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How to Increase Faith part 5

Updated: July 31, 2017

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace”

Those who are saved by the grace that is in Jesus Christ, once we know that we can enter into the presence of God at any time, we must first put aside our human emotions. This sounds so contrary to the ideas of this day! We are led by our emotions! We do and act as we feel and express them without regard for others, unless we discover that we can potentially harm others, and then we are encourage to suppress such feelings! Let us put aside how we feel for a moment.

For we know that God is the same today, yesterday, and for all time. Hebrews 13:8

How we feel about God from time to time does not change His love or His grace or His mercy towards us. Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrew 13:5

Whether we feel like He is there, or He is far from us, we know that He is near because our faith has brought us to a real relationship in Him. John 10:27-28

While we can approach our Father at any time and I would say that even a gracious Father would hear an angry child bursting in upon Him, it is important to approach Him with respect. Not because He demands it, but because He is worthy of such respect.

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and approach our God. Matthew 6:9-13

This is a template for every prayer we pray!

Even Jesus said, after this manner therefore pray. Matthew 6:9

We address the Father in heaven. Matthew 6:9

The unbelievers will pray to other gods or just allow their words to head out into the universe for some deity or being or force to hear.

You and I, we are believers in Jesus Christ, and we thusly know our Father in heaven. We address God this way to remind us to whom we are praying.

We then continue to acknowledge Him with with adoration and worship. Matthew 6:9

We then proclaim His kingdom to come, and His will to be done in earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10

How do we know His will? By one, first coming to know Him through Christ, second that by reading the word of God, the Bible, and third by listening to His voice through these first two revelations. We do not pray for our will, or our desires, we pray for the ultimate will of God to occur upon the earth as it is done in heaven. Micah 6:8, 1 John 1:9, 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:15-17, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:18

It is not until we have spent some time in acknowledging God’s divinity, worship, and praying for His will that we should ask for anything for ourselves. Not because we do not need, but because we have already received so much, i.e. Mercy, grace, redemption, love… Yet, we still need that connection between us and our Father, that daily bread. Matthew 6:11 Mathew 4:4, Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:2-3 In order to hear, we must spend some time listening. Our request is not for the things we think we need, but what we need from God and in His wisdom what we need. How do we know where to get this bread? How often do we speak to God, but do not allow Him to speak to us?

When we ask, we must ask in Jesus name. John 14:13-14

We must remind ourselves that we do not deserve what we have been given. That we have received mercy and grace in abundance and this is why we can approach our heavenly Father. If we continually ask and ask and ask from our heavenly Father, but never give a moment for the answer, are we truly listening?

We are to forgive others before our Father as we ask for forgiveness for ourselves. Matthew 6:12

Are you reluctant to forgive others? Why?

Do you believe that some sins are unforgivable that have been committed against you? Why?

How deep does the Father’s love go? Does it extend to these people?

Should we also forgive those who have sinned against us, even as we have been forgiven?

Do you think that unforgiveness between people is because they do not truly understand the love that God has for them?

Do you believe that problems within the church stem from people not having a depth of understanding of Christ’s love?

Do you believe that problems between friends are because they do not exhibit a knowledge of true love from Christ?

Do you believe that all problems are caused because of not having a true understanding of the depth and width of God’s love?

If we cast aside our human love and put on God’s love, and asked God to help us to see the world as He does, how do you think our view would change? How would it change your life? Is it scary to ask to see things from God’s point of view?

Lastly, we are to ask God to lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. When we ask God such things, we find that opportunities that seem good at the time will become scarce or not possible for us to participate, only to find out later that the opportunity was not what it seemed at the time. When we find ourselves in a pit, we are to ask for Him to deliver us, and He will. Matthew 6:13

Finally, we finish our prayers with more acknowledgement of God’s divine will, purpose and glory. We finish as we began, with worship, for our God is. Revelation 22:13

Let us spend time practicing this approach in our daily prayers and communication with God.

May it be with sincerity of heart and with full faith.

Until next time, may you grow in faith and peace.

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How To Increase Faith pt 4

by RAC

Updated: July 25, 2017

“Draw Near to God and He Will Draw Near to You”

The first thing we must do is learn to draw near to the source of our faith. We must have a healthy and realistic view of what it means to draw near to the author of our faith. We must renew our minds, and understand that God is love. That the one who gave us faith loves us incredibly. If we do not understand that the only way that we are able to seek the face of God is because of the gift of salvation, by grace through faith, we work within our soul towards nothing. The only reason we are able to have a relationship and converse with our heavenly Father is because of the eternal sacrifice that was made for us by Jesus Christ.

