2 Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
*Strong's Ex. Conc. No.
Faith: belief, trust, confidence, fidelity, faithfulness
From the Greek word 'pistis' (pronounced pis'-tis) and is always a gift from God, and never something that can be produced by people. In Scripture, faith is God's warranty, certifying that the revelation He inbirthed will come to pass. Faith is Divine Persuasion.
Romans 8:24
For in this hope we were saved; but hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he can already see?
2 Corinthians 4:18
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.
We are always confident, not in and of ourselves, but in God and His promises to us. God keeps all His promises and there are thousands of promises in The Scriptures. His promises hold true whether you believe them or not. And if a person chooses to not believe God and not walk in His ways, there are promises regarding disobedience, as well.
As for this faith which God has given each person who believes on the name of Jesus Christ for salvation and life eternal, He places a 'measure of faith' (Romans 12:3) within each of us. It's up to us to exercise that measure, that portion, and watch it grow, bud, bloom and be fruitful faith.
Who plants a fruit tree and expects fruit within that same year? No farmer who knows what he's doing, that's for sure. I love cherries. One year I planted three cherry trees along the length of the drive on a farm I lived on. Though I moved before seeing them bloom and then have fruit, I knew that someday they would. That's how faith works.
Fertile ground receives viable seed but only after the ground is dug up and prepared to receive the seed. Had I set the trees up on top of the ground, instead of digging holes wide enough for the trees to take root, the trees would have died.
So it is with our hearts. We need to be in a place where we are ready to receive The Word, that God may distribute the portion of faith which He has set aside for each of us into us. How do we get this faith? Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith comes to us from hearing The Word of God, whether that Word is spoken directly to us, or spoken by a preacher from the pulpit, or in a God-given dream or vision.
It's why we need to be in a God-centered, Full Gospel preaching, Holy Spirit-filled church. That we may hear what God wants to say to us and be able and ready to receive The Word of Faith into our hearts. Go to church expecting to receive this Word of Faith: pray for clarity in seeing God move, understanding what is being said, and wisdom to apply what you have heard.
Go to the altar, the place of prayer and worship. Go obediently. "When the Spirit of The Lord moves in my heart, I will dance like David danced," is a song I learned about 25 years ago. But it talks about being obedient to the moving of The Holy Spirit. That's faith.
We can't see what is going to happen before it happens. But having lived without God for so long before we first came to Him there is no way I, nor many others, want to do anything we do apart from Him. So, by faith one night, I made my way down to the altar during a revival when I was seven years old. And I received Christ into my heart. But I received Him without discipleship, so I wandered away and for many years after that I did my own thing,
But God had placed a measure of faith within me. He was just waiting for it to grow. By faith, many years after that, I found myself making my way down to another altar. God found me in a very dark place and He made Himself known to me, lifting me up out of there and bringing me to a place of His choosing. And I declared my love for Him and wanting to live a righteous life. And just like that, I found myself divorced. With kids.
But God. He led me to a sweet little church where I began to grow. Every tree requires both sun and water to grow efficiently. When the rain began to fall during a revival being held there, I found myself at the altar again; there He filled me with His Holy Spirit; there the Rain fell in my soul and the fertile ground where the Seed of Faith had fallen received it gladly. And my faith grew.
The closer we are to God the greater our faith will grow. We are trees of righteousness, the planting of The Lord (Isaiah 61:3); it is He who causes us to grow in Him, in His Word, as The Word of Faith (Romans 10:8) grows in us. We believe that this is true because "the Bible tells me so".
We know in our hearts the veracity of God's Word. We live in our lives the blessings of God's Word. We share with all the knowledge of God's Word. We pray God's Word when we pray. I like to pray Ephesians 3 over my children and the people they interact with.
Where we read John 3:16 and God so loved the 'world', I learned to insert my name there. God loves you and I so much that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus the Christ to this earth to minister to the people, die on the cross and rise from the dead that He might become Friend, Savior, The Resurrection & The Life for us!
I believe this and it is counted unto me for righteousness. I have a measure of faith that is greater than when I first received Christ into my heart. For with this hope of salvation rising up within me and filling me with Joy, I can pray in faith knowing that my faith in God's promises will be the faith of all who receive Christ. For my prayers will be answered.
Proverbs 15:29 "The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous."
Proverbs 15:8 "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is His delight."
Proverbs 10:24 "What the wicked man dreads will overtake him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted."
Fruitful trees get pruned. Dead branches are removed to make room for more fruitful branches. Does this cause pain to the tree? Yes. But it's not only necessary, it's brief. The area cut heals and the tree keeps growing. So it is in our Christian walk with Christ. As we grow in Him, The Spirit removes what is not necessary for growth from our hearts and our lives that our tree may become increase with sweet fruit.
You better get ready for rain, 'cause I'm praying for you.
I know this is quite a list of songs today, but I was led to each one and couldn't stop until I reached the last one.
