Saturday, February 28, 2015

#16 - Where Does Faith Come From?

Using or exercising your faith is a conscious decision that you make. But having faith is not a decision you make, as faith comes from and is a gift from God.

Romans 12:3 says that to each one God has given a measure of faith. Now you, me and every other human being are an "each one" to whom God has given a measure of faith. You don't decide you want to have faith and you can't earn faith. It is given to you, me and everyone else by God.

Further, Ephesians 2:8 tells us that faith is not something we earn, but a gift from God. Now a gift is something freely given at no cost without the expectation of anything in return out of care, concern and love for another. And it is given for the recipient to use for their benefit and the benefit of others. That's where faith come from, a gift freely given by God to all mankind to be used to benefit His creation, mankind.

Now a gift given is not really a gift until it is received. In other words we need to accept, appreciate and show gratitude toward God for the free gift of faith by using or exercising it as He intends, which is to use our faith to be reconciled back to Him through Jesus or to be "saved"(read all of Ephesians 2:8), and to claim all that He promises us in His Word for ourselves and others.

So accept your free gift of faith from God, and use it to be blessed and to be a blessing to others.

Friday, February 27, 2015

#15 - Say It Out Loud!

How do you develop your faith? Yes you do have to exercise it on a regular basis as I've mentioned in previous Posts, but that's not all. In fact there's something you have to do before you can even exercise your faith in order to develop it. So let's find out what that is.

Hebrews 11:1 tells us faith is the substance of things hoped for, with hope here being the expectation of future good based on the Word of God. So it appears that one needs to know the Word of God in order to have hope upon which to exercise your faith.

Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. One definition of the word "come" is to move forward toward something, and in Romans 10:17 the something being moved forward toward is the developing, growing or building up your faith so you can know it and have hope upon which to exercise your faith, not to receive or get faith as we know that God has already given us faith as a gift (Ephesians 2:8 & Romans 12:3).

So according to Romans 10:17 to move toward developing your faith you must first hear the Word of God. But you can't hear the Word of God until you pick up your Bible and read the Word of God out loud because faith comes by hearing!

Therefore it's not enough to just read the Word of God if you want to develop your faith, but you have to say it out loud or confess it out of your mouth, so you can "hear" it, and so it can go into your ears and get in your spirit so you can come to truly know it and have hope upon which to exercise your faith.

So do you want to develop your faith and grow it? Then read the Word of God and "say it out loud", for faith comes or is developed by hearing the Word of God!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

#14 - Faith is not Really Faith until it is Faith

I thought I was done blogging on the topic of faith for a while, but the Lord has more He wants to say through me now on faith, so let's look at why faith is not really faith until it's faith, or why you don't really know how strong your faith is until it's tested.

James 1:2-3 tells us to count it as all joy when we go through trials and tributions, because that tests our faith and helps develop endurance and patience. You see, whenever you exercise your faith for something there is usually a time element between when we start to exercise our faith and when what we are exercising our faith for manifests in our life. And that takes patience and endurance (being able to stand on God's Word exercising your faith despite your circumstances while waiting for the manifestation), which why verse 4 of James 1 says that we should let our faith have its perfect work so our patience (and endurance) can be developed, and we can be perfected.

Now James is not talking about exercising your faith just for some one thing you want, a gift from God, a need you have, which do require exercising your faith, but also and more so when you are under attack by the enemy which every Believer is from time to time. This is when you know how developed and strong your faith is as it takes great faith to stand on the Word of God when the enemy is trying to take you out with the temptation to give in being extreme and burdensome. If you haven't been exercising your faith on a regular basis, you will have little or no faith and little or no patience and endurance to be able to withstand the attack of the enemy. But if you do exercise your faith regularly, your faith, patience and endurance will all be built up, be great, and you will be able to withstand the attacks of the enemy. This is why I say faith is not really faith until its faith, until you exercise, develop and grow your faith on a regular basis, so it will be great or strong when you are truly tested by the attack of the enemy.

So don't get discouraged when trials, tests and tribulations come your way. Look at them as an opportunity to see how developed and strong your faith is, and then make it even stronger. After all, why would the devil try to break your faith down if it weren't a threat to him. That's one reason why 1 Thessolonians 5:18 tells us to thank God "in" (not for) everything!

So remember, your faith is not really faith until it's faith!

