Quest 20

Do you want his attention?

1. We are shocked at wickedness. Jesus wasn’t.

We are shocked at news accounts of how evil people can be.
Jesus knew how wicked we can be (Matthew 15:19) - For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.

2. Jesus’ radar was designed to detect faith.

He was amazed at how little some had, for example in his hometown (Mark 6:6) - And he marveled because of their unbelief.
He was amazed at how much some had, like the centurion (Luke 7:9) - When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
He chided his disciples for their “little faith” -
- Matthew 6:20 - But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
- Matthew 8:26 - And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”
- Matthew 14:31 - Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

3. Faith gets Satan’s attention too.

Daniel prayed and fasted for three weeks seeking to know God’s will (Daniel 10:2-3) - In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
From Day One his prayer was heard (Daniel 10:12) - Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.”
A spiritual battle ensued. The demon behind Persia resisted the angel bringing the answer, and he had to call on Michael the Archangel for help (Daniel 12:13) - The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia.
A prayer without faith doesn’t bother Satan one bit. But a prayer with faith gets through to God and that disturbs Satan.

4. Faith is the foot on the accelerator that moves the Kingdom.

Question: Do you usually hear about how powerful a race driver’s leg is, the one with the foot pressing on the accelerator? No. But you do hear about the horsepower of the engine.
No matter how much power the engine has, the car goes nowhere until the accelerator is pushed down.
The power is from God (2 Corinthians 4:7) - But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
That power is unleashed through faith (Matthew 17:20) - He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Example of woman with faith who unleashed the power of God (Luke 8:42-46) - As Jesus went, the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.”
Is your foot on the accelerator? Do you “press around Jesus” or do you “touch” him?

Quest 19