A Reasonable Alternative To Faith
- Our Trust Must Be In God's Word With No Other Option
Written by Eileen R. Jacobs
If you have been a believer in Jesus for very long, I am sure you have experienced situations or circumstances that challenge or test your trust in your Heavenly Father. With this article, I would like to encourage your faith in our “Good Father” who is worthy to be trusted.
I would like to first share with you a quote from one of my favorite saints, Major Ian Thomas:
“Satan will always present you with a reasonable alternative to faith, for he knows that if only he can get you to act in other than dependence upon God, you are defying your Creator, no matter how lofty your motives or otherwise commendable your actions.” (The Mystery of Godliness, p 189)
It seems that for many years, we struggled with a Titanic-sized heart plunge every time we were presented with our tax bill. It was always higher than we anticipated, and our yearly needs always crept into the money we would try to save. Whenever there was an excessive financial need in our house, the reaction was always the same...”time to tighten the belts.” In case you don’t know what that means, we would stop spending and look for ways to cut costs. For our family, however, that meant we had to cut groceries out of the budget and other necessary things in order to cover the unexpected expenses. We would have to cancel plans to take the kids places, and we would make plans to simply live without while we scraped to pay all the other bills as well.
Now some of you might be thinking that sounds prudent. That is what everybody does...right? I’m sure there are people who regularly overspend and could benefit a little from a tighter belt, but in our case, it was real lack. Since we were not over-spenders, finding places to cut costs was difficult. Maintaining a home for 3 children and a husband who worked several jobs, we found our finances a daily source of stress. We lived penny to penny and when something went wrong or there was an added expense, it placed us in a lurch. Some of you may be challenged in this area as well.
Though we thanked the Lord for everything we had and we always looked to Him for help and deliverance, we began discovering that we had a different problem altogether than our apparent lack of finances and work to supply it. Over time, we had developed a habitual mentality of loss and skimpiness and sacrifice. We were stuck always seeing life, especially in regard to our finances, from a perspective of lack and anticipating problems or need. It may come as a surprise, but that is not Biblical. In fact, that kind of mentality is negative faith, and is actually considered unbelief! You see, the Bible doesn’t say to stop eating when your taxes are due. However, if we can see a principle here, we’ll find something beautiful we can believe in and receive precious results.
I found that the Scriptures record a wonderful story related to taxes and God’s provision. Let’s read the story...
“When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?”
He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?”
When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt.
However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.” - Matthew 17:24-27
Now the two-drachma tax (or otherwise known as the ½ shekel) was established by Moses under the command of God during the taking of the census. It was considered a contribution to the Lord or ransom money, and was to be used for temple service (see Exodus 30:11-16). In Jesus’ day, they were still collecting it. Without going into a teaching about everything Jesus meant by this conversation He had with Peter, I would simply like you to take notice of the goodness and generosity of God here.
With a word of knowledge and a demonstration of the omniscience and power of God, Jesus gave Peter a word of instruction that pin-pointed with awesome accuracy where God had placed the provision for the temple tax that was due. Not only did Peter receive enough practical money to provide for Jesus’ portion of the temple tax, but also for Peter’s own portion. There was more than enough for them both! Besides the money, I’m sure Peter and Jesus enjoyed eating that fish for dinner. Knowing our generous Heavenly Father, that fish was probably huge. It had to be huge in order for there to be enough room for a whole shekel and a hook!
I was brought up in a somewhat poor family, and I heard the words, “We can’t afford that!” a lot. I have spent many years teaching my own children these faithless words, unfortunately. My husband, however, was brought up in a home where he never really experienced need. But when he heard “We can’t afford that!” it meant that the item was more than his parents wanted to pay out of the money they had saved. So he never understood what I meant when I would tell him we actually had “no” money left. We were quite a pair. Eventually, I educated him in the realities of what “no money” meant and helped him learn how to confess lack as I had learned at a young age. I came to believe that if I didn’t worry about and try to solve our financial woes, then who else would. So, I became a master at skimping by and being creative in my solutions to living life.
