“Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?'” – Numbers 14:11
It’s no secret to any Christian that a life of faith can result in some extraordinary circumstances. Stepping out beyond your natural ability and relying on God to make up the difference will open up new opportunities in your life. We see countless examples of Jesus telling people that their faith was the active ingredient in their miracle. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” He makes it clear that the advantages of having and using faith are immeasurable. Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” If nothing else, this verse affirms the notion that we aren’t just encouraged, but EXPECTED to live by faith.
But what is the flip side of that coin? In the eighth chapter of Matthew, Jesus and his disciples experience a great storm when out to sea. Matthew 8:25-26 reads, “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Jesus considered lack of faith to be worthy of a rebuke! Hebrews 11:6 reads, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” We obviously never want to put ourselves in a position to be displeasing to God.
One of the most extreme examples of this is a story in II Kings. There had been a famine in Samaria because of an enemy siege that had cut off the city from outside trade. The siege had lasted so long that they were selling dove’s dung and donkey heads for food inside the city. Some had even resorted to cannibalism. God then spoke to His prophet. II Kings 7:1-2 reads, “Elisha replied, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’ The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, ‘Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?’ ‘You will see it with your own eyes,’ answered Elisha, ‘but you will not eat any of it!’” That afternoon God drove off the enemy and they left their entire camp, provisions and all. Some lepers discovered this and told the king and the rest of the city. When the city found out about the abundance of food and provisions free for the taking, they rushed out of the city. Verse 17 of the same chapter reads, “Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house.” Why was this man struck down? It was his refusal to believe the prophet of God as he spoke God’s word.
In II Timothy, Paul writes that all scripture is given for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This story of the doubting soldier of the king should be taken as a stern warning to all of us about the danger of unbelief. Today we primarily hear the direction of God though His word, but God does not change. Whether through a prophet or through the God-breathed word of the Bible, we can ill afford to ignore or scoff at God’s promises. I’m certainly not saying God will strike us down, but He isn’t any more pleased with lack of faith now than He was in Bible times. We must get some mind renewal about this and stop professing things that go strictly against God’s promises!
God doesn’t promise us perfect health, but He does promise us healing. God doesn’t promise us a life free of financial worries, but He does promise us that our needs are met, and that he delights in the prosperity of his servants. He doesn’t promise us a life free of trouble, but He does promise to ALWAYS cause us to triumph. We can’t be overcomers if there is nothing to overcome. Sickness, poverty, and fear are NEVER sent from God. God gets no glory in our being sick, broke, or afraid. God gets the glory for healing, provision, and setting us free! Let’s stop taking ownership of things from which God promised to deliver us! We claim healing because God says Jesus already paid for it (I Peter 2:24). We claim abundance because God delights in our prosperity (Psalms 35:27). We claim freedom from addictions, anxiety, and fear because God has given us the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). Every curse of the law was crucified with Christ and while we may experience that curse because of the fall of man, we are not subject to stay under it. Galatians says we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. Let’s not displease God with our lack of faith. Let’s not water down the promises of God to match our experiences. Let’s bring our lives up to His standards!