HAVE FAITH IN GOD

Mark 11:22

Morning Meditations 1/8/15

The text that will be the basis for this Meditation says: “Have faith in God.” Hebrew 11:6 says, “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.” Then Paul says in Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Hebrews 10:38 says “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.”

I think that the Lord is definitely saying to me “O you of little faith.” There are a lot of things being said today by the “name it and claim it crowd” that makes it difficult to write on this subject. I am not of that stripe and don’t apologize for it. But remember this. There is always enough truth mixed with error to make it attractive. All they say is not wrong. This meditation will be from the Word. If I say something that seems to be the same as they are saying it may be a compliment to the element of truth mixed with their error! I have a right to that truth. After having said that, lets examine this statement of Jesus.

Verse 22 says “And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.” The conjunction “And” joins the cursing of the fig tree to what Jesus is saying here. What Jesus did is recorded in verses 12-14: “And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.” Jesus spoke to the fig tree. He did it in the hearing of the disciples. He didn’t whisper in case it did not come to pass!

The words “Have faith in God” translate a command. The verb “have” is a present active imperative. The imperative is a command. This sets before us the importance that Jesus is attaching to what He is saying to His disciples. Jesus is teaching His disciples to live by faith. The Textus Receptus literally says, “Have faith of God.” “God” is in the genitive case which is our possessive. It is God’s faith. What kind of faith had Jesus just exercised when He said to the fig tree “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever?” It was God’s faith. God created the world with His word. He created light when He said “Let there be light: and there was light.” God speaks and it is done. God acts and there is nothing to stop His actions.

Then Jesus illustrates the truth of “Have faith of God” in verse 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.” It is to “whosoever.” He has us talking to mountains and telling them what to do. Have you ever talked to a mountain? I haven’t. I would feel like a fool if I did. Especially if someone walked up and heard me while I was doing it. And I sure don’t want anyone to think I’m crazy! I really care about my reputation for sanity.

Is there any real reason to say that Jesus meant this literally to be found in the epistles? I think so. Let’s take the very popular verse in Galatians 2:20: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” The words “the faith of the Son of God” literally translate the Textus Receptus, the preserved Word of God. Look in your modern translations. Most if not all of them change the words “of the Son of God” to “in the son of God.” Why would they do this? They have no grammatical reason for it. Without being too critical, the way this is translated doesn’t make sense to the carnal mind. But God does not address His Word to reason. He addresses His Word to faith. What the Scripture says here is that it is the faith of Christ in us that we live by. This is the same thing that Jesus is teaching in our text: “Have faith of God!” Tozer said, “Only faith can enter within the veil. Let reason kneel in reverence outside.”

Do I really believe that faith will move a literal mountain? I believe that if it is God’s will for the mountain to be moved, and it is His timing, and God has put it in my heart, I can speak to that mountain and it will be removed and cast into the sea. If that’s where I tell it to go! But me and most of my friends, if we had this kind of power apart from the guidance of the Lord, would go over and move the Mount of Olives and mess the Second Coming of Christ up. You see this kind of faith is the faith of God. God is simply using one of His children to accomplish His will on earth. The faith of God does not operate apart from His purpose.

We need to pray about what we pray about and then exercise the faith of God and we will see a miracle of God when we pray.

What hinders with this kind of faith? Someone has said the fear of the visible. There are giants out there. Satan does not want this kind of faith being exercised by God’s children. He cast doubt on the Word of God to Eve in Genesis three. He said to Jesus in the wilderness temptation “if thou be the Son of God.” He will cast doubt on our relationship to God also. He uses the visible to confound our belief in the INVISIBLE. He uses the limited understanding of science to keep us in doubt. No one can move a mountain without a bulldozer! It is scientifically impossible. Satan is also a theologian. He says that this kind of faith was only for the Apostles and apostolic times. He will do anything to keep us from so living as to be a testimony that the invisible God lives in us and through us.

If my life and yours furnish an example that an unsaved person can follow successfully, we are carnal Christians. We are not living life in the power of God. If unsaved Church members can pray the same prayers we pray and get the same results, God is not initiating the prayers we pray nor answering them.

I’m not saying “claim your rights as Christians.” We gave up independent rights when we came back under the authority of the Throne (repentance). A great answer to prayer is not a Christian working separately from God with the help of God. It is the believer discovering the will of God and cooperating with Him in the accomplishment of His will.

Jesus said, “Have faith of God.” May we do just that. May God bless this to our hearts.

In Christ

Earl White