A Study Of Hate, Part #1

A Study of Hate

Part 1 of 3

 Ecclesiastes 3:8  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

The wisdom of Solomon shines brightly in his elucidations of good and evil, or the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit. In this narrative known to us as Ecclesiastes the dichotomies of nature’s are illuminated in his attempt to show the contrast between paradise and eternal suffering.  A dichotomy  defines a sharp division of things or ideas into two contradictory parts, thus we have the flesh and the spirit.  Galatians 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh… Each element of the dichotomies of life processes the ability to cancel out the other.  One cannot serve God and the Devil, the same as day cancels the effect of night, or love cancels the effect of hate.  In a natural and imperfect world controlled by the knowledge of good and evil, opposites exist as the works of the flesh and the works of the spirit.  Thus we have the proliferation of this once forbidden knowledge of good and evil verses the knowledge of God. 

The knowledge of good and evil or the knowledge of the world is founded upon the love and works of the flesh, whereas the knowledge of God is founded upon the love and works  of God.  Those who love God have a strong desire to be commanded by God.  Galatians 5:16-23  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would…  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

The scripture list hatred hatred as a work of the flesh along with a rather lengthy list of others vices, such as Adultery and murder.  The work of the flesh was condemned by the Law of God, yet the Law was unable to control the sinful nature of man once he had tasted of the forbidden fruit.  Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  John 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 

Hatred is a powerful aphrodisiac, it produces a psychological high and its addiction rate is higher than that of drugs.  The narrative of a drug addict will draw others in  and replicate itself, thus creating an epidemic.  The same holds true with hate.  Society has separated itself into groups and each group hate the other.  Hate filled  rhetoric brings together those whose  perception  of hatred is blinded by the rhetoric and they rejoice in the evil and attention produced by hatred.    Groups are often formed to combat hate, but, again because of the lack of understanding of the nature of hate, these groups often succumb to hate an become instruments of hate.  Humanity in his infinite wisdom often creates laws to control or combat hate.  The application of these laws often produces a hatred more intense, more profound than the hatred it sought to suppress.  Consider the war on prostitution, liquor and drugs as a measure of effectiveness of man-made laws against the work of the flesh.  If it was because of what the law of God could not do, God sent his son, how effective can the laws of man be?

What is this ungodly hate and why is the world is so mindful of it?  When did this hate first rear its ugly head?  Why do people hate?  Can hate be controlled by the creation of laws?  What is it that causes hate to spread so quickly?  These are just a few of the questions we will explore as we attempt to get a deeper understanding of hate.  Fix these questions in your mind as I suppose in somewhat of a rambling manner, we will seek to shed a balanced light on the nature of hate.

According to the scripture there are certain facts that we should know.  Before the creation of man, Lucifer, God’s Holy angel in charge of God’s creation became jealous because God had all power and commanded the angels.  Desiring a bigger share of this power he organized a revolt against the Kingdom of God.  Failing in his objective, he was cast out upon the earth.  Jesus alluded to seeing the Devil cast out upon the earth, striking it like a bolt of lightening.  The end result of this cosmic upheaval was, the earth became without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  Choosing not to make an end to his creative works, judgment was deferred, a restoration process began.  The earth being overrun with evil, God began to create good or opposite to offset the evilness caused or created by the devil.  God said, “Let there be light”, and he separated the light from the darkness, this is indicative of the fact that he did not destroy the darkness, he contain it.  He spoke to the waters that overran the earth and dry land appeared,  He defined his works as ‘good’.  His divine purpose was not to destroy, but to bring about a restoration process through the establishment of opposites and choices.   According to the book of Revelation in the new Heaven and Earth, there will be no night and the seas will no longer exist.  Scripture documentation can be found in my book, “Understanding The Word of God”.

Within the contents of the Kings James Version of the Holy Scripture the word hate is used eighty seven times, there are eighteen occurrences of the word hatred, the word love is used two hundred and eighty six times.  Another comparison is the word day is used 1576 times while the word night is only used 301 times, darkness appears one hundred and forty five times.   There is a subtle message in these facts which is often overlooked. Hate is like a seed, if we nurture it it will grow.  When hate presents itself, it is hard not to stare at it, but If we stare at hate we can become overcome by it.  Hate produces a blinding effect that causes our perception to suffer. We see things through darken lens.  The rhetoric of a hate filled society can be pervasive, which is why the Bible warning us against letting hate into our hearts.  Once hate enters our heart it contaminates our lifestyle and we become the victims of hate. The opposite of hate is love.  Hate is to love what night is to day. The objective of hate in our heart is to choke out or destroy love.  Hate is an emotion that is fed by the lust of the flesh.  It sees what other processes and its lusts after it.

