SPIRITUAL GIFTS 

The Gift of Faith ~ Part 2 ~ Trusting God to Keep His Word

Trusting God to keep his Word, must result in the action of FOLLOWING [keeping] the whole Word of God; faith must be married to actions, for faith without works is dead. Faith means that we trust God to keep all of His promises in His Word, but we can only have this faith that God keeps His promises if we are seeking God and all of His ways with all our hearts and keeping all of His commandments. And when we see that we have been wrong or deceived we must repent quickly, seek God's forgiveness and embrace the truth that has been shown to us and incorporate it into our hearts and lives. God gives the gift of His Spirit (which has the Fruits of the Spirit as elements of it, including faith) to those who OBEY Him (Acts 5:32).
 
A couple of weeks ago we looked into what is the Gift of Faith as per 1st Corinthians 12:9. This week we will go further into the study of faith as to what it is to believe God and to trust Him to keep His word and what our part is in order to have that trust. What is required of us to have this kind of faith? How do we attain to this absolute faith that we trust in God no matter what the circumstances are and no matter how much others around us may doubt God's promises?

Does most of mankind even believe that God exists even though they can see the natural world around them? The things that God has created furnish plenty of evidence that can be seen by mankind that logically point to the fact that Creation (everything in heaven and earth) demands that a Creator made them. Anyone with a rational mind should be able to understand that there has to be Something that is much greater than ourselves, and that there is in fact an Almighty God that made the earth, the universe, and all living things.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

God gives this evidence to all mankind which is proof that shows that He does indeed exist and that He made all things, including each one of us. That is the beginning of faith, for if we believe that God exists then we have the basis from which belief can be built upon.

The kind of faith that sees God's creation and then comes to believe in God, although very necessary, is not enough. Satan and his demons believe in God, in fact they know that He exists, and yet they refuse to submit to Him (James 2:19). Satan and his demonic cohorts are greatly intent on opposing God's purpose of redeeming mankind at every angle. It is the same with most of humanity, although men say that they believe in God, they refuse to submit their will to His laws and then end up worshiping false gods and following after the imaginations of their own making. (Romans 1:18-23)

If God then calls us and IF we respond positively, He will give us even more faith to add to our little faith as we seek to know more about this Great God that created the universe. God will give us the kind of faith that enables our mind to understand His truth as well. He will put in our heart a burning desire to want to know Him even more and to understand what is the purpose of our existence and how we can obey and serve Him better. He does this by the power of His Holy Spirit that is given to those who have come to believe in Him with all their hearts, have had Christ's atoning sacrifice applied to their past sins and are striving to obey all His commandments. The faith that they receive is truly a gift from God, but we must cultivate that GIFT by doing the things that help it grow, and safeguard it from ever being diminished or even taken from us.

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope: 5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

The rest of Chapter Eleven gives examples of men and women who had the kind of faith in God that believed that He created the worlds; but their faith went much further by showing that they not only believed in Him but had faith to believe that what He said would come to pass; therefore they could have hope in those things. They had the kind of faith that inspired them to do what God says, and their faith was evidenced by how they lived their lives and how they overcame obstacles through faith.

This partial list of Old Testament faithful men and women of God gives us many examples of faith as exemplified in the lives of godly people whose lives are recorded in Scripture for us to learn from. The events of their lives are written to encourage us to follow in their footsteps of having faith toward God and living by faith. Their faith enabled them to put their trust in God, and not in themselves, and empowered them to do great things for God as His faithful servants. Please take time to read the whole chapter, as it is so relevant to the whole study on faith, the gift of faith, and what it means to be faithful. Hebrews 11 will refresh our memories of the many instances where the Bible tells about each of these peoples' lives and how these men and women responded to their life's challenges in godly faith.

It is God Who Calls Us and it is He that Gives Us the Gift of Faith

God appeared to Abraham and our forefathers, and they were personally called by God to worship Him, alone, and to obey His commandments and ordinances. These men believed God and believed that He would keep all of His promises. They were given specific tasks in life and faithfully accomplished what God wanted them to do because of their belief.  

Exodus 6:3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.

We, too, are called to live for God, to be fashioned and molded to become like Him; but also do whatever He would have us to do to help others and to further His work on earth. 

