The Faith Factor

Our Scripture teaches us that Christians walk by faith and not by sight. Faith will never fail you but sight will blind you to the possibilities in God. In other words looking a life and circumstances through your natural eyes/vision weakens your ability to believe God and take him at his word. The author here is teaching on faith because, like today, there were many who professed faith in Christ but in hard times they “turned back”, gave up, walked away, threw in the towel, quit the church, left the ministry, gave up on hope, got angry with God...

A true believer may possess the faith to keep going, when everything in them says to quit. Real faith speaks to circumstances as Job did when he lost everything. Job said, though the Lord slay me yet will I trust in Him. I’m convinced that the Lord has me on assignment to help take back your faith, increase your faith, and take your faith walk to the next level. The enemy may have had you down but I declare that the Word of the Lord is about to lift you up. I decree you will not give up. You will not turn back. You will not quit. You will put on the whole armor of God and stand against the tricks of the adversary. And after you’ve done all that you can do to stand, you’re going to keep standing by faith with your head held high and a word in your mouth that says, “I believe that my God is able”.

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The Foundation of Faith in God is Faith in Jesus Christ - The Messiah

A relationship with God has to be one that is founded upon faith not facts, not figures, not philosophies. Not worries, not man, not power, not popularity, not resources, not anything in heaven or on earth. A relationship with God has to be founded upon and lived by faith.

First of all, you cannot have faith in God without having faith in Jesus. Jesus is the only way to the Father. And as Jesus said in the Scripture, “If you don’t have me you don’t have the Father. He said in (NKJV)

7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jesus is using an illustrating of sheep coming out of the pasture, through a door/gate of a resting place for safety as the night falls upon them. In other words, Jesus is the door way and we are the sheep. And the only way to safe passage from the wolves, darkness, and evil of this world in through Him. The only way to eternal life is through Him. You cannot have faith in God without first having faith in Jesus Christ - Son of the Living God!

Jesus Laid the Foundation of our Faith

The Old Testament Prophet Isaiah foretold of Jesus coming and that He would be the foundation on which all men were to be saved. That he would be the rock on which our faith could stand. He said in (NKJV) “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily. Isaiah is not talking mineral stones of the earth but a living stone and living Rock in Jesus Christ. He is the foundation of our faith. Teaching to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul says, “For no other foundation can anyone lay that which was laid which is Jesus Christ.”

A Cornerstone in Zion

16 Therefore thus says the Lord God:

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation,

A foundation is the support system for building anything. The foundation determines standing power, survival power, resistance power, building power. Jesus is our support system whereby we build our faith in God, our trust in God, our belief in God. It is by His bloodshed on the cross that we are saved. It is by his sacrifice that we have power to overcome the world and the adversary therein.

A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;

Whoever believes will not act hastily.

There is not other name in heaven and earth whereby men are saved from their sins but the name of Jesus Christ. For He humbled himself and became a servant of God even unto death. And God has given him a name above all names that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord.

It’s Important to Know What Faith Is

Faith is a conviction that I can have what I believe regardless of the facts. Faith is the evidence that I receive what I hope for and the expectation of things that have not manifest in my live. Faith is a confident and committed attitude specifically in God, his Christ, and His Word...Faith in God is a confident expectation of the things that we cannot see. Our text says, “By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” When you possess faith, you believe and expect the plan of God to happen in your life even when you cannot see it in the natural. As you speak and declare God word over your situation, it is a witness to Heaven and Earth that you already have what you say. Faith causes what is invisible to our senses to manifest in our lives. It reaches out and grabs what we cannot see and causes our soul to testify that it shall be so in our lives. Faith is the evidence that I trust and believe God will do it.

The Formula of Faith- Part II (, Hebrews 11:1-3,6)

Faith is the realization of the things hoped for and the expectation of things not seen. Faith is a confident and committed attitude specifically in God, his Christ, and His Word...Faith in God is a confident expectation of the things that we cannot see. There is a formula to faith...

Belief - Belief is a conviction of your reality. Belief has to have information in order for it to exist. The Scripture says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. As we hear the Word of God we believe the word of God. When we believe the Word of God we have a testimony of faith in His word. We must then believe in order to receive.

Endurance - The Apostle Paul said to the young Evangelist Timothy, “Endure hardness like a good soldier”. Endurance is a indication of confidence. The author of Hebrew is emphasis endurance because his the people displayed a lack of it. When you endure you remain persistent in unfavorable circumstances. Jesus is our example of endurance. The Scripture teach us that Jesus, “endure the cross-despising the same”. He remained persistent in unfavorable circumstances. They took him bound from the Garden of Gethsemane but He was remained persistent...