Asked how to get rid of racism or hate, a person of notoriety responded, “stop talking about it.”  To address the issue of hate does not diminish hate, rather it provides a result that is opposite of the intended objective.   The so called discussion on racism has not curbed the spirit of hate, rather there is a divide that is growing, and this country is being torn apart.  The consensus of todays society is to seek out hatred or racism, expose it, discuss it and it will go away.  This is far from the truth. When Nancy Regan instituted a program of, “Just say no” to drugs in our High Schools, the use of drugs increased.  Hate is like a flower, in darkness, it will struggle to exist, but to expose it to the light for all to see its intricate nature, it will flourish and produce seeds.  This hate, the same as prostitution or drugs cannot be controlled by laws.  Laws merely reshape the playing field.  When the playing field is reshaped it is usually at the expense of some other group.  Under the guise of a Utopian society, hate, racism, and civil rights have been exposed and examined, the rights of one group trumps the rights of the other group and Christ has been left standing at the door knocking.

On October 28, 2009 President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to apply to crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, and dropped the prerequisite that the victim be engaging in a federally protected activity.  The purpose of this act was to insure the protection of all.  This act combined with the Human Rights act of 1964 proposes that we all should be able to live our lives free of hatred, and racism and be able to enjoy a new found freedom based upon tolerance.  These laws or acts are guilty of creating a new form of hatred that is more destructive that the acts they sought to impede.

To be continued

A Question of Faith, Part #2

A Question of Faith, Part #2

Romans 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. 

This faith that the just shall live by is called the faith in the gospel.  It should not to be entangled with the natural aspects of life, such as jobs, and finances. Faith is about believing in the gospel, and the gospel is about salvation.  If we begin reading at Romans 1:1, there would be little room for misunderstanding.  In verse 16, Paul began by stating that he is not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Being not ashamed of this strange gospel as many were in his time, he seeks to establish to the Romans that the righteous of God has been revealed to him, therefore he is not ashamed.  His faith in this new revealed gospel  embodies the substance of all that is contained in the epistle. It is the doctrine which Paul seeks to establish; and there is not perhaps a more important passage in the Bible than this verse, or one more difficult to be understood. 

There are many loose interpretations of faith and the gospel, and a great burden has been placed on the works of God by those who claim to believe.  Because of this burden and the seemly inactivity of God, the believability or faith in the gospel has suffered.   Believability in God is often promulgated through making vast promises as to what God is about to do or even what God is doing.  People are excited when God is showering down blessing, the same as when the government is giving out money.  What is this gospel that the just should have faith in?  Is it a motivational message of Moses floating down the river in a boat?  Is the gospel a message of jubilee as we go through life collecting blessings and favors or is it a message of salvation and repentance?  Jesus came preaching gospel or a message that was different from that of the ancient prophet.  Remember when Peter sought to learn from Moses and Elias, Matthew 17:5  While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  The message or the gospel preached by Jesus should take precedent over a message of Moses defining the law of God.

 The burden of faith is often amplified when those who speak as messengers of God make a proclamation and the result is not forthcoming.  Cute clichés are cast about as if they contain some hidden message, such as, “God know what he is doing” and “God does not make mistakes”.  These statements are true, but the message can be lost in the over simplification, the same as a message that proclaims the darkness of the night or the wetness of water.   When there is a question of living by faith, before the dialog has ended, a reference to healing and/or money will often be used to validate the degree of faith that one either possess or should posses.  If you have faith God will heal your body.  To some this means refusing to go to the doctor, to other the doctors visit and hospital stay is incorporated into the walk of faith.   If you have faith God will put money in your bank account.  The simplest requirement of living by faith requires that we put God first in our lives, especially when it comes to our finances.  Ten percent of the top of your income to the church will grant you an audience with God and the pastor.  Based upon this modern day interpretation of faith, if you are sick or poor you are not walking by faith, and for a fee, there are those who are prepared to teach us, “how to get what we need from God.”

