Redefining Faith
There was desperation in his voice as he addressed me, “Brother Delron, I can’t believe in the faith movement any more!” From there he launched into an extensive monologue about the “word and faith” doctrine, citing one problem after another that he saw as questionable at best and heretical at worst. After he had exhausted quite a litany of objections, I finally took advantage of his stopping for a breath to interject a little response, “All your questions seem so foreign to me. You see, I learned under a man of God who was considered to be one of the leaders of this faith movement; but, because he defined his faith as his knowledge of God, his teachings did not fit into any of the pigeon holes you are describing.”
My friend had challenged that “faith people” were actually engaging in some sort of metaphysical practice not too far removed from Christian Science and the other so-called mind sciences. He challenged that when we cite Romans 4:17 where Abraham believed God who calls things that are not as though they are, we are denying reality and pretending that the imaginary is factual. I suppose that some people actually do confuse truth with imagination when they try to operate in faith. The key word in that last sentence is “try” because there is a real difference between living by a principle and living by a relationship.
Remember that I said that Dr. Lester Sumrall’s definition of “faith” was the knowledge of God. If we are acting out of our knowledge of God, there is no trying involved – it is plain and simple trust. In the first verse of the eleventh chapter of the book of Hebrews, we find the oft-quoted definition of faith, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. From that verse, some people often begin to name and claim things that they don’t see and try to call them into existence – calling the things that are not as though they were. Unfortunately, if we use this verse as our foundation for understanding faith, we have stopped about ten verses short of the bottom line of the argument for faith. Verse eleven states, Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Here we see a more applicable definition of faith – trusting God to make good on any and all of His promises. Of course, to operate according to this verse we must first know what His promises are and then we must know God well enough to be able to trust Him to fulfill those promises.
Let’s start by thinking of some natural illustrations that we can then apply to spiritual realities. Suppose you have a warranty on a product you have recently purchased. If that product begins to malfunction, you would need to go back and read the printed document to determine the time frame of the coverage, the dollar extent of the coverage, whether the coverage is only parts or both parts and labor, whether the product needs to be retuned to the manufacturer, to an authorized repair center, or to the store, and any other details of the contract. The same is true in relation to our faith. Before we can begin to call things that are not into existence, we must first know that they are part of the manufacturer’s policy. In the same way that we cannot simply assume that the manufacturer will take responsibility for certain problems, we cannot presume that any and everything we imagine is automatically part of God’s provision for us. A couple lines from a song from many years ago sticks in my mind, “Oh, Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz. My friends all got Porsches. I must make amends.” Personally, I don’t think that you’ll find any scriptural promise that God is in the business of defending our selfish pride. If it’s not in the Book, there’s no guarantee that you can make it manifest, no matter how much faith you try to exert. The truth is that soulical will power is no substitute for spiritual faith.
Next, you need to know enough about the character of God to be able to trust Him to follow through on His promises. There are some companies and individuals which have the reputation of not honoring their word; they are known to use loopholes in their service contracts to allow them to escape from providing any repair or replacement services. On the other hand, there are businesses that have the reputation of being very customer friendly; they go beyond what is contractually required in order to ensure the customers’ satisfaction. So it is with God – if we know Him well, we’ll know that He is always looking for an opportunity to bless us.
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (II Chronicles 16:9)
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. (Hebrews 11:6)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17)
As we increase in our knowledge of God and His promises, we increase in our faith. Again, an example from everyday life can give us a comprehension of this. In the same way that we have difficulty trusting a stranger but can easily put our confidence in a close friend, it is easier to have real faith in a God with whom we have a vital fellowship and relationship.
The equating of faith with the occult mind sciences is very much in error because the foundation of Christian Science and its related metaphysical philosophies is the denial of reality. Mary Baker Eddy taught that evil was an illusion and to recognize it as such was to overcome it. In other words, she taught her followers to call things that are as if they are not – the exact reverse of what the scripture teaches us to do. We are to recognize that evil does exist but to also realize that God has provided a remedy for it and to call that promised remedy into our current situation by faith.
