Today we continue our series entitled, “Grace and Truth” by continuing to look at by continuing to look at The Law given under Moses vs. the Grace provided by Jesus. Our main scriptures are John 1:14 & 17. Let’s look at them again.
(John 1:14 New International Version)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John 1:17 New International Version)
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
In this series we studied Galatians 3, 4, and 5. We finally got to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We are going through all the fruit of the Spirit. We have been dealing with “faith that prevails” for a few days. We will continue today.
(Galatians 5:22,23 The Passion Translation)
But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions:
joy that overflows,
peace that subdues,
patience that endures,
kindness in action,
a life full of virtue,
faith that prevails,
gentleness of heart, and
strength of spirit.
Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.
Last week I introduced you to four levels of faith:
1. Faith in the works (what you see).
2. Faith in the Word (what you read).
3. Faith in a rhema Word (what you hear).
4. Faith in God (the person).
We have dealt with the first three. We will deal with #4 today.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. The Word of God will mean nothing to you if you do not have a relationship with the God of the Word. Not only must you have faith, but you must also know who you have placed your faith in. Your faith in a person is based on that person’s character and track record. If I promise something on a personal level or commit to delivering on a project at work, people will either have faith in me or a lack faith in me, based on what they consider about me. They will consider my character (whether or not my word can be valued and trusted), and my track record (whether or not I have a proven record of delivering on promises). Based on my character and track record, they will place a certain level of faith and trust in me.
If I say that I am going to deliver on something by close-of-business on Friday, then most people I know will believe me, because I don’t have a track record of being dishonest and I have a proven track record of delivering. However, I can promise to deliver and still not, because I am a man. Men (male and female) make mistakes. Things come up that are unforeseen to us that may keep us from fulfilling our word. However, God is NOT a man (Numbers 23:19). Nothing is unforeseen to Him. Nothing catches Him off guard. Nothing is a surprise to God. So if God said it, He will perform it. If He promised it, He will make it good. God has flawless character and a proven track record. He has NEVER failed you and He NEVER will. You are SAFE to have FAITH in God!
2. In Mark 11 Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” The context around the statement was that He had approached a fig tree the previous morning because He was hungry. However, the tree did not have any figs. Since Jesus was always led of the Father concerning what to say, He obviously heard the Father curse the tree in the Spirit. So by faith, Jesus said what He heard. He spoke 9 words. He said, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” The disciples heard what Jesus said. Jesus cursed the tree out loud, but nothing happened to the tree in that moment. Jesus was not moved by that. He said what He was led of the Holy Spirit to say and He had faith that it would come to pass. So He left.
The next morning Jesus and the disciples walked past the same tree. This time the tree was dried up from the roots. Peter was amazed. He said, “Master, look! The tree you cursed is dead!” Jesus simply said, “Have faith in God.” Jesus was basically saying, “You must have faith in the Father. If He leads you to say something, SAY IT! Out loud. Even at the risk of looking foolish. If He leads you to do something, DO IT! Even if it is in front of others. At the risk of looking foolish. And you cannot be moved by the fact that your present situation may not change in the moment. You must have so much faith in God that you are not moved by what you SEE. You are only moved by what God SAID!”
Jesus actually went on to say, “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says shall come to pass, he will have whatsoever he says.” When God leads you to say something, you must SAY IT, from a believing heart, with faith in God. Your faith is not in you or your ability to perform. Jesus did not do anything to that tree to cause it to die, other than speaking words of faith from a believing heart. He said what the Father led Him to say, through the Holy Spirit, and He walked away like it was already done. This is how we are supposed to live.
3. You may not realize it, but you are speaking words you believe all the time. Faith and fear work the same way. Faith is an expression of your confidence in God and what He is saying to you. Fear is an expression of your confidence in satan and what he is saying to you. When you speak words from a believing heart — words that either line up with what the Holy Spirit is saying to you, or words that line up with what satan is saying — you are openly expressing your confidence that those words will come to pass. In the end, you will have (good or bad) what you say! So never let a negative word come out of your mouth, especially when you are speaking it from a believing heart.
I will give you a quick example as we close. Let’s say you are working on a proposal where your business is competing with other businesses. The Holy Spirit tells you that God has favored you to win this project. You get excited and you start working on the proposal. But as you do, you realize that there are many other companies, who are also competing, that are FAR MORE qualified than your company. The enemy tells you that you are wasting your time. He tells you NOT to submit the proposal and that if you do, you are going to LOSE. But the Holy Spirit keeps telling you that God has favored you to win this project. Now, whose report are you going to believe? To live by faith you have to believe what the Holy Spirit is saying and your confidence must be in God. If you have faith in God, it will come out in your normal conversation, as you are talking to people about it. But if you don’t have confidence in God, and you have shifted over to confidence in what satan has been telling you, then those words will come out of your mouth in your normal conversation. And guess what? You are going to have whatever you SAY! This is the life of faith.
Tomorrow I will talk about focusing your faith in God.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I stand on Your promises with unwavering faith, because my faith is rooted and grounded in You. You cannot lie. If you said it, You will perform it. If you promised it, You shall make it good in my life! My confidence is IN YOU and NOT IN ME! I live by every Word You speak to me and I am not moved by what I see in this world. I am only moved by what you say. In turn, I SAY what You lead me to SAY, out loud, from a believing heart, even at the risk of looking foolish, because I have faith in God! I am led of You to speak and I shall have whatsoever I SAY! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
