September 8th 2022.

UNBELIEF- THE FRUIT OF FAMILIARITY

Mark6:5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. NLT

The opening text shows us the negative impact of familiarity. The text didn't say "Jesus didn't do any miracles among them", rather it says "he couldn't do any miracles among them."

That implies that he tried to do some miracles among them but couldn't achieve His intentions. The reason for that is because of their unbelief. They didn't see Him as messiah. To them, He was the son of Joseph the carpenter.

One bad thing familiarity breed is unbelief. I noticed that new converts and those coming to church newly always encounter God quickly.

During testimony time, they always have wonderful testimonies to give but some old church folks who have been under the pastor for years would be struggling to get a miracle. Don't tell me you haven't seen this happen.

I have heard some old church folks say things like: "when I gave my life to Christ newly, I get answers to prayers easily". They thought God was doing a welcome party for them.

Some have taken it further by saying that miracles are not for believers. Their argument is that miracles are basically for evangelistic purposes. That's partly true because God use miracles as a bait to bring sinners to himself.

However, believers are also entitled to miracles in areas of need because it is part of their redemptive right. The major reason some believers are finding it hard to experience a miracle is because of unbelief produced by familiarity.

It happened in the time of Jesus and it is still happening today. I've also discovered that ministers of the gospel are not left out in this. It is harder trying to minister healing to a fellow minister. There's a deep-seated pride in some preachers that makes it hard for them to be blessed by other ministers.

Try to maintain healthy distance from your pastor and treasure access as golden. Unrestricted access can breed familiarity sometimes. Let your focus be on the grace of God upon his life and not his faults. Don't join his critics, pray for him daily. That's how to kill familiarity. If you look at every man critically, you'll find something to critique.

This is not an excuse to put up with a leader who has been consistently and unrepentantly sinful, evil and wicked. Learn to draw the lines.

If you want to encounter God differently from the previous, you must belief in God and also believe the man God is using for you at that hour is God sent even If he is your biological child. It is biblical to believe in God and also in his prophet, 2Chronicles20:20.

Today, the prophet may be your pastor, evangelist or anyone that is positioned to minister to you. Stop missing out on the largesse of heaven because of trivial reasons.