Skeptics: The Wavering Kind
The one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
James 1:6 (ESV)
Jesus immediately reached out His Hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Matthew 14:31 (ESV)
In dark confusion, many Christians abandon their calling. Instead of seeking wisdom through Jesus, they seek knowledge through human ways and means.
But…
True knowledge is found by reading His Word.
True wisdom is found simply by asking.
True direction is found by His Spirit.
True success is found by obedience.
When God told His priests to cross the Jordan, He told them to stand in it--nothing more!
They could have wavered. They could have reasoned:
'Should we build rafts?’ ‘Should we wait to hear more?’
Instead…
They followed Orders and got their feet wet. Only then did the waters part for them. It was miraculous! Like the Red Sea parted for Moses 40 years before.
The lesson?
We trust God's way. THEN… He shows us His means. The faithless alternative? Wavering!
But without Him, all ways are short-sighted: perplexing paths wobbling on shifting sands. Junior Christians may choose to settle there--because they look deceptively sturdy. Plus, it's all they can see with tiny eyes.
In spite of the sand…
Some church settlements look like fortresses. But we can’t depend on them. Only Him!
Our Savior’s mind-bending, heart-rending truth?
'Believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father... True worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth' (John 4:21-24).
Wavering Christians face two challenges:
Pride! Some think they have the right to understand the full scope of God's plan, but… ‘Who has known the Mind of the Lord?' (Romans 11:34).
Fear! They’re afraid to trust what they cannot see and lack spiritual maturity. 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the Truth and will turn aside to myths' (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Instead of faith in the King they can’t see, they place their trust in a visible church.
But Isaiah says,
'The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, down to the dust' (Isaiah 25:12). Jesus adds, 'And great was its fall' (Matthew 7:27).
How can wavering saints get straightened out?
We humble ourselves. We fully submit to Jesus, our Lord.
We grow up in God. We close our eyes and practice our faith walks.
King David put it this way:
'The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer; My God, my Strength, in Whom I will trust; My Shield and the Horn of my salvation, my Stronghold' (Psalm 18:2).
Church may help you… but Jesus MUST lead you.
Skeptics: Series (Part 7)
* Israel crosses the Jordan: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+3&version=NKJV
NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players. Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings. This series is a rewrite of a prior 2014 series.