faith

[thereaperman]

where do you get yours from and how do you keep it alive in times of crisis?

[irishcowboy]

There are many "Crisis" that are mearly problems that could have been planned for and were not.....

lets say for a moment, that you have a car, you bought it brand new and you have only had it serviced..... you have owned it for three years.... now, over that three years, you have not put tires on, nor replaced brakes, nor had it alligned or had the fan belts replaced or even had the windshild wipers replaced..... now, all of a sudden, you notice that you need tires, but you have not prepared for this, and it becomes a CRISIS...... we all know that tires wear out, that the fan belts wear out and brake down and we all know that we need to replace the windshield wipers and brakes from time to time, but if we do not plan for it, if we do not put a little bit aside, pretty soon we will not have the money to take care of a situation, that all we had to do was look a bit ahead.....plan.... budget..... not a hard thing to do...

how about that wonderful cell phone...... how do we use it??? do we count the minutes? or do we just yack yack yack yack???? do we know whether or not we can cover the cost of the calls we are making????? or do we wait until the bill comes in to find out that we can not afford the blasted cell phone..... another crisis.... how do we get into these messes????

other crisis, again are of our own doing..... if we do not stay ground in the Word, we will not be ready for problems or tests to come upon us and then we again are in a panic......WHAT WILL I DO???????

most crisis can be avoided with proper planning.... every one of us was given a brain, every one of us can use our brains that God gave us.... if we stay with God, what would normally be a crisis ( an f-14 coming in for an attack ) becomes a minor situation ( a gnat buzzing around the ear )......

a crisis is relative to the person that has it.... is it a gnat? or an f-14???

to handle a crisis, we need to be ground in the Word, studied up, prayed up, Armored up, and on the alert...... are we the type of person that jumps every time some one comes up and says HI???? or can some one actually sneak up and yell BOOOO and you turn and look at them and grin.......

God has given us all the material we need, all the tools are in the tool box that we need to handle every " Crisis " God even gave us the instruction book on how to use each and every tool in the tool box...

God handles all my affairs, big ones and little ones..... God tells me what to charge when I am doing a job, God also tells me when I am finished with a job....

for example..... yesterday, I was called out on an emergancy job.... a water leak... as it turned out, it was not much of a problem for me to do the repair, but under normal situations, the job would have cost about 100 dollars, this would have been a crisis for this lady...... she asked about the price of the material and labor before i started... i told her, and she said, well, it needs to be done, i dont like things that are broken..... as I was working the Lord spoke to me..... and when I was finishing up, she asked how it was going, i told her very good and that the cost would be less then i had originally stated and told her how much i would need.... she said ok..... while cleaning up, i over heard her on the phone, telling a friend of hers that God gave her a blessing this past week that he allowed her to do some substitute teaching and was paide exactly what the plumber wanted for the work........

you see, that money she had earned this past week could have been squandered on a dinner out or some other thing, and then this plumbing repair would have been a crisis, but she had enough insight to know that she needed to hang on to it.... God knew of it way ahead of her knowing of it, and God directed the entire transaction.....

hope that helps.....

mike

[Dad Ernie]

Greetings Therepearman,

where do you get yours from and how do you keep it alive in times of crisis?

Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

Please read ALL of Psalms 119.

The word "faith" actually means "trust". The more acquainted you become with God/Jesus by studying His Word, by prayer, and by "walking in TRUST" with Him, the greater your "faith" becomes. Consider Job's statement:

Job 13:15 Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

and also consider:

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Blessings,

Dad Ernie

[Guest aka_mary]

Matthew 17:20(NIV) He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

I have always marvelled at the above scripture. I believe with all my heart that it could be literal.

Hebrews 11

By Faith

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.

3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

23By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

And well for me, this passage sums up the very essence of faith, and it's importance to everything..... even evolution is covered in verse 3.

[WatchingForJesus]

Hebrews 11

By Faith

1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for.

3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

5By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

7By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." 19Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

23By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

24By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. 25He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

31By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

32And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, 33who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated-- 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. 40God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

And well for me, this passage sums up the very essence of faith, and it's importance to everything..... even evolution is covered in verse 3.

aka mary,

I agree with you that this is an excellent scripture that explains faith. It answers the reapermans question very nicely.

HOWEVER -

How do you get EVOLUTION out of verse 3?

YBIC,

Braldey

[Guest aka_mary]

Hey Bradley,

verse 3 for me personally when I read it spoke about evolution cause it indicates that by faith we believe that God formed the universe at His command, out of nothing, it did not evolve from anything. So that what is seen was not made out of what is visible.

I am not an authority by any means, it was just what I felt revealed to me when I read it. It was like an Emeril moment, you know.....BAMM

Blessings,

[WatchingForJesus]

reaperman,

Sorry about not answering your question specifically. I will do that here:

I get my faith from the Word of God. Using many of the same verses that others have posted here. As far as keeping it alive during times of crisis? That seems to me to be the time when it shines the most.

I find that sometimes when things are going great and all is good that I tend to get a little prideful thinking that I am the one who made all of this happen. Then, when tragedy or crisis strikes I find myself clinging to God wanting Him to get me out of the current situation or crisis.

When I am walking right with God, I understand that He is in control of my life. However, satan doesn't like it too much when I am walking right with God and so he starts messing with me, trying to discourage me, putting roadblocks up in my path.

When I realize what is actually happening, then I rejoice because I know that I am moving in the right direction because if I wasn't, then satan would just leave me alone and wouldn't attack me. So, I look up and praise God in times of crisis (not those crisis' like Mike wrote of the can be avoided, but crisis' that come our way that are beyond our control, like a rock cracking your winshield, or a loved one getting sick and going in the hospital, or getting food poisining at a restaraunt, things like that) because I know that satan is trying to get at me and I am not going to let him.

I base this thinking on the following verses:

Jam 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Edited May 9, 2004 by WatchingForJesus

[CaliGuy4Christ]

Also remember faith is a gift from God (1 Cor. 12:8, Ephesians 2:8), and we should pray diligently for it. James said we have not because we ask not (James 4:2).

1 Corinthians 12:8 For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit:

9 to another faith, in the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, in the one Spirit;

Ephesians 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;