Next, my friend challenged the faith teachers who insist that we not qualify our prayer with, “if it be Thy will.” Again, I countered with an explanation that if his faith was based on a knowledge of God, he would have no problem. I understand why some ministers contest the usage of this phrase, insisting that it undermines the request by giving the person praying a ready-made excuse if the prayer does not get answered, “Well, it must not have been God’s will.” Because my faith is built on my knowledge of God – rather than concluding my prayers with this disclaiming qualifier, I begin them with a different one, “Since it is Thy will…” I explained to my friend that before I take time to pray about a specific issue, I first focus on learning the will of God about that topic. I base my prayers on I Corinthians 2:9-10 which tells me that even though eyes have not seen and ears have not heard, neither has it even entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him, they can be revealed to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit investigates everything, including the secret things of God. I then couple this verse with Ephesians 1:17-19 which proves that it is legitimate to pray for the spirit of wisdom and revelation and for our spiritual eyes of understanding to be enlightened so that we can know the hope of God, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power toward those who believe. It is then that I can pray with confidence that God is hearing and answering my prayer. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (I John 5:14-15) In addition, I have the added benefit of the Holy Spirit’s intercession. Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:26-28) The more intimately I know God, the more explicitly I understand His will and the more confidently I pray – in other words, the more faith I have!
Trying to sum up my comments, I asked my friend to begin to focus more on Jesus than on his faith life or the things he is trying to obtain with his faith. We often tell people who view Christianity as a ritual, that our faith is a relationship, not a religion; but, unfortunately, in our quest for the principles which we need to apply in order to be successful in our faith lives, we wind up turning it away from a relationship and back into a religion. I petitioned my friend to forget about the techniques he had been taught as the way to get what he wanted from God. I suggested that he abandon all the rules for successful living and to focus his attention on simply developing a relationship with God – to, as Paul said:
…count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. (Philippians 3:8-11)
Perhaps this is the reason that Dr. Sumrall’s prayer – even at age eighty-three, after having been in the ministry for over sixty years and having established a worldwide broadcasting ministry, a global compassion ministry, an expansive publications ministry, a university, a Christian school with day care, a nation-wide ministerial network, and several churches abroad as well as a vibrant local church – was, “Lord, I want to know You.”
Shall I Find Faith?
Let’s turn our attention to an often misunderstood saying by Jesus – the story of the unjust judge, found in the first eight verses of Luke chapter eighteen.
And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint. Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Most people read this section of scripture and conclude that Jesus was trying to teach us to pray long and hard in order to get what we want from Him. In essence, they interpret this passage to mean that we should beg and pester God with our requests until we get them. The problem with this interpretation is that it is based on a poor understanding of God. If we don’t understand God, we can’t approach Him in faith.
Just think about the parable Jesus has presented to us. It is about a judge. Does Jesus teach us to relate to God as a judge? No, He teaches us that God is our Father. (Matthew 5:16, 45, 48 and 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 9 to list just a few places) He even tells us to go so far as to see Him as our Abba Father, intimately loving “Daddy.” (Mark 14:36) Does the scripture teach us that God withholds good things from His children? No, it teaches us that He will not withhold any good thing from those who love Him (Psalm 84:11) and that His eye is constantly going to and fro throughout the whole earth looking for an occasion to show Himself strong on behalf of His beloved. (II Chronicles 16:9) The scriptures even go so far as to say that He will give us more than we can even think or ask and that He answers even before we can ask! (Ephesians 3:20) If we know just this much about God, we can immediately realize that Jesus must not be teaching us to approach God like the widow approached the judge. With just a little contemplation, we will recognize that the unjust judge who did not fear God or have concern for men must be a contrasting image rather than a parallel picture of God. In other words, Jesus was using the story of the evil judge to paint a dark background against which He would portray the bright image of our Heavenly Father. The moral of the story is that, if you can eventually get what you want from even the worst of people, how much more should we expect to receive answers from a God who is on our side. In fact, He has even promised to answer before we ask! (Isaiah 65:24)
Just think about it this way: if God was willing to give His only begotten Son for us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:10), do you think He is going to suddenly get stingy or make us beg for the simple little things we put on our prayer request lists? Instead, He proclaims that it is His good pleasure to give us His kingdom. (Luke 12:32)
Jesus taught us not to pray long prayers full of repetition to try to get God to act for us. (Matthew 6:6-7) In contrast, when we have the kind of faith that is birthed out of a simple and genuine relationship with the Heavenly Father, Jesus promises that He will answer us speedily regardless of when we call on Him – whether day or night. Unlike the judge who sets the date for you to appear before him or even the doctor who tells his nighttime callers to take two aspirin and call him in the morning, our Lord is always ready to answer our prayers. He answered Elijah with fire from heaven after a short sixty-three-word prayer (I Kings 18:36-37), and it only took Jesus a three-word prayer to bring Lazarus back from the dead (John 11:43).
It seems to be such a simple passage when viewed from this new vantage point; however, we are met with one little hurdle to jump before we can be declared “home free” in this study. What did Jesus mean when He added the question, Will the son of man find faith on the earth when he comes? Two simple thoughts help us clear up that remaining question. The first is that we must understand this passage – as we must all passages – by looking at it in context. The section just before this parable discusses the unexpected separation of folks at the end time. Jesus tells us that people who seem to be identical and who are doing exactly the same things will suddenly find themselves a quantum leap apart. Two will be working together; one will be taken and one will be left. Two will be walking together; one will go and one will stay. Two will even be together in the same bed (you don’t get any more intimate than that); yet, one of them will be left behind. The section after this parable is another parable about two men in the same place, doing the same thing. Again, they start out alike but end up light years apart. In this parable, Jesus helped us out a bit by giving us an explanation that serves not only for the story in which it was given but for this entire section of scripture. He said that the message was directed toward those who trusted in themselves. Indeed, one of the men in this latter parable demonstrated that he trusted in himself. He was certain that his fastings, prayers, and giving were his ticket into the kingdom of heaven. This thought actually leads us directly to the second one that helps us understand the parable: “What exactly does Jesus mean when He talks about faith?” We all know the Hebrews 11:1 definition of faith; but when asked what that definition means, we begin to stutter and stammer out some lame excuse or explanation, trying to cover up the fact that we really don’t have a clue. As we have already discovered, a better definition is found just ten verses later where the author of Hebrews said that Sarah counted Him who made the promise faithful to fulfill it. Sarah knew and lived by the conditions of true faith described in 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.
The problem that Jesus was confronting in His question was whether the Son of Man would find a church with true faith or if He would find a church full of people trusting in themselves who had accepted “faith substitutes.” In Romans chapter four, the Apostle Paul drew our attention to another facet of the issue when he used Abraham’s life to teach us about faith versus works. He illustrated for us that the patriarch was counted as righteous simply because he believed God. This was an act of faith that came without the law, ritual, or conformance to regulation; it was based purely on his relationship with the Lord. Anything that takes the place of a simple father-son relationship with God is a faith substitute – which, like many sugar substitutes, should be labeled as hazardous to our health. We could learn a lesson from the commercial that tells us to “accept no substitutes” or from the soft drink that proudly proclaims itself as the “real thing.”
Let me share a real-life story that humorously and tragically portrays how easy it is for us to become tricked into accepting substitutes for simple faith in God. One Saturday when I was still a college student, I joined a room full of men for a prayer breakfast. One of their group came hobbling in because of an injury he had sustained at work on Tuesday of that week. Having suffered severely for four days, he was looking for a miracle during that prayer session. As was the custom in those days, he pulled a chair into the middle of the floor and sat down in the “hot seat” for prayer. Believing the biblical promise that he would recover when hands were laid on him, he anticipated a real miracle if he could get all fifty hands in the room laid on him. Before anyone had a chance to move toward the injured man, the leader of the group pulled him up from the chair. He explained that he had just returned from a Kathryn Khulman meeting where he had seen so many miracles happen to those who had “fallen under the power.” It was his advice that the brother stand during the prayer and anticipate his miracle to come if he fell to the floor. But before the gentleman had a chance to be slain in the Spirit, someone else who had been studying some of Kenneth Hagin’s books began to instruct him that he had to “believe and not doubt” if he wanted to get what he said. Then a gentleman who had been listening to Kenneth Copeland’s tapes began to interject something about the necessity of confessing the Word. I sat in the back of the room in utter amazement as the comments volleyed around the room from man to man as each one tried to tell the poor sufferer how to get healed. Suddenly, the room echoed with what sounded something like a Native American war whoop. We all looked just in time to see the man who had asked for prayer leap so high into the air that his head almost touched the ceiling. He was shouting at the top of his voice that God had sovereignly healed his back! There was no hot seat, no falling under the power, no name-it-and-claim-it, no rebuking the devil – nothing at all – just the God who is eager to answer His children’s requests!
My prayer is that we will be able to remember the KISS principle for our faith: Keep It Simple and Sincere.
Faith by the Seaside
As Jesus led His disciples around and across the Sea of Galilee, He taught them a deep truth about what the life of faith is all about. This teaching came not only through His words, but also through the situations He led them through. Let’s look at a few of the situations these men walked through with their master and see what they learned and how it deepened their faith lives.
The first encounter these men had with Jesus was when He called them to leave their fishing nets and abandon their businesses to become His disciples. He gave them just one simple instruction, “Follow Me.”
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22)
I know that this seems like a rather elementary assignment, but the truth is that it was the very heart and soul of His requirement of them. To see the real impact of His command to follow Him, turn to one of the very last encounters they had with Him prior to His ascension after the resurrection. As Peter tried to reason through the questions he would face as he walked into the future without Jesus physically present, the Lord gave him one parting admonition, “Follow Me.”
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. (John 21:19, 22)
This final command that the disciples heard from their parting master echoed the very first obligation He placed upon them, because following Jesus is essentially the totality of a life of faith. Dr. Lester Sumrall used to define faith as one’s knowledge of God.
Let’s take a little physical example as an object lesson to see what he was implying. If I am driving an unfamiliar car, I test the brakes far before approaching a traffic light or stop sign. Unsure as to what the stopping distance may be, I begin applying the brakes half a block before the intersection. However, when I’m driving my own car, I wait to the last second to apply the brakes. The difference is that I know the brakes on my own car and I have faith that they will stop me in time. Because I know my car, I trust its brakes. On a grander scale, the better we know God, the more faith we will have in Him. The way to get to know Him better is to walk with Him regularly. In other words, we must follow Him. Because this kind of walking with Him is so essential to establishing faith, Jesus stresses it from the beginning to the end of His physical relationship with His followers.
In Matthew 17:24-27, we read the story of a second lesson Jesus taught His disciples as they traveled around the Galilee.
And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Before we get too excited about the miracle itself, let’s stop to think about the circumstances in which it occurred. Peter is known as a fisherman, but take a minute to think back about all the stories you have read concerning his fishing adventures. There is one really unusual thing about this particular expedition; this is the only time that Peter is reported as having gone fishing with a hook. Peter was a commercial fisherman who drew in fish in large quantities in nets. I can just imagine what must have been going through this old fisherman’s mind as he set out on this special fishing trip. He must have been grumbling about a carpenter (who as far as we know, had never put a worm on a fishing line) telling him (a professional fisherman) to head out with one little hook to catch one little fish and expect that he can make enough money to pay two people’s taxes. He must have been thinking that he could certainly pay the bill by fishing, but not with a single bite; he needed a boatload – and the way to get them was with a net, not a hook!
