HARD TO BELIEVE - I WAS WRONG
As we begin our talk today about Hard to Believe, let’s set Faith aside for a moment, and just explore why and when something is Hard to Believe.
We must first understand, that when something is Hard to Believe it is because what we believe is very personal.
What I find Hard to Believe, you might not have a problem believing it.
There is no universal commonality in what is Hard to Believe.
Much of the time when we find that something is Hard to Believe, we are simply saying that “I” cannot be wrong about what I previously believed.
I’ve already made up my mind on this. So, this line of thinking must be wrong, because I don’t agree with it, and “I” cannot be wrong.
Our beliefs are frequently and heavily tied to our view of self.
Any attack against a belief that we hold to be true, we view it as an attack on us.
Bear in mind that this is all taking place in our subconscious mind. There are a great many decisions made in our subconscious mind that are based on our previous experiences.
Hard to Believe has less to do with what is required to be believed, and more to do with our previous determination about what we believed.
Many of us are deeply invested in our belief system. Some have their reputation invested, some have their status invested, some even have their life invested in their beliefs.
Changing what you Believe can be Hard. But the good news is that it isn’t impossible. We’ve done it before!
I’m sure that you can think of something that you were dead set against at one point and time, and now you are a supporter of it.
Perhaps it was someone, or something that you ultimately had a change of mind or heart about.
Change is inevitable and absolute. Things Change.
Now let’s bring Faith back into our conversation.
I shared earlier that many of our Beliefs are a result of our made-up mind a.k.a. our subconscious mind, which is based upon previous experiences.
Our brain has so much data to process that it creates short cuts to help mitigate the bottle neck of information that it is trying to process.
Our subconscious brain resorts to writing codes which state that if this, then do this. It makes the best-case guess based upon what we’ve been through before.
These are all functions of our Natural/Carnal Mind based upon Facts.
But what if we encounter an area that is not in our previous experience files? What does our Natural Brain hypothesize for those situations?
Often times, it will default to some similar experience to the one we are facing. Which might not be relevant. So, there is a margin for error involved.
Situations that you don’t have Facts for, often fall into the Faith category.
Facts tell us what has been, Faith speaks of what can/shall be.
For matters of Faith, you need a Spiritual Mind to process that information.
Our Natural Mind cannot fathom things that we have not experienced.
Our Natural Minds cannot express nor understand matters of Faith.
Facts can state that someone’s health diagnosis only gives them 6 months to live. But when Faith stepped, which is not subject to the Facts, they lived 20 more enjoyable years.
Facts represent what was, Faith represents what can be, if we Believe.
That’s why the Bible calls it “Now Faith”. Faith is present tense. What do you believe NOW! We know what it was, but we don’t know what it can be.
Now Faith is for the things that you are hoping for. You know what you’ve already had – Facts. But if you want more or can believe for more you need a Spiritual Mind - Faith.
Hard to Believe is a great place to begin your Faith journey.
Hard to Believe, says I am willing to hear evidence that will prove otherwise. Give me proof!
God is also a proponent of proof. In the book of Malachi God says “I am the Lord God Almighty, All Powerful, fully capable of anything. I challenge you to put me to the test.” In other words, God is saying, allow me to prove to you what I said is Truth.
Tony Evans said “Faith is acting like you Believe what God said is true”
God is inviting us to grow from Hard to Believe to Fully Convinced.
If you are at the place of Hard to Believe, then you are at a great place to begin to grow.
The Natural Mind is based on our physical senses, but our Spiritual Minds rely upon Gods inability to lie.
You’ve seen the Facts of Life. Are you ready for the Faith of Life?
We need Faith for the journey that has been set before us.
Gods says, Try Me!
This is a Thompson Truth!