Almost all money handling classes will teach you to be a good skimp, and how to be frugal with your money. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with wise spending. However, there is a very great difference in the habitual attitude of frugality and skimping, which is self generated, as opposed to Holy Spirit led stewardship and believing that God is going to supply all that is needed. We were never taught that there were promises we could believe God for, and that we could change our circumstances by changing our confession from one of lack to one of trust in God’s supply based on the promises in His word. In some places, we were even led to believe that God blesses the poor; meaning that we are blessed because we are poor, and we “should” feel blessed about that. Since we were unaware of how our own words, attitudes and actions were keeping us in bondage to our circumstances, we were also unaware that the promises of God’s word, when believed upon and confessed, could pull us out of our circumstances and place us on the road to walking in His promises of prosperity and being led by His Spirit in our finances. You see, when God blesses the poor, they are not poor any more. Hallelujah!
I’ll never forget one rainy day in our ailing car outside the market, I sat with my children counting pennies out of our piggy bank, because we needed a loaf of bread to make sandwiches for lunch. After trying to hold back my tears in front of my children, I told them that we would never do that again. The Lord then showed me these verses and we have stood by them ever since:
“I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread.” - Psalm 37:25
“The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger...” - Proverbs 10:3
It doesn’t matter whether you suffer from financial challenges, health related issues, or relational difficulties, the devil would rather present you with a “Reasonable Alternative to Faith,” than to allow you to bank on the promises of God or trust that your loving Heavenly Father desires to be good to you in your tough situation. Be aware that the devil will point you to yourself and your situation and ask you, “What are you going to do about it?” You will not hear these exact words in your ears, but you will have an overwhelming urge to try to solve your own problem. You may find yourself unable to rest or be at peace until you find a solution that you think you can handle, or you may find yourself slipping into despair and worry, as I did. The only way to stop the stressful thoughts from flooding into your mind is to replace them with God’s thoughts.
Thoughts of doubt and even panic can come racing into the mind quicker than we can catch them. If you’ve ever chased an animal that doesn’t want to be caught, that is how some thoughts can be; running circles around in your mind, loose and off leash. If our dog gets loose out the front door, it’s like chasing down a little piggy. All five of us are trying to corner her. Just when someone thinks they’ve got her, she slips past your legs and the chase is on again. At first, it may seem entertaining, but after awhile we’re no longer thinking about what a good dog she is. If it goes on long enough, we get to yelling at one another and thinking that one of us is an idiot for not doing something about catching the dog. Name calling sometimes follows such an episode.
The point I am trying to make is that thoughts need to be caught and put under control. They can’t be running wild in our mind without an examination of whether or not they are actually true in the first place. Certain thoughts can give us the wrong impression about our loving Heavenly Father and can cripple or paralyze our faith in Christ. We are told from Scripture to capture those thoughts and immediately expose them to Christ. Hold them up to what is said in the Word and see if the thought is a true one. Any thought that rises up against the true knowledge of God is to be caught, brought down (“Hog-tied,” I call it!) and placed under the obedience of Christ. “Gotcha!”
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” - 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV)
All of my thoughts of loss, and skimpiness, and inability to pay off debts, or provide for any needs or even our heart desires, was a direct attack against the true knowledge of God in Christ Jesus. Let me explain…
First of all, the Scriptures tell me that The Lord is my Shepherd, and I lack nothing. Oops, looks like my thoughts of lack just disagreed with the Scriptures relating to Christ. In fact, it goes on to tell me that He actually leads me, as a sheep, to pastures that are green and full of plenty, with streams of water for satisfying my thirst. Wow!
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” - Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV)
While this passage is rich with deeper spiritual meaning, I firmly believe it is as practical as it sounds. Sheep need to be taken care of and provided for. They need food and water and safety. If the Lord Jesus is actually my Shepherd, and I am His sheep, then He has or will do everything recorded in that Scripture. Therefore, any thoughts of loss, or lack of provision, or even worry over any problem that I may have, I can now consider high and lofty thoughts that have exalted themselves against the true knowledge of God as my Shepherd in Whom I lack nothing! (Psalm 23; John 10) Let me be clear, if I believe the Bible is God’s Word and His Word is true, then according to this verse and many others like it, lack and loss are simply not true for me in Christ. Wow...now we’re preaching happy! I can now determine to take any thought of loss and expose it to Jesus, my Good and Faithful Shepherd, and send that thought packing. Why? Because it is lying to me about the truth of myself in Christ Jesus.
