FAITH - alpha

Faith: Substance and Search

1. To Trust – as a weaned child
2. To Believe – evidence unseen
3. To have Confidence or Certainty [such as Word of Faith churches]
4. To Agree – Agreement beyond our own mind will and emotion.
   - Abraham agreed with God to sacrifice Isaac. This level of agreement goes beyond the demands of a capricious god.
   - Mary agreed to “Say Yes to God “Be it unto me according to Thy Word.” (Luk_1:38). Ryle talks about three lessons here¹
   Lesson One: Never Overlook the Potential of the Ordinary “Despise not the day of small beginnings.” (Zec_4:10, NLT)

“God always does extraordinary things with ordinary stuff. Just look at what He made with dirt — YOU! How amazing is that? The Bible tells us that He made everything out of nothing. He is the CAN DO God. With Him nothing is impossible.”

• This is best applied to the “little boy's lunch” [Matt 14:17-20]
• “Most people never reach their full potential in life simply because they overlook the potential of the ordinary. If you simply start where you ARE, instead of waiting to start until you get to where you hope to go — you will become all you ever dreamed of being!”

Lesson Two: Never Under-estimate the Power of a Personal Word from God

“With God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luk_1:37)

- In order to get a better sense of what is being said, we first need to split the word into two words — as in “no thing” instead of “nothing.”

- rhema, which is translated as “thing.” It literally means “that which is spoken by a living voice.” It refers to the power that is inherent within any thing that God says.

In fact, the full meaning of the word “nothing” would look like this if translated into English — “Each and every thing God says; any and all words that proceed from His mouth; the whole of what He speaks, and not just a part, shall not under any circumstance of any sort be impossible in any way or at any time.”

Or, as the English puts it, “With God nothing shall be impossible.”

The point is both powerful, and personal. Whenever God speaks a word to your heart and places a promise upon your life — you can take it to the bank! He will do what He has said He will do.

“God said it, and it was so.” This phrase fills the first chapter of Genesis and introduces us to the God who does what He says. Even foolish Balaam had enough sense to state the obvious — “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Num_23:19).

So, then, what has God spoken to you? What promise has He made, what dream has He given, what hope has He placed in your heart? Whatever it is, know this for certain — “Each and every thing God says; any and all words that proceed from His mouth; the whole of what He speaks, and not just a part, shall not under any circumstance of any sort be impossible in any way or at any time.”

Lesson Three: Never Hesitate to Say Yes to God’s Plan for Your Life

“Be it unto me according to Thy Word.” (Luk_1:38)

-Os Guinness writes, ” Our passion is to know we are fulfilling the purpose for which we are on earth. All standards of success — wealth, power, knowledge, position, fame — grow tiny and hollow if we do not satisfy this deeper longing.”

-Nothing short of God’s will obeyed can both ground and fulfill the truest human desire for significance. And we are never happier than when we are expressing the deepest gifts and callings that are truly us.

- Abraham was called by God out of a dead religion practiced by pagans, and became the Father of Faith. He was without children until God spoke a promise. Abraham believed God and became the Father of Nations. He said yes to God.

- Moses was a stuttering stammering sheep herding Bedouin in the high deserts of Midian, when a burning bush caught his eye. Approaching the Bush, he heard a voice. That Voice spoke of great and mighty things to come. Moses answered, “Who am I?” The Voice called him out of his own sense of inability and limitations, and ushered him forth into the great drama of human history as one of the greatest and most influential men who has ever lived. He said yes to God.

- David as the runt of the litter; the eighth born son in a family where seven was enough. Last on the food chain, there was usually nothing left when his turn came along. God spoke a promise to his young heart in the isolated fields of unseen worship. He believed God and rose to become the greatest King Israel has ever known. He said yes to God.

- Mary said yes to God and rose from humble surroundings to be the mother of our Lord.

• Now it’s your turn. Whatever the situation of your life, or the circumstances in which you presently find yourself — it is never too late to say yes to God’s will for your life. He can still do the impossible with the improbable.

NEVER overlook the extraordinary potential of the ordinary! NEVER under-estimate the power of a personal word from God! And, NEVER hesitate to say yes to God’s plan for your life! These are the three great lessons we learn from a peasant girl named Mary.

With thanks to Dr. Ryle we can now go on from these Bible models of Faith. Yes, they displayed faith but it was their small faith, willingly offered, that transformed their lives.

God's faith in each one of us is Unlimited, Unconditional, and Unending.

So God believes in us, and includes us in his covenant plan. In fact, God will not act without man's participation, EVEN permission²

1Rylisms December 17

2More on this in my next blog: Prayer: Releasing Permission to ACT!