THURSDAY’S TRUTH
Gotta Force the Faith Out of You Sometimes
SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 15:23
It’s been said “if you want the saints to pray, get them in trouble.” If that’s true why is it so? It seems we get serious when we HAVE TO be.
Actually, fervor and sincerity are qualities that enhance faith and bring results. There’s also a degree of “I’m fed up with the devil’s nonsense and I’m not going away empty handed,” that pleases God. In dealing with the Syrophenician woman, Jesus seems to push her to the point of desperation to get her daughter healed. In some ways, it seems she’s arguing with Him, and she is.
Forced faith is aggressive like that and it refuses to take no for an answer. When this lady was seemingly turned down twice by Jesus, she persisted. She showed greater faith than the Israelites! He had to give her what she asked for. When our faith rises to that forceful level, God is pleased. He delights in forcing the faith out of us.