How We Can Hinder God
ICS Daily Devotions
Matthew 16:15-16 (NKJV) “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say I am?”, Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!” because God had given the revelation to him. We should also ask ourselves the same question because our answer will determine how we position our faith when faced with a situation.
Jesus is the second person of the triune Godhead, who created the entire universe by His Word. The Holy Spirit brought creation into being after God had spoken the Word. God is the God of all flesh, and nothing is too complicated for Him.
Jeremiah 32:27 (NKJV): “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
The promise of God must take place in the spirit realm before manifesting in the natural realm. Therefore, there is normally a time lag between when we pray or receive the word of promise and when the prayer is answered. During that time, the devil will attack our faith and throw all kinds of adversity and persecution at us to make us give up the faith and the Word that we have received. In other words, during the fight between what we see—which may be contrary to what we have prayed for—and what we believe, we must stand our ground in faith. Because the devil and our natural mind will both want us to doubt God, we must have a Book, Chapter and verse from God personally to provide substance to our faith. Otherwise, our unbelief will hinder God’s work in our lives.
Mark 6:4-6 (NKJV) But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marvelled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Although God is sovereign and supreme, He cannot do mighty work among those who do not believe because He respects our choices. Therefore, our unbelief limits or hinders His work. Some of us have restricted what God can do due to our wrong perceptions of Him, traditions and theological constraints, and intellectualism. We have limited God to what our minds can accept and elevated reasoning and logic above God’s power and ability because of pride. Therefore, let us repent and get rid of unbelief, doubt and pride, and let us welcome Him and desire His presence with a heart of expectation and faith, believing that God can do mighty deeds for us.
Sermon Series： Faith cannot coexist with Doubt
