Hope is the engine that fuels your faith.
The first part of Hebrews 11:1 says "faith is the substance of things hoped for". In earlier Posts we saw that substance is the reality of the things hoped for, and that hope is the expectation of future good based on God's Word. So a part of what faith is, is the realty of the future good you expect from God based on His Word.
If that's the case, then without hope, or any future good you are expecting, there is nothing to exercise your faith on. No hope, no faith. Therefore, hope is the basis for excercising your faith, or the engine that fuels your faith.
So how do you get hope? By having a devotional life and studying the Word of God on a regular basis, preferably daily. That way you will discover and learn all of the wonderfull blessings God has promised you in His Word. Then, you'll have hope upon which to exercise you faith daily, building it up, being able to claim and have all God has promised you in His Word, with your faith developed and strong so you are therefore able to withstand the attacks of faith's enemies.
But, if you don't have the Word in you, you won't have any hope, and without any hope you can't exercise your faith. No Word, no hope, no faith. So study the Word so you do have hope, and then exercise your faith on that hope and have the blessings God has promised you manifest in your life!
Friday, March 27, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
#27 - Faith's Greatest Enemies - Overcoming
So how do we rise above or overcome these enemies of faith? By getting the Word of God rooted in our heart and developing a lifestyle of faith.
Joshua 1:8 tells us we should meditate on the Word of God day and night and not let it depart from us, then, we will prosper and have good success. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing.
In other words, we need to get the Word of God settled in our hearts without any doubt through study & prayer, have a devotional life and exercise our faith, all on a daily basis. This way when the enemies of faith come, we will be able to rise above them and stay strong in our faith.
And when we do stumble and fall and are taken in by the deception of any of faith's enemies, confess to God we have fallen and sinned and receive His forgiveness and cleansing as promised in 1 John 1:9. Then, get back up and continue walking by faith,
But the choice is yours. You can live like the world and get swallowed up when faith's greatest enemies come and have your faith rendered useless and never have what God promises in His Word, or you can choose to develop the measure of faith God gives to each of us by exercising it daily, reading and studying the Word daily, and walking in relationship with God each day.
Then, as Joshua 1:8 tells us, you can be prosperous and have good success, rise above faith's greatest enemies and have, be and do all God wants you to have be and do!
Joshua 1:8 tells us we should meditate on the Word of God day and night and not let it depart from us, then, we will prosper and have good success. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing.
In other words, we need to get the Word of God settled in our hearts without any doubt through study & prayer, have a devotional life and exercise our faith, all on a daily basis. This way when the enemies of faith come, we will be able to rise above them and stay strong in our faith.
And when we do stumble and fall and are taken in by the deception of any of faith's enemies, confess to God we have fallen and sinned and receive His forgiveness and cleansing as promised in 1 John 1:9. Then, get back up and continue walking by faith,
But the choice is yours. You can live like the world and get swallowed up when faith's greatest enemies come and have your faith rendered useless and never have what God promises in His Word, or you can choose to develop the measure of faith God gives to each of us by exercising it daily, reading and studying the Word daily, and walking in relationship with God each day.
Then, as Joshua 1:8 tells us, you can be prosperous and have good success, rise above faith's greatest enemies and have, be and do all God wants you to have be and do!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
#26 - Faith's Greatest Enemies #8
Our circumstances - everything going on around us that we are exposed to each day, our current state or condition, the current state or condition of others, and the current state or condition of the environment around us. Whether good, bad or indifferent, our circumstances can distract and get us away from God's Word, and cause us to do or not do something based on how we feel instead of based on what the Word says. And when we do, the enemy has us right where he wants us, trying to move by what we think or feel and not by faith in God's Word,
One of my favorites passages of scripture, 2 Corinthians 4:18, tells us not to live our lives based on our circumstances, which are real and should not be denied, because they are temporary. Instead, we should live our life based on the Word of God, which is everlasting, the truth, and can change our circumstances.
So as another of my favorite passages of scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:7, tells us, you should live your life by faith in God's Word, and not by sight of the circumstances around you. Then your faith will be strong, effective and bring you the results you are expecting.
One of my favorites passages of scripture, 2 Corinthians 4:18, tells us not to live our lives based on our circumstances, which are real and should not be denied, because they are temporary. Instead, we should live our life based on the Word of God, which is everlasting, the truth, and can change our circumstances.
