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Monday 8 June 2020

Faith, the substance of things hoped for

Often I have been anxious, sick or down in spirit and, as a result of the Holy Spirit highlighting specific scriptures to me when I have sought God in each situation, I have been kept safe and given peace of mind.  I am aware that 'faith' has to come by hearing, and 'hearing' by the Word of God (Romans ch. 10 v.17), and so I would encourage all who read this post to seek that faith for themselves through the Word.
I hope that the reading of this post might in some way enable the reader to identify with me as a Christian, and rejoice in the fact that we can rid ourselves of the Satanic ruler of this world's grip on us by trusting in Jesus, and receive all the blessings promised in Him, remembering that with God all things are possible.
'They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. ' 
Revelation ch. 12 v.11

'My mouth will tell of Your righteous acts, of Your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come, I will praise Your righteousness, Yours alone.' Psalm 71 vs. 15 - 16

Observations on Faith

One of the explanations of the word 'faith' in my dictionary is 'acceptance of divine revelation apart from absolute proof', and this is the interpretation which fits very aptly the kind of faith that God requires that we have in order to not only please Him, but also to cause to be substance the things that we hope for , as shown in Hebrews ch. 11 v.1.
Faith is fruitful only when it is operated through acceptance of what the Lord is revealing to us, and obedience apart from reasoning.  In fact, reasoning will destroy faith because the carnal mind can only accept what it has already learned, not what it has yet to learn, and will try to convince it's host to do only what is pleasant.
We are told in Ecclesiastes ch. 8 vs. 2 - 5a:- 'Keep the king's command, and because of your sacred oath be not dismayed, go from his presence, do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he does whatever he pleases. For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him 'What are you doing'.  He who obeys a command will meet no harm,' and this appears to have been the attitude which motivated Abraham when told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.  Abraham believed that, regardless of how it appeared to be to his natural mind, God's promise could not be annulled if he acted on God's instruction. 

God is neither the author of confusion nor a man that He should lie, and in Genesis ch. 21 v.2 we see that God told Abraham that through Isaac would his descendants be named. Yet in Genesis ch. 22 v.2 had told him to offer his son as a burnt offering. 
We see in v. 1 however that the reason for this was that God was testing him, and we see that Abraham still believed that God would keep His promise of him having descendants through his son Isaac, because in v. 8 He says to Isaac 'God will provide Himself a lamb'.
Way back in Genesis ch. 15 v.5 God had told Abraham that his own son would be his heir.  In v.6 we are told that Abraham believed God and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. So we see that believing God is righteousness, the kind of belief which does not waver in spite of the testing which will come to prove it.  This is FAITH!  

We are told in James ch.2 v.26 that just as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. James had given the example of how Abraham had been told by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. He had actually carried out the instruction which God had given him without question, even as far as the actually stretching forth his hand to take the knife to slay his son.  In verse 22 we are told that faith was not only active along with his works but was COMPLETED by his works. Yet to his natural mind God telling Abraham in Genesis chapter 22 v2 to sacrifice his son did not go together with what God had told him in Genesis ch. 21 v.12 'through Isaac shall your descendants be named.

However, if we look at verse 1 of Genesis chapter 22 we are told that God was testing Abraham.  So we see that God tests His people.  This a very firm principle throughout both the old testament and the new testament. We are told not to just be hearers of His Word spoken to us, but to be 'doers' of that Word, and this is the 'works' we must do - we must ACT upon the the Word spoken to us by God through the Holy Spirit, regardless of what the carnal mind is trying to tell us. Whatever the Lord tells us to do in our walk with Him we should endeavour to please Him, even if what He says to us seems unpleasant.

Hebrews ch. 12 v. 25 states:- 'See that you do not refuse Him Who is speaking'  A whole generation perished in the wilderness because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord.  Jesus says 'He who hears my Word and does it is like a man who builds his house on a rock.'  Luke ch. 6 v.49

I hope that what I have shared emphasises that the Holy Spirit brings to our attention the importance of being obedient to the Lord's Word if we are to be like Him.

17 comments:

Sandi said...

"Faith is fruitful only when it is operated through acceptance of what the Lord is revealing to us, and obedience apart from reasoning. In fact, reasoning will destroy faith because the carnal mind can only accept what it has already learned, not what it has yet to learn, and will try to convince it's host to do only what is pleasant."

Powerful explanation!

Amen
Amen
Amen

Brenda said...

