Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship!
Tonight's article starts a two-part message on the subject of using our FAITH as a force, a powerful force for overcoming Hard Times and establishing ourselves firmly on solid ground in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God there are NO hard times. In fact, in the Kingdom of God there are NEVER any hard times. There are no down times, no defeat times, no weak times, no victim times, no helpless times, no loser times, no sick times, no insufficiency times and no distressed or depressed times. The Kingdom of God is a place of VICTORY in all things at all times and the purpose of this message is to point out that by FAITH we can LIVE there NOW in the midst of any situation or circumstance.
The reason we're not seeing this idea manifested more profoundly around the Body of Christ these days is that many Christians, maybe most, don't actually LIVE by faith. They BELIEVE that Jesus was born a long time ago in a place called Bethlehem somewhere in Israel; they BELIEVE that He died on a cross some years later at some other place in Israel and that He rose from the grave on an Easter Sunday morning. And they BELIEVE that somehow in that process because of the hardship Christ went through, they've received eternal life. They BELIEVE these events to be true but there's a big difference between BELIEVING and actually LIVING one's life by faith. Simply BELIEVING these things can get you forgiveness of your sins and it can get you eternal life; but we have to LIVE by faith NOW if we want to actually hangout inside the Kingdom of God NOW so that we can enjoy the overcoming life that God intends for Believers to possess and enjoy NOW.
The Bible says clearly that Believers (the righteous) are supposed to LIVE by faith (Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11 quoting Habakkuk 2:4). LIVING by faith means to actually DO something with our BELIEF, something beyond just passively agreeing and waiting for Jesus to come back to take us all to heaven. The fact is Jesus is pretty sensitive about faith. On a number of occasions recorded in the Bible He strongly criticized His disciples for not having enough faith because they weren't doing with it what He knew they were capable of doing. Here are eight scriptural references to occasions when Jesus challenged His disciples to do MORE with their faith: Matthew 8:26, 14:31, 16:6, 17-2, Mark 8:17-21, 11:22-24, Luke 8:25, 17:6. If He challenged His disciples of that day to do something with their faith, you can be sure that through His Word He's also challenging us to do the same thing NOW because we're His present-day disciples.
The Apostle James who was one of Jesus's blood brothers went on to explain that living by faith requires that our faith be accompanied by "works of faith" (James 2:17-18). Otherwise it's a dead faith that's USELESS (2:20), a passive belief that even demons have (2:19). In the same way Jesus was telling His disciples in those eight scriptures to do things with their faith so it could grow and strengthen. They had been with Him long enough that they should have been demonstrating sufficient faith to do many of the things that He was doing. And He wouldn't have challenged them so strongly if it had been beyond their capabilities. Jesus doesn't command or instruct us to do things we're incapable of complying with.
Faith to Live By
In sum, most Believers tend to limit their idea of FAITH to the concept of mere belief. If that belief includes the idea that Jesus can get them to heaven and they trust Him for it then it will happen. But there's much more to the true biblical kind of faith that Believers are supposed to live by before we all go to heaven and it's important that we understand the difference. First of all we need to know that FAITH is a gift from God (Romans 12:3). At the moment we need it, God makes available a measure of it to get us started by being born again. After that it's our responsibility to make it grow which is done in two main ways: 1) we develop a close personal relationship with God that's based on TRUSTING Him to get us through life in victory, and 2) we develop a relationship with the Word that contains all the principles of life that we need to establish ourselves in the Kingdom of God. Indeed, the Word says about itself that faith comes by hearing IT (the Word) with understanding (Romans 10:17) which said another way is that the POWER of our faith is directly related to the amount of Word we have heard, understood and internalized.
The Bible defines FAITH as follows: Faith is the assurance (confidence) of things hoped for, the conviction (evidence or proof) of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We are confident that somehow, someway God will see to it that our (Word-based) hopes will be fulfilled in ways that are outside the realm of our five physical senses (seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting). Since most people have difficulty fully grasping this definition without some further study and meditation on it, I came up with my own way of saying it especially for this article that I hope will be helpful:
Faith is confidently trusting God for the fulfillment of our hopes in a process that cannot be appraised or fully understood through the natural senses.
