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Brandon Bracey's Seed Devotions!
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| Oct 07, 2008 1:34 pm |
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Brandon Bracey's Seed Devotion: Answering Questions About Faith. |
Brandon Bracey
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Seed Devotion: Answering Questions About Faith
Scripture NKJV Isaiah 43:2-3," When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire , you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.. For I am the Lord Your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place."
Yesterday, evening in the news I read about a man who killed his wife, three children, and mother-in-law and then himself. He left a note saying he was frustrated over financial issues he was having and not being able to provide for his family. The man had a masters degree in finance, but had been out of work for a few months. The family lived in an upscale gated community. You may be saying to yourself that this is so tragic. But I am not surprised because the cares of this world grip so many lives. With a failing economy many people are having fear race through their hearts over how they are going to make ends meet and care for their families.
This is why faith is so important. I want to take the time to answer some questions regarding the topic of faith. It is so important that we continue to walk in faith during these troublesome times. Here are the questions and my responses below:
1) Brandon what is your definition of faith?
My definition of faith is complete reliance on, loyalty to, and trust in God. Bottom Line. But see this is not as easy as it looks. I mean why have faith in God for your finances, when you can sell drugs or make a behind-the-scenes business deal that cheats people , but noone would have to know about it? This is the way people think. Then the next thing you know people are making money their God. This is not just with finances, but also with people and things. Some people idolize their pets and their spouses. But money fades, pets pass away, and even people are imperfect and pass away. But God never fades, is perfect in his holiness, and will never fail you. The Bible says in Isaiah 26:3-4 that he is our Rock eternal. Hallelujah! We can trust in the Lord forever! As our Rock he is not moved by a failing economy, gas prices, or anything else! God sits on the throne eternally!
2) Brandon I often get confused about faith & works. If I do no works, does that mean I do not have faith?
Listen, there are some ministers that teach that you have to earn your way to heaven. That is not true. You can not earn salvation and you did nothing to deserve it. Paul said it best in Titus 3:5," not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us." Jesus died for you because of God's love for mankind and to have a relationship with his creation. Also, God wants us to fulfill our God ordained purpose on this earth. Now with that being said, though we are saved by faith and not by works, our faith must be the kind that works. We are not saved BY good works, but FOR good works. Faith is the source of our salvation, but good works are the way we express the reality of our salvation. Basically, if your faith does not express itself in love, compassion, mercy, and good deeds...then it is not true faith at all. Faith without action is useless and meaningless. Faith becomes significant when it promotes action. James said it best in the book of James Chapter 2. Look at verses 14-17. James talks about how there is no profit to faith without works. This is a basic principle in anything, whether you are starting a business or doing a school campaign. If we have faith in it and do nothing about it, our faith really does not amount to anything.
3) Brandon how does faith and hope work together? Do I need to hope for something in order to have faith in it?
Well first let's look at the definition of hope. My definition is to desire something with confident expectation of it's fulfillment. Hope is not begging, but rather believing God for wonderful things to happen in your life. Hope actually energizes your faith. Let's say you need a healing in your body for instance. It's one thing to believe God is a healer. It's another thing to believe God can heal you. See, when you can see yourself healed, it actually energizes your faith and gets you positively excited and expecting to see the full manifestation of it! The Bible puts it best in Hebrews 11:1 by saying that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The substance of things hoped for means that faith adds quality or consistency to your hope or positive expectation. Faith and hope need each. Just like peanut needs jelly and ham needs cheese, faith needs hope! Heck, you can even call them best friends!
4) With a failing economy and so many problems in the world, how do you keep your faith strong when going through hard times?
To be honest I have times when I fear too. I have my car in the shop right now getting some things fixed on it. One of the fears that went through my mind yesterday was that because of the failing economy and people getting laid off, what if I lose my job? How would I handle emergency situations if something came up with my car? But I counter these fears by standing on the promises of God and meditating on them day and night. God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, and love, and of a sound mind. My faith and love for God drives out all fear from my heart. Psalm 56:10-11 and 1 John 4:18 truly minister today in these days. Also, I stay prayerful, stay in fellowship with like minded believers, confess scriptures over my life and just get intimate with God. I want everyone in the world to understand the power and fulfillment that comes from an intimate relationship with God. When you get intimate with God, the world can crumble all around you, but you will still have so much peace and joy. It's so awesome!
5) How do you believe in a God that you cannot see?
Just like I believe my money is in the bank, even though I cannot see it. Look, when we try to get all logical and philosophical about faith, you can possibly turn faith into an intellectual exercise, rather than a heart-changing life changing anchor in which God is the source of everything you need in life. Now I am not saying that your brain is not important, your mind is important. What I am saying is that faith is a divine, supernatural experience that grows when I give my heart to the Lord and grow in faith everyday. That is what trusting God is all about. Either you believe or you don't. The great thing about God is that he will not make you believe in him, but he will show you a million and one reasons why you should.
6) Do you need faith to receive salvation?
You sure do. Why? Because you have to BELIEVE in your heart and CONFESS with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. And once you receive Jesus as Lord your faith will continue to grow as you get to know Him. You may have read this devotion and would like to accept Jesus now as Lord and Savior of your life.
If you would like to make Jesus Lord of your life please pray this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and ask you Jesus to come into my heart. Wash me clean and give me a new life. Thank you Lord for saving me, Amen. If you have just prayed this prayer congratulations! You are now saved and apart of the Family of God! The next step is to get into a good bible based church where the Word of God is proclaimed! Please email me at : brandon_bracey00@yahoo.com so I can assist you in your new beginning!
I hope you have enjoyed this devotion today and most importantly understand how important it is to trust God every second of every day for everything you need. God has protected and blessed his people through generations and it is no different now. Hold firm to his unchanging hand and he will guide you through whatever you are going through. Amen.
Heavenly Father,
I love you so much and honor you for being my Rock and my everything. Lord with all that's going on in this world, I am anchored with hope and trust in your love, faithfulness, and guidance. Thank you for peace, joy, and love. Thank you for leading me through the muddy waters of life. You are an awesome God in Jesus name, Amen.
Permission To Distribute With Full Recognition Given To Author.
Brandon Bracey Ministries:
Celebrating Five Years Of Online Ministry!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BrandonBraceyMinistries
and
Brandon Bracey's Seed Devotions On Ryze!
http://brandonbracey-network.ryze.com
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