IF (a spirit of doubt)

 IF (a spirit of doubt)

I have another post I would like to share.  Please understand and be patient with me as I really only write about things that Holy Spirit reveals to me.  I am sure at times, you may read my post and be thinking “silly girl” you didn’t know that? 

Here is what Dictionary.com says the definition of the word IF is :

Conjunction: on the condition or supposition that; in the event that.

Despite the possibility that; no matter whether. (on condition that)

Noun: a condition or supposition(uncertainty, doubt, hesitation, vagueness)

Last week I was listening to one of my favorite preachers/teachers, Brian Biggers with Lambs Chapel Church, he was speaking on divine healing and there was one word that set me off on a path of study.  You will be surprised when you hear that one little word, when I say little I mean it is a 2 letter word, are you ready “IF”.  You heard me right the word “if”, set me on a path that of course just steamrolled, as it usually does.

  

As I mentioned above Mr. Biggers was talking about divine healing and God’s will.  That is where the “if” comes in.  I think a lot of us are under the impression that when we are praying for healing for someone or ourselves that we include the phrase “God, IF it be your will”.   God stopped me there, at the word IF, and explained exactly how big that 2 letter word actually is.  

Matthew 8:1-3

When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou will, thou can make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean.  And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  This passage clearly tells us that it is the will of God to heal.  But the devil, satan, or whatever you may call him, sent a spirit of doubt to the man with leprosy.  Remember that satan’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy and the use of the word IF is a powerful little 2 letter tool that he plants in our hearts and minds, causing us to doubt God’s word. 

Now, lets look at some more times the word IF is used to try cause doubt. 

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was tired and hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, IF thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, IF thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.  Jesus said unto him, it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.  Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

This is a clear example of how the devil uses “IF” to cause us to doubt  our identity and our knowledge of God’s word. Of course this was a big fail when he tried this tactic on Jesus, us, on the other hand may struggle a little. 

I think one more verse 

2 Corinithians 1:20

For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

There are many factors to IF, like above in Matthew 4 we see that the devil attacked when Jesus was tired and hungry-he was physically drained.  The devil assumed that the physical state of Jesus would override his faith in God and his truth’s.  When we are physically struggling our focus seems to be solely on ourselves, our needs, our pain, our hurt, that is human nature, but not the nature of God. Though we may at times be physically drained we must remain spiritually full, never letting our physical override our knowledge of God.We must stand firm in knowing that God’s word is the final and perfect word. We need to be on defense, knowing God’s word and his promises. I pray if anyone is struggling with doubt, that we go to God in prayer, go to the bible, there you will surely find the answers that provide a solid foundation to build on.

Home

 Genesis 12:1

Now the Lord had said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show you.

To start this discussion we need to be on the same page as to the different aspects of the bible, not only is it a historical account of the world but a spiritual book where the secrets of the kingdom of God are revealed to us, a book of instructions for life. So, with that said let’s move on.

Now, Abram was told to leave home, country, and kindred (relatives), everything that was familiar and comfortable, the place where he settled, where he knew what to expect. Many times I believe we only look at this in a physical sense, never considering how difficult it may have been for him to leave, but there is much more to leaving home than one may think. Let us consider some of the things that make a home. Perhaps we have traditions, things that have been done a certain way for years, passed down through generations, these could be family traditions, “religious” traditions, or worldly traditions. Another part of a home is the way we view things (opinions, morals, standards), what we consider to be right or wrong, acceptable or unacceptable. We all fall into these patterns because they are familiar to us making us feel comfortable, safe, and secure.

Unfortunately, most of the traditions and mindsets that we become comfortable with, that we call home, come from a worldly point of view. We settle into the things the world dictates to us and call it normal. No doubt, it is human nature to want to fit in and follow the crowd, think as the world thinks, compare like the world compares, expect the same things that the world expects, but we must remember who rules this world and what his goal is. His goal is to steal, kill and destroy, not only physically but spiritually, he is after our faith, hope, trust, and love. He is after our heart for God.

I am praying that this post helps us to realize that leaving home is not just leaving a physical place but a state of mind. A place where we may be tied and bound by the world and its views, letting that take precedence over God and his Kingdom. We were not created to call this world home, but rather to call God’s Kingdom our home, where we are forever in his presence worshipping him.