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"Where then is boasting? It is excluded By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith."
Law is a rule, constant, procedure, durable, permanence, perpetual, it repeats, and is unchangeable. A law can be tested and found true each time.
I heard a sermon that mentioned the law of faith. A law is not something which happens sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. A law happens every time. I am looking into this idea of laws of faith and will post probably 4 times a week.
Christ has forgiven us so we respond in kind.
Faith has a soft heart tho still driving forward.
Faith won't function if we are hard towards others because Holy Spirit is quenched.
Faith lets others have first choice. Abraham offered Lot the valley and he took the mountains that were not as lush for his sheep. Abraham believed God would bless him even in a bleak pasture land.
Faith doesn't seek its own rights.
Faith trusts God's provision when others seem to take what you need.
We can forgive because its God who supplies.
Forgiveness removes garbage which frees us to move forward in faith.
Forgiveness moves on from problems to other things. Just as plants sow an over abundance of seed to make up for the ones that won't have a chance to grow.
Faith is something we decide to do.
Talk to the problem and command it to go.
Believe you have received your prayers before you have them. Then they will be granted.
We are to pray the will of God and if we do that we have them.
Notice we have them in the Spirit before we get them in the physical. Believe and you will be granted them.
We have been given authority, so we can use that authority. Mat. 28:18,19 2 Cor. 5:20
Remember faith is not a formula. But the confident assurance from hearing God.
Inform forces of heaven of God's provision Eph 3:10
Faith is not ideas but a response to hearing God. He is mentioned 3 times it is God not ideas that are important.
Life's tests show where the heart is. Prasing the test (Seeking God with all your heart), is not being stopped by disaster, sickness, discipline. If we have not gone through fire we have not found God.
Luke 18:1-8 The story of the unjust judge.
1Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
2saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man.
3"There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'
4"For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,
5yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'"
6And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said;
7now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
8"I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
Pray at all times
Pray when you feel like it and when you don't feel like it. Pray in the day and at night. Pray at home and work. Pray
She kept coming to him
God wants us to be persistent. Not to give up. If we don't get the answer at first then we should try again. In fact faith will keep at it till the answer comes.
This widow bothers me.
To bother God is to bother ourselves with going to Him. Are we willing to spend time in prayer that is a bother? Do we really care about what we are asking for? We will only push through the trouble of praying if it is something we really care about and we believe the answer is possible with God.
Continually Coming
I look at this example along with Elijah. He kept after God till the answer started. Isaiah 62:6,7 also refers to giving God no rest. But it is not God we are not giving no rest to, it is ourselves. Are we willing to give ourselves no rest till the answer starts?
cray to him day and night
Many talk of the nice ways of Christianity. Yet in life there are trouble that is not good or pleasant. God asks for us to cry to Him. If we aren't crying, then there is no passion or caring for the problem at hand. And it is not just at our leisure but lack of leisure that will bring the answer.
Will God find faith
Will people be willing to pay the price of faith? Do we just want personal peace and affluence or are we willing to get into the fight of faith?
Faith prays and keeps praying till it gets the answer from God.
Pray in Holy Spirit Builds Faith
Jude 20
"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit."
Here is the context of this verse.
v19 Contrast yourself from people of the flesh
v21 keep yourself in the love of God.
Pray under anointing of Holy Spirit.
Pray under influence of Holy Spirit - tongues
Praying in tongues, knowing you will be built up
Pray in tongues with attitude of worship.
Faith is built
Holy - faith is about God's purpose
v 16-19 don't:
grumble,
find fault,
follow your lust
speak arrogantly
don't flatter
mock
cause division
worldly minded
devoid of Spirit
instead remember the Scriptures
But (the first word of the verse) is a contrast of verses 16-19. The context is staying away from quenching the Spirit, so repent, pick up your cross, pray in the Holy Spirit allowing the Spirit to flow.
Romans 10:17
Now faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
When we hear the words of God they bring hope to our hearts because of God's promise to us. This hope then turns into faith. That is why we should read the Bible, it will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our heart and build faith.
