Mature Faith

"Faith as a grain of mustard seed. . ." Matthew 17:20

We have the idea that God rewards us for our faith, it may be so in the initial stages; but we do not earn anything by faith, faith brings us into right relationship with God and gives God His opportunity.

God has frequently to knock the bottom board out of your experience if you are a saint in order to get you into contact with Himself. God wants you to understand that it is a life of faith, not a life of sentimental enjoyment of His blessings. Your earlier life of faith was narrow and intense, settled around a little sun-spot of experience that had as much of sense as of faith in it, full of light and sweetness; then God withdrew His conscious blessings in order to teach you to walk by faith. You are worth far more to Him now than you were in your days of conscious delight and thrilling testimony.

Faith by its very nature must be tried, and the real trial of faith is not that we find it difficult to trust God, but that God's character has to be cleared in our own minds. Faith in its actual working out has to go through spells of unsyllabled isolation. Never confound the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, much that we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith in the Bible is faith in God against everything that contradicts Him - I will remain true to God's character whatever He may do. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him" - this is the most sublime utterance of faith in the whole of the Bible.

-Oswald Chambers

My Utmost for His Highest - October 31st

Sowing and Reaping - The Plan for Growth and Success!

A few days ago I wrote a short article titled "Biblical Faith and It's Results" on this blog. In that article I discussed and defined biblical faith as both believing and acting on the Word of God. I also discussed the importance of confession, speaking in line with God's Word, and standing on His Word until His promise is fulfilled in our lives. This involves the principle of sowing and reaping.

I wrote and posted an article recently on one of my other blogs (www.christosourhealer.blogspot.com) titled "The Word is the Necessary Seed for Harvest". My purpose here is not to repeat what was written in that article (please read that article to understand more fully the principle of the "seed"), but simply to highlight that God's Word is seed (Luke 8:11). As seed, it contains the "genetic code" for our success concerning both eternal life and living life here on earth more abundantly by being connected with the author and overcomer - God Himself. However, without planting the seed, we will never see a harvest. So, planting it is necessary for it to grow and bear abundant fruit. When we plant the Word of God firmly in our hearts, it must be with full of faith and obedience. In doing so, we will see God grow our faith and bring forth abundant fruit, as well as answered prayer.

We have all seen God answer prayer instantaneously and we have also seen Him answer prayer only after a season - sometimes short and sometimes long. When He answers prayer instantaneously, that can be in the realm of being called a miracle. When an answer is instantaneous, we rejoice and are astounded by God's goodness and faithfulness. Yet, when a prayer isn't answered immediately, we can faint, become weary and even lose our hope, thinking that God has not either heard or answered us. However, this is far from being true!

It is important to point out that there are some prerequisites for answered prayer that I discussed in my other article. These include: walking in obedience to God (John 14:21), praying according to the will of God [the promises in His Word] (Proverbs 4:20-22, 1 John 5:14-15), and cultivating faith in our lives by continually hearing and reading the Word (Romans 10:17).

If we are in the situation where God is not answering our prayers immediately, do not despair - God is at work! A farmer understands that when he plants seed that he must place it in nutrient-rich soil, water it, exposure it to the sun and then wait with patience. The farmer has confidence that the seed is not dormant and is, in fact, busy growing; though he may not see any evidence of growth for a time. It is exactly the same with regard to receiving answers to our prayers. Not every prayer has a manifested answer immediately when we pray. This is also true concerning healing - not every healing is manifested immediately when we pray. But, we can still stand confident that God has answered our prayer, even when we do not see the evidence of it - yet!

God is a God of His Word. He will never go against His Word. He is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). Hebrews 11:1 says: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". We need to make sure that we stand in faith and being certain, based upon the Word, that God has granted our request. Like the farmer who planted the seed in fertile soil, we too must wait for it to germinate and then after come to a full harvest, all in due season. During this time, like the farmer we must cultivate it. How do we do this? As I mentioned before, we cultivate our faith by trusting God, walking obediently, and building our faith by continually being in His Word.

