Hello, welcome once
again to Faith Chapel.
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My name is Gordon Arruda
head elder of the Roseville
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Seventh-Day Adventist church.
Today's topic is called the
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miracle of faith. I cant imagine
talking about the gospel of
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Jesus Christ and not mentioning
faith. Faith is something that
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is often misunderstood but
when we understand it from the
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scriptures I hope it will become
clear and you will see it for
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what it is truly, a
miracle from God. Everybody has
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belief systems, core beliefs.
As a matter of fact our beliefs
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really determine in how we live
life, how we think, and even
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are the foundation of opinions
and assumptions we hold dear.
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Often these beliefs are
the result of events or how we
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experience life even all the way
back to our earliest childhood.
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Many of the events are hurtful
sometimes we maybe had an
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incident at school that was
humiliating. Maybe there was a
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period of time where your
friends abandoned you. All these
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events have a definite impacted
a significant impacted on your
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heart and through these events
or the trauma of these events
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we formed core beliefs.
Beliefs about how we view life
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what we think about people, what
we think about authority, about
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school, about work, even what we
believe about God but all these
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notice are based on how our
fallen nature has experienced
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life and so all the
belief systems that we developed
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are based on our fallen nature.
Biblical faith is not like this.
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Its unique. It is originated
from heaven and it is not the
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result of human attainment.
It doesn't originate with man's
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intellect, it originates
with God. Lets open the study by
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looking first into
the book of Hebrews 11
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This is a very significant
statement. It says that faith
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not only perceives the evidence
of God but it says faith
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is the evidence of things
not seen. That is the very fact
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that faith is present is
in itself the evidence that
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something significant has
happened. When someone comes
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to belief in the gospel what he
is experiencing is the evidence
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of a super natural power at work
within his heart. I remember
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when I first came to believe
in Jesus Christ as my personal
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savior. I remember that night
very distinctly my conversion
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put what amazed me is that as
the gospel was being presented
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to me something deep inside
me was opening up something very
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deep inside me that I had never
experienced before I had never
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been there before within
myself and what amazed me above
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everything is that I was
actually coming to believe
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and grasping and embarrassing
what the minister was talking
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about. I was almost to the point
where I couldn't even believe
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that I was believing that's how
profound it was this is because
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the carnal nature does not have
the capacity to believe in the
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gospel because the carnal mind
is only interested in sustaining
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itself in its own selfish ways
but God in His mercy and through
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the power of the gospel is able
to come and awaken the human
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heart to faith with is a
power that is from Him alone.
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Romans 10 says
it very interesting.
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Notice the first thing
this verse says is that faith
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comes. Comes from where? It can
only be one answer, faith comes
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from God. When faith comes
from God it follows and it says
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faith it comes by hearing.
The hearing from deep within the
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soul is not so much an audible
hearing. Jesus described it
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when He said My sheep
hear My voice and they know me.
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The hearing is the way in which
the human spirit responds to the
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message of the gospel. When it
says faith comes by hearing it
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comes from God and it comes to
us as we hear it. Hearing is the
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response that the Holy Spirit
provokes in order to open our
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hearts to the next thing. Faith
comes by hearing and hearing
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by what? The word of God. It
is the word of God. In John 1
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it says Jesus is the word. He
is the living word. The word of
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God is the explanation and the
clarification of the character
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of God. Its living and active.
Its spirit and it speaks to the
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human heart. It describes
a person that we have been
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alienated from and endears
our heart to Him. When we
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hear the word it is the evidence
that faith is beginning to take
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root and awaken us and then
enable us to accept and receive
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it as something we believe.
Faith comes by hearing and
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hearing by the word. The
Bible the written word is man's
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articulation or an expression
in human language on what the
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living word has impressed upon
his mind. The actual word itself
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originates from God and
it always goes forth with the
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intent to deliver a truth that
will set us free to enlighten
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the mind of His heart and how
He feels about us. To point us
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to Christ as the perfect
demonstration and clarification
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on who God is and that's why the
Bible calls Christ the living
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word. It is this word the
message in the gospel that
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has the ability to awaken deep
within the human spirit faith.
