SPIRITUAL GIFTS 

The Gift of Faith ~ Part 3  To Have Faith in The POWER of God to keep His PROMISES

The mighty deeds of God for his people are recorded to teach us the power of God to keep all of His promises and to keep all of His word. As we read and reflect on the miracles that are recorded in the Bible, His children can take courage that God will show His power once again in times of great crisis and when we face trials of all kinds. Not only that, but if we are being faithful to keep all of God's commandments and are staying close to Him, He will empower us with even extra faith to do what He shows us to do and not back down when we encounter enemies that try to thwart God's plan and purpose for us.

This week we focus on the MIGHTY DEEDS of God for His People that are recorded in the Bible to teach us to have FAITH that God is a most POWERFUL God; and that He will keep all of His PROMISES and that He is fully ABLE to do so.

The Bible gives us many examples and illustrations of God keeping His promises to His people in biblical times. The events that were recorded for us in Scripture describe some of the challenges that our forefathers faced and how they either responded to those challenges in faith; or did not respond in faith, and the consequences of each.

God shows us how we, too, are to have faith in Him by following the examples of the men and women who had faith to believe that God would do just what He says He will do, to deliver us from evil and adverse circumstances. We can look to the godly examples of certain biblical characters to see how God had supreme power to deliver and to save in the most impossible situations.

Just as God was faithful to keep His promises to save His people in the past, He will be just as faithful to keep all His promises throughout all ages right up until the end times to those who are obedient and faithful. God's nature is always the same, He is consistent and steadfast, therefore we can trust Him with all our being and can have faith that He will always be true to His promises.

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

God's Word is true:

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

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

God does not lie:

Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

These truths about God are the foundation upon which we can base the rest of God's promises that are contained in God's Word; and if we believe these promises about God which we are told in Scripture, we can also have faith that we can trust everything that God says that He will do for us, now in our lifetime, and also what He says He is going to make to come to pass in the future, glorious things that we can only imagine at this time.

From the foundation of the world God performs all His WILL just as it pleases Him, and He has given mankind certain promises about what He is going to do to bring about redemption and salvation to all that will follow and obey Him.

The period of man's 6000 year rule on earth is just about up and God is going to dramatically [mightily] cause events to happen to shake up this earth, rid it of all evil workers, and fulfill all of His promises of deliverance for His people from this present evil world.  He will then begin the restoration project to clean up and heal the planet. To be called at this period of time and to be given this knowledge and understanding and then to have the faith to act accordingly, is truly a gift of faith that God provides for those who seek to obey Him and to please Him.

Paul tells us that the things that happened to our forefathers serve as examples to us who would be living in New Covenant times and that from their example we are to receive instruction and also warning.

1st Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition [instruction and warning], upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Except for a very few, the people living during the Old Testament times did not have God's Spirit and because they lacked faith they were easily tempted to sway from following after God. What lessons can we learn from this, for those of us who do have God's spirit and face obstacles of all types in our time? Will we be like Joshua and Caleb and believe that God will help us and enable us to do all His will? or will we be like the ten spies and the rest of the Israelites that lacked faith to enter the Promised Land?

Many of us have witnessed many of our friends and family that we thought were part of the Ekklesia turn away from God's truth and from sound biblical doctrines, refusing to have faith in the validity of God's Word to just believe what it says, and to do what God says rather than follow and obey the false traditions that have crept into the various groups. How can we insure that we do not falter as the ancient Israelites did, and because of a lack of faith to keep all of God's Word, want to turn back to Egypt?

How do we overcome fear of men that are leading God's people away from believing in the power and the promises of God and/or who are not teaching the whole Word of God, and have faith to walk away from them? Or perhaps we fear the perilous things that are going on around us and we just do not know what is going to happen in the near future. To grow in our own faith, we can look to excellent examples of faith given in God's Word and believe in the Power of God to bring us through our journey to the Promised Land. 

We must ask God to give us the kind of faith that the heroes of the Bible had when facing obstacles of all kinds. Those who do have God's Spirit have been given the marvelous empowerment that comes from that Spirit.  With that power they are helped to conquer their fears and to go forward in faith. God promises that by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit that He will be with us, He will not abandon us, and that He will not put us through anything that is too hard that we would be unable to bear. We have to believe and act upon God's promises though, for even though God promises to never leave us or forsake us, the truth is that we can leave and forsake Him and then we forfeit God's promises for us (Hebrews 10:26).

