Wilderness To Wisdom: Do We Really Believe?

In this episode, we sit with an honest question. Do we really believe everything the Bible says, or only the parts that feel safe? Jesus told us that whoever believes in Him would do the works He did and greater. That standard didn't expire, but most of us are living far below it without realizing how far the gap has grown.

We explore why information alone doesn't change us, how revelation moves the Word from head knowledge into something we actually walk in, and why our belief often collapses in the places where the world has trained us to expect impossibility.

This message is an invitation to examine what's actually shaping our belief and to respond to what God is showing us, one step at a time.

Transcript

Welcome back to Wilderness to Wisdom. In John 14 12, Jesus said something we have to take at face value. He said, Truly, Truly, I say to you, Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do, And greater works than these will he do, Because I am going to the Father. This is not something Jesus said only to the disciples standing in front of him that day. He said, Whoever believes, That includes us. This isn't a verse I've heard being widely taught. Of course, I can't say it's not happening, But it certainly hasn't been prevalent because if it were, We'd see the fruit from Christians and followers of Christ all around us. Verses like, I can do all things through Christ, Get preached all the time, Lots of emotion, Lots of energy, But is anyone actually being taught how to walk in what these verses say? John 14 12 seems to get skipped altogether. Most of us, Myself included, Are not living anywhere near what Jesus described as normal for those who follow him. But just because it's not fully happening doesn't mean we excuse it, Disregard it, Or stop actively walking toward it. That act of pursuit is how we get to that best version of on earth as it is in heaven that I've previously referred to in the episode on obedience. I talk about this often because everything I share comes back to who we are as a new creation and what it actually looks like to put on the nature of Christ and walk in the power and authority he walked in. So when Jesus tells us we'll do what he did and greater, We must see that as the standard he set for the life we've been called to. So we have to be willing to ask some questions. If this is what Jesus said would be normal, Why is it so rare? Have we ever seen it? Do we really believe what the Bible says? In this episode, We're going to address these questions, Not to condemn anyone and not to pretend any of us have this all figured out. I'm walking this out alongside you, But we have to be willing to look at where we are, Compare it to what Jesus actually said, And let the Holy Spirit show us where we've settled for less than what's been made available to us. Let's address the most important question first. Do we really believe everything the Bible says? This is a question we have to be willing to sit with because how we answer it determines everything that follows. Believe parts of it, The comforting parts that they understand, Or maybe the parts that don't disrupt how they want to live. Some of us haven't read it in full. We've picked up verses here and there, From sermons, From social media, From the parts our family or church emphasized, But what if the whole book from beginning to end has never been sat with? It's hard to say we believe something we've never actually taken in. Even when we do read it in full, Understanding doesn't come all at once. What I've come to trust is that the Bible doesn't contradict itself. If something seems like it does, That's our cue to study deeper, To ask the Holy Spirit for understanding, Not to walk away. There are things I still don't fully understand, And that's different from finding contradiction. What I do understand has shown me that the Bible is consistent. What I haven't come to understand yet, I trust will come as I keep walking, Keep studying, And stay open to what the Holy Spirit is revealing over time. For those who admit they don't believe it all, The reasons I hear most often are that it was written by man, There are different translations, And things have been lost or changed, So how can we trust it? Here's the thing. Yes, The Bible was written by man, But it was inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3. 16 says all scripture is given by the inspiration of God. That means the men who wrote it were led by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't their opinions or ideas, It was God speaking through them. Because we live in a fallen world, That doesn't mean every translation we have today is equally accurate. Some translations were altered out of ignorance, Translators doing their best but missing the depth of the original language. Others were altered deliberately to soften certain truths or to fit a particular agenda. This is real and it's part of why we can't just pick up any Bible and assume it's giving us the fullest picture of what God said. On the question of translations, That's actually where studying becomes important. Look at the different translations side by side. We can go back to the original Hebrew and Greek. We have more access to that information now than at any point in history. And on top of all that, We have the Holy Spirit who Jesus said would guide us into all truth. We are not left to figure this out alone. When you study the Bible, You'll be amazed at how it all comes