Sit down first and calculate

There is only one way to achieve things that are out of our reach: be an ally of God. And there is only one way to be an ally of God: when we manifest a conscious Faith in Him and His Word. The impossible is no longer impossible before this Faith. Other types of beliefs, religions and rituals cannot do what this Faith does, because they are not accompanied by sacrifice, which is what brings us closer to the Most High.

This is why, in order for the impossible to happen, the manifestation of this Faith is essential, by forsaking our own thoughts to absorb the thoughts of God. It is a small sacrifice in favor of achieving great things.

And it could not be any different. Only God can do the impossible, but He has shared His power so that we can accomplish the impossible for His Glory. This power is the gift of Faith, which comes from listening to His Word, and becomes effective when we put it into practice boldly through acts of sacrifice.

For this reason, only those who are truly His disciples can make use of this power. After all, a “disciple” is someone that receives instructions from another person and puts them into practice. It’s a person who adopts a doctrine, follows an idea or imitates the examples of their master. Therefore, those who want to adopt the teachings of Jesus as a guide for their behavior must forsake their own life. He made it clear that, to be His disciple, it is necessary to obey Him, forsake our own life and give up everything this world offers.

And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14.27

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14.33

No wonder He advises those who want to follow Him to sit down first and calculate whether they are truly willing to assume the commitment to obey until the end and be able to pay the price of this decision. This is what we call conscious faith, rational faith or intelligent faith. This Faith requires us to use reason to make choices that we will actually honor, without emotions or precipitated decisions, since we know what it will require of us.

The Most High does not impose His discipline on anyone, but He also does not share His Power with everyone. He makes us aware of how we should act if we want this Power in us. We should analyze this proposal with our mind, not our heart – because there is a price to pay, it is not a gratuitous grace.

Bishop Macedo