1st Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. 11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

And then verse 13 is another promise that we can find comfort in when we are faced with things that seem so very difficult and painful.

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

"We Were in Our Own Sight as Grasshoppers, and So We Were in Their Sight"

The children of Israel in the days of the Exodus witnessed the greatest miracles ever seen by any nation in the history of mankind up to that point; and yet when it came time to enter the Promised Land they lacked faith that God could give them victory over the people of the land and bring them into a country flowing with milk and honey just as God had promised them.

When Moses sent out the twelve scouts to spy out the land and to bring back word of what they had seen, ten of them brought back a report that it was indeed a good and bountiful land, but they then described the people as being tall and mighty and that they had walled cities. Their report that they brought back was negative and it expressed the fear in their hearts of what they had seen and they then spread that fear to the other Israelites.

Numbers 13:27 And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. 28 Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.

30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. 31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.

32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

Even though the people had seen how God had poured out the plagues on the Egyptians, had delivered their own firstborn from the death angel, had brought them through the Red Sea parting the waters so that they could cross dry shod and escape from Pharaoh and his advancing army; had seen the very presence (or evidence) of God in way of the pillar of fire at night and the pillar of cloud by day; had been provided for time after time with manna rained down from the sky and water from a rock; they quickly forgot about the power of God to miraculously protect and provide for them.

Their forgetfulness about what God had done for them in the past caused them to lack the faith they needed to go forward into the land and possess it. Their fear made them totally forget the purpose of why God had brought them out of Egypt, which was to fulfill God's promise to Abraham and to make them God's own nation that would serve Him and be a light to the surrounding nations.

The overall picture of God's great plan and purpose for them was completely overlooked as they zeroed in on how strong and fearsome the Canaanites appeared. They lost sight of what their God was like as Moses described Him in Deuteronomy:  "For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward" (Deuteronomy 10:7).

Only Caleb and Joshua, who were committed to following God fully, believed that God was well able and willing to safely bring the whole nation of Israel into the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his descendants.

As a result of the refusal of the ten spies and the people to obey God and go in to possess the land, God decreed that Israel could not go into the land for another 40 years, in which time the grown adults that had witnessed and experienced all the miracles would die in the wilderness. God judged that it would be their children that would  go in and possess the land instead, after 40 years of wondering in the wilderness.

Numbers 14:22 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; 23 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it. 25 (Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley.) Tomorrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea. 26 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 27 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. 28 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward which have murmured against me. 30 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.

The other ten spies feared to go into possess the land and they let their fears influence the rest of the people and then the people, too, refused to obey God. The spies told their audience "and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight".

The people who heard the ten spies' exaggerated description of the men of Canaan and then talk of how weak they were in comparison, began to murmur against God, Moses, and Aaron and spoke of choosing another leader (captain) other than Moses to take them back to Egypt.

These spies were privileged to get a glimpse of the goodness, the bounty, and the lushness of the land, the very land that God said He was going to give to them and their families; yet they let the seeming obstacles (strong men who looked like giants to them) cause fear to grip their hearts and they lost all faith that God would protect them from being destroyed. God had in essence, already given the land of Canaan to the children of Israel as a promise to them; but they, by their actions, rejected it and rebelled against the fabulous plan that God had for them.

David Defeats Goliath With a Sling and a Stone

Fast forward to another time in history when another man (David) had the same kind of faith and courage as Joshua and Caleb and who took on the biggest giant of all time and defeated him. How did a youngster such as David who was only about 17 at the time, defeat this giant called Goliath? It was because David had faith in an All-Powerful God and knew that the battle really belonged to the Lord and not to mere men.

In Samuel 17:5-10, the writer describes the kind of man that Goliath was. He was huge, arrogant, mean looking, with a loud booming voice full of threats and cursing and he wanted to squash the men of Saul's army and take control of their country. Because of his huge stature, his physical strength, and his protective armor, Goliath thought that no one could possibly defeat him.

1st Samuel 17:5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

Goliath defied the army of Israel and taunted the soldiers with cursing and threats which drove even more fear into their hearts. He challenged them to send him a man brave enough to enter a duel with him; but all the men were afraid and no one wanted to volunteer to go down and challenge this mighty giant.

