Pastor’s Corner: “Microwave Faith”
Psalm 27:13-14 (NKJV) – 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
One of my cousins asked me recently why God doesn’t answer his prayers. Of course God hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes His answer is yes – sometimes His answer is no, and sometimes His answer is WAIT. Growing up, this was one of my parent’s favorite things to say to me, but it was my least favorite thing to do. We want everything fast: fast answers to prayer, fast solutions to our problems and fast spiritual growth. God answers us in the same way as my parents…. WAIT – His thought are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways – Isaiah 55:8.
In our society and culture today, we like to have it “our way”, and we like to have it “now. Whether we mean to or not, this mentality can get translated to our faith. We look for God to answer immediately and on the spot. We want to know today which way to go, and not to wait until tomorrow. In other words we want Microwave Faith. Today’s many “conveniences: cell phones, instant pudding, remote controls, drive-through restaurants, and microwave ovens can lead us to develop unhealthy spiritual attitudes.
It is easy to fall into this routine. If we’re hungry, and short on time (as we often are) we love to throw something into the microwave, eat, and run. When we ask God where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do, we tend to expect the same results. Pray, questions answered, and then off we go to the next task on our list for the day. The problem with this mentality is that we lose heart if we don’t get our answers right away. When we lose heart, we tend to pray on it less and less; to the point where we will make a decision from our flesh, and not in the Spirit. God sometimes responds immediately, yet often He is the God who enjoys a good slow cooking. Let’s be honest…if given the choice of a microwave burrito, or a slow cooked pulled pork sandwich; which would you choose? God wants to transform our minds to see things His way, and to think as He thinks. To do this, it sometimes takes a slow cooking process.
Here are some examples that, if practiced, can lead to “Microwave Faith”:
1) Salvation without sacrifice. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Lk. 9:23). We love salvation, but we do not love sacrifice. We want Jesus as our Savior but not our Lord. God’s will and blessings in our lives come when we follow Jesus and following Jesus requires us to deny ourselves in sacrifice of our ways and desires.
2) Redemption without repentance. We want God’s forgiveness and blessings but we do not want to change how we live. Repentance is perhaps God’s hardest requirement. Repentance is more than saying you’re sorry (2 Cor. 7:10). It requires us to change direction, change our mind and change our behavior (Matt. 3:8). In order to be free from our flesh and temptation (by the power of Holy Spirit) we are called to turn around and seek the Lord (repentance). This is not just a suggestion.
3) Righteousness without obedience. Many people excuse themselves of obeying God, “I’m just human!” they cry. We want His covering and protection, but we want it our way and not His. The Bible says, 1 John 2:3 (NLT) – And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. John 14:15 (NLT) – 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. We do not obey to receive righteousness, but because He has already given it to us……and we love Him for it!
4) Morality without self-denial. We live in a society without self-denial. But it is impossible to live a moral life without self-denial (Titus 2:11-12). Even Paul said he had to “discipline” his “body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:27)Are we greater than the apostle Paul? Are we greater than Jesus?
5) Growth without diligence. Unfortunately most Christians remain spiritual “babies” (Heb. 5:12-14). Peter said we must “give all diligence” to “add” certain things to our faith (see 2 Pet. 1:5-7).If we fail to do so, he said we are “shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” (2 Pet. 1:9). Are you growing or forgetting?
6) Knowledge without study. The amount of Bible knowledge possessed by most Christians is surprising. Most do not realize that God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”(Hos. 4:6). We need to be diligent students of God’s word (2 Tim. 2:15).Otherwise we’ll fall too! (Eph. 4:11-14). How are your Bible study habits?
7) Truth without controversy. By its very nature truth is controversial. But in our “politically correct” world few are willing to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3). Does the truth make you squeamish? Remember, good preaching sounds reveille (wake up), not taps (death). What about your faith? Is it true to God’s book? Is it the faith taught by Jesus and the apostles? Is it sacrificial, obedient, and self-denying? Or, is it a religion of convenience, a “microwave Faith”?
Lord, help us to not look for the instant and the now, but to wait upon you, abiding in you, soaking in your Spirit as you transform and guide us in this life. Let us humbly serve you Lord and not ourselves. Let our thoughts, our actions, and our words glorify you God; so others may see you and not us.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton