“Let’s be realistic.” Some Christians use this statement as a precursor to cautioning you against being overly optimistic about what you can or should expect from the Lord.
These well-meaning saints think the God who promises to forgive all your sins, to heal all your diseases, to redeem your life from the pit, should be understood in terms of what they define as ‘realistic.’

The Savior on whom the Spirit of God rested – being anointed to bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to captives, and opening to those who are bound (freedom from prison) needs to be tempered by a more realistic expectation.
They must remind those reaching to Christ for resolution of their need, of the many -both from scripture and from their own experience - who did not get what they wanted or needed. Such reminding helps us obtain a more ‘realistic’ perspective. It couches these words, all the promises of God are ‘Yes,’ and ‘Amen,’ in Christ, in such a safe manor that “if,” (they mean, “when”) it doesn’t pan out they don’t look silly for being so emphatic, and you don’t become too disappointed.

Excuse me. I just threw up. Hwooh! Yeah, where do I get rid of this bag, Ewww!

Where was I? Oh. Have you been one of those ‘realistic’ Christians? I have.

Since when does our perception of what is realistic trump what God in Christ has said and done? You’d say, “Hey, I’m just calling it the way it is. Can’t help it if you can’t handle the truth.”
Well, let me tell you something, Buster . . . Mr. Realistic, you may be honestly expressing what you have seen and experienced – but you are not being a true witness to faith in Christ.

Elisha’s attendant was realistic about seeing, an army with horses and chariots (was) circling the city. 2 Kings 6:15

The scouting party presented a ‘realistic’ report to the children by describing the giants (Nephilim) they saw: The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them. Numbers 13:33

No one is saying that what you perceive is not your reality. I am saying that there is a superior reality. And we insult the God who saves us when we subject His reality to ours. Let God be true and all men liars.

Don’t dare obstruct a brother’s heart and eyes of faith with mere natural perceptions. Our eyes of flesh, the eyes of man will never, never, NEVER see what the Lord opens to the eyes of faith. Flesh always magnifies calamity, faith lays hold of . . . 'THEN.'

THEN Elisha prayed and said, O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. And the LORD opened the servant's eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17

THEN Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. Numbers 13:30

If we cannot give council born of prayer, in concert with God’s revealed perspective, we should shut up. And we should admit it – we can’t encourage confidence in someone because we don’t ourselves believe it. Don’t pretend ‘wisdom’ if it’s really ‘unbelief.’

I pray that the Holy Spirit so convicts our hearts that there is no bigger way to offend our Savior than to dis-believe what He said – to place His promises beneath what we think. We must repent. Just stop it.! We must beg forgiveness for calling Him Lord one moment, and disregarding His words, the next.

You want realistic? Then say the truth:
“I don’t believe God will fix my/your emotional problem.”
“I don’t believe God will heal my/your disease.”
“I don’t believe God will answer the prayers that really matter to me/you.”
Come on, say it:
“Yes, Lord, I pray for others to be healed (for maybe 30 to 60 seconds) but I’m pretty sure nothing is going to happen.”
“I agree that the miracles in the Gospels and Acts actually happened, but I just don’t think I’ll see it here and now.”

All right, Joe Real. Who’s the hypocrite? Stop pretending. To pray for folks ‘because the Bible tells us to,’ but not believe anything will come of it, is plain and simple hypocrisy.
You want real? Say to someone who asks for prayer, “I’m sorry, I call myself a servant of Christ, but I really don’t believe He will heal you or meet your financial need.”

Are we willing to give whatever is required to adjust our ‘reality’ to His? He wants to disclose Himself to us. Do we want to fight for and embrace His disclosure?

Lord, I want to vomit when I see how I pretend to believe You. I ask that you would make me willing to give myself to You – to be made over with Your realism - to be a simple servant increasingly more able to perceive and express Your thoughts and ways and actions. Help me to gag and be nauseated by ‘realities’ that contradict Your life, truth and revelation.
By Your grace, I will set my heart and soul to magnify Your thoughts, ways and words, that You may be rightly represented through this vessel. May I forsake and deny and call shameful, any attitude or notion that diminishes what You have displayed, and who You have declared Yourself to be.
Amen.