There is another component to seeing God's promises coming to pass in our lives. It involves thanksgiving, praise and worship. It may seem very counter-intuitive, but we are to thank Him for the answer to our prayers before they are manifested/revealed. You see, by faith we know we have our request even prior to actually receiving it. When we thank, praise and worship we take an active step into the faith realm and create two things. The first thing we create is a heart full of faith and expectation, one that is eager to receive - this is keeping the soil of our hearts cultivated. The second thing we create is opportunity and initiative to enter into God's dimension with humility and gratitude. In doing so, He loves to grant the requests of His children who call upon His name.

During these seasons when we wait for God to answer our prayers, no matter how short or long they are, we are growing abundantly in our faith. While receiving the answer to our specific prayer is important, it is infinitely more important that we are creating a heart and life inclining itself toward God, hungry for and full of love for Him. Such a life is therefore ready to receive every great blessing from Him. This is the fruit of the abundant harvest of our lives.

Be confident and full of faith! Whatever we sow, we shall reap (Galatians 6:7-8). When we sow God's Word into our hearts, as we stand in His Word by faith, we will see His promises fulfilled and our prayers answered!

In the name of Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider),

Ross

Victorious or Vanquished - What Is Your Cave Teaching You?

As you may recall, David spent some time on the run in the cave of Adullam. It was the lowest point in His life, yet a necessary one ordained by God. The word 'Adullam' comes from the Hebrew root word dalah, which means to dangle at the end of one's rope. Adullam was the place where David was dangling at the end of his rope - hiding from Saul. It served as a place of testing, growing and learning for David, so he could be prepared to go onto to the next phase of life and ministry.

1 Samuel 22:4 says: "And [David] brought [his parents] before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold." David's life was not only in the hold, but also on hold (the back burner). Without Adullam, David's time of testing and preparation, he would not have been adequately prepared to reign as king. The same is true of us. We have our own Adullams that God places us in and these seasons can either make us or break us.

Some might say that God would never allow us to be broken during our time in Adullam, however, the choice of what Adullam becomes to us, what it teaches us and how we receive it, is up to us, as it was with David.

The Hebrew word for "hold" (as in 1 Samuel 22:4) is m-s-d and it appears as masad, matsad, or masodah (remember that originally Hebrew was a consonantal language and therefore there were no vowels until they were added only about a thousand years ago). The word masada means "fortress" or "stronghold"; however the word masuda (closely related to the word masada, and both words are derived from m-s-d) has an entirely different meaning. Masuda means "snare" or "trap".

David had the choice in the hold of Adullam to make it either a masada (fortress/stronghold) or a masuda (snare/trap). Our time of testing (Adullam) becomes a masada if we chose to rejoice and find God and His purposes in that place, despite our circumstances. It can, however, easily become a masuda if we fail to comprehend God's greater purposes and allow our hearts to become bitter and filled with doubt and unbelief.

For David, Adullam became the place where he ministered into many peoples' lives, the place where God created Israel's most powerful and loyal army, and where God taught David the foundational principles He would need to become Israel's greatest king.Yet, Adullam could, just as easily, have become a place of obscurity and purposelessness for David. It was David's choice. What caused David to make his Adullam a masada instead of a masuda? It all came down to David's response to the situation and his perspective.

Psalm 142:1-2 says about David during this dark hour: "I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before Him; I shewed before Him my trouble."

When David cried out to the Lord, he used the Hebrew word , za'aq, which means "to shriek from anguish or fear". The Hebrew word for "showed" ['shewed' in Psalm 142:2 King James version] is nasad, which means to make abundantly clear". This was the turning point for David.When David wrote Psalm 142, it was during his early days at the cave of Adullam. As he spent more time there and allowed God to teach him, he gradually understood God's purposes for this appointed season and yielded to Him, allowing God to do His perfecting work.

By do so, David turned Adullam into the the greatest strength of his life and ministry. He learned to hear from God, to trust, to rest secure in His God during a very difficult hour. He also learned to be faithful. David emerged a different man from Adullam than when he first went in.

The lessons of Adullam were not lost on King David - they impacted him for the rest of his life. He took the faith and yieldedness he gained in the cave and brought that same heart and experience when he ascended the throne and thereafter ruled over the people of Israel as king and as a man after God's own heart.

God has an Adullam for each of us. It is our appointed place and time to be on the back burner (not in the forefront or in the spotlight) so God can teach us and prepare us for the time in which we are to reign in whatever ministry He has destined for us. The question is if we have the yieldedness and perseverance to allow God to do His work in us until it is completed for that season. The answer lies in what we make of our Adullam, if we let it become a masuda or chose to make it a masada.