A testimony of faith can be detrimental  to those who's  indoctrination of faith is suffering.  Imagine the disbelief of a person listening to the testimony of a lady explaining how after prayer God started her car.   After oversleeping and the chance of running late for an important appointment, she dressed and rushed out to start her car.  To her dismay the car did not start and the smell of raw gas emitted from the engine compartment.   She went back into the house, kneeled down and prayed,  being led by the spirit she returned to the car and laid hands on the car.  After prayer and anointing the car, it started on the next attempt.   Her testimony of faith “Can’t God do it” evoked an emotional response that was equivalent to the crowd reaction to a touchdown  by their favorite football team.  This type of testimony has damaged the faith of many who understood the workings of a flooded car engine.

What is more confusing, is that many of todays declarations of faith are founded upon the pretentious nature of humanity.  God is blessing me right now becomes a cliché used to display one wealth.  Another pretentious element is used over the over the internet to attract followers.   If you just type “Amen” under a case full of money God will give it to you.  Bed sheets are often cut into small pieces and sold to the gullible with a promise of God’s interaction.  Many have spent a lifetime donating to religious causes, and have not reaped the fruit of their labor,  while the pious elite dance and prance in the sunshine and proclaim, ‘God is blessing me right now.”  How pretentious.  The sick, the poor and the dying, those that Jesus spoke so fondly of, are not receiving the gospel of salvation, rather they are often left standing along side the roadside of despair wondering if they have been forsaken by God. 

Why are we taught that if we have faith we can ask God for “anything” we want and he will give it to us.  Again, Matthew 7:7 is the basis of this teaching, Jesus said, “ask and it shall be given.”   The question of what was he talking about should be answered, before we become guilty of diluting the word of God and promoting a false faith.  Was Jesus talking about natural things such as asking for a car or money?  Many will say yes, while others will say no.  The testimony of one who was contending for the faith stated, “I have a lot of things that I am asking God for, and I just believe he is going to  answer my prayer.”  Soon afterward, her cancer ravished body was laid to rest.  Her untimely death, was it the result of a lack of faith?  To answer the question, “God knows what he is doing”, or “God doesn’t make mistakes”, to some is considered a non answer.  Maybe we should ask God to forgive us for blaming him for everything that happen to us. 

Luke reveals two important  elements in a true relationship with God.  These two things stand out in the discourse of Jesus and his disciples. Luke 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  Luke 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.  There is a strong possibility that prayer has evolved to a level where prayer is no longer prayer, and our concept of faith is not true faith.   Remember Jesus musing in Luke 18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?  This is a question that seriously requires an answer.   Where is that faith that Jesus spoke of?

The desire for faith which is listed as a fruit of the spirit opens the door to a level of gullibility that is destructive to the process of building true faith, especially when we attempt to mix the natural with the spiritual.  This gullibility becomes a strong asset that is used to manipulate the household of faith.  There are those who are not afraid to make false claims about what God said, or what he is saying.  God often speaks during the offering time when he is telling us to give more money.   A skillful manipulator will twist, turn, shape and surgical remove certain segments of the scripture so that we end up with God saying to the church what he said to the children of Israel.  I have often attended gatherings where the drawing card was, come and get your blessing or come and be healed.  The promise of miracles and blessing once attracted people to worship services like flies to honey.  I have seen people leave the church dejected and confused.

In the first part of our dissertation, we identified the major attributes of faith as a belief, confidence or trust.  All of these things are are relative to a metaphysical god whose image is maintained through his power, and his promise.  Therefore, our faith is our belief and confidence or trust that we have in an unseen entity whose presence is made known through his manifestation.  Faith is a spiritual entity.  Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long  suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.   Here, the writer is describing faith as a “fruit” of the spirit. James 2:20  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  The understanding of faith most defiantly requires the understanding of the works of faith. 

