Genesis 1:3 (NKJV) Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
We have all been hurt by someone who didn’t keep their word. When that happens, we stop trusting people’s words and start thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But here is the problem: we cannot grow in the Lord if we apply the same scepticism to God. We cannot compare fallen, flawed men with the Creator of the universe. If we are going to walk with God, we have to move from “I’ll believe it when I see it” to “I’ll see it because I believe it”. We need to take God’s Word for it!
To know God and experience Him, we must anchor our faith in His Word. God created everything by speaking it into being. God is the Great I AM. He is the beginning and the end. He is not a created being. He IS; He is Yahweh (YHWH), meaning “the source of all existence”, emphasising that He is self-existent and eternal.
That most challenging time for Christians, as far as prayer is concerned, is the period between uttering the “amen” and seeing the prayer answered. After we have prayed the prayer of faith and agreement, what has happened in the spirit realm will take time to manifest in the natural, which is when the prayer is answered. This is when we need to fight against doubt and unbelief, as we can be easily swayed by circumstances. Therefore, what will help us to keep our faith after surrendering our will to Him through the prayer of consecration is knowing God well. What will help us to anchor our faith is how the Word of God has revealed God to us. The other way to build our faith in God is by “tasting and seeing that the Lord is good,” which happens as we apply our faith in Him.
The way to experience God is by walking with Him through a life of consecration, a deep prayer life, and acting on what His Word has promised us. Even though we may have faith-filled friends to journey with us, nobody can walk out the faith walk except ourselves, because ultimately it is still our own fight of faith.
God revealed Himself through what He has done throughout history. He revealed Himself to the Israelites through His actions. He said, “Then you shall know that I am the Lord” 70 times in the Book of Ezekiel. He reveals Himself not only through His words but also His deeds, using them to instil knowledge of His identity and power.
Creation came into being through God’s Word; He created things out of nothing by speaking them into being! That means the same power that holds the universe together is contained in the promises He has given to you and me. We need to agree that God’s Word has creative power and the authority to bring to pass what He has spoken and promised us.
Reflection: What causes your faith to waver during the waiting period? How can you make God’s Word a greater part of your daily conversations, prayers, and decisions?
Sermon Series： Agreeing with the Word of God
与神的话语一致
创世记 1:3 神说：‘要有光’，就有了光。
我们都曾被那些没有信守承诺的人伤害过。当这样的事情发生时，我们会停止相信人的话，开始认为：“等我看见了，我才会相信。” 但问题在于：如果我们以同样怀疑的态度对待神，我们就无法在主里面成长。我们不能将堕落、有缺陷的人与宇宙的创造者相提并论。如果我们要与神同行，就必须从“等我看见了，我才会相信”，转变为“因为我相信，所以我将看见”。我们需要相信神的话语！
要认识神并经历祂，我们必须将信心建立在祂的话语上。神通过祂所说的话创造万物。神是伟大的“我是”（I AM）。祂是起初，也是末后的。祂不是被造之物。祂本为“是”；祂是耶和华（YHWH），意思是“万有存在的源头”，强调祂是自有永有、永恒存在的神。
对于基督徒来说，在祷告方面最具挑战的时期，就是从说出“阿们”到看见祷告蒙应允之间的这段时间。当我们献上信心和合一的祷告之后，属灵领域中已经发生的事情，需要时间在自然领域中显明，而这就是祷告得着回应的时候。在这个阶段，我们需要抵挡怀疑和不信，因为我们很容易被环境动摇。因此，在通过奉献祷告将自己的意志降服于神之后，帮助我们持守信心的关键，就是更加认识神。帮助我们坚定信心的，是神的话语如何向我们启示祂自己。另一个建立我们对神信心的方法，就是“你们要尝尝主恩的滋味，便知道祂是美善的”，而这会发生在我们实际运用信心倚靠祂的时候。
经历神的方式，就是通过分别为圣的生命、深厚的祷告生活，以及按照祂话语中所应许我们的去行动，与祂同行。即使我们有充满信心的朋友陪伴我们同行，没有人能够代替我们走完信心的道路，因为最终，这仍然是我们自己所要争战的信心之战。
神通过祂在历史中所成就的一切来启示祂自己。祂通过祂的作为向以色列人显明自己。在以西结书中，神有70次说：“你们就知道我是耶和华。”祂不仅通过祂的话语启示自己，也通过祂的作为启示自己，并借此使人认识祂的身份和能力。
创造是借着神的话语而产生的；祂从无到有，借着说话创造万物！这意味着，使宇宙得以维系的同样大能，也包含在祂赐给你我之应许中。我们需要相信并认同，神的话语具有创造的能力，并且拥有成就祂所说和所应许之事的权柄。
默想：在等待的过程中，是什么使你的信心动摇？你可以如何让神的话语更多地融入你每天的谈话、祷告和决定中？
讲章系列：与神的话语一致