Without that gift, and the mercy of God, our fallen human nature will prevent us from what we truly desire and what God desires for us, to be in relationship with Him. This is no ordinary love, but agape love, in which God was ready to move heaven and earth, causing Himself pain and anguish to a degree that we cannot even begin to fathom. We have little glimpse of what the cross means for God. We know that on our side, we are able to enter into communication, but until we meet Him finally in our new flesh, we do not know the totality of what God has done for us. Romans 8:37-39

If we have studied, meditated on, and come to realize that God so loved us, John 3:16, then we take the first steps of believing. It is here that many are tentative to ask God for anything beyond the initial meeting of God.

Imagine for a moment that you have come across a magnificent mansion with impenetrable walls, and a glimmering roof. Everyone who is on the outside of the mansion is in the family of Lost and the placard on the wall says “The Family of Found.” There is but one door into this mansion, and guarding the door is a man. This man is wearing white robes and has scars upon his hands, feet and side. He will not allow anyone to enter unless they acknowledge that he is the lord of the mansion and that you must join His family. Assuming you have found this door and acknowledged the man at the door, your name has been changed from Lost to Found, you have entered. The man at the door has said, “Welcome to the family! Go and seek the Father of the mansion.” Instead of seeking the Father, you decide to roam about the mansion, exploring, and every once in a while, you see the Father, but you run to another room or let Him pass, in order to not bother Him.

How many of us, who believe and are accepted into this family, treat our relationship with God in a similar manner? We rarely approach Him for anything, and when we do, it is out of fear and trembling as to not upset the Father? We rarely seek Him for comfort, for grace, for mercy, for the ease of our sufferings, because we assume we deserve such things rather than to approach Him with abandon knowing that God will soothe our hearts, grant us grace in abundance and we find mercy beyond knowledge. Matthew 7:11

How beautiful it is when we learn to run to God! Often when we first run towards God it is in the midst of our turmoil, and in our faith of approaching Him, we discover that He is good and faithful! Psalm 145:18

There is release and peace when we seek Him. That which many seek with a soul mate or lover is easily fulfilled when in union with God. To be known utterly and completely, that every sense of your being of who you are and what you are is not only known but created by God. Like with a soul mate, it is impossible to be in such a relationship when you do not know the other! If we love from afar, it is nothing more than mere infatuation or like the love one has for a celebrity, or even unrequited love. With God, He gives so much of Himself, how selfish of us to just receive and not return love to God! Here, it is impossible in our state, having corruptible flesh, to return such love upon our heavenly Father, for we love imperfectly, but we must attempt to do so! Not only is God magnified when we begin to return His love, but His love is magnified upon us, to such a state that we are overwhelmed by His goodness and love!

But we must earnestly seek Him. We cannot idle-ly seek the face of the Father. Jeremiah 29:13 To stumble across God, speaks of a heart that is not truly interested in what the Father has to say, what comfort He has to give. Think of a young adult that has received their first driver’s license. The young adult or child, indeed would like to use their parent’s car to drive from one place to another, and may decide to do nice things for their parent. Their motive is to not spend time with their parent, but as a means to use their parent’s possessions, often with ill intent, or without understanding all the responsibility that is carried with owning a vehicle. The child is intent on the vehicle and not interested in the parent, if we are honest concerning motives.

If we think of the child who has pandered to his parents for receiving the keys of the vehicle, once those keys are placed in the hand of the child, they will not pay attention to the advice, nor the requests of the parents in conducting their behavior. The child has received what they wished, nothing else matters. They are seeking the gift, not the Father.

If the child were to be completely attentive to their parents and out of the love of the parents, they grant their child the keys to the car for the purpose to pick up their grandparent and take them shopping, the motive and intent are different. Or, perhaps they are never given the key for the car, but they are content, because the car was never their ultimate goal. They already reside within the family and the house. They already have that secure, the car is an auxiliary item that may or may not be for them to use. It doesn’t matter, they are secure and content to reside. Mathew 7:11, Luke 11:13

Oh but our heavenly Father lavishes His gifts upon us, these are: mercy, grace, redemption, forgiveness, salvation, hope, love, and faith. Ephesians 1:7-9 Anything that He gives us above and beyond this is exceedingly to His glory and goodness, and for those that are yet to believe.

