What is Faith

Author - BRAINS

What is Faith....

Dear Lord thank you for your word and the knowledge that the battle belongs to you. Thank you that we have the armour that you have provided for us for our protection. Lord where 2 or 3 are gathered together in your name you are in the midst and we ask that u bless us and open the eyes of our hearts so that we can see your message and your love. That we can learn to have faith in you completely to take everything to you in prayer and leave it with you never take it back. Amen

The battle belongs to the Lord

What does this mean? This means that we have to rely on God that he is the only one that has the power. It means that every situation in our lives is dealt with by God that we need to give all things over to God and leave them there never take them back. We have to have faith in God as the archangel Michael did.

Jud 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Angels have greater power than humans and yet even he did not try to fight the devil but instead had faith in the Lord that he would deal with this situation.

We need to realise as believers that there is an enemy out there and that the only way we are able to defeat him is to rely on God.

Remember that God is all-powerful; he is our defender and protector. We are to take the offensive not by our own power but by the power of God we do this by wearing the armour and giving everything over to God. By having childlike faith.

What is Faith?

Faith is trust. We have faith in Doctors, Police officers etc to do their duty in healing, protecting and serving us as people but humans are fallible, they make mistakes yet we rarely have faith in God who never makes mistakes.

Heb 11:1-40 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

How do we have Faith

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Also the faith we need to have is that like a child.

As I stated previously in mums and tots God is always with u.

I took sarai-jayne up the street and then we went to my parent’s house to spend time with my dad and to wait on my mother to come back from macro and as we were heading there sarai-jayne was chittering away looking at her hand. i asked her who was she talking to as she wasn't talking loud enough for her to be talking to me. her reply was I am talking to my pig and held her hand out to the side to show me.

Now of course there was no pig there in her hand but what a wonderful imagination. i asked her what she called her pig and she shrugged her shoulders and I suggested that she called it Alvin with that she was yeah and preceded to do that.

When we arrived at my parents she went into the conservatory to my father and i was busy futtering with the bags. Then when I was finished doing that and putting the kettle on i went into her and my father and I sat down. She said to me mummy you are sitting on my pig. (Opps) so I then moved, lifted this (invisible) pig, gave it a magic kiss on the head and handed it to her telling her to put it on the window ledge because someone else might sit on it because it was so tiny.

When s-j was playing with her granda and watching ziggy my dads pup and Vader my sister's pup playing in the garden she made no more mention of her pig. When mum came home we went over to Newtownards to the evangelical bookshop and bought her more psalty dvds and colouring in books on Jesus and Noah. Then we went to lunch. After lunch we went to the car and were starting to head home when s-j started to cry. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she had left her pig at her grannies house. I told her not to worry that her granda would look after it and we could get it later.

My mum dropped us off at our house and we were in the door only about 30 minutes when Neils step father arrived as he had asked me to do him a favour. While I was doing this favour for him s-j was chittering away with his and getting him to colour in with her. Then I heard her say "papa, do you like my pig" I said hunni u left your pig at grannies "it came back" she replied "did it fly home?" I asked "yes " she replied.

You know to a child Jesus is like that pig. You can't see him but you know that he is there. Although Jesus is better than the pig because you can't leave Jesus at grannies house or in the park because no matter where you go he is with you.

This is an example of how a child accepts things they do not question it as far as they are concerned it just is.

So we need to accept that when we hand things over to God that it will be dealt with.

A prime example of how leaving things in the hands of the Lord is where my husband was taken to court for stealing the copper from our old home and criminal damage. There was no evidence that he did do this and no real evidence that he did not. I took this to the Lord and asked him to deal with this and I knew that he would bring good out of the situation. When Neil left the house to go to court he said to me wish me luck. I opened my mouth to speak not really knowing what I was going to say. The words you don’t need luck as God is with you came out.

Neil phoned me at lunchtime saying that the judge had thrown the case out of court.

We are shown time and again in the bible how through faith we have empowerment by realising who God is and what he will do and what he has already done.

We also need to realise who the enemy is and that the battle is already won and that the enemy is defeated

2nd chronicles

2 Chronicles 20:16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

Jehoshaphat was afraid but in his fear he sought the lord and praised God and the spirit of the lord appeared to them and told them that they were not to fight in the battle that the battle was Gods.

The people believed and praised God they had faith that God would deal with this and God rewarded their faith by smiting the armies of Moab etc.

How do we apply this to our situations today?

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

By grace we are saved through faith.

When we accepted Jesus into our lives to be our personal saviour we did this by faith.

We need to have the same faith in God that he will deliver us from everything when we hand it over to him and don’t take it back.

We need to focus on the one that can and will deliver us all we got to do is ask him.

Remember Gods promises and that he will never break his promises to us.

Sing Gods praises we can do this with joyful hearts because we have the knowledge that God has won the battle, That God loves us.

God tells us not to stress or worry

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light

1. What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer.

2. Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

3. Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee;

thou wilt find a solace there.