HINDRANCES TO FAITH: WRONG INFORMATION

Therefore take heed how you hear. – Luke 8:18a

REFERENCE
Luke 8:18

We are all a product of what we hear and what we hear determines what we believe and how we act in life’s situations. The next hindrance to our faith is, ‘listening to wrong information.’  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart with all diligence…” Many people are too ‘informed’ and ‘enlightened’ to walk by faith. They know all that can go wrong; they know what the economic forecast spell, they know what certain medical prognoses mean because they are ‘google’ experts. They know all the things that can’t be done or had, and they use past experiences to predict the future or diagnose present problems. Such people can tell what the symptoms in their bodies mean, even before the doctor has anything to say.

The devil understands this and so he pumps much wrong information into our system every day. You need to deliberately fight them and tune them off. Why? Because what you hear will either produce faith or fear in you; and fear, although works like faith (in that, it is an attraction force), works contrary to faith – it will only produce or attract negative results.  Satan packaged the wrong information and sent to Jairus in his place of seeking healing for his dying daughter. Someone told him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” But Jesus, understanding what just happened, said to him, “Fear not, only believe…” In other words, “Don’t buy into that message, don’t take the bait…keep believing!”

Jairus’ faith would have been shipwrecked and fear would have replaced his faith if perhaps Jesus wasn’t within earshot to hear and counter the negative voice of the informant. In the same way, tune out some voices, cut off some friends, stop reading materials that only predict negative outcomes for your situation, stop reading or sharing fear-producing messages on social media.  Any voice that threatens you, scares you, shows you the hopelessness of the situation or directs your attention to stories of failures is not of God. They will only hinder your faith, so tune them OFF and listen to Jesus! Remember, “The just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4).

ADDITIONAL STUDY
Luke 8:40-42, 49-55, Hebrews 4:2, & II Timothy 1:7.

TO DO
Prayerfully cast down every negative voice that has introduced impossibility to your situation; and declare that ‘you are not a slave to fear, but a child of God.’
Take a step and remove contrary and negative materials around you and from your phone.