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

ONE THING

There are 2 passages of Scripture that speak directly of this. Psalm 27:4 and Philippians 3:13. I was reading Psalm 27 in my normal Bible reading and the first 3 verses really stood out to me.

Psalm 27:1-3

“The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident. “

It was the power of these Scriptures that made me take notice and look for what was the reason for the confidence and lack of fear or worry in the midst of great opposition.

Psalm 27:4 is the answer. One thing David asks for. To be with God always. When we are with God who can be against us. This is the key to life in my estimation. Our life is better and fulfilled when we are serving instead of just taking. It is much better to give than to receive. Thought all of us need to receive at times.

Why do I say this?

Philippians 3:13,14

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Being with God will entail serving or seeking Him. So the “One Thing” of the Bible is being with God and pressing into the things God has for us to serve Him.

God has laid hold of us to walk in grace by living sensibly, righteously, and Godly Titus 2:12. He has laid hold of us to go, Matt 28:19. He has laid hold of us to be ambassadors to the world 2 Cor. 5:20. We are to be a light in the world. Matt. 5:16

But all this activity will come to naught if we neglect the one thing God has for us and that is to dwell with Him, and get our nourishment from Him and all we have comes from Him. James 1:17.

Use this nourishment to give to others as you are called in Him. Then the nourishment will continue to flow.

Satisfaction does not come from pleasing yourself, it comes from serving others from the leading of the Spirit in our life as we rest in Him.

With this resting in Him and pressing into what He has for us will give us the confidence and peace to live. Psalm 112:7

Go

Isaiah 30:21 "Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left."

As we act on what the Bible teaches God will instruct us in how and where and who and when as we are going. But if we are not going then we will not be hearing. God is a going God. We are obedient when we are going people. Seek God before you go, or seek Him after you go, or seek Him while you are going but to seek God without going is a delusion.

For me doing it builds permanence. My motto is: Pray and go daily. Pray for the days direction. Go and obey. Then pray for correction and better insight (study of the Word) then go again.

"Most people are waiting for a phone call from God when He has already sent them a letter." Curry Blake