Dave’s Monday Blast – January 2, 2017
Happy New Year! The Christmas lights are down and the tree is outside!
Last week we began a discussion of INTENTIONALLY “Walking by Faith”. If I were to give voice to the one thing that I am resolved to do in 2017…that would be it. But to walk by faith requires an intimate relationship with the object of my faith. Jesus Christ is the object of our faith! I want to draw closer to the Lord. The closer I am to my Heavenly Father the more I will really know Him. The more I know Him, the more I will trust Him because He is always found FAITHFUL.
We began a new message series at church yesterday, “Practical Faith – Living a Life of Purpose”. Walking by faith has some incredibly practical benefits. Thanks to Pastor Ray Johnston for the following:
Here are the first three of six practical benefits of Walking by Faith:
- Faith Determines What God can Do in Your Life: In Matthew 9:29Jesus says, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” What is He doing while He says this? He is healing someone of their blindness. Because of their faith, the blind were able to see. Everything God wants to do in your life happens according to your faith. There are thousands upon thousands of promises in the Bible. The key that unlocks every one of them in your life is faith.
- Faith can Solve Impossible Problems: People with faith have a special kind of vision. It’s not x-ray vision – its future vision. When you don’t have faith, you focus on the problems in front of you. You focus on why things are impossible. When you have faith, you still see how difficult life can be, but you also see that any problem is solvable. Jesus says that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can move mountains. With power like that, even daunting problems seem small.
- Faith is the Key to Answered Prayer:What is it that causes forward progress in a person’s life? Fresh vision. The idea that better things are ahead is what drives us to improve our finances, our marriages, our careers, and our relationships. What causes fresh vision? HOPE. And what leads to hope? You guessed it: FAITH.
When you have faith, you have the confidence to keep hoping. You have confidence to keep moving forward. You have confidence to keep on praying. And in time, all prayers are answered. That’s good isn’t it!
Next week three more!
