FAITH IS:
- Choosing a possibility before we can be sure that it’s the right one
- Choosing to believe before there is total proof
- Making decisions before you’ve solved all the problems
- Making commitments before you can be assured everything will work out right
- Moving ahead before you have answers to all the questions
- Taking a risk without being fully insured.
- Dumb to doubt, blind to impossible, knows nothing but success.
- Is seeing the invisible, knowing the unknowable, believing the incredible, so I can go on to achieve the impossible.
- Mental activity drawing God into our mental being until a passion of our will is motivated to action.
- An assurance that God is able to do all things.
- Faith demands separation from sin through believe in Christ being an over-comer on your behalf.
- Shines brightest in Darkness
- Obeying God’s word in spite of circumstances.
- A decision to act with a dependence upon God.
- The process of action upon glorious assumptions.
- Fear diminished by prayer.
FAITH IS LEAPING ACROSS GAPS THAT EXIST BETWEEN:
- The known and the unknown
- The proven and the unproven
- The actual and the possible
- The grasp and the reach
- The “I’ve got it” and the “I want it”
- The knowledge and the mystery
- Sin and forgiveness
- Life and death
- Time and eternity
FAITH:
F-orsaking
A-ll
I
T-ake
H-im
Enthusiasm is the food of faith
Hebrews 11
New International Version (NIV)
Faith in Action
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
6 And 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.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets,
33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.
36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.
39 These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, 40 since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.
WHEN PROOF IS POSSIBLE THEN FAITH IS IMPOSSIBLE
YOU DO NOT PROVE THE RESOURCES OF GOD
UNTIL YOU TRUST HIM FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Once you have demonstrated the ability to walk on water
Everyone wants you to trot across the lake on an errand!
INDECISION IS REALLY A DECISION
Bible search:
Faith (769 Occurrences)
http://biblesuite.com/f/faith.htm
Bible dictionary: Faith is
http://bibledictionaries.com/faith.htm
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Philippians 1:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests. Faith is the result of teaching (
Romans 10:14-17). Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes spoken of as an equivalent to faith (John 10:38; 1 John 2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that faith includes in it assent, which is an act of the will in addition to the act of the understanding. Assent to the truth is of the essence of faith, and the ultimate ground on which our assent to any revealed truth rests is the veracity of God. Historical faith is the apprehension of and assent to certain statements which are regarded as mere facts of history.
Temporary faith is that state of mind which is awakened in men (e.g., Felix) by the exhibition of the truth and by the influence of religious sympathy, or by what is sometimes styled the common operation of the Holy Spirit.
Saving faith is so called because it has eternal life inseparably connected with it. It cannot be better defined than in the words of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism: "Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel."
The object of saving faith is the whole revealed Word of God. Faith accepts and believes it as the very truth most sure. But the special act of faith which unites to Christ has as its object the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ (
John 7:38; Acts 16:31). This is the specific act of faith by which a sinner is justified before God (Romans 3:22, 25; Galatians 2:16; Philippians 3:9; John 3:16-36; Acts 10:43; 16:31). In this act of faith the believer appropriates and rests on Christ alone as Mediator in all his offices. This assent to or belief in the truth received upon the divine testimony has always associated with it a deep sense of sin, a distinct view of Christ, a consenting will, and a loving heart, together with a reliance on, a trusting in, or resting in Christ. It is that state of mind in which a poor sinner, conscious of his sin, flees from his guilty self to Christ his Saviour, and rolls over the burden of all his sins on him. It consists chiefly, not in the assent given to the testimony of God in his Word, but in embracing with fiducial reliance and trust the one and only Saviour whom God reveals. This trust and reliance is of the essence of faith. By faith the believer directly and immediately appropriates Christ as his own. Faith in its direct act makes Christ ours. It is not a work which God graciously accepts instead of perfect obedience, but is only the hand by which we take hold of the person and work of our Redeemer as the only ground of our salvation.
Saving faith is a moral act, as it proceeds from a renewed will, and a renewed will is necessary to believing assent to the truth of God (
1 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:4). Faith, therefore, has its seat in the moral part of our nature fully as much as in the intellectual. The mind must first be enlightened by divine teaching (John 6:44; Acts 13:48; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Ephesians 1:17, 18) before it can discern the things of the Spirit. Faith is necessary to our salvation (
Mark 16:16), not because there is any merit in it, but simply because it is the sinner's taking the place assigned him by God, his falling in with what God is doing. The warrant or ground of faith is the divine testimony, not the reasonableness of what God says, but the simple fact that he says it. Faith rests immediately on, "Thus saith the Lord." But in order to this faith the veracity, sincerity, and truth of God must be owned and appreciated, together with his unchangeableness. God's word encourages and emboldens the sinner personally to transact with Christ as God's gift, to close with him, embrace him, give himself to Christ, and take Christ as his. That word comes with power, for it is the word of God who has revealed himself in his works, and especially in the cross. God is to be believed for his word's sake, but also for his name's sake.
