Numbers 23:19 (NKJV) ” God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good.
Faith believes that God is whatever the Word of God says He is. The key is to diligently seek Him. When we have done so and He has spoken to us, it gives substance to our faith, and we can be certain that we have received what He has promised us. Once faith is received from the Word, the grace of God will also be present in your heart to hold on until the promise comes to pass. We need faith and patience. It is challenging to hold onto faith and be patient at the same time because we live in a generation where we want things instantly. We also have the mentality that seeing is believing which is contrary to faith, because faith is believing without seeing and it is anchored either on God’s written or spoken Word. Lastly, the devil will also attempt to steal our faith by casting doubt in our hearts.
Our faith is established on God’s character, His attributes, and His ability as God to fulfil the promise that He has given us through His Word. God is completely reliable because God and His Word are One, so when He promised us something, He will see to it that it will come to pass. The Word of God gives unrivalled authority.
In Luke 7:7-9, Jesus marvelled at the Centurion’s faith, and called it “great faith”, which is believing in His Word. The Centurion was comparing his authority with Jesus’ authority being the Son of God. If there is vested authority as a centurion to command soldier to carry out orders, how much more is God’s Son able to give order for things to happen! The Centurion understood the power of Jesus’ Word! This is the kind of faith that God is looking for—someone who believes that He has spoken, and it is done.
Faith has to be established on God’s promise and a personal Word from Him. Otherwise, our faith is bound to waver if we walk out our lives without a word of promise from God or an assurance from the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we need to seek the face of God before we make any major decision like making an investment, starting a business, changing jobs, relocating, or migrating to another country, and one principle of faith is that we don’t make a move unless the Word of God shows us the way and shines before us like a lantern.
Sermon Series: Step Out!
信心的实质
民数记 23:19 神非人，必不致说谎，也非人子，必不致后悔。他说话岂不照着行呢？他发言岂不要成就呢？
相信就是相信圣经上说祂是谁祂就是谁。 关键是要殷勤地寻求他。 当我们寻求了祂并且祂也对我们说了话时，这就赋予了我们的信心以实质，我们可以确定我们已经领受了祂所应许的。 一旦从神的话语中领受了信心，神的恩典也会出现在你的心里，让你坚持下去，直到应许实现。 我们需要信心和耐心。 同时坚守信念和保持耐心是不容易的，因为我们生活在一个我们想要立即得到东西的时代。 我们也有一种“眼见为实”的心态，这是信心的对立面，因为信心是无需眼见就相信，它是锚定在神写就或口出的话语之中。 最后，魔鬼也会试图通过在我们心中制造怀疑来窃取我们的信心。
我们的信心建立在神的品格、属性和祂作为神能履行祂通过话语给予我们应许、成就应许的能力之上，那些应许是祂藉着圣经恩赐给我们的。 神是完全可靠的，因为神和祂的话语是合一的，所以当祂对我们作了某个应许，祂会确保它实现。 神的话语赋予了无与伦比的权威。
在路加福音 7:7-9 中，耶稣对百夫长的信心感到惊奇，称其为“大信心”，就是相信祂的道。 百夫长正在将他的权柄与耶稣作为神的儿子的权柄进行比较。 如果百夫长有既定的权力来指挥士兵执行命令，那么上帝的儿子更能发号施令让事情发生！ 百夫长明白耶稣话语的力量！ 这就是神正在寻找的信心——相信神说过的话，事情就成就了。
信心必须建立在神的应许和祂亲口所说的话语之上。 否则，如果我们在没有上帝应许的话语或圣灵的保证的情况下出来闯荡，我们的信心必然会动摇。 所以，我们在做投资、创业、换工作、搬家、移居他国等重大决定之前，都需要寻求神的面，而信仰的一个原则就是：除非神的话语为我们指明道路，并像灯笼一样照耀在我们前方，否则我们不行动。
讲章系列：信心跨越
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