05 Living By Faith

FIVE

Living by Faith in God

    Everybody in this world lives by faith. The difference between the Christian and the unconverted person is not the fact of faith, but the object of faith. The unsaved person trusts himself and other .humans; the Christian trusts God. It is your faith in God that is the secret of victory and ministry. If you have any doubts that God honors faith in himself, read Hebrews 11. In fact, one of the greatest problems God has with his children is the developing of their faith.

    Satan knows this, and therefore attacks the believer’s faith. Paul’s words to the young Christians in Thessalonica illustrate the point:

1Th 3:1-7  Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone;  (2)  And sent Timotheus, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellowlabourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith:  (3)  That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.  (4)  For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.  (5)  For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.  (6)  But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you:  (7)  Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith:

1Th 3:10  Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

According to Romans 1 17, the Christians supposed to go “from faith to faith.” When you read the life of Abraham in Genesis 12—25, you see that all that God did, he did in order to perfect Abraham’s faith. It is a spiritual principle.

“Be it done to you according to your faith.” Matthew 9:29

Whenever God works in and through your life, it is always in response to faith. The thing that hinders the working of God is not his 1ack of power, but his people’s lack of faith.

And He [Jesus] did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58

And He wondered at their unbelief. Mark 6:6. This raises the important question, “How can the believer know that he is living by faith?” It is so easy for us to be fooled by our own feelings (“But it seemed right to do it!”) or by the circumstances around us, or by Satan, and his demonic powers. Are there any tests that the Christian can apply to his decisions and actions to determine whether or not he is walking by faith? Yes, there are four practical tests.

Test #1—”Am I doing this for the glory of God, or just to please myself?”

Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

Abraham and Sarah were both well past the age of having children, and yet God promised them a son. I think it was F. B. Meyer who used to say, “You never really trust God until you trust him to do the impossible.” Abraham begetting, and Sarah bearing a son would certainly be impossible apart from God.

Luk 1:37  For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

    It was not Abraham’s faith in faith that wrought the miracle; it was his faith in God. The world’s shallow philosophy “Have faith—everything will work out” is as foolish as it is ineffective. Faith in what? Certainly not faith in faith! Abraham and Sarah trusted God, and God performed what he had promised. Because he knew God, Abraham was

Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

    But it is important to notice Abraham’s motive in all of this: he gave glory to God. Faith always gives glory to God, for faith confesses that man is unable to accomplish anything and that only God can do it. Abraham and Sarah were as good as dead physically when they trusted God to work, and this is what brought glory to God.

So whenever you are about to make a decision or take a step in your Christian walk or ministry, ask yourself, “Am I doing this for God’s glory alone?” If there is any indication in your heart that sell-glory is involved, stop immediately and wait on the Lord for his direction. True faith is motivated only by the desire to glorify God.

Test #2—”A~ I rushing ahead impetuously, or am I willing to wait?” We have already learned that faith and patience always go together.

Rom 10:11  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

The quotation is from Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste [literally will not be in a hurry].

The Christian who waits for God’s leading, and waits on God’s working, will not be disappointed or ashamed. True faith is not in a hurry until God opens the way. If you find yourself impa­tiently rushing ahead of the Lord, beware! You are sure to act in fleshly unbelief instead of in true spiritual faith.

Rom 14:23  And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Test #3—”Can I defend what I am doing from the Word of God? “True faith is always grounded in the Word of God, the Bible.

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

No matter how reasonable an action may seem, if it contradicts the Word of God you cannot do it by faith. The Bible gives us precepts to obey, promises to claim, and principles to follow; but if we violate any of these, we are acting in un­belief and not in faith. Our friends may encour­age us, and circumstances may seem to favor us (Jonah found a ship waiting for him!). But if we are disobeying the Word of God, we are not acting in faith. This means that God cannot bless us or use us to bring glory to his name.

Test #4—”As I contemplate this move, do I have joy and peace within?”

Rom 15:13  Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

    Where there is true faith, the Holy Spirit is at work; and where the Spirit is at work, he will produce the fruit of hope, joy, and peace. Having the peace of God in your heart is one evidence that you are in the will of God. The peace of Christ is supposed to “rule in your hearts” (Colossjans 3:15), and that word “rule” literally means “be the umpire.” When you lose God’s peace within, you know you have somewhere detoured from the will of God.

