FAITH 2: Making It Strong

‘”Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted” And her daughter was instantly healed.’ Matthew 15:28(NLT)

We saw in the first part of this write up what FAITH is, how it is very important and central to the Christian walk, and when it works well together with the decisions we make and definite actions we take then it makes life less stressful.
We also know that every child of God has a level of faith that was given to him as a gift. What one does with his own gift of faith is up to him. It can be nurtured to grow into a great faith or otherwise can be completely lost.

To take a firm control of our destiny we need to know how to operate with a violent faith. It is a mission that needs to be advanced forcefully and it is only forceful men that can lay hold of it(Matt 11:12)
Our faith in God cannot be said to be ‘a blind faith‘ nor is it baseless. On the contrary, it is full of foresight based on God’s word we see and believed. Those who do not see as we Christians do is because they have a hard heart. Most of it too(advancement of faith) is through the discernment of the Spirit for which one do not have outside of Christ “For God has revealed them to us thorough His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” 1 Cor 2:10

The voice of God has a quality of faith it carries. “Consequently faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the preached word of Christ.” Rom 10:17(NET). No matter how stubborn our heart may be, God‘s voice can melt away any resistance we may have(Acts 22:6–10). The truth is that God is always speaking to our hearts in “a gentle whisper“, but the problem is either we are not in the spirit to hear Him or that we are mostly too preoccupied to listen.

I have heard some people say that they asked God to increase their faith. No! God does not increase anyone‘s faith. It is our respective responsibilities to transform our measure of faith into a great faith. We see in John 6:63 that human effort accomplishes nothing, but that God’s word is Spirit. When we meditate on the word, it oozes out knowledge that gives us insight, understanding and revelation which in turn helps to build up faith. Revelation also comes through the study of the Bible. As we do so the Holy Spirit opens up the eye of our understanding and gives us insights into what we seek solutions for thereby increasing our faith. What great faith does is that what we previously saw as a mountain will now become a mound small enough to he scaled over.

In our desire and search for a great faith, we must avoid stagnating inclinations that produce doubt in us. We must always believe in God and His faithfulness. When we approach God in prayers for anything, we “must believe both that He exists and that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him.” Heb 11:6(The Message)
We also need to speak out what we heard of the Gospel. This will help to give the word a voice. God’s angels responds only to “the voice of His word” Psalms 103:20. Moreover, in 2 Cor 4:13 the Bible says we are not to keep quiet at all, not on our lives! “Just as the Psalmist who wrote, ‘I believe it, so I say it‘”, we also should say what we believe of God’s word and what hope we have in what He promised.

For the fact that faith is an ACTIVE FORCE, when it comes in and grows big, it takes away whatever that may give us feelings of unworthiness, multiplying instead God’s blessings and favor in our lives. It produces in us an overcomers life.

Fighting “the good fight of faith” ultimately leads to victory no matter how long it takes. In the midst of certain conflicts in life, we need to stand bold and consistent in spirit and faith. Taking authority by God’s word should empower us to confront and deal decisively with every adverse situations that may come our way.

Amen!
– Ike

Advertisement

Seven Days to a Deeper Faith, Day 1: A Bigger Gospel

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” — Mark 8:35 Things change over the years. That said, it’s not always the thing itself that changes as much as it’s us. I remember driving back to Colorado for the first time as an adult. The house I grew up in, my high school, and even the town seemed smaller than I remembered. The mountains, however, seemed bigger than life. I was actually in awe seeing them again. The mountains, obviously, hadn’t grown. Why had my view of them changed so drastically? Maybe I had grown numb to them over the years as a child. Maybe a more traveled perspective helped me appreciate their uniqueness. Or maybe that’s just what happens when you live in Texas. The Texas hill country doesn’t quite compare to the Rocky Mountains. Likewise, our faith changes as we grow. Some things that used to be a big deal to me no longer are. Thank goodness. Many things, I know, stay the same, but it’s the gospel that continues to grow in my mind. It’s the gospel that seems most like those mountains. The gospel doesn’t actually change. We do. Our perspectives naturally shift with life experience, they shift with maturity, and they shift when we return with a greater desire for truth. It’s important to consider the vastness of the Gospel. The gospel that saves us is the same gospel that is saving us and will continue to save us. Because we are saved we are being transformed and restored. A Biblical gospel shines light and hope into every nook and cranny of our lives. While salvation happens in a moment, our life continues to be a process of handing over the reigns and trusting Jesus with our everything. Take Action: Take a moment today to consider how the gospel has grown in your understanding. Ask God to show you different areas you might have a hard time believing his love and forgiveness. Then ask him to show you were maybe you’ve struggled extending that same grace to others. Bible Gateway Later, Pat.

THE RAGING WAR OF THE FLESH AGAINST THE SPIRIT

via THE RAGING WAR OF THE FLESH AGAINST THE SPIRIT

Cultural Mandate, Day 2

Today’s reading is drawn from Genesis 1:28 and Ephesians 2:10. After God created humanity, he gave them a series of commands: be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, subdue it and have dominion over other living things. This call to cultivate the world and exercise dominion is often called the cultural mandate. As God’s image bearers, our vocation is to reflect his nature— as modeled for us in his work of creating— by bringing increased order, structure, vibrancy and flourishing to this world that’s so full of potential. God wants us to steward what he has lovingly given to us as a gift, to responsibly harness nature’s power and innovate for his glory and the good of all creation. When we read that God rested on the seventh day, we shouldn’t take this to mean that creation was entirely finished or no longer in need of development. Rather, he made humans in his image to continue his work and bring creation to its God-given potential. This mandate is not reserved for “elites”— politicians, pastors, entrepreneurs and so on. No, we all—no matter our rank, ethnicity, age or vocation—are called to continue God’s work in bringing order and vibrancy to our world. God has entrusted humans with the inordinate privilege of continuing his work of creation “to be God’s helper in executing to the end the blueprint for his masterpiece.” Connecting This cultural mandate gives our work incredible significance, since it is meant to be an extension of God’s work in creation. Still, many of us do not sense that the work we perform each day has a significant meaning or purpose. Some of us even see work as torment and a curse, an obstacle to what’s really important: whether it be friends, family, hobbies—you name it. But the Bible says that work is good, and the cultural mandate reminds us that the work we participate in points to something far greater than ourselves, even if we can’t see the bigger picture. Sure, work is tainted now because of the fall, and we are incredibly limited. But as God’s image bearers, we work to contribute to human flourishing and the development of the earth. How does our work bring order and flourishing to your company or community? How does it contribute to the common good, the well-being of others and the improvement of the world?

Bible Gateway