Romans 1:17b says, “...The just shall live BY FAITH.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “(For we walk BY FAITH, not by sight :)”
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now FAITH is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without FAITH it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
1 John 5:4 says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world (situations and circumstances), even our FAITH.”
Last week we looked at some of the benefits of supernatural faith. This week we are going to look at some other benefits of faith.
8. FAITH BRINGS YOU TO A PLACE OF REST, WHICH GOD HAS PREPARED FOR HIS PEOPLE. Faith brings rest to your soul.
Lack of trust in God will always prevent you from entering His rest. In Hebrews 4:1-11 the Bible says, “God’s promise of entering His place of rest still stands, …10For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labours, just as God rested after creating the world. 11Let us do our best to enter that place of rest. For anyone who disobeys God, as the people of Israel did, will fall.”
From Hebrews 4:11b we can see that anyone who does not believe what God has said in His Word concerning his/her situation will never enter into His rest. You enter into the rest of God when you truly believe the promise of God concerning your situation. And when you believe in this manner you will see the manifestation of the expected results. For instance, when Jesus cursed the fig tree, He believed that what He said was going to happen. And the very next day, they saw the manifestation.
Some did not enter the resting place of God because of unbelief. When you don’t believe God for what He has said in His Word concerning your situation, fear, worry and anxiety will take over and bring complete unrest to your soul.
“So we see that they were not allowed to enter His rest because of their unbelief” (Heb. 3:19).
And if you don’t enter His rest, you can never see the manifestation of what God has promised in His Word concerning that your aching situation.
For instance, you say you are trusting God for your healing and yet your trust is truly in the tablets the medical doctor prescribed for you and not in His Word which says, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:14-16).
1 Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live unto righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.”
In other words you believe that that physical tablet is more powerful than the Almighty God who is Omnipotent.
You say you are trusting God for your finances and yet you are worrying how you are going to pay your bills.
You say you are trusting God for protection when you go to bed at night, but in reality you can’t sleep because you believe that the thieves must attack you in the night.
One minute you confess that the Word of God is immutable, that He watches over His Word to perform it (Jer. 1:12), and the next moment you are cancelling all that you have confessed, through your actions. Your actions will perfect your faith.
In James 1:5-8 the Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
In other words, if you need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.
In Matthew 21:22 the Bible says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."
Listen beloved, rest for your soul is a promise from God. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
In Isaiah 26:3 the Bible says, “God will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him. Why? Because he trusts in Him.”
Psalms 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
They that put their trust in the Lord shall never be confounded; they shall never be disgraced; they shall never be disappointed; they shall never be put to shame; but they shall be like mount Zion that shall never be moved forever (Ps. 125:1-2).
Therefore, if you want to enjoy the benefits of faith, you must choose to obey God by taking Him at His Word and acting on whatever He has said. Increase your faith by attending to God’s Word with all diligence.
In Proverbs 25:2 the Bible says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.”
That is to say, it is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them. You have the right to discover the things that God concealed in His Word through a diligent study of the Scriptures. The knowledge you acquire will fuel your confidence in Him. This knowledge will lead to faith in Him.
In 2 Timothy 1:12 Paul said, “I know Whom I have believed and I am persuaded [convinced] that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”
9. YOU TAP THE WONDER-WORKING POWER OF GOD TO YOUR SITUATION BY FAITH.
It is your faith that makes you whole. Jesus has already released all the power you need to handle any situation in life. But you are the one that will draw the required power to yourself. It is your faith that places a demand on and draws the power of God to your situation. And that power is more than enough to destroy the yoke of bondage in your life.
Examples include the case of the woman with the issue of blood (Mk. 5:25-34). It was this woman’s faith that made her whole.
Another example is the case of blind Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46-52). It was Bartimaeus’ faith that made him whole (v. 52).
Another example is Abraham (Rom. 4:17-25). Abraham was childless. In spite of the obvious situation confronting him, he believed in hope against hope. He simply tapped the wonder-working power of God into his situation by faith and the yoke of childlessness was destroyed. Abraham linked up with the invisible hand of the Omnipotent God through faith and virtue was instantly released into his situation. Isaac came forth.
Therefore, if you want to enjoy the benefits of faith, you must choose to obey God by taking God at His Word and acting on whatever He has said. Increase your faith by regularly attending to God’s Word with all diligence.
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
• Your friend: I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor) 09.11.2019
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