The word of God is alive Heb 4:12
Psalm 12:6
"The words of the LORD are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times."
Read, study, meditate , memorize, pray the word of God. Read it along with breakfast, lunch and supper. Read it at bed time. Read it for family devotions. Study what the Spirit brings to your mind. Study in more detail what your pastor teaches on Sunday morning. Let the Bible teach itself by checking the cross references of passages that interest you or you have questions about.
Galatians 5:6 Faith works through love.
God is love and what He does for us is in love. We can know something is from God by the love God gives to us.
What if you don't have love for anything? 1 Peter 1:22 Get back in the word and pray over it letting it purify your heart. God's love will flow as you quiet yourself and hear Him.
Working for Jesus because of the love we have for Jesus and those we are helping will keep us going through the hard times of life.
James 3:18
To sow in peace is to do the work peacefully and not have strife or contention with the work. Often there is disagreement. The disagreement must be dealt with. We should be at peace with all, as much as we can.
When I don't deal with disagreement and continue the work for the Lord with contention in my heart, the spirit is quenched and I am not opporating in the Kingdom of God.
If you have faith you have peace for what would there be to worry about? Faith in God to bring to light the truth, not my own ability to cause truth to be known.
The words of Jesus give peace. Jn 16:33 The words also build faith so faith and peace go together. Sow from from the peace you have received from the word.
The word of God is a seed
A seed needs"
water - Bible
Sun/warmth - love /Holy Spirit
soil/nutrients - truth
When there is God's presence there is peace because we are cared for.
Peace can be an indication of God's will and direction. A lack of peace also may be an indication for a lack of yieldness.
Peace is an out work of knowing who we are in Christ.
Faith can't coexist with a double mind James 1:6
"But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like a surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind."
Asking in faith is believing that what you ask for will be granted to you. If you doubt, you won't get anything. The tossing of the sea is not being able to decide what is from God and what isn't.
It is important to know what you are asking for is God's will. After that is discerned then pray with all you got for the answer.
Some people pray saying, "if it be Thy will." This is a mistake. We should know the will of God before we pray. Then pray. The Bible will show us the will of God.
I find the key to belief is trusting God to tell me if I am on the right tract or not. If I couldn't trust God to guide me then I would be paralyzed and unable to function.
So what do I do with doubt?
When I respond with doubt what faith I had is killed and my service to God is stopped.
If you have doubt, pray about it till you have the answer. Don't treat Christianity like a to do list. Don't put off the life of the spirit because of opposition. Life with Jesus is life itself. Phil 4:6,7
If you have doubt get in the Word and pray over it. Stay in the Word till you have the answer one way or the other then act in faith.
Proverbs 18:20,21
"With the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach will be satisfied; He will be satisfied with the product of his lips.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit."
There are a lot of subjects in this scripture.
We get what we talk about.
fruit
mouth/lips/tongue
stomach
death
life
love
What we talk about and love is what we get.
Eat its fruit means, just as what we eat becomes part of us so what we talk about becomes part of us.
Watch over what you talk about, because when you love what you talk about you will get it.
Fruit is a product of work and reproduces the same.
Fruit is a sign of maturity.
Talking is like the seed and fruit is the result of it. So be careful that you talk about the things that you want to come to pass.
Speech has strength.
affects others
affects yourself
affects the spirit realm.
Prayer is speech and with it we can effect God. Do not take what you say lightly.
If we don't watch our speech we will at least not be functioning with God. And at worst we will be working in cross purposes with Him.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name forever and ever
Psalm 145:21
Speak in faith what God has told you. Testify of the goodness of God. Jesus brings to the Father what we talk about and what we pray for. He is the high priest of our confession. Heb 3:1
"Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossiblities,
And cries, 'It shall be done.'"
- from "the Soul Winner" Charles Spurgeon
When we hear from God, we can speak for God.
Each of us has received faith. Romans 12:3
Faith is given at salvation.
We should live in faith and not wishful thinking or positive thinking. Faith is assured of the answer. Let us be people that walk in faith not concepts.
What do I do if I don't know my faith?
