Hebrews 11:1
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (NKJV)
Hope is special
Some hope is sometimes ‘day dreaming’ or a ‘wish’ e.g.
Hoping you can sleep-in every school day.
Some people hope they can just stumble onto a million dollars on the ground.
Some students hope they can just score high grades without studying.
Hope is good and it’s great. Indeed, God wants us to have hope. The bible talks about ‘a living hope’. A hope that is alive, a hope that is holding on, a hope that is stubborn, a hope that is not giving up, a hope that is unbreakable, the list continues.
Hope is a starting point. A starting point and not everything! God wants us to go a step further.
How?
It is possible to have hope because we serve God, because we love God, because you just know something is going to happen. We’re going to get that job, we’re going to have that wife or we are going to pass that exam, we are going to make huge disciples, etc.
For instance you see your friend’s house and you love it and decide to build a similar one. You hope to build something like it. So off you went and bought a piece of land. But instead of getting some builder or architects you come to the plot of land and you just hope that the house will just appear on the plot of land. So you keep coming there and hoping and hoping that the house will appear.
No, way!
The only way that hope could be effective is if you bring substance to it.
You need to bring substance to that hope. You need to get an architect to draw a plan for you. That is substance! You need to go to a builder so they can bring materials to the plot of land. That is substance! When you add substance to the land the house begin to emerge. Your hope becomes a reality!
The hope in this scripture is connected to something, that is, the substance and this substance is faith! This is bible faith!
The scripture says faith is the substance of things hoped for! I hope for this, good! I need faith to bring it about. Otherwise, it becomes an illusion or something in the air.
This is bible faith- We read in Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing the message and the message is heard from the word of Christ.
That means the substance to put to your hope is the word of God. For instance, you are believing God for your healing. That is a great hope! God wants us to hope. God needs that hope to operate upon.
But the hope amounts to nothing if it doesn’t have the faith which is the substance to that hope.
How do you get this faith which is the substance to that hope? through the word of God!
So you go to the scriptures and you study the word that says for example, by his stripes you are healed. He himself took upon himself all your infirmities and by his stripes you are healed. You begin to take all these scriptures. As you begin to do this you are adding all those substance to that hope and before you know it the house is coming up, amen! Your health is springing forth; your hope is coming to realization!
This is not a blind faith here! Hope is great but you need substance to add to this. So that is why the scripture says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Our faith is the substance of our hope! And our faith can only be accomplished, not from what man says, not from circumstances that surround you, not from the situations that surround you but from the word of God! Simple!
Go into the word of God about those issue friends!
Go into the substance! Add it to your hope! Don’t give up! Don’t lose faith.
Day after day, add substance. Before you know it faith arises. Amen!
That is also pleasing to God. (Heb 11:6)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Here and there-Living a victorious life
1.** Abandoning the word of God- Abandoning our faith-is like abandoning the construction of the house mid way! When we encounter problems and challenges, it is not the time to abandon the substance which is our faith- the word of God.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said trials; cares, worries of the world can choke the word of God in us so that we stop trusting God. How true!
If care is not taken we lose focus on God and his word when going through trying situations.
The word of God is the substance of what we hope for so we can not abandon it, we cannot abandon the promises of the Lord unto us. We cannot lose hope.
So we need to hang in there. We need to hold on to God’s promises. We need to fight the fight of faith.
Abraham ‘hoped against hope’. He was not dissuaded. He was fully persuaded that God is able to do what he said he’d do.
He had been told that he was going to be the father of nations though he was passed age.
Beware!!
What the enemy wants to see happen is that we lose trust in our God.
Last week, I heard my husband despairing, he said ‘Lord you said we’d leave inheritance for our children, so where is it now? ‘Sounds so much like Abraham telling God ‘where is the child you promised me o God?’
I found myself preaching my husband’s last sermon back to him while encouraging myself at the same time. Hehehe!
Looking at our circumstances or focusing on our trials will often make us lose the focus on God and what his word says to us i.e. what he has promised in his word.
The enemy seizes this occasion to choke the word in us and brings discouragement.
