Good Morning Gorgeous,
Its brand new day. A fresh start. A new day to rise up and move like we believe.
A new day to pray with such earnesty that we begin to trust something is changing.
A new day to walk as if we have already received our miracle.
A new day to talk and plan as if we already have the breakthrough.
How would you walk and talk today if you believed God at His Word completely and fully?
If we fully believed that the Lord of the Universe inhabits the praises of His people, we would praise Him all day long knowing He’s right there listening.
If we fully believed that the Lord draws near to those who pray to Him, we would pray like He was right next to us.
If we fully believed that our faith could cast mountains into the sea, we would exercise our faith.
I am sharing in this way today because in my own personal walk, I am desperately desiring that kind of faith. I desire to experience growth in my faith muscle so that I can begin to recieve all that God has planned for me. I believe fully and wholeheartedly that our faith can unlock the promises that God has already prepared for us. That we already have what we have been praying for, but without the faith to go and get it, we won’t be able to take ahold of it.
The Israelites were given the promised land, but by faith they had to move into it. They had to walk forward and face giants in their way. They had to come against fortified walls and nations larger and more developed than them. Shrinking back in fear would leave them in the wilderness. The promise of God set before them, yet they had a part to play to receive. They had to possess the land by moving forward like the land was ALREADY theirs. They had to begin to move in as a people who belonged there in that promised space.
So too, we have to move forward like the promises of God are already ours. We have to push ahead, forge on, and go into the promise to receive. And that type of movement before we see the miracle takes great faith. Yet, it’s THAT great faith that accesses the miracle. Without faith, we cannot receive what Jesus has made so freely available.
In Jesus’s hometown, He was shocked by the lack of faith. The faith was so little that the bible says that He performed very few miracles and went from village to village teaching. They had Jesus. They had His Word, but they didn’t recieve the FULL blessing He had to offer them because of their lack of faith.
On the contrary, in other towns, people were bringing Him their sick, their blind, their deaf, their lame, and even those who were demon inflicted, and he healed them ALL. Not some. ALL!!!
And the difference was not in the power of Jesus, the factor that changed was the faith of the people. These people moved and acted in faith by bringing their hurting and sick to Him. They sought Him out. They knew He held their miracle. They trusted that if they could touch Him, talk to Him, or even just touch his hem of His cloak, they would recieve their miracle..and they DID!!
Time and time again when Jesus interacted one on one with people, He would tell them plainly…. “Your faith has made you well.” Our faith must have powers! Check out these precious words of Jesus…
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”Luke 5:20
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”Luke 7:50
Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”Luke 8:48
Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”Luke 17:19
Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”Luke 18:42
My heart this morning desires that type of faith that moved Jesus’s heart time and time again. He was personally touched when people displayed belief and faith in Him. Faith still touches the heart of God. That’s the faith I desire. A greater faith. A stronger faith. A newfound faith. A deeper, wider faith. A faith that believes and trusts that when I pray mountains are already soaring into the sea. A faith that when a friend pours her heart out to me, we can pray together and expect God to move because He promised He would. Faith that turns to prayer in every situation and prays like the miracle depends on it. Faith that prays like every pray will move and shift the world around. Faith that moves my feet. Faith that steers my tongue. Faith that drives my decisions. Faith that is radical and believes the impossible is already done in Christ Jesus. Faith that uproots oak trees and moves mountains and splits seas and heals friends and turns hearts to Jesus..
I believe that God has more on the table for me and for you. That wherever we stand today in our faith walk, God has even more. God is a God of abundance and as close as we draw to Him, there is even more available for us in Him. And to receive more, we need even more faith.
How do receive faith? By hearing the Word of God. Immersing ourselves in our bibles and devouring every Word that God has gifted to us. By leaning in and praying for more faith. By pouring our hearts out and trusting He hears and moves. By speaking aloud the promises of God. Our spoken words of scripture can awaken faith inside of us.
