BY KENNETH HAGIN JR.
If God says He will do something for you, He will do it! He always keeps His promises, but there are some things that you have to do in order to receive from Him. The best example of this is seen in
the life of Abraham.
When God promised Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son, Abraham had to ignore his natural circumstances, have faith in God’s promise, and believe that God was powerful enough to do what He said He would do.
Romans 4:19-21 reveals the steps that Abraham followed to receive the fulfillment of the promise God made to him.
ROMANS 4:19-21
19 And being not weak in faith, he [Abraham] CONSIDERED NOT his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb:
20 He STAGGERED NOT at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD;
21 And BEING FULLY PERSUADED that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
This passage of Scripture makes one thing clear: If we’re going to receive from God, we’re going to have to do the same things Abraham did–consider not, stagger not, give glory to God, and be fully persuaded.
Consider Not
Abraham considered not. He didn’t take into account the natural circumstances that told him it was impossible for him and Sarah to have a child.
Now don’t misunderstand me. I’m not telling you to ignore the natural circumstances and do something crazy. But I am telling you that when you’re believing to receive the fulfillment of a promise from God,
you can’t concentrate on your natural circumstances.
It doesn’t matter what you’re believing God for–you don’t have to consider the circumstances that surround your particular situation. If you start thinking about all the natural conditions or what So-and-
so said, you will become weak in faith.
You see, Abraham, being not weak in faith, considered not. If you’re strong in faith, you won’t consider the circumstances. Somebody said, “Verse 19 doesn’t say that.” No, it doesn’t. But if Abraham
wasn’t weak in faith, he must have been strong in faith, which is exactly what the Bible says in verse 20: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but WAS STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory
to God.”
Abraham’s faith was so strong that he didn’t consider the fact that both he and Sarah were beyond the age of having children. God promised him that they would have a son, and Abraham didn’t even blink
an eye!
Stagger Not
That brings us to the second step that Abraham took. We just saw in Romans 4:20 that Abraham staggered not. If you’ll go back and read the story in Genesis 18:1-15, you’ll see that Sarah laughed at the
whole idea of bearing a child at her age. But Abraham didn’t say anything against it at all. In other words, he didn’t waver.
A person who staggers or wavers in faith will not receive anything from God (James 1:6,7). For instance, I know people who have read a faith inspiring book or listened to a powerful sermon and felt “sky high” spiritually–really strong in faith. They’d make all the right confessions and keep concentrating on the Word. But a few days later they would start to waver, so they never received the answer to their prayers. When I talked to them, I found out that they did exactly what they weren’t supposed to do. They began to consider the situation. (Considering not and staggering not go hand in hand. You can’t separate them.)
The enemy will always try to get you to focus on your circumstances. When you make a statement of faith declaring what you’re believing God for, the first thing he’ll do is start asking you questions and sowing seeds of doubt, saying “Have you considered this? Have you thought about that? Do you know that what you’re believing for goes against what’s happening in the world?”
Actually, the tactics of the enemy are no different today than they were in the Garden of Eden. The enemy came to Eve and said, “Well, God said such-and-such, but have you thought about this?”
You see, if the enemy can get you to consider everything around you, he can get you to stagger at and forfeit the promises of God. So don’t consider the situation or the circumstances!
Now that doesn’t mean the circumstances don’t exist. Some people think that when you don’t consider the circumstances, you’re denying that the situation exists. No, of course it exists. You would have to
acknowledge that first before you could even do something about it.
You had to acknowledge you were a sinner in need of a Savior before you could ever be saved, didn’t you? Well, in the same way, you have to acknowledge that you need a Healer before you can ever be
healed, and so forth. In other words, you have to acknowledge the facts–but you don’t have to dwell on them.
Abraham acknowledged the fact that he was almost a hundred years old. He knew the condition of his body. But he refused to consider those things and chose instead to consider what God said.
Give Glory to God
Now look at the second half of Romans 4:20, because it was also an important step that enabled Abraham to receive from God: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, GIVING GLORY TO GOD.”
I want you to notice that Abraham gave glory to God for the blessing before it ever happened. That lines up with what the New Testament teaches. You have to believe God and thank Him for the answer
when you pray (Mark 11:24; Phil. 4:6). You can’t wait until you get it to praise God for it!
Today you may be facing obstacles or situations that have you in a box, so to speak. You need to recognize the facts that exist, but don’t consider them–only consider what God says.
Now it’s very difficult to consider what God says, if you don’t know His Word. Too many people are trying to receive from God, but they don’t know His Word for themselves. Someone told them what God said or they heard a testimony of how God’s Word delivered somebody else. But that’s not good enough.
If you’re going to consider what God said, you’re going to have to know His Word for yourself. It’s one thing to say “I think so” or “I heard,” but it’s another thing to say “I know!” When you say “I know,”
that means you’re persuaded beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Be Fully Persuaded
Abraham was strong in faith, so he didn’t consider the circumstances or stagger at the promise of God through unbelief. He wavered not concerning what he believed. Why? Because he was fully persuaded.
