Friday, 27 October 2023
I once worked in a psychiatric ward during my training in KZN. We once had a patient who believed that he could see a ghost. He could literally “see” the ghost all the time. Even as we questioned him about it, he could see it next to us. He “saw” it so vividly that he was absolutely convinced that we were trying to convince him that what he saw wasn’t real. His mind was fully convinced of what he saw. We, on the other hand, couldn’t see the same thing, and as a result, our minds knew for a fact that he was deceived and delusional. Even when his family was asked to come and convince him about his deception, he still wasn’t shaken in his conviction. He even thought his family was now part of the conspiracy to deceive him. The mind is a very powerful organ that we still don’t fully comprehend. When it has decided on a matter it’s almost impossible to convince it to change its stance. People have jumped off skyscrapers because they believed they could fly. Others have handled very poisonous snakes on the belief that the Bible says that they will not be harmed. There are churches in the USA where pastors handle poisonous snakes during their sermons (we’ll ignore the fact that many of them have died in the process).
“LORD,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died” John 11:21 NIV. Martha loved and worshipped Christ because she believed He was the Messiah and GOD. This is why she referred to Him as “LORD”. Yet when she sees Him, she alludes to the fact that if Jesus had come earlier her brother would still be alive. She had faith that He could heal the sick but didn’t believe that He could resurrect the dead. In her mind, GOD had limitations. Even when Christ told her that the brother will rise again, she still didn’t believe He could resurrect him in the present, but could only do it in the last days. As Christians, we believe GOD for breakthroughs and miracles, but only when they are in alignment with what we believe is possible. For example, we believe GOD can make you a multimillionaire, but if He said you’ll be a billionaire tomorrow would you believe Him? Logic dictates that you need a business that still needs to grow and multiply. Also, you are cognizant of the fact that a billion is a thousand millions. I currently don’t have a million so how am I going to accumulate thousands of them in less than 24 hours? Your mind can’t comprehend that, it doesn’t make sense and it’s impossible. That’s how our minds reason and anything that seems to be in the realm of the impossible, our minds can’t comprehend it.
“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it! Numbers 11:30 NLT. Caleb and Joshua are what in today’s language people would refer to as, “punching above their weight”. As part of the report, the whole of Israel was told that the people who live there are POWERFUL, and the cities are FORTIFIED and VERY LARGE. This was true and no one denied it, as it was a fact. There was no way physically the Israelites could conquer the land. These people were obviously skilled and had mastered the art of warfare. Their cities were ready for any potential threat and clearly, the Israelites didn’t pose a challenge. So what is it that Joshua and Caleb knew that the rest of Israel didn’t? Why were they so convinced to go on a mission that was clearly a suicidal one? Logic and common sense dictate that the Israelites were punching way above their weight.
“But without faith it is impossible to [walk with GOD and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to GOD must [necessarily] believe that GOD exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him” Hebrews 11:6 AMP. This is one of thee most quoted Scriptures but often misunderstood. What it means, is that in every interaction you have with GOD, you require faith as it’s the only thing that moves and pleases Him. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV. What this, obviously, means is that faith is the assurance of something you can’t see and touch. It’s easy to believe in what you can at least see, but faith comes in believing in the “seemingly impossible”, believing in what you can’t see. Faith is SEEING what you can’t SEE. It’s easy to believe GOD when He says you’ll have five kids when you are 25 years old and already married or engaged, but it’s another thing to be 45 and single (with no potential in sight) and still believe when GOD says you’ll be a mother of five. Now that is what the bible refers to as “evidence not seen”. Our brains and minds can’t comprehend such.
I’ll ask the question again, what was different about Caleb and Joshua that set them apart from their peers? What was different about Abram when GOD told him to leave everything and everyone he knows? The difference is the renewal of your mind. You can’t come into or enter the realm of the spiritual with an old mindset. There needs to be a transformation and a renewal to be able to operate in this realm. And this renewal and transformation can only come through GOD’s Word and counsel. It can’t be a cerebral issue but a spiritual one.
It’s easy to believe in what you can at least see, but faith comes in believing in the “seemingly impossible”, believing in what you can’t see
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