Keep the Faith
February 2023
Dear Friends,
We are living in the most crucial and decisive period of history since the time of our Lord Jesus Christ. This lost, hopeless and perishing world is living in utter darkness and despair. We believers have the extraordinary opportunity to preach the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to billions of souls in our lifetime!
(Jesus came from His Father)
…to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor… ~Isaiah 61:1-2
Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ~Ephesians 5:15-16
Though the world is now filled with fear and trepidation, God’s children are filled with hope and anticipation of the Lord’s imminent return. We who walk with our Lord do so in faith and not fear:
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. ~2 Timothy 1:7
This is a season to walk in absolute faith, trust and reliance upon God. Everything in the kingdom of God is appropriated by faith. What is biblical faith?
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ~Hebrews 11:1
The Amplified Classic translation magnifies the definition of faith:
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving, as real fact, what is not revealed to the senses]. ~Hebrews 11:1-2
Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus is the author and finisher (or completer) of our faith. In the kingdom of God, all things come from our Lord, who fills us with the faith of Christ, as we steadfastly and loyally accomplish His will here on earth.
We live by faith:
We live by faith, not by sight. ~2 Corinthians 5:7
We have saving faith:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9
We are justified through faith:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ~Romans 5:1-3
We are sanctified through faith:
(Jesus called Paul to bring the Good News of salvation to the Jews and Gentiles) …to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. ~Acts 26:18
Justification occurs when God declares a guilty sinner to be righteous – he is then released from the penalty of sin. Sanctification occurs when the Lord makes the believing sinner set apart from sin to God to be holy; he is then released from the power of sin.
Justification is a one-time act, while sanctification is a continual process, through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and the word of God.
We shall overcome the world through faith:
…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. ~1 John 5:4-5
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:24, that it is by faith that we stand firm!
Our prayers are answered through faith:
Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ~Mark 11:24
Great faith takes God at His word and acts accordingly – it possesses full trust and confidence in God’s truth, character and integrity:
The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” ~Matthew 8:8
It shall be done according to our faith:
(Jesus asked the blind men) "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith let it be done to you"; and their sight was restored. ~Matthew 9:28-30
Faith is one of the keys to the Kingdom of God – it is the measure of all things that come to us through God’s grace:
And without faith it is impossible to please God… ~Hebrews 11:6
Faith comes by (continuously) hearing:
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. ~Romans 10:17
Let us meet the challenges in 2023 in faith:
My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God's power. ~1 Corinthians 2:4-5
Be encouraged and remember that the battle is the Lord’s. David says of the Lord:
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me; ~Psalm 18:34-35
The Kingdom of Heaven is forcefully advancing, and forceful men and women lay hold of it! May the Lord richly bless you and your family this year as you draw closer to His heart!
Pastor Paul