The faith lesson that Jesus was teaching His disciple was that we have to learn to do things in an alternate way. If we always rely on our own reasoning and deductive powers, we will fail to venture into that dimension of faith where God can work miracles for us.
Early one year, I began to have a deep sensation that I should plan to join our ministry’s Holy Land tour that year. Since the trip wasn’t until November, I knew that I had plenty of time to make the arrangements, but there was one major hurdle in my path – the money. At that particular time in my life, our family budget was stretched to the max and there was no way I could ever expect to add in the cost of a trip to Israel. As each day went by, I was more and more stirred in my spirit that I was supposed to be on that trip. I somehow felt that it was a divine appointment. But as each day passed, it was also more and more evident that I could not afford to go. I couldn’t see any way to squeeze any more outgo into the budget without a new source of income. Then came the call from a pastor friend of mine asking me if I could come fill his pulpit one Sunday while he was going to be out of town. Immediately, I thought of my need for some extra income and thought that this must be God’s way of providing it. If I went out as a guest speaker in a few churches during the year, I could likely get enough honorariums to cover the trip to Israel. Of course, I had my own responsibilities at my home church, so I told my friend that I’d call him back once I checked with my pastor. To my chagrin, my pastor’s answer was, “No, I need you here!” All I was scheduled to do was to make announcements – a job which certainly didn’t seem to warrant pre-empting my opportunity to go out to preach. However, I submissively called my friend and told him that I would have to decline his offer. Well, the weeks passed; and as time for the tour drew closer, I was sure that the plane would be taking off without me. That is until the day I was called into the office of the tour director. The lady who was scheduled to host the tour was pregnant, and her doctor had insisted that she not fly due to some complications that were developing. An alternative host had to be selected, and my name was on the short list. Since I was a Bible college teacher, I was certainly qualified to answer any questions the tour members would have. Plus, I had been to Israel as part of my seminary training, so I was at least a bit familiar with the sites we would be visiting. As you might well guess, it only took a nanosecond for me to accept the offer. Apparently, I did a pretty good job because I was invited back as the tour host for the next several years and given opportunities to visit Rome and Egypt, as well as to make numerous trips to the Holy Land.
The point of the story is that, if I had depended on my own plan, I would have had to work really hard to schedule enough preaching engagements to pay for the trip and I would have wound up making just the one pilgrimage. But, by relying on God’s alternative plan, I got the trip for free plus a number of additional trips as a bonus!
Notice the details in the story of the next faith lesson that Jesus taught His disciples as they were splashed by the spray from the waves of the Galilee.
And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon’s, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. (Luke 5:3-8)
Jesus told the men to cast in all their nets, but they reluctantly put out a single net. He had a bigger plan than they were willing or able to accept; and because they failed to get on board with His program, they almost lost their ship, net, and fish. They needed to increase their thinking to get to the level where God was working. I find this an exciting area of faith that I enjoy living in and I could tell story after story from my own personal experience to illustrate this point. Let me share just a few.
The first tale I have to share is similar to the one of the fishermen on the boat who failed to get in sync with their master’s plan of increase. When Dr. Lester Sumrall was my pastor, he had a policy of receiving no salary from the church. His only income came from two offerings a year – at Christmas and on his birthday. One year when we were receiving his birthday offering, I had only ten dollars to drop in the bucket. However, as the offering plate passed through my hands, I felt that I should write a check for a gift of one hundred dollars instead. Unfortunately, I let the usher pass by without following that inner urge. In the next service Dr. Sumrall announced the total of the collection: $5,910. He then commented that the person with the other ninety dollars must have stayed home that Sunday. Actually, he was present; he was just disobedient! However, he did decide that he would not pass up other opportunities to increase his thinking to the level of God’s expectation.
