Faith - Hope & Evidence... Where's yours!

Recently it seems as though talk of miracles, faith & belief has been weighing heavy on the minds of saints. So many people are in need of blessings - spiritually, physically, financially. Loved ones need to be saved & delivered, people's homes need to be saved, they need food to eat & healing in their bodies. We've been coming together in prayer for miracles for all of the above as well as many, many other things and one thing that our pastor has tried to instill in us through the Word is the necessity of faith & our belief in what God can & will do in, through and for His people.

Before we get into what you need to do to get your prayers answered, we need to establish a basis for having faith. You need to understand #1 who God is & #2 what faith is & how to obtain more of it before you can get to #3 how to stand on faith & encourage yourself when you have nothing else!

#1 Who is God & what does knowing Him have to do with your faith?

1. Numbers 23:19 ~ God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
   
   
   • This scripture tells us that God is not like a human being - not like us... He CANNOT lie! His very nature, holy, pure & true, does not allow Him to lie.
    
2. 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
   
   
   • These scriptures assure us that we can hold fast to EVERY word that God speaks into our spirits & every word in the scriptures. Also, through His Word, God has given us everything we need to do His will & accomplish goals in our lives!
3. Ephesians 3:20 ~ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
   
   
   • This is a powerful scripture because it tells us that God do more than we can possibly imagine! Think of something you feel might be impossible to accomplish... go ahead - think hard :-) ok, well whatever you just thought of, God can do exceedingly abundantly MORE than that!
4. Deuteronomy 4:31 ~ For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.
   
   
   • Do you really think God forgets His promises to you or even your parents, their parents or even the parents before them? NO He does NOT! If God made a promise & confirmed it, rest assured that promise will come to pass! He will not abandon you!
5. Deuteronomy 20:4 ~ For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.
   
   
   • God will go before you, fighting your battles & making the way straight for you to succeed!
6. Psalms 116:5 ~ The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
   
   
   • God is just, full of grace & compassion! He loves us dearly; it is His pleasure to provide for us when we serve Him!
    
7. Psalm 9:9-10, 46:1 ~ The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
   
   
   • God is a our place to hide! His presence is almighty & powerful, thus we have superb shelter in Him! No matter what we go through, He is always there to help us!
    
8. Hebrews 11:6 ~ 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.
   
   
   • To know God means to love Him. When we love Him, we keep His commandments - His Word which is the Holy Scriptures - & in His Word we see that it is impossible to please Him without faith. We also see that when we believe that He exists - obviously we have to have faith in His existence - He rewards us for diligently seeking Him.

#2 What is faith & how to obtain more of it!

1. Hebrews 11:6 ~ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
   
   
   • Faith is basically like a knot in a rope. We can have a rope that will lead us through a maze or dark place BUT without having a knot in that rope, the rope could easily slip from our hands. We may not be able to see the destination, but with the knot in the rope, we can rest assured that we'll get there without fear of losing the rope!
    
2. Romans 14:23 ~ Everything that does not come from faith is sin.
   
   
   • We know that God hates sin & when we we don't believe God, we treat Him like He is a liar. Remember that He is everywhere and sees all things. He is hurt when we act like He doesn't exist, or that He will not do what He promised to do. Only when we have confidence in God and His Word can we please Him. Those who don't believe God inevitably believe in something else.
     
     Lack of faith leads to lack of obedience. God's commands can only really be fulfilled through faith. Without confidence in God's promises a man will never really do what God says. Lack of obedience in God's eyes is rebellion. Such lack of obedience dishonors God and surely deserves to be punished.
    
3. Romans 1:17 ~ The just shall live by faith.
   
   
   • We must live by faith in order to be considered by God "right" and "correct".
    
4. 2 Corinthians 5:7 ~ We walk by faith, not by sight.
   
   
   • Faith causes you to know in your heart before you see with your eyes.
     
     Faith is the complete trust, confidence, hope & belief in the goodness, trustworthiness & reliability of God!

#3 How to stand on faith & encourage yourself when you have nothing else!

1. Deuteronomy 31:8 ~ It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
   
   
   • First of all we can take pleasure in knowing that God has already made any crooked way straight for us! Though we may not know or see the outcome, we know that God will take care of the situation at hand! We need not fear or lose sleep over anything because God's got it!
    
2. Psalm 32:7 ~ You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.
   
   
   • God protects us from the dangers we are aware of & those we are shielded from knowing about. He surrounds us with love & keeps us safe from the enemy's attacks! What more do we need to know to believe that He is a deliverer?
    
