Speaking Faith 4: God Blesses Those Who Believe
How you ever been telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but the person you were talking with wouldn’t believe you?
And then, no matter how hard you try to convince them that you are telling the truth, they simply won’t believe in your words? And it is even worse when the person you are talking with is someone that you love and you genuinely care about.
It’s very frustrating.
For all of eternity – God has spoken the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – because He is the Truth and He cannot lie – yet, many times, people that He loves and genuinely cares about – will not choose to believe that what He is saying is true.
Let me tell you something: GOD REALLY LIKES IT WHEN YOU BELIEVE HIM AT HIS WORD. In fact…
GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO BELIEVE.
In fact, in Hebrews 11:6 we read:
“…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.” Hebrews 11:6
We’ve mixed up what God wants – we think God wants us to BE GOOD, to BE PERFECT – when if fact, being perfect is impossible – what God wants us for us is to simply BELIEVE HIM at His Word. He wants us to live a life of speaking faith – believing that what He has promised will come to be true in ourlives!
We’ve been considering how God wants us to learn to SPEAK FAITH – and once again – here’s the definition:
Defined: Speaking Faith is verbally declaring your confidence that what God has already promised will become true in your life!
Today I want to share with you one of the amazing benefits that come to you as you speak faith.
Abraham was old – his wife was old. They were without children. But like last week when we read of Zechariah and Elizabeth receiving a word from God that they would indeed have a child – God promises not only to give Abraham and Sarah a child – He promised that he’d have so many descendants that they would be too many to count!
And in verse Genesis 15:6 we read:
“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6, NIV.
It’s important that you get the importance of that last sentence: ‘faith made him right with God’
The benefit of belief is that God gives you ‘righteousness’ – you are made right with God because you choose to believe! Because you speak faith – you and God are right with each other!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘BE RIGHT WITH GOD’?
Two things:
1. RESTORED to right relationship with God. Sin caused us to be cut off from God. By placing your faith in what God has said through His Son Jesus, you relationship with God is restored.
2. LIVING IN AGREEMENT with God. When you learn to take God at His Word and demonstrate your faith by speaking faith – you are living in agreement with what God has said and what He is going to do. It is as if you are standing alongside of God and saying: “YES” to whatever His Word says and to whatever His plans are!
RESTORED: THE BLESSING OF BEING RIGHT WITH GOD – ROMANS 10:9-10
How do I get right with God? Through faith.
Romans 10:9-10 illustrates this powerfully:
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9, 10
The miracle of salvation happens when you open your mouth – expressing what is true in your heart a singular truth: “Jesus is Lord! He rose from the grave by the power of God!” – and when we do this – God promises to make you ‘right with Him’ – not by your efforts or works – but by the miracle of FAITH!
LIVING IN AGREEMENT: THE BLESSING OF BELIEVING THE PROMISES OF GOD – ROMANS 4:18-22
Turn to Romans 4:18-22
Again we look at our friend Abraham.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.””
Romans 4:18-22, NIV
• SPEAKING FAITH IS PUTTING YOUR HOPE IN THE PROPER PLACE. V. 18, 20-21
Look again at vs. 18… and see that God made a promise to Abraham that became his hope:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
What was the promise? That Abraham would become the father of many nations.
What did this mean? That Abraham and his wife Sarah would give birth to sons, who would multiply and become great numbers of descendents.
Notice that this promise was given ‘against all hope’ – why – because their circumstances indicated that they would remain childless.
Vs. 19 says… tells us that…
• SPEAKING FAITH IS AVOIDING HAVING MISPLACED HOPE. V. 19
“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.”
Abraham could have had misplaced hope: ‘his body’ – in other words, he could have sought to self-fulfill the promise through the normal means of procreation. In fact, he did by making a child with Sarah’s maid Hagar – which was in direct violation to what God had said. And the child born to Hagar was named “Ismael” and he is the father of the Arab peoples. What is so cool about this is that even though Abraham had momentary lapse of faith, he kept coming back to what was promised.
