Unbelief or Faith

Unbelief or Faith

“And He did not many mighty works there
because of their unbelief”
Matthew 13:58

Faith is the atmosphere in which His Holy Spirit moves. God has made a covenant with humanity. It is a covenant based on faith, no longer dependent upon the arm of flesh, the energies of self, or the wiles and methods of men.

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end, the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all…”
Romans 4:16

Today many speak of faith and many teach about the grace of God. But the crux is that true faith and grace reveal the power, the righteousness, and the character of Christ in our lives that we might BE a “sign and a wonder” in this world.

“Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.”
Isaiah 8:18

Much of Christian thinking equates “signs and wonders” with the miraculous. Of course, that is part of our inheritance but Jesus also declared “An evil and perverse generation seeketh after signs”. Jesus testified of John the Baptist:

“For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist”
Luke 7:28

This John performed no miracles nor produced any signs but the Word declares the power of his life was the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness”. God looks for those who allow their lives to be so transformed by His power that we may be witnesses by the Life we live and the Word we declare.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another”
John 13:35

The true authentic love of God can only be revealed in those who are His disciples. A love that overlooks sin, that does not reach out to the world, and is unmoved by the unction and power of the Holy Spirit, falls short of revealing the true nature of God. Religious love spares the outworkings of the cross. It refuses to step into the arena of faith to contend for the righteousness of God. The result is that the Church has dimmed the revelation of Jesus Christ. A faith that expects little, desires little, and costs nothing is a faith without value. The boisterous faith of those who walk in the light of their own counsels and energy will reveal little but themselves.

True faith, regardless of its “size”, will reveal the One who is its Author. Faith the size of a mustard seed will remove the mountain that stands in its way.

May we hear the call to discipleship afresh. Let us pick up our own cross, acknowledge our responsibility to Him, that this world will once again behold His True Nature! The signs and wonders of His power will follow those who are pure in their devotion to Him.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues…”
Mark 16:17

There are those who follow signs and wonders to their own sorrow but God is raising up a people where the signs and wonders will follow them. Jesus called one an adultress generation (Matthew 12:9; 16:34) and the other a blessed generation.

Please Read: The Call to Discipleship

“Looking unto Jesus
the author and finisher of our faith…”
Hebrews 12:2

Brian Troxel