Health - Healing - Holiness: Lesson-5
by A.A. Allen
PREMINISTERIAL AND CHRISTIAN
WORKERS’
BIBLE COLLEGE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES
PREPARED BY A. A. ALLEN
COURSE NO. 1 HEALTH - HEALING – HOLINESS
LESSON NO. 5
THERE ARE
HINDRANCES TO FAITH
“But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Heb. 11:6
“But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the Lord.” James 1:6, 7.
“That
your prayers be not hindered.” I Peter 3:7
These
Scriptures teach us that faith is an absolute necessity in order to receive
anything from the Lord. In fact, without faith it is even impossible to please
Him.
Why?
Because
faith, expressed in its simplest terms, is simply believing that God meant what
He said.
There
are many who cry, “I am trying to believe. Surely God should do for me the thing
I have need of! Surely, if He answers prayer at all, He should answer mine! For
no one ever tried harder than I to have faith.”
What
are you trying to believe?
“I am
trying to believe that my prayer will be answered.”
It is
not so much WHAT you believe, as WHOM you believe.
Jesus
said, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24
Satan
says, “Yea, hath God said it? Do you think for a minute He really will do such a
thing? People have always had to do these things for themselves, or not have
them done. You can’t bank too much on the truth of those things you see written
in that old black book! After all, remember dear old Sister So-and-So. You know
full well that if anyone ever was a Christian, she was, but God didn’t answer
her prayers.”
Now,
WHO ARE YOU GOING TO BELIEVE? Without any disrespect to Sister So-and-So, for I
am not her judge, may I say that at best I can only look upon the outward
appearance, while God looks on the heart. GOD I KNOW! He cannot lie. He is
truth. He has proved His power and His love many times over. He said He would
give me whatsoever I ask, and I know He will do it, for He is true to His word.
“It
has been so long since you first asked Him! Are you not becoming weary with
waiting? It is not written that hope deferred maketh the heart sick?”
“Satan,
it is none of your business how long I have prayed, not how long I have waited.
I don’t want your sympathy, and I don’t believe a word you say! I BELIEVE GOD!”
Suppose
you have promised your son a weekly allowance, but you have instructed him that
once each week, he is to come into your office and remind you of that promise.
Then suppose that for a week or two, he does not find this convenient. You did
not promise to hunt him up to give it to him – only to give it when he came in
to a certain place on a certain day and asked for it. Would you not feel greatly
grieved to hear him say to a friend: “My father promised me a given sum of
money. Now I need it. I would go and ask him for it, but it might not do me any
good. He hasn’t given me any for the last two weeks. Of course, he said he would
do it, and I am trying to believe, but I just don’t know whether he will do it
or not!”
IT IS AN INSULT
TO GOD TO SAY: “I AM TRYING TO BELIEVE!”
To
think of inferring that God cannot be believed! It isn’t WHAT you believe! IT IS
WHOM YOU BELIEVE!
You
cannot possibly please God while you judge and choose WHAT to believe of His
promises! You can only please Him when you believe Him – every promise, every
command, every warning!
DO YOU REALLY
WANT TO BELIEVE HIM?
Perhaps
this is the reason you have trouble believing. Perhaps there are some things
that you don’t want to believe. You would like to believe the promises, but do
you want to believe His commands?
Are
you trying to believe, “I am the Lord that healeth thee,” Ex. 15:26, while
trying not to believe, all the tithe is the Lord’s? (Malachi 3:10.)
Are you
trying to believe in heaven without believing in hell? Are you trying to believe
in the love of God and the grace of God without believing in His holiness and
His judgment?
Do you want to
believe His “thou art made me whole,” without believing His “sin no more least a
worse thing come unto thee?” John 5:14
You
can’t do it! Either YOU BELIEVE GOD or YOU DON’T BELIEVE GOD!
