Declaring and Decreeing It is So!

I have been thinking on faith a lot lately because my husband and I have some major decisions to make in the next few weeks. We are praying daily that we will hear the voice of God as to His desire for us and His direction on these matters. And once we hear him, that we will have the faith to step out and the courage to do what He says. 

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary list these definitions of faith: “belief and trust in and loyalty to God; firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust.”

According to that definition, we must fully believe God and trust Him. And why wouldn’t we? He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you…plans to give you hope and a future.” So we know that God has only our best interests at heart and we can trust Him to tell us those plans.

But there’s also that part of the definition that states “firm belief in something for which there is no proof.” Tony Evans,’ Senior Pastor Of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, definition of faith is: “Faith is acting like it is so, even when it isn’t so, so that it might be so, simply because God said so.” I had to read that several times, but the more I read it, the clearer it became. Allow me the liberty of breaking that down just a bit more (with all due respect to Dr. Evans): Faith is acting [living my life] like it [whatever I am believing God for] is so [already in existence] even when it  [whatever I am believing God for] isn’t so [not in existence] so that it [whatever I am believing God for] might be so [might come into existence] simply because God said so [declared and decreed whatever I am believing God for into existence.] In other words: Faith is living my life like whatever I’m believing God for is already in existence even when whatever I’m believing God for is not in existence so that whatever I’m believing God for might come into existence simply because God declared and decreed whatever I’m believing Him for into existence.

What is your definition of faith? How does your faith help you get through your daily life? Leave your comment – I would love to “chat” with you about this!

A Tiny, Itsy-Bitsy Amount of Faith

“Another story by way of comparison He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Of all the seeds it is the smallest, but when it has grown it is the largest of the garden herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches.” (Matt. 13:30-32 Amplified Bible)

So, just how little is that mustard seed?  “A grain of mustard seed is really small. One grain is 1 or 2 millimeters in size. That’s tiny. A mountain, on the other hand, is huge. I took a look at one mountain in Israel, Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon is in the Galilee so Jesus’ disciples would have been familiar with it. Mount Hermon is 1,804 meters higher than the land around it and 2, 814 meters above sea level.”

Jesus goes on that if we have a tiny, itsy-bitsy amount of faith – 1-2 millimeters of faith – we can speak to mountains, tell them to move, and they will move. So why don’t we have that much faith? And how does Jesus define faith?

“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.” (Hebrews 11:1 The Living Bible) (emphasis mine) I love this verse. We have the confident assurance that something we’ve prayed about will happen.

So again, I ask the question – why don’t we have that much faith? I think there can be several, perhaps many, answers to that question. The one I think is most common is when you’ve prayed for something for a very long time but your prayer has not been answered. You’ve decided that God is not going to answer your prayer so why bother. But the Bible says “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.” (Psalm 138a:8 KJV) In other words, He will answer my prayers. As I’ve said many times in previous blogs, our timing and His timing are not the same. Yet, His timing is perfect. He knows our future so he knows when the best time is to answer our prayers.

Be encouraged today. Go out and plant your mustard seed – your tiny, itsy-bitsy amount of faith and trust God that He will answer – in His time.

The Word of the Lord

A few weeks ago as I was driving to work I was thinking about what I’ve gone through in life, where I am now and where will I be in two years, five years, even ten years. As these thoughts whirled around in my mind, the following thoughts came to me and I knew in my heart and in my spirit that God was speaking to me. This is what I heard:

“Do not linger in the past. It is over. Your sins have been forgiven and I remember them no more.”

“Do not look to the future for it is not yours to know. Do not worry about the future because worry gains nothing. Instead, trust in Me. I will be with you in the future even as I am now.”

“Stay in the present. Stay in my presence. Stay in the present in my presence.”

Ps. 71:1 “In You, O Lord, do I put my trust and confidently take refuge; let me never be put to shame or confusion.” (Amplified Version)

Proverbs 3:4-5 “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” (Amplified)

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.