You see, our position is to consider not, stagger not, give glory to God, and be fully persuaded–that’s our responsibility. It’s God’s responsibility to do. We don’t have to try to figure out how He’s going to do it either, because if God said it, He will do it!
Unfortunately, many people today are in a position of staggering or wavering. They’re wondering if the promises of God are really for them. Well, they’re not going to receive anything from God that way.
Remember when the Apostle Paul was on a ship bound for Rome? The wind and the waves tossed the boat back and forth so violently that the men on board the ship gave up all hope of being saved. After several days, Paul encouraged them with a message that the angel of God had given him. He said, “The ship is going to be lost, but no man will lose his life.” Then Paul said, “Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I BELIEVE GOD, that it shall be even as it was told me” (Acts 27:25). Paul was fully persuaded that God would do just what He said!
It’s not feasible that a ship would go down during a violent storm without someone dying. But that’s exactly what happened (vv.41-44). I tell you, if God says He will do something for you, He will do it, if you’ll stay steady and not waver.
You may feel as if you’re in the middle of a violent storm and your ship is about to go under. But if you will keep believing God, He will deliver you. He may have to give you a new ship, but He will deliver you!
Some people think, Well, if God was really in the situation, there wouldn’t be any problems or tests. There wouldn’t be any trouble. No, the Bible never said that!
Paul, who wrote about Abraham in the Book of Romans, was beaten repeatedly and faced death many times. Yet he said, “I thank God, I am always victorious in Christ!” (1 Cor. 15:57; 2 Cor. 2:14).
According to the way some people teach faith, Paul was not very successful because he had all sorts of trials and tribulations. Yet we can take a lesson from the Apostle Paul. Yes, he went through those
trials–but he considered not the situations, staggered not at the promises of God, and was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was also able to perform.
Often people come to me and say, “Well, I don’t understand why I’m having to go through this.” I usually answer, “I don’t know either. But keep believing God, because greater is He that is in you than he
that is in the world! Be fully persuaded that what God said to you will happen!”
When God promised Abraham that his seed would be too numerous to count, Abraham didn’t even have any offspring at the time (Gen. 15:1-5). But the Bible says that he was fully persuaded and gave glory to
God.
I want to tell you how persuaded Abraham was. He was so fully persuaded that even after Isaac was born and God told him to offer Isaac, he obeyed. Abraham was so sure that God would keep His Word that
he took his son Isaac up on top of the mountain to offer him (Gen. 22). By his faith, Abraham gave glory to God.
So instead of saying, “Why am I in such trouble?” we should be saying, “Glory to God. Thank God I am delivered. In all of my circumstances, trials, and tribulations, I shall come forth. In the midst of it all, I will be fully persuaded!”
You see, the actions of Paul and Abraham showed that they believed God’s Word.
When you believe something, you act like it. For example, if a father told his fifteen-year-old son, “I’m going to buy you a car next month when you turn sixteen and pass the driver’s test,” his son would
believe him. And I guarantee that young man would act as if what his father said was true. He’d tell everyone, “I’m getting a car next month”–even though he hasn’t seen any keys, he hasn’t seen the car,
and he hasn’t even passed the test yet!
What evidence is that teenage boy going on? He’s going on what his daddy said! I want you to know that young man isn’t considering anything else. If somebody asked him, “Yes, but what if such-and-such
happens?” he’d answer, “Don’t worry about it. My dad said he would buy me a car, and he’s going to do it.”
Well, as Christians, we don’t have to worry about anything either. We don’t have to consider anything other than what our Heavenly Father has said!
In the example of the teenager, you can tell he was fully persuaded that his father would do what he promised–or else he wouldn’t have been talking about it.
Do you want to know why some Christians don’t talk about what God will do for them? Because they’re not really persuaded that He will do something for them. You can tell by listening to them talk. They have a little bit of doubt in their voices. There’s no certainty in it.
I’m sorry to say there are too many Christians who don’t really believe the promises in the Bible–they’re just mouthing words. But if God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!
We have to be like Abraham–fully persuaded that what God has promised, He is also able to perform. We have to believe that whatever God has said, He is able to bring to pass!
What is it that you need from God? While you’re waiting for the promise of God to be fulfilled in your life, maintain your confident trust in Him. Refuse to consider the circumstances or anything else.
Don’t stagger at the promises of God through unbelief but, instead, thank God in advance for causing you to triumph. Then stay fully persuaded that whatever God promised, He is able to do. And it will
come to pass!
THE ABOVE MATERIAL WAS PUBLISHED BY THE WORD OF FAITH MAGAZINE, JULY 1998, PAGES 15-17. THIS MATERIAL IS COPYRIGHTED AND MAY BE USED FOR STUDY & RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.
