We all have heard it said, “if you only have faith” and it will happen. We all are given “a measure” of faith. Just believe, and it will happen. The problem with this idea is that we begin to name it, claim it, demand it, and command it in order to make it happen. Some go as far as to say, we can have what we want, and simply believe it. FAITH is more than just believing. FAITH is a relationship.
The way I see it, faith is just that… faith. To have faith to get us through life, I will say, must be built upon a firm foundation. We in ourselves cannot muster up faith. Another way to say this is that we can not make faith happen. The Bible states that faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the word of God.
In other words, faith is built upon a firm foundation. We receive faith by trusting in a risen Savior, Christ Jesus. We receive faith by trusting God. We receive faith through our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
Remember, the Word of God is alive and active. As we pray, (ask, seek and knock) we obey, believe, and apply His Word, the Word gets to know us. Yes, the promises throughout the Bible are yes and Amen.
As we build our trust upon the firm foundation of His Word, our faith becomes stronger until we can believe the Word, “anything is possible”. It is here that the God kind of faith is birthed.
Again, let me say that our faith can and will only be built upon the firm foundation of Jesus Christ and the Gospel. It is built on the living Word of Christ in us. God has the final word and is to be our all in all, for it is His word and we are only a vessel, an instrument, or you might say, conduit that faith flows in and from us. Faith is all about trust. Do we trust God and can God trust us.
Here lies the very element of faith. I truly believe that faith is always to be active, alive, and on the move, or it is dead faith. Dead faith goes nowhere. With that all said, let me continue from a previous thought, and with what God calls false teachers. Let me begin with these questions: How can one be deceived through false teachings, and where does false teaching arise from? Is faith a thing you can get hold of, or is faith built upon a relationship?
Many of today’s false teachings were formed over time, following their own selfish desires for their own selfish purposes. They add to the Word, taking the Word out of context, by misrepresenting of the Word. Man’s reasoning over the Word of God and bypassing the very principles of His Word leads to accepting wrong for right.
There are no shortcuts to obeying God and His Word. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (KJV). Another version states, this means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (NLT).
Many listen to the new movement ideologies, principles, and man-made doctrines with itching ears, feeding their own selfish desires. They have deceived many by mixing partial truth with their own man made up doctrine. Many are deceived because they are not willing to seek God for themselves. They look for an easy and so-called quick fix. They are not willing to follow the way of God’s Word and seek God for themselves.
To find God, one must be willing to lay down their own selfish, carnal ways and surrender their mind, body, soul, and spirit to the Lordship of Christ. This calls for accepting Jesus as your Lord, Master and yes, Savior. With this new relationship, we receive a new spirit and become a new creature in Christ Jesus. Faith is a growing process that is built upon the finished work of Christ Jesus through the cross of Calvary.
We build our relationship with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We receive His righteousness, new desires to know Him and build upon this new relationship by reading His Word and building a firm foundation from the Word of God and following the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Let me remind you, the Word of God is given to the people, for the people, for the purpose to build a relationship with Him and help the believers to maintain their relationship with Him for Eternity.
Many of these new movements call faith a “force”. It is not. False teachings come in many ways, especially when we are not on our guard. Our mind, soul, and spirit are to be guarded against participating in any and all forms of evil and unrighteousness. In other words, anything that takes you away from God’s righteousness is to be shunned. Let’s look at a few more ways false teaching can come into our lives.
First of all, reasoning out teachings to line up to and for your own gain will only bring false teaching. Our bases for teachings brought forth is to bring a better understanding of God’s Word to the people as a whole. Our decisions and teachings must be supported by God’s Word, not only in part but as a whole. In other words, the whole truth and nothing less. Yes, we do have our own opinions, but our opinions must be supported fully by God’s Word.
Secondly, an understanding of God’s Word comes from hearing, reading, and studying the Word. Knowing God’s written Word will bring forth truth and life to the believer. As believers, we have the guidance of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to comfort and lead us into all truth. Continuing following this truth will lead us into understanding and discernment of truth and false.
The greatest way for accepting false teachings into one’s mind, soul, and spirit is by not accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This must come first as a priority when wanting to understand His Word of truth and false teachings. As believers, we are given a new spirit to understand His Word. A life of righteousness in the believer is a life of purity and holiness unto God. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit reside in the believer to bring a new life within them.
When we fall out of a relationship with God and His Word, we become open to the many false teachings taught. We begin to reason out in ourselves when we once know the truth and refuse to follow and obey the truth for our own selfish reasons.
The Word of God and the teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the non-believer. The very teachings on faith come from listening and receiving sound doctrine of God’s Word
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