MESSAGE HIGHLIGHT:

Have Faith In God – Ps Garth Bendixen (WTB)

I’ve been hearing these words booming in my spirit. Have faith in God.

God wants us conscious of our divinity. Divinity is our God likeness, our God nature. He doesn’t want you to be focused and conscious on your humanity, but focused on what the Spirit is saying.

As they were walking back in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from its roots. 21 Peter remembered it and said. Look, Rabbi, the fig tree you cursed, has withered. And Jesus’ response, 22 Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, that if anyone says to this mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the sea and has no doubt in his heart, but believes that it will happen, it will be done for him (Mark 11:20-23 NIV).

This fig tree represented the knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge says that if a fig tree has leaves like this, then there will be fruit and there will be provision. So, Jesus and his disciples relied on the knowledge that this tree would give them what they needed and wanted. Finding no fruit, Jesus removed the blessing and the life from its root system.

Jesus is saying, don’t allow the fruit of knowledge to become a mountain and get between you and your faith in God. Knowledge is not dependable. Knowledge only produces a consciousness of humanity and not divinity. The knowledge you will get on this earth will not awaken the Spirit of God in you, nor your spirit man. It has no life in it.

Knowledge produces questions – Why, what, where, when, and how? The devil is the master at getting your eyes on the mountain. Lots of questions about that mountain, “How am I going to get through? This mountain is gigantic, it’s too much for me.” And what inevitably happens as a result of all the questions – “I’m not going to make it. I’ll never be what God said I could be. This is too hard. I can’t believe this. I can’t trust Him.”

Jesus was saying that no amount of care, anxiety, fear, pressure, doubt, stress, or any need should prevent you from having faith in God. That is the mountain that Jesus was saying – speak to that mountain. What is that mountain? Fear is probably mostly for all of us. Fear – I don’t have enough.

The enemy will tell you, “You don’t have enough faith.” Speak to that mountain. Don’t let that be the reason why you don’t have faith in God. “Oh, but I have this sin in my life.” Have faith in God. “But I can’t seem to get the victory in this thing.” Have faith in God.

Can you see how the enemy tries to put that mountain between you and God? “Well, I’m much older in my life and I don’t have the energy.” Have faith in God. “I haven’t read the Bible in my life like I should.” Have faith in God. “But I’m just quiet in my personality. I don’t push hard.” Have faith in God. “The colour of my skin.” Have faith in God. “My age, I’m too young,” have faith in God

So, this mountain of dependence on knowledge is the one Jesus is saying to you and I, speak to it and command it to be cast into the sea. Refuse to trust in knowledge.

For generations we have been taught to send our children to institutions to rely on the knowledge that they give us for success in our lives. Are you kidding me? I tell you what our children do learn in school, is insecurity, self-doubt, selfishness, competition, ambition and none of those are appreciated by our Lord. None of those has eternal value.

What should we be teaching our children? Don’t depend on knowledge. Here is the Bible, here are the living Words of God that produce true fruit – goodness, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, temperance, self-control. Let’s trust the Word of God to produce those things in our lives. Then success will be inevitable.

If we ever thought there was a confrontation between light and dark, between good and evil, and what is of God and what is not, we’re hurtling towards that. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. (Isaiah 60:2 AMPC)

I’m reading what Pastor John was saying, by the Spirit. [Pastor Garth reads from 26 March message] Even if you take all the end time signs out of it, and you just look at the state of the world right now, the state of the very volatile financial and economic systems of the world, the degrading education system of the world… If you look at the fact that people are losing their ability to communicate… because social media has become such a big deal, and has become so pervasive in society. If you look at all these factors that are coming together, humanity is losing its way. Humanity is losing its quality. Humanity is losing value. Humanity is losing purpose and it’s causing us to grasp for meaning and purpose in all kinds of different religions.

Climate has become a religion, money is a religion, power is a religion, careers are a religion, sport is a religion. All of these things are gods, small g. The pervasive perverseness of sexuality has become a religion. It is idol worship. Sexuality is a problem for young people growing up today, because they have such access to graphic sexuality so easily – it is dominating ongoing relationships.

Young people think they don’t have a need to be committed because they substitute relationships with online stuff. Things are becoming more and more isolated. This exists within families too by the way. That’s what technology has done. And so, what is to be done? Well, what is to be done is the Church – the Church has to show what it is. The Father knew that there would be a Church, there would be a people that would not depend on knowledge but completely trust God. Because when you completely trust God and you know His Word, you can give solutions. If you depend on knowledge, you cannot give a solution that actually brings life

Praying in the Spirit. So, what’s that? Not depending on knowledge, that’s depending on the spirit. So, are you facing some challenges right now that there seems to be no answer to? Maybe we should follow our spiritual leader and pray in the Spirit.

Lord, help us not to depend on knowledge. Have faith in God, have faith in God, have faith in God. You have sickness in your body? Have faith in God – not what the medical profession is telling you. Have faith in God. You can’t find work – have faith in God. Your business is not doing well – have faith in God.

These are words that the Lord gave to me. For generations, the Father of life has been calling His children to walk closer to Him and with Him. He calls us now, He calls you and I by name. His call is to walk with Him. This call echoes through the generations of time, and to all who hear Him and draw closer, He reveals His ways and His nature. He reveals His everlasting life and His unsearchable goodness. He reveals the depths of His love and His mercy. He gives grace to overcome the evil that plagues the earth. He alone has power to give and He has given it through the Son. To all those who submit to and humble themselves under His mighty hand and follow the Son, He gives power, authority and dominion. He glorifies these true sons of God, and crowns them with His own glory and honor. So, do not draw back from Him. Do not be afraid or ashamed of your nakedness. Run to Him and let Him cover you. Receive His love, His goodness, and His mercy and follow Him into everlasting life. For to Him and to Him alone belongs all power, all authority and all glory. Amen.