Reality vs. Faith (2) – Finishing Strong with Knowledge

I remember someone once told me that a bird can only fly with what it has swallowed. It is impossible for a bird to fly with what it is hoping to pick up along the way. It is what a man has that he gives; likewise, man only acts upon what is within his scope. Once it is beyond his scope of understanding, it most likely has eluded him. The more informed you are about a given situation the better your actions will be. Why do you think when companies are recruiting they require certain years of experience? The reason is simple- the more experienced the person is, the better and faster the job will be done. In addition, it will take off the cost of training the individual for a start. Also, while on the job it is the same experience that will keep you on the track of effectiveness and prompt delivery.

What then is experience or how is it acquired? Simply put, it is the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities. Without knowledge, opportunities will be squandered and abuse definitely inevitable. It was the level of Jesus’ knowledge about His rights, abilities, and mission that stood him out. It was same knowledge that afforded him outstanding performances when confronted with issues. He knew He had the authority and power from God to raise the dead.

For example, Jesus gathered enough experience over time through knowledge to handle cases such as:

1) John 9:4; He knew He had to work hard at the assignment handed over to Him by the Father while it is day because the night was coming when no man will be able to work. So while going about, He had the mind of mission. He was duty bound in all that He did to the extent that He prepared ahead. As Christians, we are duty bound to solve the world’s problems. We should be an embodiment of solutions anywhere we find ourselves. Remember, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation; reconciling the world back to God. Interestingly, there is no way we would go about reconciling the world back to God without introducing them to the entire package that is in redemption; Life, Righteousness, Healing, Fruitfulness, etc.

2) He made preparations ahead of his time because He was well informed of the task before Him. In recognition of His link to the Father, Jesus himself regularly spent time in the wilderness, mountains, etc, to pray and enjoy communion with God alone. These periods of one-on-one fellowship seemed to help Him prepare for the activities ahead. Matthew 4: 1- 11

3) Lastly, he proudly displayed His level of knowledge by informing His tempter of the details in the written Word, when he was tempted in the wilderness.

A closer look at John chapter 11 earlier discussed in the introductory article, indicates Jesus’ authoritative response in verse 4 to information relayed in verse 3. He stated that the sickness was not unto death but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified. I won’t be surprised to discover that he had the wind of the incident while praying prior to that moment, since he was regularly given to prayers. He had a ready answer for every given situation brought to His notice. He knew right from time that He had the power of life. This same mindset propelled Him to call Lazarus’ death a sleep in verse 11. Though He was still not informed that Lazarus had died, He must have perceived it in the spirit.

Friends, these things do not just happen by chance but by giving oneself over to much prayer. However, the battle of Jesus gaining access to Lazarus was still not over. He encountered obstacles on his way such as: the four day old dead body, the weeping sympathizers, the faithlessness and doubtful insistence of Martha and Mary, the sealed tomb, etc. Nevertheless, Jesus persisted in reiterating the fact that he is the resurrection and the life; though Lazarus was dead, he will live again.

Friends, contrary realities and circumstances will always attempt to prevail over our situations; we need to take a firm stand like Jesus did. Instead of getting discouraged or defeated with the reality and factual statements made by Martha and Mary, Jesus took charge and said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?”Verse: 40.

Being filled with knowledge puts us at the edge of trailing the blaze. Most times, such knowledge should motivate us to take out time to pray. Praying could be as simple as that of Martha and Mary. They simply prayed Jesus to come because their brother was sick. It could also be as simple as saying that ‘even now, whatsoever thou will ask of God, God will give it thee’. We need to affirm our conviction. No wavering or compromising even in the face of reality. The reality may be like it was said of Lazarus that he should be stinking by now but you need to affirm your control over it like Jesus did.

– Pastor Adeyiga Awomuti