(Note: I do not know what is going on with all the weird font and spacing issues I have been having with Blogger. It always looks normal as I type, but as soon as it is published it looks strange, and I do not know how to fix it.)
Pursuing the Fruits of the Spirit: Faith/Faithfulness, Part 6A
Written by my Husband (Mel)
NOTE: Mel decided to write this Fruit of the Spirit from 2 angles, faith (part A) and faithfulness (part B).
(Galatians 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. (Mark 11:23-24) "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, 'Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."What are the mountains in your life? Jesus paid the price on the cross to set you free from the evil one. By faith, speak to those mountains and tell them to be gone in Jesus' name! You have the authority by God's Holy Spirit. Faith moves the hand of God on your behalf!So often people live their lives in fear of what could happen, or they worry about finances, or health problems, however, fear is the opposite of faith. The Lord understands that we are human, and anxiety is common to man, but he desires that we trust him with every aspect of our lives. Fear will empower the enemy in your life. If you live your life in fear, you will never have a breakthrough with God. Fear may even lead to demonic oppression. You must have faith in God that He is able to deliver and heal you to see results. Fear also hinders many people from pursuing ministry work, because they feel they can’t accomplish the task. If the prophets and apostles had given into fear, we would not have the scriptures to guide us, and Christianity would never have spread beyond Judea.
To be useful for the kingdom of heaven, we must believe that God is bigger and more powerful than our problems or limitations. Moses had a speech problem and argued with God that he was not able to speak to Pharaoh. God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and allowed his brother Aaron to speak for him. Moses was chosen from birth to be the deliverer for the captive Hebrews, but he felt inadequate for the task. Fortunately, God did not allow Moses to give in to fear but used him to show forth His power to the entire world. Elijah feared for his life and hid in a cave, but the God of Elijah protected him, and Elijah never saw death because he was taken to heaven in a flaming chariot. The apostle Paul wrote powerful letters, but he did not impress some in person. However, this did not deter Paul from taking the gospel to many lands. Paul understood that he was a vessel for God’s Spirit to work through.
With God, all things are possible; He is looking for humble vessels that he may work through. God is not impressed with your fancy attire, eloquent speech, or theological degrees. God is looking for common people, full of faith, which he may work through. Peter, James, and John were uneducated fishermen; however, Christ chose them to be his Apostles, and to turn the world upside down. If you will put your faith and trust in God, he will use you to minister into the lives of others.Why do we so often worry about life’s problems? Does not God promise to meet our needs if we seek after him? Does not the Lord feed the birds, and clothe the lilies of the field? If we will replace fear and anxiety, with faith and thankfulness, we will know the peace and provision of the Father. If you live with a defeated attitude, you will not be useful to the kingdom of God. Faith will open the door to many blessings from God, including healings, deliverance, ministry, peace of mind, as well as many answered prayers. (Hebrews 11:1-10 ) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a [good] testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as [in] a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
(Matthew 6:25-34 ) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.
Pursuing the Fruits of the Spirit: Faith/Faithfulness, Part 6B
Written by my Husband, (Mel)
The Lord is always faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. One way to show faithfulness to the Lord is obedience. God’s Word states that God desires obedience more than sacrifices. Christ said, that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments.
It is very important to be faithful to your calling in life because the souls of men are at stake. The great commission to spread the gospel to every nation does not apply to missionaries or evangelists only, but to everyone who belongs to Christ. We are ambassadors for the kingdom of God, and it is our responsibility to let our light shine before all. Not only is our life to be an example to all, but we are also to share our faith with others as well. There are people all around us who are on their way to hell, and we may be their only lifeline. Students, co-workers, family, and friends are all people you may share your faith with. I have shared my faith with people in Wal-Mart, as well as on hiking trails. If you pray for divine appointments, God will bring people along your path. Remember the world is watching.
We also need to be faithful to God with our lifestyle. God refers to cold, or lukewarm Christians, as an adulterous bride. Jesus Christ told the church of Laodicea, that because they were lukewarm, He would vomit them out of his mouth (Revelation 3:14-22). You cannot have one foot in Christianity and the other in the world, the compromise of your faith will lead to spiritual death. Any tree, which does not bring forth good fruit, will be cut off and thrown into the fire, for without holiness no man shall see the father.
