LACK OF FAITH - PART 2

TUESDAY 26 SEPTEMBER 2023

Unbelief is a costly flaw and weakness in human nature that keeps one from soaring high above the normal and existing state of their lives - to greater heights and uncommon dimensions. Unbelief and its twin brother, doubt, are the branches of a sceptical attitude that endorses "lack of faith" in a man. Other related terms are incredulity, distrust, pessimism, uncertainty and lack of conviction.

Reference: Mark 16:14 New International Version (NIV) "Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen."

I want to bring your attention to the rendering, "Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating." Notice that He didn't walk into their presence, but rather He appeared! And His appearance wasn't a magical act, but a complete supernatural force in operation, far beyond the newton's law of universal gravitation. The magnitude of His divine power for appearance and disappearance is without limit. He also changed form, which denotes his "boundless possibilities" in supernatural manifestation. To instantiate this verity, when Jesus met with two people on the way after His resurrection, He exerted supernatural influence on them which led them to a surprising simple conclusion that He is alive, even though He did not appear as "everyday Jesus" they used to know.

To that effect, Mark 16:12 reads, "Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country" (NIV). Notice the rendering, "Jesus appeared in a different form." Indeed, Jesus was full of impressive effects, such that He was able to convince them in "a changed form" by influencing their brain power, (which performance rate was on a minimal level due to grief), to channel their mental concentration and focus on the reality of His resurrection.

Now watch this: The real problem with the disciples in general is "their lack of faith." It was the worst thing that ever happened to them, considering the fact that Jesus walked the earth with them, yet they drifted from strong faith in their mind and spirit, thereby placing themselves at the mercy of ordinary and "sorry" fate.

The Bible says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, which means that by aural faculty (sense of hearing), you'll gain a spiritual knowledge that reveals the dynamics of your Christian faith. To be specific, Romans 10:17-19 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: 'Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world'" (NKJV).

But interestingly, here, Paul didn't lay emphasis on the "doing part", only the "hearing" aspect. Zero wonder the disciples heard all the teaching preparations from Jesus, and even had last Supper and holy communion with Him, yet their lack of faith was demonstrated on an "elephantine level" after His crucifixion. So what is indeed, the solution to lack of faith in the Word? Alacritous cogitation is one of them because it empowers us to be strong in faith, thereby developing an inner fortitude, as we consistently channel our intelligence to the ministry of the Word.

In a nutshell, here is what alacritous cogitation on the Word does for you: First of all, you must understand that alacritous cogitation is a great combination of mental and verbal tasks. Hence, it improves or enhances your memory storage capacity due to your sufficient ability to contemplate and repeat spiritual realities and to hold the spiritual information gained from the Word as it is being processed within the parameter of your mental cognition.

So, as you complete your meditative task, your cogitative faculty absorbs vocalised realities and then convert them into active operation, such that you'll automatically begin to observe and produce sufficient actions, in accordance with your spiritual cognizance. That's exactly the meaning of Joshua 1:8 which reads, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (NIV). Stay tuned for part 3. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - John 4:48; John 20:29; 1 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Corinthians 5:7.

Guided Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for the influence of your Word and Spirit upon my reasoning and spiritual understanding. May the process of aligning my mind and spirit with the supreme knowledge and authority of the Word, continue with speedy effect, as I yield completely to the workings of your Spirit in my life, in Jesus' Name, Amen!