There
are many hindrances to our faith, which we will consider in this lesson. It is
well to examine each one of them and look into our own heart and life. And then
see whether any one or more of them might constitute the reason our faith has
been ineffectual and we have not received from God the healing, or other
petitions, we have so much desired.
“So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Rom. 10:17.
SOME HINDERANCES
TO FAITH ARE:
1.
FAILURE TO ABIDE IN HIM
This
may well be placed first on any list of hindrances to faith, for it nullifies
God’s guarantee.
Abiding
in Christ is not church membership. It is not being kind to your neighbors. It
is not even singing in the choir, teaching a Sunday School class, preaching or
praying, but it is living in the Word of God, by the Word of God, and in joyful
fellowship with God.
“There
is no . . . condemnation to them which are IN Christ Jesus,” Rom. 8:1.
When
you became a Christian, you began a new life. In the words of Scripture, the old
man DIED! A new life began. When you were baptized in water, fulfilling the
command of Christ, you were buried with Him, and rose to walk in the newness of
life. Then you were to have crucified the old man, with his affections and
lusts. Your interests were married to those of your Lord. Your desires are now
His desires. You are more concerned with the salvation of souls, sick bodies
healed, deliverance of all who are bound or oppressed by the devil, and
advancing the cause of the Kingdom of Christ in the world than you are with new
hats, new cars, comfortable dwellings, fame, success in business, or any other
concerns of this life.
God
has never indicated in His Word that He would deny His people these comforts.
But He declares, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and
all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:33.
His
promise to those who will do this, delighting themselves in the success of His
kingdom, is “Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4.
You
are living day by day IN Christ – abiding in Him.
Then
you are living in the place to claim the promise recorded in John 15:7: “If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall
be done unto you."
This
promise could never have been made to those who do not meet the conditions,
because they might use this power indiscriminately, for their own lusts, and it
could be very dangerous.
“Ye
ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts,” James 4:3, describes the kind of asking that can never be done in faith.
There may be a desire to be well, and even a hope that “it may work.” But there
cannot be faith, for there is no promise upon which faith can be based.
There
are those who desire healing only to be able to better carry on their sinful
pursuits. God does not give faith to such people. It is only given to those who
abide in Christ, and in whom His Word abides. Only those can be trusted to use
such mighty power.
2.
Condemnation
Condemnation
is certainly one of the greatest hindrances to faith. those who abide in Christ
are not condemned.
“If
our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we
ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things
that are pleasing in his sight.” 1 John 3:21,22.
This
is God’s formula for faith. Until you have met this condition, you cannot have
faith. You may be persuaded that God is able to heal you, but you can only hope
that He will, for He has not promised to do it while you live in sin, under
condemnation.
I may
know a millionaire, who could easily give me a thousand dollars. I know he could
do it. He may even have given one of my friends a thousand dollars. I may even
have seen the check. I may need it very badly, and hope fervently that he will
somehow decided to give me a thousand dollars, but I have no real reason to
believe that he will do so unless he says that he will.
God’s
power is sufficient to heal, as well as to save, EVERYBODY, but His promise is
to heal those who keep His commandments and walk in the statutes, and those who
believe Him, and believe that all His words are truth.
Anything
that is of a disobedient, ungodly, or unholy nature is a hindrance to faith.
Enumerated below are only a few of the things that will cause condemnation and
therefore hinder faith. You can no doubt think of others, perhaps in your own
life.
Causes
of Condemnation
(a).
Unscriptural Relationships in the Home.
Peter exhorts
Husbands and wives: “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands;
that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the
conversation of the wives; Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to
knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being
heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.” I Peter
3:1,7.
The faith of many
is hindered because of unscriptural relationships in the home, but unscriptural
attitudes toward our fellow men outside the home can also be great hindrance to
faith.
This is indeed a
sensitive (touchy) subject. It seems that each person, each couple, each family
feels that their home life, their private life, is nobody’s business but their
own, and, in a sense, this is true.