together. Whether man tampered with it or not, It still came together to give us everything we need. Speaking of what's in the Bible, Some people talk about the missing or hidden books that were removed. Those are available to us and it's amazing how some details that aren't included in the Bible are told more in-depth in the Apocrypha books. The Apocrypha is another topic on its own, But here's the point worth sitting with. We were programmed to believe those books weren't inspired by God and that we should disregard them. How many of us who hold that stands have actually studied them for ourselves and let the Holy Spirit reveal what's true. We've accepted decisions that were made for us as truth without ever closely examining them. This is what we have to be willing to look at, Not just whether we believe the Bible, But whether we're continually studying it extensively and intently for ourselves. We cannot call ourselves followers of Christ and have a problem with the very book that's meant to guide our lives. We can't pick what we want to accept and disregard the rest. Either we believe the Bible or we don't. This is also how people end up mixing spiritualities that are not of God into their faith. Taking parts of the Bible, Parts of Islam, Parts of New Age teaching, Parts of Eastern religions, And building their own version of God. But a faith we've built ourselves isn't a faith in the God of the Bible, It's faith in our own preferences. If we don't fully trust what the Bible says, Then everything Jesus said about who we are and what we have access to becomes optional. And that's exactly where a lot of believers get stuck, Affirming the parts that feel safe and quietly setting aside the parts that could require us to question anything, And in turn, Shatter everything we've been led to believe. So, Before we go any further, This is the foundation and it must be settled. Either we believe what the Bible says in its entirety or we don't. And if we say we do, Then we have to be willing to walk it out, Including the parts that stretch us out of our comfort zone or challenge what we see and experience in the natural. If we recognize that we don't fully believe, Don't ignore it. Take it to God the way the father in Mark chapter 9 did when he said to Jesus, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief. Then trust that God will help you. You still have to choose to believe, But the Holy Spirit as your helper and guide will lead you into all truth. Now let's look at the gap itself. Scripture describes a life of authority, Power, And victory for those who follow Christ. We can read the Bible and see what was normal for the early believers. Healing, Casting out unclean spirits, Boldness, The word being demonstrated, Not just disgust. Then we look at our own lives and most of us would have to admit there's a distance between what scripture describes and what we're actually walking in day to day. When we notice that gap, Instead of letting it provoke us to grow, We may quietly adjust our expectations. We tell ourselves that maybe that level of authority was for another time or for certain people with a special calling. Virtualize or disregard the distance. We get comfortable with where we are because everyone around us seems to be in the same place. But the gap doesn't lower the standard or permit us to ignore scripture. It simply exposes areas where growth is needed. So then we have to ask, What's actually causing the gap? Part of it is the world itself. We live in a fallen world where our enemy, The devil, Is actively working against what God intended. We're not yet seen on earth as it is in heaven and that spiritual reality is part of the gap. But it's not all external. The other part is what's happening inside us. There's a difference between what we say we believe and what we actually believe. We don't always live according to what we say we believe. We live according to what we truly believe and that comes forth from our subconscious mind through our reactions, Choices, Fears, And expectations. We can quote scripture and still be afraid. We can affirm that healing is for today and still not expect it for ourselves. We can say we've surrendered our lives to God and still fight him for control in every situation. This isn't about condemnation. It's about clarity because until we're honest about where our actual belief is, Not where we wish it was, Not where we say it is, We can't grow into what Jesus said would be normal. The kingdom isn't complicated. We've complicated it. Or, More honestly, Most of us have accepted the complication that was handed to us without ever questioning whether it aligns with what Jesus actually taught. Jesus never presented walking in authority as something reserved for a spiritual elite or requiring years of schooling or accumulated knowledge. He told ordinary people, Fishermen, Tax collectors, Most of us would consider unqualified that they would do what he did and greater. So if it's not the complication of the kingdom that's holding us back, What is it? That's what we're going to keep unpacking. Let's come back to the other questions from the intro. If this is what Jesus said would be normal, Why is it so rare? And have we ever really seen it? These aren't questions to make us feel defeated. They're questions to help us see clearly. And once we see clearly, The answer to why it's so rare starts to come to focus. It's not because the truth is hidden. As I mentioned, We have access to more Bible teaching now than at any