Greater Works

With the holiday season upon us which not only includes Christmas but also the closing of a year and the beginning of a new year, let us prepare ourselves now with high expectations of God manifesting His Kingdom, Power and Glory like never before. Let us remember that Jesus gave humanity a complete and eternal redemption which provides us with life and that more abundantly, now. Let us
"lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2) Let us move beyond churchianity into true Christianity by letting the Holy Spirit loose, bringing us to the place where the supernatural power of God is released through us in the Name of Jesus. (Mark 16:17-18) Let us exercise more faith in God and His wonderful Word and works than we every have. Of course we will have a fight on our hands. But not a fight against Satan, for he is a defeated foe.

The greatest battle that any child of God will ever fight is the battle of faith. The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul reveals this very thing, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12) We often wonder why it is so hard for so many believers to truly believe God. There are several reasons. Some of these are; we are surrounded in an environment of an antagonistic world that is presided over by the enemy of all righteousness, Satan; we live in his unreal world; we are surrounded by the currents of unbelief so subtle that most seem unable to realize them, and rise above them. 

To believe in God for most anything seems to be a continual struggle against the selfish, greedy, materialistic currents that buffet us. To believe in Christ for victory over sin is a battle during every hour of consciousness, with the spiritual hosts of darkness seemly and relentlessly opposing all that is good and righteous. To believe in God for healing the physical body when one is ill is to put up a battle against the centuries of trusting in medicine. So it is not at a1l strange that so many break down in their faith life. For those who press through these things we must caution ourselves to not be harsh or critical against our brothers or sisters in Christ who fail when scripture tells us, "Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1-2) So, let's take a moment and look at what the Bible reveals concerning faith.

To begin with faith is a noun whereas believe is a verb. Believing, being a verb, is an action word. To believe in a Biblical sense means "to take," or "to grasp." To believe Jesus means to take Jesus for all that the Scriptures declare Him to be. To clarify this, to believe on Christ as a Savior, is to take Him as the One who saves, delivers, redeems, sustains or preserves; the One who has opened the way to everlasting salvation, eternal life. It means to take Him and recognize Him as your healer, provider, protector, basically, our all in all. In other words, believing is an act of the will. When I believe, I have acted, having acted, I have reached what is called faith. Faith is a noun. I take a step. Having taken the step, I have arrived, therefore arriving in this sense is faith. 

To believe then, is to act on the Word of God. So then, faith is action, that is, not believing only but acting on God's Word. The Apostle James says it this way,  "...I will show you my faith by my works (corresponding actions)" (James 2:18) Doubt or unbelief is refusing to act on God's Word. This brings us to the next point. There are two kinds of unbelief: first, a refusing to act on the knowledge of the Word that we have. This can be called unpersuadableness. It is refusing to act on what we know to be true in the light of knowledge. The other kind of unbelief arises when one does not know, therefore he/she cannot act. In other words, if we do not understand or know something to be true, we are afraid to act or we do not know how to act. The cure for this is knowledge; the cure for the other is
obedience.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) For many, although this verse is describing or defining faith it seems to be somewhat obscure. So, to break this down to more understandable terms, it can be said; Faith is the title deed for things you have hoped for, the putting to proof of things unseen, that is, faith is the title deed to the property you know you possess, even though you have not yet seen it. Think about it from this perspective. You are given the deed to a property. You have never seen the property, however, the deed is the legal document and the only proof required, that guarantees and proves your ownership. In the same way, we apply faith in God's Word (the deed) which God Himself guarantees that what He says is true and that He is able and willing to perform. In other words, faith is expecting God to do what you know He has said in His Word that He will do, or, faith is believing that God speaks the truth, period, therefore, no matter what the circumstances may be, I am convinced that God is willing and able to do what He says.

When it comes to acting on God's Word, that is, releasing faith, always remember, God has never asked that we exercise faith for something that He has not first promised or that He will not do for us. In other words, first, He gives us a promise. Then as our faith grows it produces actions, then He fulfills His promise. The Apostle Paul tells us, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9) Although Jesus paid the price for sin, a person must act in faith, confess and believe, before God fulfills His promise, "you will be saved." This same principle applies across the board. Faith is believing and acting on God's Word. So, always remember, God never asks us to believe He will do something for us unless He has promised to do it first. We also need to remember, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) 

Solomon tells us, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:20-22) Let us do what we see in this Proverb concerning God's Word. In the natural, when a farmer puts seed into the ground, he does not dig it up to see how it is doing. He believes that the ground and seed have begun their work. Similarly, we are to, "Keep them (God's Word) in the midst of your heart" and believe that it is doing its work. So, let us have the same faith in the imperishable seed, God's Word. The Apostle Peter tells us, "having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." (1 Peter 1:23) 

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus tells us the seed that is sown is the Word of God. (Mark 4:14) He also tells us in the Parable of the Growing Seed, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how." (Mark 4:26-27) Therefore, after you plant seed, (God's Word) believe it is growing even before you see any results. As we see above, we may not understand how the Word grows (our faith), we simply believe. This again is faith, which is the evidence of things not seen. Any person can get rid of their doubts by looking steadfastly at the evidence which God has given for our faith, His Word. "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) It is God's Word that produces and increases faith. So, do not doubt your faith, but simply doubt your doubts, for they are unreliable.

As we approach 2018, let us commit to doing the following three things on a daily bases. First, saturate ourselves with and in the Word of God. Let it prevail over fear, doubt and unbelief like never before. Simply put, let's believe and act on God's Word. Second, let our confession be the Word of God. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23) Remember, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Thirdly, spend time conversing (praying) with the Father in the Name of Jesus. Not only offering up our petitions and requests, but also given thanks in all thing, keeping in mind, that to converse is to have a conversation, a two way conversation with the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit. "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3)  

Finally, let us not make vain New Years resolutions, where according to statistics, approximately 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February. Instead let us truly commit ourselves to the Lord, His Word and His way's, in doing so, the church will once again takes its place in every society turning the world upside down, glorifying the Father and magnifying the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) My prayer for us all for 2018 was spoken by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle John, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." (3 John 2)