Sometimes people get in situations where their backs are up against the wall. Something has happened, somebody has done something, or a circumstance has come against them and they don’t know what to do.
Here is what some Christians do when there is a problem. They get real spiritual and have all of these religious things that they say. The sayings are based on truth, but they can become a cliché to the point they are not spoken as truth.
For example, somebody might ask you what they should do about a problem they have. You say, “You just need to take it before the Lord. You just need to lay it at the feet of the Master. Take it to the Lord in prayer. We’ll just see what God is going to do.” Actually, that’s not completely scriptural.
It is scriptural to pray and it is scriptural to ask God for things, but it is not scriptural to just throw up a prayer like you’re throwing dice and just hope that your number comes up and you win the prize.
It’s not scriptural to ask God to do something He has told you to do. You may say, “Well, God can do a lot of things I can’t do.” That’s true. There are many things God can do that we can’t – like create a universe or save people. However, we have been given authority on this earth that many Christians are not aware of.
The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you – not a different Spirit – and the same authority that Jesus used on this earth is in you. Jesus gave it to all who believe.
Part of the reason we use religious clichés is because we want to make an excuse or a create a loophole because of our lack of belief. If we truly believed in the fullness of faith, we would simply speak faith from the heart. Loopholes would not be necessary.
Faith is knowing in our heart that God has completed His work concerning our problem and speaking and acting on the Word of faith that is established within us.
When Jesus spoke, He spoke in faith and in authority. He spoke with confidence and did not leave room for a loophole. In Mark 4, Jesus spoke to the wind and it says in verse 39, “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!'”
He spoke to the wind, He spoke to the sea and they listened and obeyed. It says the wind ceased and there was a great calm. “But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!'” (vv. 40-41).
The disciples feared exceedingly because they had just seen something miraculous happen. They saw a great storm and they heard their Master speak to it. Immediately the storm calmed down, just like He had commanded it to. It shook them.
When you pray and pray and pray and it seems like nothing is happening, this one thing we know for certain. The problem is not God. That means we must examine ourselves. We cannot allow our confessions to become charismatic clichés. Our confession must be the Word of God spoken from our heart. That’s faith.
God responds to faith, not clichés.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.