Power and promises are the key words used in the definition of faith.  These two words also allow for the trivialization, proliferation and distortion of God’s word.  To understand faith we need to understand the power and the promises of the “gospel”.  Searching the scripture and looking for promises that God made to Abraham or to the children of Israel and claiming them in the name of faith, is not conductive to faith building.  I have been challenged on this point many times.  Consider this; as a work of faith across the nation. Try as we may, but the promises that God made to Abraham and the children of Israel are  not the same promises that Jesus made through the Gospel to the church. 

Prayer warriors often assemble and pray for the healing of the community and the nation.   The scriptural basis of their action is 2 Chronicles 7:14  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  The phrase, “my people”, used by God in the Old Testiment always referenced the children of Israel.  If that is not true, then the faith of many is suffering because the God of our salvation is presented as a God who is not keeping his promise. All over the world, people are praying, but the problems of the world is not being fixed,  According to the testimony of Jesus, things will get worse.  The world has rejected God and the judgment has been decreed.   Yet many are constantly praying and calling it a work in progress.  The only reconciliation of these facts is, we got the message mixed up.  Anoother point to consider is, under the law judgement was swift, under grace, judgement is delayed.

Who is talking, who is being spoken to and what is the subject matter is often the master key to understanding God’s Word.  The messenger must be careful not to shape the message to validate his irreverent position.   Imagine this, a bank president and his new assistant sitting in his office, he had just finished talking to a couple who was applying for a loan.  He sent them back out to wait in the crowded waiting room while he checked some facts.  After making up his mind, looking out of his glassed in office, he spoke to his assistant, “tell them they can  have the loan.”  Rather than the selected couple, the message was relayed to everyone in the waiting room.   Needless to say there were those who expecting a loan and did not get one. 

What does Paul mean by the just shall live by faith?  Some would say, it means waiting on God to provide all the necessities of life.   Some have even testified that everything they want, whether it be a house or car, food on the table, they tell God their needs or wants and He  supplies their needs.  The basis of this assertion is  Philippians 4:19,   But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  Neither scripture is supportive of the above concept if we  allow the word “need” to reference the spirituality of man rather than the natural aspects of humanity.

A measure of our faith is not believing the sun will rise tomorrow, for makes the sun to rise on the just as well as the unjust.  The measure of our faith is believing in the gospel.  The Bible tells us what the gospel is in 1 Cor. 15:1-4, "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures . . . "

 Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God.  Mark 1:15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.  The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom.  What is the kingdom?  Romans 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Matthew 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  This verse should teach us that there are those things that are decreed by God or nature, the just and the unjust receive the same benefits or suffer the same consequences.  A drunk, violating the laws of humanity, driving the wrong direction down the freeway is not an instrument of God sent to exact vengeance upon any poor unsuspecting child.  Therefore God doesn’t make mistakes, is not an applicable response.  Surgical removing Bible verses from their supporting scriptures, creating sound bites  that establishes an alien context,  we establish a modus operandi that causes true faith to suffer. 

There are questions of prayer and faith, and in most instances the answers are not forthcoming from the pulpits of our churches.   In many settings prayer has become a loud, boisterous act designed to provoke an emotional reaction from the listener.   The strangeness of may church services is that they seek to obtain the same level of emotions that is achieved when a nationally known performer appears on stage. 

Based upon Paul’s definition of faith the meaning seems can seem somewhat muddled.  It was Peter’s contention that Paul sometime spoke in highly educated language that was hard to understand.  But, it is not the definition of faith, it is the application of faith that bothered me. Some describe the Christian faith as a “personal relationship with Jesus.” But, what type of relationship is the organize church encouraging and developing.  A personal relationship with Christ is defined as leaning and depending on Jesus.  Is this the type of relationship encouraged by Jesus when he said, “Take up your cross and follow me”?  Sadly, our church services, classes, and programs pursue a relationship like, “Jesus will pick us up and carry us.”  Do our faith in Christ means he will carry us through the storm?   Faith is touted as the procurer of our wants or hopes.  Is this an accurate representation of faith...

Think on these things. 

A Question of Faith.

A Question of Faith

I often think of a conversation Jesus had with his disciple, in that conversation he posed the question, “would he find faith when on his return”.  Christianity once a religion of works has now transformed itself into a religion of wants.   Fewer and fewer messages are delivered touting the saving grace of our father while the airwaves, pulpits, and social media are alive with testimonies of what God is doing.   If a church going Christian would respond that God is not doing all of the things we claim he is doing, that church going Christian would be churched and thrown under the bus.