It is in this area that the Christian must learn to distinguish between his own human emotions and the deeper work of God in his life. God never denies our emotions; he certainly can use them to accomplish his purposes. But often as we step out by faith, we experience human fears and anxieties; but if we are walking by faith, these fears will eventually be overcome by a deeper joy and peace. This is the work of the Spirit of God in response to our faith in God’s Word.

An Old Testament illustration —Genesis 16. The story is a familiar one. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but the child did not come. As she waited, Sarah became impatient; so she decided to “help God” by having her hus­band “marry” her handmaid, Hagar. This decision was perfectly legal, but it was not a step of faith. Abraham fell in with the scheme, and the result was trouble.

Now, let’s apply our “Four Tests of Faith” to the actions of Abraham and Sarah.

Did Abraham marry Hagar that he might glorify God? No, he married her to please his wife and try to “help God” fulfill his promises.

Were Abraham and Sarah willing to wait? Of course not! That was the whole problem: they ran ahead of God and made a mess out of their home.

Could they base their decision on the revealed Word of God? No, they could not. As you read the life of Abraham, you discover that God blessed and used him whenever he trusted God’s Word; but God had to chasten him every time he ran ahead of God’s Word. We do not read, “And the Word of the Lord came to Abraham, saying, ‘Take your wife’s handmaid as a wife and I will give you a son by her.’ “Their actions were not based on the Word of God.

Finally, was there joy and peace because of their decision? No, there was misery and war! Hagar fought with Sarah, and Sarah blamed Abraham, and Abraham reasoned with Sarah—until God had to step in and straighten things out. The Jewish nation is still suffering from Abraham’s mistake!

Here, then, is a practical home situation that illustrates the importance of walking by faith. Now let’s look at:

A New Testament Illustration —Acts 27. Again, we have a familiar story. The Roman government had arrested Paul and was taking him to Rome for trial. He and 275 other people were on the ship, which finally arrived at the port of Fair Havens. At this point, Paul (led by the Spirit of God) warned them not to leave port because they would be sailing into danger and destruction.

    The centurion in charge, named Julius, had to make a decision: “Do we remain in Fair Havens, or do we set sail?” After considering all the factors, Julius decided to set sail; and the result was just as Paul predicted: the ship was wrecked and it was only by the grace of God that the passen­gers’ lives were saved.

Let’s apply the “Four Tests of Faith” to the decision Julius made.

Did he seek to glorify God? No, he did not; in fact, it is likely that he was not even a believer or concerned about God’s glory. As you read the chapter, you get the impression that Julius was interested in finishing his task and getting his prisoners safely to Rome as quickly as possible.

Was he willing to wait? No, he was not. He was concerned because already “considerable time had passed” (Acts 27:9), and he would be late arriving at Rome.

Did he base his decision on God’s Word? No, he rejected the word that was given through Paul. Instead, he depended on the words of others.

Act 27:11-12  Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.  (12)  And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

Julius listened to “expert advice” (the pilot and captain), and he took a vote and followed the majority. Then “a moderate south wind came up” (Acts 27:13), and circumstances were just right for sailing! They sailed—but they soon found themselves in a storm, and Paul’s prediction came true.

Was there joy and peace because Julius acted as he did? No, there was a violent wind that lasted for two weeks, wrecked the ship, and totally destroyed the cargo. The south wind became a stormy wind; God’s Word proved true.

Satan and the “Four Tests of Faith.”

    You have probably noticed that the “Four Tests of Faith” parallel the experiences of the four persons whose confrontations with Satan we have already studied.

David did not act in faith when he numbered the people, because he did it for his own glory and not for God’s glory. Pride is an enemy of faith.

Job was tempted to become impatient with God. A willingness to wait on the Lord is an evidence of true faith. Impatience means unbelief.

Eve disobeyed the Word of God when she ate of the tree. True faith is always based on the Word of God.

Joshua had no joy and peace in his heart, because he was suffering under Satan’s accusations. True faith brings joy and peace through the Holy Spirit.

This means that you and I must be careful to use the defenses God has given to us. Otherwise, Satan will weaken and discourage our faith and tempt us to stop trusting God. If we seek the glory of God; if we patiently wait on God; if we follow the Word of God;. and if we enjoy God’s joy and peace within, then we can be sure we are living by faith and defeating Satan.