ABCs of FAITH - I Can't Go Under...!

ABCs of FAITH 14

WHAT FAITH IS

For we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5: 7


FAITH IS ACCEPTING "The Integrity of the Word of God!"

Say this now and all day: I can't go under for going over!

We have talked in depth in this series about what faith is by looking at "what faith is not" by using what I call the law of contrast. Today I want to sum it up by telling you "what faith is." Understanding Bible faith is the real key to happiness and success in life. Jesus Himself said; "all things are possible to he who believes." If all things are possible, success and prosperity are possible, but, they key is to believe.


WHAT FAITH IS
Here is the essence of what faith is; Faith is accepting the integrity of the Word of God. The first thing we need to know if we are going to live by faith is that the Word of God is actually what it declares itself to be. If you see the Bible as just a book written by men, you will never have any faith. I remember back in the day when I was a full-time musician that we would stay up late and share our religious philosophies while drawing on a "blunt" (you know what I mean, if not let he that is ignorant be...LOL). We would solve the problems of the whole world when we got high enough. We discussed everything from politics to the United Nations, and of course religion. Have you ever listened to young college students discuss philosophy? Wow they can get deep...too deep (LOL). We would say; we know that man wrote the Bible, because it contradicts itself. I had actually started to believe that.

WRITTEN BY MEN, INSPIRED BY GOD
The Bible was written by men but inspired by God! It is a revelation from God to us. It is God speaking to us now. Not only is it a book of the past and a book of the future, it is also a book of now. This book is a God-breathed, God-indwelt, and a God-inspired message. Get that straight and faith will be no problem.
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12)
Moffatt's translation of this verse reads, "For the logos of God is a living thing ..." The word "quick" actually means "alive, living." The Word of God is a living thing. But it will only come alive to you as you accept it and act upon it which is faith. Faith is acting on the integrity of the Word. So we see that the first step is to accept and understand the integrity of God's Word. The Word is of foremost importance.


THE WORD IS GOD SPEAKING TO US
Sometimes folks think God hasn't spoken to them unless they have a message in tongues or prophecy. That's why we often get imbalanced with spiritual gifts or so called spiritual gifts. We want something spectacular before we will believe that God has spoken to us. THE WORD IS GOD SPEAKING TO US! This is so simple that most people miss it here and run around looking for a "word from da Lord." I have heard of false-prophets charging for prophecies. Any fool that would pay for a prophecy lacks understanding of the integrity of the Word. People often put heavy emphasis on gifts of the Spirit, but the Word of God is God speaking to us. The gifts of prophecy, tongues, and interpretation of tongues do not supersede the Word. The Word comes first. These inspirational vocal gifts are given to us to inspire us in line with the Word, but if they say something apart from the Word, it is not the Holy Spirit speaking. That person is just speaking from his or her own thinking. We must always judge these things in the light of God's Word.

FAITH ACCEPTS THE WORD AT FACE VALUE
There are those who try to read certain things into the Word because they want it to say what they believe. They are trying to fit the Word to their beliefs rather than fitting their beliefs to the Word (be careful here, most of us have done this). Some people try to overlook certain passages or explain them away. But we must accept it for what it says and walk in the light of it 100%. That's what I seek to do daily, not in a religious way, but out of love for Jesus. It is a relationship with the Word that you must develop, which is a relationship with Jesus. We must believe what the Word says, not what we think it says, that's faith. Sense knowledge will try to reason and argue with the simple truth of the Word. Faith accepts the Word at face value. As you begin to study the Word in this light, accepting it as it is, you will be amazed to learn that some of the things you have always believed are not in the Word at all. You will wonder why you believed some things the way you did. Faith will produce the desires of your heart, but you must trust the integrity of the Word. Finally brethren, here is the big question we must answer to lay the foundation in our faith life; "Is God telling us the truth or is He lying to us?" Selah...

Live Well, Live Blessed!
Bernard

PS. If you did not see our ABINADAB'S CYBER CHURCH VIDEO on Sense Knowledge Vs. Revelation Knowledge from Sunday you can view it by clicking on this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_I5W0ETfbA

Author's note:
These lessons are written "daily" like as the fresh manna fell daily in Israel. No left-overs for God's people! Often I am up late or early seeking the mind of God for the fresh Word which I seek to share. What an honor to be able to share with God's people. PLEASE, excuse me if there is an occasional typo. The fresh nature of the newsletter does not allow time for me to have them proof-read. The time is short!
Bernard