Patience - In 10:36, the author speaks of patience. Patience is another element of faith. Here the Greek word for patience means “waiting endurance”. It means to wait with perseverance. I’m talking about the kind of faith that can wait through a storm. Wait through adversity. Tough it out and still proclaim that the Lord is good. Let me take you deeper. The Hebrew verb kindred to this word is translated “wait for it”. Faith says GOD I CAN WAIT FOR IT...

Expectation - expectation means to eagerly await as one who anticipates…one definition of anticipate is a visualization of a future state or event… A second definition is to spend money before you actually get it. Think of this in the form of a line of credit...

Faith is how we please the Father

It’s not question that we please the Father by our obedience. Yet faith precedes obedience. We are faithful unto obedience. Faith is how we please the Father. Listen, I love the Lord. He heard my cry. And all I want to do is please Him. I know that you want to please Him. He is our King. And I want to please His Majesty. He is the Creator of the Universe. He is the Giver and Sustainer of Life. He is High and Lifted Up. Heaven is His throne and Earth is His stool. If you want to please your King, walk out his will by faith until what He has destined for you comes to pass.

It pleases the Father to see you healed. It pleases the Father to see you overcome your challenges. It pleases the father to see your prosper by faith. It’s impossible to please Him without faith, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. The word “come” here implies companion or friend. , the Scripture records that the Lord would descend on the tabernacle of Meeting and talk with Moses face-to-face as one would talk with a friend. He who is to become a companion or friend of God must first believe that God is a real as a human friend. When you know that He’s real enough to love you. He’s real enough be present with you. He’s real enough to be there for your every need. Then you are in the right place in your faith. This kind of faith open the flood gates of God’s blessings, destiny and favor on your life.

The Reward of Faith

The Baker-’s Bible dictionary defines reward as “benefit or favorable compensation”…Are your here? I have no problems with my benefits and favorable compensation coming from the Lord. What the Lord gives is good. It will remain. Your heavenly father and my heavenly father rewards faith. God will supernaturally release into your hands your life that in which you faithfully believe Him for. give us a record of people like you and I who were rewarded for their faith. The entire objection of faith in God is the reward- the expected outcome. says that God has a plan for you. One that is good and not evil. A plan to prosper you and to give you a future and an expected end. That plan is the reward of faith. We cannot never be who were are destined and purposed to be in life without faith in God. We can never tap in to divine calling, healing, and manifestation without belief that our God is able.

Salvation is a reward of faith. Healing is a reward of faith. Peace is a reward of faith. Divine inheritance is a reward of faith. Prosperity and wholeness is a reward of faith. A good marriage is a reward of faith. A successful business is a reward of faith. Open reward is designed to show God’s faithfulness. Jesus, when teaching on prayer, said, “when you pray in secrete your heavenly father who sees in secrete will reward you openly.” Don’t be afraid of open reward. Don’t shrug back from open reward. Be bold and confident about God openly rewarding you.

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him away - open reward

By faith Noah built the Ark, when their was no rain to the saving of his household. Noah walked with God. Noah pleased God. He is the first man in the Old Testament to inherit righteousness from God. - open reward.

When you walk with God. When you please God. God will reward you openly. There is a reward on the other-side of your next act of faith. Do you want it?

The Fight of Faith - Part III

I Timothy 6:10-12

Jesus never said that living by faith would be easy. To the contrary, he has always taught that faith is actually a fight. Life is filled with battles, challenges, and fights. They come in many shapes and sizes. They orginate from diverse sources. They’re unpredictable, uncontrollable, and even sometimes unmanageable. Life by faith is one of those fights. Its not easy believing against the odds and adversaries of your journey. It is even more difficult when you live according to the Word of God. Because your faith walk is a testimony to the world that God is real and He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him but the devil doesn’t want to see God get the glory or you get the reward. He doesn’t want lives changed and souls saved. So he will assault and attack the believer with a multitude of temptations and selfish thoughts in order to silence praise, shift you adn I out of the will of God, and dim the Christian light. By any means necessary, he would love to destroy the Christian witness. Christ defeated him on the cross. He is a defeated foe! You and I already have the victory. All we need to do is holdfast to our faith in Jesus Christ.

In our tesxt Paul is teh mentor and he is rasiing up on eo f his son’s in the faith, namely Timothy. Timothy is a young Evangelist /Pastor and Paul is preparing him for the ups and downs of sering the most High God. He teaches Timothy to combat teh temptations of the flesh and teh enemy with contentment. Paul says to Timothy, “ “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Learn the Power of Contentment

Paul goes on to say, “ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Humanity has not changed neither has satan’s tricks. The love of many was a issue thousands of years ago in Paul’s day and the love of money is an issue today. The more we put materialism before Godly contentment, the more we worry about live. The more we doubt the word of God. The more we fall away from faith. And live a life of worry, fear, and unbelieve.

