From Bola Tobun
Dealing with unbelief
Dealing with unbelief
"Let us labour therefore to enter into God's rest lest any
man fall after the same example of unbelief" (Heb.4:11).
Heb 4:2b says "the word preached did not profit them not
being mixed with faith in them that heard it".
To live the extraordinary life you have to be a believer in the
revealed word of God.
The bible describes unbelief as an evil heart (Hebrews
3:12) which prevents us from entering into God's rest (God's best) and thereby
making the word unprofitable.
We need to daily ask for a fresh revelation of God's word that
Christ will dwell in our heart's through Faith. Eph 1: 17-21 and Eph 3:
14-21 are prayers we should encouraged to pray everyday and as we consistently hear
God's word, Faith will come; and no situation will be impossible because we
believe (Mark 9:23) For with God all things are possible.
Therefore make His word final authority in your life, desire
and feed on His word as if your life depended on it and because you believe
nothing shall be impossible.
*Abiding in The Word* (by Pastor Segun Okubanjo)
I believe it is important that we remind ourselves of this
important truth to abide in the word because of the times and seasons we are
in. 2Tim 4:3-4 tells us: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables_*"
That is why we are admonished in Heb. 2:1‘_therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the
things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.’_*
It’s easy to think this exhortation to give the more earnest
heed is not directed to us but directed to unbelievers; but it is something
“mature” Christians must be challenged with also. So that we should not become
desensitized to the glory of Jesus’ message, thinking we know it all, and have
experienced it all.
A lot is going on in the Body of Christ now, that the emphasis
on God’s Word is no longer there. There are so many traditions of men, fables,
politics, and many other things going on. Some even interpret the scriptures in
the light of their present political persuasions etc. forgetting that it's only
the Word of God that abides forever.
Bro. Paul when in Miletus on his way to Jerusalem sent for the
Elders of the Ephesian Church and spoke passionately about his ministry. He
charged them,knowing he might not see them physically again and said in Acts
20:32 "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word
of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified._*
It is the Word of God that is guarantee to build us up
consistently. Other activities we do as Christians is good but the foundation
is the Word. The word will lead us to enjoy our inheritance in Christ Jesus.
Let us look at the main text of our study this week.
John 15:4-5_Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same
bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The word ‘Abide’ means to remain, dwell, to rest, to tarry, to
continue permanently in the same state. This shows what our dispositions should
be towards the Word of God, we are to remain in the confines of the Word.
One of the thoughts that gets to me is the vital dependence on
Christ Jesus that we can absolutely do nothing without Him, also the vine is
not able to do its work in the world without its branches; the branch stretch
far from the root, to bear its strength and sweetness to those who stand
outside away from the vine.
We need the Lord Jesus, but He also needs us. Without us He
cannot bless men as He would. What a sublime thought is here-that Jesus needs
something which I can yield to Him!
Service to God and man is possible only through abiding union in
Him, for it is in Him that we live, move and have our being. Have a blessed and
fruitful day.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth
that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart
bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth
speaketh.—Luke 6:45
‘Locate Your Faith’
You can locate your faith by your own words. Your words are your
faith speaking. Now, it’s good practice to consciously speak good words over
your circumstances. But if you want to find out where you really are in your
faith walk—or why some things aren’t going right in your life—then listen to
yourself talk when the pressure is on. See what comes out of your mouth when
you’re not making a conscious effort to speak something good. In other words,
see what comes out of the abundance of your heart. Then you’ll know if you need
to make some adjustments. It’s like a bank account. The bank sends you a
statement each month. If you want them to add more to the final balance, what
do you do? Put more money in the bank, and the next statement will show the
difference. It’s the same way spiritually. When you want something to show up outside,
deposit the treasures of God’s Word inside. Feed on the Word continually. Treat
your inner man like a bank vault and just keep depositing God’s Word in there.
Once the Word is deposited in your inner man, you’ll believe it; once you
believe it, you’ll say it. And then your entire being will reflect the treasure
of God’s Word.
Confession: I deposit healing Scriptures in my heart. I don’t
talk about symptoms, even when the pressure is on. I open my mouth and say,
“Thank You, Father. Your healing power is working in me.”