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It is the only message in
the world that has within it the
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power to awaken an individual
to believe in the very message
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that's presented. Its called the
seed of the gospel planted there
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and ready to grow and so this
issue of faith is not something
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that can originate from a human
heart its not something that
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comes when we try to believe its
not something that can be done
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as we exert the will, its
not even something that can
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happen as we accumulate more
knowledge because this faith
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does not begin or is not planted
in the human intellect. It
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goes far deeper than that. It
is planted in the human spirit.
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It definitely affects the
intellect as a matter of fact
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it so profoundly affects the
intellect it can change and does
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change everything that we think
it changes our opinions, it
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changes even our perspective in
how we view things. It changes
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the way we see God. That's what
the gospel is supposed to do.
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Its supposed to bring faith
to our hearts so that we can
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embrace the truth of heaven and
the power of heaven. Praise God
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that He didn't leave it up
to us and the efforts of our
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attainment to try to
believe good enough in order to
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receive Him or to accept Him
into our life. I'd like to turn
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now to Hebrews 12
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Did you catch what it
says here about faith?
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Faith is authored by Christ
Himself. He is the faithful
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and true witness. His life
was characterized by faith.
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He lived by trusting in
His Father implicitly. From the
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moment He came into the world
His life was always looking
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towards God and away from self.
This is what faith does. So
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when the Holy Spirit brings the
life of Christ to us it brings
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along with it the faith of Jesus
This is why the Holy Spirit
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is empowered to awaken us to
believe because we receive it
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from above. Notice it also
says that Jesus is not only the
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author of our faith but He
is the finisher of our faith.
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Everything that God creates
or everything that God plants
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He also causes to grow. He not
only causes it to grow but He
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sustains everything He
creates and everything plants.
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So He is the sustainer as well
as the one that provides the
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growth faith needs to grow.
A child of faith is a precious
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thing full of inocense
full of wonder but ultimately
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Christ wants to take that faith
and ground it into something
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far deeper than something we can
feel or experience because faith
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is of God it has nothing to do
with our carnal nature. Before
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the new birth experience
everything we believed in
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was based on how we experienced
the world and what we learned
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from the world that's where we
got our information that's what
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we processed and that's what
belief and core systems were
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based on and also the way
we experience life. Often times
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those belief systems are in
accurate or scued because they
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are based on our carnal natures
response and reactions to how
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life has dealt with us. When
faith comes its not of our lower
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nature. Faith comes from God. So
when it is born deep within our
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hearts faith has no respect
or has no concern about what has
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happened to us in the past.
Its life and its view point its
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focus is on the one who gave it
to us and that's God. So faith
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working within our lives
generates a power, what it does
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it captures the soul because
it believes in God and then
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starts directing the soul to God
as the soul is being directed to
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God another thing the soul needs
to do simultaneously it turns
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away from the reason and
the wisdom of our carnal nature.
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that was built up from our
life of the past. So faith has
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this powerful capacity to
pull the soul away from the life
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of the past, a life of sin, and
turn it in focus on the life of
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God. Faith will always generate
and direct our lives to God
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This is really the foundation
and the evidence of true
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biblical faith. Faith never
looks within. Faith never looks
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to what you can do. Faith
never ponders the what ifs.
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Faith always is grounded on
what God has done, what God has
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promised to do and the assurance
that He will perform it.
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Because faith is born of
God it is not subjected to the
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elemental things of the world
as it works through our flesh
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nature. This is why Satan so
fears the faith of a believer.
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Its because faith is the
way in which we are saved from
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ourselves and saved from the
world. Lets notice what it says
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in 1 John 5
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I think when we look at faith
in the light of what we've just
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discussed we can see now
why faith over comes the world.