I want to urge you today the way Paul urged Timothy. He said to Timothy, “But you, Oman of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, adn gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life. In other words, “PUT GOD FIRST...FLEE MATERIAL THINGS AND PURSUE SPIRITUAL THINGS”…

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jesus taught the disciples this same principle of fleeing and pursuing. The disciples were concerned about THINGS - daily provision, food and clothing, shelter and more…Jesus told them in , “Seek first the kingdom of God and His rightousness (way of living) and ALL THESE THINGS will be added unto you.” Beloved don’t get caught up in pursuit things; get caught up in the pursuit of God.

You Have A Race to Run

Your faith walk is a race to destiny. It’s a race to fulfill what God has in store for you. It’s a race to finish well in Jesus name. Just say to yourself right now, “I’m going to finish well”. In , the Aposlte Paul uses the metaphor of a runner in a competitive race to bring light and emphasis to our spiritual walk of faith. He compares a runner striving for the crown medal with Christian spiritual walk to obtain the crown at the end of their journery. He writes to the church at Corinth, “ (NKJV) 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

Obtain here means to win!…May I say that you CAN WIN!...

Striving for a Crown

25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things.

24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Temperate means “practices self-CONTROL”. Discipline is the key to overcoming temptation. Train your flesh into obeying the Word.

There is a Crown in Your Future

Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

Faithful Believers understand that talking the talk is not enought but you have to walk the walk to please God and run your race. Listen, it’s about loving God in the midst of the trial. The Scripture says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive lthe crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”

In politics the media will often give a candidate or official “approval rating”. I’m not trying to obtain man’s approval rating. I’m trying to obtain God’s approval rating. Are you ready to take the Father’s Approval Rating of race to the next level?

Can I tell you that YOU CAN WALK IT OUT!!...

Can I tell you that YOU CAN WALK IT OUT!!…

Faith vs. Facts - Part IV

The facts of live can often be unfavorable. When a spouse walks out of the marriage for someone else- that’s an unfavorable fact. When the companies calls for a lay-off and just when you thought you were safe you get a pink slip and a severance package-that’s an unfavorable fact. When the doctor’s reports comes back positive for a brain tumor-that’s an unfavorable fact. When the child you love chooses not to love you back the way you hoped-that’s an unfavorable fact. Life’s full of unfavorable facts. But faith looks into the storm of facts and causes you to believe that God is in the facts with you.

Faith Will Be Tested

say, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

When your faith is being tested there is a divine production under construction. This is why we rejoice. Because we come out on the other sided of the trial a better person when we rejoice along the way. Rejoicing is not easy when the facts are stacked against you but when you are mature enough to say, Lord whatever the outcome, I’ll be content.” You will praise Him anyhow!!

Profiting from Trials

But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The true proof of faith is faith that has been tested, put under a microscope, and tried by the fires of life. Beloved, your faith will be tested. But if you can learn to rejoice in suffering. If you can learn to praise in problems. If you can learn to hope when God says nope. I promise you, you’ll come out as pure as gold.

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The true proof of faith is faith that has been tested, put under a microscope, and tried by the fires of life. Beloved, your faith will be tested. But if you can learn to rejoice in suffering. If you can learn to praise in problems. If you can learn to hope when God says nope. I promise you, you’ll come out as pure as gold.

Don’t allow your tests, mockers, and demonic attack to cause you to think that something strange or foreign is happening to you as if you are cursed. Find a hiding place in God and praise you way through. The Apostle Peter wrote, “ (NKJV) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

YOU OUGHT TO SIT AROUND THE CAMPFIRE OF YOUR TROUBLE GIVING GOD PRAISE!

6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

CAN I TELL YOU THAT YOUR LIGHT AFFLICTION, WHICH IS BUT FOR A MOMENT, IS WORKING FOR YOU A FAR MORE EXCEEDING AND ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY…YOUR BLESSING IS BIGGER THAN YOUR BURDEN!

Look To Jesus for Encouragement

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Bible teaches us to look at Jesus for encouragement in our faith walk . says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Race of Faith

Hebrews 12:1–2 NKJV

What do WE Learn when we look at Jesus

12 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is the foundation of our faith walk and he will bring us through

He endured the suffering of the cross with joy

He rejected the shame of his suffering on the cross

He finished his race well

He recieved his reward

You Will Finish

God has a plan for your life. Will you finish?

By faith Enoch walked with God until he was no more- will you finish

By faith Noah built an Ark to teh saving of his family- will you finish

By faith Abraham obeyed God when he was called to go to a land that God would show him- will you finish

By faith Sarah, bore a child when she was past child bearing age - will you finish.