When we understand how God used the cave of Adullam in King David's life, we see His intended purpose for our 'Caves of Adullam' experiences - to build and prepare our lives for victorious living and service.

Psalm 138:8 says: "The Lord will fulfill His purposes for me; your love O Lord, endures forever - do not abandon the works of your hands".

Jeremiah 29:11 says: "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".


The inspiration and information for the above article comes from a course I just completed titled "Training for Reigning" as taught by Dr. Ron Cottle of Beacon University, Columbus GA. The information contained in this article is, in great part, taken from Dr. Cottle's book titled Anointed to Reign, pages 49-60

The Down-Loadable God

We all know how important computers and digital devices are in our lives. We feel like we really can't live without them. Information, communication, and the ability to create, all at our fingertips, in real time.

Yet these systems require, like most things; care, maintenance, updates, and occasional repair. With my computers over the years, I've had more than one virus infect my system. I've also lost valuable data due to backup failure and have had a motherboard crash on me.

In some respects, we can compare our lives to computers and digital devices. While we aren't machines, we are extremely complex beings who perform many high-level functions. Like the computers and digital devices that we rely upon so much, we too require care, maintenance, updating, and occasional repair. If our lives aren't maintained on a continual basis, our performance can be compromised and we can even break down.

Fortunately, our lives don't have to break down - they can be protected. We can, if you will, install and update our "software". We can also have adequate firewall protection against the equivalent of the worst Trojan viruses; as well as protection against emotional, spiritual, relational malware. So, where can we get this protection for our lives?

Fortunately, we have a down-loadable God. He enables us to reformat the hard drives of our hearts and minds by coming into relationship with Him through the salvation He provides in His Son, Jesus Christ. When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we receive the initial download of the Holy Spirit who continually helps, teaches, and encourages us. Jesus called Him the "comforter". Every day, we need to download God's Word so we can know all about Him. He uses His Word to teach us, remove malware and clean up our systems so as to enhance our performance on every level and to reflect Him in our lives.

He really is the down-loadable God who we can access 24/7! His 'Customer Support Center' is open all the time, available in every language, and we don't even have to worry about a techy on the other end who can barely speak English. As we hot sync into God all things are made new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Peter 1:3 says: "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness".

Ephesians 1:3 says: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ".

By turning from our ways, which are flawed by the effects of sin, and by turning to God, we give Him our lives and every care. In doing so, we can download the very presence and power of God which transforms us. This is living life and living it abundantly (John 10:10).

Life was designed to be full of God's purpose and joy. So, don't forget to down-load, on a continual basis, everything He has for you.

Does God's Word Ever Fail?

Let's be honest, sometimes we all have moments when we wonder if God's promises are true for us and if they will really be fulfilled in our lives. When we give way to these thoughts, we give way to doubt and fear and question God's faithfulness and integrity. But, enough of what we think, what does God have to say:

Isaiah 55: 10-11

(10) As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

(11) so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

So, don't look at your life and circumstances. Instead, look at the author of life itself. The One who is MASTER of ALL circumstances; the One who transforms you and your life. He is ALWAYS faithful!

The Wisdom of Prayer

Those who know God the best are the richest and most powerful in prayer. Little acquaintance with God, and strangeness and coldness to Him, make prayer a rare and feeble thing. --E. M. Bounds

Pray, and let God worry. -- Martin Luther

Where Do You Live?

You might be thinking that I'm asking about your street address; the place where your mail is delivered. No, not quite. I'm actually asking about the place where your heart resides.

What do you value most? What are your hopes and affections set on? This is the most important question you will ever ask yourself. Why? Because whatever you set your heart on becomes your focus and that will lead you down the path of either your success or your failure. Don't kid yourself; whatever your heart is set on drives your values, goals and path in life.

Because of His great love for you, God wants you to find your home in Him – to abide in Jesus Christ. Many people say they know God; have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That's truly great! But, do they abide in Jesus? To abide in God means to remain (no matter what), to not depart, to endure, to wait for, to remain as one.

