Skeptical

D L Henderson
5 min readJan 1, 2025

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January 1, 2025

Cautiously skeptical about the teaching of claiming by faith, I am most wary of “preachers” who promise donors a very impressive return on their generosity to so-and-so and such-and-such ministries, inc.

Now, just so anti-Christians don’t get their shorts up in a bunch or take my purposes contrary wise, Jesus taught that God would always make provision for the Believers necessities… Necessities…

I’ll take what Jesus says over whatever anyone else is presumptively saying! Please read all of this Bible excerpt; this is what Jesus taught:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” — Matthew 6:24–34, New International Version (NIV).

Still and all, there are false teachings floating about the Believers ethereal universe, becoming an attractive contagion — a subtle, crafty, and under-handed malignancy on the’ reputation of Christianity.

Further, although I certainly believe Jesus can accomplish miracles and has done so in my own life, an unhealthy offshoot of this name-it-and- claim-it teaching about faith is that it requires strenuous human efforts. It says Believers only have to concentrate their own “believing” — an intellectual effort which, when it fails, we only have ourselves to blame — that is, we are left blaming our own shortcomings regarding our lack of faith.

Let me point out that Jesus’ mission was not to put us on a useless and unproductive guilt trip:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” — John 3:17, NIV

Jesus’ mission was (and is) to persuade us, to convince us, of our needs for both God’s forgiveness and His healing, restorative power…

So, let me now remind everyone of two things:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8–10, NIV {my emphasis}.

Allow me to point out that even faith does not come from our own efforts as the first underlined words indicate. The second underlined words further indicate we cannot work up any part of any individual’s salvation. The Good News of Jesus is that we are rescued by what Jesus accomplished — the works that He did — not anything we might do.

Likewise, we cannot work up miracles any more than we can work up our rescue from the consequences of our own hurtful and harmful behaviors.

Our faith and our miracles have to arrive by recognizing who Jesus really is and receiving whatever from Him as we go about our lives and simply doing what God has prepared for us to do — like sharing with others what practical provision God has made in our own lives and what character changes He has accomplished for our own benefit in our inner selves… and our testimonies of God’s faithfulness in our own lives are then for the benefit of others.

All we have to do is to follow His lead.

He even helps us do that!

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” — John 14:26, NIV.

To finish up, I encourage you to seek Jesus’ presence in your lives.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Don’t lose your heads to be conned by the false. Keep them screwed on, and read the Bible for yourselves, and if anyone lacks insight, remember this encouraging word:

“Now, if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” — James 1:5, NIV.

Blessed Assurance

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D L Henderson
D L Henderson

Written by D L Henderson

Born 1950; HS 1968; Born again 1972; Cornell ILR; Steward, Local President/Business Agent; Husband, father, grandfather; winner/loser/everything in between

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