Submitted by Sam Nobles
And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his
hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their
unbelief. And he went about among the villages teaching.
(Mar 6:5-6 ESV)
Unbelief can hinder what God wants you to receive
It wasn’t
that Jesus couldn’t do the mighty works; man’s wickedness is not so powerful
that it mutes or restrains God’s power. Rather, had Jesus blessed these
unbelieving people he would have been blessing people where there was no desire
for blessings, filling needs where there was no consciousness of need, and
healing people who would have resented being told they were sick.
Three
Causes of Unbelief
1.
Preconceived Ideas
People have preconceived ideas about how
God should do things, and when things don’t work how they think it should, they
shut down and don’t believe God. When Elisha the prophet told Namaan the leper
to dip in the Jordan River to receive his healing; it made him angry because
that is not how he thought things should go (2 Kings 5:11). Namaan preconceived
ideas of how things should happen were keeping him from receiving the healing
that God wanted him to have.
2.
False Familiarity
The people of Jesus’ hometown could not see
Jesus as anything other than Mary and Joseph’s son. Therefore, they wouldn’t
receive the blessings that he wanted to give them (Matthew 13:54-58). Don’t make the mistake of thinking that
because “you know who someone really is” that the Lord could never use that
person to impact and bless your life. Wonderful things happen when you are
looking for the Lord – He shows up at unexpected times, in unexpected ways, and
through unexpected people.
3.
Doubt
When Peter asked to walk on water with
Jesus he quickly started to sink. Why? The Bible says that he saw the wind and
the waves and began to doubt (Matthew 14:30-31). Doubt makes its approach to your mind and causes
you to think about and focus on things that have no bearing on what really
matters in your situation. Wind and waves have nothing to do with walking on
water, but that is what Peter was focused upon.
Scripture to Claim:
…All things are possible for
one who believes. Mark 9:23b ESV
