But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
(1 Cor. 2:14)
One of the greatest hindrances to the manifestation of the power of God is unbelief. When Jesus could not do many mighty works in his hometown of Nazareth, the Bible says that He marveled at their unbelief. He strongly implied that their unbelief itself was the hindrance to the manifestation of the healing and delivering power of God (Mark 6:5-6).
There are several kinds of unbelief. Some people have unbelief because they don’t know the truth. They have never been exposed to the truth of God’s Word and simply do not believe because they’ve never heard the truth.
Then there are those who believe in God and they believe in His power for deliverance, but because of incorrect teaching, they believe that sometimes God allows people to be sick, diseased, and in poverty for a purpose. The result of this incorrect teaching is that many times those who need to be healed and delivered will not experience deliverance because of the uncertainty in their mind. The enemy puts this continual thought in their mind: “Maybe I’m the one who is called to bear this burden. Maybe I’m the one that God has chosen to not receive His power so that somehow someone else can be delivered. Or possibly God is trying to teach me something. After all, Jesus did say we have to bear our cross!”
Years ago a gentleman told me that he knew that God had put him in the hospital and had brought about his pain and suffering so that he could witness to someone who worked at the hospital. That is ridiculous! Certainly the God of the universe who spoke creation out of nothing could create a circumstance by which he could witness to the hospital worker without having to be made sick and diseased in the process. However, many people are taught this by well-meaning teachers who are trying to give God an excuse and to explain away why some Christians are sick. Spiritual laziness is the result.
Although the price has been paid for our deliverance, the action of faith requires confession and receiving of the gift. There are those who simply don’t want the hassle that comes with receiving because we have the responsibility to act on our belief. This results in misguided priorities and opens the door for deception in our thinking and actions.
Once I went to purchase an automobile. I knew the exact brand, model, and color that I wanted. So I went to a dealership to make my purchase. I walked around the showroom for fifteen or twenty minutes and couldn’t seem to find a salesman. When I asked the receptionist if I could speak to a salesman, her response was, “I’m sorry, they can’t speak to you right now. They’re in the boardroom receiving instruction on how to make more sales.” I walked out of the showroom and drove a quarter of a mile down the road and purchased a different car.
In the same way that the salesman lost the sale and his commission because he was in a meeting learning how to make sales, many Christians miss their healing because they feel they’re too sick to call for the elders, or to go to church, or to feed on healing scriptures and teachings.
Sometimes doubt is a result of intellectual thinking and being led by logic instead of being led by the spirit. Belief requires humility and submission to God, realizing that the price has been paid, the work has been done, and that the gift of deliverance is ours.
Many times unbelief comes from what we perceive through our physical senses. When the prayer of faith has been prayed and it is not physically obvious that things have changed, we have to consciously choose to override the unbelief that naturally comes from what we can physically see with the faith we have in God and what He has said.
Faith comes through hearing God’s Word and the mental decision to believe what we hear. But when our faith is put into action and we don’t immediately see the manifestation of our faith, then we must move out of the realm of our mental thinking and reasoning and submit completely to the spirit. Man cannot naturally discern (through the five senses) what is taking place in the spirit. Everything that manifests itself naturally must first come from the spirit realm. It is possible to over think and reason and calculate in the natural so much that it hinders the flow of the spirit.
I have always liked professional baseball. It is a well-known fact that batters and pitchers can get into a slump. The slump usually continues because the player interrupts the natural flow of his skills and abilities by over thinking everything he does. A well-known manager instructed a well-known professional baseball player who hadn’t had a hit in many games to “just walk up to the plate and don’t think. Just relax and play the game.”
As Christians, once we’ve made the decision to believe, we should just relax, let go, and trust God and allow the natural flow of the spirit to work through us and the supernatural will come to pass. Remember, believing is a choice. Choose to believe and receive.
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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.