And sometimes we just have to move even though our insides are screaming with fear. Sometimes, even though the giants loom and God hasn’t removed them yet, we are still called forward to act in faith. And the only way to discern individually when to move and when to stay is to be in communication with God. To be praying and listening for His voice. He will direct the paths of His people. He will open doors, move and shift things, but when He does, we have to go forth and possess what He has given us. That takes great faith. And I am praying for that faith for me and for you!
Dear Heavenly Father, I believe Lord that You are Lord over the Universe and that You are a miracle working active Lord who has my very best interests at heart. I believe that You are working all things for my good. I believe that I am healed and whole in Christ Jesus. I believe that You hear me when I pray. I believe that You still move among Your people healing bodies, minds, and souls. I believe Your Words are true and Your promises in the bible are for me.. In Jesus’s name. Amen..
Blessings!
Vanessa Lynn
Great post!
You know the funny thing about faith is that the more you work at it the less you have. Well actually you do have faith, but the wrong kind. You see when we see faith as an action we try to ‘do’ faith. That is really faith in ‘self’, that somehow but showing faith God will be impressed and ‘do’ things for us in return. Doesn’t work like that. The kind of faith God is looking for is one of surrender, the exact opposite of ‘doing’ faith. This is the faith that happens when you are stripped and have nothing left but God. When you know that He is all you have you run to Him in complete abandonment. This is what faith is, this is how it looks. Unfortunately, for those that do not understand the underlying relationship that is the foundation for faith they only see the ‘action’ portion of faith and miss the rest.
Can I give you an example? When our family was homeless we were following God in faith. He led us into that, through that and out the other side. We had nothing but the clothes we wore and a few meager belongings in our backpacks. We literally had no place to go, little money and no options. Sure, we could have trusted in the systems of man, and although we used them at times we never trusted them for that would have betrayed our faith in God. We simply followed His lead. Now our homeless time is over with and God is providing as He always does. Our faith is anchored in Him, it is not what we do but who we are. I’ll show you how easy it is to confuse faith in Him with ‘doing’ faith.
So here we are living in a small motel. We see all sorts of deprivation here including many homeless people. Though we have limited funds we try to help where we can. Recently we had a family nearby that was in dire straits. Their government check didn’t come in and they had little food to feed their 6 kids. We couldn’t let that happen so we took what food we had and money and gave it to them. We had learned through the homelessness just how hard hunger can be and couldn’t stand see their little ones go hungry. We weren’t concerned about our getting food because we already knew that God would provide for us. Anyways a few days after this God opened a door and we were not only resupplied with what we gave but received more in return.
Now some will read this and think that this is give to get, that we ‘do’ faith and God will reward our good works. If they think that they totally missed the point of the story and of faith. Faith is what we have become, not something we do. We have so learned that the Father cares for us we can easily give to others without concern. You see how the basis of faith really is our experiential relationship with Him? Because we trust and love Him He can come though us to others and still provide for our needs.
I really do believe this is how all believers ought to live. Fully surrendered to Jesus, following Him in love and faith. If we do that the testimony of Jesus will shine through us.
I hope this helps. 🙂
Blessings,
Homer Les
http://www.uncompromisingfaith.ca
Yes! Yes! And yes!!! Thank you for sharing your testimony and examples of total surrender! Yes, it’s not the act of faith, but the total surrender of faith. Its moving in ways that look strange to the world, but make perfect sense to the believer trusting in Jesus and His provision. We are called to move and to demonstrate our faith in Jesus just like you did when you provided for others and just simply trusted. That takes faith that ultimately there is more happening than what eyes can see. It’s not that God is rewarding “good works” but that He is providing totally for those who are completely dependent and trusting in Him. I am so thankful for your words and stories this morning! Vanessa
Excellent post! I needed to read this.
Hi! I am so thankful it encouraged you! 🙂
Blessings, Vanessa