Believing is Seeing

“Believing is seeing and to obey is to receive.” Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour (Matthew 8:5–10 and 13). SO, JUST WHAT WAS IT THAT made Jesus marvel? Was it the fact this man understood the spiritual realm of authority, or could it have been the simplicity of this man’s understanding of Jesus’ power or maybe both? The true answer, I believe, lies in both. We know Jesus was moved by this man’s faith because He says so, but that faith was deeply rooted in the understanding of spiritual authority. You see, the centurion knew Jesus was the Son of God, and additionally, he knew everything was under His rule. Now that is faith. Mind you, it wasn’t just faith: it was the kind of faith that impressed Jesus Himself. Imagine that, being able to impress Jesus with your faith! So, what is it that is stopping you from exercising the kind of faith we see exhibited here? Are you 100 percent convinced God is the Creator, Jesus is our Savior, and the Holy Spirit is the helper sent by God to assist us every day, in every way? If your answer is yes, then walk by faith. However, if you say your answer is ‘yes’ and you have no ability to exercise faith, then I would say your answer is actually ‘no.’ You see, this is all either real or not. There is no in-between. I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me and to many of you, “I wish I had your faith.” My answer is this: “Pray for my belief and you will.” Great faith is the result of total belief in what we cannot see yet believe (Hebrews 11:1), so the latter leads to the first. I know my God is King. I know He has authority. Therefore, I believe His will shall be done, and I, likewise, believe I am commanded to pray for and submit to His will. Here’s the thing, if I am listening to His voice, seeking His will, spending time in the quiet with my Lord, when I pray I am simply asking that which God has placed upon my heart by Him to be done. The result is, of course, answered prayers. However, if I have placed roadblocks up to hearing His voice, I cannot pray His will, for I don’t know it. Oh, I’ll get lucky once in a while if I pray enough, but that isn’t really faith now, is it? The roadblocks are the real issue, things like pride, unconfessed sin, bitterness, anger, fear, rebelliousness, and lack of confidence in redemption. These and issues like them must be dealt with if we want to live lives truly filled with faith. Are there any roadblocks in your life? Father, I come before You today and ask You, “Is there anything in my life preventing me from hearing Your voice, from knowing Your will, and if so, I ask You to reveal it to me now that I might confess it as sin and be in communion with You? In Jesus’ name I ask these things. Amen. “Religion and salvation are two different things, each with their own reward.” Pastor Gene Burroughs, Missio Dei Ministries, Navarre, FL