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

To be able to obey God and to walk as He walked takes a lot of faith, and only God can supply that faith; it does not come from within ourselves. God, through His tremendous grace towards us, gives us His faith as a gift.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God chose to call certain individuals in the time of Old Testament and they were given the Holy Spirit. Then He called John the Baptist at the beginning of the New Testament to be a prophet to the people and to prepare the way for Christ. The four Gospels record how Jesus called His disciples which included many more, than just the twelve that would go on to become the apostles. On the day of Pentecost, there were about 120 believers (Acts 1:15) and after Peter delivered a riveting sermon and a call for the people that were present and listening to him to believe and repent, 3000 men and women were convicted in their hearts of their need to be saved and were baptized that day.

Down through the centuries and up until our times, God the Father has continued to call personally men and women to believe in Him, repent, and to follow His Son. The Bible informs us that God calls many, but that only a small number will actually respond to His call. The Ekklesia has never had a large presence on earth, rather God's people are referred to as a little flock.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock....

We must have a personal calling from God the Father first, which begins the process of having faith to then go forward to do the other things necessary to become a member of His body. 

If we respond to the Father's call, we will begin to see that we have been sinners all of our life and come to realize our need to repent and be baptized. At the laying on of hands and prayer to receive the Holy Spirit, we have God's Spirit imparted to us and we receive a measure of the attributes that make up His nature, which includes a measure of faith. It can only come as a gift from our Father initially, and it enables us to start keeping all of His commandments and we begin to grow to be more like Him and His Son; and as we do that, we will GROW in FAITH as well.

When God opens our eyes to believe in His Word we become so convicted, that we not only have belief in His existence, but He gives to us the gift of faith that enables us to see that He is very much real and that His Word is true. We come to believe that God is the God of the Bible, that the Bible is His Word and we develop trust that His Words are true. We come to know in our hearts that what the Bible teaches is true, not what the world teaches nor what the false churches teaches. We come to trust that God is a good God, that He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, and that both the Father and the Son want only the best for us. Those who are faithfully following Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, come to understand that God has an awesome purpose and plan for their lives that they can look forward to.

David, too, had this total conviction and he was a great man of faith and believed in all of God's promises for he wrote:

2nd Samuel 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, thou art that God, and thy words be true...

When God begins to call us, and we come to believe what He says, then we have to make a decision: What will we do with this new found deeper belief? Will we be content to just have faith that God is our Creator and that what He says in the Bible is true and then do nothing about it? Many who have been called have done just that! Or will we put that faith into action and begin to do the works that God commands in the Bible and turn our life around to keep all of God's laws, Sabbaths, Holy Days and any other statutes that He has ordained for us to keep?

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Our faith must be evident by our actions of faithfully FOLLOWING [keeping] the whole Word of God;  if we just have faith but have no works to back up our faith, our faith is shown to be no faith at all. Faith must be coupled with good works!

The apostle James also addresses this very thing and explains that it is not enough to just have faith, but that we will show that we genuinely do have faith by our works [by our actions and by how well we keep God's commandments.]

James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

God holds up Abraham as an object lesson for all of us. Abraham reflected the kind of faith that we are to have, and he is known as the "father of the faithful" in the New Testament. God knew that Abraham would instruct his children in the ways of God and that he would teach them how to walk with God in faith and obedience (Genesis 18:19). We are called his children if, we too, reflect the kind of faith that Abraham had, not only in believing, but having enough faith to obey God in all things. Abraham had the faith to believe that God would grant him a son through Sarah, even though it appeared to be impossible.  Later, after God had fulfilled His promise of a son, Abraham had the faith to obey God when God told him to go up to the mountain and sacrifice that very son. 

Abraham believed God and he was faithful to God; if we are faithful to God, we will be called the [spiritual] children of Abraham and we will receive God's blessings right along with faithful Abraham.

Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. 18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.

Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Abraham not only believed God but that belief was verified by his righteous works. That belief caused him to be called the friend of God; so, too, we can become God's friends if we have the kind of faith that Abraham had.

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Abraham had faith to believe in God's promise of a holy and righteous kingdom that is coming to this earth. Believing God gave him the hope of a better and grander future than what he had at that time; and we are given that promise and hope as well.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Like Abraham, we believe that God is absolutely faithful to His promises and that He is preparing a holy and righteous kingdom. As we live our lives and as we grow older, we see this world for what it really is: transient and fleeting. The faith that God gives. provides us with hope as we live day by day and as we look forward to eternal life living with Jesus and the Father in their kingdom.