God, however,
does not hesitate to place his finger upon misguided home life as one of the
principal hindrances to prater and to faith as well.
Many wives have
mistakenly assumed that they can become more spiritual by disregarding the
wishes of their husbands, neglecting their natural care for their husbands to
follow more lauded spiritual pursuits. They may indeed win the praise of some by
doing so, but God’s command is not thus.
“But,” she may
say, “my husband is unsaved. Surely I am not expected to remain in subjection to
him.” Please not the first verse! “that, if any obey not the word, they also may
without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;” I Peter 3:1
(The word
“conversation” at the time of the translation of the King James version meant
general behaviour or deportment rather than talk as the word is generally used
now.) Thus the passage does not mean that she is to attempt to talk him into the
kingdom! Rather, he is to be won by observing her gentleness, meekness,
kindness, longsuffering, love, joy, peace, and faith.
Surely, any wife
whose husband is unsaved – doomed to spend eternity in hell unless he repents –
will be praying for her husband’s salvation! If her conduct toward him is not
that which is set forth in Scriptures as proper for a wife, her prayers in his
behalf are of little value. And her faith will not operate when she is not
obeying the Word of God in her home life.
This is equally
true of the husband. Cruel, harsh, overbearing, unkind treatment of his wife and
children will certainly stand between him and the answer to his prayers and will
cripple his faith to receive the thing for which he asks.
Faith that moves
mountains springs from the depths of a soul that is at peace: at peace with God,
with itself, with the members of its household, and with those that are without.
No matter how
strong and how spiritual a man may be, it is a tremendous battle to try to pray
in faith when he is constantly annoyed and irritated by the scolding and
lamenting of a nagging wife. Solomon declared: “It is better to dwell in the
corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.” Prov.
25:24.
Courtesy in the
home is a matter of great importance and not to be lightly regarded. God says,
“be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be
pitiful, be COURTEOUS:” I Peter 3:8.
True courtesy is
only the concern for the welfare of others that we ought to feel in the home. It
is putting others first. It is kindness. It includes respect for the person and
privacy for every member. It allows for each person to have his own time alone
with God. It does not embarrass other members of the family because of their
failures, their aspirations, their consecrations, their dreams. Real love cannot
be discourteous, for “Love worketh no ill.” Rom. 13:10.
Compassion and
love are also necessary in a home if that home is to be in order as God wishes
it to be. Compassion is defined as “sympathy, pity, mercy, tenderness, sorrow
for the distress of another.”
How easy it is
for the husband and wife both to assume the attitude that the partner has
everything easy, and has no cause to complain. The husband feels that in the
shelter of the home, his wife is not buffeted by the world. She has every modern
convenience and does all the work, and furnishes all the money. All she has to
do is to spend it! Meanwhile the wife struggles all day long with the varied
emergencies that small children can create. She longs for adult conversation and
adult interests. She envies her husband who goes out into the big, bright,
interesting world every morning!
Of course,
neither the husband nor the wife has things all good or all bad, but each can
make the lot of the other easier by being compassionate, by understanding the
heartaches and annoyances of the other, and by going out of the way to ease the
strain whenever possible.
Remember, Jesus
Himself made the statement that where two of you agree as touching anything, it
shall be done. Then, there is nothing beyond your grasp. As the two of you join
hands together across the breakfast table, in full harmony and agreement—not
hindered by the breakdown of any of these important home virtues – you can ask
of God whatsoever you will, and your faith will be able to claim the answer. It
will not be hindered.
(b). Unscriptural
Attitudes Toward our Fellow Men.
“What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that
your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark
11:24,25.
An unforgiving
spirit hinders faith. It condemns the soul, and renders believing prayer
impossible.
A Christian
should be a good a good citizen.
In the time of
Christ, pagan Rome ruled over the Jews. The Jews hated Rome and all it stood
for. They hated the governors that Rome sent to rule over them, and the Roman
soldiers who enforced the Roman rule. Most of all, they hated those of their own
people who had hired themselves out to Rome as tax collectors.
