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Post by livinganewlife on May 9, 2006 9:34:04 GMT -5
Greetings,
I have a question?
What role does reality plays in regards to Faith?
Scenario:
I am a struggling single mother with three children, Saved, Sanctified, tithes payer (pay tithes based on govt assistance), believe God, don't work, prayer warrior, work in the church, and I am believing God for a supernatural miracle to furnish my House with fine furniture, building me a new 5 bedroom home, new car and checks coming to me in the mail........
How would you advise this person, to keep activating Faith or to get a job and face reality?
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on May 9, 2006 10:14:06 GMT -5
faith without works is dead - I believe with our faith there is a corresponding action.
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Post by giantsdodie on May 9, 2006 12:55:09 GMT -5
First and foremost we must understand that faith is based on the Word of God. In this scenario my first question would be has God told you that you would have a 5 bedroom house, new car and checks in the mail ?? Our faith is based on the Word of God, either his written word ( the logos ) or a rhema word ( a word of prophecy, word of wisdom. word of knowledge ( by the Spirit personally or through another individual) something He has spoken in prayer, or a word through the very scriptures themselves that speaks to you and your situation ).
Faith is NOT wishful thinking nor is faith something we decide to direct ourselves and make GOD answer it. For example I can decide I am going to have faith for a house in Long Island NY but God hasnt said that to me. Faith we must remember comes from GOD. JESUS is the author of our faith. Faith must be rooted and grounded in HIS desire for us, not our desires for us.
Now we CAN ask God if something is HIS will for us and then if He says yes THEN we can have faith for that.
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on May 9, 2006 13:07:48 GMT -5
Faith is NOT wishful thinking nor is faith something we decide to direct ourselves and make GOD answer it. For example I can decide I am going to have faith for a house in Long Island NY but God hasnt said that to me. Faith we must remember comes from GOD. JESUS is the author of our faith. Faith must be rooted and grounded in HIS desire for us, not our desires for us. Excellent response Giants! I think people misunderstand the "acknowledge Him in ALL ways and He shall direct....". Also the scripture "He shall give thee the desires of your heart" is often taken to mean that whatever I want He will give ..... they forget the very next verse that says..."commit thy ways to Him and He shall bring it to pass". In others words, once I commit my desires to Him, it will then that I will see if it is also His desire for me, if so then YES, He shall bring it to pass - if NO then it goes in the permanent file. |
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Post by livinganewlife on May 9, 2006 13:26:19 GMT -5
First and foremost we must understand that faith is based on the Word of God. In this scenario my first question would be has God told you that you would have a 5 bedroom house, new car and checks in the mail ?? Our faith is based on the Word of God, either his written word ( the logos ) or a rhema word ( a word of prophecy, word of wisdom. word of knowledge ( by the Spirit personally or through another individual) something He has spoken in prayer, or a word through the very scriptures themselves that speaks to you and your situation ). Faith is NOT wishful thinking nor is faith something we decide to direct ourselves and make GOD answer it. For example I can decide I am going to have faith for a house in Long Island NY but God hasnt said that to me. Faith we must remember comes from GOD. JESUS is the author of our faith. Faith must be rooted and grounded in HIS desire for us, not our desires for us. Now we CAN ask God if something is HIS will for us and then if He says yes THEN we can have faith for that. Very good response GDD!!! If one gives an offering out of need hoping or expecting a specific return on the offering is that activating faith?
Example: Preacher says if in need sow a seed? one gives $100 because the $500 Car note needs to be paid and all you have is $150.00 left. Is that an act of faith or is it trying to direct God's plan? |
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Post by giantsdodie on May 10, 2006 8:18:27 GMT -5
First and foremost we must understand that faith is based on the Word of God. In this scenario my first question would be has God told you that you would have a 5 bedroom house, new car and checks in the mail ?? Our faith is based on the Word of God, either his written word ( the logos ) or a rhema word ( a word of prophecy, word of wisdom. word of knowledge ( by the Spirit personally or through another individual) something He has spoken in prayer, or a word through the very scriptures themselves that speaks to you and your situation ). Faith is NOT wishful thinking nor is faith something we decide to direct ourselves and make GOD answer it. For example I can decide I am going to have faith for a house in Long Island NY but God hasnt said that to me. Faith we must remember comes from GOD. JESUS is the author of our faith. Faith must be rooted and grounded in HIS desire for us, not our desires for us. Now we CAN ask God if something is HIS will for us and then if He says yes THEN we can have faith for that. Very good response GDD!!! If one gives an offering out of need hoping or expecting a specific return on the offering is that activating faith?
