Faith
Bible Study by Al Lester
The Bible makes it very clear to every believer that without active Faith you cannot please God.
” But without Faith it is impossible to please Him for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews ll:6)
God has given each of us a measure of faith when we receive Jesus as our Savior.
…“God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3
This gift of faith God has given us grows by hearing the Word of God.
“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”(Romans 10:17)
“The just shall live by Faith” (Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Hab. 2:4)
“We live by faith and not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7
Faith is the key that unlocks the promises of God. The promises of God have your every need covered. But without active faith you stay God’s hand to bless you.
That is why we cannot please our loving Heavenly Father unless we walk by Faith.
God’s Word is our faith-builder. Our desire, above all else, and our highest motive to walk by faith is not primarily to get things, but to please God.
“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1)
God wants us to trust Him to meet our every need. We need to stop using our head (our own understanding) and start using our faith. God knows us and He has a plan for our life.
The patience of faith is the bridge that carries us from the will of God to the promises of God. As we all know, bridges can come in different lengths and God knows the length of our bridge. Sometimes we see the results of our faith in just a few steps and other times it seems as if we will never get there. Look at Abraham!
Even tho’ he was a 100 years old God told him he would be a father. The Bible tells us ,”he considered not his own body”. Abrahams limitations and yours and mine are nothing to God. Abraham “was strengthened in his faith and kept giving glory to God” (Romans 4: 18-21)
“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘this is impossible but everything is possible with God’” (Matt. 19:26, Moffat)
“For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise” (Heb. 10:1)
“…the testing of our faith develops patience” (James 1:3
God is faithful to his every promise and as we stand in the patience of faith let’s just praise God for what he is going to do.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask we know that we have the petition that we have asked of him” (I John 5:14-15)
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb.12:2)
“So Jesus answered and said to them “Have faith in God. For assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes, that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them. and you will have them.’” (Mark 11:22-24)
Paul describes the Spirit of Faith. “But since we have the same Spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke. We also believe and therefore speak.” (2 Cor 4:13)
Faith rests in the powerful confidence that God in His own time place and manner will bring our petition to fulfillment.
“Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5)
“For He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6)
“No good thing will He withhold for those who walk uprightly. Blessed
is the man who trusts in you” (Psalm 84:11,12)
God knows exactly what is good for us.
Jesus said that love is the identification badge of the believer. We are to love each other as we walk by faith.
“Faith worketh by love” (Gal. 5:13)
Love, value and rejoice in your fellow-believers walk of faith. There is no place, the Apostle Paul says, for division and disagreements. Just walk by faith in love.
“And above all these things put on love” (Col. 3:14)
As we walk by faith, remember that no two of us are exactly alike. God knows exactly what we need and he knows how to meet it. Faith is a very personal journey between you and the Lord.
“therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1)
“Let the peace of God rule your heart” (Col. 3:15)
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you his peace at all times and in every situation.” (2 Thess 3:16 NLT)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard you hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.( Phil 4:5-6)
God’s unchanging peace comes from the inside as we walk by faith and please God.
The walk of child-like diligent faith is blessed with the peace of God. If we want to live blessed by God’s peace we must walk by faith.
“The life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20)
“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7)
God help us to be men and women of diligent faith.