Seeking Jesus First - Sept. 20, 2023

Faith is a gift of God.

There is no boasting in one’s own faith.

Faith comes from God.

Jesus showed us that faith is total dependance upon God and His Loving Word.

Faith has been given to us by God.

God has given us the same kind of faith that He uses. Jesus said that we have the God-kind of faith.

Jesus said that if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will speak to mountains and they will move.

The righteous live by faith.

Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone but by every loving word that comes from God.

Can we grow in faith?

If so, how can we grow in faith?

Since the gift of faith comes by hearing and hearing by the loving word of God, hearing the loving word of God is the way to grow in the gift of faith.

• Spend time with The Originator of your faith.
• Learn what He thinks about faith (and everything else).
• See how He uses faith (look at the words and actions of Jesus).
• Get to know him better or more intimately. Start considering how God would handle a situation and listen to Holy Spirit’s leading.
• Start talking and acting like The Father.

All of these things have Scripture to back them up. I am not making them up.

Every believer was given a seed of faith from God or they would not be a believer. We have some control over what happens next. Will we take every loving word of God and mix it with faith? Or will we continue as usual?

If we choose to mix faith with every loving word of God, our faith will be greatly challenged. Jesus said that persecution comes for the word’s sake. The enemy of your soul does not want you to succeed in faith. You will have to fight the good fight of faith and overcome the world and other opposition to continue in faith.

Each loving word of God has the ability to give you life and growth in your spirit, soul and body. However, you will need to stand on the word against any and all opposition. Faith begins where the will of God is known. God’s loving word is His will.

Faith is the gift of God. Read this parable of the talents and see the talents as faith.

““For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Matthew 25:14–30, NKJV)

We have been given God’s faith as a way of overcoming in this world. His faith in us is based upon His love for us. He knows that we can overcome and receive every promise that He has made to us. And when we receive, we do not boast that we have done some great thing. We boast inThe LORD who loves doing loving-kindness, justice and righteousness in the earth.

The righteousness, peace, joy, health, wealth that we walk in glorifies God when it is the result of the gift called faith.