Hebrews 11:1,6 (NKJV) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…. But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Do you know that as believers, we are the ones who determine the extent that the Word of God has on our lives? The Bible says that the seed—which refers to the Word—is sown on different kinds of soil, and the soil represents the condition of our heart. So, it is the soil that determines the outcome of the seed. It means that while the Word has tremendous power, it is the heart that determines the growth of the Word.
The Word has little effect on those who have hardened their hearts. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches will also choke the Word. Meanwhile, the devil will send tribulation to steal the Word from our hearts. Therefore, we need to belong to that category of believers that has a different spirit, where our hearts are receptive to the Word so we can produce thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold in our lives.
We need to have a different spirit to take hold of what rightfully belongs to us, and it is the spirit of faith. We must not be passive but take “by force” what belongs to us as a believer. If we take the time to listen to the Word, faith will naturally be produced because Scripture says that faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Faith is imperative in the life of a believer because without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to Him must believe that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him.
We have all read about the 12 spies being sent to check out the Promised Land, but did it ever cross your mind that if God had already promised to give it to them, why was there any need to spy? Through this, we learn that our faith in God is the determining factor in whether we inherit the promises of God in our lives. We can either respond in faith or doubt and fear when we are faced with a situation contrary to what God has promised. Responding in fear or doubt will take us down a different route marred by a lot of unnecessary suffering. The Israelites’ response caused the entire generation to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Eventually, it was the new generation that inherited the land with Joshua and Caleb. We can either be the Joshua and Caleb of that generation or be like the rest of the Israelites who reacted in fear and unbelief.
Sermon Series: Having a Different Spirit
信心是决定性的因素
希伯来书11:1信就是所望之事的实底，是未见之事的确据。人非有信，就不能得 神的喜悦；因为到 神面前来的人，必须信有 神，且信他赏赐那寻求他的人。
你是否知道，作为信徒，是我们自己决定了神的话语对我们生命的影响程度？《圣经》说，种子指的是 神的道，被撒在不同的土壤里，土壤代表了我们内心的状态。因此，土壤决定了种子的成果。这意味着，虽然 神的话语具有极大的能力，但我们的内心决定了 神话语在我们里面的成长。
神的道对那些心刚硬的人几乎没有什么作用。世上的忧虑和钱财的迷惑也会使神的道被挤住。与此同时，魔鬼会制造患难来偷走我们心中的道。因此，我们需要成为那具有与众不同的灵的信徒，我们的心要向 神的道敞开，这样我们才能在生命中结三十倍、六十倍和一百倍的果子。
我们需要有与众不同的灵来抓住属于我们的东西，那就是有信心的灵。作为信徒，我们决不能是被动的，而是要积极争取属于我们的东西。如果我们花时间聆听 神的话，自然就会生出信心，因为《圣经》说，信道是从听道而来。信心在信徒的生活中是不可欠缺的，因为人非有信，就不能得 神的喜悦，因为到 神面前来的人，必须信祂会赏赐那寻求祂的人。
我们都读过十二名探子被派去窥探应许之地，但你有没有想过，如果 神已经应许要将那片土地赐给他们，为什么还要去窥探那地？通过这一点，我们了解到，我们对 神的信心是决定我们是否能在生命中承受 神的应许的决定性因素。当我们面对与 神所应许的情况相反时，我们可以用信心或怀疑和恐惧来回应。在恐惧或怀疑中做出回应会让我们走上一条不同的道路，被许多不必要的痛苦所困扰。以色列民众的回应使整个世代的百姓在旷野中漂流了四十年。最终，是新的一代与约书亚和迦勒一起得到那地。我们可以选择成为那一代的约书亚和迦勒，又或者像其他的以色列人一样，以恐惧和不信作为回应。
讲章系列：有一个与众不同的灵
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