Faith for service

"What do you really want?"

Always a dangerous question. Even more so when the one you are talking to already knows what's bubbling under the surface of your consciousness. This time I thought carefully.

I want my ministry to be successful. I want people to have their lives impacted positively by what I preach and do.

"Do you believe that your ministry can do this?"

Suddenly, the light switched on. The first step in seeing my heart's desire fulfilled was faith. If I didn't believe I was going to have an impact through my words, then why should anyone else. On the other hand, it gave me something positive to fix my attention to. I was transformed. I could see my words having an effect on those who heard me - before I'd even uttered a single syllable. I had a firm conviction that what I was going to share would be powerful. I could confess my thanks out loud to my loving Father for what I knew He was doing through me to glorify His name...

Technorati Tags: faith

Faith to Minister to Others

By faith...

It was one thing to believe for something for myself. To experience healing, to receive revelation to enable me to achieve what I had been called to do. It as another thing to be faced with the challenge of believing that my faith could move mountains in other people's lives.

It looks so easy. You pray for someone or prophesy over them. And then...

What?

If it doesn't work out, you blame their lack of faith? That's why they come to you in the first place!

This is one reason why we're ehorted not to lay hands too hastily on someone. What does the Holy Spirit want to accomplish through your laying on of hands? Discuss it with Him. When you are convinced of what God will do, then, in faith lay hands and pray.

Technorati Tags: faith

A Living Faith

A life of faith is not a static state. You grow and develop in it.

When you ere a child, you probably learned about the characteristics of living things. Little would you suspect that those same principles learned amongst piles of dusty books and racks of test tubes would have a spiritual application today.

Living things grow. What you can do with your faith tomorrow will be far greater than those dreams you have now. Just learn to exercise what faith you already have.

Living things need to be fed. Your faith needs feeding. Read your Bible regularly, systematically - not just a few familiar passages when you feel like it - you need a balanced diet.

Living things reproduce. Your faith will also reproduce itself in the lives of those who you influence. That is why it is so important to have an authentic faith. Otherise, what you will pass on will suffer from the same flaws of your own.

Technorati Tags: faith

Have Patience! - An Essential Partner to Faith

Hebrews ch.6 v.12 puts it well - we inherit the promises of God through exercising faith and patience.

It is a difficult lesson to learn - particularly for a generation used to instant everything. We want instant spirituality, sanctification, spiritual growth. If we can't wait more than 8 seconds for a web page to load, what chance has answered prayer got?

Fortunately, our Loving Father has made it quite clear to us that He is not a Heavenly vending machine - push in a prayer, out comes the answer (or you give it a good kick to try to jolt it into doing what you want).

He loves us enough to sustain us through times of waiting. If you feel you have no strength of your own left, good. Once you reach the point of surrendering your self-sufficiency, He can step in to work through you to see His vision come to pass.

Technorati Tags:
faith

Faith for complete healing

There is more to being healed than the removal of the symptoms of disease. That, however is a starting point. There is nothing much more bizarre than a person who claims that he has been healed of his sickness, it's just the symptoms that remain.

It is essential that we distinguish between the genuine work of God in healing and people 'just feeling a little bit better'. The Lord of the Universe is not a God of half-measures. Of course, for some, it is part of the process of developing faith, learning to see what God can do. But it is not a final state. It is a provocation to experience more of what the Good Lord is able to do.

I keep thinking - I wouldn't be writing like this if I was currently in ill health. It is one thing to type about the fact that it is God's will for people to be healed completely - from the inside out - that we should not be satisfied with partial healing, but look to the author of all miracles to finish His work through whatever needs to be restored within us. It's another thing however to have to put one's own words into practice.

Technorati Tags: faith

Faith in Christ - a key to good health?

We believe that Christ died - once for all, that when He gave up His perfect life on a cross for us, he not only took on Himself the punishment for all the things we have done wrong, but also the consequences of that punishment. All sickness and disease has therefore already been dealt with through His sacrifice on our behalf.

It is therefore no longer a case of wondering whether we will be healed, but reckoning ourselves already healed through His power. The same power that raised Him from the dead is at work in us now, bringing about a transformation in our bodies.

All we need to do is believe - our faith is a gift from Him too.

Technorati Tags: faith