So as another of my favorite passages of scripture, 2 Corinthians 5:7, tells us, you should live your life by faith in God's Word, and not by sight of the circumstances around you. Then your faith will be strong, effective and bring you the results you are expecting.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
#25 Faith's Greatest Enemies - #7
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that God has given us a spirit of power and love, not a spirit of fear, which is Faith's Greatest Enemy #7. Because when are operating in fear we are not operating in faith, as fear is the opposite of faith.
Fear is being apprehensive or leery about or not wanting to experience or be exposed to someone, something or some situation out of concern over possible physical, emotional, social, financial or economic harm. Faith on the other hand is the reality, proof of and confidence for the future good you are expecting from God based on His Word. So if you are in fear, apprehensive and leery about God being able to what He said in His Word and what that means for your life, you can't possibly be in faith, and you cannot expect to effectively be able to exercise your faith.
Why do we fear? It's another deception of the enemy to separate us from our faith and keep us in bondage. Therefore, as James 4:7 tell us to do, submit to God! Then you can resist the devil and he will flee from you. That way you can walk in the spirit of power and love God has given you, rise above the fear the enemy tries to deceive you with, and move with strong faith operating in your life!
Fear is being apprehensive or leery about or not wanting to experience or be exposed to someone, something or some situation out of concern over possible physical, emotional, social, financial or economic harm. Faith on the other hand is the reality, proof of and confidence for the future good you are expecting from God based on His Word. So if you are in fear, apprehensive and leery about God being able to what He said in His Word and what that means for your life, you can't possibly be in faith, and you cannot expect to effectively be able to exercise your faith.
Why do we fear? It's another deception of the enemy to separate us from our faith and keep us in bondage. Therefore, as James 4:7 tell us to do, submit to God! Then you can resist the devil and he will flee from you. That way you can walk in the spirit of power and love God has given you, rise above the fear the enemy tries to deceive you with, and move with strong faith operating in your life!
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
#24 Faith's Greatest Enemies #6
Verses 18-19 in Proverbs 6 talk about feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who spreads lies, and one who causes discord among the bretheren, all of which are on the list of the 7 things God hates and are an abomination to Him as verse 16 tells us. Among other things, these 3 things are talking about Gossip, Faith's Greatest Enemy #6, which in its simplest form means talking about the personal lives of other people.
Gossiping is of the devil and a form of evil, usually involves spreading rumors of untruth about the subject of the gossip, and is done behind the back of the one being gossiped about eventually causing a rift between that person and those involved in the gossip. In any event, if God hates it and it causes Him extreme disgust, you can rest assured our faith is going to be hindered and ineffective if we are involved in gossiping and are trying to exercise our faith to lay hold of one of God's promises in His Word.
So stop gossiping! Confess the sin of gossip before God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. Repent, change your thinking about gossiping to line up with Proverbs 6:16-19. And if you can't say something good or edifying about a person to others as well as the person themselves, don't say anything. That way you won't disgust God, and what you are exercising your faith on will come to manifest in your life.
Gossiping is of the devil and a form of evil, usually involves spreading rumors of untruth about the subject of the gossip, and is done behind the back of the one being gossiped about eventually causing a rift between that person and those involved in the gossip. In any event, if God hates it and it causes Him extreme disgust, you can rest assured our faith is going to be hindered and ineffective if we are involved in gossiping and are trying to exercise our faith to lay hold of one of God's promises in His Word.
So stop gossiping! Confess the sin of gossip before God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. Repent, change your thinking about gossiping to line up with Proverbs 6:16-19. And if you can't say something good or edifying about a person to others as well as the person themselves, don't say anything. That way you won't disgust God, and what you are exercising your faith on will come to manifest in your life.
Monday, March 16, 2015
#23 - Faith's Greatest Enemies #5
Lying.
Have you ever told an untruth, thinking you were justified in doing so? Maybe to spare someone's feelings, or to protect yourself (aka CYA), or to uphold someones (or your own) honor or reputation. Perhaps it was (as the world likes to call it) just a little white lie. Or, you may have lied to boast, make yourself look good, which is double the trouble as you've now mixed lying with being prideful. Then there may have been those times when you just out and out lied about something and knew you were lying when you did it.
