The bible says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. I observe many Christians who say they have faith but yet they walk by sight. This problem has been ocurring to God's people for thousands of years. We talk about having faith like it is some easy thing. Most assume they have faith because they can acknowledge and think of the concept. But yet faith is something we must learn to grow in and our faith is proved to be genuine as we experience trials, tests and tribulations.
Many Christians know and have been taught that without faith we cannot please God. So how does faith come? It comes from hearing the Word of God. We must continue to feed and eat His Word. The Word of God must become part of us. It must be part of our being. We hear His Word and when it is heard, it is preached. But even as Isaiah said, many even though hearing the gospel did not believe in what they heard.
People are visual creatures. Corporations, governments, and other entities all know this and they all use visualization to capture the audience. But we are not to move by sight. However, our eyes are captivated and many follow products, people, policy, lust, etc like zombies. The world will put their licentious and sensational pictures at the check out stand and instantly our eyes are lured to view the half naked pictures on the magazines. We must train ourselves not to look.
People can sit in front of a TV and watch hours and hours of television. They become captivated. It is such an easy thing to do. All we have to do is vegetate and watch. It is so easy to react from what we see rather than what we do not see.
But when it comes to only listening, the degree becomes more difficult to be still. And when it comes to reading, the degree of difficulty becomes even higher for people. However, for some people, it can be vice versa where reading is easier than listening. But when it comes to praying, the degree is much much higher. People are by nature are lazy and complacent and we will generally seek the easier way to do things. We are always looking for an easy excuse and answer so we can continue to do nothing. If we had a choice, we be all just watching something and this is why YouTube has become so popular. It is easy. And this is why many are addicted to Facebook because it is a visual application.
Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. We must continue to hear the Word of God daily. When I say "hear" it is to immerse yourself in HIM through His Word, worshiping, and praying. We hear HIM not only through the Word but also in our spirits as we worship and pray. But once you hear HIM and receive revelation, you may be required to ACT! And this is the difficult part because it is much more easier to react by sight rather than faith.
We have heard there is a heaven. We have heard there is a hell. We have heard that Jesus came to die for us. We have heard there is eternity. We have heard but yet most of us have not seen heaven nor hell but many have chosen to believe. And upon believing, our lives are now on a different path because we are told the Way is HIM. However, this path is not seen by our physical eyes but it is invisible.
But most of us have been trained to move by sight throughout our lives. Many of us mix faith and sight out of fear. We want to assess our inventory. We want to assess our bank balance. We want to assess our strength. We want to asses whether we will be able to pay the bills. We want to assess our abilities before we actually move and sadly when many finally do move, they are really moving by sight. And because many move by sight, the Power of God is relinquished because they are in sin since their plans and procedures had NOT been originated and proceeded by faith. However, we are not to do things out of blind faith. If you look at verse 23 below, it expounds the action of faith. We move in faith because those steps have been approved by God because He is requiring us to move in that direction. One cannot say they will go buy a bigger house, car, or church out of their own will and discretion and then say they will have faith that God will provide the funds. This is not faith but it is to test God! When God says go buy that property when you do not have the means, then by faith you start the procedure even though you may not know how it will happen. Faith is to move when God says move. Faith is to stop when God says stop.
Romans 14:23 (AMP) But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].
I read a report in America that 4000 churches close down every year. This tells me that those churches were not open according to God's Will but according to man's.
If faith pleases God then it is by sight that pleases Satan. The devil stirred up David to take a census. As a result, the Lord was very displeased with David for taking this census.
1 Chronicles 21:1-3 (AMP)Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel.2 David said to Joab and the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me the total, that I may know it.3 And Joab answered, May the Lord multiply His people a hundred times! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this? Why will he bring guilt upon Israel?
1 Chronicles 21:7-14 (AMP)And God was displeased with this [reliance on human resources], and He smote Israel.8 And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, take away the hateful wickedness of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly.9 And the Lord said to Gad, David’s seer,10 Go and tell David, Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.11 So Gad came to David and said to him, Thus says the Lord: Take which one you will:12 Either three years of famine, or three months of devastation before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him Who sent me.13 And David said to Gad, I am in great and distressing perplexity; let me fall, I pray you, into the hands of the Lord, for very great and many are His mercies; but let me not fall into the hands of man.14 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, and there fell of Israel 70,000 men.
If you read verse 7, the amplified has in parenthesis that David had relied on human resources. David had taken a census to take an inventory of his strength in men. Why would he need this when God was with him? Did David had to know how many men he had before he went into battle? When God's servants move by sight, God's people will suffer greatly.
This is classic for the church today. We think we need more people on our staff when God wants demobilization of what we already have. He took Gideon's force from 32,000 to 300. We think we need to be more educated with degrees over degrees in theology when God is looking for the weak and humbled to put His strength and revelation in. We think we need more money to do church programs and expansion when God wants us to have more of HIM.
When we want to feed the poor of thousands, most if not all of us react as the disciples did. We react by sight and not faith.
John 6:5-10 (AMP) Jesus looked up then, and seeing that a vast multitude was coming toward Him, He said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people may eat? 6 But He said this to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do.7 Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennies’ (forty dollars) worth of bread is not enough that everyone may receive even a little.8 Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,9 There is a little boy here, who has [with him] five barley loaves, and two small fish; but what are they among so many people?10 Jesus said, Make all the people recline (sit down). Now the ground (a pasture) was covered with thick grass at the spot, so the men threw themselves down, about 5,000 in number.
Even with Jesus at their side, they doubted and asked HIM how in the world are they to feed so many people with only two hundred pennies? Then Peter assess from sight and tells the Lord what they have in the physical. But Jesus took the loaves and fish thanking the Father and moved forward. Verse 6 says that Jesus was testing them but He already knew what He was to do. All the disciples had to do was walk in faith of what He was to do. The disciples had failed the test but out of Grace for His flock, God still fed them. Yes, we will fail as we learn to grow in faith. But once we experience the faith of God, shouldn't our faith be growing as we move from glory to glory and season to season?
What does the church say today? How am I suppose to move where the Lord wants me too when I do not even have a job secured? How am I suppose to rent or find a church location without any funds? How am I suppose to go on mission trips as He wants me too when I have no money? How am I to pay the church bills when we do not have enough people in the congregation? How am I to tithe when I can barely pay the bills? And so on and so on and so on. Will HE FIND FAITH WHEN HE RETURNS!!!
When the Holy Spirit says move, we are to move in faith. When the Holy Spirit says stop, then we are to stop in faith. We are to move in faith which is to move with the Holy Spirit. When God says it is time to feed the 5000, then we are to just move according to the plan of God in faith. If you move by sight and physical circumstances, you will at the end be deceived for the physical is control by the god of this world.
Luke 18:8 (AMP) I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [[a]persistence in] faith on the earth?
Romans 8:14 (AMP) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Fire of God Ministries
Steve Yong Kim
July 27, 2012
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