3. Hebrews 11:6, Psalm 34:10, 34:4 ~ Anyone who comes to God must believe that He exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. "I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears."
   
   
   • Seek God in all you do! Believe in His omnipotence & existence! Believe that He will hear & answer your prayers & deliver you; He will reward your diligence!
    
4. Psalm 34:17 ~ When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
   
   
   • When you cry out to God, seeking His face, requiring His guidance, He will rescue you from your dark place!
    
5. Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
   
   
   • If you are getting your strength from God & not doing something on your own, you can do ANYTHING!
    
6. 2 Timothy 1:7 ~ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
   
   
   • God's power is at work in us if we truly have the mind of Christ & allow ourselves to yield to & be perfected by His spirit! We have authority to use that power to speak to mountains so they are removed, to cast out demons, to heal the sick & to call those things that are not currently tangible or perceptible into existence! Remember that whatever we bind on earth, is bound in Heaven; whatever we loose on earth is loosed in Heaven! Our miracles are already ready for us in Heaven, we just have to wait on the physical manifestation!
    
7. Ephesians 3:20 ~ God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.
   
   
   • Now here is a tricky one if you aren't being real with God! God is, as we know, able to do beyond anything we can even fathom… period, no question! He created the world by faith, by speaking a Word so obviously He can do ANYTHING, but in order for His power to be manifested IN & THROUGH us, we must effectuate it. In other words, we must allow it to be effective in our lives & that can only be done by operating in faith, trusting that God is & He will & reading/studying the Word. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Constant & careful attention to the Word is a must. We have God's power at work in us but it's like a battery that sits in a car that is never driven. If you don't get in the car & drive it or at least start it & run it often, that battery will die… The power of God in us is the same way! If we don't exercise the tools that God has given to us, if we don't pray & read the Word of God daily, if we don't praise Him & thank Him despite our circumstances, our faith will die. We will become shaken at the mere breeze of trouble! We'll become fearful & doubtful & God will not move on our behalf. The bible says that a double-minded man (someone who doubts or says one thing yet does or believes another) is unstable in ALL of his ways; God is NOT pleased with that. We must serve in spirit & truth & we must have faith to please God!
    
8. Proverbs 4:20-23 ~ My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
   
   
   • We are encouraged to constantly & carefully be attentive to God's word! We must read for wisdom, understanding, faith, hope & love, to name just a few things! We shouldn't read just to read; we have to meditate on the word, day & not so that the scriptures are in our hearts. Remember, whatever we think in our hearts, that's what we are!
    
9. Psalm 37:3-7, 46:10 ~ Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him… Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” "Be still, and know that I am God."
   
   
   • Trust in God & you will dwell in His safety! Make Him your delight & He will give you the things you desire! Commit yourself to Him & He reward you like never before! Wait on Him; don't try to do things your way before it's time. All good ideas are not from God & we know that unless the Lord is behind our work, we do so in vain! The same faith that you had to trust & believe in God to save you, is the same faith you need must still have to know that God WILL deliver you! If you know that you know that you KNOW that you are saved, KNOW that you will be healed, KNOW that you WILL be set free, KNOW that you WILL be able to pay your bills, that you WILL be the head & NOT the tail, that you WILL stand in the midst of your enemies & not be harmed! Just believe that God is… BE STILL & WAIT ON GOD!
    
10. Jeremiah 29:10-14 ~ "I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. You will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
    
    
    • This is so amazing! It should give us hope in knowing that God has plans for us! He has plans to save, deliver, prosper & free us! We must pray, seek Him with our whole hearts, call on Him so that He may be found by us!
    
    We can do ALL things through Christ who gives us strength! Not some things or a few things, but ALL things! We must seek God & His way of doing things to receive our blessings, but you have to first trust & DO NOT DOUBT because EVERYTHING you need is found in His courts,  in His presence:
    
    
    • Protection, direction, inspiration, motivation, revelation!
    • Patience, mercy, restoration, preservation, breakthrough!
    • Blessing, favor, provision, salvation, healing!
    • Comfort, deliverance, safety, covering, shelter!
    • Answers, guidance, wisdom, counsel, understanding!
      
    • Peace, love, joy, strength, power, everything that I need.
    
    God is amazing! We can have ANYTHING we say as long as we DO NOT DOUBT! We can do all things through Him who gives us strength! God's promises are yes & amen, therefore we can take pleasure in knowing that God can & He will provide all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus! Don't be afraid & don't grow weary in well doing, in persecution or in tribulation! Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven!