The hardest part of faith is believing in something you can't see. But with an open heart you can know God. How? Study! Apply yourself to learning how God works, what God requires, and how to approach Him and His throne.
Trusting the Word
Faith is simply standing on the facts of the Word of God.. But too often our emotions and developed biases prevent us from such trust. We look at our situations and can’t imagine how God could intervene. We look at the world and become confused when God doesn’t seem to interpose. We look at our own needs and like to apply a range of unscriptural “texts.” Unscriptural “texts” like “God helps those who help themselves”. Well – possibly in His grace He may…. but maybe in His sovereignty He won’t. What we need is to accept the truth of scriptures. We need to trust in His Word.
Depending on God
God in His knowledge, wisdom and love knows what we need. God in His grace knows we need to depend completely upon Him. And we have been so designed to function in total dependence upon the Lord. But the enemy of our souls distorted this truth in His attack on the race in Eden – causing most of us to explore all other avenues, before we finally accept His Way. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, but the Holy Spirit is working in us, to prepare us for that heavenly home. And the most vital area of work in each of us is faith.. that’s trusting His Word.
Pleasing our God
We know that without faith it’s impossible to please God.. and yet we ignore His instruction and seek to correct the ills of this world our way. And we sidestep His truth, by trying to sort our lives own own way.. and it just doesn’t work!!!
A Common Thread
In my life I have been blessed to read the works of many such saints, and there is one common thread that traverses through each godly life. They all started out, often for decades, trying to live for God their way.. until they came to an end of themselves, and finally accepted God’s way. People like:- Muller, Chambers, Hopkins, Finney, Stamford. People like:– Peter, James, John and Paul. Many of these saints of old have sought to instruct us in developing a life of trust. Many great men of faith’ discovered the secret that has long evaded our life-walk.
Fruit of the Spirit
God is no respecter of persons. We all have the potential to be spiritual giants, but as so often happens God’s ways contradicts logic and they offends our developed sensitivity. We all want to live our lives being pleasing to God. We all want to be good and faithful servant.. to be overcomers. We all want to live godly producing good works.. to be faithful. We all want to bear fruit, more fruit, much fruit bearing – the sweet fruit of the Spirit. We all want to witness of a God-centred life – testifying of His love and His grace. We all want to get close to God, and to know His person and feel His presence.. and so often we try to achieve by any other means, what is ours by faith,
Seeds of Rebellion
Often we do it through a form of independence… and the truth is that is rebellion you know. We see ‘faith’ working in the lives of others and assume ‘they have great faith’.. when all that has happened is that they have come to an end of their own ‘trying’.. Like me, trying to ‘do it’ my way, instead of doing it God’s way. They have, like so many saints of old, finally accepted what God tells us in is Word.. that faith is simply believing all that God says.. and not cherry-picking His Word. Our independence can get in the way of faith, but we need to learn how to enjoy our independence and still maintain faith in what God says in His word.
Words of Truth
Every question you ever will ask is answered in the Word of God.. but too often it contradicts our reason and our developed human logic – too frequently it offends our distorted perception of God and His love and grace.
Time to Prepare
Just remember: Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, but the Holy Spirit is here working in us now – to prepare us for that heavenly home. And His work in our lives is getting us all to the place of dependence upon Him. His work, which touches all areas of our lives..is designed by God to develop our trust in Him.
Ted (read all of Romans 10)
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