As the popularity
of Jesus grew, the religious leaders of the Jews became very concerned. They
wanted to discredit Him, so they tried at various times to ask Him embarrassing
questions in public.
One of these
occasions, they asked Him a question designed to trap Him: “Tell us therefore,
What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” Matt.
22:17.
They hoped He
would denounce the Roman government, and involve Himself in such difficulties
with the law that He would be out of their way. On the other hand, if He should
answer “yes” to their question, this should make Him unpopular with the people.
Since God was
their real King, many of the Jews reasoned that they should not pay tribute
(taxes) to a heather emperor – that it was treason to God. Jesus answered:
“Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the
things that are God’s.” Matt. 22:21.
In effect, He
said to them: “Circumstances have placed you in subjection to the Roman
government. It protects your lives and your property. It builds your roads and
furnishes other public services for you on a material plane. It is only fair,
then, that you pay taxes to help support this service. You should be loyal to
this government as long as it does not claim service that belongs to God.
“But that which
belongs to God, worship, honor and tribute which He demands, render unto God.”
Paul’s Teaching -
Rom. 13:1-10
1. Our Duty
“Let every soul
be subject unto the higher power” (RSV “The governing authorities”) Verse 1.
The spirit of
lawlessness is the spirit of the Antichrist, but a Christian will have no part
of it. He voluntarily subjects himself to those who are lawfully over him.
Can
you reconcile this teaching of obedience to the law with the attitude some
Christians take that “It’s all right if you get away with it”? There are
Christians today who actually mock policemen, teaching their children contempt
for the officer of the law. They laugh when they speed without being caught, and
act as if the policemen were their enemies.
Such
children grow up with the idea that the “governing authorities” are enemies, to
be outwitted if possible. Christian parents should solemnly examine themselves
if they have thus started their children on the road to juvenile delinquency.
What is juvenile delinquency but contempt for constituted authority? And where
do most of these juveniles learn this contempt?
2. The Reason for
Submitting to Rulers
“For
there is no power but God: the powers that are ordained of God.” Rom. 13:1
God
has instituted the governmental system and those who rule are doing it upon his
authority. Does this mean that God approves of every ruler? Does it excuse us
from obeying the duly appointed authorities just because they do not rule as we
think they should?
No
person is a law unto himself. If he were, we would live in a constant state of
anarchy and revolution. This is the reason God instituted law and government,
and upholds it.
3. Refusing to
Obey
“Whosoever
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that
resist shall receive to themselves damnation.” Rom. 13:2.
Does
Paul mean by this that we must obey, from a ruling authority, a command that is
morally wrong? No! In spiritual matters, things which pertain to our
relationship to Christ and His Church, we are to “obey God rather than men.”
Acts 5:29-42
But
when the laws of the land do not violate the laws of God, the Christian who
refused to obey them is, according to Paul’s words, actually resisting and
disobeying God!
4.
Vindication of Rulers
“For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be
afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same:
“For he is the
minister of God to the for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid;
for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger
to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” Rom. 13:3,4.
Twice
in these verses, the “ruler” is called a servant of God. this applies even
though he may not be a Christian, (Paul was writing to the church at Rome, and
their rulers were almost entirely pagan.) The ruler is a servant of God because
God has ordained the powers that be the governing authorities.
Two
things are taught here:
(a).
Those who obey the civil laws need have no fear of rulers. (It is the man who
exceeds the speed limit who fears to hear a police siren.)
(b).
God intends that those who violate the laws should be punished, for the
magistrate does not bear the sword in vain. (Romans 13:4).
5.
Citizenship and Conscience
“Wherefore
ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For
this cause pay ye tribute also; for they are God’s ministers, attending
continually upon this very thing.” Rom. 13:5,6.
It is
contrary to our conscience to break a law. Paul said, “herein do I exercise
myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.”