In the next Post I'll talk about how to develop your faith (in addition to or beyond just exercising it).

Friday, February 20, 2015

#13 - A Lifestyle of Faith

There is one last aspect of faith that I need to address before moving on to other principles, and that is that faith is a lifestyle, not just something we turn to in times of need.

Romans 1:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:7 tell us that God's righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, that the Just shall live by faith, and we should walk (or live) by faith and not by sight (by the circumstances around us and how we feel). We are the Just, and cannot please God without living by faith (Hebrews 11:6).

Now God has given every one the same amount of faith as He tells us in Romans 12:3 (God has dealt to each one a measure of faith). But it's up to us (each one) what we do with that measure of faith - use, develop and grow it so God can move in our lives, or let it sit dormant so that when we really need God to move in our lives He can't. Not because He doesn't want to, but because our lack of making His gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) a part of our everyday lifestyle limits His ability to move in our lives.

Therefore, exercise your faith as a lifestyle, developing and growing it, so you can have God's best each and every day of your life.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

#12 - A Celebration of Life

I want to interrupt my posts on faith to recognize a brother in Christ who has transitioned from this life to the next - Brother Anothy Ruffo.

Anthony was a big man, but it is his big heart I remember more than his size. He was so giving and always willing to extend his hand to help. There isn't one time I ever asked for his assistance that he wasn't there for me or if he couldn't help found someone who could.

Although he was known for his great ribs and his days as a wrestler, Anthony was a great father to his children, friend to all, and such a blessing to His Church family at The King's Cathedral (TKC). He will be truly missed by all whose lives he touched.

I want to invite everyone who had the pleasure of ever of meeting and knowing Anthony to a celebration of his life tomorrow, February 20, at TKC, with a viewing at 4pm and service at 5:30pm, followed by a Repast.

RIP Brother Anthony!

Monday, February 16, 2015

#11 - How Faith Works - Part 5

In my last post I covered the final component for exercising faith in your everyday life, acting or making movement on what you believe in your heart and have confessed out our of your mouth, with the example of claiming healing as God promises in His Word in your knees. I also said I would address the doubts some may have had that it really doesn't take faith to claim that healing.

The best way I know how to do that is to share a personal testimony from my own life involving healing in one of my knees. For all I can share is what I believe (from God's Word) and what I know from exercising faith on that Word in my own life.

A little over 7 years ago just after my wife had gone to be with the Lord, I was on a ladder cleaning leaves out of my garage gutters on a warm November Fall day when the ladder gave way, and I tumbled over my deck and tried to land on my left foot. When I hit the ground I felt my left knee move in a way it isn't supposed to. There I was on the ground in great, no wife in the house to help me. Fortunately, my next door neighbor at the time was a stay at home dad, and was out working in his yard. He came over and helped me into the house. I called my son who came and took me to the hospital where a splint was put on my knee, I was given pain killers, and an appointment was made for me to see an orthopedic surgeon. The surgeon told me I had damage to the ACL, MCL, ligaments and I don't even remember what else, that I would need surgery, but would have to go through rehab first to strengthen the knee. When I got back home I dug into the Word reading a number of healing scriptures. Even though I already knew these scriptures well, I wanted to reinforce my believe from them that it was God's will for me to be healed before I claimed that healing by exercising my faith. Once I did, I confessed those scriptures over my life and claimed healing in my left knee, thanking God when I was done. I then confessed each day that I believed my knee was healed, and tried to make movement with my knee each day even when I couldn't.

I went through the rehab, took the prescribed medications, and saw the orthopedic surgeon regularly as scheduled. Although she would say my knee was getting stronger, she also continued to say my knee was still in pretty bad shape and I would still need surgery. My reply was thank you doctor, but I believe my knee is healed. This went on for about 3 months, as I continued to exercise my faith on the Word of God and not the circumstances. Over time I was able to do more and more with my knee, progressing from crutches to a cane and finally walking short distances on my own. The doctor kept saying I would still need surgery, and I kept saying I believed my knee was already healed. Finally, at the end of the rehab period when I went for what was to be my last exam before having surgery, the doctor asked my to walk on my own which I was able to do without even a limp. After taking some x-rays she said she didn't quite understand how, but my left knee was fine. Everything seemed to be back to normal, and she just wanted to drain some fluid build-up out of my knee and I would be good to go, with no need for surgery. I said thank you doctor, and when I left her office I thanked God and confessed that I now know (no longer having to believe) that my knee was healed. And to this day, my left knee has been  just fine, and in fact is stronger than my right knee.