What is faith?  Some years ago, my 90 plus year old mother asked me this question.  We were sitting at the breakfast table about to enjoy our sausage, eggs, conversation, and coffee.   She asked the question with the seriousness of a person searching for an answer, and that caught me off guard.  Our breakfast table discussion was her way of teaching, transferring knowledge and inspiring me to search for and write, with a deeper understanding of God’s word.  In the twilight years of her life, she encouraged me to rethink some of the things that even she had taught me concerning the Word of God.   Often in our varied discussions, she would remind me that as a  Sunday School teacher, she had taught that the earth was square and that man would never go to the moon.  This faulty interpretation  stems from an improper understanding and thus an improper application of the Word of God from a biblical perspective. The angels of Revelation standing on the four corners of the earth was not supportive of a flat earth theory.  Through her years of Bible study, she had learned that the most proficient preachers and teachers use broken scriptures, scriptures out of context, (like broken English) as the basis of their objections or dissertations without considering the full counsel of the Bible. 

 I still can remember the first time I heard my mother explain to her Sunday School class what faith was.  She had begun by quoting Hebrew 11:1, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.   As an analogy, she used the old fashion method of cooking Turnip greens.    The greens would be boiled in a pot of seasoned water.  Once the greens were served any leftover water would be saved and later eaten with cornbread.  In the old days, they called it “pot liquor”.  Pot liquor was not turnip greens, but it contained the substance of turnip greens.   Therefore, she concluded, faith was the substance of hope.  Years later, I asked my younger brother the meaning of faith, he responded by quoting Hebrew 11:1. 

As I was about to answer my mother’s question by quoting Hebrew 11:1, my mind became a cesspool of unanswered questions.  Is there a difference between hope and hoped, more than just saying one is present and the other is passed.   When Paul speaks of hope is he referencing a certain type of hope.  Is the substance of this hope the basic elements of faith.   Hope for what?  Hope for the healing of the body?  There was a woman with an issue of blood for twelve years, she hoped for a healing.  Jesus spoke the word and she was healed.  My father lay on his bed of affliction for six months, the prayer for healing and restoration was not answered.  What is hope?  Hope for a new car?  There are many who claim that God gave them a new car, leaving them to make the payments.  Hope for salvation?   I mentally reviewed Hebrew 11:1.  Paul did not say faith was the substance of hope, he said faith was the substance of ‘things’ hoped for.  What were the things he was referring to?  This most definitely  did not mean  a Carte Blanche of things.   Was he giving credence to the old adage of, “If you can believe, you can achieve?”  There are good things and there are bad things.  Therefore, there must be a faith that is of God and if the rule of opposites applies, then there is a type faith that originates from the devil.   When she saw my confusion and  hesitation, she smiled.

Often we read the teaching of Paul and we conclude that it means this, as if we have a divine revelation into the mindset of Paul.  Paul was a highly educated man and he spoke the language of an educated man.   In the Book of Hebrews, Paul is speaking to a group of educated Jews and he speaks a  language that they can understand.   There are many statements attributed to Paul that the lay person is hard pressed to understand or reconcile.  Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:12  But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence, once was accepted as doctrine by many, whereas in today's society, good or bad,  it is being reinterpreted and cast aside.    It would seem to me that Peter alluded to a certain problem with Paul’s teaching in his final epistle. 2 Peter 3:16  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.  There are many who will disagree with me in my assessment of the above statement, but I prefer to let the facts speak for themselves. The question is, what is faith?  Quoting Hebrews 11:1 to a person who is searching for the answer does not necessarily provide the answer.   Acts 8, tell the story of Philip explaining the scripture to the eunuch who was riding along reading the scripture.  It is the preacher's job to explain the scripture so that those who seek answers might understand it.
   

Faith, God, miracles and blessings have been defined and redefined until even the things that God has ordained from the beginning of time is looked upon as a miracle.  The world’s spirituality  has changed and God is in the blessing business.  We go about our daily task, ignoring those unanswered pleas, as we seek to amplify what our Heavenly Father is doing, finding solace in “God is a good God”.   Secretly the faith of many tends to suffer because we are afraid to acknowledge our lack of understanding of the word faith.  When Jesus addressed the subject of faith with his disciples, they responded Luke 17:5  And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.
  