Faith in Christ secures for the believer freedom from condemnation, or justification before God; a participation in the life that is in Christ, the divine life (
John 14:19; Romans 6:4-10; Ephesians 4:15, 16, etc.); "peace with God" (Romans 5:1); and sanctification (Acts 26:18; Galatians 5:6; Acts 15:9). All who thus believe in Christ will certainly be saved (
John 6:37, 40; 10:27, 28; Romans 8:1). The faith=the gospel (
Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; Galatians 1:23; 1 Timothy 3:9; Jude 1:3).
Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language
1. (n.) Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.
2. (n.) The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth.
3. (n.) The belief in the historic truthfulness of the Scripture narrative, and the supernatural origin of its teachings, sometimes called historical and speculative faith.
4. (n.) The belief in the facts and truth of the Scriptures, with a practical love of them; especially, that confiding and affectionate belief in the person and work of Christ, which affects the character and life, and makes a man a true Christian, -- called a practical, evangelical, or saving faith.
5. (n.) That which is believed on any subject, whether in science, politics, or religion; especially (Theol.), a system of religious belief of any kind; as, the Jewish or Mohammedan faith; and especially, the system of truth taught by Christ; as, the Christian faith; also, the creed or belief of a Christian society or church.
6. (n.) Fidelity to one's promises, or allegiance to duty, or to a person honored and beloved; loyalty.
7. (n.) Word or honor pledged; promise given; fidelity; as, he violated his faith.
8. (n.) Credibility or truth.
9. (interj.) By my faith; in truth; verily.
Faith is not without worry or care, but faith is fear that has said a prayer. ~Author Unknown
Faith is like radar that sees through the fog. ~Corrie Ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord
Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. And lo, no one was there. ~Author Unknown
Faith is a passionate intuition. ~William Wordsworth
Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch. ~Ramona C. Carroll
Faith is what makes life bearable, with all its tragedies and ambiguities and sudden, startling joys. ~Madeleine L'Engle
Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith. ~Author Unknown
Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark. ~Rabindranath Tagore
Faith is raising the sail of our little boat until it is caught up in the soft winds above and picks up speed, not from anything within itself, but from the vast resources of the universe around us. ~W. Ralph Ward
Faith enables persons to be persons because it lets God be God. ~Carter Lindberg
Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel. ~Author Unknown
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~Author Unknown
EVERY DAY WE STEP OUT IT FAITH
TURNING ON THE WATER TO DRINK & CLEAN WITH
SETTING ON A CHAIR THAT HOLDS US
SETTING ON A CHAIR THAT HOLDS US
TURNING ON LIGHTS
SKY DIVING!!!
HOW AWESOME IS GOD
WE HAVE COMPUTERS
AND
PHONE WITHOUT WIRES
THAT'S HOW PRAYER AND FAITH ARE
WE CAN'T SEE THEM BUT THEY'RE STILL THERE!
MUSIC FOR YOUR SOUL'S FAITH
Disclosure: Much of what is in my posts are things I have compiled through the years and I do not know if they have copyrights. What I do know about origin or website I have tried to always post a link to the origin. I do not market anything in any way on this blog -- I merely hope it will encourage and inspire others.
4 comments:
I love the scriptures on faith, many of them have been shown to me in my trials, and so many other things in this post . Faith is definitely the substance of things hoped for and grows through prayer and listening for God's voice in my life.
PRESSING ON IS SO HARD AT TIMES!
THANK YOU BRENDA FOR YOU COMMENT!
FAITH IS THE MYSTERIOUS INTANGIBLE VICTORY THAT BRINGS GREAT JOY IF WE JUST KEEP TAKING ONE MORE STEP AT THE MOMENT WE THINK WE CAN'T!
As a young couple, I remember when we first tried to buy a home we were turned down-- that was in the 60s and banks didn't include the women's income in giving loans-- but I pressed on -- and had my employer write letters to the bank stating I was trust worthy and my job was not in jeopardy.
I pressed on and had my first child after waiting 9 years of marriage.
I've learned to have a faith that won't give up or give in when I feel God's with me in my decisions.
Philippians 3
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
May you press on to the final reward with the Lord and eternal life in spite of the trails you endure in the here and now!
God bless you!
Thank you for your blessings. I have just been reading Philipians ch. 1 and have been encouraged in the trial that I am going through at this moment to hold fast to the words that the Lord is speaking to me at this moment in time. Paul stated that he had a choice about whether he went to be with the Lord or stay to encourage others. The Lord's word has a power to bring into existence that which does not exist, they were used to create this world and everything in it and are able to prove themselves true if we believe. Even if we find it hard to believe, once we know it is the Lord speaking to us we can ask Him to help us in our unbelief. Jesus did not deny His power to heal to the one who spoke these words to Him in the Bible. I have had His words prove themselves true in trials before. He is a wonderful, loving God who wishes for us all to press on to collect the prize. God bless you too
http://www.lighthousevision.blogspot.co.uk/
Brenda,
I have read your poems and I believe you know God in a personal nearness and presence that is so very awesome--
HE SURELY LOVES AND DELIGHTS IN YOUR TRUST!
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