Believe it or not

Dear friends,

have you ever wondered what made you believe in GOD?
And how you know that HE is real and HIS word is true?

Me, I know exactly what convinced me beyond any doubt and I even know how I came to see that HE is the only ONE TRUE LIVING GOD.
HE proved it to me in a very powerful and unforgettable way.
I have seen miracles and have seen the power of GOD move so mightily in my life that I can’t ever believe HE is not real.
But it is not as simple as that.
There is more to it than miracles or proof, even if it’s such a powerful convincer –  but there is actually so much behind it and that’s what gives me the total assurance that this MUST be the creator, the one who made us and loves us.

How about you, my friend?

What made you believe in GOD?

Do you remember what happened?

Did HE speak to you, bless you, heal you or showed you a miracle?

Or take you through a difficult time?

Did you learn about HIM?

What was it for you?
When and how did you move from “perhaps” to “knowing”?
Wherein is your faith in GOD rooted?

This morning, I thought about the story of the woman at the well.
I think this is a good story about a conversion or even a prototype for a conversion.

She wasn’t exactly living a holy life, in fact, she was living in sin – just like most of us before we came to CHRIST…

And in this story, it comes out very clearly how HE convinced her that HE is omniscient and loving beyond measure.

First, HE showed her that HE has no prejudices and spoke to her, even giving her an opportunity to be kind to HIM. Then, HE told her things about her HE could only have known if HE was GOD – at least that’s what she thought.

Actually, this made me realize that this is one of the most common tricks of the devil!
I mean, those of us who have studied the devil’s strategies know that he does not have any ideas of his own, but always copies whatever GOD has and does – right?
So this is what happens when you go to a fortune teller!
They are very skilled at reading your thoughts and taking educated guesses and sometimes, they also have demons telling them things about you that only you know and then you fall into the trap and believe they also know your future.
This is just a side note, but it is vitally important that we all see the difference between this and what GOD does and did, because the devil can know things and can also perform pseudo-miracles, which will then lure us into believing he has all the power or the person we are speaking to is actually an angel of GOD when all they are is an agent of the devil. This may sound stupid or incredible to you, but I am telling you, it is the truth and I hope and pray that you will not have to find out the difference between the two in your life – EVER! In JESUS’ name! Because if you were in that place, that would mean you are involved with the kingdom of darkness in some way and to some degree – and I know how dangerous this is, especially because of the deceiving powers of the enemy.
See it that way:
HE HAS TO deceive us, otherwise nobody would ever fall for him or believe one word he said.
If he didn’t lie, there would be absolutely no reason whatsoever for someone to believe him or follow him.
It would make no sense at all.
Why would you follow and serve the devil if you knew?
And if you knew the truth and that this will bring you straight to hell?

So it is vital to see the difference.
And I think this story about the woman at the well is pretty good to show us the difference.

Let’s take a closer look at the passage again:

John 4: 6-29
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

So it starts with JESUS asking the woman for water.
And after she is willing to engage in a conversation with him, HE uses her curiosity to explain spiritual things.
As far as I understand the story, the woman never actually gets to drawing water for HIM, because she ends up being so amazed by what HE told her, about the living water and about herself, that she runs off to tell the others about HIM and HE was lucky she left her waterpot at the well, but she never drew the water for HIM as far as the story tells.
And that’s exactly the point where we can see the difference:
JESUS was human and HE felt hunger and thirst just as we do.
And HE probably really was thirsty – apart from wanting to convert the woman or from knowing that HE was about to…
BUT when the woman got excited and understood who she was talking to, HE didn’t insist in having his needs met and instead continued teaching her and let her go and tell the others in the village instead of giving HIM water or at least HE didn’t ask her to give HIM water first.

PLUS, what HE was telling her was completely, purely and exclusively for her benefit and his knowledge about her past was only one of the “door openers” and “convincers” HE used to get into contact with her and to save her soul in the end.

This story is THE illustration of the difference between what GOD does with HIS supernatural powers and how the devil uses his.

Another sidenote: the devil is not powerless! In fact if you knew like I know what the enemy can do, you would be very astonished and perhaps it would even make you curious or fascinate you and then, he would have you, that’s why I am not going more into detail about the powers the devil and his agents have, because I don’t want to advertise him in any way, GOD forbid!
When the devil and his angels got thrown out of heaven for their rebellion against ALMIGHTY GOD, GOD didn’t take away their anointing, only their privileges to be in HIS presence –  and HE didn’t execute the punishment the devil and his angels will be having to face yet, but the bible is very clear on that: HE WILL!

 

First of all, whenever you want anything from the evil one, you have to pay first!

This can actually be your 100%-secure guarantee that what you will be getting is NOT from GOD.