We are encouraged to pray for the healing of the land and our body.  We pray for financial blessings and we often pray for God to deliver us from the storm.   We have a scripture that says God answer all prayers and if we ask we shall receive.  For an outward showing, we pretend  that we are receiving and enjoying the blessing of our Father while inward we are struggling with a question of faith.  The conditions throughout the land are not getting better and our bodies are deteriorating at an early age. We cry out to God for healing as we rush to the Hospital and when we survive the operation, our faith tells us it was God who did the work. 

John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ was locked away in a jail cell.  When his faith began to weaken, he sent runners to find Jesus and ask him a question.   He did not ask to be delivered from jail, there were questions of faith that he needed to be answered.   Luke 7:20  When the men came unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?  What would, you are I ask for?  No doubt our testimony would have been, “I am trusting God to deliver me.”  All of the old patriots processed a great degree of faith, they did not abuse their faith.   John the Baptist was marooned on an island alone, no one to talk to except Jesus Christ and his angels.   There is nothing in the narrative that said John asked for deliverance.   Why?  Maybe to do so would have been abusing his faith.   Faith is not a question of or based upon what God can or cannot do.   Faith requires a degree of acceptance.  Philippians 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Now, what is faith?  Every person who professes a belief in God know what faith is, right?  We also know that without faith it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6)    According to  Wikipedia, Faith is variously defined as the belief, confidence or trust in a person, object, religion, idea or view.  Therefore, without confidence in God--in his fidelity, his truth, his wisdom, his promises it is impossible to please God.  It is impossible for a child to please his father unless he has confidence in him.  The rules of good and evil or opposites apply.  There is good and bad confidence.  It is impossible for a wife to please her husband, or a husband, a wife, unless they have confidence in each other. If distrust and jealousy exist on either part, there is discord and misery. We cannot be pleased with a professed friend unless he has such confidence in us as to believe our declarations and promises, The same thing is true of God. He cannot be pleased with the man who has no confidence in him; who doubts the truth of his declarations and promises; who does not believe that his ways are right, or that he is qualified for universal empire. The requirement of faith or confidence in God is not arbitrary; it is just what we require of our children, and partners in life, and friends, as the indispensable condition of our being pleased with them.

The problem with our walk of faith manifest itself when we attempt to use faith to get what we claim God promised us, and the result is not forthcoming.  I know that there are many of us who have dealt with this problem privately.  Our testimony speaks of the great thing God is doing for us, while inside we are like John the Baptist, alone on an island.  But, unlike John we are begging for deliverance.  To maintain our degree of faith and sanity we began to trivialize the works of God.  If Bible students could accept that Israel was God’s chosen people and God made earthly promises to Israel, and the church is the bride of Christ, and Christ made spiritual promises to the church, we would not become caught up in begging for the blessings of Abraham.   Israel a natural body received natural promises, the church a spiritual body received spiritual promises.   If this were not true, then sinners would be poor and Christians would be financially rich.

The modern day definition of faith tends to suffer because defining and supportive scriptures have been hijacked and used as a tool for mind control.  The drawing card off too many religious assemblies is based upon how to get what you want from God.  The emerging pious prelates tend to define faith as simply giving money to God and waiting for him to bless you.  The attributes of faith are reduced to healing and  financial blessing as those who seeks to obtain followers make vast promises in the name of God.   The social media are filled with promises of huge sums of money if the reader will type “Amen”  to the status presented.  The use of the phrase, “Somebody will receive this blessing”, is not an accurate representative of God’s power, nor is it an indication of the proper use of faith. 

The problem with trying to determine what is Mustard seed faith is complicated by the changing modern day definition of faith.  Is faith simply a belief in God, or  is faith is believing God will do things for us?   If he did it once, he can do it again, have now become the standard of God’s involvement in our life.   The statement is true from the standpoint of God’s power but is it a true assessment of His involvement in the day to day affairs of humanity.  If he parted the sea, he can do it again, but an exercise in futility might describe as standing on the beach begging God to part the waters.   A deeper understanding of the Word of God would prevent us from making unnecessary and bogus claims of God.

 to be continued