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But of course, when speaking of these matters, all we can go on is our God-given faith and intelligence.

Yes, God insists that He gives to every man a measure of faith.

It is up to us to exercise it. That involves active and persistent choice.

I don't think we can blame God that He gave us an inferior faith as the reason we have weak or inadequate faith in Him.

We are not teenager druggies and He's not the social worker.

About every game our carnal nature could construe, God is infinitely too sharp for.

Perhaps I've gone off sky west and crooked from your point. I just wanted to caution about assumptions and slippery thinking in that ball park.

There's a WORD OF FAITH movement started probably in these times by Kenneth Hagin. I hear Hagin's tapes and read his books and he has plenty of outs which more or less balance out his position. But his son and a lot of his theological offspring have seemed to jump off the cliff with the principles involved.

NEVERTHELESS, that brand of Christian tends to experience and administer significantly more healings than most others. Certainly the Word of God earnestly believed and applied with whatever faith one can muster will produce far more miracles than other efforts.

But God is not a valet, not a butler, not a vending machine.

One time Kenneth Hagin knew of an elderly widow who had always been a righteous prayer warrior. She had heart trouble of some such and was clearly going to die unless God healed her. He knew from his long association that she had tons of faith and applied it appropriately, Scripturally. He went and layed hands on her and prayed for her. She died. He asked God why. God told him it was none of his business and to never think of it nor talk about it again.

That's fine. Certainly God's option. But it was a convenient out for Kenneth Hagin. He was faithful to God's command.

God doesn't seem to respond to formulas well--even Biblical ones. HE DEMANDS, INSISTS ON, COVETS A LOVE RELATIONSHIP WITH US MOMENT BY MOMENT. He wants a lover's dialogue with us moment by moment. He wants our trust and abandonment to Him moment by moment.

That takes a lot of faith and trust. Our culture tends to generate fear and mistrust and ocean fulls of incredulity. We have a lot to overcome to arrive at the state of relationship God desires for us. He is well able to get us there with our cooperation.

Blessings,

BTW,

I'm convinced your IQ is above average and at least more than sufficient for a reasoned faith based on reasonable evidence.