Unfortunately, as human beings, we’re terribly limited by our finite ability to understand and appreciate the power and ways of God, which makes it way too easy to underestimate Him! Isaiah 55:8-9 warns “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. That’s exactly why we’re instructed in Proverbs 3:5-6 to Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. As Job 37:5 reminds us, God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. So there’s no way we can truly appreciate or understand the power and ways of God, which is why it’s so vitally important that we heed the counsel Paul gives in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6, where he states For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

So one of the single most important things for men and women standing for marriage restoration to do is to take EVERY thought, mindset and attitude CONTRARY to the written Word of God (thereby setting itself up as an argument and pretension against the knowledge of God, and becoming a stronghold when not confronted with the Word) captive by making them obedient to Christ, which is the Word; yet that is probably our greatest failure. We naturally try to apply human understanding and limitations to our situations, so even though we might believe Luke 1:37 intellectually, we don’t truly believe it experientially since it says For nothing is impossible with God.” Yet, if we’re honest, most of us would have to admit that we spend a lot more time considering the apparent impossibilities of our circumstances and situations instead of the INFINITELY UNLIMITED POWER AND POSSIBILITIES OF GOD! But as 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 reminds us, However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” — but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. And Romans 1:17 confirms that in that it says For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” And as 2 Corinthians 5:7 states, as Christians standing on the power and promise of God’s Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families, We live by faith, not by sight. And Jeremiah 33:3 promises us that if we call on God, He will show us great and mighty things we do NOT know. So when we rely on what WE know and what WE understand, WE are very dangerously underestimating the power and ways of God and literally HINDERING the work of His mighty hand on our behalf.

Since God tells us that faith is being sure of what we HOPE for and certain of what we do NOT see (Hebrews 11:1), we can’t afford to underestimate God, and the ONLY way to avoid doing that is to spend quality time seriously studying His Word. IF we don’t’ KNOW God’s Word, how can we even recognize thoughts, mindsets and attitudes that are contrary to it; much less take them captive by making them obedient to Christ and the Word? And as Romans 10:17 points out, …faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So if we don’t know the Word of God, we can’t ever expect or hope to defeat and overcome the devil as Jesus indicated in Matthew 4:4, when He said …”It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ “ And if we don’t know the Word of God and the words that Jesus spoke (as written in the Gospels), how can we PRACTICE them and be assured that our marriages and homes are built on a solid foundation that can and will withstand the storms of life as Jesus instructed in Matthew 7:24-29?

While we all love and appreciate the comfort, encouragement and wisdom found in much of the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs, we can’t overlook the powerful instruction Jesus came to personally convey. So it’s very important that we spend quality time seriously and thoughtfully reading and studying the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), as well as the rest of the New Testament. Since a structured method of reading through the entire Bible is so important and effective, I am surprised to discover that very few people seem to do that. Yet, we can’t afford NOT to do so when we consider phrases like: every pretension, every thought, every word, every act of disobedience, in all your ways acknowledge him, and so many more. And even if we’ve read the same passages and verses over and over again, that doesn’t mean that God can’t and won’t show us something new EVERY time we read them, which He usually does! And as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So as we honor and glorify God by standing in faith and obedience on the power and promise of His Word for the full and complete restoration of our marriages and families, it’s very important to make a deliberate and intentional decision to know and understand the Word of God so we can take our thoughts captive and MAKE them obedient to Jesus Christ; His Word. And the ONLY way to EFFECTIVELY do that is to SPEAK very specific verses of scripture right back to those contrary thoughts mindsets and attitudes; just like Jesus did when the devil came calling on him as it is written in Matthew 4:1-11. And just as Jesus demonstrated, we DON’T have a conversation with the devil, and we DON’T waste ANY time entertaining and validating HIS plan and efforts to steal, kill and destroy the Word of our testimony or our marriages and families! WE JUST SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD AS IT IS WRITTEN RIGHT BACK TO OUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND ANY THOUGHTS SETTING THEMSELVES UP AS ARGUMENTS AND PRETENSIONS AGAINST THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD!!! When we DO that, we will avoid the danger of underestimating God and LIVE BY FAITH! And God leaves no doubt of how important that is as we stand for marriage restoration, confidently relying on the power and promise of His Word; because Hebrews 11:6 says And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. And Hebrews 10:38 even warns But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” Since taking our thoughts captive by making them obedient to the Word of God and living by faith are such important weapons in the spiritual battle now being waged for our marriages and families, it should be pretty obvious that knowing and meditating on God’s Word is the only way to DO that and avoid the danger of underestimating God! And how blessed and encouraged we all are when we don’t underestimate the love, goodness, mercy, grace, faithfulness and power of God Almighty!

Posted Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 10:07 am in Seeds Of Faith.