Indeed, we have to come to the conclusion that actually LIVING by faith has a much more extensive meaning than the mere belief we talked about previously. And so, studying God's Word will lead you to the following expanded view of what it takes to actually LIVE BY FAITH:
* Faith is the act of trusting in God instead of what we see in the natural.
* Faith is the act of trusting in the Word of God so that we cause our lives to line up with it.
* Faith is being confident that God will bring to pass what we're hoping for.
* Faith involves taking ownership of the things we're hoping for before we actually receive them.
* Faith requires that we take action on what we believe before it actually manifests.
* Faith is a force that is strong enough to overcome the world.
Friend, these are faith concepts that are well beyond the thinking of most Believers which is unfortunate. The truth is most Christians are NOT really trusting in God except passively and they're NOT very confident that the promises clearly identified in the Word are really for them now in this time and life. Consequently they're NOT sure that God will actually make His Word happen as He's promised even though He SAID He watches over it in order to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12).
Faith for living then is being confident that the promises that originate from God's Word ALREADY belong to you because Jesus paid the price for you to have them even though you can't see some of them yet with your physical eyes (Hebrews 11:1). This is the type of faith that God wants you to have, a faith that each day grows stronger by getting closer and closer to Him and by hearing and studying the Word (Romans 10:17) with Him until your FAITH alone through Christ can move mountains (Mark 11:22-23) just by your speaking to them.
Living Faith Must Be Active
And so, belief in something is just the beginning of faith. We believe something but we have to do something with it in order to turn it into a life-living faith. At first, most of us are reluctant to take faith-action until our five physical senses confirm for us that it's safe to step out. Consequently, most Christians have PASSIVE faith; they believe that Jesus is Lord but they're still standing around at the foot of the Cross waiting for something to happen. Indeed, as alluded to previously the Bible says that even demons "believe" in God and that they tremble in their belief (James 2:19) which is more than some Believers these days who: 1) routinely disregard the consequences of making their choices without consulting God and 2) neglect the most important principles of Christianity.
To continue building our understanding of what a living faith actually is, we need to go a little deeper into the previous idea that "faith without works" is a "dead" faith (James 2:17). Many Believers have been taught in the traditional Church that your PASSIVE faith needs to be connected to good deeds in order to make it a good kind of faith. That's not actually the intent of this scripture and the wrong interpretation comes from not considering the whole chapter. First the Apostle James says in verses 15 and 16 that if you fail to help your brother or sister who's in need of clothing and food, then your faith is useless. So the premature (and erroneous) interpretation is that our faith doesn't get us anywhere unless we perform some good deeds for needy folks in the Body of Christ.
But friend to accurately understand the principle of "faith-works" you have to also consider verses 21 and 22 of this same Chapter which say that Abraham's faith was PERFECTED when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar. That act had nothing to do with the traditional concept of good deeds yet according to the Bible by doing it he demonstrated a PERFECT faith. When Abraham offered up Isaac on the altar, he was TRUSTING that the promises which God had given him for the future had to go through Isaac, so by faith he knew that God would either provide a way of escape or would resurrect Isaac from the dead so that His promises could be fulfilled. You can read the account of Isaac being offered up on the altar in Genesis 22:1-18.
How do we reconcile these two accounts in the same Chapter about faith with works? In the light of the second account involving Abraham and Isaac, the only interpretation for the first account (helping Christians in need) that fits is that a good deed becomes a work of faith when you share what you have with others and as a result you then have to TRUST God for your own provision. Most people don't share their essential possessions with others because they're afraid they won't have enough left for themselves. "What if there's a shortage in the land and I need something for myself during these HARD TIMES we're going through?" Yet God says: seek first the Kingdom of God and things like these will be provided to you (Matthew 6:33). The promise is in the Scripture; faith says to stand on it and allow God to perform His Word without regard for the natural physical environment you're living in.
In sum, real faith, faith for living, must be ACTIVE. A work of trusting God and His Word is required in order for your faith to be perfected. Good deeds are great; in fact Believers are called to perform them (2 Corinthians 9:8-9). But the good deeds that count, the ones that please God, are the ones that are somehow connected to a trusting kind of faith. If the real purpose of your good deeds is to impress God or people, then it has nothing to do with faith and it's useless. But if your good deed is based on the Word of God and is purposed to help Him establish His Kingdom, then it's a work that helps PERFECT your faith and make it into an ACTIVE kind of faith that can move mountains.
