God’s Provision Comes By Faith (Part II)
What Is Faith?
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews.11:1) This scripture has always been accepted as the definition of faith in which I agree, but even more-so it offers a working definition of the operation of faith. Faith is belief in God’s wisdom, trusting in his counsel, and resting in his love. Faith is acting on what you believe. Faith is expecting to receive what God has promised and faith is to become who God has purposed you to be (enjoying all his benefits, as citizens of the kingdom). To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them (Psalm103:18). Now faith is the substance– (tangibility, materiality) of things hoped for. This has to do with the physical world, in which one can see, feel, and touch and that by which one can be seen, felt, and touched. This is the acquisition and gratification of the desires of the heart as it pertains to what God desires for our lives. The evidence of things not seen is (proof!) of that which is not perceived by the senses (things that are of another dimension, the spirit world or realm /Spirit vs. Senses). That which is manifest in the flesh had a spiritual and eternal existence first.
Faith is the method by which to obtain the goal of hope. Hope is the goal, it is obtained by faith. If there is no hope, there is no need for faith. The word says, who against hope believed in hope(Romans 4:18) or we hope with hope. One has to believe in hope, to be able to hope. By the same token, one has to have faith in faith in order to exercise faith and be faithful. I’m not talking about your personal faith just being faithful is not enough. One can be faithfully wrong, or faithfully mislead. Your faith has to be in the one who is faithful, Jesus! The word says he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, if we ask, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness(I John 1:9).He who haspromised is faithful(Hebrews 10:23b). Because he has promised we have hope. The word says that Jesus is our hope of glory(Colossians1:27). Without Jesus we have no hope, without hope there’s no need for faith. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. Standing on the promises of Christ my king-Through eternal ages let his praises ring-Glory in the highest-I will shout and sing, standing on the promises of God!
He has given us all things pertaining to life(II Peter 1:3). All the promises of God are yes and Amen! (II Corinthians 1: 20) We areheirs to the promise of Abraham by faith (Galatians 3:29). What did he promise? He promised to be our God, if we would keep his covenant(Exodus 19:5). He promised to give rest(Deuteronomy 25:19). He promised to never leave nor forsake us(Hebrews 13:5). He promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, to comfort, teach, lead, and guide(John14:26). He promised eternal life. He promised peace. He promised blessings for obedience(Deuteronomy 28: 1-6). He’s not a man that he should lie nor the son of man that he should repent(Numbers23:19). The two immutable things of God are he cannot lie, and hechangeth not(Hebrews 6:18). He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever more. His word sent forth shall accomplish the thing to whichhe has purposed and shall not return unto him void(Isaiah 55:11). He is obligated to perform his word. He cannot separate himself from his word. The word of God is God. In the beginning was the word, andthe word was with God and the word was God(John 1:1). His covenant he will not alter (Psalm 89:34). If he said it, you might as well believe it, and that settles it. It shall come to pass, it will manifest. God said he knows the thoughts that he has toward us; they are thoughts of peace and not evil, to prosper us and give us a future, and an expected end. We don’t know, but God knows.
Here’s the problem, the reason it is so hard for us to operate in Faith! You see it’s the unknown, the unknown is the unseen. It’s beyond sight! This messes us up, we want to see where we are going, not only that, we want to know where we’re going and all the details. The Bible says, “We walk by faith and not by sight.” (2 Corinthians5:7) It is a paradox, a mystery. The word says we have eyes to see but cannot see. We have ears to hear but cannot hear(Ezekiel 12:2). Eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for them that love him(1 Corinthians 2:9). We know that seeing is believing, but can you believe what you can’t see? The bible says that a man hopeth not for what he sees. If you can see it, it’s already manifest, there’s no need to hope. We can’t see Jesus, but we believe Jesus, and because we believe Jesus, we have hope and because of hope we have faith.
Faith is the substance (tangible, material) of things hoped for, the evidence (proof) of things not seen (not perceived by the senses). Jesus said to have faith in God(Mark 11:22). The Bible says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal powerand Godhead;” (Romans 1:20).The things that are invisible are more real than those which are visible. The things that are invisible are eternal. They are beyond sight. We serve an invisible God, the creator and sustainer of life who made all that was made. What we see in this tangible, material world are only types and shadows, patterns of things in heaven. Faith allows us to transcend the physical, tangible, material world or dimension to enter the invisible, infinite, spiritual, eternal realm of Heaven. There we can make a connection with our hope, our eternal hope, Jesus, For he ever lives to make intercessionfor us(Hebrews 7:25). Salvation, divine healing, prosperity and eternal life are beyond our sight, but faith is evidence (proof) of things not seen. We can’t see it, but we believe it, and we receive it, and we live it. We don’t have to pray for what God has already done. We need to acknowledge it, accept it, and live it. It’s a done deal, a finished work. We need to start living from the inside out, instead of the outside in. Instead, of letting everything on the outside affect and sickened and trouble you on the inside – You need to let that on the inside fix, correct, rebuke, heal, and destroy the works of the devil on the outside. For greater is he that is within you than he that is in the world(1 John 4:4). The Apostle Paul said, “it is no more I that live, but Christ that lives inside” (Galatians 2:20). You already got it, you’re already saved, and you’re already healed. You have an inheritance, you’re a child of the King, a (King’s kid). You’re an heir and joint heir together with Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:17) If one could see tomorrow or the future, there would be no need for faith. God told Abraham to leave his family and kindred and go to a place that he would show him. Faith is a mind-set, an attitude, life-style, trust, and commitment. Blessed is the man whose trust is in the Lord! (Jeremiah 17:7)For we walk by faith and not by sight(2 Corinthians 5:7). AMEN !