Acts 24:16.
To
violate civil law can be a major hindrance to faith!
We
are also instructed to show a Christ-like attitude to those who are not
Christians. Of course it is much easier to love the good, kind, sincere
Christian who is obviously are brother in Christ.
In I
Thess. 4:9-12, we are taught on this subject. Paul commended the Thessalonians
for their fulfilling of the command to love the brethren, but he had some
suggestions to offer toward their conduct as Christian citizens of their
community, especially with regard to their relationship with “them that are
without,” Verse 12.
In
Gal. 6:10, Paul exhorts us to “do good unto all men, especially unto them who
are of the household of faith.” Thus, we see that those who are “within, that
is, our brethren Christ, are accounted worthy of first concern to the Christian,
but this does not relieve that Christian of his obligation to “them that are
without,” – the non-Christian among his neighbors, his family, and all citizens
of the world.
It is
disturbing to note that the habit some Christians have of treating with contempt
anyone who is not (in their opinion) a Christian, or whose religious beliefs do
not coincide with their own. Contrast this attitude with Christ’s love for all,
His kind but uncompromising fellowship with sinners, His willingness to forgive
even those who nailed Him to the cross, His assertion that He “came not to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Mark 2:17.
Our
attitude and responsibility toward our fellow men may be summed up as follows:
To “Provide
things honest in the sight of all men.” Romans 12:17. To deal fairly with others
in all business transactions, whether with Christian or sinner. To do good. To
be kind and gentle at all times. To be courteous (1 Peter 3:8). The heart of
true courtesy is kindness and thoughtfulness to others; to live and witness in
such a manner as to win them to Christ.
Unscriptural
attitudes toward our fellow men can constitute a great hindrance to faith. If
you find in your life any of these attitudes, they may account for your failure
to believe God and receive your healing or other requests.
(c).
Failure to Tithe, and to Give to God.
Will
a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even
this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it.
“And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits
of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye
shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.” Mal. 3:8-12.
The
wrong financial attitude can be a great hindrance to faith. Many professed
Christians live under constant condemnation because they refuse to give God the
tithe, which is His. “The tithe … is the Lord’s:” Lev. 27:30.
Yet
there are those who feel that they cannot spare more than a few pennies, or
perhaps a dollar or two, for God when they are earning from fifty dollars and up
every week! They declare that tithing was “under the law.” It would be too
costly for them to remember that Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek, and that
Jacob pledged to return a tenth of all that God gave to him, before the law
began. The tithe IS the Lord’s – before the law, under the law, and after the
law!
Although
the Pharisees were strict tithers (Matt. 23:23) Jesus declared that our
righteousness must EXCEED theirs, if we are ever to enter heaven (Matt. 5:20).
In
Mal. 3:8, God calls those who withhold the tithe “thieves.” Many of these
so-called “saints” help to make up the healing lines. If you have been robbing
God, do not expect Him to heal you until you have first asked forgiveness and
become a tither.
Remember,
God’s promises are still true. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith,” Mal. 3:10.
In
addition to the law of tithing, the Word of God has much to say about giving,
and about God’s promises to those who give generously. Even a selfish person who
reads and truly believe those promises would not withhold from God!
“Give,
and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together,
and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that
ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
“Remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to
receive.” Acts 20:35
Do
you consider an investment that would earn 10 percent interest, with no risk, a
good investment? Those who have tried giving liberally to God have many times
testified that God has returned, not 10 percent, but 100 percent, or even more,
within a few days, from unexpected or seemingly impossible sources.
However,
we dare not leave his lesson without pointing out that money cannot buy the
gifts of God. Simon, the sorcerer of Samaria, thought he could buy God’s gift
with money, but Peter told him, “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast
thought that the gift of God can be purchased with money . . . thy heart is not
right in the sight of God. Repent therefore . . . “ Acts 8:20-22.
