It is good to know God's Word because through it is the entrance of life and wisdom. Unfortunately, many people think that by simply reading the bible they know it. However, this is not enough nor is it biblical faith.
Biblical faith is to both believe and act on the Word of God. Believing is a prerequisite to receiving. Tragically, this is exactly the opposite of what the world and our senses tell us to do. We are told "I'll believe it when I see it". Yet, this is a materialistic approach to life that is antithetical to our faith and leads to hopelessness and despair.
Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. " So, there is a realm, the spiritual realm, where faith is something of substance and it is an evidence of something that exists as a real entity in that dimension.
When we read God's Word and acknowledge that it is true, that is a good start. But, faith requires much more than that. Faith is not simply mental assent and mere agreement with God. Faith is acting upon the Word (see James 2:14-24).
So, how do we act upon the Word of God? Well, we must understand that God's Word is true - not just in terms of its veracity but also for its application in our lives. Knowing must turn into believing. Many people want to know it before believing it. However, that is not faith. When we entered into Christ, we turned from our sins and accepted Him as Lord and Savior (when we were born again). At that time, we all had to exercise a degree of faith to do so. It was by the exercised of our faith that we came into a saving relationship with Him and therefore now know God. So, from the start, we have had to exercise faith first and then we know second. That is the way faith always works.
The word "believing" is not mere mental assent, as stated before. In the ancient Greek, the word for 'belief, believe, or believers' is Pisteuo. It is defined as: "to be persuaded of, to place confidence in, to trust, to put reliance upon, not mere credence". Basically, it is a whole-hearted agreement and a "stake-your-life-on it" position that a person takes. Because God's Word says so, we believe it is so and it applies to every so-and-so, LOL.
Unfortunately, a lot of people say that while they have believed some of promises in God's Word, that sometimes they do not work. I hear this especially in the area of answered/unanswered prayers and healing. When we focus on the problem, we will never see the answer. However, when we focus beyond the problem, on God and His promises, we have the answer.
We must accept that if God's Word is true, it is always true in our lives and in every situation. Romans 3:4 says: "Let God be true, and every man a liar". So, if we know that God is not a liar, let's be very careful what we say about Him and His Word. Hebrews 13:8 states: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". Therefore, He and His promises have not changed and never will.
When we know this we can stand on the Word with boldness and confidence. We must then confess God's Word. In doing so, our faith is now acted upon. Confession is very important. In the ancient Greek, the word for 'confess and confession' is Homologeo. It means "to speak the same thing". So, when we confess, we are to speak the same thing as God does. We are not to speak our doubts, fears, failures, or unbelief. Why? Because speaking these things is not speaking the same thing as God and, it is therefore, not confession that agrees with God and His Word. When we speak God's promises, we are in one accord with Him and are speaking His will into our lives and situations, unimpeded by unbelief. We are also allowing His power to be released in our lives.
You can see that it is very important to be in God's Word, to know it, and to stand on it. Joshua 1:8 says: "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful".
When we make ourselves line up with God's Word, in our minds/hearts and with our words (this is what faith is all about), we will then see Him move on our behalf. This is not presumption- not if it is based upon God's Word! Two notes of caution though. First, in order for God's Word to work in us, we have to live a life fully repentant and obedient to Him. Second, we must have faith that God will honor His Word and fulfill it in our lives, in due season. This has to do with the principle of sowing and reaping, which will be the next article I write.
Be encouraged that as we stand on His promises, continually trusting in Him, (even when our situations looks completely contrary and hopeless) He is faithful to move and fulfill the promises contained in His Word in our lives. He will bless, heal, change, rescue, and strengthen. Why? Because He is a God of His Word.
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