Why is abiding so important? Because, abiding is the difference between merely touching Jesus and actually becoming one with Him. When you abide with Christ, you are so interwoven and fused with Him, and He with you, that the two become one. His presence and anointing will find a home in your life because they are welcomed. He will fill you and move through you because there is nothing in you to hinder Him.

Jesus used the example of a vine when talking about abiding in the Book of John chapter 15 verses 1-11*. This is a very rich and appropriate way to describe the principle of abiding. He makes it clear in verse 5 that if we remain (abide) in Him, like the branches, we will bear much fruit. This is because the branches that are strongly connected to the vine receive continuous and increasing strength from the nourishing sap. It is God's desire that every branch be strongly connected to His life-flow.

Why is it that many Christians live such weak lives? Because they haven’t learned to abide in Jesus. The more you abide in Christ, the more you receive the very life-flow of God in your life. This is the secret to having a strong/vibrant life with purpose, passion, and destiny. By abiding in Christ, everything in your life is radically transformed. You go from weakness to strength, fear to faith, sickness to healing, confusion to clarity, depression to joy, despair to victory, etc.

Look at how King David abided. He said: "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set me free" (Ps. 119:32), "for I delight in your commandments, because I love them" (Ps. 119:47), "I have sought your face with all my heart" (Ps. 119:58), "As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God" (Ps. 42:1), "Because you words are better than life, my lips with glorify you" (Ps. 63:3), "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope" (Ps. 130:5).

Because King David knew how to abide in God, he was wiser than his teachers, more blessed than other around him, and was called "friend" by God (there is no greater honor than that).

So, where is your home? Where do you abide? If not in God, you are being robbed. However, if you are abiding in Him, everything that He is will transform you, cause you to triumph, and you will have EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Isn't God great?!

*John 15: 1-10 says - (1)"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2)He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (3)You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (4)Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

(5)"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (6)If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (7)If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (8)This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

(9)"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (10)If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (11)I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

You Know, It's So Simple...Jesus Loves You Because You Are His... HaHa ... Rejoice! Isn't God Great?

Uh Oh! Watch out, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:7)

Romans 6:8-12
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Repentance Is The Key To Our Success (Repentance- Part I)

Repentance is critical and indispensable. It is the door through which we access Jesus and receive restoration, forgiveness, and love. When we repent, we also receive the blessings of God, which nourish and build us in our faith.

It is tragic that we often shun "repentance" because, in doing so, we shut the door and lock ourselves out from God. As a consequence, we are left in denial, shame and emotional/spiritual/relational confusion. As a result, we remain in the dark and are in danger of growing cold in our love for God and others. Tragically, in this state, we are cut off from the provisions of His grace, mercy and love - until we repent.

However, when we embrace repentance, we embrace God and thereby open the door to experience renewal, growth, and life – abundantly. Repentance is the key to our success in life. It brings us into the presence of God. The fruit of repentance is like the nourishing flow of sap that runs through the vine which produces very good fruit for harvest. Much repentance produces much fruit.

We need to let Jesus take away our sins...all our sins, continually and cleanse us deeply. With repentance, we are no longer ensnared by our sins and are, instead, set free. Isaiah 1:18 says "I, the Lord, invite you to come and talk it over. Your sins are as scarlet red but they will be made whiter than snow".

The more we let repentance do its work in our lives, the more we see the victory and blessing of God working through our lives. Rejoice! God has set us free!!

Every blessing to your Success in Christ and life!

Ross


Isaiah 30:15 – This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength..."

Ezekiel 18:32 - For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Acts 3:19 - Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 7:10 - Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Whose Voice Is Gaining Your Attention?

When coming to God for salvation or healing, it is essential for each one to decide whether he or she shall allow the hiss of the serpent to rise above the voice of God. (1)

Blessed are the ears that hear the pulses of the Divine whisper , and give not heed to the many whisperings of the world. (2)

Footnotes:
(1) F.F. Bosworth, Christ The Healer, p. 112
(2) Thomas a' Kempis

"A person who fears the Lord need never doubt God's leading. As he continually turns from evil, he is kept on God's path."

Geri McGhee
Abiding Life Ministries Lindale, TX
www.abidinglifeministires.org

PSALMS 25:12 "What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose."

PROVERBS 10:17 "He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who forsakes reproof goes astray."

PROVERBS 8:13 "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."

"....and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil."
Proverbs 16:6