This
writer has been in a position to handle mail from all parts of the world, asking
prayer for physical healing. Some years ago, a woman wrote asking prayer for the
healing of a badly crippled foot. She enclosed a dime with the remark that when
she had received healing for her foot, then she would remit the test, whatever
was required.
My
heart was moved within me as I read it, for I perceived that this poor woman was
desperately in need, but that, not knowing the ways of God, she was in the gall
of bitterness. I immediately returned her dime, explaining God’s plan for her
healing, and exhorting her to repent, as Peter did the sorcerer. A few weeks
later, another letter arrived from the lady, thanking me for the faithful words
of warning, and informing me that when she had repented and asked God to heal
her, the work had been done!
Your
money itself, even if it were millions, can never buy the favor of God, and a
stingy, selfish, unbelieving heart can keep you from His favor. A generous,
loving, outgoing, believing heart seems to be peculiarly in tune with the heart
of God.
If
you have condemnation in you heart about these things, do not expect to be able
to have faith until you change your attitude about finances and bring your life
into conformity with the Word of God.
(d).
Failure to Right Wrongs
It is
useless for us to expect to have real working faith and to be able to get
anything from God until we have ourselves made everything right, as far as it
lies within our power, with our fellow men.
“Therefore
if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath
outh against thee; “Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go they way;
first be reconciled to they brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” Matt.
5:23,24.
These
are the words of Jesus. When the Jews came to the temple, they brought a “sin
offering” as a sign of their repentance and desire for forgiveness. T his is the
“gift” Jesus referred to.
Notice
that the Scripture quoted above says, if “thy brother hath ought against thee.”
It does not say just to be reconciled to those you have something against. That
comes under forgiveness, and is necessary, of course, but this is to make the
wrongs right which you have committed against someone else.
Failure
to do this brings condemnation to your heart, and may well be a real hindrance
to your faith.
(e).
Failure to Confess Faults
“Confess
your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”
James 5:16
Many
of us see faults only on others but never in ourselves. We should examine
ourselves, and see wherein we have failed God, and if our sin has been a public
one, it should be confessed publicly.
Few
people claim to be perfect, yet when confronted with the idea that confessing of
faults may be necessary for their healing, there is usually not one fault that
they are willing to confess. While many receive immediate healing as they come
in the healing line, it is a well-known fact that there are folk over the land
today, who have passed through many healing lines and yet are not healed.
These
are the people who need to call in help – according to James 5:14, the elders of
the church and with much heart searching and prayer trace out in their lives t
her reason the healing has been withheld. Then when the light of God has
revealed to their honest, seeking hearts the reasons for their failures to be
healed, they should confess those faults to those who are praying with them,
asking their prayers that the faults may be overcome. Then, in answer to the
united prayers of the sick persons and the elders, Satan can be driven from the
field, and double victories won. The bondage of both sin and sickness will be
broken.
Those
who hear such confession MUST remember that in the cause of Christian
brotherhood they are under obligation to speak to no one but God of the faults
that have been so confessed. Unwillingness to confess faults usually indicates
an unwillingness to forsake them, or else a lack of confidence in the power of
God to deliver them from them. This is one of the greatest hindrances to faith.
(f).
Wrong Motives
“Ye
ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts.” James 4:3.
There
are those who desire healing in order to be better able to continue in a life
which does not glorify God, or their chief motive is selfish in some other way.
If you desire to be healed, but that desire is bigger than your desire to serve
God, your motive is wrong and you cannot ask in faith.
Are
you asking for something God does not want you to have? Does He give drought
instead of rain, poverty instead of provision, sickness instead of health,
because it is “better” for you?
No!
That is not the reason . The answer fails to come because your heart it NOT
RIGHT. Because the good thing God wants to give is asked for the purpose of
using it to depart farther and farther from God.
When
we pray with selfish motives, it brings condemnation to us and thereby our faith
is hindered.
3.