If we are honest with ourselves, we realize we need mercy, comfort, and grace every day of our lives. If we need these things, why do we resist approaching the throne of grace until we are desperate and at the end of our selves? Hebrews 4:16

This is an exhausting way of living out our faith. To sit so far from God approaching Him only when disaster strikes our lives. Drifting away on a dingy, a single rope stretching out for yards upon an open sea. If we allow ourselves to drift so far, we run the risk of our ropes breaking, our faith will not tether us if we stray to far from the throne of Grace. Remember, our faith is fed by love, and love comes from our Father. Why not run to His throne room, which we can enter boldly and with a sincere heart, Hebrews 10:22, and bask in the glory of His goodness, love, and mercy?

The more frequently we approach God, the more we approach His love, knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, the more our faith grows. It grows not because of our will, out of our desire, or because we assume it will, but because God causes it to grow. Faith grows as a side product of interacting with God.

Just by that mere act of drawing near to God, believing that He will draw near to us for nothing more than to commune, your faith will increase. Faith is the result of accepting and knowing unconditional love.

Let us think on His love for us, how it is eternal and unfailing.

Until next time, meditate on scriptures that expound on God’s love and desire to be with you.

Next time we will discuss methods of drawing near to God.

FAITH PART 3

FAITH PART 5

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How to Increase Faith pt 3

by RAC

Updated: July 17, 2017

How to Increase Faith pt 3

“Now abideth faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love”

Before we go forth and begin to increase in faith, it is imperative that we ground ourselves in that which is more important than faith.

1 Corinthians 13:2 “…though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

Our minds have begun to become expanded with the possibility that anything can happen with God, but we need to understand the basis for faith before we apply our faith. This scripture contains a soft warning, even if you believe that all is possible with God, the sick healed, the lame walk, the dead rise, everything that scripture tells us about the power of God, but have no love, we are nothing.

Let’s ask the question we asked last time:

Do you believe God loves you?

Do you believe God loves others?

and now let’s ask this question:

What is love? What is charity?

The word ‘charity,’ is agape in the Greek. The English language is poor at describing spiritual things, especially when it comes to love. We use the same word to describe the emotion we feel for our grandmother, our friends, school yard crushes, spouses, puppy dogs, doing an activity we enjoy and cookies. To say that we ‘love’ all of these things equally or, in the same way and manner is a gross misunderstanding, yet we colloquially agree that this one word is excellent for all manners of ‘love.’

In the Greek language there are four types of love that are addressed in the Bible. CS Lewis goes into depth in his book The Four Loves. Which I highly recommend.

The four loves are as follows:

Storge is the love and affection one has, a natural sort of empathy. This is used for relationships within family, nationalism falls under this category, as well as the love one feels for a sports team.

Philia is an affectionate regard between equals. This is often described as loyalty for family, community, and is comparable to the enjoyment for participating in a well loved activity.

Eros is a love that is an intimate, sexual type of love one feels for another person.

Agape is known as divine love, with Strong’s concordance defining it as benevolence, good will, esteem and in plurality, meaning a love feast. In reference to spiritual matters, it is what God prefers.

It is this last love, agape, that is referenced throughout 1 Corinthians 13, and what is the greatest thing that we have in Christ.

As we begin to think and ponder each of the verses in 1 Corinthians 13, reflecting on John 3:16, as we do, we begin to understand what love, charity, agape is.

We know that love/charity suffers long, is kind, does not envy, does not boast or brag, is not arrogant or proud, does not act inappropriately, does not seek themselves, is not easily provoked to anger, keeps no record of wrongs, does not rejoice with unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. Love/charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love/charity never fails.

1 John 4:7-9

If you have faith, but you do not love, or do not know love, it is possible that your faith is misapplied, that your faith will prove you to be nothing.

This is a hard word for many people.

It is easier to dismiss those who stand in faith and nothing comes about of their faith. To say that it wasn’t God’s will, or if God truly was love, why did this or that happen? Why is there disease? Why is there pain? Why is there suffering? Why did it not work for me? There were a hundred people praying and still the person we know suffered! God must not be doing what he did back then!

Do you know God?

If the answer is yes, then I must ask one question, “How well do you know God?”

Let us return to John 3:16 and examine further.

For God so loved (agape) the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Also, let us look at John 14:6-7

The only way that we enter into a relationship with our creator, our eternal father, is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way.

Again, look further in John 14:8-14.

Jesus had/has an intimate relationship with the Father. Without that relationship, without that love, without knowing that the reason for every bit of faith, hope and love that he exhibited during his time on earth was meant for the glorification of God, Jesus would have been nothing.

