"What is faith?" someone recently asked us.
What a profound question.
Before we jump into this, let us de-church first, and state what real faith is not.
It is not keeping the "What We Believe" list from church, belief in the Pope, the Mass, confessing the trinity, praying the rosary, and Hailing Mary. It is not keeping the laws and statutes of the Old Testament, it is not go-to-church, your financial support, loyalty to the pastor, your assembly, faithful atttendance, prayer, fasting, and even reading the Bible.
You can do any or all of those things and be totally without faith in God.
We know, we did some of those things for years and that was what we put our faith in. Sure, we believed in God, the scriptures, and our weekly involvement with church, but a few months after leaving the institutional church, we were shocked to realize we had put our faith in the wrong places.
We put much faith in what we did (church involvment), what our leaders told us (faith in man), and in our own ideas and ways. The proof is that we would defend each of those without serious examination of motive or by seeking God in regard to the scriptures themselves.
Our Exodus out of the Institutional church began when we "made the mistake" of asking God to show me the truth about tithing, -one way or the other. I knew it was taught in church and we dutifully obeyed and supported our leadership. In other words, we put faith in what we were told.
We put our faith in our relationships. We put our faith in the routine of church. We put faith in our agreement with our church.
We put our faith in what our leaders said about us.
Is it any wonder then that we struggled with answers to prayer and some of the problems that overtook us?
When it was said "pray and read your Bible", we agreed. But did we really do so? And how much did we REALLY believe what we read? One day I was thinking about John 14:13 which says:
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son
As I thought on this verse, it came to me "What does "whatsoever" include?" When I realized He then said the same thing AGAIN in the very next verse and even two more times in chapter 15, I began to repent for my unbelief.
He really meant what He said. -and if I had REALLY believed it, I would have done a lot of things different.
When we left church, we came across the book "Sovereign God" by David Eells, and as we began to read, it came as a shock we did not know what faith was.
It seemed that God had a lot more in mind for us than what we had previously put our faith and hope in.
Faith made simple.
What then had we missed all those years? Somehow in our efforts to become rich (beginning with tithing), achieve success (through our own efforts), and solve various life problems (debt, illness, and family problems), we had overlooked that God had freely given us the promises and benefits of the new Testament.
It was a matter of really putting our faith and trust IN WHAT HE SAID. (Jesus is the Word of God. Putting our faith in Jesus is by believing "what is written").
Practically speaking, this meant that we could BELIEVE Him when He told us "by His stripes ye WERE healed";
that the way to prosper financially was not by tithing, it was by not owing anyone through borrowing, and also by giving to meet the needs of others.
It meant we did not need a professional children's counselor for teenager troubles, it meant that we could hold to the promises of God to save our children.
But most of all, it meant that we had to learn to "hold fast to the confession of our hope that it waiver not, for He is faithful who hath promised", while we endured the fiery trial of our faith as we waited for the manifestation of our request. He tells us He will. He doesn't tell us when.
As we put faith in the word (and not our feelings and emotions), we are putting our faith in the promises of His Word.
Do you desire a loved one saved? Then get you some "Rock" of the Word to stand in faith on:
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.
Acts 2:39 For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.
Deuteronomy 30:6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
Isaiah 54:13 And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Start confessing what GOD SAID, not what "they" say or our eyes see. -"Believe that you HAVE received and you SHALL HAVE it", and God will bring it to pass. Mark 11:23-24.
Do you need healing? Deliverance from a problem or situation?
GOD has the way to escape. But it requires FAITH in the promises of the Word.
We recently had a couple ask us to pray for the sale of a property and I asked them "WHAT SCRIPTURE are you standing on?"
They had prayed for the sale but had overlooked coming to the Father by standing on His Word.
So we then prayed with them according to Mat 18: 19
Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven, and also from John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.
There were many more scriptures but really, you only need one or two. That was in February. In May the property was sold.
When my wife had a lump in her breast, she repented of all unforgiveness and we prayed in agreement with the Word, never consulting a physician. Six weeks later it was gone.
When our daughter lingered in an apostate assembly for three years after we left, we stood in faith for her to come out and for God to remove the scales from her eyes. He answered every prayer we asked regarding this and we did not argue, convince, or try and manipulate her.
When we have been in a trial and our faith needed "edification" or to be strengthened, we would call someone who is walking in the promises of the Word for encouragement. Faith often needs to be built in people in order to receive the promised benefit. People who walk in that kind of faith are people deeply rooted in the promises of scripture and thus able to speak scripture with power and authority.
Hebrews 6:12 that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Do you need peace? Jesus said He is the Prince of peace. "My peace I give..."
Are you tired of a problem? Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Feeling old? Why not confess Psalms 103:5 Who satisfieth thy desire with good things, So that thy youth is renewed like the eagle, and Psalms 18:32 The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect..
Whatever your need is, God has the answer. Phillipians 4:19 And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Praise the Lord...
