine of military airstrikes and flying machines, etc. ..... unless, of course, they were able to actually witness one. Remember this is the King David who also wrote all those Psalms like Psalm 22, Psalm 110, etc. Perhaps you might even try watching some jet fighters in action or the odd NASA rocket launch or two to get some idea of what it might have looked like in David's experience. The description of the two are not disimilar.
Happy to discuss the matter but primarily it is about you asking God for the understanding and strength of faith that will allow you to believe, WITHOUT interpretation the incredible things HE has written no matter how unbelievable it may, AT FIRST, appear to OUR minds.
BUT you might be surprised to find out that the things of the Bible are not as unbelievable as the world would like you to believe. Remember Satan wants to make EVERYTHING in the Bible unbelievable. If you want to find out just how believable David's account is and how different reality is from what we are being led to believe check out my 10 minute video "A Flood Of Evidence - Archeological" and then do your own investigation into how archeology is changing the face of the reality we THOUGHT we knew. The world may not want you to know the truth of the reality about you and fully trust in and believe the truth of EVERY WORD of the Word of the Lord - but the Lord does.
A Flood Of Evidence - Archeological:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvpL37GGRQI
Regsrds Misty.
One of the most destructive problems I see about me in the Christian community today is LACK OF BELIEF, FAITH, and TRUST in the word of our God. We all say we believe the word of God, but do we REALLY believe EVERYTHING the Lord tells us? Do we really think that if the Lord says it is true then I will believe without reservation that it IS true?
It is easy to believe the believable. Even atheists will believe the believable. BUT to believe the UNbelievable, THAT takes true faith and trust. But before I start perhaps a quick demo.
The number of people who have EVER seen the far side of the moon with their OWN eyes in the whole history of man is probably less than 15-20 astronauts. Everybody else only knows the far side of the moon from photos they BELIEVEand TRUST are actual shots of the far side. Except probably those who have so little faith in NASA that they don't even believe any man has been to the moon and its all been faked. But before anybody laughs at them too much you should remember that everybody else only believes we have by FAITH in the word of NASA. In short EITHER belief is a matter of faith.
But getting back to the demo. Most people readily believe the photos of the the far side of the moon because they look pretty much like the near side of the moon that everybody CAN see with their own eyes. The photos are - believable. But what if somebody showed you a photo that had a big abandoned alien city in the middle of it and told you that THIS is what NASA actually found but are keeping secret? Would you still believe the PHOTO even though with the other photos all you had were the photos and NASA's WORD that they are genuine. Do you believe the photo THIS guy has or the photos NASA has? NASA's photos are believable, but this guy's photos are a whole lot less believable, even though you can only believe either one by faith alone.
What you find in truth is that it takes a whole lot MORE faith to believe this guy's photos than it does NASA's photos. The believable is easy to believe. The unbelievable is not quite so easy to believe.
But let's leave our faith in the word of NASA and turn our attention to our faith in the word of God. We are called by faith to believe the truth of the word of God. BUT that is the WHOLE word of God not just selected bits. To not believe ANY part of the word of God is to not believe the word of God. Unless we can say, "God said it, THEREFORE I believe it" for the WHOLE of the Bible, cover to cover, then we are not believing it BECAUSE God said it, but because WE find it believable. In other words our faith is not in the word of God but in our own ability to decide what is and what is not true. The problem is whilst much of the Bible is believable we try to ignore and not talk about, or we reinterprete the many, many things in it that are quite UNbelievable, in fact incredibly unbelievable. I think we avoid and ignore them in order not to be forced to test the limits of our faith lest it fail the test.
BUT we need to understand that INTERPRETATION is what we do when we can't bring ourselves to BELIEVE or UNDERTAND what the Lord has actually said. The danger of it is, in CHANGING the word of God from something HE SAID into something WE are prepared to believe we also change it from something that is true into something that is not true. What the Lord said and what we believe are no longer the same thing.
Another way we avoid testing the limits of our faith in what the Lord has declared is to convince ourselves that knowing or understanding it is not necessary for salvation and therefore knowing or understanding it is not important and so we avoid confronting the NEED to believe what the Lord has said. TWO problems arise from that.
The first problem is that the Bible is not a book of God's idle chatter. What the Lord has caused to be painstakingly written down so ALL may know and carefully and meticulously preserved so that future generations may also know, He has done so for a REASON and a PURPOSE, not because it is unimportant and of no concern.
The second problem which is actually greater than the first, if that were possible, is HOW are we going to KNOW it is unimportant to understand and believe what is written if we do not FIRST understand and believe what is written?
Once you have the indwelling Holy Spirit understanding the word of God is not as difficult as some will try and make you believe. The Lord is not out to HIDE the truth from HIS people but to REVEAL it to them. He is a plain talker par excellent. He SAYS what He means - and He MEANS what He says. Discerning the literal from the metaphorical or allegorical is not difficult. When speaking literally the Prophets and Apostles use literal language, when they speak metaphorically and allegorically they use metaphorical and allegorical language. When they are speaking of dreams they will TELL you it is a dream. When they are speaking of a vison they will TELL you it is a vision. And when they are speaking of reality they will TELL you this and that HAPPENED.
