Monday, September 15, 2008

Learning to Walk By Faith

If you ever want to advance in the kingdom of God you must learn to live by faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "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."

When we desire to walk in alignment with God's word, oftentimes it stretches us beyond our comfort zone; it messes with our feelings of security. If you ask many Christians who moved out in faith, they will tell you that being obedient to God didn't make much sense to their natural minds.

If we review several incidents in scripture, we find that Jesus told his disciples to lower their fishing nets again after a whole day of catching nothing, he told them to distribute several fish and loaves of bread to 5000 hungry people, he told a wedding party to fill barrels with water so that he could turn them into wine, and he caught a fish that had money in its mouth to pay taxes. These all took acts of extreme faith.

I remember many years ago when I was hurting financially. I had actually run out of money but I was wholeheartedly serving the Lord. This particular Sunday I actually became a little angry with God. I went into my room, closed the door, and started challenging God. I reminded him of what his Word said, that He promised to meet my needs and that the righteous weren't suppose to be begging for food. I told him that I was keeping my end of the bargain by serving Him the best way I knew how, so why was I in this situation. Well what happened next blew my mind. I opened by dresser drawer to pull out a blouse for church and underneath the blouse was six twenty dollar bills. I know you may be thinking that I just forgot they were there, but that's not it. I went into that drawer everyday and if the money had been there, I would have seen it. I believe it was my faith and standing on God's promises that caused this financial miracle.

In order to grow in our Christian walk, God challenges us to take steps that may be uncomfortable. Or, if we are praying and believing God to move in a particular area, He may ask us to do something that seems completely unrelated. Sometimes we wait and wait for God to move, but He's waiting for us to move first. It wasn't until the children of Israel put their first foot in the water that the sea began to part. It wasn't until Moses hit the rock that the water came gushing out. It wasn't until they entered the promise land that God defeated their giants. Our acts of faith motion the hand of God.

Study the promises of God and incorporate them into your life. Because God said it, it's already true, it's a spiritual law that cannot return void. That means if you apply it, it must come true, just like a tossed ball must come down. If you are not speaking and applying God's promises to your life by faith, you are missing out on a whole lot of rewards.

There is power in the name of Jesus. It is the name that is above every name. In the name of Jesus we can heal the sick, cast out demons, and take in deadly substances without being harmed. Jesus said that if we have the faith of only a mustard seed, we could move mountains in our life. God wants us to trust him and believe him at his word. In Malachi, he told us to test him.


Sometimes we confuse having faith with "having faith in God." In other words, when we are believing for a certain outcome, God wants our faith to me in Him to "work all things out for our highest good and not just faith itself.

Speaking in the authority of the name of Jesus and with just a little bit of persistent faith, just think what God can do you your life? If this is added to abiding with Christ as branches abide with the vine, Jesus said we can ask for whatever we want, and God is obligated to do it. God knows that when we are in alignment with Him, we will be asking for the right stuff. With faith and patient, we inherit the promise. That's why I said persistent faith.


What has God put on your heart? What desires remain unmanifested in your life? What dream have you given up on? Don't be like the rich young ruler who walked away sad because he couldn't part with his material goods? His lack of faith in God's promises and faithfulness caused him to miss out on greater rewards than he could have imagined. What might you be holding onto that is interfering with God's blessings and promises pouring into your life? Did God say he would do exceedingly abundantly above what we could ask for, imagine, or think? Yes, but it requires faith in Him even when we can't see the way. It may require sacrifice now for blessings later. You can rest assured because God gives us a faith clause in Matthew 19:29, "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.

During your prayer time, ask God what areas in your life are lacking in faith. Do some reflecting over past decisions to see if you took the security route instead of the faith route. This probably caused you some inner conflict or sadness. Spend some time in silence and meditating on the Lord to see if God is guiding you down a new and different path. Make a commitment to walk in faith, apply God's promises to your life, and use the name of Jesus to overcome your mountains. Integrate your faith with patience and persistence. The Bible tells us to speak those things as if they already happened. See your circumstances, spouse, children, business, boss, etc., the way you want them to be, not the way they currently exist. Speak God's powerful and life changing words into the mix. Walk by faith and not by sight. Begin today.

Rhonda Jones is the author of 23 Christian meditation and affirmation Cds. Visit her award-winning website at http://www.thechristianmeditator.com. Sign-up for her Free Spiritual Growth Eseries, 18 Weeks to More Peace, Joy, and Intimacy with God. Copyright Serenity Enterprises.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

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