1st Samuel 17:8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Then along came David to the scene, and instantly David saw the whole picture of what was really going on; that this giant was not only defying the men of Israel, but he was defying the people of God and therefore was defying Almighty God Himself. He could see right away that no matter how powerful this individual was, God was vastly more powerful. (See 1st Samuel 17:12-30)

Even though all the other men's hearts were afraid to go down and face Goliath, David was not afraid of him and offered to be the one to meet the giant's challenge to fight to the death. David showed by his words and by his actions that he believed that the battle belonged to the Lord and that God would give him and Israel the victory.

1st Samuel 17: 31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

Saul tried to discourage David for he only saw him as a young and untested person with no fighting experience whatsoever; but David talked him into letting him at least try to fight Goliath by telling him that he had defeated ferocious animals in the past and that this giant was no different.

1st Samuel 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

From his past experiences with two powerful beasts, David had confidence (faith) that God would give him the victory over this giant just as He had given him victory over the lion and the bear.

1st Samuel 17:37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.

Saul tried to equip him with the standard weapons and armor of war but David refused them and instead picked out five smooth stones. We can kind of imagine Saul shaking his head as he watched David taking off the armor he had given him and then as David picked up some small stones and put them into his shepherd's bag.

1st Samuel 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

David was not in the least daunted by Goliath's threats, but answered him back with conviction and courage; full of faith in what God would do that day.

1st Samuel 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands.

We all know what happened that day and how David was able to bring down this great giant and slew him, but the point is that David had faith in the power of God and His promises to keep His Word. His faith enabled David to do great feats in his life, not just with Goliath, but throughout his lifetime as he gave himself in service to God fighting God's battles, but all the while knowing that it was really the Lord that gave him all of his victories. The challenging things that David experienced in his life help to forge even more of God's faith into his character. And it is the same with us who have been called and have become followers of Jesus.

Later David could write many psalms attesting to God's faithfulness to keep his promises and His Word. Here are just a couple:

Psalm 105:8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Besides David, there were many others who displayed this kind of faith and courage in the power of God to keep His promise to deliver and provide. We think of Deborah and Barak who defeated the armies of Jabin and his captain, Sisera, with God's help. (Judges 4 and 5) We read of Gideon and his small army of 300 men and how through the power of God they were able defeat the Midianites that were oppressing God's people. (Judges 6 and 7)

When Johoshaphat became king, he feared God and set himself to walk in all of God's commandments and all of His ways. He brought many reforms and building projects to Judah and destroyed many of the idolatrous groves that the people had previously set up. When the Ammonites and Moabites came up against Jehoshaphat and his people, the king feared them and sought the Lord for help. He proclaimed a fast throughput all Judah and then gathered the people together to the Temple to beseech the Lord's divine intervention. Jehoshaphat stood in the midst of the congregation and prayed the following prayer:

"O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? 8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. 10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee."13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. (2nd Chronicles 20:5-13)

A prophet, whose name was Jahaziel, stood up and told Jehoshaphat not to worry for God had shown him that He (the Lord) would fight for them and they would see a great miracle occur the following day.

2nd Chronicles 20:14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lordin the midst of the congregation; 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you.

Jehoshaphat believed the words of the prophet, and even though this was the day before they were to go to battle, he and his people bowed before God and worshiped their Mighty Deliverer and then began to sing and praise the Lord God of Israel for the victory that was promised by the Lord and for the fact that He was going to fight this battle for them. They had faith that the Lord would do just what God said He would do, even before the battle began.

2nd Chronicles 20:18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the Lord, worshipping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

The next day instead of cowering in fear, Jehoshaphat encouraged his people by telling them "Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." ( 2nd Chronicles 20:20)

Then Jehoshaphat appointed the singers to go before the front of his army to sing praises to God. He in effect, set the choir to run in front of the soldiers going forward to meet the enemy's army, while singing their praises to God. Could you imagine if this was done by our country today in our modern day battles with enemies? No general would even think of such a thing, and I'm sure they would laugh to scorn if anyone were to tell them to do what Jehoshaphat did. And yet God honored this king's faith and the faith of his people and their exaltation of God for He caused the advancing armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to suddenly begin to destroy each other, rather than come after Judah. All the enemies of Judah fought each other until every last one of them was destroyed. The people of Judah watched this from a distance, witnessing with their own eyes the awesome power of God to fight off their enemies and destroy them just as He had promised through his prophet.