Active Faith is a Force
When you're able to achieve the active kind of faith described in this article, you'll come to understand that STRONG FAITH IS A FORCE. We tend not to think of it that way but the truth is our faith can overcome the world (1 John 5:4). It's a powerful force! Faith can cause situations in your life to change. It can cause prosperity to manifest. It can change your body and your health. It's a spiritual force that can activate the power of God in your life sufficient to accomplish what seems impossible in the natural. Faith can overcome any trial or tribulation you're facing and make it seem unimportant. It can completely change your perspective about anything. Faith is absolutely a force to be reckoned with!
Faith becomes a force when you act on what you believe, when you confess with your mouth what God has promised. It becomes a force when what you do and say is in agreement with the Word of God especially when your immediate environment in the natural is in disagreement. You understand that you are who you say you are and that you can have what you say. It can become a force to move mountains as you develop it through the wisdom of God and by your growing expertise in the Word. Friend, there's not anything you can't do by active faith. Just say what the Word says and then believe what you say (Mark 11:22-24)!
Since HARD TIMES are found in the World, the force of an active, living faith can overcome the HARD TIMES. Why should you be concerned about HARD TIMES when God has promised in His Word to take care of you, to provide for your needs and to give you the overwhelming victory every time, in every trial and persecution at every opportunity (Romans 8:35-37 and 2 Corinthians 2:14). The question today is this: do you trust God and do you trust Him to perform what He has promised in His Word? The faith that overcomes HARD TIMES is all about TRUSTING God and doing your part to grow in the Word to make your faith stronger and more effective.
Some Final Thoughts
There's a big difference between the typical kind of faith we can see across the American Body of Christ these days and the kind of FAITH God wants to PERFECT in us. God has given us our faith but it's our responsibility to study the Word and make it grow and become strong and active and forceful. Most Believers have a dormant faith that's weak and under-nourished; so the Body of Christ is far less effective than it should be. But the faith that overcomes the World, the faith that produces victory even in HARD TIMES is a strong, well-nourished and active kind of faith that works through the power and authority of Christ. Believers with this kind of faith are looking for ways to attach it to everything they do because they realize it pleases God and it will produce the best possible results for their lives. The blessings and favor of God come ONLY by the active kind of faith that's connected to real works of trusting in the Lord to perform His Word. Friend, there are no HARD TIMES for this kind of faith so whenever they try to get in your way, just speak to them and tell them to stay out of your life. You can have what you say!
Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again NEXT Sunday night on August 31. In the meantime may the Lord bless you with every spiritual blessing, compelling you to PROSPER in every area of life!
Sinners' Prayer
If you've never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you need to and you can do it today just by saying out loud the following simple prayer:
Jesus I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Lord and Savior. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.
If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.
And, when you get a chance have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer today and believing what you said:
Romans 10:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:8
Prayer Requests
If you have a Prayer Request, please connect to the Link below and follow the promptings. The PLN staff members pray over Prayer Requests every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM eastern time. Agree with us for God to answer your petition.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/prayer-request.aspx
Donations
If you've been edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, you may want to consider making a SEED FAITH offering to support the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). God has instructed us to simply provide folks with an opportunity to sow seed into good ground so in due season you'll be eligible to reap a harvest and the rest is up to you as the Spirit leads. For your information PLN is a nonprofit gift to the Body of Christ so your financial offerings will usually be tax deductible (consult your tax advisor). Just go to the secure Shopping Cart on the Cornerstone web site by connecting through the following link. We appreciate your support and generosity.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1
About Prosperous Life Newsletter
PLN is an outreach ministry of Make A Way Ministries domiciled in Miami, Florida. It is in its 17th year of distribution and has been published continuously since January 1998. It's an e-publication about life in the Kingdom of God and is sent ONLY to our email list of MINISTRY MEMBERS. If you're reading this and aren't yet on our growing email list, please let us know and we'll be so very happy to add you to the list.
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