When we misplace our hope it is a sign that our faith is struggling. We cannot make what God has promised happened through self-efforts! If we can, we don’t need God!
Many times our biggest disappointments with God really aren’t with Him – they are our misplaced hopes that are masquerading as ‘faith’. Did you hear about they guy who mortgaged his house to buy $100,000 worth of lottery tickets – because ‘God told me to’ – that’s misplaced hope.
But we can also misplace our hope by saying: “when I get the raise…” – or ‘when I’m done with school’ – or – ‘when I get married…’ – or – ‘when I retire’
Hope that is in the things of the flesh will always disappoint. But Speaking Faith helps you avoid that. Why? Because speaking faith is taking the Word of God and using that as the basis of hope.
That’s why I say that genuine speaking faith is a properly placed hope. Look at verse 18 and 20-21…
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
This is properly placed hope: Not to look at temporary circumstances as the final answer – but to cling to the Promises of the Eternal God as the final answer.
Many of you are facing difficult circumstances – but they are not the final answer. Your problems are but for a season. They will go away. What matters is Who you are placing your hope in. Maturing Christians are learning to speak faith that God’s Word will be fulfilled in their own lives – regardless of temporal circumstances that seem to suggest otherwise.
HOW DO I GET INTO THE FLOW OF THE BLESSING? ROMANS 10:8
Now, look at Romans 10:8 to learn how to speak faith:
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:” Romans 10:8, NIV.
The word ‘it’ in the first part of that verse refers to ‘faith’. And this verse tells us about the process of learning to speak faith.
First of all realize that…
• The Word is Near You
You can appropriate God’s Word – it isn’t far away. It’s always available. 24/7 – God’s Word is right next to you.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”” Romans 10:17, 18, NIV.
God’s Word is evident in the reality of the Christian message that can be found anywhere you turn. It isn’t hard to hear the truth of the Word in our culture – if you are looking for it! It’s on TV, it’s in books, it’s available on the Radio, your can buy CD’s or download podcasts containing the Word.
You may think that you are a million miles away from where you are supposed to be spiritually – but God’s Word is near – open your eyes. Open your heart. Open your ears. The Word is near.
Jesus said… “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:23, KJV
There isn’t anyone who cannot receive the word of God – it’s right here. I’m speaking it. Right now. You can move forward into entirely new arenas of faith and relationship with Christ!
The Word is near. RECEIVE. You want to move into the flow of God’s blessings? The Word is near. RECEIVE!
Secondly,
• The Word is in Your Mouth
This is where faith takes off and becomes reality for you. Open your mouth – take God’s Word, speak it in your life, your situation, your workplace, your family.
Do you remember last Sunday when we talked about how the spoken Word of God has spiritual life force in them!?
Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63
Open your mouth and speak God’s Word. For a number of weeks, I’ve been teaching about the vitality of speaking faith – but I cannot speak faith for you. In order to move into the flow of the blessing of God – you must make the choice to open wide your mouth and begin to speak faith.
Do you know why I encourage you to be responsive to the Word of God as I preach? Not because I am looking for cheerleaders to encourage me on – although it does encourage me, but because when I know that when you open your mouth and learn to speak faith – you will take off into maturity in Christ!
The institutional church has taught us to be silent. But the living Christ invites you to open your mouths with faith! Speak faith.
Speak faith – and invite the life force of the spirit to be activated in your life!
And thirdly, we read in verse 8 that…
• The Word is in Your Heart
When you Speak Faith – your inner ear hears it, and brings revelation of truth to your heart or spirit. The Spoken Word of God creates faith in your innermost self. Speaking Faith takes God’s Word and Promises and internalizes them. You take His Word and make it your own! Your faith becomes real and vital. Alive and powerful.
This enables you to move into the flow of God’s blessing.