GOD never needs anything from us. Neither HE himself nor anyone who works for HIM. Because if the person is truly working for HIM, they will be having all they ever need and so much more!
They will not depend on any payments, not even donations, they will simply be having enough!
Because they are working for GOD.
There is NO exception from this rule.
Of course, you can give if you like and they will use the money wisely and will do good with it and increase their ministry – but for the right reasons, to glorify GOD!
NOT to live in a bigger house and buy a more fancy car!
These are WORDLY things and true people of GOD are not interested in material wealth so much, they may have a house, but not a castle, they will probably buy a car if they can afford it, but not a fancy one. If they are GOD’s, they will be having a desire to live modestly and not too much in the world!
Believe me: too much bling is ALWAYS a sign that the enemy has them, that there is pride (which is THE most common and oldest reason for the fall of mankind, back then and today!) vanity (which is also pride) and covetousness / greed – which can also be counted under pride as well – if they are not indicating more and meaner sins… material wealth always and I repeat always comes with temptations and only very, very mature Christians will not fall into the traps of the devil when they are materially rich – that’s why JESUS said that it is more likely that a camel will fit through a needle’s eye than that a rich man will enter heaven!

Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

GOD is giving us the gift of salvation.
It is a GIFT.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with a price and most certainly, HE had to pay a very high price for it, HE bought us with a price, with HIS LIFE!
And HE expects us to be grateful and obedient and to pass on what we have received.

Matthew 10:8
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

HE also has several rules on what HE wants us to do with our money and how HE wants us to live our lives and also what to do with our finances, but HE will never, ever ask us for a payment for one of HIS blessings – whoever does that is NOT from GOD, I repeat, if you have to pay for anything, it is not from GOD – the sacrifices we give or don’t give or are asked from OUR FATHER to give are not related to blessings, at least not in a way many false teachers claim they are!
It is a holy life that OUR FATHER wants us to live and that comes with giving to the poor and to our church and to share what we have and what we have been given – that is totally different from “sowing a seed of $10.000 right now over our phone line so that GOD will bless you with a house!”

It is the other way around with GOD.
When HE blesses you, you will be truly blessed and you will be overflowing with joy and will have so much love in your heart for those who don’t have what you have that you will WANT TO give.
That’s the contrary of buying a blessing!

Next thing is the motivation.
When we go back to the woman at the well, we can see that the only reason JESUS started this conversation with the woman was to save her and many more people in her village.
Like many other things HE did, HE could have done them differently and that’s why so many people believed in HIM even at that time, they believed HIM and in HIM, because they could see and sense and hear and feel the power of GOD in HIM.
And THE LOVE OF GOD.
JESUS never did anything without love, even when HE was rebuking someone or something or speaking truths nobody wanted to hear, HE was always doing it with love and in alignment to GOD’s word in the bible.

There are many things we don’t understand about GOD – at least that goes for me.
That’s another aspect for me that makes me believe.
It may sound profane or too simple, but when you study something for years and you know that you don’t have a clue, at least not a big one, you must realize that you have come across something much bigger than yourself.
Me, I have studied law and a few therapeutic methods and means and without bragging too much I can say that I understand both to a certain degree – perhaps I am not up to date in all areas, but I know what these sciences are about and I can apply them or know how they work.
Plus, during the past few years, I have studied, was compelled to study for my own salvations’s sake the kingdom of GOD and the kingdom of darkness very intensely.
What I learned about GOD is that HE is so much more complex and intelligent and genius and brilliant and magnificent that I am aware that I am only barely scratching the surface of HIS wisdom and his empire after many years of diligently seeking HIM and studying HIS word and praying and fasting and doing what I can to get closer to HIM.
Whereas the devil can be looked through very easily.
That doesn’t mean he can be defeated easily, not for me at least, he is very clever, cunning, has many tricks and snares and he also knows what he is doing and has his army well ligned up, but it is very easy to figure him and his motives and his ways of operating out and after a while, you will know what he will do next – almost like a human being, a person you know very well and know their way of thinking… it is very clear that he is not GOD, is much more single-track-minded – whereas GOD… it sometimes takes years to understand what HE was doing or saying… and to see the goodness and the love in it…whereas you can always see the malice and evil in everything the devil does right away…

GOD is unfathomable, incomprehensible with the human mind.
That’s not the only, but some proof that HE is GOD and everything and everyone else is NOT.
But it must be that HE is above everything which can be figured out and that indicates that HE made it.
In the same way the potter always knows everything about the clay but not the other way around, even though that is just a parable, but I believe it is the same with us and with GOD – HE always knows everything about us and we know only a small fraction about HIM, because that’s all we are capable of.

If you had not been a believer when you started reading this article, perhaps there was some food for thought in it for you?
I can also highly recommend to check out “John Lennox”, who is a highly educated mathematician and also a famous apologist and has quite a few talks on youtube and also some public discussions where he “battles” famous atheists and I believe that he is eating them alive every time – in a very respectful, loving way, I enjoy watching him and watching how GOD speaks through him…

And if you are a Christian, perhaps even longer than I have been one, please leave a comment if you have anything to add or if you will share with us your moment or chain of conviction, will you?

I don’t know what your reasons are, my friend, for believing or not believing, but perhaps this can be an invitation for you to explore and go deeper and also, as usual, I am asking you to not believe anything I say, but to do your own research and most of all, pray about it and ask THE HOLY SPIRIT to teach you THE TRUTH.

I hope and pray that this will inspire and bless you, that THE LORD will bless you abundantly in all areas of your life and that HE will keep you and shine HIS face upon you and bring you peace. In JESUS’ name I pray! AMEN.

Foto credit: https://marciglass.com/2013/02/05/the-other-woman-at-the-well/