POWER OF FAITH
James said, "faith without works is dead". Faith without action becomes frustration. God has given us incredible power to bring faith into reality. When you get a revelation of who you are and who God is and how that works together... nothing is impossible. One of the great examples of faith in the Old Testament is Jonathan in I Samuel 14. He told his armor bearer that God had delivered the Philistines into 'Our hands".
First is the Action of Faith. "Let us arise and go" said Jonathan. We can have visions and dreams all we want, even revelations of God's greatness, but until we "Go" faith doesn't work. I write this newsletter after traveling over 20 hours by plane and 8 hours by car into a remote area of North India. I have never experienced any travel on any road in the world like I experienced yesterday. The near misses, at least that is the way it looked to me, of many trucks and buses coming toward us as we passed traffic really kept me praying. But all of our team felt the presence of God's protection. We gathered for prayer at our destination and could feel the angels all around us. We stood on Psalms 91:11 "He will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways".
Second is the Power of Faith. There were only two of them, Jonathan and his faithful armor bearer. But not really. Jonathan saw the awesome power of God going ahead of them. He said, "..the Lord will work for us, for there is no restraint to the Lord, to save by many or by few". Most of the world's great works were done by small groups. The first apostles took the gospel to the whole world in less than a century. Gideon's army had to become small to become great. One has said, "Me and God are a majority". Little is much when God is in it. We all are amazed at how much God can accomplish through a few good men and women. Jesus had to remove the room of those who were skeptical before He raised the dead girl. He asked them all to leave. Men count numbers, God measures faith. Jonathan's heart was full of faith and that is the greatest force on earth. Esther's heart saved the nation. Moses heart delivered the nation from Egypt. Caleb's heart took his mountain even though he had to wait through 40 years of other people's unbelief. Nothing can stop a heart set on God. There is no mountain too high, no river or ocean too deep to stop a heart full of faith! Faith moves mountains and scales oceans. Jesus, full of faith, faced the cross and saw the bride beyond. He knew it would work because the Father told Him. Faith works because the object of our faith never fails.
Third is the Example of Faith. Why is the bible so full of stories of great faith? Because God wants us to see how other people of weakness rose to great faith. Esther, full of fear for her life, stepped up to the challenge and demonstrated great faith. Moses, full of doubts, stepped up to the challenge and delivered a nation. Gideon, full of questions, stepped up to the challenge and with 300 men blowing their rams horns defeated the enemy. These were people like you and me doubting, fearing and questioning but all breaking through to victory. God knows our weakness and waits for FAITH TO RISE. All at once the revelation of God's greatness breaks forth and we say in our hearts.... it can be done because God is doing it! Jonathan and his armor bearer stood their ground and defeated the enemy. The ground shook and the enemy began to run. The 600 men who were under the pomegranate tree with Saul heard the sound and saw the victory and pursued the enemy. "Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves..when they heard that the Philisintes fled followed hard after them...so the Lord saved Israel that day" (v-22). One man of faith, Jonathan, and his armor bearer brought a great victory. Don't wait for others. Lead by example! Fill your heart with the greatness of God. One heart with great faith in God, can save a nation!