2nd Chronicles 20:20 And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. 23 For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another. 24 And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

At a later time in history another king of Judah had a similar experience. Hezekiah, even though he acquiesced at first and gave the king of Assyria (Sennacherib) the tribute he demanded, finally went to Isaiah to hear God's word and was encouraged with Isaiah's prediction of victory over the Assyrian army. Hezekiah took courage and God granted an astounding miracle for him and his people as well. The Israelites, again, did not even have to fight against Sennacherib's army, for the Lord sent His angel and killed all 445,000 of his soldiers. Sennacherib, himself, was killed latter by his own sons. (See 2nd Kings 19)

From these examples we can know and have faith that God can and is willing to fight the battles and do MIGHTY DEEDS for His people who are faithful to Him and who look to Him to defeat their enemies.

2nd Chronicles 20:6 And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

God is All-Powerful and Able to Sustain All Things

To stop and just meditate on the power of God and how just how powerful He truly is, is awe inspiring. God's power is over all and encompasses all. His power created the whole earth and the heavens and it is by His power that He sustains all things, including the sun, moon and all the stars in their orbits. God has all power over all things even though most of mankind at this time refuse to ascribe power unto God.  

If people understood God's great POWER, they would fear to disobey Him and fear to speak blasphemous words against Him. He has power to create life, to save and to resurrect from the dead, and He has power to throw those who refuse to submit to Him into the lake of fire. God holds the key of life and death in His hand and someday all people on earth will recognize Him as the Mighty King. They will know that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords and that He alone is the ruler over all the earth.

For those whom God is calling and who do understand and realize the GREATNESS of God, that too is a gift from God. How many people from the past and now living truly ascribe POWER to God? We know that there are a few who do believe in the greatness of God; and men have produced books and wonderful videos that show and talk of His wonders, but there are very few who believe in the Power of God and the power of His words ENOUGH to actually do them and obey what He says.

Job talked eloquently of God's magnificent power and about His great strength:

Job 9:1 Then Job answered and said, 2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? 3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. 4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? 5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger. 6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. 7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars. 8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea. 9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south. 10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number. 19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?

The power of God is a vast subject and is beyond the scope of this article but we wanted to stress the importance of having total faith in the POWER of God to keep His promises, to save His people and that He will EMPOWER His people to overcome all the power of the enemy if they will only believe and trust what God says in His Word. That is the message of this article, that in order to have the gift of faith we must also believe that God is all POWERFUL and that He is ABLE to keep His whole Word. He is able to save us and He is able to guide and direct His people through all their trials including the turbulent times up ahead. He is able to gift His people with the gifts that empower them to do His will and to build up the body of Christ. Will we trust Him and know that He indeed is God and that there is no other that can save and sustain us as He can? And that just as He has kept His promises in ancient times, that He is going to fulfill all His promises to His children, those that commit to obey and to follow Him, even in these end times?

The Promise of the Father to Give His Holy Spirit to His Followers

Luke 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem for they were going to be given the gift of the Holy Spirit in just a few days. Jesus described this gift as being "endued with power from on high."

Only a select few in the Old Testament had ever been given the Gift of God's Spirit which is the very power and nature of God dwelling in the hearts and minds of mere men imparting to them a measure of God's very nature of holiness and righteousness. 

But now Jesus was opening up the way for many who were being called by the Father to be endued with this power if they would come to love Him and keep all of His teachings, commandments, ordinances and statutes. In the gospel of John, Jesus promises that if the disciples would do these things after repentance and baptism, that He and His Father would come and abide with such a one.

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.

Jesus gave this promise, that for those who truly do love Him and keep His words, that He and the Father would come and live inside of that person by their very Spirit, empowering that person to overcome his sins and his human nature and take on the very nature of God. And if that person stayed faithful until the end of his life, he would eventually become spirit at the resurrection of the just and live forever as a son of God in God's family.

On the day that Jesus was to ascend back up to be with His Father, He again reminded the disciples of what was going to happen in just a few days from then and that they should stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father that was going to be given to them. The very last thing that He said to them, before He rose up into the clouds and was taken out of their sight, was that they would receive power after being endued with the Holy Spirit and that they would be His witnesses to the utmost parts of the earth.

Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

The promise of the Father did come to pass shortly after on the day of Pentecost and approximately 120 followers received the Gift of the Holy Spirit. Later that day about 3000 more believed,  were convicted, and were baptized, and they, too, received the Promise of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And we, Brethren, if we have sincerely repented, been baptized and have had the Gift of the Holy Spirit given to us by the laying on of hands and have committed our lives to sin no more; then we, too, are recipients of this PROMISE that Jesus gave to His disciples almost 2000 years ago. We, too, are to live for our Father in heaven and for His Son as living, walking examples of faith in all that they are and all that they teach.

