93. EXERCISE YOUR FAITH. Matthew 17; 20.

Faith is like a muscle, for it to grow, get strong and work for you, it must be exercised. Yes, it’s a Gift from God, but, like all God’s gifts to us, they must be nurtured and fed to reach their full potential. You may be a gifted pianist, but unless you practise regularly and learn the finer points of Piano playing, you will never be a “Concert Pianist”. You will remain a party player. or a party prayer as in the case of group prayer, which is a good place to start and practise your potential ministry, First of all in small things. Then, If you still feel God is leading you in the direction of a particular ministry ;-- As you grow in faith, and through trusting in Him, practise and become more sensitive to the leading of His Holy Spirit, God will confirm His “Gifting” to you as He does for all of us, Some gifts can be very demanding, and the need for constant prayer and sometimes even fasting or other sacrifices may be called for, but don’t fear, If God calls, He equips us for the task. In (Hebrews 11:1) Paul writes “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for” Observe the words Now Faith” Thank God for the faith of our fathers. But to move the mountain that stands in your way, you need “Now Faith!” Jesus said (Matthew,17:20) “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move… and it will move” Your Grandmother’s faith may have moved her mountain, but it’s going to take you’re own faith to move “this mountain”. We all have mountains in our lives, and God is willing to move them. So what is the problem? Doubt!! Other peoples opinions!! Failure to understand God’s Word!! Even though Jesus gave the disciples the power to heal the sick, they were rendered helpless against a demon-possessed boy. “Why could we not cast the spirit out of him?” they asked (Hebrews 17:19) Notice what Jesus told them;- 1. Be willing to start small, and in most cases that takes time; when Jesus was talking about “mustard seed faith”, He wasn’t talking so much about the size of the seed but about the time it would take to grow into a large tree. To reach the fullness of any gifting from God takes Faith plus time. Of course God can and sometimes does immediate healings and miracles, but, mostly He works on the faith of both, the recipient and that of the prayer. Have you ever noticed what Jesus said to many of the people who were cured of their various illnesses , eg. To the woman with the issue of blood’ Jesus said “YOUR Faith has healed you” to Jairus regarding his daughter, Jesus said “Don’t be afraid, JUST BELIEVE”.(stir up YOUR faith) In the Gospel of (John 11:40) The Raising of Lazarus we read “Jesus said ‘Didn’t I tell you, you would see God’s glory IF YOU JUST BELIEVED’ Now who or what are you believing in? Not in yourself, or in the adequacy of your prayer, but a real all-in faith in Jesus Christ. This doesn’t come naturally, it comes via The Spirit of God, so one has to submit to His leading A tiny mustard seed can grow into something much bigger, so start where you are, and believe God for ordinary everyday things, and when He honours your faith, thank Him and build on it. 2. Watch what you say. “If you have faith…, you will say to this mountain...Move and it will move.” Your words will release the life-giving force of God’s Word. So line-up what comes out of your mouth with what’s written in Scripture. 3. Be willing to do what’s needed. Some mountains need a bit extra prayer or, as in the case of this demon-possessed boy, the power that comes through fasting. And sometimes a few more questions need to be asked and dealt with. God will not submit to us, like a genie in a bottle ; No! God is God and it’s in our attitude of humble submission to His will that He will respond. So if your mountain does not get removed, it’s not God’s fault, He is in the business of moving mountains. So go back to the drawing board. Go to the reason why you want God to act, Look at the purity of your intentions, is God talking to you about something you need to sort out first, is God saying “Not yet” or even “No” God didn’t remove Paul’s mountain, and in retrospect we can see why. More than half the epistles would not have been written if He had. I too have had a “No” from God, and I know that I wouldn’t have the relationship with my Saviour that I presently have with Him if He had removed my mountain, in fact I doubt if I’d even be a Christian today if God had removed it...So just trust Him But in saying that, I firmly believe God does and will remove mountains when and if you meet His conditions. When you do what God says in His Word, you will see mountains move in your life, and the lives of others. I t’s not enough to simply listen to a sermon in church. You must hear what God is saying to YOU. You can hear something totally different from what the person sitting beside you is hearing Why? Because God is personalising the message to you. In (Hebrews 4:12) the Bible is called “The Living Word” That’s because the words of certain Scriptures suddenly come to life and take root within each of us. Sometimes you will hear what nobody else hears, you may even miss several of the sermon’s key-points and still come home with the answer you need. Paul tells us in (Romans 10:17.) “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” When you can say “I get it, I understand it, It’s mine to keep.” That Faith that comes by hearing is doing its special work in you. Before Israel went into battle, The Prophets would consult God, to be sure He was leading them. That’s because God honours Faith only when it’s based on what God promised. So what you should fight for, is what God has promised! Remember this, You can’t say “God failed me”, if He didn’t promise it in the first place. Another point to think about is when your own misguided desires push you to reach for what He has given to somebody else. When you admire someone else’s gift, it’s because it suits them and they can use and express it so well, that’s why God gave it to them. Ask God to bless you with a gifting, and He will do the same for you. Years ago people used to sing, “Every promise in the book is mine, Every chapter, Every verse, Every line.” And that is true, inasmuch as God loves us all equally. But there are specific promises He wants to fulfil in each of our lives. Your calling is different from mine or that of your friends and neighbours, That’s why we must all seek God for clarity and confirmation. Don’t assume or presume,! He said “If you seek me with all your heart, you WILL find me. So look, seek and find God in all you do, all you think and all you speak. I did, and still do. Thank you for reading how to exercise your Faith God is waiting for you to seek and find Him, to make Himself known to you and move your mountains. And the first and best way to start is to read “The Bible” His Word daily. You will meet Him on every page, in every chapter and every verse God’s Blessings go with you. Phaline. ----------------------------

