By Andrew Williams – April 23, 2022
As soon as Jesus landed, he was confronted by the Pharisees, who argued with Jesus and tested him. They demanded that he give them a miraculous sign from heaven. With a deep sigh from his spirit, he said, “What drives this generation to clamor for a sign? Listen to the truth: there will absolutely be no sign given to this generation!” Then he turned and left them, got back into the boat, and crossed over to the opposite shore.
Mark 8:11-13 TPT
Good morning fellow disciples.
You are following the teachings and the lifestyle of the Lord Jesus Christ. You understand His Word and you are going about proclaiming it. But then you meet up on some persons who challenge you and don’t believe that what you’re saying is true. They start arguing with you and demanding that you prove that what you are teaching is true. What do you do?
Look at what the amplified version says: The Pharisees came out and began to argue [contentiously and debate] with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him [because of their unbelief].
Mark 8:11 AMP
These people did not believe the words of Jesus. They really had no intention of listening to Him. I believe that even if Jesus had performed miracles right in front of them they still would not have believed.
You will also meet up on persons like these Pharisees. Sometimes you will defend the gospel, and rightfully so, but sometimes you just have to leave these unbelieving persons and go to others who will listen to the gospel.
This is what Jesus did! You should also do the same!
Don’t waste your time having useless arguments with persons who have no desire to listen to the truth. People who are eager to have arguments with you and who are unwilling to believe unless you show them signs are usually the ones who will waste your time.
Prayer: Father God, help me to be wise like Jesus. I don’t want to waste my precious time here on earth arguing with persons when I could be proclaiming Your gospel to those who will be receptive to it.
Help me to learn from what happened to Jesus, from my past experiences, and the experiences of others so that I will know how to approach unbelieving persons. Amen.