Of course, it didn’t take long for God to give me an opportunity to see if I was serious about increasing my thinking. A few months later, I had a strong impression to send a one-hundred-dollar gift to a missionary friend. Unfortunately, there were no extra dollars in my bank account at that point. Since checks are free unless they are actually processed, I decided to go ahead and write the check as a faith commitment to demonstrate my decision to increase my thinking. I decided to let the check sit on my desk and gather as much dust as it might need to while waiting for God to put the extra money into my account. Within a few days, I received a phone call from a long-distance carrier that was competing for my business. At that particular point in time, the different telephone companies were in a heated competition for customers and were willing to make any kind of offer to win the consumers’ patronage. His offer was a thirty-five-dollar cash bonus. I told him that I was happy with my present service and didn’t need to make a change. Suddenly, he was willing to bid fifty dollars for my business. Again, I declined. Next, came a long silence on the other end of the phone broken eventually by an offer to pay one hundred dollars if I would sign on with his company. Instantly, I remembered the hundred-dollar check waiting on my desk, and I accepted the proposal. If I had not increased my thinking to write a check when there was no money, I’m certain that the telephone agent would not have called – and if he did call, he would not have been so aggressive for my business.
The challenge to increase our faith to the next level came during one of our annual church conventions when I felt directed to make a five-hundred-dollar donation to help our church’s humanitarian program that was feeding starving people around the world. Not having that much cash in the bank account at the moment, I made the gift on a credit card that would give me about a month to believe for the extra finances to come in. When I took that step of faith, God proved to me that money does indeed grow on trees. In our backyard we had a giant walnut tree whose upper limbs brushed the very heavens. It was the home of a multitude of gray squirrels that scampered up and down its trunk and ducked into its hollow knotholes only to reappear on the other side of the tree ten feet further down the trunk. This disappearance and reappearance of the furry little creatures became a little discomforting to us since it meant that the tree must be hollow for some major section of its trunk. Since the tree leaned across the roof of our home, we began to feel that it would endanger our home and our lives if it were to ever be blown over. Several severe storms took their toll of limbs from other trees in our yard; yet the giant walnut remained intact even though it rocked and creaked with the violent winds. I talked to several companies about removing the tree but was constantly offered bids that were far beyond my price range. One friend of mine who did tree removal as a sideline volunteered to take it down for us as a favor. But, after climbing the tree and surveying how much actually reached over the house, he descended and rescinded. We tried to postpone the removal until a later date when we might have the extra cash to pay for the service, but a violent windstorm raged through our area bringing down one of the trees in our yard. My wife insisted that we act immediately before the next storm razed the walnut that that, in turn, would crush our home. Since the next week was the annual convention and I knew that I would be busy morning, noon, and night, I promised that, without fail, I would call in a tree company immediately after the conference. One day during the conference, I came home at lunchtime and found a stranger standing in my backyard. I went to find out what he wanted and was greeted with a proposal that I sell him the walnut lumber from the tree. He had been in the area for some other wood procurement and had spotted this tree towering on the skyline. It seemed ideal for his veneer business and he was willing to pay five hundred dollars for it! Of course, I quickly settled the deal and paid off the charge for our faith gift. Not only did God honor our faith, He gave us free removal of the tree that would have cost us several hundred dollars otherwise.
In Mark 4:35-41, we read an interesting story about how the disciples had to learn to trust the Word of the Lord.
And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
When Jesus told the disciples that they were going to the other side, the “other side” He was talking about was not the bottom side. Unfortunately, His followers weren’t able to trust His word as the final authority. Relying on the weather report more than on the report of the Lord brought them into fear and danger. The lesson they needed to learn is that faith is trusting the Word of God. If God says it, He will also bring it to pass! (Isaiah 46:11) My personal favorite verse, when it comes to trying to define the true nature of faith, is Hebrews 11:11 where Sarah is commended for counting Him faithful who promised. Faith is simply trusting that God is a gentleman whose Word is His bond; He’ll honor it!