Understanding the difference between having true FAITH and just believing is crucial. Many people believe certain facts about the Bible, about Jesus, about historical facts, about events that happened in the gospel accounts. These people may intellectually agree with the facts the Bible says about Jesus, but knowing those facts to be true is not what the Bible means by "faith." The biblical definition of faith requires intellectual agreement to the facts, but also we are to have TRUST in the facts enough that they change our lives to reflect the holy righteous character of God. 

Someone may even believe that it is wrong to commit fornication but then go ahead and do it anyway, or they may believe it is wrong to steal but take things that do not belong to them whenever they want something. They may even believe that God exists but reason that they do not really need to fear and obey Him. Most of the world has no real fear of God because they do not really believe that He will hold them accountable for what they do. True faith in God means that we not only believe in God, but believe in what He says, including what He tells us we must do to enter into eternal life; and then believe it enough to do what He says.

As well as believing in God and in the things of the Bible, Jesus connects doing the works of God with believing in what God the Father has done; the Father sent His Son to earth to be an example for us and to teach us all the things that He had heard from His Father; and also to be a perfect sacrifice to atone for the sins of those who believe, repent, and become baptized; and then commit to live according to the ways of God for the rest of their lives.

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

There is only one true God; the Father and His Son, and there is only one TRUTH. and that is the only source of true faith; all other belief systems are the commandments of men and doctrines of demons. All else is vanity and falsehood and will take us away from fulfilling God's desire for us.

1st Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

We show what we truly believe in, by what we do. Our faith is made evident to ourselves and to others of what we really are committed to believing in. Faith is not just an intellectual agreement with an ideal or set of rules, but is a living faith; in that if we have true godly faith we will put that faith into action.

Finding the Real Faith of God

Once we have been called by our Father, how do we know the true faith from false faith?

We must go directly to God's Word, for that is the SOURCE of God's truth and that is where we will find the true faith of God. We will not find it in dictionaries, commentaries, books written by men, the religions of this world, nor in movies or videos that supposedly depict the truth contained in the Bible. God's Word is truth, and that is where we will find truth and the way to salvation and eternal life.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Paul tells us in Romans 10 how we receive faith; again it is a gift from God, but we must cultivate the faith we receive from Him and keep going to the very source from which God's faith comes; His divine and holy Scriptures. Faith comes by hearing [and reading] the Word of the God, and the more we fill ourselves up with His Word, the more faith we will have! 

God's Word is our spiritual nourishment and like a plant that needs sunshine, water and nutrients, [which also come from God and are gifts as well] we must feed our faith with the Word of God on a regular and continuous basis. As we hear [study] God's Word, think upon what we are studying and ponder it in our hearts, our mind takes in the precepts and the very thoughts of God and we incorporate those things into our minds. Thus, we take on the mind of God [His nature] as we take in His Word day after day and then apply it to our lives.

Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 18 But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

We read God's Word, study it, mediate on it, pray God's Word, and then seek out good teachers that can expound God's Word more fully to us (Acts 8:27-38), but only teachers that are passionately following Jesus themselves. (Hebrews 11:1)

Our teachers must always direct us to God and His Word, and they must not try to exalt themselves or their organizations in place of God. Good teachers will faithfully preach the Word and back up whatever they teach with God's Word. They point their students to God the Father and to Jesus as Lord and Savior and to all their Word. They teach that those that claim the God of the Bible as their God, must always zealously keep all of God's commandments, ordinances, statutes, and judgments, and walk as Jesus walked when He was here on earth.

1st John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

Malachi 4:4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

If an elder or minister or anyone that is teaching directs us away from God's Word and His commandments, or is not living God's way himself, then we need to walk away from that person and/or his organization that supports his false teachings. We must test the teachings of whoever we listen to, as to how well they are in alignment with Scriptures.

Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

Once you have God's true faith, guard it with all your heart and don't let anyone take it away from you. Turn away from those who do not embrace the whole Word of God or who are trying to promote the traditions of men that are not found in the Bible; or they are turning us away from the commandments and true ordinances of God. Examples are the Rabbinic calendar, buying and selling food on the Sabbath day in restaurants, the Nicolatain Doctrine and other such non-biblical teachings.  

We are to turn away from our teachers and/or leaders if they are not providing good examples of godly faithfulness themselves and are living lives that do not uphold the clear teachings of God.

