Hey Tabby, I like to continue our conversation on the subject of FAITH. I thought it'll be better if I write down my thoughts ... really, there's so much to talk about this topic of faith but I'll just restrict it to 3 practical pointers.
1) What is Faith?
Using the great faith chapter to start off....
Hebrew 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
HOPE & FAITH. When you want something, you have to hope first, but hope cant take the place of Faith. You hope when you dont hv something but hope does not have substance. Faith has substance.. If I reach into my bag and pull out my hp, I know I hv my hp coz I can feel it & touch it coz there is substance. So faith gives substance to the things hoped for. Faith cannot take the place of hope. So Faith says I have it now even though I cant see it. Faith has absolutely nothing to do with how you feel or the circumstances around you. Emotions and circumstances change all the time so they are unreliable.
Faith is different from positive thinking. Positive thinking is very limited, more of a temporary fix although it can help you. Faith is something that God gives you a measure of, that you can keep developing it as you live your life. Faith, therefore, has more permanence. Moreover, faith can exist even in dire circumstances whereas positive thinking may tend to deny them!
So how do we tell the difference? Simple. The one who uses the Word to keep his faith strong is the one who does not rely on positive thinking.
2) How To Get Faith
You can only get faith from hearing the Word of God.
Romans 10:17 " Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." The Word of God is called the Word of Faith. God gives faith, the Word is the instrument. 3 years back, I witnessed an old lady, who was wheelchair-bound for 7 years, stood up and walked when Ps Khong called out to her. Now how did she get faith for healing? She heard the msg on faith by Ps Khong. He not only preached the salvation msg but he also preached that Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.
3) How to Turn Your Faith Loose
Romans 10:8-10 gives you the answer.
"The Word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming. That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
For faith to work for you, you got to release it by believing in your heart and confessing it with your mouth. When God talks about the heart, He is talking about the spirit of man. Believe on the inside of you and not speak out of your head (intellectual faith).
You can confess and proclaim that Jesus is raised from the dead but if your heart does not believe, it will do nothing for you. Faith has to be both places in your heart and in your mouth (verbal). That's the confession that saves. You dont have to shout, you can murmur it under your breath.
Faith begins when the will of God is known :
- I can have faith in someone's salvation because God wants to save people from satan's clutches. John 3:16 says.. For God so loved the world that he gave his one & only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- I can have faith in someone's healing because God says in Matt 8:17 that He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.
- I can have faith in driving out demons because God gave us the authority in Luke 10:19 "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you."
- I can have faith in relationships .. instructions on marriage is found in 1Corin 7, building bond with people whether it's platonic or love relationships, is found in 1John etc.
For everything that happens in your life, you believe by faith there is a purpose - either to mould your character, teach you dependence on God, show you God's faithfulness & love or giving you life experiences to prepare you for the next phase of life. I know you are grateful for the experience in Canada and the travels that you can make. Sure, there are times when you feel down but when you grumble often, you are not taking the faith step to believe that all things work together for good, and confessing it. Hebrews 11:6 says "Without faith, it is impossible to please God."
God is also in the business of preserving love relationships. He keeps couples together if they put their trust in Him, that is, only if both believe in God. You cannot have faith to pray for a relationship if one is either an agnostic or an atheist and the other a Christian. It's not that God doesnt love the agnostic/atheist, He cannot speak to & bless that person, there4, God cannot bless the relationship itself. There is no unity with the Spirit of God. 1 Corin 2:14 "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of GOd for they are foolishness to him & he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
Last week, Ps Dyshan from India told us he was in a 3-yr relationship with a Christian Caucasian lady during his studies in America. He always wanted to marry a 'white' but deep in his heart, he was not certain. However, he knows for sure, God wants him to serve in Sri Lanka.. would a caucausian woman want to settle in Sri Lanka? He finally broke off with her coz he had no peace. The minute he came back to S Lanka, he knew he wld marry a Sri Lankan lady. He met her & just after 2 mtgs, he told her he would marry her...she thought so too & she said yes! Trapped! Haha.
In 6 mths, they were married! You see.. faith begins when the will of God is known. Both are committed christians & both wanted to stay in S Lanka to serve God. Both had a heart to minister to the people in S Lanka & that was God's heartbeat as well. Of course, I wont suggest taking such drastic step to marry within a year, he even said so himself. THis is rare but they had God's approval. Same bed, same dreams! God kept them together & increase their love 4 each other even though they had lots of arguments. This is because they had no chance of really getting to know each other well during courtship. Besides Ps Dyshan said that they could not go on dates without someone coming up to them & intruding in their privacy. Even the waiters and people on the street know him.
Remember, faith is a lifestyle. Matt 9:29 says : "Because of your faith, it will happen." You must want to build your mustard seed faith to a mountain moving faith. Mustard seed faith is simple but when it's mountain moving faith, it's no longer about yourself & your ability. It's all about God, His power & His glory. Mountain moving faith is not wishful thinking, it's about walking in His power & that in itself is a great testimony of what a fantastic God we serve.
Because of Him,
Mum