I know this has been a long post, but I wanted to share that testimony to give a real life illustration of faith at work. Whether or not you choose to believe it was my faith in the Word of God or just the natural course of events that led to my healing is your choice. But as for me, I am going to continue to walk by faith in God's Word believing He will honor it as I do.

So just to sum these last several posts up on How Faith Works, we put faith to work in our everyday lives by believing, confessing and acting or making movement on the Word of God for every area of our lives.

Friday, February 13, 2015

#10 How Faith Works - Part 4

You've found the Word of God you need manifested in your life, you've come to believe it in your heart and have confessed it over your life, and now you are ready for the third step in exercising your faith on that Word - acting or making movement on what you have believed and confessed.

To act is to do something, and an action is a thing done or accomplished, a deed. To move is to go from one position or place to another. So to act or move on the Word you've believed and confessed can be thought of as doing something or going some place with that belief and confession, and involves you continuing to confess and making physical movement despite what your circumstances may indicate.

2 Corinthians 4:18. and 5:7 tell us we should be focused on and live our lives based on the unchanging everlasting Word of God, and not by our circumstances which are temporary. Yes, our circumstances are real and are factual, and we shouldn't deny their existence. But the Word of God is the Truth, can change the facts, and is what truly sets us free.

So putting this principle of acting or moving on what you believe and have confessed to work with our example of exercising your faith for healing in your knees, your action could go something like this - you first confess "Father, I thank you, for I believe that I have received your healing in my knees, and they are fully restored and function just the way you created them to". Then try to use your knees - stand up, try and walk, bend your knees, etc., any kind of movement you can try and make with your knees that you couldn't do before. As you keep making this confession and movement each day you are exercising and building up your faith, and as you do the Word you are standing on will begin to manifest in your life and in time fully manifest. You just need to walk by faith standing on God's Word, and not by the sight of your circumstances or how you feel.

Now this doesn't mean you stop following the doctors orders, taking prescribed medication or even surgery if neccessary, because God uses all of these as channels to deliver your healing. But your faith needs to be in the Word of God, not the doctors, medicine or surgery. This is how you practically exercise faith in your every day life to receive all God has promised you - believing, confessing and acting on the Word of God.

For those who may be doubting and think you'd get healed over time anyway and it doesn't require any faith, stayed tuned for my next post.

Monday, February 9, 2015

#9 How Faith Works - Part 3

Now that you have in your spirit and believe what the Word of God says about an area(s) of your life you need a breakthrough in, the next thing you have to do to exercise your faith is confess that Word over your life. In Genesis 1 you recall that God "spoke" everything on earth into existence. In Romans 10:9-10 the Apostle Paul tells that to be saved we must not only believe, but also "confess" with our mouth. Finally, in Mark 11:24 we are told that whatever we "ask" in prayer we have to believe we receive it to have it. And when you ask for something you "say" something with your mouth, or make a confession.

So for example if you need healing say in your knees and you've got in your spirit and truly believe it is God's Will for you to be healed according to Isaiah 53:5; I Peter 2:24 and 3 John 2, just to cite a few of the healing scriptures in the Bible (God's Word), you now confess that belief over your life according to Mark 11:24 believing we receive what we ask for when we pray for it, and 1 John 5:14-15 which tells us that if we ask anything according to the Will of God (His Word) we can be assured that He hears us and we will have what we ask for, your confession might go something like this - "Father, I have received and believe your Word in my heart (spirit) according to (state the scriptures you believe), and therefore believe without any doubt it is your Will for me to be healed in every area of my life, so I claim and believe I receive your healing in my knees right now, believing every cell, bone, ligament, ACL, MCL and every part of my knees are being fully  restored to the original condition you created them in and functioning perfectly just as you intended, and I thank you for this healing in Jesus' name. Amen". You make your confession out of your mouth based on the Word you believe in your spirit.

Now you're ready to exercise the third and last component of practically applying faith to claim the promises of God in His Word in your everyday life, acting or making movement on what you believe in your heart and have confessed out of your mouth, which we'll cover in the next Post.    