point in history. Information is not the problem. But information is not what changes us. I spoke about this back in Step 4, Seek Wisdom, And again in Step 11, Repeat. Level. It's when God takes the truth we've already heard and makes it real to us in a way that actually changes how we live. Revelation is what aligns our body and soul with the Holy Spirit within. And that's exactly the piece most of us have been missing. We have information about healing, Authority, And who we are in Christ. We can quote the verses, We can affirm what they say, But somewhere between Paul prayed for this in Ephesians 1, 17 and 18. Paul understood that even sincere believers sitting in the same room hearing the same teaching could walk away either transformed or unchanged depending on whether they received revelation. A revelation isn't something we can force, Rush, Or manufacture and it's also not something reserved for a select few. It is available to every believer who's positioned to receive it. Even when we do receive it, Revelation without response is where a lot of us get stuck. James 1. 22 says, Be doers of the word, Not hearers only, Deceiving ourselves. When God shows us something and we don't act on it, That revelation may go quiet. Not because God stopped speaking, But because we stopped responding. So back to the other questions. Have we ever really seen it? Have we seen belief? Consistently walking in the kind of authority and power Jesus said would be normal? Not a one-time thing you experienced years ago. I mean an ongoing way of life. Some of us have, Some haven't. For many of us, Most of what we've seen labeled as walking in power has been performance rather than the real thing. A lot of noise, A lot of emotion, But not a lot of actual fruit. Think about the times we've heard someone share a testimony. Powerful stories about what God did somewhere, Sometime, Through and for someone else. People react and emotions rise. We feel like we've experienced something miraculous as if it happened to us when it didn't. Feeling moved or encouraged by another person's story isn't the same as receiving it for ourselves or walking in it. It's easy to leave a gathering assuming we experienced the power of God when what we actually experienced was our own emotions. Some of us have had rare moments when we were aware of having caught a glimpse of the supernatural. Even then, We have to be careful. Not every supernatural experience is from God. The devil poses as an angel of light, And sometimes those experiences are exactly what pulls people deeper into the wrong church, The wrong teaching, Or the wrong spiritual environment. So even when something supernatural happens, We have to discern the source. That's why I said a glimpse of the supernatural, Not proof of God. The source has to be tested against the word. All of this contributes to why many of us have become skeptical. We've either seen it counterfeited, Seen it only in flashes we couldn't fully verify, Or we haven't seen it at all. But the fact that we haven't seen it demonstrated well around us doesn't mean it isn't real. It just means we can't build our faith on what we've seen other people say or do or not do. We have to build our faith on what the Word actually says. If we're waiting to see someone else walk in it before we believe it's possible, We may be waiting for the rest of our lives. Someone has to be willing to receive revelation, Respond to it, And walk in it. It out, And that someone is each one of us who says we belong to Christ. The question is not whether revelation is available, It is. The question is whether we're willing to position ourselves to receive it, And whether we're willing to respond when it comes. If revelation is what actually changes us, Then response is what turns revelation into a walk. As I mentioned, James 1. 22 says to be doers of the word, Not hearers only, Deceiving ourselves. James isn't saying hearing without doing is neutral, He's saying it's active self-deception. We convince ourselves we're growing because we've heard truth, But if we haven't responded to it, Nothing has actually changed. We do this in a lot of areas of life. We can talk so passionately about a dream we want to pursue that it starts to feel like we we've actually done some of the work toward it. The conversation itself feels productive, But talking about a thing and doing a thing are not the same, And the same principle applies to the word. Hearing it, Agreeing with it, Even talking passionately about it isn't the same as walking in it. This is where a lot of us have been stuck. We've heard the word. We've had moments when something clicked and knowledge became wisdom. Then, Somewhere in our daily walk, In the moment where wisdom turned to revelation, The application of that revelation never happened. Responding doesn't always look dramatic. It may look small. It's the moment the Holy Spirit shows you that something you've been holding on to isn't lining up with who you are in Christ and you actually let it go. It's the moment you realize a fear has been running your decisions and you choose to trust God instead of the fear. It's the moment God gives you clarity and you move in the direction he showed you, Even when it costs something. These small responses are how we grow into walking in authority. Walking consistently in authority is the fruit of a life that's been actively saying yes to God over and over in the ordinary moments. This brings us to some questions we have to be willing to ask ourselves. When