It is taking some time, but I am learning to take high and lofty thoughts and introduce them to Jesus, just like you might introduce a bully to your father who is a truant officer. You would probably think it would be silly for someone to approach God and say to Him, “This problem is more powerful than you are, God! You couldn’t possibly solve it.” Yet, that is the same voice that told Adam and Eve in the garden that “You surely shall not die.” God had clearly told them that they would die if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil is still offering that same “Reasonable Alternative to Faith.” Who is right? Who will we believe? Who is the Good Shepherd, Who makes sure I have no lack?
This is our Shepherd Jesus; the One who is the exact image of Father God Himself (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3) and the exact representation of His nature. Jesus knows and cares for the fact that we have earthly obligations and real practical needs, though we are sons and daughters of a higher kingdom and a greater economy. As Christians, we are called to be Ambassadors of Christ in this earth (2 Corinthians). I have not heard of any ambassadors in any nations that are not fully funded and supported by the nation or government that sent them. I have often forgotten that I am unified with Christ as a member of His own body. If the Father does not support me or take care of me in this earth, He is not taking care of Jesus. I realize these are strong words. But, could you even imagine the Father not loving or taking care of the needs of His own Beloved Son? There is only one time that the Father turned His back on His Son, and that was when He was bearing our sin and sickness in His own body on the cross. Once He put away sin forever, He sat down next to the Father’s right hand and is now the Provision for our every need. (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 3:5; Hebrews 9:26; Ephesians 2:6-7)
So if I have needs, what can I expect? Let’s go back to Peter’s fishing story… When Jesus sent Peter fishing for the provision for the temple tax, remember that He provided Peter with a specific Word of God. The all-knowing God knew exactly where the provision was to be found (in a fishes mouth), the method of retrieval (a hook), exactly which fish (the first one that came up), exactly how much would be available (one shekel), who it would be for (Peter and Jesus), and why it was to be paid (so not to offend them). Then He directed Peter to the sea by His grace and foreknowledge. This settles my heart to know that not only is it God’s nature to provide for us, but He has a specific Word to minister to our specific need. He does so in miraculous ways through the written Word and the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit He has given to live within us. To Him be the glory!
I’d like to share a little deeper revelation that the Lord gave me even as I was writing this message. The temple tax was a ½ shekel or 2 drachma coin. The collectors were only asking if Peter’s teacher (meaning Jesus) paid the tax. It is true that Peter automatically responded with a resounding “yes,” without asking Jesus about it. (There is no indication that Jesus was even present when the collectors spoke to Peter, yet Jesus knew the conversation had happened.) I wondered why there couldn’t have been 2 coins in the fishes mouth to represent a ½ shekel for each of them. Actually, Jesus could have paid His own tax without involving Peter at all. What was the real lesson in the one coin (the one shekel)? Why not 2 coins? I believe that the one coin is a symbol of the unity that Jesus was trying to express to Peter as a son of the kingdom. Jesus proved that as the Son of God, Whose temple the tax was for, He was free of paying the tax altogether. So why did Jesus pay for Peter’s tax also? Was He just being generous? No! I believe Jesus was showing Peter that not only was He the Son of God, but that Peter, as a believer, was a son of God also. He and Jesus were one in unity, therefore one coin (one shekel).