I went to seminary in response to a word from the Lord inside my spirit that I was to teach in a Bible school. Since I was a member of a small denomination that had only a couple Bible colleges, it was unlikely that I could expect a position on their limited faculty. I was also aware that there would not be any positions offered to me in the Bible schools of other denominations. I also knew that, even if a position was made available, the school would be looking for a man with pastoral experience as well as a degree. Even though all the odds seemed to be stacked against me, I held on to the promise that the Lord had placed inside my heart. When I graduated and sent out my resumes, I began to get responses that confirmed all my assumptions. My denomination was interested in adding me to their faculty – when one of their present staff retired or died! Everyone else wanted lots of experience before they would even consider looking at my application. Yet, I knew that I was called to teach in a Bible college and I kept reminding the Lord that I only needed one open door. Finally, just two weeks before time for school to open, I received a call from Dr. Sumrall’s office asking me to come in for an interview. It seems that the man who was hired for the position I would wind up taking had decided at the last minute to decline their offer. Even though I had to wait until literally the last second for its fulfillment, the word of the Lord was confirmed. If we trust Him, He will always get us to the other side!
One further lesson that Jesus taught the disciples is recorded for us in Matthew 14:25-31:
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
One interesting detail which we often overlook when reading this story is the fact that Peter only struggled with walking on the water when he stopped to consider the wind and the waves, suggesting that he could have continued his journey to his master had the sea been calm that evening. The question that always bugs me is whether it is more difficult to walk on stormy water than it is to walk on calm water. Walking on water is impossible regardless of whether it is glassy calm or churned up with a raging storm!
But Peter is not unlike the rest of us. Don’t we all have more trouble trusting Jesus when things get a little rough? We somehow forget that the same faith that saved us is exactly the same faith that will preserve us. It is no more difficult for God to heal cancer than it is to heal a hangnail. Therefore, we should not consider one to be a greater miracle than the other one. Likewise, it is no more difficult – and, therefore, no greater miracle – for God to walk us through challenging times than it is for Him to see us through our normal daily lives. The lesson that Peter learned that day is the same one we must also learn – living by faith is only hard if we think that it is. It is only when we take our eyes off of Jesus to focus on the problems we are facing that we begin to sink!
I came to understand this faith principle very clearly in my early missionary ministry to the nation of Nepal. On my first two missions into the Himalayan kingdom, the Lord provided exactly the needed funds – literally to the penny. The first trip was so dramatically God’s provision in that, while we were in Nepal, I had to pay some of the hotel bills with a charge card, but found that additional funds had arrived after we had left the States that totally covered the credit card expenses. On the second trip, I had determined to take my wife to minister to the women of Nepal. That really put a strain on my faith since we had to raise money for two tickets plus the costs of the crusade and teaching conferences. Yet, I knew that God would supply, since it was His will for her to come along. Having settled that issue, the Lord really began to stretch my faith when He spoke to me that, if I wanted my children to grow up understanding my heart for missions and the ministry, I needed to start taking them with me on these trips. About that time, my mother, who had planned to keep the children while we were away, became ill and said that we would have to make other arrangements. My insides were churning with the question, “Do I really have enough faith for even more tickets and expenses?” About two o’clock one morning, I woke up with a question ringing in my mind, “If God can show you where your tripod is, will you believe Him for the total expenses to take your wife and children?” The tripod for my video camera had been missing for several weeks, and I had looked everywhere I could imagine – in every closet, under every bed, in every corner – plus I had asked every possible person who might have borrowed it. After weeks of futile searching, I was convinced that if it turned up, it would be a sign of God’s direction. So I answered, “Yes,” and dozed back to sleep. A few hours later, the alarm rang and I stumbled out of bed and to the shower. After dressing, I stopped by the laundry room to deposit my dirty items. As I flicked on the light, my eyes caught a glimpse of something in the corner. Was it? Yes, it was! How could the tripod I had so diligently sought have evaded being seen the other dozens of times I had been into that laundry room? God only knows how He kept it hidden and revealed it on the specific day I needed a confirmation. In addition, only God knows how He provided all the money for the mission, but He did.