Remember the Lord speaks to EVERYBODY directly. He does not speak in a way that only the "learned and wise" among us can translate it for us. He chose the "unlearned" and the plain and simple as His Prophets and Apostles to speak in plain and uncomplicated language so that ALL may understand HIS word by the SPIRIT of understanding that comes from the Lord and Heaven and not the traditional interpretations and "religious" indoctrinations (like those of the Pharisees and Sadduccees) that come from men and the world. We need to fully appreciate the ways of the Lord are VASTLY different from the ways of man and THIS world. We must allow our minds to be renewed and our ways of thinking to be changed.by the Lord to the way HE sees and does things.
The passage I am about to relate I came across just the other day in my daily readings of the Word. No doubt I have read it many times before but this time I looked very closely at what it was saying and suddenly understood just what it was saying and how UNbelievable it was. And then it occurred to me (or perhaps put in my mind) to share it here and ask do those here REALLY BELIEVE what the Lord is declaring to be true? Not that you have to say anything but ask yourselves in you own mind "just how far I am prepared to believe that what the Lord declares to be true IS in fact true no matter how unbelievable it is.
They are the words of David, King of Israel, not some babbling idiot prone to hallucinations. The words of a responsible intelligent honest and discerning king of not only a great nation but the people of the Lord Himself. A Man after God's own heart. Words that declare these things HAPPENED (in reality) and were no dream or vision. THIS is what the word of the Lord declares - will you believe the unbelievable or will you attempt to reinterprete it or ignore it as "unimportant" to salvation. THAT is the test. Only you can decide in the privacy of your own mind but remembering it is also before the Lord who knows your every thought.
But be careful - IF you believe the Lord at HIS word you may experience some renewing of your mind and a change in the ways of your thinking. Reality in the mirror of God may appear a whole lot differently than you imagined.
The passage in question is 2 Samuel 22:7-20. Here David (being among other things a poet and songwriter) tells of the song he wrote for the Lord after the Lord miraculously saves David from certain death at the hands of his enemies' armies (Saul and others). It is David's account of HOW the Lord saved him. Because it is so important to understand I will repeat it. 2 Samuel 22:7-20 is Davids ACCOUNT of HOW the Lord saved Him from his enemies.
It is worth checking a number of translations (I checked KJV, NIV, Darby's Literal, and the JPS). But paraphrased for ease of understanding, David's account of what HAPPENED goes something like this. Facing certain death he prayed to the Lord for deliverence from his enemies. Next thing the ground and the very air shook violently. There was smoke and consuming fire streaming out and he saw the Lord descending out of the sky. Under His feet was something dark. He then mounted a thing the Hebrews called a "cherub" (We are still uncertain exactly what a "cherub" is but we know from the OT that it can fly and be ridden on/in). Riding in/on the Cherub the Lord is visibly seen flying to and fro through the sky above accompanied by thunderously loud noise and dark, thick clouds and glowing fire and bright light. As He flies through the sky He is decimating David's enemies with "arrows" (basically anything that resembles an arrow and flies through the air, it does not have to be an actual arrow) and something that looks like lightning. No mention is made of a bow however.In the process large volumes of water are displaced from bodies of water and large chunks of land ripped open.
While still airborne the Lord then reached down and plucked David up from where he was and took him elsewhere and deposited him in a large (presumably open) place of safety.
This is what David declares happened AND it is written in the pages of the word of God. Sounds kinda like a modern day military airstrike and extraction doesn't it? But, of course, what would David and those of over 3,000 years ago know or possibly imagine of military airstrikes and flying machines, etc. ..... unless, of course, they were able to actually witness one. Remember this is the King David who also wrote all those Psalms like Psalm 22, Psalm 110, etc. Perhaps you might even try watching some jet fighters in action or the odd NASA rocket launch or two to get some idea of what it might have looked like in David's experience. The description of the two are not disimilar.
Happy to discuss the matter but primarily it is about you asking God for the understanding and strength of faith that will allow you to believe, WITHOUT interpretation the incredible things HE has written no matter how unbelievable it may, AT FIRST, appear to OUR minds.
BUT you might be surprised to find out that the things of the Bible are not as unbelievable as the world would like you to believe. Remember Satan wants to make EVERYTHING in the Bible unbelievable. If you want to find out just how believable David's account is and how different reality is from what we are being led to believe check out my 10 minute video "A Flood Of Evidence - Archeological" and then do your own investigation into how archeology is changing the face of the reality we THOUGHT we knew. The world may not want you to know the truth of the reality about you and fully trust in and believe the truth of EVERY WORD of the Word of the Lord - but the Lord does.
A Flood Of Evidence - Archeological:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvpL37GGRQI
Regsrds Misty.