I am deeply fascinated by the character and authorship of John, the beloved John. Of the Gospels, he is my favorite, and I esteem his account as the most powerful in revealing the divinity of Christ. I am not disputing the others, for they all play key roles in revealing different aspects of this beautiful character called Jesus, in whom is centered our hope of eternal life, the purpose of our being, and the reason the Bible was even written in the first place.
John 5:39-40 (NLT): “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”
Paul was also not hesitant to reveal the eavesdropped conversation between Jesus and God the Father:
Hebrews 10:7 (NLT): “Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written about me in the Scriptures.’”
Oh, this man Jesus came down to live out the Scriptures which talked about Him. When you read Genesis and see Judah volunteering his life to save the red-handed caught Benjamin, you see Christ taking our place at the cross. When you see Abraham about to sacrifice his own son Isaac, you see how hard it was for the Father to give up Christ, but nevertheless, He was willing and did give Him up—and many other illustrations time and space would fail me to explain.
John 1:47-48, 50-51 (NLT): “As they approached, Jesus said, ‘Now here is a genuine son of Israel—a man of complete integrity.’
*’How do you know about me?’ Nathanael asked.
Jesus replied, ‘I could see you under the fig tree before Philip found you.’
Then Nathanael exclaimed, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God—the King of Israel!’
Jesus asked him, ‘Do you believe this just because I told you I had seen you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.’
Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man.’”
Nathanael expresses the kind of faith that I would call the faith of a mustard seed. Even Jesus is impressed and says, “Just because I told you I saw you under a tree, you believe in me? Wow, you will see greater things than these.” In short, Jesus doesn’t require great things from us. He requires the faith of a mustard seed, and He shall make it full.
But, what is faith?
What Is Faith?
Faith is not merely a profession of the mind; it is an intellectual action of the will. That’s to say: If the will had hands and legs and whatever it takes to act, that’s what it would do. It is distrusting the desires of the flesh (carnal feelings) or our natural desires to do evil, to gratify the body with sin—a broken cistern of waters that do not satisfy (Jeremiah 2:13)—and trusting, holding firm to what the Word of God says, and yielding wholly on the power of Christ (God) to do that which we know to be good but do not fully desire to do.
Faith is also trusting that which the Word says and bids to do to be good and better compared to what the soul wants or yearns for in feelings. It is hoping against hope. That whatever may become of us when we trust in God and distrust in self, we do not see through it, but it will be for our own good and greatest benefit.
Faith is knowing and believing that to live in the flesh is death, but by the Word, which is spirit and life (John 6:63), is life indeed and peace (Romans 8:6).
Faith understands that following the desires of the flesh is distrusting God, and that is the greatest expression of lack of faith (Romans 8:7; Hebrews 11:6).
When Adam and Eve were created, it was expedient that they live from faith to faith, for that is life (Romans 1:17), and therein is the character of God (His righteousness) perfected and molded into the full measure and stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). Adam was to grow into Christ, and that would only have been through faith—living from faith to faith. Faith enables us to overcome, and overcoming gives us strength for the next victory. Making us stronger in Christ, fulfilling in us what is mentioned by the apostle:
James 4:7 (NLT): “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Had Adam and Eve overcome their first trial and temptation, well, it would have been a walk in the park if the devil crafted another temptation.
Trials: Opportunities to Grow in Faith
Beloved, we should be thankful for trials, for they are an opportunity to be faithful—meaning full of faith—which is the victory that overcomes the world. And when we overcome in the power of Christ, which is in our access to claim, the devil and sin will have no power over us.
To Cain, it was revealed how sin comes to us and how we ought to overcome it:
Genesis 4:7 (NLT): “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
According to that passage, it is a clear testimony of what James later iterates:
James 1:13-15 (NLT): “And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, ‘God is tempting me.’ God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
It is that detrimental what lack of faith can do to us and those around us. Read that again: (us and those around us).
Consider the story of Isaac and Jacob, which I have found profoundly potent, shedding light on how the deceptions and temptations of the devil are well-crafted.