But this is the time to fight the fight of faith, this is the time to return to the word and thank God for his promises. - ‘Lord I thank you for your word. It will accomplish what you have said it’ll accomplish, the seed of the righteous will be mighty in the land. There’s a great inheritance for the seed of the righteous, etc,
This does not just apply to one area of life. It’s applicable as far as our ministry is concerned, our children, our health, our finances, our jobs, etc.
We need to 'fight' all odds so we can come to all God has ordained for us.
What's more, Jesus said not to bear our own burdens but to cast them all on him! We are not burden bearers, hello!
Hang on to your confession! Keep on thanking God: ‘Lord I give this to you. I’m not going to carry this. Take it over Lord!
He’s only always willing to come to our help if we trust him.
When Paul asked that the thorn in his body be removed he was told by God that his grace is sufficient for him. This answer is more positive than we have been made to realize. Here God has made his intention known to Paul- ‘I care about you Paul, trust me, I will not let you down- ‘look, my grace, ie. my favor, my mercy, my kindness is with you’ just trust me! Awesome!
So we have this grace that has been made available to us! Not just for our salvation. His favor, his mercy, his kindness is always available to us! We need to keep on holding on and trusting in God and his promises.
Trials/temptations/discouragements are instruments that the enemy uses to move us, to remove our focus, to discourage us from trusting in the faithfulness of our God. They are the devil’s ‘modus operandis’ to move us from trusting what God has said concerning our children, ministry, job, finances, health us, etc
Be not moved; hang onto the promises of God. We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Keep on loving God and loving people. Keep on loving life!
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said trials; cares, worries of the world can choke the word of God in us so that we stop trusting God. How true!
If care is not taken we lose focus on God and his word when going through trying situations.
The word of God is the substance of what we hope for so we can not abandon it, we cannot abandon the promises of the Lord unto us. We cannot lose hope.
So we need to hang in there. We need to hold on to God’s promises. We need to fight the fight of faith.
Abraham ‘hoped against hope’. He was not dissuaded. He was fully persuaded that God is able to do what he said he’d do.
He had been told that he was going to be the father of nations though he was passed age.
Beware!!
What the enemy wants to see happen is that we lose trust in our God.
Last week, I heard my husband despairing, he said ‘Lord you said we’d leave inheritance for our children, so where is it now? ‘Sounds so much like Abraham telling God ‘where is the child you promised me o God?’
I found myself preaching my husband’s last sermon back to him while encouraging myself at the same time. Hehehe!
Looking at our circumstances or focusing on our trials will often make us lose the focus on God and what his word says to us i.e. what he has promised in his word.
The enemy seizes this occasion to choke the word in us and brings discouragement.
But this is the time to fight the fight of faith, this is the time to return to the word and thank God for his promises. - ‘Lord I thank you for your word. It will accomplish what you have said it’ll accomplish, the seed of the righteous will be mighty in the land. There’s a great inheritance for the seed of the righteous, etc,
This does not just apply to one area of life. It’s applicable as far as our ministry is concerned, our children, our health, our finances, our jobs, etc.
We need to 'fight' all odds so we can come to all God has ordained for us.
What's more, Jesus said not to bear our own burdens but to cast them all on him! We are not burden bearers, hello!
Hang on to your confession! Keep on thanking God: ‘Lord I give this to you. I’m not going to carry this. Take it over Lord!
He’s only always willing to come to our help if we trust him.
When Paul asked that the thorn in his body be removed he was told by God that his grace is sufficient for him. This answer is more positive than we have been made to realize. Here God has made his intention known to Paul- ‘I care about you Paul, trust me, I will not let you down- ‘look, my grace, ie. my favor, my mercy, my kindness is with you’ just trust me! Awesome!
So we have this grace that has been made available to us! Not just for our salvation. His favor, his mercy, his kindness is always available to us! We need to keep on holding on and trusting in God and his promises.
Trials/temptations/discouragements are instruments that the enemy uses to move us, to remove our focus, to discourage us from trusting in the faithfulness of our God. They are the devil’s ‘modus operandis’ to move us from trusting what God has said concerning our children, ministry, job, finances, health us, etc
Be not moved; hang onto the promises of God. We are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Keep on loving God and loving people. Keep on loving life!
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