Good Morning,
“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ep. 6:16 kjv
God given faith works with love and patience. Love is the opposite of fear. Love should be our highest motivation. Without faith in God we can do nothing good, but in God’s merciful grace we can do all things. Truly, this could be one reason why the above verse begins with “Above all.” A child of God cannot pray nor live without faith. Every single cell within us is tried and tested for us to use the faith that has been given to us.
It takes faith for us to walk in love when we do not “feel” this in our heart. It takes faith to choose to forgive [walking in forgiveness is everything]. I can speak from experience that when we choose obedience, the feelings will follow. Faith can be a lifestyle of growth and calls for the use of patience. There are times when we move reluctantly to take one step back, and use the needed time to give the offenders the benefit of the doubt. This is where they are at in their life. We are not making excuses for sin, but our job is to deal with the problem according to the Word of God. We are instructed to love those who despise us.
Not everyone will understand the light of the gospel. Remember when Jesus prayed, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.”
"But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.” Luke 6:27-29
Jesus never asked others to do what he himself wasn’t doing.
When we go through a test of faith and finally get to the finish line there seems to be an invisible bell that rings victoriously in our hearts when we’ve passed a test. Oh, the joy! And, if we did not pass that test, we begrudge the thought of having to drive around that mountain once again until we do.
Our faith brings huge rewards into our lives. The more we use our faith the more this fruit reseeds itself and multiplies and grows. This can be like drinking a smoothie filled with luscious organic fruit and herbs that gives us our needed boost of energy. Every time we unwaveringly lift that shield up and expect one of our prayers to be answered we are exercising our spiritual walk in “The Faith Olympics.”
In Hebrews 11:1 in the Amplified Version it says; “ Now faith is the assurance [title deed, confirmation] of things hoped for [divinely guaranteed] and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality-faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses.]
Our physical gateways [sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell] ushers us into using our faith when those 5 senses cannot fill our needs. Everything we have fills some kind of need. When I see my car keys hanging where they should be, I have peace. But, if they are missing; my faith kicks in and I ask our Father to show me where I misplaced them. That happened twice in one day! I keep my angel busy showing me where I misplaced my needed items. I cannot see my faith, but I see the result of our prayers! Have you ever noticed, one of the hardest parts of our faith is using the patience needed to see you through your trial without fretting? And, why is it when we take one of those medical tests, we must invariably wait over the weekend or longer to get the results? When we need a good dose of extra patience, a trial comes along for us to use our faith. Then we wait, and wait and wait while holding our shield of faith up in prayer so God can work in our lives.
Let’s Pray:
Precious Heavenly Father,
We cannot see you but we know you are here. We know you read the deepest intents of our hearts and look to see a working life of faith. We declare to all, that we love you Lord. We are thankful for your love and for your Holy Spirit that keeps teaching our souls how to live in your will. We ask that you would forgive us for our times of doubt and fretting, even after we’ve prayed. Put a guard over our mouths and bring a sensitivity and discernment when to speak and when not to speak. We ask that you would forgive us for not using what you have given to us. We ask that you would give us wisdom in how we can move gently in other hearts. Help us to be a reflection of your love in their lives and the boldness to follow through and speak your will to these people. Use us in new ways creatively. Help us to retain what we learn, you said that when we need answers your Spirit would bring them up for such a time. Help us to be sensitive to your Spirit when He speaks in our hearts.
We lift up those together this morning who are seeking a healing. We call you Jehovah Rapha, for you are the God who heals. Jesus said that if we ask anything in His name, believing that it is already done, we have it. Right now we trust in you with everything we have and refuse to lean upon our own understandings. According to your word, by Jesus’s stripes and the faith that you have given to us we say: “be healed” in His name. And, we all say: Thank you Father in your Son we pray. Amen.
God bless you! Next Ep. 6:17 God is so good!
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