Saturday, July 18, 2009

Part 1 The Assurance of Things Hoped For


Faith is the strength
by which a shattered world
shall emerge into the light.”
Helen Keller


Part 1 The Assurance of Things Hoped For:

Have you ever voiced this familiar prayer from the Gospel of Mark (9:24)?
“Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief.”

I have to admit I have prayed it all too often myself.
When I do deep down in my “knower”
there is a slight discomfort as I realize
my faith is being hindered by ‘what I see’ in the situation that confronts me.

Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1 NASB

Faith is taking hold of the uncertainties of hopefulness
and bringing them into the realm of reality.

Faith is birthed in the Word of God…
Jesus alone is the Author and Finisher (Perfecter) of our faith…

17So faith comes from hearing,
and hearing by the word of Christ.
Romans 10:17 NASB

17So faith comes by hearing [what is told],
and what is heard comes by the preaching
[of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).
Romans 10:17 Amplified

2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 NASB

Faith gives us the assurance that our need or desire will be met
in the face of circumstances to the contrary
because of the One who is our provision.

Faith proclaims that
“I belong to Jesus…
He is my source and my strength…
In Him I have all that is needed
for my present condition or situation.”

Faith is not simple mental assent or what E.W. Kenyon calls “Sense Knowledge.”
[E.W. Kenyon The Two Kinds of Faith: Faith’s Secret Revealed pg. 7 (Kenyon’s Gospel Publishing Society – Lynnwood, Washington)]

Sense knowledge resembles faith but falls short of true faith. It proclaims that the Word is true but that it doesn’t apply to my situation. Sense knowledge relies on the person’s seeing, hearing or feeling results before believing. Sense knowledge is big in Missouri the “show me state.”

True faith relies not on what we see as it is “the conviction of things not seen.”
It declares…
The Word says “I am healed… so I am!”
The Word says “No weapon formed against me will prosper… so this temptation will not dissuade me!”
The Word says “I am righteous in Christ… so I will walk in His righteousness.

When we are exercising true faith we rest in the peace of Christ no matter what the circumstances around us. Faith does not hinge on what we see, feel, or hear.

When we falter in faith it is usually because
the Word of God in us
has not overcome our perception of the situation before us.

End Part 1
30
fkj

No comments:

Post a Comment