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Satan can do nothing against
a person whose faith is anchored
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and grounded in the
accomplishments in the life of
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Jesus Christ it is Jesus who has
overcome the world. Faith just
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anchors us in that life and will
not let go. In the process of
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maturing our faith God allows
tests and adversity to come into
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our life. What this does is
it agitates the old way in which
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we have responded to the
stresses and the challenges of
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life. It my provoke
anger, judgment, fear, jealousy,
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whatever it may do faith is
the place in which we can now
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pull back from the works and the
responses of our carnal nature
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and see it for what it is. The
works of the flesh. This is the
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area where the world has power
over us where ultimately Satan
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can manipulate and exploit us.
Have you ever noticed that Satan
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always like to bring up your
past to bring to you again and
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again reintroducing to you
things that really used to bring
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you down from the past?
Things that used to tempt you
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into doing things that
you now don't want to do?
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That's because those are all
things that the carnal nature
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experienced before you
experienced the new birth.
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But faith turns us away from
that and counts it as nothing
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and useless. The fallen nature
has no contribution to our
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walk with Jesus Christ but as
we continue to believe and have
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faith and turn our hearts to
God and anchor our souls in His
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truth and in His might
His accomplishments faith is
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strengthened faith becomes the
dominate force within our souls
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Faith teaches us how to focus
what to behold what to love
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what to hold on to and it also
teaches us what to let go of.
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And what to find useless in our
lives faith gives us perspective
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a spiritual perspective to
things where are carnal senses
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do not give us that
perspective We see things in the
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circumstances we're in and react
to that so easily sometimes
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its overwhelming and
intimidating but what does faith
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do? Faith discounts the
circumstances because it
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orientates the soul to God and
when the soul is orientated to
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God, God then becomes larger
than life which He surely is.
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And there is where peace and
assurance comes from. This is
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why faith is so powerful its
because it has the ability to
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arrest us and plant our souls
into the power and the life of
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Jesus Christ. Isn't that exactly
where Satan does not want us to
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go? And so Satan fears our faith
he is afraid that you are going
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to believe. He is afraid that
faith will take such hold of
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your heart that there is nothing
he can do that will get you
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away from Jesus Christ. Faith is
a powerful thing because it is
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born of God. I praise Him
the way He has tempered my faith
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tried it in fire, oh brothers
and sisters, many times things
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from the past especially when
I'm at a low point when setbacks
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happen in my life such a
temptation to go back and
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utilize all the old coping
mechanisms and how I used to
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deal with stress getting angry
blaming, passing judgment on
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people these are all things
we used to do in our responses
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to adversity always trying
to justify yourself maybe going
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into escaping and into
addictions whatever they may be
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but faith, oh praise His name,
faith directs our souls to God.
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and that is exactly where
Satan does not want us to go.
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Faith is that which
overcomes the world and that is
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why Satan is afraid of Him.
I encourage you so much to keep
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your heart and mine in the word
of God. Let your prayer life be
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one free from condemnation
and fear and let faith take hold
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as we behold the living son
of God. Jesus is at work through
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the Holy Spirit to not only
author our faith but to perfect
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it and complete it until the
day of His coming. He's faithful
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in this work, He's faithful in
this charge, He will not let you
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go but He is determined to
transform your faith in Christ
00:19:55.63\00:20:00.96
but to be the faith of Christ
that's how the Bible describes
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the remnant in Revelation having
the faith of Jesus. When that
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happens to the people of God
they become sealed and unmovable
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because they are no longer
acting or responding to how the
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flesh nature knows or
experiences the world around
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them. Their hearts are settled
into Jesus Christ Himself
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He guides them and strengthens
them and their faith seals them
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in the Holy Spirit and prepares
to have them stand in the last
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days when the tribulation comes
Notice in a book by my favorite
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author called Great Controversy
she says that in the last days
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when God allows Satan to attack
His people to the uttermost
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Satan goes and attacks our faith
that is where the battle is
00:20:52.63\00:20:57.09
that is where the crutch of the
whole matter is because Satan
00:20:57.12\00:21:02.36
knows as our faith grows and
is grounded and is strengthened
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and then becomes unmovable he's
lost us and when he looses us
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his end is near. I'm praising
God today for the faith that
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He has brought into my heart.
I don't know what I would do
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in a life without faith. I
know what I was doing before
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and I wasn't living life, I was
just surviving it I would always
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fall back on my coping
mechanisms and trying to deal
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with my everyday life in
a way that was just totally
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unrealistic. I didn't foster
good relationships it didn't
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foster anything healthy it just
took me on a downward spiral
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that was going to lead me into
oblivion. I didn't know it at
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the time I thought life was
pretty good but looking back
00:21:50.17\00:21:53.08
at it now I can see what was
going on in my heart. I thank
00:21:53.09\00:21:57.88
God for the way He has saved me
I thank God that He put within
00:21:57.91\00:22:02.44
my heart this miracle that
enabled me to believe in Him
00:22:02.47\00:22:05.68
and I will always praise Him for
the work that He was doing in my
00:22:05.71\00:22:09.35
heart. I want this to be
your experience too. I ask that
00:22:09.38\00:22:14.26
you hear very clearly what the
word is telling you. I ask you
00:22:14.29\00:22:18.74
that you hear the voice of the
Holy Spirit speaking the truth
00:22:18.77\00:22:22.76
of Jesus Christ to your heart
as we behold Him in His glory
00:22:22.79\00:22:27.18
in the glory of the gospel
in His humility in His act of
00:22:27.21\00:22:32.91
service in His way in which
He offered Himself to be the
00:22:32.94\00:22:38.00
sacrifice for your sins to
behold that is to expose your
00:22:38.03\00:22:42.96
heart to the miracle of faith.
The Holy Spirit will be present
00:22:42.99\00:22:47.72
to plant that seed within you
time and time again often times
00:22:47.75\00:22:52.77
we find our faith slipping its
because we are slipping into our
00:22:52.80\00:22:56.70
carnal nature that has no faith.
Our carnal nature will only
00:22:56.73\00:23:02.60
respond to this world to the
pressures and influences of our
00:23:02.63\00:23:07.72
life. That's why we need to turn
our hearts to listen to the word
00:23:07.75\00:23:13.41
that Jesus loves you. Even
in the mist of our trials and of
00:23:13.42\00:23:17.68
your temptations in the last
days this is where Satan will
00:23:17.71\00:23:22.29
attack you. He'll attack
you through your feelings even
00:23:22.32\00:23:26.09
through your thinking praise God
that faith is not a result of
00:23:26.12\00:23:29.73
our intellectual thinking, thank
God that He's not the produced
00:23:29.76\00:23:34.99
of an emotional response but
faith does heavenly influence
00:23:35.02\00:23:39.24
the intellect and it does
heavily influence our emotions
00:23:39.27\00:23:43.07
What faith does because it
plants us in Christ it sets in
00:23:43.10\00:23:47.96
motion proper avenues
of channels and thinking
00:23:47.99\00:23:50.85
it gives to us feelings
and emotions that spring from a
00:23:50.88\00:23:54.63
Godly influence and so faith
connects us to a life that has
00:23:54.66\00:24:00.11
the ability to completely turn
our life around even the way we
00:24:00.12\00:24:03.99
relate and interact with
our everyday life and how we
00:24:04.02\00:24:07.86
experience people in our life
faith is powerful, faith Jesus
00:24:07.89\00:24:14.00
says can move mountains and so
it does it already has moved a
00:24:14.03\00:24:18.44
mountains of doubt in my heart
I don't care what the world says
00:24:18.47\00:24:23.20
anymore, I only care what Jesus
has to say to me. I know Him
00:24:23.23\00:24:27.95