The Deception of Isaac and Jacob
The story is found in Genesis chapter 27. Isaac is an old man at the brink of his death. He seeks to pour the blessings meant for the eldest son onto Esau, so he asks him to go to the field and get him some game meat, prepare a savory dish, and bring it to him. Esau obeys and sets off to the field. Meanwhile, Jacob and his mother cook up a scheme—fantastic, mind-blowing counterfeits, some wise lies.
Maybe just to mention something about lies and their origin:
John 8:44 (NLT): “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
So the devil is the father of lies, and when we deceive, we partake of his spirit and character.
So back to the story—Esau had a unique characteristic distinct from Jacob. He was very hairy. It could be because he spent most of his time outdoors in the cold of the woods, pursuing fantasy thrills; hence, his skin naturally adapted a furry coat to conserve heat. Whereas Jacob, well, he was a “mama’s boy.” He probably spent most of his life doing home duties and sitting by the fireplace. This, I don’t say to be funny. We will come to find out how these duties shaped his manhood in contrast to Esau, perhaps in another article.
But that is as far as my imagination can serve me for the sake of this study. The point is, the mother clothed Jacob with lambskin on his hands and neck—making me wonder how hairy Esau really was! Anyway, the skin was designed so that Jacob would feel and smell like one who had been in contact with animals. The deceptiont was rather subtle.
Now, it came to pass that when Jacob had brought the spoils to his father, Isaac noticed something was off. The voice he heard was of Jacob. So, he bid him to draw closer that he may feel his skin. When he did, Isaac exclaimed, “The voice indeed is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s.”
Trusting God’s Voice Over Feelings
Beloved, it is written that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). It is also written:
Exodus 19:5 (NLT): “Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me.”
Isaac had the evidence of where not to trust: through the voice and the words. Eve had evidence just as strong through the voice and the words. Prior to the temptation, God’s voice was heard saying:
Genesis 2:17 (NLT): “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat. For in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
But beloved, as I said, lack of faith is distrusting in what God has said and trusting in the feelings you have at the moment. Isaac chose to bank on what he could feel at the moment and totally forgot and disputed what he had heard before—what the manly voice of Esau was like. Same with us when temptations surround us—we forget how sweet it is to dwell in the presence of God. We throw faith out the window and bank on feelings because that is what seems real in the moment. How quickly we forget;
1 John 2:16-17 (NLT): “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
Now, dear friends, the choice made came with consequences—dire ones.
Romans 1:18-19, 21, 24 (NLT): “But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.”
Because Jacob believed a lie, trusted a lie, and distrusted the truth, lies started to become more appealing to him than the truth.
Genesis 27:26-27 (NLT): “So Isaac said to Jacob, ‘Come closer and kiss me, my son.’ So Jacob went closer and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, ‘Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the Lord has blessed.’”
Oh, sin! Sin will take you farther than you are willing to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you are willing to pay.
Isaac gave all to the wrong cause, all to the unintended person. And it felt good and pleasurable for a while, but now things are about to fall apart. You see, when the devil uses you and is done with you, after he gets you to do his will and his biddings…
Genesis 27:30 (NLT): “As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had left, Esau returned from his hunt.”
He departs together with his pleasures, and that’s when the truth (Esau) kicks in, and the bitterness and regrets start streaming in.
Genesis 27:31-33 (NLT): “Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then he said, ‘Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your blessing.’
Isaac asked him, ‘Who are you?’
‘I am your firstborn son, Esau,’ he replied.
Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, ‘Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it and blessed him. Just before you came, and yes, that blessing must stand.’”
Two Voices: Truth and Lust
There are two voices, beloved: the voice of truth and the voice of lust. To obey the truth, we require faith; to yield to lust, we follow feelings.
What a terrible temptation it is! What a cup trembles at our hands! What a faith, also, beloved, is required to resist the devil and listen to God. A faith of a mustard seed is one that distrusts the flesh and trusts in God, and from such faith, C hrist completes the faith making it full for he is the author and finisher of our faith( Heb 12:2), and He sprouts springs of living waters that spring up to eternal life.
John 17:1-3 (NLT):
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
The knowledge of God is from faith, faith in His word and voice.
John 10:16 (NLT):
“I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd.”
Hymn: O for a closer walk with God
- O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb! - Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast. - What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill. - The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.
The Pain Of Rejection