Hi Sandi, I have found, and am realising more and more, that the spiritual enemy is very cunningly trying to Rob us of what God has for us in Jesus. This is why we must take every thought captive and bring it into obedience to that written Word spoken to us daily. God bless.

Victor S E Moubarak said...

Thank you. God bless you, Brenda.

Brenda said...

You are welcome Victor, God bless you too.

RCUBEs said...

Faith is one part of being a Christian. Without it, it's impossible to please God. It makes sense to believe without seeing as God is Spirit. But so many distractions from this place we live in to make our hearts see. I'm grateful for the Bible to be with us throughout many years to guide us, to give us discernment and to know more about God. God bless and strengthen you sister.

Brenda said...

Hi sister RCUBE, I agree, without the Word of God in the scriptures there would be no way back to the Father. God bless and strengthen you too as we continue on our journey to the promised land.

Saleslady371 said...

I thank God for the Bible and the direction the Scriptures give to live a faith-filled life. God bless you, Brenda!

Brenda said...

Hi Mary,
absolutely, so do I thank God for the Bible and the instruction of the Holy Spirit, without it we would have nothing.

Jephyr! said...

Hi Brenda, Thank you for sharing this lovely and "deep" post. Your first suggestion is so right: to look into the Word of God ourselves. Earlier today, I happened across a secular thread where people were discussing 'Christian' issues. Sadly, far too many people were making definitive statements about Jesus and His Church that run completely counter to what is declared about Him and what He declares about Himself in His Word. In my own life I also find myself saying "I don't understand" when some negative and unexpected thing happens and then always am reminded in the Spirit, "Lean not on your own understanding." My mom used to often remind me of Hebrews 11:1 as a definition of faith (and though I'm not a 'KJV Only' guy I love the way it reads there): "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." God Bless you, Brenda

Brenda said...

Hi Jephyr,
I have always loved the scripture 'Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.' That is one of the scriptures the Holy Spirit guided me to when I asked the Lord to teach me about sickness and healing. He told me not to go to the world (Egypt) for help, but to trust in Him with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding.
I was also guided to the scriptures regarding Abraham being told to sacrifice his son. His experience of what was being said to him causing him to believe that his son would die could only be placed in his mind by the spiritual enemy, as Abraham had been told by God that his descendants would come through his son. He recognised this.
Similarly, I had to trust in the Word spoken to me, that I would be healed from all my diseases through Psalm 103, and being shown through the scriptures that king Aza died because he went to the physician and not to the Lord. We are tested through trials that strengthen us, and bring us to recognise the spiritual enemy, who is a liar and a thief, within those trials. What God says He will do will happen, we just have to wait on Him for the time for it to happen.
God bless you Jephyr with the truth of His Word.

Keith said...

Yes, Brenda. Faith is what is needed now, more than ever. Please spread the word, I do believe something is happening right now, that will change the world, as we know it. Please check it out and spread the word. Shalom and May Keep The Remnant Safe!

It's Time To Be Kingdom Minded

Brenda said...

Hi Keith, how strange, you came into my mind last night. What you are saying, I have been saying to my husband for some time. I believe we are very close to the Lord coming back,and we have to spread the Word of truth. There are so many Biblical prophesies coming to pass,yet there are still people who are believing false doctrine, and governments are going with all the wants of people just to get votes. You too Keith must share all that has been given to you to share by the Holy Spirit. Shalom brother Keith.

Sharon Wilfong said...

What an inspiring post! I'm so glad you visited my blog so I now know about yours. These days my heart gets heavy with all that's going on around us. So nice to receive words of encouragement from each other.

Brenda said...

Hi Sharon,
nice to meet you. I saw your blog after I noticed you responding to a comment I had made on another blog. Yes, we are given whatever we have to share by the Lord to encourage one another while we are here on earth. All glory to God and His wonderful Son.

Laurie Collett said...

Amen, Brenda -- without faith, it is impossible to please God, and we must believe that He is Who He says He is, and will do what He has said He will do. These are trying times for our faith, but we can praise God for His faithfulness even when our faith wavers. God bless you,
Laurie

Brenda said...

Hi Laurie,
yes, only God is good, but He understands we are flesh and strengthens us when we are in trials. We can truly say 'We love You O Lord our God'. God bless you.

Laurie Collett said...

Hi Brenda,
Praise God for His mercy, love and grace even when we fail Him. How amazing that we can love Him as our Abba Father. God bless you too,
Laurie