Jesus' message to His disciples as He was departing to go back to His Father in heaven, is also a message to us if we have sought for and have received the gift the Holy Spirit and that we, too, would be empowered to enable us to be witnesses for Him.  Not only witnesses in Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, but in every area of the world wherever Christians would have opportunity to testify and be witnesses for Jesus. Like the early disciples, we are to testify and be witnesses of all the things that Jesus taught His followers, during the time of the apostles just after Christ commissioned them, and also by those who would become His followers throughout the ages since that day, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Tomorrow (May 31, 2015) we commemorate God's Holy Day, the Day of Pentecost, a day that has significant meaning reflecting a special aspect of God's plan of salvation; but this day is also an annual memorial of the Holy Spirit being given to those that were present on that day in 31 A.D. It is also a day that looks forward to a time in the near future when the gift of the Holy Spirit will be poured out on everyone on earth. Peter quoted the passage from Joel 2 in his sermon that depicted what was happening that day at their gathering. What they had experienced was really only partial of what is going to happen in all its fullness at a future time. It will be at a time just after Jesus returns, when all people on earth will be called and when He pours out His Spirit on all flesh.

Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: 21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

In recent years we have come to understand that Pentecost depicts the day that God begins to set up His Kingdom and everyone remaining alive on earth will be called and given His Spirit.  The sixth day of Unleavened Bread depicts the return of Christ and the resurrection of the firstfruits coming forth out of the Red Sea [of death]. And about 45 days later, after all rebellion has been put down and the Beast and False Prophet have been thrown in the lake of fire, Christ begins His rule on earth. (Revelation 11:15)

This is God's promise to us who believe and are faithful. Just like David, we, too, face our Goliaths in this life. Goliath was an analogy of all the enemies of God including the most powerful enemy, Satan. Satan and his minions want to oppose and crush God's people and keep them from attaining the promise of the resurrection and from entering into God's Kingdom.

God says through the apostle John, that God's power is much more powerful than the principalities that rule in this present evil world and that with God's help and with the power of His Holy Spirit residing inside of us, we are able to defeat all the tactics of the wicked one.

1st John 4:44 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

When we face giants and are tempted to lose sight of the promise of God to keep His word to defend and deliver us (and tempted to perhaps give up ), we can be reminded of Caleb's words to the people who were fearful the day that they were told how mighty the men of Canaan were.

Numbers 17:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

We are not only promised the gift of the Holy Spirit which many of us now reading this have already received, but also the next promise in God's Word is the RESURRECTION to spirit and to eternal life. Let us have the faith in God's promises to patiently wait for and to remain faithful until that glorious day when Christ returns and we then receive the promise that we have been waiting for since the time of our being called and baptized.

As we read and study about all of the mighty deeds of God that give us hope in His POWER to keep His promises, let us never forget that God will keep all of His Word to us and that we will experience these wonderful realities if we remain faithful, always trusting that God is right there with us keeping us from the whims and threats of the giants of this world. Someday we will no longer have giants in the land for God is going to eradicate all enemies including the greatest enemy to mankind, which is "death". If we remain faithful to the end, God will grant the final victory of deliverance from the grave and give us everlasting life with Him for evermore.

1st Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Paul also encourages us, who believe, that we can take heart and great comfort in the Greatness of God's power and that He kept His promise to resurrect Jesus; and now Jesus has all power to help us to overcome the power of the enemy just as He did. 

Ephesians 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Joshua 23:14 .... and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

If this was true back then; then all the good things that our Lord has spoken concerning us and the future that we will have with Him and the Father; will not fail either, for He is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

God is All-Powerful and is going to perform all His Word and that is what we can be eternally grateful for. Just imagine, when we have received the promise of the resurrection and we are living with Jesus and the Father we will be able to look back and see just how faithful to His promises God has been.

Today, this Sabbath day, and tomorrow on the Day of Pentecost, let us stop and reflect on the blessedness of being called at this time and give God thanks for the gift of His Faith and the gift of His Holy Spirit, both of which makes the impossible.....POSSIBLE! and KNOW that He is ABLE to faithfully keep all of His promises to us if we remain faithful to Him.

Constance