Respond with Faith

I was thinking about writing a short description of faith. This is what I wrote a couple of afternoons after I got home from work.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen Heb 11:1
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Rom 10:17

The thing about these verses are that we assume we hear God with faith when we read the Bible. Which is not the case. We have 2 sets of ears. Our physical ears and our spiritual ears. It is with our spiritual ears that allows faith to be birthed. But spiritual ears can't hear if the ties to our life in the world are not cut. 1 John 2:15-17. When we do the will of God we are able to hear. Jesus referred to this many times by saying. "He who has ears to hear let him hear." Obviously we all have ears. But the physical ears aren't what receives the word of God allowing faith to grow in our heart.

The parable of the sower and the seed refers to the good soil as the person that receives the word with an honest and good heart bringing fruit to maturity. Matthew 13:1-23: Mark 4:1-29; Luke 8:4-18

This honest and good heart accepts the teachings of Jesus and seeks to live accordingly. Not making excuses and ignoring God's teachings.

How do we know if we have faith? Hebrews 11:1

Faith is always now.
Faith speaks and acts.
Faith is assured and confident.

Fear is counter to faith. Fear unchallenged courrupts faith.

Our faith falters if we don't have our eyes on Jesus in the midst of disappointment. Some say God is in control. And when disappointment comes they think it is God's will. God chooses not to control everything. Why? He lets man rule and gave man this authority in Genesis and also at the end of Jesus' ministry He again told us to go because all authority was given to Him. We are His ambassadors. 2 Cor 5:20  We are his ministers. Ps 110:1-4 Jesus is to rule, and we are given this authority in the name of Jesus. We rule under the authority of Jesus. As ambassadors we have authority. If we get out from under God's will we cease to represent Christ.

In a vacuum with no Christian operating in faith Satan takes default control. It is our job to cast out Satan and take back what he stole. Yet it is not with war or with government. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. Our war is not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual forces Eph 6.

God provides the answer for us. Will we avail ourselves to take it? Or will we go to God and ask Him to do for us what He has asked us to do.

It would be like a builder that hooked up the house to the electric power. Then the owner decides to have a group over at his house. He calls the power company to come over and turn on the lights. The power company will not come over to do that. That is in our ability to do. It is the same with God. Many are asking God to do things that God has told us to do. We can act as God's representative by faith. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Phil 4:13 

God acted at Calvary. Now its our turn. Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to us.

It's our turn now. 

Prayer is thought of as; going to God and asking for things from Him. And yes it is true that we should go to God in prayer. God moves when we move. James says approach God and He will come to us. God has given grace to us. Faith is responding to the grace He has given.

God sent His son Jesus to bridge a way to God. That  has been done. It is now our turn to approach God.

God has given us grace. Titus 2:11,12 It is now our job to live sensibly, righteously and godly today.

As we lead a holy dedicated life, not to get God to act but to open our ears. Our ears can hear as we reject what the world offers. And we turn to God for His life in our hearts we can then hear. But if the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and worries of many things take precedence

 , we then can't hear with our spiritual ears.

Western church puts emphasis on understanding. But to learn and to know is to act. Eph 4:15; James 1:22. It is the going that brings the learning. God and learn what this means. Matthew 9:13

Love is nothing if it is not expressed, shown, demonstrated. Faith works through love. Galatians 5:6