Let us begin to think of what relationship Jesus had with God, and that He desired that for us as well.

This time, let us think on love in the sense of Agape. What it means for God to love us in this way, for us to love this way. For us to love God this way.

Matthew 22:36-40

Often we think of loving our neighbor like this, but do we approach God in the same way when we pray?

Do we spend time listening to His voice?

Do we spend time going about the day doing our own thing, or do we spend it in time dwelling upon our God and His will?

Are we assuming to know His will or do we do His will because we know Him?

If we truly love Him, how much time do we spend with Him each day?

Let us discuss what it means to love our friends and family or a betrothed or spouse.

If you tell all people you love your husband or wife, but spend very little time at home with them or doing things with them, we must ask the question, is that truly love?

With faith there is action, with love there is sacrifice.

What do we have?

What do we do with what we have?

How is this reflected in 1 Corinthians 13 towards others? towards God?

Let us discuss what this love looks like towards God and spend time listening.

Think upon these things for now, take action towards and in love.

FAITH PART TWO

FAITH PART FOUR

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How to Increase Faith pt 2

by RAC

Updated: July 11, 2017

How To Increase Faith Pt 2

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

At some point, we came to the conclusion that we could not, in and of ourselves, reconcile our own wrong doings, or we were inquisitive enough to pursue the divine, or the two met in our inner being, combined and we set out on a journey. That journey led us to the feet of Jesus. Once our eyes were revealed, we were presented with a choice, to believe and enter into a relationship where we acknowledge the supremacy of God, or to continue in darkness. Once finding the light of Jesus, we chose to believe upon that light. For those who do not believe, who do not have faith, they view faith as foolishness. 1 Corinthians 1:18. We must keep this in mind as we increase in faith.

Let’s return to the foundation of our faith, Jesus Christ, and the scriptures that initially declare the nature of God. John 3:16 For God so loved the world

We understood, that initially, we were at the edge of a precipice, one in which we could not fathom to cross on our own. Truly the bottom was without sight, plunging into a depth and darkness that we could not comprehend. The other side, the place we needed to be, where we no longer needed to strive to be good, or to try to wash ourselves from a long known emptiness and condemnation, was so far, we could not reach it on our own. No matter what we did on our own, we were left alone to contemplate the abyss before us. For by our very nature, we are condemned to be alone, apart, and in darkness.

What did pierce the abyss, that alerted us to the other side was the light we saw. This light being the light of the world. That light when we searched it out, was found to be Jesus Christ. (John 1:1-10) When we recognized that it was by the mercy, grace, and love of God that created a way for us to escape the darkness and come into the light, we had to leave a part of us behind and accept a new birth, a reawakening within our spirit, which meant we had to yield and lay down our pride, our own good works, and accept that they were not enough to reach the light. That initial faith, by which we believe and are born again into the family of God, must initially stay within the bounds of that first revelation, if we are to grow our faith properly.

Consider for a moment a seed. Once we place that seed in soil and add water, it will begin to sprout. There are many things people will do to encourage and cause the plant to grow. But at this young stage, we do not over water the seed, lest it roots do not take hold and grow rapidly without anything to grab onto when the plant is exposed to intense heat later in the season. We alternate watering, or if we allow the rains to water the plant, it is intermittent, at times small amounts of water, lengths without, allowing the tender roots to stretch and grow, establishing itself within the garden. We do not give tender young plants too much fertilizer, or it will burn the roots and cause the plant to perish. No, we give it small amounts of water, nutrients, and periods of dry time, in order that the plant will grow as it should.

We should treat our faith the same way.

Perhaps we have heard the scripture, Mark 11:23, that faith can move mountains.

Indeed, this is truth.

Perhaps we have tried to move mountains ourselves without so much as a tremble, or even the eroding of the side of a giant rock, exercising our faith and by repeating and shouting at the mountain with Bible in hand, expecting the mountain to fall, without the mountain so as much budging.

We must consider that our faith is yet a fledgling plant, still nothing more than a sprout.

This is very humbling, to acknowledge that perhaps our faith is still young, even though we may have made a commitment of faith many years ago! We may even have committed to memory many scriptures and spent hours studying lexicons, reading commentaries, and the scriptures themselves! There is no shame, only a realization that we must go to the author of our faith so that He may perfect it.

Let us take our sprout and consult the master gardener how we should allow it to grow.

We know our foundation is Jesus Christ, let us build upon that initial truth.

How did we first come to know God? Through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice!

