Thursday, October 28, 2010

Turning Hope into Faith 2

Wow.... I'm updating my blog less than a few months since the last one. That's because I really love talking about Faith and when I get comments it actually really motivates me to write more.



From my last post we find out the importance of the Word of God in reference to our Faith building. We can see by the scriptures that Faith is directly connected to the WORD of God. The word of God can come in many different ways. We can Read the word or we can Hear the word. What is the WORD? Is the word simply the red and black letters typed upon the pages of your Bible? Is the Word something that you speak by inspiration? What defines the Word of God?



Let's check the scriptures:



John 1:1 In the Beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was GOD.

v.14 And the WORD was made flesh and dwelt among us...



We understand those scriptures as being the interpretation of what the WORD actually is. The Word is not a thing but rather the Word is someone. Jesus is the very incarnation of the word. He embodies the very creative Word. In fact in one instance Jesus said:



John 6:51 I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven,...



Bread has always been a type of the Word of God. Thus Jesus is letting us know that he himself is the very manifestation of the WORD or the Logos. Jesus is the very bread, word, substance of existence.



How does this tie into Faith? Easy! Jesus is the Word. We receive Faith through the Word. If we want more Faith we have to have more Jesus. Jesus is the source from which we gather Faith. Faith is the nectar that we can extrapolate from a true relationship with JESUS. This is also the reason that Paul wrote in my absolute favorite scripture:



Corinthians 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.







To be continued...



p.s. It's getting good.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Turning Hope into Faith

Well... it has definitely been a long time since Ive graced this blog with my presence. I suppose to say that Ive been busy would be true but much to great of a common excuse. So instead, I will say that I have been preoccupied with other "things."

Ive been thinking a lot on the subject of Faith lately and the importance of having active Faith in our lives as Christians. It is very important to understand that our entire walk with God and confidence in the work on Calvary is rooted in this thing we call Faith. But what is Faith? Is Faith simply the mental state of thinking in abstract terms? Is it the ability to travel into the unknown through concentration? Or is Faith much simpler than that?

We all realize the importance of Faith through the scriptures.

Heb 11:6 But without Faith it is impossible to please him...

Faith is what empowers us to believe in things that we are not able to see, smell, touch, hear or taste. However, the only way to receive the Faith to believe in the impossible is through the hearing of Gods word.

Rom 10:17 So then, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing, by the word of God.

It is the word of God that gives us the confidence that "all things are possible." There are a lot of things we Hope for. We hope to have a healthy life. We hope to have a safe drive to work. We hope to graduate. These are the carnal desires of man. They aren't wrong but they are things that we truly desire but because of uncertainty we hope for these things. The problem is that we bring that same mentality into the church.

Because we do not feel as though we have the power to accomplish certain tasks we make statements such as. I hope they get healed. I hope they get saved. I hope they make it. I hope.... etc.

Heb 12:1 Now Faith is the substance of things Hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is what turns our hope into the finished product. Hope is the blueprint, but Faith is the lumber. Hope is the porch, but Faith is the door that lets us in. We need to claim the promises of God through Faith. How do you get Faith? By hearing the WORD of God. God said:

Mark 16:18 ...Lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power.
John 5:20 ...greater than these works shall he do.

If you want God to start doing some amazing things in your life. You must move from 'I hope' to 'I believe'. The word of God IS our Faith and substance.

To be continued...