Hey there. It’s always great to write to you every week. Thank you for always reading and I believe you’re always blessed. Today will not be an exception.
For two Fridays, I have written about the topic “Living by Faith”. I started with the foundation of acquiring life by faith in the gospel and then last week, I focused on your walk by every word and instruction of God which gives you access into the life of God, experientially.
Today’s focus is to “receive Life”… Through faith.
Today’s topic, Living by Faith; Receive life, is focused on acquiring the life of God… Experientially.
I think it’ll be easier for me to explain a lot of things if I start with this statement. “Faith comes to you when you believe God. When faith comes, Life is acquired.”
Faith is from God, through His Word!!!
Man, like I said in previous posts, has the natural ability to believe. This ability still is not what gives man the Life of God… It is the Spirit of God… His Word.
The story of Ezekiel will help here.
Ezekiel 2:1-2 (KJV)
“And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me.”
Just look at that!!!
The Lord spoke to Ezekiel and a spirit entered into him and gave him life and strength… Quickened him. Ooohhhh this is so beautiful. It’s so beautiful because I seem to remember the Lord of host say “it’s not by power, it is not by might but by my Spirit”
From this scripture and many others, I have learnt, indeed, that faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. This is the problem with us, we do not wait for the word of God to be spoken to us, we do not cry and say “Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief” yet we go out putting up boldness and we get battered by life… Hopes get shattered… Meanwhile in God, hope is very sure.
Faith doesn’t come from you. It may be difficult for you to believe this but I pray you do… Faith is not conjured up by you, it comes to you.
One thing about men who really walk by the faith of God is that they are meek and humble. Listen, a man is puffed up by his confidence in works of flesh. Faith does not permit that because it is not of yourself.
This is what your natural ability to believe is… It’s like a man opening the door of his house willingly to someone else to come and run the house and it’s affairs.
The entrance of the word is what gives you assurance… You believed (opened the door) and the word came in as faith.
I digress a little:
The word of God in you doesn’t manifest as the information in your head but as the FAITH IN YOUR HEART.
Back to our discussion:
You are declared righteous because you opened the door for the gospel to come in… The ASSURANCE of things hoped for and EVIDENCE of things not seen is a power released by that same gospel. This is how faith and grace (life) to live is released to you… The Word, the Gospel.
Let me say it again… It does not come from you assuring yourself or being bold… it is a working of God’s Spirit… Believe, grant Him entrance and freedom to work.
How shall the one who is declared righteous live? By faith… Faith that is from God… It’s the life of God we are talking about here.
Maybe this is why Jesus said man must live by every word from God… Because It is Spirit and Life… Faith comes from it… Amen.
Let me put two scriptures side by side so you can see something as we move on…
Habakkuk 2:4 (KJV) and John 6:63 (KJV)
“Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.”
and
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Let me talk to you a little about faith. There’s so much to talk about but I want to make it very short, like bullet points and very easy for you.
◾Faith is not your ability to be bold… So many people try to put on boldness and they say they have faith… No sir.
◾It is not what you desire that creates faith in you all of a sudden… No way!!!
◾Faith is not how sure you are…. I know you’ll say but the Bible says “faith is the assurance of things…”… Just hold on a bit. What I mean is that faith is not an assurance generated mentally or intelligently.
◾Faith enables you to obey God totally and walk with God unto eternal life… (this is the summary of the concept of faith with works).
Faith is a spirit and it comes to you from God… this is why you can have life, you can be quickened, you can be made alive by it.
Brethren if you understand the statements above, you will be so submissive yet so full of faith. Real spiritual faith.
Often times in the Bible, the original rendition referred to faith as “the faith of God”.
Just look at Ezekiel, all he had to do was “faint” at the sight of the Lord. That is all we have to do, we have to submit, surrender, we have to “receive with meekness the engrafted word”… This means to believe.
Faith is so effortless because it comes to you… It’s like oxygen, just breathe in… Faith comes to you! it comes to you!! it comes to you!!! it comes to you!!!! Just receive the word with meekness and Faith will come into you… It will lift you up on your feet. You will be quickened. You will live. Hallelujah.
Listen, if you don’t get anything today, get this “Faith comes”… Depend on God for this faith.
I have resolved to “surrender” before the word of God like Ezekiel fainted and just receive the word and I believe that the word will give me life. No matter how long it’ll take for that word to be spoken to me, I will keep receiving the written one with meekness until the Spirit enters into me and gives me life.
Maybe the word is not profiting you because you’re still on your feet trying to achieve everything spiritual by the arm of flesh… You’ll only end up putting up a show. Surrender sincerely and allow the word, allow faith come to you. Look at Ezekiel 2:1-2 again, you’ll observe that you even need to be helped to hear the word of God… Aaaahhhh!!!
The Lord said “the words that I speak to you are spirit and life”… After learning this we learnt that that same word is where faith comes from.
Brethren it is obvious that you need the word of God to live…
Faith will come to you through the word.
Life will come to you through the word.
Grace will come to you through the word.
You say “but Rowland I’ve been reading the Bible for so long it doesn’t seem to be changing me”
As much as there are many reasons that can be, I’d rather focus on encouraging you to continue looking upon it and believing but you may want to change your approach if it is wrong (visit and read how to study here).
Let me summarize all I have said today. Faith does not come from you, it’s a spirit from God that gives life through His word. Submit therefore to His word and He will breathe life upon you.
I hope this encourages many to go back to the word and to stay, depending on God. I hope this discourages those trying to attain faith and life by the power of flesh.
Thank you for joining me today. I hope this blessed you. Don’t forget to like, comment and share. Read from me next week. God bless you.
Photo was edited
Ancient Word 
Powerful insight, brother!
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