Today we continue our new series entitled, “Faith and Patience Volume IV — The Wonder Twins”. I am still laying the foundation for the series. Today we will talk about faith.
So what does this mean for you today? Lots of things. Let’s get into them.
1. You cannot please God without faith.
(Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
When Jesus comes back, the Bible says that He will be looking for faith in the earth (Luke 18:8). I can tell you that He is looking for it now. Everything God does for us, He does by grace — unearned, unmerited, undeserved. However, everything we do for God, we are supposed to do by faith — believing and receiving what He has already provided. Faith is how we live a life that is pleasing in God’s sight. Without faith, the text says that it is literally impossible to please God. So the logical question is: do you have faith? When God looks at you in this season, are you full of faith or full of doubt? Are you operating in faith or in unbelief? Are you meditating on His Word or are you glued to the television, feeding your heart with messages about COVID-19? I can’t answer for you, but just know what God is looking for.
2. You were saved by God’s grace, but with your faith.
(Ephesians 2:8,9 NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
While God the Father has offered eternal life through His Son Jesus the Christ to all people, only those that call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13). God has provided salvation to everyone, everywhere. He did this by grace. Now those who want to receive the offer must do so by faith. Salvation is a gift. You cannot work for a gift. All you can do with a gift is receive it. You receive the gift of eternal life by faith. Without faith, without believing that Jesus died and rose for you, you cannot be saved. But if you receive God’s gift of eternal life by faith — without any sense-realm evidence to support what you are receiving — you will be Born-Again and saved from your sins forever!
3. You are called to LIVE by faith.
(Romans 1:17 NKJV)
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
(Galatians 3:11 NKJV)
But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
(Hebrews 10:38 NKJV)
Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.”
(Habakkuk 2:4 NKJV)
Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.
(Galatians 2:20 NKJV)
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
The first three scriptures make it clear that we, as the just, are supposed to LIVE BY FAITH. Habakkuk makes it even more clear and tells us that the just shall live by HIS FAITH; meaning that I cannot live by your faith, nor can you live by mine. God has dealt to every man THE measure of faith (Romans 12:3), and we are supposed to live by the faith God has provided. Lastly, Galatians 2:20 tells us that we actually live by the faith of the Son of God. We get to live by the same faith Jesus lived by. What was made available to Him, as a human, is made available to us, as human conduits of the divine. We are the just and we are called and commanded to LIVE BY FAITH!
4. You are called to WALK by faith.
(2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV)
For we walk by faith, not by sight.
We walk by faith and not by our senses. I will explain.
You use your human body and its senses to relate to this natural world. However, God’s realm is not natural to this world. In this world, God’s realm is considered supernatural, because it is spiritual. Our natural body cannot contact God’s realm, but our spirit can. God gave us His Spirit so He could relate to us Spirit-to-spirit. Our spirit is able to contact God’s realm (through the Holy Spirit) and our natural body is able to contact this realm (through our sense). This gives Born-Again believers the ability to operate in both realms. Every day, you actually get to choose which realm to base your decisions on.
When something can be validated with our natural senses, we say, “That makes sense”. However, God is a Spirit. He does not have a body. God does not have senses that are natural to this world. When God communicates with you He does so Spirit-to-spirit. What God says to you can be validated in His realm — by the confirmation of the Holy Spirit, through prophetic utterances, through dreams, visions and etc. — but it cannot be validated with your natural senses. That’s why what God says to you may not make sense. God is not sensual, He is Spiritual and when you are Born-Again, He expects you to live Spiritual as well.
A Born-Again believer has the Holy Spirit living inside of them, so they are able to relate to and communicate with God. This person also has a natural body, so they are able to relate to and communicate with this world. When Paul said, “We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7), what He was saying was, “We choose Spirit over the flesh. We choose to live our lives based on the input we receive from God’s realm (through the Holy Spirit), over the input we receive from this world (through our body).” This is actually how we WALK BY FAITH!
Today I have covered the fact that as Born-Again believers we are supposed to please God with our faith. We do this by getting saved by faith, walking by faith, and living by faith. On Monday we will continue and I will address fighting by faith, praying by faith, speaking the language of faith, and overcoming the world by faith.
Everything God does for us, He does by grace. Everything we do in response to GOd’s grace, we are supposed to do it by faith. I am still laying the foundation in this series. After we get our faith refresher, we will do the same with patience. I trust you are enjoying the series thus far.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I live a life that is pleasing to You and I do it through faith. I first came to You in faith for my salvation. I received the gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. You offered it by grace. I received it by faith. I now live by faith. Everything I do, I do by faith. I walk by faith and not by sight. Faith is about being sure and certain. I am both. I am sure and certain that You will do what You said you would do in my life. I am sure and certain, even without any sense-realm evidence to support what I believe. I am sure and certain, even when things happen that I did not expect to happen. Even in the middle of a global pandemic, I am not moved. I am sure and I am certain because I walk and live by faith! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
