By Ken Fletcher
“Faith is not a feeling. It’s not logical to our fallen mind. People deny it’s possibilities simply because they doubt. Faith is not intellectual. It does not make sense. How can it work, we think? People spend time trying to figure out how it can be true? Could there be such a thing that exists? Yes, it is true! It does work. It works because it is based upon God’s Word.
To live by faith means to live by our inward persuasion of God’s word. Being fully persuaded about what God has said. We read in Genesis that Abraham believed God. And, it was accounted to him as right-standing with God. Abraham acted on what he believed because he was fully persuaded about something.
He was fully persuaded about God’s character and integrity. Regardless of what he saw around him. He believed what God said to him. Even as an old, old man, he still believed he would have the promised son–as God had told him. God promised! Abraham believed in the impossible. Not based on his intellect. Not based on his biology or advanced age. No! His belief was only IN the word of God.
Listen friend, Abraham believed that God had the ability and the power to perform what He said, AND, He believed in the integrity of the One who spoke the word in a promise to him. That is why he could look at an old man’s reflection in the water each day knowing he would someday be a daddy to the promised son.
Though he was far from perfect, Abraham endured all kinds of things because he believed what God had told him. He would not be dissuaded or moved away from any possibility that it would not come to pass. He KNEW it would–just as God had said!
And, after he patiently endured the opposing natural facts and the doubt-filled thoughts that daily came into his mind, he became the daddy of the promised son. Isaac was born. Just as God said! A miracle! A promise fulfilled!
When are we ever going to learn that God has said some things to us! Things that He has promised to us! Things that belong to us!–That He paid for with the blood of Jesus in order for us to receive! God has done some things for us. He has brought us into a different place of believing.
There is no impossibilities with Him. He has given us access through Jesus. Are we full of His word of faith? You do realize that we can be well versed in one area of faith and deficient in another area. All belongs to us that He has promised. God is committed. Many times, we are not! As they say, it takes 2 to tango. There is a God-ward side and a man-ward side to every thing.
Our faith is the connection that keeps the power flowing. It is not a feeling. Though feelings can be involved, in reality, they are not important. In fact, they can get in the way. They are convincing. But, faith is not dependent on them. It works outside and above feelings. It’s greater than feelings.
What IS important is being full of believing of God’s word. Fully persuaded of His promise. Because, He DOES have the ability to do it, and, if He said it, it IS His will. Our part is the believing what He said without doubt. Doubt will lock us out. Out of God’s provision.
You must be more than just convinced. Your only basis is what God has said. You must consider within yourself. Does He back it? Is He good for it? Oh, yes. He is. The breakdown is not, nor has ever been, on His part.
Have you ever thought about the question of how many people did God approach before Abraham? Who would believe Him? Who would do what Abraham did? It was Abraham’s faith that connected to the will of God. Abraham connected and was in covenant with God. More than anything else, it was a covenant of faith. Abraham believed. And, Abraham received.
Abraham lived in abundance and miracles of blessing because of his faith. He was called the friend of God. Pure faith is a beautiful thing. A place of complete trust and peace. The battle for our faith takes place in our mind. The battle for our thoughts. Who will win? Who will dominate?
A simple test for us to help us realize where we may be in faith is how much do we think about what He has said to us about certain things? Are we deficient in our faith level? Remember, faith is not of the mind. Faith is of the heart. What do we believe in our heart. That is what matters. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak.
The mind is involved, of course. We receive the word of God through our mind. But, the word goes into our heart.–Driving out doubt. Causing us to get into faith. Into the mode of believing. Into the realm of where God lives. He has no doubt in Him. No darkness at all. All light. All faith. Why won’t we believe Him? Why do we believe in the doubt and fear when we have Jesus?
I believe it starts with a choice. A choice to trust in the integrity of God’s word. He and His word are One. Do we want to step out of the realm of doubt and fear? Do we want to grasp the truth of who God is? We choose to believe! We choose to step out of the realm of doubt. Out into the realm where Jesus lives.
We are in union with Him. We are learning to live by faith. Faith in God who cannot tell a lie. What in the world are we believing? Is it apart from what He has said? Or, are we fully persuaded about what He said is true about us?” KF KenFletcher.org
