Archive for March, 2010

There are many examples recorded in Scripture where faith was the key that moved the hand of God to pour out His provisions.  There are a number of stories of healing where Jesus said, “Your faith has made you whole.”  Sight was restored, the paralyzed could walk, bleeding was stopped, lepers were healed, the lame leaped up and stood erect. Their faith was ignited when they encountered Jesus.  When He spoke the word they grabbed hold, believed, and received.  This should inspire us to do likewise.

Faith as a Belt

God has provided a belt of truth as part of the believer’s armor (Ephesians 6:14).  The belt of truth is His word wrapped around us instead of the misconceptions, lies, and marginal half truths some of us have accepted as truth.  We can not pay attention to Satan’s distortions and God’s truth simultaneously.  We are to embrace God’s truth. “Your word is truth.” John 17:17b

Belts in the natural hold our garments of clothing together.  Let us be mindful of the need to wrap ourselves in Biblical truths and keep the belt tightly around us.  Scripture is the test of truth.

Faith as a Shield

Faith is also referred to as a shield. (Ephesians 6:16).  It is used to extinguish the fiery darts shot at us by our enemy Satan.  When he comes with his lies, accusations, and overwhelming problems, we are to hold up the word of God as a shield. We can not pay attention to Satan’s distortions and God’s truth simultaneously.  We are to embrace God’s truth as revealed in His word.  Jesus, Himself, quoted Scripture to Satan when He encountered his attacks in the wilderness with, “It is written” (Matthew 4).

Faith is also referred to as a breast plate in I Thessalonians 5:8 and Ephesians 6:14. We know a breastplate offers protection.

© 2010 Peggy Park.

Each believer is given a measure of faith (Romans 12:3 b).  It is up to us to feed it so it grows.  We do this by hearing the word (Romans 10:17) either through good sound biblical preaching/teaching, reading Scripture aloud to ourselves, or sharing Scriptural insights with others in Bible study groups or with individuals.  We seek out Biblical promises related to the problem we are facing and declare these aloud.

Faith is also built by recalling the works of God in our lives.  We can pray for more faith, but God has given us the practical means to increase our faith.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us without faith it is impossible to please God; so each of us, as followers of Christ, need to be intentional about building on the measure of faith we have.

Our challenge is to find out what God says in His word and resolve to believe it.

As we quote Scriptural promises aloud we are built up in our faith.  The word of God is the food that feeds our faith.  Let us be diligent to feed our faith.

God says even faith as small as a mustard seed moves mountains (symbolic for trials/problem’s in our lives) and nothing will be impossible to you (Matthew 17:20).

He explained the power of the Word in the parable of the seed.  When the word, like seed is sown on good soil, believers will hear the word, accept it, and produce a bountiful crop.

© 2010 Peggy Park.

Faith is a secure belief in God and His promises.  It involves trust and confidence.

If God makes a promise in His word then faith grabs hold of that word and refuses to let go until the manifestation comes forth in the natural.

“Faith is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” Hebrews 11: 1 nlt

Hebrews 11 is sometimes referred to as the ‘hall of faith.”  It contains some amazing stories of the working of God which defy natural reasoning.  Consider Abraham who believed God when He promised that He would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky; yet Abraham and his wife were old and beyond natural reproductive age.  Human reasoning says their son, Isaac, was an impossibility but with God all things are possible.

Another example of a man of faith was Noah who with-stood ridicule as he followed God’s instructions and built a huge boat on dry ground.  There was not a body of water in sight on which it could float.

Hebrews 11:6 nlt, “So, you see it is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

Abraham’s Faith Formula

1.  Abraham had God’s Word

2.  Abraham believed God’s Word

3.  Abraham considered not the contradictory circumstances

4.  Abraham gave praise to God. ¹

Faith is the doorway through which God comes to man.  God rejoices when we manifest a faith that holds Him to His word.  His word is the key to the treasures laid up for those who have named Him as their Lord and Savior through receiving the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood to remove their sins.

© 2010 Peggy Park.

Luke 12: 49 I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!

The foot note in the NKJ says it is better to understand the statement to be a reference to the burning zeal of believers rather than what some commentators think that fire symbolizes the divisive nature of Christ’s ministry.

I realize I have lost some of the zeal and passion I had previously for lost souls. I use to have a great concern for people’s spiritual state and that has diminished somewhat.

In light of this insight I prayed and asked the Lord to make me ablaze with His presence so that others would definitely see Jesus in me. I also asked that he would reignite that concern for the salvation of others. I want to be ablaze with the life of Christ.

I realize I have lost some of the zeal and passion I had previously for lost souls. l use to have a great concern for people’s spiritual state and that has diminished somewhat.

In light of this insight I prayed and asked the Lord to make me ablaze with His presence so that others would definitely see Jesus in me.  I also asked that He would reignite that concern for the salvation of others.  I want to be ablaze with the life of Christ.

© 2010 Peggy Park

“In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

I was at a prayer meeting recently where the leader played the piano and we sang the words of the beautiful old hymn, “The way of the cross leads home.” The actual title of the song is, I Must Needs Go Home. My imagination took flight as I thought of the comparisons of a good earthly home and our heavenly home.

My idea of a good home is one where we are accepted and valued in spite of our deficiencies. We are inspired to be the best we can be but are not constantly criticized

and corrected. The environment is comfortable emotionally as well as physically.

A good home offers warmth and welcome as well as respite from the outside world.

It is a place we can “let our hair down” and put our feet up and rest. Everything about it is familiar and the door is always open. We can feel the cares of life lift when we go over the threshold and experience the fellowship of our family. Sometimes we are embraced and kissed depending on how long we have been away. Many of us have dreamed of home when we have been in a foreign land. Holidays and special occasions evoke nostalgia. In our imaginations we smell the good food that we enjoy at these gatherings.

Going to our eternal home will be proceeded by a festive event called the marriage supper of the Lamb. The words of the song continue with, “then I bid farewell to the way of the world, To walk in it nevermore; for my Lord says, ‘come’, and I seek my home, where He waits at the open door.”

Consider all the above comparisons of a good home and our eternal home. Our home here (if it is a good caring home) is but a shadow of the blessings of our heavenly home.

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” I Corinthians 2:9

Lord, Help me to eagerly anticipate and look forward with joy to the place you have prepared for me. Let this help to keep me motivated to serve you with all my heart, mind and soul while I sojourn on this earth and live in the home I have here. Help me to make my home a welcoming, comfortable, accepting place for my family. In the name of Jesus. Amen

© 2010, Peggy Park