(Hebrews 12:14) Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 7:1) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
(1 Timothy 1:12) And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.
(Galatians 5:22-23) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.
(Mark 11:23-24) "For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, 'Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
What are the mountains in your life? Jesus paid the price on the cross to set you free from the evil one. By faith, speak to those mountains and tell them to be gone in Jesus' name! You have the authority by God's Holy Spirit. Faith moves the hand of God on your behalf!
So often people live their lives in fear of what could happen, or they worry about finances, or health problems, however, fear is the opposite of faith. The Lord understands that we are human, and anxiety is common to man, but he desires that we trust him with every aspect of our lives. Fear will empower the enemy in your life. If you live your life in fear, you will never have a breakthrough with God. Fear may even lead to demonic oppression. You must have faith in God that He is able to deliver and heal you to see results.
Fear also hinders many people from pursuing ministry work, because they feel they can’t accomplish the task. If the prophets and apostles had given into fear, we would not have the scriptures to guide us, and Christianity would never have spread beyond Judea.
To be useful for the kingdom of heaven, we must believe that God is bigger and more powerful than our problems or limitations. Moses had a speech problem and argued with God that he was not able to speak to Pharaoh. God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and allowed his brother Aaron to speak for him. Moses was chosen from birth to be the deliverer for the captive Hebrews, but he felt inadequate for the task. Fortunately, God did not allow Moses to give in to fear but used him to show forth His power to the entire world. Elijah feared for his life and hid in a cave, but the God of Elijah protected him, and Elijah never saw death because he was taken to heaven in a flaming chariot. The apostle Paul wrote powerful letters, but he did not impress some in person. However, this did not deter Paul from taking the gospel to many lands. Paul understood that he was a vessel for God’s Spirit to work through.
With God, all things are possible; He is looking for humble vessels that he may work through. God is not impressed with your fancy attire, eloquent speech, or theological degrees. God is looking for common people, full of faith, which he may work through. Peter, James, and John were uneducated fishermen; however, Christ chose them to be his Apostles, and to turn the world upside down. If you will put your faith and trust in God, he will use you to minister into the lives of others.
Why do we so often worry about life’s problems? Does not God promise to meet our needs if we seek after him? Does not the Lord feed the birds, and clothe the lilies of the field? If we will replace fear and anxiety, with faith and thankfulness, we will know the peace and provision of the Father. If you live with a defeated attitude, you will not be useful to the kingdom of God. Faith will open the door to many blessings from God, including healings, deliverance, ministry, peace of mind, as well as many answered prayers.
(Hebrews 11:1-10 ) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a [good] testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him,] for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as [in] a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God.
(Matthew 6:25-34 ) "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, [will He] not much more [clothe] you, O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.
Pursuing the Fruits of the Spirit: Faith/Faithfulness, Part 6B
Written by my Husband, (Mel)
The Lord is always faithful to us even when we are not faithful to Him. One way to show faithfulness to the Lord is obedience. God’s Word states that God desires obedience more than sacrifices. Christ said, that if you love Him, you will keep His commandments.
It is very important to be faithful to your calling in life because the souls of men are at stake. The great commission to spread the gospel to every nation does not apply to missionaries or evangelists only, but to everyone who belongs to Christ. We are ambassadors for the kingdom of God, and it is our responsibility to let our light shine before all. Not only is our life to be an example to all, but we are also to share our faith with others as well. There are people all around us who are on their way to hell, and we may be their only lifeline. Students, co-workers, family, and friends are all people you may share your faith with. I have shared my faith with people in Wal-Mart, as well as on hiking trails. If you pray for divine appointments, God will bring people along your path. Remember the world is watching.
We also need to be faithful to God with our lifestyle. God refers to cold, or lukewarm Christians, as an adulterous bride. Jesus Christ told the church of Laodicea, that because they were lukewarm, He would vomit them out of his mouth (Revelation 3:14-22). You cannot have one foot in Christianity and the other in the world, the compromise of your faith will lead to spiritual death. Any tree, which does not bring forth good fruit, will be cut off and thrown into the fire, for without holiness no man shall see the father.
(Hebrews 12:14) Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 7:1) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
(1 Timothy 1:12) And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.
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