Faith: Belief that does not
rest on logical proof or material evidence.
(Definition taken
from the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language)
Compiled by Brother L. Harrell
Hebrews 11:1 lets us know:
Faith is hope
supported without
yielding (substance). Faith is what is hoped for, vouched for
(evidence given).
No
testimony of faith = no
results. Testimony can be verbal or through actions. But,
there better be a testimony / open acknowledgement.
Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is
going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.
It is nothing
to say you love and trust Jesus without showing (proving) you
love and trust Him. Words of faith without actions to back them
equates to idle talk. (If no works, then this is your faith:
yackety-yak, blah-blah-blah).
James
2:18-20a (Weymouth New Testament) Nay, some one will say, "You
have faith, I have actions: prove to me your faith apart from
corresponding actions and I will prove mine to you by my
actions. You believe that God is one, and you are
quite right: evil spirits also believe this, and
shudder." But, idle boaster, are you willing to be
taught how it is that faith apart from obedience is worthless?
As evidenced even by the evil
spirits, we can shake and shudder, we can weep, we can talk and pray
real loud,
we can even get ourselves nailed to a cross, but when it comes down to
it,
all that is nothing (worthless) if we do not reverence the Lord and
obey him (exhibit works of obedience). (Concerning works, see
also Jonah 3:9-10)
The inhabitants of Jericho feared the power of God (as even evil
spirits do), yet
remained non-believers. If they believed, they would have
repented and surrendered.
Joshua
2:10-11 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the
Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the
two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon
and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt,
neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you:
for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Hebrews
11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed
not, when she had received the spies with peace.
Faithlessness:
There are
many evil reports about how mountain-moving faith is futile in this
date of age. It has been falsely stated that the Lord’s spiritual
gifts to the church are not for today, therefore out of date
(obsolete). Some have implied or outright stated that modern
technology has replaced need for book-of-Acts type miracles.
Referring to Ephesians 4:11-14, some falsely believe we are already in
the “unity of the faith, not being children, tossed to and fro”.
The error in belief of fulfillment of these scriptures is
self-evident. It
is obvious the church still has need for pastors, teachers, et
al. Someone said there were no more apostles: What was
Barnabas [and Paul] in Acts 14:14? Someone said there were no
more prophets: What were Judas and Silas in Acts 15:32?
What was Agabus in Acts 21:10? The gifts, appointed offices and
divine order are for today (the truth of this need is a "no-brainier").
One would
erroneously say, “this particular person” believed the Lord and was
forsaken, and “that particular person” lived and died from a life of
torment because they relied on the Lord. Therefore, one would
ignorantly conclude that true mountain-moving faith “is for the birds”.
There are
various reasons why what a person claims they are believing God for
does not to pass. When King Saul was rejected by God from being
King over Israel, Samuel told him (scripture listed below):
1
Samuel 15:29 (NLT) And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor
will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his
mind!"
What the Lord
has said, He has said. (Also See Numbers 23:19). He has told us
in the scriptures what “He will do for us” and “what He will not do for
us”. When we trust God (have faith), there are “Do's and
Don'ts” according to what
the Lord has spoken that we must pay heed to.
After King
Saul was notified that he was rejected from being King, Samuel was
instructed by the Lord to anoint the king He had chosen. Samuel
while seeking for the Lord’s chosen king misjudged who was to be king
due to the person’s outward appearance. (See 1 Samuel 16:6-7)
1
Samuel 16:6-7 (NLT) When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab
and thought, "Surely this is the LORD's anointed!" But the LORD said to
Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected
him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by
outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and
intentions."
In like
manner, instead of focusing on what the Lord has said concerning His
will for our lives, we erroneously (and carnally) focus on the
successes
and failures of people who we judge as spiritual and full of faith by
the outward appearance. (A person whom we have our eyes on may
have faith, but that does not mean they are operating spiritually at
all times and for all things. They may misunderstand the Word of
God on certain issues but not all issues we [and they themselves]
assume they understand). God may be telling us we have lost
focus,
but our natural mind may be determined to focus on someone else’s
biblically uncorroborated theories, actions and gifts rather than the
Word of
God.
Even a person
who is mightily anointed and greatly used by the Lord, even if they are
manifesting the power the first Apostles manifested, they can still
error greatly in matters of faith. Reflect on Elijah's actions
after calling on the Lord, which the Lord sent fire that burnt the
bull, wood, stones, dust, and the water (see 1 Kings 18:38), also after
Elijah had
the prophets of Baal killed (1 Kings 18:40), also after prophesying to
Ahab
of a mighty rainstorm after years of drought (1 Kings 18:1 & 41),
and also after having special strength to out run Ahab's chariot (1
Kings 18:45), and
then Elijah faithlessly fled for his life from Jezebel (See 1 Kings
19:2-3). One can operate in faith, then turn around and be
faithless.
Some have
given up on faith (even though they would go to their grave not
verbally admitting it). But, we need not give up on believing the
Lord, rather we need to find out why God has delayed or even ignored
our request.
Some can not receive manifestation of what they are
believing God for due to pride. If God instructed a person to
humble themselves and let a specific child pray for (with) them before
a certain blessing is manifested, too often that proud person would
rather
die in lack than live in abundance after having submitted themselves to
the Lord’s will. As previously stated in 1 Samuel 16:7, God knows
our hearts and likely will put us to the test and prove if we are
operating in love before blessing us with what we desire.
Others boldly
try to walk in faith while living a life of stubbornness, rebellion and
disobedience. King Saul was guilty of envy, strife, murder (1
Samuel 22:18), attempted murder, and lastly seeking a person with
familiar spirits (1 Samuel 28:7-8). Yet, King Saul attempted to
rely on the Lord’s advice (1 Samuel 28:5-6). The Lord addresses
this mindset in Proverbs 1:23-33:
Proverbs
1:23-33 (NLT) Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the
spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise. I called you so
often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no
attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the
correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I
will mock you when disaster overtakes you-- when calamity overcomes you
like a storm, when you are engulfed by trouble, and when anguish and
distress overwhelm you. I will not answer when they cry for help.
Even though they anxiously search for me, they will not find
me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the
LORD. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I
corrected them. That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of
living their own way. They must experience the full terror of the path
they have chosen. For they are simpletons who turn away from
me--to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy
them. But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid
of harm."
When one is
appointed to wrath or only partial deliverance (so that the Lord’s will
be done), we assume that is the Lord’s desire for everyone to follow
that path (See 2 Samuel 12:7-14: King David was appointed wrath for
killing Uriah). We should not blindly follow
others without verifying their steps by the Word. If we are
sensitive
to His Spirit, the Lord will lead us to the truth. I can't be
free while following a path of wrath and/or torment someone else
ignorantly
or disobediently has taken.
Some say they
know the Lord told “this particular person” to go to a doctor to get a
certain operation or treatment. And while that may be true, it is
not the whole story. God also told Israel to go into captivity of
Babylon (due to sin). That does not mean when a “certain thing”
happens, we should pack our bags and head to our equivalent of Babylon
(or another form of captivity). God is faithful to answer our
requests, but we can’t walk in any and every form of rebellion, such as
assembling with whoever we
consider righteous or who we desire to
walk with, then expect to see God’s glory manifested on our behalf.
revised: 09/01/04
http://seventhdayapostolic.org/ChooseLORD/