adapted from Grasping God's Word (Duvall & Hays):

automatic transportation of the biblical text into our cultural world is called "interpretational reflex." Interpretational reflex "helps" us fill in all the gaps and ambiguities in the biblical texts with explanations and background from our culture. 

however, our cultural background has pre-formed parameters of limiting possibilities for a text even before we grapple with the intended meaning. we therefore subconsciously create a world of interpretive possibilities and IMpossibilities. however, by doing this, we are placing our culture above the Bible and are reading the Bible through culture-coloured lenses. the challenge is to critique our culture with the Bible and not vice versa. 

hence alot of times, when we read a command/promise from the Bible, we may superficially agree but in the back of our minds we write it off. we have allowed what the world, and/or our culture say is impossible to dictate our possibilities instead of really taking God at His word - "with man it is impossible, but with God, it is possible."

it's time to really believe what we say we believe.