94.The Spirit Does An Inside Job. John 14:16

Do you remember family dinners with conversations at the dinner table; friends and family enjoying each others company and conversation, eating lovely home-cooked meals with knives and forks not a fork in one hand and a cell phone in the other. What has happened to one of the most precious family occasions we shared? Like so many of our treasured family times, we have allowed technology to overtake and corrupt our values. We are a generation who have all but lost the art of conversation, and are well on the way to loosing the value of communication and intimacy as well. This is also impacting on the time we spend with God. Although Jesus preceded the High-tech age, He was in constant demand; multitudes pursued Him at all hours of the day and night. But, the Scriptures tell us; (Mark 1; 35) “Long before daybreak Jesus went alone out into the wilderness to pray”. Jesus made time to be alone with His Father; He made time to communicate and have a conversation with His Dad. There are many of us older people who remember our parents and families around the dinner table, the stories and chatter that went on there and how we wish we had spent more time and paid more attention to their advice and ideas; Those fond memories never fade away, what a shame! for those of us who are too buzzy to enjoy those times today.. It requires spiritual discipline to eliminate anything that takes you away from being quiet and listening to God and people, constant noise and roaming eyes need rest, our Spirits need peace and quietness, we need peaceful hearts, listening ears and a quiet spirit to hear God’s voice. That’s why it’s good to have a designated time and place to be alone with God. If you practise achieving this, you will discover a heart-satisfying intimacy and fellowship with God. Invest a few minutes reading John chapters 14-16. and let your spirit absorb Jesus’ message there. Notice He wants His disciples to have peace, and He comforts them with the assurance that they are never left alone. These are blessings He wants you and me to share as well. How can we find this peace, rest and comfort? Answer:>It’s an inside job!, because The Holy Spirit lives in us. Jesus told His disciples,”I will ask the Father and He will give you another comforter, and He will never leave you” (John14;16). The Holy Spirit indwells every believer and can provide everything we need to handle life’s difficulties with a peaceful heart and mind. The Comforter was promised by the Son, sent by the Father, and today He is ours by faith. Embrace Him, trust His power, experience His peace and follow His unfailing guidance, Even as the disciples’ hearts ached about Jesus’ departure, He assured them that it was to their advantage He was leaving them, because it would bring them to a new era of power and authority, see (John 14:12). Being as it were “Under new management” wasn’t the end, but the continuation of Christ’s ministry as The Holy Spirit took the baton from the Son’s hand and placed it in theirs. The Son would leave, but The Spirit would come and abide (continue to live) with them forever (John 14:16) That was the “advantage” Jesus was talking about (They didn’t understand then, but they soon would) The Spirit would enter their human bodies and live permanently in them. This is no tentative, vague connection. It’s God’s Spirit choosing US to be His permanent residence (dwelling place.) That is some “advantage” Wouldn’t you say! Have you ever stopped to consider the advantage this gives you? Here’s a simple example: Tomorrow you may wake up feeling stressed, weary and irritated, and humanly speaking these feelings could easily dictate your day. But, because The Spirit lives in you, these things don’t have to control your day or your life. Paul writes “Do you not know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells in you (1Corenthians 6:19). Once you accept that promise by faith, you become God’s temple. You can be at work, driving the children to school, walking the dog, waiting for biopsy results or attending the funeral of your best friend. And as you go about your everyday life, God’s Spirit, The third Person of The Trinity is living in you. (It’s mind-boggling) Can you now see why Jesus told His disciples it was good for Him to leave and send The Holy Spirit? Whatever you do, don’t let this life changing truth slide by you. In the New Testament account, (John 14:16) Jesus told His disciples “I will ask The Father and He will give you another comforter, and He will never leave you.” The Greek source for the word comforter is “Parakletos” which means ‘one who comes alongside’ to strengthen, encourage and advise you. How good is that? When you feel discouraged confused and powerless; You have access to a wise, compassionate, competent helper who will show up to support you, supplying you with what you need. Instead of struggling alone, learn to lean on The Holy Spirit, draw on His power and trust Him to do His mighty work in you. Paul tells us, (Galatians 5:16) He (The Holy Spirit) gives us directions, where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things as your evil nature wants you to. The battle of The Spirit versus th flesh is unrelenting, and our fleshly nature can never be subdued by human thinking; which just produces defeat and discouragement. What’s the answer? Paul tells us “Read again the two top lines of this paragraph” (Romans 8:14) Tells of another great benefit the indwelling Holy Spirit will bring you. “For as many as are led by The Holy Spirit of God, These are sons of God.” Praying and taking your best guess, isn’t God’s way. The Holy Spirit’s guidance – not our – guesswork should direct our lifestyle. Remember “it’s an inside job.” Thank you for reading, understanding and accepting How why and when God’s Holy Spirit comes to live in you. It is one of the most important truths you will ever need to know about God’. The Holy Spirit of God will be your greatest ally and strongest weapon against anything you may encounter in this world, and as you follow His leading He will take you triumphantly into the next. I pray the indwelling guidance of God’s Holy Spirit on us all. Phaline