#8 How Faith Works - Part 2

As covered in Post #7, the first thing we have to do in order to practically apply faith in our everyday lives is to Believe. When you believe something you take that something as truth. The something we are talking about here is the Word of God. So to believe as it relates to exercising our faith on the Word of God is to take the Word of God as truth. 

But in order to take anything as truth, you first have to learn about, come to know and be intimately knowledgeable about that thing. Have that thing in your spirit. This requires studying that thing, the Word of God in this case, over and over according to Romans 10:17 which says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Not having heard or hearing just once, but by continually hearing. By meditating on the Word of God continually as Joshua 1:8 says to do, until you get the Word in your spirit.

And you get the Word of God in your spirit or come to believe it, one truth at a time. So if you need healing, study what the Word of God says about healing until you get it in your spirit, come to truly believe it. If you need a breakthrough in your finances, find out and study what the Word of God has to say about prosperity and money. Whatever promise of God you need to have manifested in your life, find it in the Word, study it out, meditate on it, get it in your spirit, and truly come to believe it in your spirit without any doubt! Then, and only then are you ready to start exercising your faith on that belief with your confessions and actions.

Saturday, February 7, 2015

#7 How Faith Works - Part 1

Earlier blogs talked about what faith is, but how does faith work or how do we practically apply it in our everyday lives?  We saw in James 1 and 2 that faith involves works or action, and in Mark 11:24 and Romans 10:9-10 you will see that faith also involves believing and confessing (speaking something out of your mouth). So how does faith work? By believing, confessing and acting on the Word of God, in that order. I'll cover each of these three components of how to apply faith in your daily life in my next three blogs during this upcoming week. So stay tuned!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

#6 Why Faith Matters

So why does faith really matter? Because while money is the currency of the world, faith is the currency of the Kingdom - the way things get done in the Kingdom of God, and how we claim the promises of God. Want proof?  Look at Romans 1:17 which tells us that the righteous shall live by faith, 2 Corinthians 5:7 which says that we should walk by faith and not by sight (In other words, we should live our lives believing, confessing and acting/making moment on the Word of God instead of our circumstances), and James 1:5-8 which tells us that if we need wisdom about anything to ask God in faith. Also, read Hebrews 11 and you will see that faith transcends the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. And there are many more scriptures you can find that bear this out as well. So why does faith matter? Because it's the currency of the Kingdom!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

#5 What Faith Is - Part 4

So looking at blogs #2-#4, Hebrews 11:1 which says "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen", could be translated to read "whenever I stand on the Word of God, my faith is the reality of the future good I am expecting, the proof that future good already exists, and the confidence that it will manifest in my life" - another and for some of us a simpler way of thinking about what faith is.

#4 What Faith Is - Part 3

The last part of Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is the evidence of things not seen. Now another word for evidence is proof, and when there is proof about something, you have confidence in or about that thing. In this part of Hebrews 11:1 what faith is the proof of and gives you confidence about are the things not seen or what you are beliving God for, the future good you are expecting. So faith is the proof that what you are believing God for (the future good you are expecting) already exists, and the confidence that you already have it. In other words, faith takes the place of what you are believing God for until what you are believing God for manifests in your life.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

#3 What Faith Is - Part 2

The second part of Hebrews 11:1 says faith is "the substance of things hoped for". Now when something has substance it's tangible, can be touched and felt. In other words it has materialty, is real. Hope, is the expectation of future good. So as it relates to the things of God, faith is not only always present but is also the reality of the future good you're expecting from God based on His Word. Another way to say this is that faith takes the place of what you are believing God for based on His Word, until that thing manifests in your life. So remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for!

#2 What Faith Is - Part 1

The first part of Hebrews 11:1 says "Now Faith is". So we see that faith is always  present tense, right now, not past or future, but present. So whenever you exercise your faith to claim anything God promises in His Word, you have to believe you receive it "now" when you ask Him for it in prayer by faith. It may and usually doesn't manifest "now" in the physical, but if you believe you receive it "now" when you pray for it by faith in the spirit realm, and continue to exercise your faith through your confessions and actions despite what your circumstances may say, what you exercised your faith for will in time manifest in your life. Then you will know you have it, and no longer have to believe you have it. Faith is always present tense, "now"!