WHEN FAITH MEETS A PROMISE – GOD GIVES A MIRACLE
April 2013 |
Hebrews 11:6 – “But without Faith (in Christ and the Cross; anytime Faith is mentioned, always and without exception, its root meaning is that its Object is Christ and the Cross; otherwise, it is faith God will not accept) it is impossible to please Him (faith in anything other than Christ and the Cross greatly displeases the Lord): for he who comes to God must believe that He is (places Faith as the foundation and principle of the manner in which God deals with the human race), and that He (God) is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him (seek Him on the premise of Christ and Him Crucified).”
Not too many days ago, on one of SonLife Broadcasting Network’s (SBN) monthly Share-a-thon’s, I was hosting my normal shift when a statement rose up out of my spirit. Without really thinking about it, I responded and spoke what was in my heart. As I made the statement, I felt sure it was of the Lord, even though I had never heard it before or even thought about it. I felt then and even now that it was something that the Holy Spirit gave me for the people on that day and in that hour. As I said it, I knew it was right, but I had never really thought about making the statement, it just flowed out of me to the people. The statement was this, “When Faith meets a Promise – God gives a Miracle.” The statement is a simple one and is intended to cause the hearer to rise up in Faith and grasp hold of the Promises of God.
FAITH
Much has been stated about faith in the last fifty years, much of it incorrect. The Believer is not in charge of his faith as some teach. Let me explain that statement. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our Faith (Heb. 12:1). Faith doesn’t come by speaking, Faith cometh by hearing (Rom. 10:17). When the Spirit of God reveals to the Believer some truth, He also furnishes the Faith for us to believe. Now that person to whom that Word has been revealed must act on the Faith received. How do we do that, you may ask? By simply believing what was revealed. The action side of Faith is belief. No matter how long it takes, no matter what obstacles are in the way, no matter how fiercely the world, the flesh, or the Devil oppose the truth revealed, we as Believers are to refuse to yield to a state of unbelief. All of us, at times, may waver momentarily in regard to Faith, but if we hold fast to the Word revealed, we are operating in Faith. God is the Source of the Word, not us. In Isaiah 55:11 the Bible says, “So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My Mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
THE PROMISE
The Promises that God makes to humanity come in two basic formats (of course, no one can put God in a box, we use this for teaching purposes only):
1. The first form of Promises are made to all men, such as the Promise of Salvation. In Romans 10:13, the Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be Saved.” This is a Promise for all of humanity. It can only be claimed by Faith. When God reveals to the sinner that he is separated from Himself by sin, but that the solution that ends this separation from Him is to accept Christ as one’s personal Saviour, the one who receives this Spiritual Revelation is given the Faith to believe it. He now must express his reception of that newly received Faith by believing what was revealed. Again, believing is the action part of Faith. God’s Word revealed is the Promise. So when the believing sinner reaches out by Faith and accepts Christ, just as God has revealed Him, that individual experiences the Miracle of the New Birth. They instantly become “Born-Again,” “begotten from above,” “a new Creation in Christ Jesus.” So when Faith meets this Promise – God gives a Miracle.
2. The second form of Promise comes in the form of an individual Promise. This is a Promise that pertains, not to all men, but specifically to you, the Believer. At times, God will Speak to our hearts and tell us something that involves no one but us. He will never violate the Principles of His Written Word when this occurs, so know that if what was promised violates His Written Word in any way, you didn’t hear from God. But, if what was revealed lines up with the Written Word, we can at least approach the Promise made, the Revelation given, as that which comes from the Lord. We are not the initiators of the Promise, neither are we the author of this Promise. Our role is to hold fast to the Word given, that Promise made, by believing. Again, believing is the action part of Faith and is the responsibility that falls upon the one who has received the Revelation, the one who has been given the Promise.
THE MIRACLE
Anytime that God enters into the realm of humanity and interrupts the natural flow of events, a Miracle occurs. Miracles happen around us almost everyday, as God, Who is our Refuge, enters into this world dominated by the Evil One and interjects His Will in a situation. It may be as simple as God Moving upon the heart of someone whom He wants to help you in some measure. That person then responds to God’s Prompting and comes to your aid. That is a Miracle! God has interrupted the natural flow of fallen humanity and brought about His Will. It may be a much larger Miracle such as a healing for a body, a supernatural Operation of one of the Gifts of the Spirit, a financial crisis resolved, a relationship healed and restored. All these things are Miracles, we simply don’t acknowledge them as readily as we should. Large or small, whenever God interrupts the natural flow of Satan’s darkened sin benighted kingdom, a Miracle occurs. Let me give one personal example.
MY FAMILY
Most of you are acquainted with two of my four children, Joseph and Grace, who are a part of the music
team here at Family Worship Center. My wife Hannah and I are blessed that all four of our children (Joy and Rachel are our other two girls) are serving the Lord. When Joseph was born, there was some concern about an irregular heartbeat. We did not have health insurance and had made provision for a simple delivery of the baby at a local hospital for a specific price. When these problems surfaced, our previous financial plan was eliminated and after three days of intense tests, no problem was found. They sent us home with a bouncing baby boy and a $17,700 hospital bill. It might has well have been 17 million as far as we were concerned. To be honest with you, I got a little irritated with the Lord. “God,” I thought to myself, “You could have done this differently. I don’t understand why you’ve allowed this?” My pity party continued. A few days later, Brother Donnie Swaggart was preaching in the College chapel. My mind was wrapped up in all the trouble I was facing and my attitude was poor. In His message, Brother Donnie mentioned Joseph (referring to the Biblical son of Jacob) in his message. It was not the focus of his message, he just mentioned this Bible character in passing. The moment Donnie said the name Joseph, God gave me this Word that was directed to me about my son. He said, “He shall be like Joseph of old. I will position him to bring bread to his people in a time of famine.” My spirit soared. The problems were still there. The issues were still there. But God had just given me a Word. He was going to use my Son in His Kingdom! I didn’t care about the bill any longer. Faith rose up in my heart and joy filled my soul. Time and space do not allow the telling of this story in its totality but you should know that God Moved on my behalf and eliminated the entire hospital bill. Today, every time Joseph steps out on the platform of Family Worship Center and ministers in song, I see a partial fulfillment of the Promise God has made me. Whenever I have had reason to doubt that Joseph (or any other child of mine might not fulfill the Will of God) my mind goes back to the specific Promises that God has made to me concerning them, and as my Faith, once again, “shakes hands” with His Promise, God continues to give me a Miracle. What has God Promised you? Believe Him and you will experience the miraculous!
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