LACK OF SEPERATION UNTO GOD
There
are many that deny that there is any supernatural power in operation in the
world today. They advise good resolutions, church membership, or baptism instead
of conversion by means of a new birth, but those things cannot change the heart.
Jesus
said to one such religious man who had come to recognize the futility of his own
doctrine and sincerely sought God’s way, “Ye must be born again.” John 3:7.
Some who call
themselves “Fundamentalists” accept this much of the miracleworking power of
God, but no more. They agree with Mark 16:16, “He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved;” but they deny the power of verses 17-18. “These signs shall
follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall
speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any
deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY
SHALL RECOVER.”
They
gather together in churches and sing their hymns; preach their sermons, pray
their beautiful prayers, some even baptize with water and take the Lord’s
Supper. They have all the outward from of godliness. They are recognized by the
world and by the government as “the church,” but they absolutely DENY THE POWER
JESUS PROMISES TO LEAVE WITH THE GODLY.
In
the same verse with the warning quoted at the beginning of this thought, God has
told us clearly what to do if we are associated with such a group of people.
“FROM SUCH TURN AWAY.” 2 Tim. 3:5.
Many
fail to receive healing because they have not heeded this warning. The spark of
faith has begun to glow in their hearts, but instead of assembling themselves
together with others of like precious faith, who will encourage and guide them
into an even greater faith, they insist upon remaining in the company of those,
who not only do not believe in the miracle-working power of God, but openly deny
that there is any such power.
Your
personal faith has as good a chance of surviving in such circumstances as a coal
of fire has in a tub of ice water. God has not called you to remain in such an
environment. It is very well to tell them of what you have found in God’s word.
If they also believe, you have won a friend in Christ, but if they will not
believe, the Word of God is plain. Turn away from them, for they have turned
away their ears from the truth, and will turn you away from the truth also, if
you continue in their company.
Search
the Scriptures! Build your faith upon the word of God, and then get into a
church that has done the same. Many, many people are hindered from receiving
faith because they have failed to heed this important warning of God’s Word.
The
only way that Satan can prevent you from receive healing God has promised you is
to keep you from asking in faith. This he accomplishes through tricking you into
allowing some one or more of these hindrances to remain in your heart and life
today.
4.
NO WORKS
“Faith
without works is dead?” James 2:20.
A
life of faith is demonstrated to the world by Christian works. You will do for
the Lord and for others, as well as believe. A lack of works is a definite
hindrance to faith.
I
like to paraphrase the statement: “Faith without works is dead” and say “Faith
that doesn’t work is dead.” Many Christians are so like the recluse in New York
who had lived, for many years, alone with her sister. The time came when neither
of the maiden ladies had been seen for several days. Neighbors forced their way
into the home, fearful that some accident might have occurred. One of the
sisters had died. The other, fearful that her sister would be taken from her,
had barricaded herself in the house with the body. Are you afraid that you and
your neighbors will learn that your faith is dead; that it doesn’t work, and
that it will be taken from you?
5.
Disobedience
When
ten lepers came to Jesus for healing, He told them to go to the priest (this was
correct procedure under the Mosaic law), and show themselves to him. They turned
from Him just as leprous as they came, but the Bibe says, “It came to pass, that
, as they went they were cleansed.” Luke 17:14.
Another
time He told a blind man who came to Him for Healing to “Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam.” John 9:7. (He had placed clay on the eyes of the man and he was to wash
this off.)
There
he went groping and perhaps stumbling in his blindness as he went away from
Jesus through the streets of the city to the pool of Siloam. Only when he had
washed the clay from his eyes were they healed. This obedience, in faith,
brought about the healing in these cases. If they had not obeyed, they would
have been able to believe and they would not have been healed, in all
probability.
If
you have fulfilled all other conditions for your healing, and you pray in faith,
then “believe that ye receive it.” ACT LIKE IT! This may be the final act of
faith that God requires of you.
