GOD NEVER SAID THAT!
POOR GOD...That may sound a little strange to hear, but it really is true. Seriously, He has to be the most misquoted guy who's ever uttered a word. His words are even written down...in a book...that's inspired...by God (for Pete's sake!). And He doesn't get a chance at rebuttal.
For six weeks we'll take a look at a few of the misquotes, misunderstandings, and out-right misrepresentations of what God has said. Obviously, we can't cover them all in six weeks, so we'll take a shot at a few others during the week. How about this one...
"If you had more faith, God would answer your prayers"
Have a marriage that's on the rocks? Well, if you have enough faith, it will all turn around.
Get diagnosed with some life-threatening disease? Enough faith...you get well. Not enough faith...well, nice knowing you.
Need a job? Pray hard. If you've got big faith, then employment is just a prayer away. Not so much? There's always welfare.
BOTTOM LINE: It's all about how much faith you have. Got faith? You can write your own ticket. Don't quite measure up in the faith department. Well, let's face it...God's answer is "No". But, don't blame God. It's you with the wimpy faith.
It's SIMPLE: If you have enough faith, the answer is always, "YES", but if you don't, then it's always "NO". Right? When the apostles prayed God answered, God healed, God set free, God did miracles. So, just ask one of those faith-filled apostles. They'll tell you. Right? What? They're not here? They're not around any more? They're all DEAD? That can't be. They had faith...a lot of it. They must have all died at ripe old ages after fun-filled lives full of health and wealth and all things rosey. What's that you say? They lived hard lives and with the exception of John they all met untimely, horrific deaths? Well, that blows that FAITH=YES idea.
Apparently, sometimes you can have all the faith in the world and God still says, "NOPE". Doesn't quite fit into a nice, neat equation. But, God seldom fits into any equation or box we try to fit Him into.
Remember the story of the man who desperately needed Jesus to touch him and heal him. Problem was, he couldn't even get inside the place where Jesus was. In fact, there's not even any evidence that the guy even believed in Jesus. But, his friends did. They believed so much that they wouldn't take "NO" for an answer. They cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down to where Jesus was. And Jesus...healed him. Not because of his faith, but because of the faith of his friends.
It would be so neat and tidy and simple if it were just MY FAITH + GOD'S POWER = YES to whatever I ask. But, sometimes, with all the faith a man can muster up, God says "NO". And, other times, God chooses to say "YES" to those who have no faith...who aren't deserving...who earned a "NO". Why? Because He's God and you're not and His plans are bigger than our plans and his ways are higher than our ways.
TWO THINGS YOU HAVE TO KNOW: 1) There is a God, and 2) You're not Him.
For six weeks we'll take a look at a few of the misquotes, misunderstandings, and out-right misrepresentations of what God has said. Obviously, we can't cover them all in six weeks, so we'll take a shot at a few others during the week. How about this one...
"If you had more faith, God would answer your prayers"
Have a marriage that's on the rocks? Well, if you have enough faith, it will all turn around.
Get diagnosed with some life-threatening disease? Enough faith...you get well. Not enough faith...well, nice knowing you.
Need a job? Pray hard. If you've got big faith, then employment is just a prayer away. Not so much? There's always welfare.
BOTTOM LINE: It's all about how much faith you have. Got faith? You can write your own ticket. Don't quite measure up in the faith department. Well, let's face it...God's answer is "No". But, don't blame God. It's you with the wimpy faith.
It's SIMPLE: If you have enough faith, the answer is always, "YES", but if you don't, then it's always "NO". Right? When the apostles prayed God answered, God healed, God set free, God did miracles. So, just ask one of those faith-filled apostles. They'll tell you. Right? What? They're not here? They're not around any more? They're all DEAD? That can't be. They had faith...a lot of it. They must have all died at ripe old ages after fun-filled lives full of health and wealth and all things rosey. What's that you say? They lived hard lives and with the exception of John they all met untimely, horrific deaths? Well, that blows that FAITH=YES idea.
Apparently, sometimes you can have all the faith in the world and God still says, "NOPE". Doesn't quite fit into a nice, neat equation. But, God seldom fits into any equation or box we try to fit Him into.
Remember the story of the man who desperately needed Jesus to touch him and heal him. Problem was, he couldn't even get inside the place where Jesus was. In fact, there's not even any evidence that the guy even believed in Jesus. But, his friends did. They believed so much that they wouldn't take "NO" for an answer. They cut a hole in the roof and lowered him down to where Jesus was. And Jesus...healed him. Not because of his faith, but because of the faith of his friends.
It would be so neat and tidy and simple if it were just MY FAITH + GOD'S POWER = YES to whatever I ask. But, sometimes, with all the faith a man can muster up, God says "NO". And, other times, God chooses to say "YES" to those who have no faith...who aren't deserving...who earned a "NO". Why? Because He's God and you're not and His plans are bigger than our plans and his ways are higher than our ways.
TWO THINGS YOU HAVE TO KNOW: 1) There is a God, and 2) You're not Him.
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