We know that this sacrifice was made for each one of our sins, but we must know that it is necessary to repent of those sins. Luke 24:46-48

If you truly believe, or have faith, we know that faith produces action. That action is the acknowledgement that what we were doing before, the way in which we lived was not good enough, and so we repent. What is repentance? It is the remorse for the wrongs we have committed. If we are truly remorseful, we are keen to change our ways.

This is where we must know that there is no sin that can keep God from loving us. For God so loved the world, He gave. Not that if the world came to repentance and scrubbed themselves clean, could they receive Love from a distant God, but rather that He loved us so much, while we were still in our sin, while we were distant, while we were in darkness, while we were apart and alone, that He gave us a gift in which we could leave the darkness. There is nothing that we have done or could do to deserve this gift, God’s love was so great that He took it upon Himself to give a portion of Himself, to bear our pain, our darkness, our distance, so that we may come into the light. He did this for you, and this is why you believe, because of this great love.

But you are not alone in who can receive this gift. There are many others who are able, if they have faith and believe, that can partake of this gift.

The depth to which we know His love and forgiveness, is as deep as to the extent of our faith. If we are to grow our faith, we must grow in our love for God and His forgiveness of ourselves as well as others.

This is what grows the root of the plant. This is what fuels our faith. How much do you believe God loves you? Do you believe God forgives your pastor? Do you believe God forgives your neighbor? Do you believe God forgives your teachers, both good and bad? Do you believe the forgiveness in Christ Jesus is for those who are homeless? Do you believe that forgiveness is for those who are in jails and prisons? Do you believe the forgiveness of God extends to those who have gotten away with crimes? Do you believe that the forgiveness of God extends to those who have become involved with Satanic rituals? Do you believe that God’s forgiveness extends to the homosexual, to the Jew, to people in different religions, tribes and nations? Do you believe God’s forgiveness extends to those who terrorize, those who create havoc in the streets, to those who have abortions? Do you believe God forgives the pedophiles, the murders, the blasphemers, the atheists? Do you believe that the blood of Christ, the lamb’s sacrifice poured out for all mankind, extends to even Charlie Manson or Adolf Hitler if either was or did make a commitment of faith before their life extinguished?

Do you believe that God loves you as much as they?

Let us ask God to reveal the height, the depth, and the vastness of His love to us, not just of how much He loves us, but to reveal to us the love He has for all people.

Meditate and think about the vastness of God’s love, the sacrifice that was made for all of us, and return to this conversation at a later time.

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How to Increase Faith

by RAC

Updated: July 3, 2017

There is a topic that we must discuss, the increasing of faith, but if we do not agree on these following points, going forward, nothing I write will make sense or you will become confused, and since we have not been given a spirit of confusion or fear but of love, power and a sound mind, we must begin here.

The place in which we must begin is with the cross, the place in which Jesus died.

It is here where Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice, which He spoke of earlier in His ministry, specifically in John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, for the world already stands condemned, but that through Him they might be saved.” and Romans 10:9-13

It is here, on this truth that all others are built.

For if you believe that Jesus died once, as a sacrifice, and then resurrected three days later, and believe these to be true, it is from this point that everything else hinges. For without the death and resurrection, we have nothing.

But, if we believe, as Romans 10:6-13 states, we will be saved, then we can build upon this cornerstone. This foundation is a strong foundation and upon this seed of faith, this small piece of faith, can our faith grow beyond that initial grain of faith.

What is faith?

Hebrews 11:1-6

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In terms of our salvation, the relationship we have with Christ, it begins with the Word we received in John 3:16 and in Romans 10:9. Once we reach out in faith and believe we have relationship, the doors are open, we can discuss and talk with the Father at any time, we also have the assurance from the Holy Spirit and our spirit being born again that bears witness to this and the initial seed faith.

That assurance is solid. There is a substance, a weight, and the evidence of what we have not yet seen; Jesus, heaven, God, etc, is brought with the comfort of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, once we have been born again, by believing upon Jesus. (1 Corinthians 3:16)

It is simple, but profound.

The great stumbling block for many is the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we cannot agree on this point, whatever else is said will fall upon unopened eyes, ears, and hearts.

The second is equally important, that the report, the testimony of those who have written down what has happened, is the word of God. If we cannot agree that the word of God, in which tells us that what we believe about Jesus and His death and resurrection is scripture and that all scripture is God breathed, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, then once again, what will be said further, will not make sense and makes no need for argument. Psalm 19:7.

