Faith

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9to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; 1 Corinthians 12:9

Faith (πιστις) can come to us through the manifestation of the Spirit. As seen elsewhere, faith is a thing. It is quite simply confidence of what we hope, or a rule of living with respect to that which is unseen. The faith of God is given to us to discern what is true. Because our five senses do not give us the entire truth of each situation, teaching, etc., we must have access to that which lies beneath.

As we have seen with several other manifestations of the Spirit, this concept is considered very important by God. To be given words of knowledge, wisdom and discerning of spirits is to be given that access—in different ways—to the "scene behind the seen." It is Yahweh's way of allowing us to see as He sees, unhindered by our fleshly senses or mindsets.

Faith is especially important because it enables us to live and to walk. As the Spirit manifests faith, we are given the rule that steers something we confront. Although it may appear to operate in a certain way to our senses, faith allows us to see how it really operates. The writer of Hebrews puts it very plainly for us:

1Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

As he says immediately following, faith allows us to understand that the world has not been made with anything that appears, but has been framed by the spoken word of God (Hebrews 1:3). He also reveals that therein (i.e., by faith) the elders were testifed to (Hebrews 1:2). Faith was the medium by which we received a witness of the ones who had followed Yahweh in the past. The writer goes on to list the various Bible stories that describe how it was faith that was the source of their godly lives (Hebrews 1:4-40).

Sometimes this manifestation is called "special faith," because it is inherently something given at a point in time as the Spirit desires to distribute it. It is not necessarily the result of our daily walk with the Lord Jesus—coming to trust Him more as we know Him more—but a sudden awakening of confidence.

Because of how the apostle had been referring to this working of the Spirit, we can see its primary purpose is to benefit the Assembly. This manifestation of faith, then, is an opportunity to help another believer through our sudden reception of the rule of living for a particular situation. Perhaps it is a matter of obtaining something physical needed to do the work of the Lord, such as a specific amount of money, a vehicle, a building, a governmental license, etc. Or it could be a matter of receiving something from Yahweh, such as healing, how to deal with a person, whether to procede with a certain idea, and so on.

In these events, we need the rule or proof of things not seen (i.e., faith). We acknowledge that we don't have all the information, but need something to get us through to the end. We may not need just a piece of information (word of knowledge) or an understanding of how something really works (word of wisdom), but we may need the underlying foundation of what we're hoping to accomplish; we need to know how things are undernearth each step of what we're attempting. In this we can confidently walk, not doubting whether we will stumble or be confronted with something for which we cannot account.

With a manifestation of faith by the Spirit we are enabled to walk assuredly, knowing exactly what the Father has for us to do. Whether it be healing, we will have the confidence to know that it has been given, how to receive it, and then will experience the reality. Or if we need something from the government in order to fulfill God's word to us (such as travel overseas), we will be given the confidence to contact who Yahweh knows needs contacting, or fill out the forms in the way that He knows will give us access.

Whatever the situation may be, this sudden manifestation of faith is the giving of a confidence to walk in the will of God. It is the proof or rule of what we can't see, so that we might walk as though in the light, rather than stumble in the darkness. By faith, we can do all things!

Seek the Holy Spirit, and when you find yourself in situations for which you have confidence, or no rule by which to walk, ask Him for faith: you will be given that which will allow you to walk with assurance, knowing that He will work out His will in your life.

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The Good Message

As you read this site, you will hopefully come to know Yahweh more fully.

But all of this continuing knowledge is useless unless and until you come into union with Him. I use the word union because it is truly a marriage. It is that deep connection we all seek, for which we most often look in other people. However, the truth is that our hearts will only be fulfilled when we enter that union in fullness with the One Who made us.

This is the grace of God, that He has not stayed distant for us only to worship as Creator. But He has come unto us, even become one of us—in His Son, Christ Jesus—in order to share an intimate union with us. He desires such closeness that it truly will envelope our entire life, transforming us into something new and wonderful.

You may have already entered this union with Him and only seek to know Him better through reading here. But if you have not, as you do read, let this Gospel sink into your heart as you read it now.

God loves you, and has cast your sins into the sea. He has sent His only Son as the Savior of the world—that includes you.

That Son, Jesus Christ, was born as a man through a virgin who had given her life to Yahweh; He lived without sin, reflected the glory of His Father, God, in all His words and deeds, and was persecuted even unto death because of it.

His death upon a cross was the powerful explosion that separated you from your life of death. It remains for you, now, to enter into that death with Him. As you die to the one you are now, a person separated from God from your many sins, you will be born anew, with a nature predisposed to live rightly. This gift is free to you, with nothing you can do to earn it. It is the mercy of God to offer it to you, as He loves you so much! All you must do is receive it by trusting Him to have delivered you. Simply place your life in His hands and embrace the freedom that came through that death on the cross.

The Gospel is that Jesus did not remain dead, but rose again on the third day after His crucifixion! Death could not hold Him, as He was without sin. And so death will not be able to hold you, as you identify with Him fully through your trust in Him. Let go of yourself and confess Him as Lord of your life. The power of His death and resurrection will work in you all that your Creator has destined for you. You will truly enter a new life and experience that intimate union you have been seeking all of your life.

So ponder these words as you read here of this great God—Yahweh—and all that He has revealed to His creation. Let His Spirit testify to your heart that these words are true, that God is Love, and that He sent His Son so that you might receive the life that is unbound by time and space. As you feel that witness in your heart, simply believe and receive what He is offering to you, even now, and begin your new life as a child of God.

Please write to me and let me know when you take this step, as I will be your brother in Christ—we will be one in Him!