2nd John 7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine,receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

If we let anyone or anything take our faith, we let them take our crown! "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (Revelation 3:11) 

The apostle Peter gives us instructions on how we can make our calling sure [remain faithful to the end]. He exhorts us to diligently add virtue [righteousness] to our faith, then [godly] knowledge, temperance [self-control], brotherly kindness, charity [godly love].  He assures us that if we do these things, they will enable us to grow in the grace and knowledge of God. 

By starting out with the faith that God gives us and then adding all of these things to it; continuing in them for the rest of our lives; we will be successful in fulfilling our calling from God. Peter tells us that if we do these things we cannot fail, and admonishes us to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure in this way. 

2nd Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Trusting in God's Word Also Involves Having Faith in God's Promise to Forgive

1st John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

When we make mistakes and sin unintentionally; or out of weakness; or ignorance; we must ask God to forgive and then get right back up and go forward on our journey to the Promised Land. We must believe and have faith that God is full of mercy and is more than willing to forgive us when we slip up; or we find that we have believed wrongly about something and we are sincerely sorry. 

To become full of despair and want to give up is not exercising faith. Jesus gave His life that we may be forgiven and to then live for Him. If we reject what He has provided, we show that we doubt in His promises and that we lack faith that He can and is willing to forgive and apply His own sacrificial death to our past sins.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

This, too, is faith, that we believe in all of God's promises, including His promise to intercede on our behalf and then apply His sacrifice when we find sin in ourselves and we then repent.

1st John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This is faith as well, that we believe what God says about His great mercy that He has toward us as long as we are trying and we are seeking to obey Him; and repent when we see that we have made mistakes or when He reveals to us that we still have sin or some kind of deception in some area of our character. 

We need to repent quickly and then adjust our thinking and our conduct to whatever God shows us is not of the truth; and then commit that we will change and do what He says is right from then on. If we are seeking Him and are committed to living for Him, He promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us; this includes when we are struggling, or when we are going through trials. We must just trust Him and have faith when life gets hard!

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Psalms 13:5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

If We Have Faith, All Things are Possible

As with all the other fruits and gifts of the Spirit that we have been studying, Jesus Christ and the Father are our models of exemplifying them; and we must look to them as our examples of faithfulness to encourage us to trust and remain steadfast ourselves. 

All of God's great men and women of faith had to have this attribute in abundance and in the end they will not be disappointed. They came to see that God never failed them; and that even though many suffered and died for their faith they will be exceedingly rewarded in the very next moment of consciousness when they rise up in the resurrection.

Even though we are weak flesh and blood humans, and we have our weaknesses, the following verses give us much assurance and help to build our faith by telling us that we can do it; we can be faithful until the end if we are trusting in God to help us to do so. It is His will that we remain faithful, and if He has called us, He desires to help us until we come into His Kingdom.

1st Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

Luke 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 

When Jesus' gave His parable of the "Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge", He came to the end of the parable and then asked a very poignant question: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:1-8) 

When Jesus returns to earth, or just before, will He find His Ekklesia busy with the task of doing His work, keeping His commandments and walking in faith?

Matthew 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

We must be like the  persistent widow who was willing to put her trust in the unjust judge and was persistent and persevered until she received justice. How much more we should put our trust and persevere in faith until the Righteous and Just Judge returns; and never give up until that time or if we should die before. 

He will be with us always even until the very end of this age. We can have faith in His promise to be with us always..... if we remain faithful to Him.

Remember... Trust God! to trust Him is having faith in Him that He is who He says He is and that He will perform all His word.

Psalms 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

In Conclusion 

Trusting God entails believing that He loves you as His very dear child, that He wants to help you and that He has the power to help those that go to Him for help. Those that profess to be believers, very often trust other things to help them which shows that they do not really believe that God has the power to intervene to assist them. They would rather put their trust in their bank accounts, their gold and silver, credit cards, the government, their friends and family, other church members, and/or even their church organization more than they trust God and His Word. Sadly, many of us have to learn that going to services, hearing from others what we should do and and how we should live, and then go out and try to do it on our own, will fail.  We then end up crying out to God, telling Him how hard we have been working to do what [we think we should be doing] but we are in fact leaving God out of the equation and not looking to Him and His Word first. Or we may be abiding in the world and with teachers that teach worldly things more than we are abiding in the Word of God.

John 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

God wants us to put Him first before everything and everyone else in our lives. Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. When we have faith in God and believe that He really does want to help us, we will lean on Him for our help for everything in our lives, including on how we should live by His whole Word. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him in every situation and in every circumstance, and not in other things.

