Matthew 21:21 English Standard Version (ESV) And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.

We can forget that true faith comes from God. Faith begins with hearing God, believing God and then doing what is asked of us. We cannot toss a mountain into the sea unless God makes it happen.

None of the things that God asks of us are that dramatic. If they were those that saw us perform such a miracle would look to us for miracles. There is no glory for God in elevating us above our station in life.

We can only witness what God has done for us in this life. We must be careful in how we express how God has used us to serve His will. When we lay hands on the sick and they are healed, praise God, we have done nothing but answer God’s call with obedience of faith. Faith is what led to those moments, not anything we produced by ourselves.

When we are asked to pray for a stranger, it is a personal moment between two humans where God is in control of the results. It should remain a private moment. Bragging accomplishes nothing to glorify God.

Our problem with doubt is expectation of results. The fig tree must wither at once or the mountain must be immediately thrown into the sea because if they do not doubt rises up in our minds. Doubt is a condition of the mind, not the heart.

We live in a time of instant gratification. Faith in God means we must accept that the results of our obedience of faith must not erode our trust in God. Do not let expectations erode our trust in God.

We might get it wrong but God does not. Focus on hearing rightly, that is the best we can do.

John 8:31-32 English Standard Version

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

We read the Word in a time when the Holy Bible has been canonized, translated, studied, taught, discussed endlessly and published more often than any other document on earth. We have the distinct pleasure of doing so in what we like to think of as enlightened times.

The Jews that Jesus was addressing here in chapter 8 of the gospel of John remained with Him after many stopped following Him in John 6:66. These Jews accepted the hard saying of Jesus that went against their religious training. They had one thing we do not. They had Jesus in the flesh in their presence, they got to see God in the flesh.

What had not happened yet was foretold by Jesus and the loss of His presence did not diminish their believing in Him. We do not know how His death and resurrection might have changed their understanding but there came a time in their lives when their reality had to give way to faith in His absence. What did not go away were His words.

Now nearly two thousand years later we have the opportunity to receive His Word into our hearts and allow His Word to regulate our life in Christ. Doing so allows us to discover the abiding presence, the indwelling Word, Jesus Christ.

What is different for us and the believing Jews of John 8:31-32 is the Comforter who has been sent because we placed our faith in Christ. It is the Spirit of Truth that testifies of Jesus and helps us through every doubt and fear.

Doubt and fear are tools of the enemy.