FAITH:
Romans 10:17 tells us ‘Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’. Whenever, however, wherever and by whatever means, when God speaks, we have opportunity to trust THAT Word and for THAT Word to contain LIFE and to produce LIFE in us.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us ‘Without faith it is impossible to please God……’
Something we do not often hear, though, is that when we settle for ONLY what we have heard, and we stop continuing to listen, faith falls dead at our feet.
Proverbs 30:5 states ‘Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.’ Solomon and the Holy Spirit are both warning us, and promising us, that EVERY Word we hear coming from God is going to be challenged. As the snake asked Eve “Yea, has God said…”
My chief responsibility on earth is to sort out His Words of LIFE amidst the words of death coming from His enemy – my enemy and yours, the devil himself. The challenges of satan may be blatant or they may be subtle, but ‘source sorting’ is the first step to LIFE. As I know the source of what I am hearing I then am assured my response should be trust or mistrust. Faith CONTINUES to come with my CONTINUED attention to anything and everything I hear from God.
Finally, I take great comfort in this: John 10:27 quotes Jesus as saying “The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me.”
I have settled the question as to whether or not I am ‘His sheep’ – I pray you have as well.