“Seeing is believing”

A while ago I experienced in my spirit that the Lord was asking me this question: “do you want to wait for signs and wonders to manifest or will you accept My word and trust Me alone?” This was in response to my petitions to the Lord with regards to the healing of my wife and child. I would pray for their healing, but when I saw that they were still the same the next day, I would be disappointed and would then petition the Lord again for healing. One morning during my time with the Lord, He gave me this scripture to read:


Luk 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luk 1:14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Luk 1:16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

Luk 1:17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luk 1:18  And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.


At this point I only read and understood this as the awesome promise of John the baptist who would prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ (Yeshua). I did not see what the Lord wanted me to see, so He let me continue with the next part of Luke 1:


Luk 1:34  Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Luk 1:35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Luk 1:36  And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

Luk 1:37  For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Luk 1:38  And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.


And then I finally saw and understood what the Lord was trying to teach me! When the angel came to Zacharias and gave him the promise of a child at his age, he replied with an unbelieving heart and asked: “whereby shall I know this?”...and zap!!, the angel caused him to be dumb for the full 9 months of pregnancy plus 8 days until John was circumcised! And that for a simple question in unbelief.


However, when the angel spoke to Mary and told her that she would not conceive from a man, but be impregnated by the Holy Spirit, she replied with: “be it unto me according to thy word”. It was then at this point that I felt the Lord asking me: “do you also want to wait for 9 months and 8 days, or will you trust Me on My word and immediately receive your promise?” Right there for me it was game, set and match!


The Lord then spoke to me in my spirit about so many of His children who have accepted the curse of the world of: “seeing is believing” and do so many times proclaim it with their mouths, while the word of God gives us clear direction on what faith is (Heb 11: 1).


Verse 6 of Heb 11 is very clear though, that it is impossible to please God without faith!


But there is also a promise of a reward for them who diligently seek Him...wow!!!


Why then is it so difficult for us to stand on God's word and to trust in Him? Maybe it is because we have too much of the word of the world in our mouths and too little of the words of God? The Bible is very clear that we have power in our words and that we can either speak death or life into our circumstances. In the book of James we read how he describes the tongue as a small part of the body, capable of starting a big fire!


Pro 18:20  A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.


Pro 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.


Therefor, the man who wants to live a prosperous life, must learn to control his tongue! May the Holy Spirit help us to choose our words wisely!


Geniet jou week saam met Jesus! Enjoy your week with Jesus!

 ernest phillipson
e-mail: ecp@oicb.co.za

Cell: 082 577 8911