And when the Word is in your heart, it silences the other voices that are vying for your attention. You are able to do battle with your enemies with authority – just like Jesus did when the devil was tempting Him in the wilderness – because the Word was on Jesus’ heart – He was able to respond with confidence, and defeat His enemy. And when you speak faith – you are telling you enemy exactly where you stand. You are declaring your intentions to be a person of genuine faith. You are making your stand. You are putting satan on notice that you and God are a force to be reckoned with!
CONCLUSION: GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO BELIEVE!
AS you learn to speak faith – you’ll move into the flow of His blessing!
So, what does Speaking Faith say? How about this…
“Jesus, you aren’t here physically, but Your Word has been given. So I’ll take You at Your Word, I will believe that what You’ve promised, will be accomplished. My hope is in what You’ve said will be!”
And Romans 10:9-10 are the first evidence of faith.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9, 10, NIV.
But this isn’t just for those who are making first-time commitments to Christ – this has great meaning to all Christians. Look at the last word of verse 10: what is it? SAVED.
Paul is saying: “as you confess your agreement with God’s Word that Christ is indeed LORD, the result will be you’ll experience ‘salvation’.
The word for salvation is ‘soteria’ – which means… deliverance, preservation, healing and wholeness.
When you speak faith – salvation comes to your life. Firstly, you are made right with God. Your eternal destiny is secured. Then, God begins to clean you up. He will deliver you from your enemies, sinful strongholds. Your life will be preserved in order to accomplish His purposes. And He will heal you and make you whole.
I’ve done enough teaching for today. Let’s apply this.
God is telling the truth. Believe Him at His Word, and enter the flow of His blessing!
Speaking faith creates the possibility of you experiencing the fullness of salvation.
Identify an area of your life that needs…
• Deliverance
• Preservation
• Healing
• To be made whole
Now, what has God promised concerning these issues?
Find a promise of God – and begin to speak faith to that promise. Believe God at His Word – speak it aloud – over and over again – and watch God begin to save that area of your life!
And then, no matter how hard you try to convince them that you are telling the truth, they simply won’t believe in your words? And it is even worse when the person you are talking with is someone that you love and you genuinely care about.
It’s very frustrating.
For all of eternity – God has spoken the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – because He is the Truth and He cannot lie – yet, many times, people that He loves and genuinely cares about – will not choose to believe that what He is saying is true.
Let me tell you something: GOD REALLY LIKES IT WHEN YOU BELIEVE HIM AT HIS WORD. In fact…
GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO BELIEVE.
In fact, in Hebrews 11:6 we read:
“…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.” Hebrews 11:6
We’ve mixed up what God wants – we think God wants us to BE GOOD, to BE PERFECT – when if fact, being perfect is impossible – what God wants us for us is to simply BELIEVE HIM at His Word. He wants us to live a life of speaking faith – believing that what He has promised will come to be true in ourlives!
We’ve been considering how God wants us to learn to SPEAK FAITH – and once again – here’s the definition:
Defined: Speaking Faith is verbally declaring your confidence that what God has already promised will become true in your life!
Today I want to share with you one of the amazing benefits that come to you as you speak faith.
Abraham was old – his wife was old. They were without children. But like last week when we read of Zechariah and Elizabeth receiving a word from God that they would indeed have a child – God promises not only to give Abraham and Sarah a child – He promised that he’d have so many descendants that they would be too many to count!
And in verse Genesis 15:6 we read:
“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6, NIV.
It’s important that you get the importance of that last sentence: ‘faith made him right with God’
The benefit of belief is that God gives you ‘righteousness’ – you are made right with God because you choose to believe! Because you speak faith – you and God are right with each other!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ‘BE RIGHT WITH GOD’?
Two things:
1. RESTORED to right relationship with God. Sin caused us to be cut off from God. By placing your faith in what God has said through His Son Jesus, you relationship with God is restored.