When we become true Christians, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit and Jesus promises that it will lead us and guide us into all truth. There are no words that can begin to even describe what a blessing this is. You do not have to go through someone else to approach God or to hear from Him. God dwells in us and we can learn to hear His voice.

1st Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

God's Word tells us that the Holy Spirit dwelling in us will lead us into truth. It is that still small voice that shows us the way to live. We hear that voice as we read and study God's Word and write them into our hearts. We learn how God wants us to think and live as we come to really know the Bible. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" (John 10:27) 

As we study and learn, our mind is renewed and we begin to lose the carnal way of thinking and we grow to think more and more the way that God thinks. We come to believe even more in God and His ways and our faith grows exponentially. As we meditate on what we should do in any given situation, His words will come to us because they are written (or recorded) in our hearts and the Holy Spirit brings them to remembrance. As we practice hearing from God and doing what He says, and if we continue to stay close to Him, we gain skill in hearing from Him in this way and it will come naturally when we face challenges and decisions. 

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

This should be a memory verse and whenever we are faced with a decision or a challenge; these verses should pop automatically into our mind as we ponder on how God would have us to decide, or on how to handle anything that should come our way.

God's Word is nourishment for our spirit. As we spend time reading and meditating on God's Word, we develop stronger and stronger faith. Our faith allows us to hear God speaking to our heart, and we then make decisions based upon what God is leading us to do. We learn to listen to Him, rather than to our own emotions or what we may want to do, or to others who are not following God. Waiting upon God, teaches us to exercise patience and self-control as well.

As we fill up ourselves with faith, we come to a place where the peace of God will replace worry and anxieties in our life. God's love, peace and joy will overflow because we are no longer worrying but trusting in Him. That is one of the benefits of faith; a true blessing is when we trust God and know that He is in control over every situation. If we have done our part as far as what our responsibility is, we can hand over our anxieties to the God that loves us and cares for us. We are do our part, and even that is with God's help, and then just turn the reins over to Him to take care of the rest.

As we grow in faith, life becomes less chaotic for we can have peace when we trust and have faith in God like little children and say, "God, I don't want to live trusting in myself or in others; rather, I want to trust you to guide me and direct me in my life's path. When I do not know what to do, I will trust you and your Word. When I do not understand the things that are going on in my life and in the world, I will trust you. When the future looks bleak and scary, I will just trust you. Please help me to trust you more and overcome all my doubts." (Mark 9:24). This is FAITH and what a gift it is!

We are truly living in the end times; even non-believers are sensing that the world has gone crazy, crazier than we have ever experienced in our lifetimes for most of us. There seems to be no sense to what is happening in every segment of society: whether it is the political scene, national and worldly news, the insane crimes that are happening all around us, pollution of our water and lands, weird weather patterns, etc. The Bible calls these days "perilous" times.

2nd Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

I know many of you have faced very hard trials and challenges in your life and are either still in the process of overcoming them or have come through them and are now on the other side. This has helped us to have faith that God really does help us, that he rescues, delivers, heals, protects, and provides for us; and this has forged strong faith in the power of God to do what He says He will do. 

If we have been given the FAITH of God through the GIFT of God's Holy Spirit, we are truly blessed above all men at this time. Others will be given this opportunity at a later time, and we can be there for them when that time comes if we remain faithful ourselves and endure to the end. Take care to let nothing or any person take that gift away; or let it drift away through our own neglect. We have been given a most precious gift, and if we persevere through the troubles of this life with our faith intact, someday we will see God and we will raise up to be like Him and then live in His family forever.

Just before His trial and crucifixion, Jesus knew that Peter was going to be severely tried and tested on the night of Jesus' arrest.  He did not say that He would pray to have the trial taken away, but rather that Peter would not lose his faith as a result of being tested. We can pray the same for ourselves and for each other, as we, too, face trials of all sorts and as we approach the difficult times ahead.

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Also, see Proverbs 27:17)

The days ahead are only going to get more perilous, but just as God's gift of FAITH has sustained us through all of our trials in the past, God will continue to provide us with faith as we face whatever the future holds for His Ekklesia, if we are staying close to Him. 

Let us KEEP the FAITH and pray for one another that we will have the faith to make wise and prudent decisions in the coming months and years ahead; and at the same time encourage one another with Words of Faith. That, too, is a gift that we can give to each other as we come together in our assemblies to encourage, to fellowship, and to worship God.

Constance