HELPING UNBELIEF
One day Jesus came upon a crowd that was having an involved discussion. When He asked about their concern, a man explained to Jesus that he needed help for his son who has an evil spirit and that Jesus' followers were unable to help. Then he asked Jesus if He could help, stating "if You can". Jesus response was "IF YOU CAN BELIEVE, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE TO HIM WHO BELIEVES". Immediately the father responded desperately with tears in his eyes, "Lord, I believe" and then after an instant conviction of his inadequate belief he begged "help my unbelief!" (Mk 9:14-27 NKJ). Jesus had the opportunity to help his unbelief or build his faith like many try to do today. Jesus could have talked about the bible. Jesus was highly qualified to help his unbelief by convincing him that the bible is accurate. However Jesus wants people to believe in God not just the bible. Jesus could have bragged about "[THE] BLIND SEE, [THE] LAME WALK, [THE] LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, [THE] DEAF HEAR, [THE] DEAD ARE RAISED" (Lk 7:22 NKJ) etc. When making the preceding statement Jesus was not bragging but rather responding to an inquiry from John the baptizer. Jesus did not try to build belief by bragging about God's power in His ministry. Remembering Jesus says He is guided by God on what to "SAY" (Jn 12:49 and what to "DO" (Jn 14:31), Jesus helped the father's faith by simply commanding the evil spirit to "COME OUT OF HIM AND NEVER ENTER HIM AGAIN" (Mk 9:25 NI) and setting his son free. God's power can do more to help a person's faith than anything we might say. Follow Jesus example, be guided by God and help people believe in the one true God who has a son named Jesus.
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A Psalmist wrote: "They kept on sinning. They did not believe even with the miracles". Ps 78:32 IC
MARRIAGE WORKSHOP MOMENT
Filters: we all have them and they affect the very fabric of our marriages. Filters can be inattention, emotional states, expectations, communication styles or self-protection. All of these can effect how you hear or process things in your mind. One example of an emotional state could be if your boss yelled at you and put you down at work in front of others. When you come home, recognize your filter that you may hear things differently than intended because you are stressed and emotional. Try not to jump on your children for the least little problem. You may wish to announce your filter by sharing with your family that you had a rough day, so hopefully they will treat you considerately and it may cause your spouse be more sensitive to you. Another illustration would be a wife came home late after a long day. Her husband thinking this would be a great time to take her out to dinner said, "What would you like to eat?" Through her tired filter she heard, "What are you going to fix for dinner?" And her response was anger, which resulted in him getting angry and they never did go out to eat. Recognize that all kinds of filters become barriers to intimacy and openness. Try and be sensitive to your spouse and detect their filters. Take responsibility for understanding your filters. If you recognize you have a situation that may cause you to filter, announce it.
The Better Half "When your partner won't support your efforts to make your marriage better" Without your spouse's support to improve your marriage, you can still pray daily for God's will to be done in each of your lives and your marriage. Jesus said, "all things are possible with God", Mk 10:27 NI). Recognize that all kinds of filters become barriers to intimacy and openness. Try and be sensitive to your spouse and detect their filters. Take responsibility for understanding your filters. If you recognize you have a situation that may cause you to filter, announce it. If you feel like your spouse will not care about your filter, you may try to not allow it to influence what you hear.
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Hearing God's Voice - Greek Miracle - We Center on Jesus - Honoring God Physically
Eye Healing Miracle * The Alphabet is from God * Family Prayer Outline * Jesus Knows the Bible and Spoke Hebrew *