now to be the truth I know
Him now to be my life and I know
00:24:27.98\00:24:32.37
Him now to be a precious
and tender savior. He has never
00:24:32.40\00:24:36.31
lied to me, He has always been
faithful to me and He will never
00:24:36.34\00:24:40.58
leave me and when we get to the
point when even where it seems
00:24:40.61\00:24:46.18
everything around us has
betrayed us we have that rock
00:24:46.21\00:24:50.51
on which to set our heart upon
and faith is the way in which
00:24:50.54\00:24:55.39
we hold on and will not let
go Oh I will never allow Satan
00:24:55.40\00:25:00.61
to take my faith away because
I will always allow my soul to
00:25:00.64\00:25:04.63
feast upon the bread of
life. Faith then turns my heart
00:25:04.66\00:25:09.63
and causes me to do something
that I never had the ability to
00:25:09.64\00:25:14.00
do before and that is to
see things and experience life
00:25:14.03\00:25:18.00
apart from my carnal nature
and my own way of thinking
00:25:18.03\00:25:21.70
Faith enters me into
new frontiers I would never
00:25:21.73\00:25:24.73
venture before. It gives me
the courage to explore avenues
00:25:24.76\00:25:30.14
on things that I should
do, new responsibilities that I
00:25:30.17\00:25:33.99
used to shy away from. Its given
me courage to face life and live
00:25:34.02\00:25:38.45
and live life the way God
intended it. And because of that
00:25:38.46\00:25:41.73
its given me the ability to grow
my relationship with all of my
00:25:41.76\00:25:47.14
friends and especially my
family has been because of my
00:25:47.15\00:25:50.58
faith in Jesus Christ. This is
why faith being the miracle it
00:25:50.61\00:25:55.74
is cannot be ignored this
is why the Christian faith
00:25:55.77\00:25:59.28
and religion is based on faith
its because its the only element
00:25:59.31\00:26:03.92
its the only function in the
human soul that can truly hold
00:26:03.95\00:26:07.56
fast to a truth and to a
power that is above and beyond
00:26:07.59\00:26:11.78
ourselves. Faith does not
believe in self. Faith does not
00:26:11.81\00:26:17.40
trust in your capacities or in
your talents faith doesn't care
00:26:17.43\00:26:22.21
how smart you are it doesn't
even care how much you know
00:26:22.24\00:26:27.00
about the Bible. You know we can
read the Bible and we can gather
00:26:27.03\00:26:32.24
the information that the
Bible tells us but a faith isn't
00:26:32.27\00:26:36.54
present it does not have
the power to transform and it
00:26:36.57\00:26:41.36
doesn't have the power to
inspire a deeper faith. The Holy
00:26:41.37\00:26:46.31
Spirit needs to be present in
our reading so that we not only
00:26:46.34\00:26:49.97
feed the mind we feed the
human spirit and our faith grows
00:26:50.00\00:26:54.09
through a deepening of our
understanding of Jesus Christ
00:26:54.12\00:26:57.55
and so I leave to you today the
thought that faith comes from
00:26:57.58\00:27:02.02
God and God so much wants to
plant that seed of faith in your
00:27:02.05\00:27:06.50
heart. Listen to the truth
as He explains Himself to you
00:27:06.51\00:27:11.26
either through somebody talking
to you or through reading it in
00:27:11.29\00:27:15.00
His word the Bible. Faith comes
by hearing and as you hear the
00:27:15.03\00:27:20.85
word the faith will come.
God will see to that and He will
00:27:20.88\00:27:26.00
make sure that you will
not stumble. Thank you so much
00:27:26.03\00:27:29.83
for listening today. I want
to pray and thank God for the
00:27:29.84\00:27:36.01
insight He's given us.
Jesus thank you for faith
00:27:36.04\00:27:39.49
where would we be without it we
look to Jesus as the author and
00:27:39.52\00:27:43.28
finisher of everything that
happens to us. Be with us now
00:27:43.31\00:27:47.08
now and forevermore in
your precious name. Amen.
00:27:47.09\00:27:53.28