If You Would Believe, Part I

If You Would Believe
The Extent of Possibilities we can Achieve in the Arena of God's Power

Time and again, we have highlighted the glory hunt of our God, most high and deservedly so. He created all things, the heavens and the earth and everything in them. In fact, creation is a demonstration of the glory of God. The might and majesty of creation is a clear pointer to the grace and glory of our God. Ps 19:1-4

The creatures of heaven who recognized God in the beauty of Holiness despite of their exalted position removed their crowns, fell before God the Most High to give the glory due to His name being the Lord over all creation by who's pleasure we exist.
Rev 4:11

Furthermore, God has never left himself without witnesses in that He has provided many more evidences that points to Him as God supreme with the singular honour of receiving worship due to him. These evidences, events and acts are chronicled in the Bible with details of God's special intervention in human affairs. More importantly, the acts of God that are of central importance here are those in response to human trust in Him.

So, one more way God demonstrates His glory today are miraculous interventions in our lives and around us demonstrating His immense and unmatchable power to cause unimaginable changes to our advantage. If God offered eternal life to those who believe in Him, how would we receive assurance that He actually has power of eternal life?

The Lord offered eternal life and proved He had the power by many miraculous acts. Some of them were sheer acts of power that demonstrates who He is and the magnitude of authority at His disposal.

The Lord walked on water. Matt 14:23-33
Jesus rebuked the wind. Mk 4:35-41
He turned water to wine. John 2:1-11
Raised Lazarus from the dead. John 11:1-44

These miracles are manifestations of His glory so that all men may see Him for who He really is, the son of the most high God. The beneficiary of these miraculous acts should by them recognize the God of glory and return with worship to glorify Him. In Luke 17:11-19, the Lord had cleanse ten lepers of their leprosy but one of them realizing what was done went back to the Lord to acknowledge His glory, only one out of ten, a foreigner.
Luke 17:18

So, miracles point us in the direction of God's glory, looking away from self to God.

There were other miracles the Lord did that was in response to people's confidence in Him, their believe in the name of His person, the glory of His majesty.

He healed several sick folks.
Opened blind eyes, deaf ears and loosed the tongue of the dumb.
Raised dead people to life.
Casted out devils.
Fed the hungry.

There were several other miracles, signs and wonders done by the Lord which were not recorded by the writers of the accounts which all demonstrated his glory. The beginning of His miraculous exploit was to manifest His glory, that He is not just another man.
John 2:11

The Lord's followers recorded a few other miracles to one effect, that His glory is seen, that He is Jesus Christ the Son of God to the end that people can believe in Him for their salvation unto eternal life.
John 20:30-31

The Lord further taught that the same power of God was available to cause changes to our advantage if and when we believe in His name after demonstrating it in several examples.

Jairus' daughter. Mk 5:21-24, 35-43
The Centurion's servant. Matt 8:5-13
Two blind men. Matt 9:27-34
The boy with dumb spirit. Mk 9:17-28

Mk 11:23-24
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith...

The common denominator to all these encounters is believe in the Lord Jesus, to acknowledge He is the Lord and that He has the authority and power in His person to cause changes and to submit to that authority. So, what does it mean to believe?

What does it mean to believe?
To believe means to give effect to faith.
Faith means confidence in God. By the way, your ability to have confidence in God is based on what you have heard of Him or about Him.
Believe means to express confidence in God in verbal articulation or action. In relation to Heb 11:1, faith (confidence in God) is the reality and evidence of what is hoped for.

The presence of faith
How does faith come?
Faith is a kingdom of God reality, the only way we can relate with an unseen God.

Heb 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The ancients, those who came before us who walked with God all did so by faith obtaining a good report setting us examples of how we should conduct our time here.

Heb 11:2
For by it the elders obtained a good report.

So, faith can only come from our interactions with Him.
Rom 10:17