Example: Preacher says if in need sow a seed? one gives $100 because the $500 Car note needs to be paid and all you have is $150.00 left. Is that an act of faith or is it trying to direct God's plan? This is why we must develop an ear to hear the Lord. I am all for seedtime and harvest and I have no problem giving unto the Lord. The question is are you giving God what HE requires? I have heard preachers preach if it doesnt meet the need then it must be a seed. Well the question I would ask is this. Did GOD say it was a seed. You might have 250.00 and need 500.00. Now you sow 100.00 believing GOD to now bless you with $350.00 but did God TELL you to do that  We must learn to hear God in our offerings. I had a season of like where I was tithing and giving a 10% offering ( often referred to as double tithing ). Now I was in a situation where I was barely and I mean BARELY making ends meet and I was walking in the street talking out loud to God like a crazy person and I heard GOD tell me " Double Tithe in '95 " and I was like huh.. God said " Double Tithe in 95. Give your ten percent tithe and give ten percent offering. In that season I did that for a year and was so blessed I asked the Lord could I continue to do so the following year and I did that for 95 and 96. I also gave other offering as led by the Lord. In 97 God says STOP. I said why.. God said you have too much seed in the ground. Its oversaturated. You need to get the harvest. Now that harvest came many many different ways and I also had a following season of leaness through which God sustained me ( to this day I dont know how I made it expect by the grace of God ). We must learn to hear GOD in how we give our offering. We must give Him what He wants WHEN He wants it. THATS FAITH. Faith is seeking GOD for HIS WILL and then DOING IT. Take the scenario you created. You need 500.00. You have 250.00. You give 100.00 and someone comes along later and places 250.00 in your hand. Now you are short 100.00. Did you ask GOD if you should give the 100.00 I see a lot of people involved in what is called " seed faith giving " but FAITH is based on the Word of God. What did GOD say to you I have had God literally tell me. Put 50.00 in this offering.. I had God once tell me to send a couple I met over the internet 200.00 which they needed to pay a light bill and I didnt even know their lights were getting turned off in the next 2 days. God just said.. Send them 200.00 cash overnite mail. I obeyed God. The wife called me and asked me why I sent them money I said because God told me to. It was THEN I found out that they were getting their lights cut off God told me later that the seed I had sown that i was going to reap when I started my business. Really we should be hearing GOD as to when to give.. How much and to whom... Now that doesnt mean we cant give an offering to the Lord of our own free will, because we want to be a blessing to GOD. Absolutely not. However in the scenario you created one should seek the Lord as to whether we should sow that money or not and if GOD says sow it.. baby SOW IT !!! |
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Post by Nikkol on May 10, 2006 8:44:05 GMT -5
Can something be that wasn't created by God? If God didn't create something, who else has the power/authority to create?
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on May 10, 2006 10:14:38 GMT -5
Can something be that wasn't created by God? If God didn't create something, who else has the power/authority to create? Can you expound a bit please? |
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Post by Nikkol on May 10, 2006 11:40:59 GMT -5
Can something be that wasn't created by God? If God didn't create something, who else has the power/authority to create? Can you expound a bit please? Not sure how to expound..... however, if we say that God didn't create evil, unless we believe that it (evil) just "happened", it had to be created. God created the heavens and the earth and called it Good. The question is, who created evil? |
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Post by ybrown on May 10, 2006 11:41:19 GMT -5
Can something be that wasn't created by God? If God didn't create something, who else has the power/authority to create? Great question, Nikkol! God just put this question before me a couple of days ago. There are no instances of anyone creating anything other than God, and Revelations 4:11 sums up the conclusion: 11 Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created. |
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Post by giantsdodie on May 10, 2006 13:56:11 GMT -5
I believe there is already a thread addressing the topic of whether or not God created evil. How does that relate to the Reality vs Faith topic ??
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Post by Nikkol on May 10, 2006 14:05:42 GMT -5
I believe there is already a thread addressing the topic of whether or not God created evil. How does that relate to the Reality vs Faith topic ?? LOL..... Nothing. I got both questions tied together.... guess that's what happens when you read the 20 most recent posts and they all seem to merge together.... LOL Back to the subject at hand....................... |
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Post by And Such Were Some Of You on May 10, 2006 15:04:02 GMT -5
I believe there is already a thread addressing the topic of whether or not God created evil. How does that relate to the Reality vs Faith topic ?? LOL..... Nothing. I got both questions tied together.... guess that's what happens when you read the 20 most recent posts and they all seem to merge together.... LOL Back to the subject at hand....................... Whew! I thought that I was lost! |
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Post by nina on May 11, 2006 3:04:29 GMT -5
"This is why we must develop an ear to hear the Lord.."
IMHO this is sooooo vital... We - at large - have been exposed to many teachings through the years. Sometimes it seems that what you mention here:
"Faith is seeking GOD for HIS WILL and then DOING IT."
has taken the back seat. Some feathers get badly ruffled when things like going back to basics are mentioned, but it's putting things back in the right order, God's order, isn't it? Then, many questions would be answered as well as many prayers...
In the context of the thread, could you please also go into how some scriptures have been given as keys to some ends to believers, but without real understanding of what they meant?
For example: "Faith is calling into existence things that are not as though they were" which could fit in the initial scenario. Some believers just take this scripture and run with it, not really understanding it.
Many lose heart in their walk because of that and have to be pointed back in the right direction, me thinks...
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Post by Beulah5 on May 11, 2006 4:20:43 GMT -5
Faith is simply believing God based on his word. I have stopped feeling sorry for people who are claiming to have been duped-open the word of God and read it for yourself and stop the self-pity parties.
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