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).
Yesterday I introduced you to #4. We will flow in the same vein today.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Yesterday we covered the fact that Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22). Another translation says, “Have the God kind of faith.” The God kind of faith is faith that receives, believes and declares what the Holy Spirit is saying to you, in your heart, even when it does not match what you see with your natural eyes. And you speak what you HEAR while not being moved by what you SEE. That is what Jesus did with the fig tree. We serve a God who calls those things which be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). Our God calls the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). He speaks to our “TO BE” stage from our “RIGHT NOW” stage. To walk and live by faith we must do the same thing. We must be willing to SAY what God SAID, even when we do not SEE what God SAID, and then keeping SAYING what God SAID until the earth catches up with heaven’s reality. That’s what happened in Mark 11 and that is what will happen in your life as you live by faith in what the Holy Spirit is revealing to you. Your faith is not in you, or your ability to perform. Your faith is solely in God!
2. Paul said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim 1:12). When you get to the point where your faith is in the person of God Himself, you will not be moved, because God will never be moved. God must be the object of your faith. Beyond faith in what you saw, or faith in what you read, or faith in what you heard, this is faith in God Himself. This type of faith is built on a level of trust that cannot be shaken. This is not faith in man, because man will let you down. This is not faith in yourself, because you have failed yourself more times than you want to remember. This is not faith in your ability to remain in faith, because you know there have been times when you have given up on what you were believing God for. This is an overarching faith in the person of God and in His unyielding commitment to you and the plans He made for you before the world began.
When you are living with this type of faith, and you know that God is both the author and the finisher of the work He started in your life — fully committed to you despite your faults, flaws, and failures — you are able to live your life with fearless confidence. Things may not always work out the way you wanted. You may not always get what you expected. You may have to overcome more challenges than you are comfortable with. But at the end of the day, you are not moved, because you have faith in God and you know He is fully committed to helping you maximize the purpose and potential He placed in you before He formed you in your mother’s womb. When you live this way, you will be able to live like Jesus and fear, doubt and unbelief will have no power over you. So my message to you is simple: HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
3. Paul said, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” (2 Tim 1:12). Paul’s faith was not in man. Paul’s faith was not in Paul. Paul’s faith was in God. Paul said, “I know whom I have believed…” He was saying, “I know God. God is not some disconnected or despondent heavenly being. God is my Father. I know Him and I believe in Him! I know He will never let me down!” This is the point we must all get to.
Paul was saying, “There are some things God has spoken to me about that are beyond me. I cannot do these things unless God steps in. They are beyond human. They exceed my ability. So I believe these things will happen, because God will make them happen. I have committed these things to God and I KNOW they shall come to pass!” On a personal level, this is where I am at today. There are some things I am believing God for, that I am only believing because God promised them. He told me what He was going to do. I cannot make these things happen. If God does not do them, they won’t get done. But I believe God. My confidence is IN HIM! I know whom I have believed. I have a relationship with my heavenly Father. I have committed these things to Him and I know they shall come to pass in the fullness of His timing. This is faith IN GOD! This is how we are supposed to live!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I stand on Your promises with unwavering faith, because my faith is rooted and grounded in You. My faith is not in man. My faith is not in myself. My faith is not even in my ability to remain in faith. My faith is in You! I know You are committed to me and to the purpose You placed IN me before the foundations of the world. You are sometimes more committed than I am. Even when I am faithless, You remain faithful to me, because of Your undeserved grace. So my trust, faith and confidence is IN YOU! I live my life with fearless confidence, and I am not moved by what I see, because I know whom I believe and I know You will never leave me, forsake me, or give up on me! In the fullness of time every Word You have spoken over me shall come to pass! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
