In my job we work often with probabilities and sensitivities. We ask the question “What is the likelihood and severity of a given…” I’m not a statistician but we use statistics to capture the variable nature of things. We also say there are no such things as absolutes. The cliché is “there are no absolutes except in death.” (I just had a thought. For Jesus even that wasn’t true regarding death anyway.) There are absolutes however with God. He is absolutely good, period. He can’t be bad or evil or have bad intentions or have raca thoughts against someone. I want to challenge you in your thinking that there are absolutes with regard to God and His relationship with you.
Belief makes it possible.
Over and over again the God says …”if you believe.” Eternal life…if you believe. Salvation…if you believe. Let it be done…as you believe. Ask and receive…if you believe. Belief opens the door to the possible. Belief starts the metamorphosis, the renewing of the mind. Belief brings a new life, a born again existence. When be believe, the Holy Spirit comes in and we are made a new creation. Our sins are gone, our condemnation is dismissed, our righteousness is received, our inheritance is legalized, our sonship is institutionalized. It is finished! And we get to live a new life. Not only that but belief makes possible and opens up a dialogue with our creator. In this new relationship you begin to develop trust. You learn about the mighty works of God. You begin to understand Grace. You learn to think differently. This is where and when the impossible becomes possible because of what you now believe about God and what He is capable of. You begin to understand what is important to God and what His priorities are. But I want to challenge you that belief is where it begins but there is more. There are many unbelieving believers today. They know of and believe in the mighty works of God in a historical perspective only. In some cases even the miraculous is metaphorical and the belief is only in the forgiveness work of Jesus.
Faith makes it probable.
When we persist in our new relationship with our Father in Heaven we begin to “see” and “feel” and “learn” and “experience” and “yadda” and… who our Papa is. We begin to see His heart. We know not only what He says but what it is about Him that makes Him say it. We start to see the impossible as probable. We have substance of the things we hope for. We have evidence of the things that God is and has done in our lives. We begin to understand that God isn’t just good in definition but good in application. We see His goodness all around us. We develop a trust that goes beyond just believing in our minds but knowing in our hearts. We often find that some things we “know” we can’t even put words to. Our spirit with the Holy Spirit becomes the louder voice in our lives. We start to live eternal life instead of just receiving it. Our walk starts to look like Jesus not just from a moral behavior perspective but from a supernatural “God does amazing stuff” perspective. We begin to understand what it means “God provides.” We begin to see the provision of God in our lives. We now say stuff like “all things are possible with God” and actually know it is true. But there is more.
Surrender makes it absolute.
There are so many things in our lives where we know God “can” do a mighty work. We know God “wants” to do a mighty work. We actually even know that God “loves” to do a mighty work. But still we want to maintain control. We want to have the final word. We still live in fear of stuff so we want to make sure the stuff doesn’t get us. We live in defense instead of dependence. We live from offenses instead of forgiveness. We live like we are driving a car with good instruction instead of letting Him drive. We maintain such a desire for self we make no room for Him. Up to this point we have believed that stuff is possible we have even learned in faith that God wants to do stuff but now it is time to make it personal. When we surrender to His care, provision, love, perspective, thinking, wisdom…the likeliness of stuff happening becomes not just possible or probable but absolute.
Examples bring clarity.
Let’s say you are out of work. You believe that as a child of God you are part of the family and God does stuff for His kids. As a matter of fact, you have the righteousness of Christ and therefore God has no reason to reject you and your need. A job becomes possible. Then you realize that God actually loves you. You have proof from past experience and present presence. You have faith that God’s heart is to provide for you and He loves to do it. Now the idea of a job becomes probable. Still you want to make sure that you get the final say. So now, what if you said to God “I know that You, Papa know way better than I do what job is best for me so I give up my right to have the final say. I trust you completely.” Do you know that then the idea of a job is no longer an idea but an absolute certainty? Not only that but instead of a job it is a career. Instead of just getting by you prosper. Do you know why? Your choices will never ever be as good as His choices. When your list is fixed you won’t see His opportunity since it may not be on the list. Do you know that God knows how He made you and actually put the desire, dreams, talents, passions…in you? Don’t you think that anything God provides will be infinitely better than your provision? God isn’t trying to toughen you up. He isn’t trying to beat you down. He isn’t trying to teach you a lesson. Jesus did all the heavy lifting. We get to be surrendered like Him and live His life. I bet you would have absolutely no doubt about God getting Jesus a job.
Testimony makes it real.
I struggled with alcohol for 31 years. As a born again believer I didn’t believe. I thought God had given me some kind of thorn or was punishing me for being bad or just plain didn’t care. Then I learned that kind of thinking was wrong and chose to believe. God is good, really He is. He doesn’t do mean stuff like that. Actually He can’t be against us because of what Jesus accomplished. Otherwise Jesus really didn’t do what He said He did. Then I had to learn that God actually loved ME, not the universal “God loved the world” but ME, yep ME. Why? Well He’s God and is love and made me, I am His son! Every time I think of His love for me I am humbled, in a good way. God is awesome. So I wanted to be free from alcohol and had gone from “too bad I have to struggle the rest of my life” to it is possible and then probable to be free. One last hurdle. I had to quit trying. I know it is so contrary to what we have been taught, but we have to LET HIM. I wish I could turn up the volume for you right now because I want you to hear this. When I surrendered completely, the possible that became probable became absolute. I no longer struggle with drinking at all. Anyone that has struggled with addiction knows how powerful that is. I am free. Not only of alcohol but of ME. Do I have occasions of self? Sure, but I am no longer dominated by self. It is ABSOLUTE joy to be in ABSOLUTE freedom, free indeed!
Yay Jesus
Lance
alancetotheheart 