The Great Commission - Faith

  I wanted to write about faith, not as to teach but to learn myself. If a person wants to learn about faith there are many books and resources written by amazing people that are very helpful. We know that faith comes from God. Romans 10:17, 1 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 12:3. Faith is an amazing beautiful gift that is explained to us in the Word of God and is a mystery that I will never fully grasp but will always hunger for. Well praise God for making it that away. In saying that I believe the best way a person learns about faith is to follow Jesus and listen, watch and learn what your master is doing. In other words you learn more about faith on the journey with God. Hmmmm. 

  Hebrews 11:1-3 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.”

 

  There is saving faith or believing in God and accepting Jesus in our hearts where we are spiritually reborn and receive eternal life. Every believer is cleansed of their sin as if they have never sinned and stands Holy and blameless before God because of Jesus blood and death on a cross. This faith does not come from a man, degree, or a book. It comes from God and is a gift and the blood and death of Jesus. This is faith that believes when a person is saved it does not matter what sin he done he is cleansed and new because of Jesus. You either have this faith or you don’t, looking at a believer from their past sin and life is not having faith in the good news or gospel. You either believe Jesus blood and death can save and make a person new or you don’t. Faith that believes in what God says in His Word, His promises, And what God wants to do in your life or through you, or more important grow into who God wants you to be in Him. Faith that takes action or activated faith to receive what God has planned for your life. This paragraph sounds wonderful and easy but not.

 

  With this faith from God and working in your life God can make a living testimony out of your life. What a blessing!

 

  I like what Henry Blackaby writes in Experiencing God: “Faith is confidence that what God promised or said will come to pass. Your faith does not rest on a concept or idea. Faith must be in a Person-God Himself. Faith is not drawing up a grandiose idea and then asking God to make it come to pass.” So in other words to me it is all about God and given from God. Am I going to yield and give Him full control to take me on the journey to please Him and live a life of faith that He desires for my life that glorifies Him. Hmmmm. Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So God started speaking to me in a more intense way a few months ago about faith He just kept fanning it in my life where ever I went but mainly in my heart from Him. When he does this I don’t have to manufacture it I just have to listen and hopefully receive what he is trying to teach me.

 

  I am going to share some scripture of people in the bible and break this into sections. Before I do that I want to share what I think are 6 things God is trying to tell me. But before that I think this faith thing God is always stirring in my heart and life. I have that much figured out but beyond that I will find out on the journey. Faith pops out to me in His Word like I’m in a 3D movie.

 

  1. Genuine faith, am I authentic who God wants me to be? If we trust God and have faith in Him why do we need to be someone else. He is eternal and is all knowing, all power full and ever present. I think genuine faith will be way more pleasing to God than trying to be someone else or anything false. It is amazing what God was speaking to me about this and I am going to write about this later. John 1:47  ^“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” Is my faith in God real and whole hearted or is my faith in other things or people or self.

 

  2. Do I or we desire the kind of faith that God teaches and examples in His Word. Do I desire and want this in my heart and ask God for this. This is the kind of faith I think where God does things we can’t explain or understand at times. In the Word it is referred to as strange things. Is it about faith in God or how good we perform or glory in men. This is the kind of faith Jesus taught and exampled to the 12 disciples. It wasn’t their excellence or might as men it was faith in God. Luke 5:26 “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.” Isaiah 64:1-3 “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence—As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil—To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence.” We can’t do these things that’s the point God can.

 

  3. How important living a life of faith is to God and what is His view of faith in my life? In other words am I seeing from God’s expectation? Am I living the life of faith that God has planned for my life that pleases and glorifies Him. Faith in God’s plan will open the door to what He wants for my life. My plan and everyone else’s plan or Satan’s plan will not, it has to be what God wants. I believe God has a beautiful faith journey for all of us that is fruitful and glorifying to God, may be difficult at times but pleasing to God. Romans 12;1 & John 10:10

 

  4. If we live this life of faith that God has planned for us what God does inside of us. Putting this in words is hard like His power becoming alive in us. His kingdom opening up inside of us. You know things only God can do. Fire, power, life, fruit, growing spiritually, His presence in our life. Passion, healings, hearing from Him, speaking the power of the Word of God into someone’s life, 1 Corinthian 14:3 “But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.” This is not always planned this is being led by the Holy Spirit and Him speaking through you with His Word.

 

  5. When God leads you to a place that requires His help and He stirs or activates His faith inside you what this does to people around you even though you don’t see it or understand it. This pleases and glorifies God and strengthen others. Like I said it is a God thing you don’t get to plan it that’s why it is called faith in God. The whole bible is based on faith in God and full of it.

 

  6. How God uses a life of faith for His purposes and kingdom now and for years to come. We are not going to know or understand how but to understand that this pleases God and can be a blessing and passed on to others.

 

 

  The first example is Abel in Genesis 4:1-15. This story of Abel is said to be the first offering to God from man. Abel brought an offering sacrificed to God. A gift the best of first born lambs from his flock that was given to him by God. Abel was killed after by his brother Cain and this is what God said of Abel years later in Hebrews 11:4,  “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Abel brought a sacrifice to God with the right heart and motives. It says he brought it by faith, that may speak differently to everyone. To me he brought the sacrifice to glorify God in faith. He didn’t bring it for Abel he gave it to God in faith for how God wants to use it for His kingdom and glory. It says that because it was brought in faith and it pleased God that even though Able is dead his example in faith stills speaks to us today.

 

  This is amazing about Abel, the very first offing to God given from man in Faith that pleased God. Abel was the second son of Adam and Eve so this offering to God was given at that time and is still speaking to us today and will continue to speak because God’s Word last forever.

 

  In this time of writing and listening to God this came. “What you do in life is history. What is put into motion from Faith in God is legacy.” Paul Cole. {paraphrase mine}  Hmmmm.