Day 106
Matthew 12:22-24 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
Sometimes I feel like a myna bird, just repeating the same thing over and over again, and then the Lord reminds me that I'm not even that talented. After all, He is the one who inspired the Word of God; therefore, every Word that is written (in the Bible) is there for a reason, and every Word is to be taken seriously. So, once again, we see the human pattern unfold; rather than look to the miraculous, we try to explain it away. Why, may I ask, do we do that? What purpose does it serve for man to look upon the actions, promises, and blessings of God and then minimize them by bringing them into our realm of understanding? I heard it said one time that "If I can understand all of the things of God, then God is more man than God, and I, for one, desire to serve no man." How true is that? If God and His actions can be completely understood by man, then His power is limited to that of the flesh. I have seen God do a plethora of miracles in my day. I have witnessed many times over prayers that were answered differently than those praying had desired, yet in zero cases were those answered prayers detrimental to those praying them, yes, even when they ended in death.
It really is all about our perspective. If we set our minds and our hearts upon the things of God and truly surrender our will to His, believing that He desires the very best for us, then that is what we believe. If we have a perspective that God is out to control or manipulate us, then that is what we will believe, and everything we say and do will be slanted toward furthering that belief. If we believe that God is up in heaven just waiting for us to miss the mark so He can punish us then, again, that is what we will believe–getting the point? What I truly do not understand is why people work so hard to make God into something that they can control, manipulate, or just something He is not! The problem, I believe, is far too many of us base our opinion upon what others say rather than upon the truth of the Word, and the reason for that, in far too many cases, is we don't read it for ourselves.
Let me share a brief example of what I mean. A while back, I sat in a room of long-term believers; people I would deem spiritually mature, and one person began to speak on the topic of demonic possession. This person actually said these words, "Jesus never cast a demon out of anyone who was not a Christian." Now, may I just say this as carefully as I can–hogwash! Yet I sat in amazement as he used big words and passionate emotions to make his point. However, he did not share one scripture to back it up (probably because, to my knowledge, there are none), and the other people in the room were amazed by his knowledge and understanding of God. They even asked him to teach them in a class of this great revelation.
But, back to the point, the Word of God is the answer. It truly holds all of the mysteries of the Kingdom, and those who have studied it for a lifetime remain amazed that, every day, they learn of more.
Daily Prayer: Father, help me to never get so wise in my own mind that I no longer seek Yours. Protect me from seeking half-truths and unfounded beliefs that would lead me down a path of destruction. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
"Beware of sweet words that often hold bitter consequences."
Pastor Gene Burroughs
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