the devil attacks an area of our life, Do we collapse into fear or do we remember what the word says and stand firm? Are we more consumed with what's happening in the world than we are with what God has actually said? And are we believing God, Or are we just telling it like it is, Agreeing more with what the world has trained us to expect? Whatever we're consistently giving our attention to is what's shaping our belief, And whatever is shaping our belief is directing our life. I want to give you a personal example of where this hits me. When I read about Peter walking on water, I understand what the Bible is showing us. He did and greater. I believe that. But when I sit with it honestly, I have to admit something. I can't swim. And when I try to picture myself actually stepping out of a boat onto water, My belief hits a wall. Not because I don't believe the word, But because somewhere in me, The natural fact that I can't swim is louder in that moment than the word of God. Walking on water is one of the more extreme examples, But we hit that same wall in more ordinary places too. When we're sick, Whether it's a serious illness or just a minor pain or affliction, Do we actually expect healing or do we default straight to what the doctor says and just live with it without ever using our authority and commanding it to leave? When we're under financial pressure, Do we trust God to provide or do we move in fear? These are the places most of us live day to day, And these are the places where our belief has quietly settled below what Jesus said would be normal for us. These are the exact gaps this message is addressing. It's not that we don't believe anything, It's that our belief hasn't reached the specific places where the world and the flesh have trained us to expect impossibility. And we can't grow into walking on water, Literally or figuratively while our belief is still ruled by what the natural world says is possible. This is why response matters. Every time we respond to a revelation, Every time we choose the Word of God over the fear, The spirit over the flesh, The truth of God's Word over the lies from the world, We take off another layer of the nature of the world and put on more of the nature of Christ, What used to feel impossible starts to feel like something we can actually stand on. None of us walked into this fully mature. We grow into spiritual maturity as we stop excusing ourselves from what God is asking of us and respond to what he shows us, One revelation at a time. Everything we've talked through today comes back to the same reality. Jesus set a standard. That standard didn't expire and it didn't get revised. It still stands today. What we've been addressing in this episode is the gap between that standard and where most of us actually are. That gap is not something we should ignore. We've looked at what we say we believe versus what we actually believe and how the Bible is Revelation itself is either the foundation of our walk or it isn't. We've looked at how information alone doesn't change us. That revelation is what actually moves the truth of God's word into something we walk in. Responding to what God shows us in the small daily moments is how we grow into the authority Jesus said would be normal. None of this is about rushing to fully arrive. It's about the direction in which we're walking. Are we moving toward what Jesus said or have we settled far below it and stopped moving? Now that this has been said, If we go back to living exactly as we were, Then we've done what James warned us about. We've heard the word and deceived ourselves. And I'm not saying that to be harsh. I'm saying it because that's what scripture says and because I have to check myself the same way. Putting on the nature of Christ and walking in authority doesn't happen because we hear something powerful or something that stirs our emotions. It happens because we let God's Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit continually transform us, Changing how we move. This is worth reminding ourselves. Like I addressed in the previous episode, Walking in authority isn't something we can add on top of the worldly patterns we're still holding. Holding on to. Colossians 3 tells us to put off the old self and put on the new. Both actions are required. The putting on happens as we let the putting off actually happen. So what does that look like moving forward? It may mean sitting with the question of whether we really believe everything the Bible says and being honest about the parts we've knowingly or unknowingly been ignoring or disregarding. We must settle that first. It might mean identifying areas in our life where we know God has already shown us something and finally responding to it instead of putting it off again. And it may mean examining who and what has been shaping our belief including the pastors and influences we've been listening to. Whatever it is, It starts with one response and then another, Then another, One step at a time as the Holy Spirit leads. We don't grow into walking in authority by trying to become powerful. We grow into it by consistently saying yes to God and walking in obedience according to his will. Jesus meant it when he said we would do the work that he did and greater. He wouldn't have said it if it wasn't available to us. So the question we leave with is not whether it's possible, The question is whether we're willing to actually walk it out. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Wilderness to Wisdom.