It really doesn't matter, because a lie is a lie is a lie, and lies feed upon lies! I can't find scripture in the Bible that justifies lying. In fact, lying is right after pride in the list of 7 things God hates and are an abomination to Him (cause Him extreme disgust and hatred) in Proverbs 6:16-19. So if we lie for any reason, our faith is rendered ineffective as God is not going to respond to our faith when we are doing something He hates and that causes Him extreme disgust.
Therefore top letting the enemy of lying be a part of your lifestyle! Repent, and change your thinking so your thinking lines lines up with the Word of God, and speak the truth or say nothing at all. And if you do stumble and lie, which you might as we still live in this 'sinful flesh, confess that lie as sin before God, receive His forgiveness and cleansing. Then, your faith will continue to be effective!
Have you ever told an untruth, thinking you were justified in doing so? Maybe to spare someone's feelings, or to protect yourself (aka CYA), or to uphold someones (or your own) honor or reputation. Perhaps it was (as the world likes to call it) just a little white lie. Or, you may have lied to boast, make yourself look good, which is double the trouble as you've now mixed lying with being prideful. Then there may have been those times when you just out and out lied about something and knew you were lying when you did it.
It really doesn't matter, because a lie is a lie is a lie, and lies feed upon lies! I can't find scripture in the Bible that justifies lying. In fact, lying is right after pride in the list of 7 things God hates and are an abomination to Him (cause Him extreme disgust and hatred) in Proverbs 6:16-19. So if we lie for any reason, our faith is rendered ineffective as God is not going to respond to our faith when we are doing something He hates and that causes Him extreme disgust.
Therefore top letting the enemy of lying be a part of your lifestyle! Repent, and change your thinking so your thinking lines lines up with the Word of God, and speak the truth or say nothing at all. And if you do stumble and lie, which you might as we still live in this 'sinful flesh, confess that lie as sin before God, receive His forgiveness and cleansing. Then, your faith will continue to be effective!
Saturday, March 14, 2015
#22 - Faith's Greatest Enemies #4
Pride!
This is probaly the greatest enemy of faith of them all, and can manifest in ones life in any number of ways; thinking you're better than others, looking down on others, blaming everybody but yourself including God for your shortcomings and failures, being braggadocios, thinking you don't need anyones help including God's, and believing any success you've achieved in life is all your own doing just to name a few.
When we are pridefull our faith is nipped in the bud, won't get God's attention and He will not respond to our faith. In fact, if we are pridefull we're probably not operating by faith at all!
James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 tell us that God resists the proud. But even more than that, Proverbs 6:16 tells us there are 7 things God hates and are an abomination to Him, with pride being right at the top of the list in verses 17-19. Now one definition of abomination is extreme disgust and hatred. So if God resists and has extreme disgust and hatred toward pride, do you think your faith will be effective when you are being prideful? Absolutely not!
Therefore humble yourself and submit to God in order to rise about the enemy's deception of pride. Then your faith will be strong and effective, and the future good you are expecting from God will manifest in your life!
This is probaly the greatest enemy of faith of them all, and can manifest in ones life in any number of ways; thinking you're better than others, looking down on others, blaming everybody but yourself including God for your shortcomings and failures, being braggadocios, thinking you don't need anyones help including God's, and believing any success you've achieved in life is all your own doing just to name a few.
When we are pridefull our faith is nipped in the bud, won't get God's attention and He will not respond to our faith. In fact, if we are pridefull we're probably not operating by faith at all!
James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 tell us that God resists the proud. But even more than that, Proverbs 6:16 tells us there are 7 things God hates and are an abomination to Him, with pride being right at the top of the list in verses 17-19. Now one definition of abomination is extreme disgust and hatred. So if God resists and has extreme disgust and hatred toward pride, do you think your faith will be effective when you are being prideful? Absolutely not!
Therefore humble yourself and submit to God in order to rise about the enemy's deception of pride. Then your faith will be strong and effective, and the future good you are expecting from God will manifest in your life!
Friday, March 13, 2015
#21 - Faith's Greatest Enemies #3
Unforgiveness!
This is an enemy of faith that most everyone has enoutered, sometimes without even realizing it. And their are actually four forms of unforgiveness that can hinder our faith from being effective.