We are one with Christ as well. We are in complete unity with Him, therefore we are treated as Christ would be treated, as a Son of the Kingdom. This is the One I believe in and serve. He is a giving, generous God. He calls Himself “Jehovah Jireh” - The Lord Will Provide. So beautiful! Jesus is the provision for us all, and in Him we now have everything we need for life and godliness through the true knowledge of Him. Let me say it again...Jesus is our Provision. If we have a need, there is a promise concerning Him in the Scripture that is our answer. Now that we have Jesus, we have everything we need, even if it is tax money, restored health, peaceful relationships, etc.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” - 2 Peter 1:2-4
Our knowledge of all Jesus is and all He has will cause us to become a partaker of what we already have in Him through the promises. We have a divine nature now in Christ and that divine nature attracts all the promises of God. My friends, whatever bad report may have come your way or may come your way in the future, I hope you have been encouraged in your faith to trust your loving, Heavenly Father for the answer, and not let the devil tempt you to find a “Reasonable Alternative to Faith.” We do not need to find a place with the unbelieving in despair. We do not need to worry or stress over a situation, nor do we need to find a way to help ourselves. We have a God who loves us, has a purpose for us, and has desired to provide everything we need through His precious promises. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you now to a promise concerning Jesus (The Righteous One) in the Scriptures, and receive that promise for yourself as a member of Christ’s body. Every promise that is made to the righteous or the upright is now yours in Christ Jesus.
As I continued to meditate on this article and the generous provision of God in Christ our Lord, I found exactly what I needed to encourage my own faith. You see, God placed Peter’s provision in the mouth of a fish. Peter understood provision by fishing because that was his natural profession, but by now, he had the promise of Jesus that he would become a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). All along Jesus was showing him that if he would follow Him and fish for men, God would abundantly supply him and take care of his needs. (see Luke 5:4-11)
Following the resurrection of Jesus, Peter tried to go back to his natural profession again. Once again, the Lord proved that God would supply his needs, but he needed to be fishing for men. When Peter realized that it was Jesus who was providing for him again, he came swimming back to Him. Even though Jesus drew the load of fish toward Peter and his boat, Jesus asked Peter to bring to Jesus some of the fish “he” had caught (153 large fish). If you read the story in John 21:2-17, you learn that when Peter decided to go fishing for fish instead of men, he took a bunch of the disciples with him. He was a leader. Jesus had made him one. However, Peter needed to be leading the disciples in their actual commission, which was to preach the Gospel to the nations (to fish for men.) I believe this is why Jesus blessed him also with the privilege of tending His lambs, shepherding His sheep and tending His sheep. This was all a reminder to me personally that the Lord provides abundantly for those who are following His commission in Matthew 28:18-20 to take the Gospel to the nations and to teach. This was an awesome promise to me as I teach the “Good News” while fishing for men and tending to lambs and sheep.
In review:
Recognize that the devil will bring to your mind thoughts that will provide you with a “Reasonable Alternative to Faith.”
Take every negative thought the devil gives you and “hog-tie” it down in Jesus name.
Expose those thoughts to the truth about who Jesus is and what He has done, and who you are in Him, as verified by the Holy Scriptures.
Sometimes the devil uses the ungodly or weak minded Christians to advise you with thoughts that are earthly and natural and do not agree with the Word of God. Guard yourself from the those thoughts. They can be like little puppies off leash. Be polite, but refuse to accept words that don’t line up with Gods.
Ask the Holy Spirit who lives inside you to remind you of “His precious and magnificent promises” in the Scriptures concerning your situation.
As the Lord leads you, be a witness of the “Good News” of Jesus Christ to all those around you through your words and your life example. Be an example of someone who believes God and His promises to the righteous; which you are in Christ Jesus.
Remember that “we overwhelmingly conquer through Him Who loved us” (Romans 8:37). I think of it this way … Nothing can conquer Christ, therefore, nothing can conquer me! Nothing can “separate us from the love of God , which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Romans 8:39)
So, my friends, be bold...don’t fear...stay in faith! Things are going to work out for the good. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. “ (Romans 8:28) We have no reason to acquiesce to any of Satan’s Reasonable Alternatives to Faith. God is good and God is faithful!!! No bad report is too hard for Him to reverse.
Now that, dear friends, is GRACE!
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” - Romans 8:32
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (May 2018)
Copyright © 2018 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
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