This week we are picking up in the middle of a series on next level faith that we taught in West Virginia. It was a powerful series, and we are grateful for what the Lord has been doing through it. One of the things you have to learn, if you are going to grow in faith, is how to rightly divide the Word of God. A major key to that is knowing the character of God. If you do not know His character, you can read a passage and walk away confused. Faith stops at the question mark, so we have to settle some things forever.

We are not going to go deep into covenant tonight, but we do need to say this. Covenant is a forever issue with God. When He says His mercy will never change, He is not guessing. He is the Almighty, all-knowing God. He knows how to exercise justice with mercy. We are the ones who sometimes get that wrong. So when you settle the character of God, you can look at difficult verses and say, “Wait a minute. We need to look into this a little further.”

For example, Deuteronomy 28:20 in the King James reads like God is the one sending cursing and destruction. That is not right. God does not have curse to give. He cannot make you sick. If He touched you, you would be healed. If He breathed on you, He is the God of life. What is going on there is translation. Sometimes a passage is written in a way that sounds causative, when it is actually permissive. The curse is out there in the world. If you get outside covenant protection, you can be affected by what is already operating in the earth. So we dig. We do not panic. We do not let confusion stay. We find the truth that fits the character of God.

Then you come to a subtler example like Luke 9, where the King James says Jesus “rebuked” James and John when they wanted to call fire down. If you have just read Isaiah 54, you know God swore He would not be angry with His people and would not rebuke them. Jesus only did what He saw the Father do, and only said what He heard the Father say. So what is happening? We dig again. That word translated “rebuked” can also mean “charged” or “corrected firmly.” He was not chewing them out in front of their friends. He was correcting a serious misunderstanding of His character. They were ready to destroy people, and He came to save them. He had to get their attention because He was heading to the cross, and they were misjudging Him.

That same kind of digging helped us with a passage many people grew up hearing about Thomas. Most of us were taught that Thomas was the one who lacked faith and got called out. But when we looked closer, we found something that did not fit love, and it pushed us to study. In older manuscript evidence, the wording supports that Jesus was addressing the group, not humiliating one disciple. The point was not to shame Thomas. The point was to bring all of them to the place where they could believe without seeing, because that is where faith operates and that is where the blessing can flow. Love does not belittle. Love teaches. Love corrects to build, not to crush.

And this matters for everyday life, not just Bible study. We raised two children, and we learned early that one of them needed line-on-line instruction. If it was in the Word, they could stand on it, investigate it, and walk it out. The other needed the character of God established deep in her heart. If someone ever said, “God broke your arm to teach you something,” she would know immediately that it was not true. She would say, “No He did not, because my God loves me.” Knowing God’s character rules out so many misunderstandings. It helps you interpret the hard places. It helps you see the difference between God restraining your flesh for your long-term benefit, versus someone claiming God is trying to harm you.

So that is why we are spending time here. This is a next level thing because it anchors your faith. No confusion. No question marks. The Word does not contradict itself. There is an answer, and the Holy Spirit knows where it is. You may have to dig, but the truth is there, and it will solidify your confidence in God. That is how you grow into next level faith. And that is why we say it at the end of every broadcast. God loves you, and Jesus is Lord.