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God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV) This is an age of cheapness. Get it as cheaply and as quickly as you can, with just as little cost and tiresomeness. "Get it quickly: get it easily." That thought governs the whole world system. Everything is now aligned to getting it done easily and getting it done quickly. It is that way in your kitchen, your scurrying, your household affairs, and in every other realm. What is true in the secular has now become very largely true in the spiritual. The standards have been terribly lowered. Bigness has substituted greatness. Greatness, the true meaning of the word, is no longer considered. Oh, how we hear, "Big, oh yes, the bigger, then assuredly that is the most successful," but this is absolutely contrary to the Bible, to all gospel. It is like that.
There are four different kinds of faith, which are differentiated between form, function, and purpose. We will focus primarily upon the gift of the Spirit, the gift of supernatural faith. One way to get understanding is to define what something is and is not, what it does and does not do. Saving faith, natural faith, and the fruit of faith are different from the supernatural gift of faith. Natural faith comes from human experience. Saving faith comes from the human heart's desire for the Savior. The fruit of faith is the product of the reborn human spirit and develops like fruit on a tree. The gift of faith is a supernatural manifestation of the Holy Spirit.
As I've watched the ongoing conversations about prophecy, I've become increasingly convinced that in our effort to test and weigh prophetic words, we may be overlooking something foundational. What if we've started at the wrong place? If our primary question is whether a prophetic word is true or false, we may miss the most important factor in the entire equation. Before we evaluate the message, shouldn't we first consider the messenger? "So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:17). Accuracy alone is not enough.
Asking God questions is one of the most natural things we do as believers—yet so often the silence that follows leaves us frustrated and wondering why He isn't answering. You prayed, waited, asked again—and still heard only quiet. It's frustrating, even discouraging. I've been there more times than I can count. The good news? God isn't ignoring you. Most of the time, when we don't hear an answer, it's because something in how we're asking needs adjusting. Today I want to share three common reasons why God may not answer—and what you can do differently so you start hearing Him clearly.
Sometimes we have to get away from the noise to remember what really matters. Once a year, I take a solo trip. It's something I've come to look forward to, and quite honestly, something I've come to need. It's my time to unplug, rest, reset, recharge, reflect, and reconnect with myself, with nature, and with God. No schedules demanding my attention, no obligations pulling me in a dozen directions, and no need to be anywhere other than exactly where I am. Just me, my thoughts, and whatever the journey has to offer.
Our walk as believers is not, first and foremost, about joining a church. At salvation, we are joined to Christ. The Church is Christ. The Body is Christ. The Temple is Christ. He is all in all. The measure of Christ's hold on a believer is the measure of glory they will experience and the measure by which they will fulfil their divine purpose and destiny. We are called to minister the life of Christ in all we do—releasing and imparting His life to others. That requires a living, authentic relationship with Him: divine union and communion, grounded in knowing Christ intimately. It is a supernatural connection to His being that enables us to minister His life to others.
I spent many years coaching some of the best tennis players in the world. In that time I watched hundreds of matches from the closest seat in the house, and I can tell you the truth about elite performance that almost nobody talks about. Matches are rarely decided by talent. They are decided in an invisible moment that happens somewhere in the middle of the battle. It is the moment a player stops losing and starts being defeated. Most people think those are the same thing. They are not. The distance between them is the distance between a setback and an ending, and learning to see that distance clearly is one of the most important pieces of inner work a human being can do. Losing is a space we travel through. It is a stretch of road where things do not seem to be going our way. The results are not coming. The momentum belongs to someone else. Nothing we try seems to land.
How do we receive healing from God's Word? To receive healing from His Word, we must center on His healing promises. As we do, hope for healing grows within our heart, and so does our faith increase. We must read and study and keep on studying the Word of God concerning healing until the Word becomes more real to us than our present situation. We must consume ourselves with the Word so that it speaks louder than the pain, the symptoms, or any negative report.
Remaining steadfast under pressure so the next generation can advance. Most of us think endurance is measured by how long we can keep moving. We picture the runner putting one foot in front of the other, refusing to quit until the finish line is reached. That is certainly part of it. But when Hebrews tells us to "run with endurance the race that lies before us." The word translated endurance—hypomone—reveals another dimension. It is not merely persistence. It is steadfastness under pressure. Endurance is not only the consistency to keep advancing. It is also the resolve to refuse to be pushed backward. Sometimes the greatest challenge is not taking new territory, but holding your confidence in what God has said, continuing to govern what He has given you, and refusing to surrender victories already gained.
Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20 Beloved, understanding the purpose of the law is critical to your relationship with God. He gave the law for one purpose: that you would have the knowledge of sin and recognize your need for a Savior. Without the law, there would be no sin (Rom. 4:15). For example, if there is no law on how fast you can drive on a particular road, that is, if there is no speed limit, the state trooper cannot stop you and give you a ticket for speeding. In simple terms, no law equals no sin. No recognition of sin equals no need for a Savior!
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