Remember,
disobedience to any command of God hinders faith, and you cannot expect to
receive from God under those circumstances.
6.
ERRONEOUS TEACHINGS – the Traditions of Men
Among
the greatest hindrances to faith are the erroneous teachings many folk have
received throughout their lives.
If
you will take the Word of God and read it as though you had never heard it
taught nor preached, you may discover that some of the teaching you have
listened to is not in line with the thought and intent of the Scripture. If you
will let the Holy Ghost guide you in understanding it, you may find that you
faith has been hindered because you have received teaching that was not simply a
variation of doctrine. It was actually a trick of the devil to deprive you of
God’s blessings by hindering your faith.
We
have built our faith on what we believe is taught in the Word of God; if we
believe wrong, we cannot have the faith that will produce the results.
Among
the most faith-hindering of incorrect teachings are the following:
That one may be sick for God’s glory:
This teaching is based on two misinterpreted incidents in the ministry of Christ
– the death of Lazarus and the account of the man born blind. God receives no
glory for continued sickness; the only glory He received from sickness is when
He heals it. (See Lesson #3)
That sickness is chastening from God and therefore God will not heal:
It is true that sickness may be a chastening from God for disobedience or sin,
but a loving Father does not punish His child more severely than is needed to
correct that child. Even though you may be sick as punishment or penalty for
sin, heartfelt repentance removes the reason for punishment, but if your
sickness is a punishment for sin, God will let you know what it is for, and when
you repent, you can expect healing. (See Lesson #3)
That it May Not Be God’s Will to Heal:
Five little words, “If It be Thy Will” have hindered the faith of more people
and rendered their prayers ineffectual than any other words in the English
language. (See Lesson #3)
When
you pray for something and then say, “If it be thy will,” it may appear at first
thought to indicate submissiveness to the will of God. Instead, it is just like
disconnecting the clutch on your automobile, and stepping on the brake. All the
might and power of God are waiting and ready to be used on your behalf, but your
“if” has disconnected you!
I
know this is going straight against the way that many have been taught to pray.
You have not had the answers you wanted, if you have been praying that way,
because your faith is hindered by the fact that you do not have the certainty in
your soul that it is God’s will. So about all you can do is pray and HOPE
instead of pray and BELIEVE.
The
“If It Be Thy Will” method of prayer has not been followed by any of the heroes
of faith either in the Bible or in the church age!
When
George Muller began to feel that it was in the will of God that he should build
an orphanage, he did not just begin crying out to God, “Lord, if it be thy will,
send me the money to build orphanages.” He knew the first thing was to find out
God’s will in the matter. He began first to pray for guidance. He KNEW God
wanted to guide him, for God desires to guide every one of His children. As he
prayed day after day for guidance, he began keeping a record of his impressions,
and of God’s dealings with him, until he had prayed for twenty-one days. By that
time, he was positive of God’s leading in the matter. Then he began praying,
“Lord, send me the money!” He didn’t have to say, “If it be they will,” for he
felt certain of God’s will. He could ask with confidence. He could ask without
wavering.
You
know the result. He built three great orphanages costing more than $350,000.00.
With the houses filled with orphans, he paid all the expense of housing,
feeding, clothing, educating, and sending them out when they were gown, with
money for a little start in life, for more than half a century, and all that
time he never asked any man for a penny!
As far as healing
is concerned, we know it is the will of God! This we have studied in previous
lessons. It is suggested that you review Lesson #3 of this course, as all of the
misconceptions regarding healing are likewise hindrances to faith.
WHEN
THE HINDRANCES TO FAITH IN YOUR OWN LIFE HAVE BEEN MET AND CONQUERED, YOU WILL
REALIZE A REVITALIZED PRAYER LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
YOU CAN RECEIVE YOUR HEALKING AND WHATEVER ELSE YOU DESIRE FROM GOD ACCRORDING
TO HIS WORD!