2. LIVING IN AGREEMENT with God. When you learn to take God at His Word and demonstrate your faith by speaking faith – you are living in agreement with what God has said and what He is going to do. It is as if you are standing alongside of God and saying: “YES” to whatever His Word says and to whatever His plans are!
RESTORED: THE BLESSING OF BEING RIGHT WITH GOD – ROMANS 10:9-10
How do I get right with God? Through faith.
Romans 10:9-10 illustrates this powerfully:
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9, 10
The miracle of salvation happens when you open your mouth – expressing what is true in your heart a singular truth: “Jesus is Lord! He rose from the grave by the power of God!” – and when we do this – God promises to make you ‘right with Him’ – not by your efforts or works – but by the miracle of FAITH!
LIVING IN AGREEMENT: THE BLESSING OF BELIEVING THE PROMISES OF GOD – ROMANS 4:18-22
Turn to Romans 4:18-22
Again we look at our friend Abraham.
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.””
Romans 4:18-22, NIV
• SPEAKING FAITH IS PUTTING YOUR HOPE IN THE PROPER PLACE. V. 18, 20-21
Look again at vs. 18… and see that God made a promise to Abraham that became his hope:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
What was the promise? That Abraham would become the father of many nations.
What did this mean? That Abraham and his wife Sarah would give birth to sons, who would multiply and become great numbers of descendents.
Notice that this promise was given ‘against all hope’ – why – because their circumstances indicated that they would remain childless.
Vs. 19 says… tells us that…
• SPEAKING FAITH IS AVOIDING HAVING MISPLACED HOPE. V. 19
“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead--since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.”
Abraham could have had misplaced hope: ‘his body’ – in other words, he could have sought to self-fulfill the promise through the normal means of procreation. In fact, he did by making a child with Sarah’s maid Hagar – which was in direct violation to what God had said. And the child born to Hagar was named “Ismael” and he is the father of the Arab peoples. What is so cool about this is that even though Abraham had momentary lapse of faith, he kept coming back to what was promised.
When we misplace our hope it is a sign that our faith is struggling. We cannot make what God has promised happened through self-efforts! If we can, we don’t need God!
Many times our biggest disappointments with God really aren’t with Him – they are our misplaced hopes that are masquerading as ‘faith’. Did you hear about they guy who mortgaged his house to buy $100,000 worth of lottery tickets – because ‘God told me to’ – that’s misplaced hope.
But we can also misplace our hope by saying: “when I get the raise…” – or ‘when I’m done with school’ – or – ‘when I get married…’ – or – ‘when I retire’
Hope that is in the things of the flesh will always disappoint. But Speaking Faith helps you avoid that. Why? Because speaking faith is taking the Word of God and using that as the basis of hope.
That’s why I say that genuine speaking faith is a properly placed hope. Look at verse 18 and 20-21…
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
This is properly placed hope: Not to look at temporary circumstances as the final answer – but to cling to the Promises of the Eternal God as the final answer.
Many of you are facing difficult circumstances – but they are not the final answer. Your problems are but for a season. They will go away. What matters is Who you are placing your hope in. Maturing Christians are learning to speak faith that God’s Word will be fulfilled in their own lives – regardless of temporal circumstances that seem to suggest otherwise.
HOW DO I GET INTO THE FLOW OF THE BLESSING? ROMANS 10:8
Now, look at Romans 10:8 to learn how to speak faith:
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:” Romans 10:8, NIV.
The word ‘it’ in the first part of that verse refers to ‘faith’. And this verse tells us about the process of learning to speak faith.
First of all realize that…
• The Word is Near You
You can appropriate God’s Word – it isn’t far away. It’s always available. 24/7 – God’s Word is right next to you.
“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”” Romans 10:17, 18, NIV.
God’s Word is evident in the reality of the Christian message that can be found anywhere you turn. It isn’t hard to hear the truth of the Word in our culture – if you are looking for it! It’s on TV, it’s in books, it’s available on the Radio, your can buy CD’s or download podcasts containing the Word.
