#1088 0430 08W

            A trusting and believing faith in the divine power of God through the atonement sacrifice of Christ must be understood and applied.  It was the apostle Paul’s prayer—Ephesians 1:18-20 ”that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power [exceeding greatness of his power] for us who believe.  That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead.”

            The position of trusting faith on the resurrection power of Christ must be maintained every day concerning all faith issues, because Satan wants us to leave that position.  Only by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit can obedient faith in God be applied and sustained each day.  Satan’s desire is to have us compromise our faith and fall away from a position of obedient trust on God.

            When our sins are forgiven we are free from them, so we can then place our trust on God.  Romans 8:2 ”For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”  The foundation pillar of faith is to believe in the one God has sent John 6:29.  Faith in the power of Christ is applied by trusting God for health (without drugs), healing (without medicine), protection (without devices), conviction (without force) and material needs (without laid-up supplies).

            When we accept Christ into our heart and believe on the divine power of God, we become part of His family.  John 1:12 “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”  We can then be empowered to trust in the mighty power of God that brought Jesus back to life—the power Ephesians 1:20 He displayed in Christ by raising Him from the dead.

            Jesus said John 14:1 "Trust in God; trust also in me,” and "If you love me, you will obey what I command” John 14:15.  His command is to trust on the awesome power of Almighty God.  When we place our faith on the power of the cross and receive answers to prayer (for healing, finances, wisdom, or victory over the devil’s power), God receives all the glory.

            When Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the unbelieving Jews were upset, but Jesus told them, “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it” John 5:21.  If these people had believed in Christ, they would have given glory to God (for the healing).  John 5:23 “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.”  The Word of God was not in them so they did not believe in the Son of God.

            They had never heard God’s voice nor understood His truth (Jesus said 37-38), “nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.”  Placing a trusting faith on the atonement sacrifice of Christ is a salvation issue, because "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” John 5:24.  But anyone John 3:18 who “does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

            Choosing to place a believing faith on Christ is directly connected to salvation.  Jesus said John 5:39-40 “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

            That is the decision everyone must make—to put a trusting faith on the divine power of God that raised Jesus was the dead.  Everyone needs to be enlightened and everyone must be inspired to place their trust on the divine power of the cross.  John 12:46 “I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.”

            The apostle Paul said 2 Corinthians 13:4 that Jesus “was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.”  The believer in Christ has access to that same divine power of God to heal them, cleanse their heart, convict their loved ones, and to grant victory over the devil (with all faith issues).  It is our choice to place believing faith in the power of Christ (or to trust some other plan).

            2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?”  We will not be guilty before God if we choose to trust in the power of Christ—for physical healing (without drugs), financial protection (without insurance), food supplies (without stored-up money), and for anything else where faith is involved.  It is continuing to believe by continuing to trust God.

            Romans 10:17, “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”  When we hear the Word and accept what God says about His Son’s sacrifice to forgive our sins, the Holy Spirit can inspire us to place our faith in the power that is in back of the name Jesus.

            The apostles told the leaders that the power of God raised Jesus to life Acts 5:31-32 “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him."  Anyone who refuses to believe what God’s divine power can do, will not experience what He will do—(since it is by faith alone).  John 14:17 ”That Spirit the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him.”

            The choice to obey God through Christ is first and then the Holy Spirit is given to inspire faith.  We are to act in faith on the power that is available through Christ because “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” James 2:17.  Abraham obeyed and acted on the Word of God, so he was righteous in the sight of God.  “You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected” James 2:22.

            A true believer is willing to trust God no matter what the risk.  Only the Holy Spirit can open our eyes to understand and believe what Christ accomplished on the cross.  John 7:17 “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God,” and His teaching was John 14:1 "Trust in God; trust also in me” (for healing, protection, supplies, food, or anything else).  The issue is to keep on trusting in the One God sent and to keep on believing in the power that flows through the atonement of Christ.

            John 15:4-5 ”Continue in me, and let me continue in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself--that is, if it does not continue in the vine--so neither can you if you do not continue in me.  I am the Vine, you are the branches.  He who continues in me and in whom I continue bears abundant fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

            As a believer in Christ, we will be tested in faith, so when we face a trial or test of faith, we have the opportunity to believe God and to trust in faith on the power of Christ.  Where we place our faith will determine where we spend eternity (since it is only by faith in Christ that we enter God’s kingdom).  The believer Colossians 2:12 has “been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”

            Making the free-will choice to place a believing faith in the mighty power of God is an issue of greatest importance.  The divine power that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same divine power available to the believer—for healing (without medical help), protection (without human plans), and salvation (through a trusting faith on the atonement sacrifice of Christ alone).  All those things and more are available for free through a believing faith on the divine power of God.

            The issue is where we place our faith when a situation involving faith is met.  It is vital to understand this issue and to apply the principle of trust because John 5:24 “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned.”  God wants us to believe (and be enlightened, healed, delivered, supplied, and saved).

            If we are oppressed physically, we will have to make a choice on whom to place our faith and trust.  If we choose to trust the medical world (instead of the power of God), we have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son John 3:18.  We have rejected the first requirement for faith so that must be corrected and our faith placed on God alone.

            If a money situation is confronted, we will have to make a decision to trust God in faith or use laid-up finances like the world.  This is also an eternity issue as it was for the rich man who did not trust God, because he did not listen to Moses and the prophets Luke 16:29.  The young ruler wanted eternal life and had obeyed the commandments but Jesus said he still had a spiritual lack—he was not trusting God for finances.  He was told Matthew 19:21 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me." 

            The Lord says Jeremiah 17:5 “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord.”  There is hope because we can still repent and still ask God to enlighten the eyes of our heart so we can believe and place our faith on His incomparably great power.