Start with what drives you. Start with what is your passion in life. Start with what comes from your times of prayer. You will grown in your knowledge of God's direction.
Respond to the faith you've been given and let it grow. Use it, pray for God to back it up. In Romans 12:2 it says to renew our mind in the word and prove the will of God. Prove the will of God by the faith you have been given through prayerfully working for God. We prove God's will by pushing through the obsticles set before us with prayer and works of faith. If we continue in God's will He will answer.
Faith needs works James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."
Hebrews 11:7 Noah
Noah built an arch in faith at God's direction. He was told of a flood coming when nobody had seen rain.
Hebrews 11:8
Abraham went to Cannan at God's direction not knowing what he would find there. He trusted God to provide and fulfill His promises.
Abraham gave Lot the best pasture. Abraham trusted God to provide for his livestock even with bad land. Gen 13:6-12
Abraham was willing to offer up his Son Isaac by God's direction. This was the ultimate test, and he passed. Abraham believed God would even raise the dead to keep His promise. Romans 4:17
Hebrews 11:20 Isaac blessed Jacob, believing in the power of the spoken word.
Hebrews 11:22 Joseph requested his bones be carried back to Israel, believing in God establishing His people in Israel.
11:23 Moses led Israel out of Egypt
Moses left Pharaoh to serve God
Moses did not fear Pharaoh when he returned.
Hebrews 11:30 Jericho's wall fell
God told the Israelites to march around Jericho for 6 days. And on the 7th day they marched around it 7 times. This was obedience of faith.
Hebrews 11:31 Rehab trusted God with red rope
Gideon attacked 100,000+ men with 300
Samson took on the Philistines alone
Jephthah led Gilead against Aamon after Gilead had rejected him for being a bastard.
David fought a lion, bear and Goliath, but did not fight Saul. Sometimes faith fights and sometimes faith waits.
Elijah stopped rain by his word. Called down fire to consume the sacrifice. Killed 400 prophets of Baal. Lived in power.
Elisha believed for and received a double portion of Elijah's power.
Jeremiah had God's promise of protection. There were many efforts to kill Jeremiah but God was with him each time. Jeremiah did not shrink back from speaking the word of God.
Where would all these people be without these works? They would not have overcome. Their problems would have stayed with them.
Activate your faith with the works of God.
Phil 4:6,7 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Faith goes to God instead of being anxious.
Faith does not pass over a problem because of the drumbeat of production.
Faith prays with earnest/supplication and gives thanks.
-note: When all 3 of these are there (1 John 5:14,15) the answer is sure.
Don't let the western mindset of production and propriety short circuit you from getting an answer from God.
Set aside this time for prayer supplication and thanksgiving, to deal with what you are anxious about.
The answer may not come if you don't believe God will answer. To continue to set aside time is of faith. But faith doesn't hide behind prayer, it goes with the answer.
Faith endures James 1:2-4
"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Joy in trials is like saying, "make my day". The trial is the open door to more power.
It is not focusing on the trial but in Jesus who gives life to the dead and hope to the living. Jesus sustains us with a word.
It is the trial itself that gives rise to hope, Romans 5:3,4 which is the foundation of faith. So trials, encountered correctly, build faith.
All joy, speaks to the fact of a person chomping at the bit for a fight. IE the fight of faith 1 Timothy 6:12
Romans 5:3,4 knowing tribulation brings about perseverance.
2 Cor 4:17,18 affliction is not seen as important. Affliction produces glory as they look at what is not seen.
Heb 12:10,11` disciplined for holiness - yields peaceful fruit of righteousness
Romans 8'18 affliction /suffering come before glory
1 Peter 4:13 rejoice when suffering, revelation of God's glory is coming.
Luke 7:1-10
Matt 8:5-10
The Centurion shows that faith understands authority.
"Just say the word and my servant will be healed."
Luke 4:36 With authority and power Jesus commands the unclean spirits and they come out.
Joel 2:11 . . . For strong is he who carries out His word.
Micah 5:7-9 Action does not wait or delay for others.
Authority and submission involves obedience and respect. If we obey and respect God, then we can ask with belief.
"Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:21
Jesus was sent with authority and we have the same authority.
Matthew 28:18-20
All authority has been given to Jesus and He has commissioned us to be His spokesman in this life. We can go in that authority as we are under His authority. Faith is built as we live in obedience to Jesus.
Lord let me submit to your authority. I want to act in courage and trust that you will back up your instructions with power.
James 2:5 The poor are rich in faith.
Blessed are the poor for theirs is the kingdom of God. Luke 6:20
Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:3
Isaiah 14:32 Afflicted people seek refuge in Zion.
Isaiah 29:10 Afflicted and needy will increase their gladness in the Lord
Zeph 3:12 A humble and lowly people will take refuge in the name of the Lord.
Zech 11:11 Afflicted will know God's word.
Matt 11:5 Jesus preaches to the poor.
Luke 9:58 Even Jesus was homeless.
1 Cor 1:26 Not many mighty or noble were called.
2 Cor 8:9 Jesus became poor that we may be rich.
It's not that the rich can't have faith. It's just they think they don't need God. Rich feel they can take care of themselves.
The poor are needy. And faith is only possible if there is a need. Following the example of people of faith, gets me out of the self reliance mindset.
People of faith see their need for God and His provision. Self absorbed people don't consider God as viable for them.
Lord I am a needy person. I need you to come to my life and provide me with the living word.
Jesus did not answer her a word. Matt 15:23-28; Mark 7:24-30
Many would say that a no answer is an answer of no.
What does God want? Does He want obedience? Yes but He wants more than that. Does He want church attendance? Yes He wants us to gather together but He wants more than that. What does God want? From what I know of the Bible Hebrews 11:6 says that God is pleased with faith. Faith will not take a no answer or an answer that is not adequate as the final answer.
Jesus disciples tried to stop her, and Jesus testing her tried to put her off. Yet she was not put off.
What did the woman do that demonstrates this great faith?
Because of the love for her daughter, she sought an answer from Jesus.
When she hears of Jesus, she immediately comes to where Jesus was.
She calls out to Him as she approaches Him.
When she gets to Him, she falls at His feet and worships Him.
She does not let a lack of response from Jesus stop her.
She does not let the opposition of the religious leaders stop her.
She does not let the reasoning of Jesus stop her.
She does not let offense stop her.
She does not let a pre-planned method stop her.
She keeps asking until she gets the answer.
She didn't take a lack an answer as the final answer.
Look to Jesus Hebrews 12:2; Numbers 21:6-9
I look to Jesus when I go through my day. Prov 3:5,6
I look to Jesus to sustain me when I am weak Ps 72:12-14
I look to Jesus to move even when I don't deserve to have Him move. 1 Cor 15:9
I look to Jesus because of who He is not what I deserve Jn 1:14
I look to Jesus because of the power that flows from His throne Col 2:10 Heb 4:16
I look to Jesus because the vision for the future come from Him. Hab 2:2
I look to Jesus because life flows from Him. Jn 4:14
I look to Jesus because with Him I get to my destination Jn 6:21
I look to Jesus because He saves me from the penalty of my sin Rom 6:23
I look to Jesus because He wants to be my friend. Jn 15:15
I look to Jesus because He tells me what will come. Jn 15:15
I look to Jesus because He teaches me. Col 3:16
I look to Jesus for He sustains me. Ps 107:9
I look to Jesus because He heals me. Ps 107:20
I look to Jesus because He delivers me from my problems Ps 121:1,2
I look to Jesus because He is my savior. Jn 3:16
Jesus is the Author of Our Faith.
Hebrews 12:2
Jesus is the author of our faith.
The Bible was written by Jesus. It is as real to our heart today, as it was when it was written. Matt 4:4 and Heb 4:12
Hebrews 2:10 Jesus is the author of our salvation through sufferings. He is the one who brings all things.
Mark 9:24 I do believe, help my unbelief
Luke 17:5 the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
Acts 5:31 Jesus grants repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
Rev 1:8 Jesus is the Alpha and omega
Rev 1:17 Jesus is the first and the last.
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