Mark 11:25-26 tells us that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive our sins. So if we don't forgive those who sin against us, we are in sin and our faith is rendered ineffective as no sin can exist in God's presence and He therefore cannot respond to our faith. This is a two-way street though, because if we have sinned against someone, we need to be open to receive their forgiveness. If we don't, we are in unforgiveness.
There is also the forgiveness of all of our sins God makes available to all mankind through Christ Jesus. If we don't receive it, we are in unforgiveness. Finally, if God has forgiven us, who are we not to forgive ourselves. If we don't, we are in unforgiveness, sin, and our faith won't work.
In fact, if any one of these four types of unforgiveness is in operation in our lives, we hinder God's ability to respond to our faith, just what the enemy wants as he comes to steal, kill and destroy. So be alert, on guard and don't let
unforgiveness creep into your life, so your faith remains strong, and you claim all God has promised you in His Word!
This is an enemy of faith that most everyone has enoutered, sometimes without even realizing it. And their are actually four forms of unforgiveness that can hinder our faith from being effective.
Mark 11:25-26 tells us that if we do not forgive those who sin against us, God will not forgive our sins. So if we don't forgive those who sin against us, we are in sin and our faith is rendered ineffective as no sin can exist in God's presence and He therefore cannot respond to our faith. This is a two-way street though, because if we have sinned against someone, we need to be open to receive their forgiveness. If we don't, we are in unforgiveness.
There is also the forgiveness of all of our sins God makes available to all mankind through Christ Jesus. If we don't receive it, we are in unforgiveness. Finally, if God has forgiven us, who are we not to forgive ourselves. If we don't, we are in unforgiveness, sin, and our faith won't work.
In fact, if any one of these four types of unforgiveness is in operation in our lives, we hinder God's ability to respond to our faith, just what the enemy wants as he comes to steal, kill and destroy. So be alert, on guard and don't let
unforgiveness creep into your life, so your faith remains strong, and you claim all God has promised you in His Word!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
#20 - Faith's Greatest Enemy #2
Doubt or Unbelief!
We learn in Mark 11:23-24 & Hebrews 11:6 that the first thing we have to do to effectively exercise our faith is to believe the Word of God in our heart without any doubt, believe that God exists and believe the He rewards those who dilligently seek Him. You may have some doubt in your mind, because that's where the enemy can and does attack us with deceptions, lies and false doctrine. But for your faith to be effective you have to have the Word of God settled in your heart as the truth, the final authority and absolute rule of conduct for your life as my Pastor likes to say.
Now getting the Word of God settled in your heart requires spending time in the Word, meditating on it, studying it with the help of other resources such as a concordance, dictionary, different versions of the Bible, other people who may have already caught the revelation you are seeking, and of course God, asking Him to open up the scriptures and guide your understanding as to what they mean and how to apply them in your life. But when you do these things, the sureness in your heart about the Word will overide the doubt and unbelief that may be in your mind. Then, your faith will be strong, effective and work for you as God intended.
We learn in Mark 11:23-24 & Hebrews 11:6 that the first thing we have to do to effectively exercise our faith is to believe the Word of God in our heart without any doubt, believe that God exists and believe the He rewards those who dilligently seek Him. You may have some doubt in your mind, because that's where the enemy can and does attack us with deceptions, lies and false doctrine. But for your faith to be effective you have to have the Word of God settled in your heart as the truth, the final authority and absolute rule of conduct for your life as my Pastor likes to say.
Now getting the Word of God settled in your heart requires spending time in the Word, meditating on it, studying it with the help of other resources such as a concordance, dictionary, different versions of the Bible, other people who may have already caught the revelation you are seeking, and of course God, asking Him to open up the scriptures and guide your understanding as to what they mean and how to apply them in your life. But when you do these things, the sureness in your heart about the Word will overide the doubt and unbelief that may be in your mind. Then, your faith will be strong, effective and work for you as God intended.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
#19 - Faith's's Greatest Enemiy #1,
Unrighteous or Unholy Living! This enemy will block and hinder your faith every time.
This enemy isn't about the righthousness of Christ which we receive through salvation, but rather the righteousness of striving to live a lifestyle of obedience to God's Word.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 tells us that if we obey God's commandments His blessings will overtake us, while Deuteronomy 28:15 tells if we do not obey God's commandments curses will overtake us.