If you and I agree upon these two points, that Jesus Christ is our salvation, our Lord, our Savior and that the Bible is the word of God, then let us continue this discussion, but if not, there is no need to read any further until those two points are agreed upon, and those two points are the foundation, and this foundation is firm ground. Once you and I agree, then let us continue.

What I want to discuss with you is the principle in which we both stand upon, and that is the simple principle of faith.

Faith is simple, but it is often far from easy.

How do we come by faith?

Romans 10:17 declares that faith happens due from the inward processing to the outward expression of faith by hearing the word of Christ over and over and over.

Let’s examine when we first came to faith. When you made that profession of faith, had you heard the story before? Was it the first time you heard the story of Jesus? Or was it the first time it made ‘sense’ and then you made the decision to believe?

Few people make that leap of faith upon hearing the first time of the death and burial and resurrection of Christ and profess faith.

Many people will pray a prayer, not actually believing, and at a later date come to a decision where they make the choice to believe and a relationship with God begins.

When did you first believe?

There is no shame in believing at any point in life, and no need to lament over not coming to Christ sooner than you have, the important thing is this: that you believe.

If we are careful to note, most people will have heard the story of the cross multiple times before actually believing. Perhaps many times as a child, and into adulthood, sitting in chairs and pews in churches, taking communion, even being baptized before coming to a realization of Jesus Christ and believing for the first time. Perhaps through many social workers and people who have interacted with you, sharing the gospel, until at last, you believed. Maybe you wanted to believe, and like the man who’s son was suffering in Mark 9:23-25, you cried out to God, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!” And soon thereafter, faith became real to you.

Once you make the commitment and belief in faith in Christ, the relationship begins to grow and the word of God is made alive as we read it, for the Holy Spirit guides us as we read through the scriptures.

Now that you have that initial faith, believing upon Jesus, the first step of faith is to begin conversation with God. This is done through prayer and meditation, of which many books have been written, such as Brother Lawrence’s “The Practice of the Presence of God,” and Mme Jeanne Guyon’s “A Method of Prayer” or more recently translated as “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ.” These, and other books have a practical approach to interacting with our Lord and Savior that resides within in our spirit. These are based upon scripture, and are good to read, but it is important to note, that without the basis and foundation of the Bible and the relationship with Jesus Christ, these two books are simply just ideas and spiritual nonsense.

When we believe, it is important to know Who we believe in and by Whom He claims to be. If we do not spend time interacting with the Word, getting to know who He is and His character, we can misapply our faith and experience great pain, disappointment, and even shame.

If we begin with the first chapter of John, we readily begin to understand the foundation of our faith.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

If we read the remaining first chapter of John, we see that the Word becomes flesh, and this Word is Jesus Christ.

Let us ponder and think upon John 1:1-5 for a period of time. Let us memorize it, think on it some more. Add a few more verses to think and memorize. Speak these scriptures over and over to yourself, not as a mindless ritual in which they become meaningless or as a goal just to have them memorized for a party trick or to impress your friends after bible study, but let them seep into your conscience. Let them rumble about in your soul, ask the Holy Spirit to guide your understanding about these scriptures until they become real.

What do I mean for the scriptures to become real?

When your understanding and faith meet in a powerful way, when the scriptures all of a sudden have tangible meaning, when they have a weight that was not there before, or as some have come to say, when you know that you know that you know that what you are reading is light and truth. The Word becomes alive, it is more than just putting together puzzle pieces, it becomes an unmovable fixture.

I want to warn you, this is not intellectual enlightenment. Intellectual enlightenment mimics and can appear to be like faith, but it is deceptive. For as much as a person appears to understand, there is little result in their life as evidence of the life and resurrection of the foundation of Jesus Christ. As their knowledge increases, so does their vanity and self imposed authority of the scriptures. They ascribe the power of the gospel to that which is past and not for today, projecting a set of behavior rules and morality codes. Ready to tear down anything that appears to not sit well with their experience in ‘faith’.

But our faith, yours and mine, is not built upon experiences. Our faith is built upon the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the word of God. Our faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

We know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

If we do not, let us ponder and think upon that scripture until it becomes real and tangible to us.

Why do I keep referring to thinking and pondering, memorizing, meditating upon the scriptures until they are real and tangible if we have agreed to agree in the beginning? Because I realize that there are many who are like man in Mark 9:23-25, where Jesus Christ is saying to us, all things are possible to him that believes, and yet we are crying out, Lord I believe; help mine unbelief!

For faith, comes from within to the outside by hearing and hearing the word of God.

This is good for today, let us continue this discussion at a later time on faith.

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