You may think that you are a million miles away from where you are supposed to be spiritually – but God’s Word is near – open your eyes. Open your heart. Open your ears. The Word is near.
Jesus said… “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:23, KJV
There isn’t anyone who cannot receive the word of God – it’s right here. I’m speaking it. Right now. You can move forward into entirely new arenas of faith and relationship with Christ!
The Word is near. RECEIVE. You want to move into the flow of God’s blessings? The Word is near. RECEIVE!
Secondly,
• The Word is in Your Mouth
This is where faith takes off and becomes reality for you. Open your mouth – take God’s Word, speak it in your life, your situation, your workplace, your family.
Do you remember last Sunday when we talked about how the spoken Word of God has spiritual life force in them!?
Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63
Open your mouth and speak God’s Word. For a number of weeks, I’ve been teaching about the vitality of speaking faith – but I cannot speak faith for you. In order to move into the flow of the blessing of God – you must make the choice to open wide your mouth and begin to speak faith.
Do you know why I encourage you to be responsive to the Word of God as I preach? Not because I am looking for cheerleaders to encourage me on – although it does encourage me, but because when I know that when you open your mouth and learn to speak faith – you will take off into maturity in Christ!
The institutional church has taught us to be silent. But the living Christ invites you to open your mouths with faith! Speak faith.
Speak faith – and invite the life force of the spirit to be activated in your life!
And thirdly, we read in verse 8 that…
• The Word is in Your Heart
When you Speak Faith – your inner ear hears it, and brings revelation of truth to your heart or spirit. The Spoken Word of God creates faith in your innermost self. Speaking Faith takes God’s Word and Promises and internalizes them. You take His Word and make it your own! Your faith becomes real and vital. Alive and powerful.
This enables you to move into the flow of God’s blessing.
And when the Word is in your heart, it silences the other voices that are vying for your attention. You are able to do battle with your enemies with authority – just like Jesus did when the devil was tempting Him in the wilderness – because the Word was on Jesus’ heart – He was able to respond with confidence, and defeat His enemy. And when you speak faith – you are telling you enemy exactly where you stand. You are declaring your intentions to be a person of genuine faith. You are making your stand. You are putting satan on notice that you and God are a force to be reckoned with!
CONCLUSION: GOD BLESSES THOSE WHO BELIEVE!
AS you learn to speak faith – you’ll move into the flow of His blessing!
So, what does Speaking Faith say? How about this…
“Jesus, you aren’t here physically, but Your Word has been given. So I’ll take You at Your Word, I will believe that what You’ve promised, will be accomplished. My hope is in what You’ve said will be!”
And Romans 10:9-10 are the first evidence of faith.
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9, 10, NIV.
But this isn’t just for those who are making first-time commitments to Christ – this has great meaning to all Christians. Look at the last word of verse 10: what is it? SAVED.
Paul is saying: “as you confess your agreement with God’s Word that Christ is indeed LORD, the result will be you’ll experience ‘salvation’.
The word for salvation is ‘soteria’ – which means… deliverance, preservation, healing and wholeness.
When you speak faith – salvation comes to your life. Firstly, you are made right with God. Your eternal destiny is secured. Then, God begins to clean you up. He will deliver you from your enemies, sinful strongholds. Your life will be preserved in order to accomplish His purposes. And He will heal you and make you whole.
I’ve done enough teaching for today. Let’s apply this.
God is telling the truth. Believe Him at His Word, and enter the flow of His blessing!
Speaking faith creates the possibility of you experiencing the fullness of salvation.
Identify an area of your life that needs…
• Deliverance
• Preservation
• Healing
• To be made whole
Now, what has God promised concerning these issues?
Find a promise of God – and begin to speak faith to that promise. Believe God at His Word – speak it aloud – over and over again – and watch God begin to save that area of your life!
posted by Doug Love at 8:47 AM
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