Now this doesn't mean that God curses us, but our disobedience takes us out from under God's covering. It also doesn't mean we have to be perfect to be blessed, because we can't as we live in sinful flesh. What it does mean is that we should strive to live a holy life, a lifestyle of obedience to God's commandments, and when we do stumble and fall, we should confess our sin to God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing available to us through Christ Jesus. But when we are living in disobedience to God's Word or living an unrighteous or unholy lifestyle, our faith is hindered and rendered ineffective as no sin can exist in God's presence and He will not respond to our faith.
Therefore live a righteous and holy lifestyle so your faith is strong, and lay claim to all of the blessings God wants you to have.
This enemy isn't about the righthousness of Christ which we receive through salvation, but rather the righteousness of striving to live a lifestyle of obedience to God's Word.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 tells us that if we obey God's commandments His blessings will overtake us, while Deuteronomy 28:15 tells if we do not obey God's commandments curses will overtake us.
Now this doesn't mean that God curses us, but our disobedience takes us out from under God's covering. It also doesn't mean we have to be perfect to be blessed, because we can't as we live in sinful flesh. What it does mean is that we should strive to live a holy life, a lifestyle of obedience to God's commandments, and when we do stumble and fall, we should confess our sin to God and receive His forgiveness and cleansing available to us through Christ Jesus. But when we are living in disobedience to God's Word or living an unrighteous or unholy lifestyle, our faith is hindered and rendered ineffective as no sin can exist in God's presence and He will not respond to our faith.
Therefore live a righteous and holy lifestyle so your faith is strong, and lay claim to all of the blessings God wants you to have.
Monday, March 9, 2015
#18 - Faiths' Greatest Enemies - Introduction
Well I'm back after being among the missing for most of the past week, and am starting a new series on Faith's Greatest Enemies, those deceptions and lies the enemy attacks us with in our minds to try and discourage, frustrate and ultimately separate us from our faith.
While there are more enemies of faith than I could ever cover in the several Posts there will be in this series, there are four or five that most everyone will encounter in their walk with the Lord which are what are often referred to as Faith's Greatest Enemies and that will be covered in this series.
So stay tuned over the next couple of weeks and learn about Faith's Greatest Enemies, and what we can do to overcome them so our faith remains strong and effective.
While there are more enemies of faith than I could ever cover in the several Posts there will be in this series, there are four or five that most everyone will encounter in their walk with the Lord which are what are often referred to as Faith's Greatest Enemies and that will be covered in this series.
So stay tuned over the next couple of weeks and learn about Faith's Greatest Enemies, and what we can do to overcome them so our faith remains strong and effective.
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
#17 - Faith Pleases God
Did you know that if you are not exercising your faith you're not pleasing God?
Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Why? As this verse goes on to say, because those who come to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who dilligently seek Him.
You see, God is a God of faith, which we saw in my last Post is a gift from God which we show our appreciation for by exercising or using it. God responds to that, us using our faith, because faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God - the way things get done in the Kingdom of God, the way we appropriate the promises of God in His Word. No exercising of our faith, no pleasing of God and no response to our prayers.
Also note the words I highighlighted from Hebrews 11:1 - "believe" and "dilligently seek". Those words speak to putting your faith into action - believing God exists and that His Word is truth, and then dilligently seeking God by confessing out of your mouth and acting on what you believe in your heart.
So if you want to please your Heavenly Father, use the free gift of faith He's given you, make it part of your lifestyle and daily walk with the Lord, be reconcilled to Him, and have the abundant life He wants you to have.
Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. Why? As this verse goes on to say, because those who come to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who dilligently seek Him.
You see, God is a God of faith, which we saw in my last Post is a gift from God which we show our appreciation for by exercising or using it. God responds to that, us using our faith, because faith is the currency of the Kingdom of God - the way things get done in the Kingdom of God, the way we appropriate the promises of God in His Word. No exercising of our faith, no pleasing of God and no response to our prayers.
Also note the words I highighlighted from Hebrews 11:1 - "believe" and "dilligently seek". Those words speak to putting your faith into action - believing God exists and that His Word is truth, and then dilligently seeking God by confessing out of your mouth and acting on what you believe in your heart.
So if you want to please your Heavenly Father, use the free gift of faith He's given you, make it part of your lifestyle and daily walk with the Lord, be reconcilled to Him, and have the abundant life He wants you to have.
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