The Three Thieves of Faith
The Three Thieves of Faith
- The Thief of Ignorance
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:” (NKJ)
Philemon 1:6 “I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ.” (Berean)
Stop looking at what you don’t have and see what you do have. Stop looking for temporary fixes instead of looking to the Lord for permanent solutions.
He has already given you everything you need.
2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (Berean)
Your problem is not with your faith but with your knowledge of what is already provided for you. It’s yours, reach out in faith and receive it.
Job 36:12 “But if they refuse to listen, they pass over the river of death, and expire without knowledge.” (NET)
Proverbs 5:23 “He shall die for lack of instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.” (NKJ)
2. The Thief of Unbelief
Mark 6:5-7 “And He could do no mighty work there except that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went through the villages round about, teaching. 7 And He called unto Him the twelve and began to send them forth by two and two and gave them power over the unclean spirits.” (NKJ)
It’s not that you need bigger faith, you need less unbelief.
Mark 9:22-24 “And often it has cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if you can do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help you my unbelief.” (NKJ)
Matthew 17:19-20 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.” (NKJ)
Hebrews 3:19 “So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter His rest.” (NLT)
Romans 4:20-21 “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.” (NKJ)
3. The Thief of Disbelief
Disbelief is when you have been taught wrong and now you have a prejudice against the Word of God. Examples: “I know the Bible says… but…” “That’s not the way we believe. We believe signs and wonders, laying hands on the sick and speaking in tongues ceased with the Apostles.” “Well, that’s your interpretation of the Bible.” “You can’t believe everything written in the Bible.” “There are too many contradictions.” Disbelief is allowing what you feel or think to have precedence over the Bible.
1 Timothy 6:3-5a “If anyone teaches another doctrine and disagrees with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and with godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing. Instead, he has an unhealthy interest in controversies and semantics, out of which come envy, strife, abusive talk, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind who are devoid of the truth.” (Berean)
2 Peter 3:16-18 “Paul speaks of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 17 I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (NLT)
Titus 1:9-11, 13-16 “Holding fast the doctrine according to the faithful Word, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. 10 For there are many insubordinate and vain talkers and deceivers of souls, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths it is expedient to stop, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain. 13 This witness is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. 15 For unto the pure all things are pure, but unto those that are defiled and unfaithful, nothing is pure, but even their soul and conscience is defiled. (NKJ) 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” (NLT)