Faith: Promises Fulfilled!

Faith. It is a word we hear and use a lot! It is a word which occurs nearly 250 times in scripture; with all but two of the occurrences in the New Testament. Faith in God acknowledges His goodness, His power and His purposes. It is a complex and simple concept that is the vehicle which delivers life to us (Galatians 3:14). All of the promises of God are fulfilled by the faith of Christ which restored to us a possibility of fellowship with God.
Faith is a perfect picture of Christ's title: the Alpha and the Omega. Jesus is our all in all; He authors our faith, He empowers us to live in faith and He completes our faith. Faith is both an individual possession -- a gift from God Himself -- and it is a collective possession of those who are co-heirs with Jesus Christ. All that we have and are is of Him and in Him. Faith is an example of the scripture which says we see through a glass darkly, for it is a concept beyond our limited comprehension.

Rather than give you more of my words to explore this precious aspect of our inheritance, I offer you this collection of scripture. May you take the time to look them up, read their context and soak in them! It will bless your soul. It is not an exhaustive list; perhaps you will print it and add to it...and offer those insights back here as a comment! Blessings to each of you.


FAITH IS:

• an individual possession (Colossians 2:5 and referenced often by Jesus in the Gospels)

• a shared and unified possession (Ephesians 2:5; 4:5,13)

• necessary to please God (Hebrews 11:6)

• a gift from God (Hebrews 12:3)

• a gift with a purpose – soul salvation (1 Peter 1:9)

• authored by Christ (Hebrews 12:2)

• commanded by Christ (Mark 11:22)

• a tool in the purification of our hearts (Acts 15:9)

• a part of salvation (Luke 7:50)

• to be added to that it will produce in our lives and others (2 Peter 1:5-8)

o without love it is nothing (1 Cor 13:2)

o without Christ’s victory it is useless (1 Cor 15:14)

o without works it is dead (James 2:17)

• completed by Christ’s work (Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 12:2)

• victorious (1 John 5:4,5)

• able to falter AND to be strengthened (Luke 17:5; 22:32)

• subject to trying (James 1:3)

• is a foundation for living (Col 2:7)

• is a source of strength (Acts 3:16)

• is to be battled for (Jude 1:3)

• is to be kept by the saints (2 Tim 4:7; Rev 14:12)

Peace!

First my confession...you may have noticed I missed my usual entry last Saturday and I have not written for the blog this AM either.  I do plan to get back on schedule but for today I am sharing a piece written a while ago.  I hope it blesses you!

Peace is not the absence of conflict—what a revelation to me! That simple statement opened my eyes to see the ugly idol I had served my entire life: the idol of “NO CONFLICT.” From the little girl begging her daddy not to argue with mom anymore to the co-worker who soothed all the ruffled feathers to the mother who cajoled, threatened and begged for peace, the idol was the same. The deceitful promise of ‘fake peace’ brought only frustration and a need for peace that remained unfulfilled. Understanding peace was the open door to receiving the blessing of the peace only Jesus Christ can give.


The absence of conflict without peace is a costly endeavor. It is an unloving, selfish pursuit which places little value on individuals and no value on relationships. It is a pursuit which masquerades under several aliases and catch phrases…”Live and let live!” “Be yourself.” “Be tolerant”. Yet it is all lies from the Father of Lies. Everyone loses when the Destroyer deceives. Individuals are not treasured or loved…they are disposable and replaceable. Relationships are shallow and meaningless. Fake peace is the antithesis of Christ’s ministry of reconciliation. It robs both the children of God of their inheritance in Christ, and it robs the very glory of God from our world because the sacrifices fake peace requires are the essence of God…truth, integrity and love.

God’s love for us and the extent of His willingness to suffer that we might return to relationship with Him must be our heart’s sole focus. The devil prowls about counterfeiting the Father’s treasures, yet Satan’s phonies offer only heartache and suffering. We must give our needs to the Lord and trust Him to give us the desires of our heart. We can never substitute the desires of our heart for worship and trust in Him or else even our good desires become idols. True peace, true unity of hearts can not be achieved with anything less than loving sacrifice…otherwise Jesus Christ would not have needed to make that tremendous sacrifice of Himself for you and me. God promised in Genesis to crush the head of the serpent. If you, like me, have had an idol exposed, allow God to crush it. Only then will we be free to sacrifice to the one true God and experience the fullness of the blessed inheritance we have in Jesus Christ.

Courage!

So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God. Isaiah 41:10



Isn’t that a wonderful promise to rest upon?! The world is a place which generates fear and dismay on many fronts. Trust in anyone or anything other than God is sure to lead us into crisis. Yet, ‘do not fear’ is a common assurance throughout scripture – to God’s people. While warnings and admonitions abound for those who do not choose to follow God, comforts and promises proliferate for those who serve Him. There is nothing we need to fear when we walk with Jesus as our Lord and Master. Difficulties arise when we choose to go our own way or follow idols. Lives submitted to Jesus Christ have peace and safety. Seek the presence of the Lord and enjoy His protection.