#1402 0707 10W

          Faith is a factor only when we believe and accept a spoken or written word.  Faith is the issue when nothing is seen but words are accepted.  If someone verbally describes an event that we have not seen with our eyes, we have to accept their story as a fact.  It is faith in a spoken or written word.

    Likewise, faith in God is to believe His Word as a true statement of facts.  As an event described to us is true, whether we accept it as a fact or not, it still remains a fact that actually happened.  Everything God says in His Word is a true statement of facts for us to believe, accept, and put into practice.

          If we can see or touch something, no faith is involved.  If we feel we have no faith, we will think God’s Word is not true.  If we must see it before we believe it, the situation is reversed, and Satan is pleased.  He makes it easy for feelings to influence our faith.  He has us feel that something is not true, so we will not believe it is true; he has us feel we are not forgiven, so we will think we are not free from sinful ways and desires.  If he has us feel we are a hypocrite, we will begin to accept it.

          Feeling something does not make it a fact, and feelings do not change facts.  The devil focuses our attention on feelings, or weaknesses, and he tries to have us accept them.  If we believe we are forgiven, because the Word of God says we are, then it is based on a fact.  1 John 1:9 ”If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse [purify] us from all unrighteousness.”  If we will believe the facts, our faith will take hold of the Word.

          Everything the Bible says about God is a true fact, and everything it says about us is a true fact.  His promises are true statements of facts, so we are to believe and accept them before we actually see them 2 Corinthians 1:20 ”For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.”

          If a letter is received from a trusted friend who tells of something that took place, we accept their written words as true facts.  The only evidence we have is the description by the friend in words, and all we have today are the written promises in the Bible—which says we are delivered when we pray in the name of Jesus, and act in faith on the Word of God.  John 14:13 “Whatever any of you ask in my name, I will do, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

          Many verses give the facts on receiving the promises by faith.  Mark 11:24 "Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”  1 John 5:14-15 ”This is the confidence we have in approaching God: 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 what we asked of him.”

          These are statements of facts that our prayers are answered and the victory is won.  When we accept the facts that God has written, the results are guaranteed.  God’s plan for our deliverance is to believe through His Word by faith.  Our believing does not perform the healing, nor does it grant the deliverance—all that has been paid for by the shed blood of Christ.

          Our sins were forgiven at the cross; our hearts cleansed by His Blood; His righteousness given; and perfect health is granted.  It was there at Calvary that our financial prosperity was enabled, and all battles with the devil won.  1 John 3:8 “The Son of God appeared for the purpose of undoing the work of the Devil.”  Hebrews 10:10 “We have been set free from sin, through the offering of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice.”

          We are not believing something new, but something that has been a fact from the beginning.  It is believing the facts of what Jesus has already done.  We are to consider the answer as already received—on the authority and validity of God’s Word alone.  We are forgiven, cleansed, and delivered, when we have repented, confessed, and forsaken our sins.  1 Corinthians 1:18 ”For the Message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are on the way to perdition, but it is the power of God to those whom He is saving.”

          Satan wants to put doubt in our heart, by suggesting things to our mind, but we are to reject his lies and accept God’s truth.  We are kept by the power of God through our faith in the authorization of His Word.  Romans 5:1-2 ”Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

          Our part is to ask God in faith to forgive our sins and change our heart.  When we give our life to God, we will have confidence to ask Him in faith for what we need.  Romans 12:1 ”I beseech [plead; urge] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

          When we surrender our will to God without compromise—holding nothing back—the facts are that God accepts us as a son, and takes possession of our heart as the Father.  We must believe these are true facts.  The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is a fact, and when we accept it, we begin to realize what a great work Jesus did, and what the Blood accomplished.  John 16:23 "whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you,” because Hebrews 10:10 “We have been set free from sin, through the offering of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice.”

          We are to accept God’s Word and believe His promises, just as we accept and believe the words in a newspaper about a happening.  We are to accept the Word of God, just as we believe the word of a reporter that an event is an actual fact.  The Bible is a statement of facts before they are seen, felt, or experienced.  When we accept the Word of God, all the blessings of God can be accessed.  We are to consider ourselves delivered, healed, and protected, because the Word says it is true.  Psalm 107:20 ”He sent His word and healed them.”

          God is always merciful and He always gives hope “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” 1 Peter 1:3.  It is through the Word of God, that we are informed of the promises of God.  We are 1 Peter 1:5 “kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  That faith Romans 10:17 ”comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

          We must keep these facts before us—our sins are forgiven and God accepts us as His child, because we have confessed and forsaken our sins.  We are to believe His statement of facts that this is true.  We sacrifice our self-will to Him every morning, so we can have His divine will give us His righteousness, and the victory we need.  When we ask in the Name of Jesus, the Father promises to give John 16:23.  A willingness to believe, deals a lethal blow to self’s control.

          Our battle with the devil is about our faith in the Word of God.  Satan wants to cause doubt, but God wants to inspire faith.  The promise of the government that a paper dollar is worth a dollar is a statement that everyone accepts.  People prefer paper money because it is more convenient and weighs less.  The only thing that gives a paper bill its value is the fact that the government is able to back up its promise.  People want the promise rather than the gold.

          The same principle applies when accepting the Word of God as a statement of facts.  The centurion replied to Jesus Matthew 8:8 “speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.”  He knew that God would back up His Word, and that Jesus would heal his servant.  Everything hinges on whether God is able to make good on His Word.  If He is, then we should believe the facts, accept His Word, and act in faith.  We are not to play sick, but to act well on His written promise 2 Corinthians 1:20.

          Bible examples show how the Word is believed, accepted, and lived in real time.  Jehoshaphat accepted the promise of God as true facts, as we accept the promise of the government on paper bills.  He prayed 2 Chronicles 20:12 "We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

          The answer was received immediately 2 Chronicles 20:14-15 ”The Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah,” who explained to everyone, “Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

          When we are willing to believe God’s Word, the power of God’s Spirit inspires faith in us to accept the facts of the promise.  The first thing God said was, Do not be afraid, because when fear is rejected, God’s Word can be accepted.  They only had to decide in their heart that the answer to prayer was already given.

          2 Chronicles 20:17 ”You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’"

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