The amount that we received toward the trip was almost to the penny of the necessary budget. A couple of the team members fell short on raising their total support, but extra came in through other gifts to cover their deficit. The crusade expenses exceeded the projected budget; but, again, the Lord provided through last-minute donations that were sufficient to cover them. In addition, we had been believing God to supply extra finances to help fly our interpreter to the US to record shortwave radio programs – and exactly the amount we had been believing for was left in the budget when all the other expenses were covered! We serve a great big, wonderful God! He will help us walk on the stormy waters or the calm sea as long as we keep our eyes on Him.
When Jesus scooped Peter from the waters, He asked him why he had doubted. Interestingly, He did not use the common word for “doubt.” Instead, He carefully framed His question using a term that more literally means to waver mentally. Peter had not committed the crime of the atheist or the agnostic or even the simple unbeliever – refusing to believe God. Instead, he had done as all of us so often do; he had allowed a second thought to overshadow his original thought of trusting Jesus to sustain him as he walked toward Him. He was not an unbeliever – he was certainly a believer or he would not have taken the few steps that he did on the water; he simply had a questioning moment. Unfortunately, that moment of reconsideration could have proven fatal. In our faith lives, second thoughts can be equally tragic. In a passage that sounds almost as if he is remembering Peter’s walk on that stormy sea, James warns us that failing to have a single-minded faith focus can disqualify us from all the benefits God intends to pass to us.
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. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)
When Jesus commanded the disciples to feed the multitude of five thousand, He illustrated the difference between the legitimate questions we all have as to how God is going to provide and the debilitating question as to if He is even able – much less willing – to take care of us.
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. The men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. (John 6:5-13)
There are three vital points we must notice in this story. The first is Jesus’ motivation in asking the disciples what they could feed the people. He knew already what He intended to do; the five loaves and two fish came as no surprise to Him. His question was motivated by the opportunity to test the faith level of His followers and to prove (maybe more to themselves than to Him) exactly how much they depended upon Him. The second important observation is Philip’s response. Apparently, Philip had gotten together with Judas and knew exactly how much was left in the treasury bag. Now, before we jump to too hasty a conclusion, we must remember that two hundred pennies is not the same as two dollars. If we think back to the parable Jesus told about a vineyard keeper, we will remember that he paid his employees a penny a day for hard manual labor. Using this as our standard, we can calculate that two hundred pennies was approximately ten months’ pre-tax wages. But this disciple, knowing that he had a budget of only a few dollars per person, declared that it wouldn’t work. Had the number of guests been only one thousand, Philip would likely have rushed to the markets and started procuring food. At that level, he could see how the Lord had provided the physical resources for answering the problem and it would have been like walking on a calm sea. Andrew’s response – the third significant factor in our story – was like walking on stormy seas. He had only one lad’s sack lunch, which would not feed even five men – let alone five thousand! Yet, Andrew brought this single Happy Meal to Jesus with the explanation that he didn’t see how it would help but that he trusted that Jesus could and would do something with it. Notice that Andrew left the issue in Jesus’ hands with the question of how it would work, while Philip closed the conversation with his own conclusion that it wasn’t going to work. Herein we see the core principle of faith: as long as we keep our focus on Jesus and let Him deal with the unknown, we can continue to walk on the water – whether it is calm or stormy.
In conclusion, let me suggest that there is a pattern to be seen in these five lessons and if we get the five principles taught in these lessons, we will literally have FAITH.
F Follow Me
A Alternate way of thinking
I Increase thinking
T Trust God’s Word
H Hard – only if we think so
